International Conference on Approaches to Applied Buddhist Studies

The Faculty of Applied Buddhist Studies (FABS), Lumbini Buddhist University (LBU), Nepal, is organizing an International Conference on “Approaches to Applied Buddhist Studies” from 5 to 7 February 2027 at Butwal, Nepal. In this regard, we hereby invite national and international academicians and scholars to submit abstracts and present their research papers under the eleven sub-themes of the conference. The conference is intended to be the platform through which the scope and subject matter of Applied Buddhist Studies are examined openly, with national and international scholarly participation. The conference will be organized in offline mode.

Concept Note

Lumbini Buddhist University (LBU) has, to date, operated primarily through its Faculty of Buddhist Studies, which focuses on Buddhist philosophy, culture, literature and the cultivation of peace, empathy and compassion (Maitrī). The University has now established a second, distinct faculty - the Faculty of Applied Buddhist Studies (FABS) - built around two Schools and four Departments: the School of Law, the School of Development Studies & Applied Sciences, and the Departments of Management, Social Sciences, Archaeology, and Buddhist Medicine & Hygiene.

The Faculty of Applied Buddhist Studies proposes an International Conference on "Approaches to Applied Buddhist Studies" as the platform through which this definitional work is carried out openly, with national and international scholarly participation, for the formalization and decision-making. Eleven sub-themes have been identified, spanning the academic disciplines FABS currently houses and several closely related fields, so that the call for papers draws a genuinely representative spread of scholarship across the Faculty's Schools and Departments.

Butwal is proposed as the venue, consistent with the Faculty's earlier planning: the City Campus, constitute campus is located there, the city is close to Gautam Buddha International Airport in nearby Bhairahawa for the convenience of international delegates, and its close proximity to Lumbini - the birthplace of the Buddha. A post-conference expedition to nearby Buddhist places for international participants will be arranged.

"Applied Buddhist Studies" is a new term in academia. LBU defines “Applied Buddhism" as “an academic discipline or branch of learning, denoting the study of the possible application of Buddhist theories and practices to solve human problems in modern way of life”. Unlike "Buddhist Studies," which has a long, internationally recognized disciplinary tradition, there is no established, shared understanding - in Nepal or internationally - of what and how an academic faculty combining the theories of law, management, development studies, social sciences, archaeology and medicine under a Buddhist approach or perspective in its possible identity should actually mean to the world to, teach or examine.

This creates four concrete problems that LBU needs to resolve before FABS’s programs can mature:

1. Absence of disciplinary definition. Without an agreed academic definition and scope, FABS risks being read by students, examiners and peer institutions  as an administrative grouping of unrelated disciplines rather than a coherent faculty with its own identity.

2. Risk of curricular dilution. Programs could, in practice, run as generic mainstream courses indistinguishable from any other university’s offerings, unless a deliberate framework is developed for incorporating fundamental Buddhist principles and values into each curriculum.

3. Academic credibility and accreditation. A faculty whose scope is not clearly and defensibly articulated faces avoidable difficulty in curriculum approval, accreditation, faculty recruitment, and in being taken seriously by prospective students and international partner universities.

4. No consensus-building mechanism has yet been used. FABS’s scope has so far been an internal matter for the University; it has not yet been tested, refined or validated through open scholarly discussion with the national and international academic community.

The conference directly addresses this gap. By inviting papers across eleven sub-themes that together span FABS’s Schools, Departments and related fields, and by structuring dedicated sessions for discussion and conclusion, LBU aims to arrive at a scholarly, defensible and internationally reviewed definition of FABS’s scope and academic programs. The title and theme deliberately foreground “approaches” rather than settled conclusions - signaling that the conference itself is the forum in which FABS’s scope and subject matter will be examined and debated.

Objectives of the Conference

•     To engage national and international academicians and scholars in exploring approaches to Applied Buddhist Studies across the eleven identified sub-themes.

•     To examine how fundamental Buddhist principles and values can be meaningfully incorporated into the mainstream programs run under FABS’s two Schools and four Departments Law, Development Studies & Applied Sciences, Management, Social Sciences, Archaeology, and Buddhist Medicine & Hygiene.

•     To collect a wide range of scholarly papers across the eleven sub-themes, building a substantive academic base for FABS’s prospective programs and curriculum design.

•     To establish the academic scope, principles and credibility of FABS as a distinct, defensible interdisciplinary faculty within Nepali and global higher education.

•     To arrive, through structured conference discussion, at agreed conclusions on FABS’s subject matter to be documented and carried forward into curriculum and policy decisions.

•     To build a lasting network of national and international scholars and partner institutions engaged in Buddhist-values-integrated higher education.

Expected Outcomes

•     A working scope statement for FABS the academic definition, subject-matter map and disciplinary boundaries reviewed and endorsed through open scholarly discussion.

•     A collection of peer-reviewed papers across all eleven sub-themes, forming a substantive academic base for curriculum design across FABS’s Schools and Departments.

•     A documented framework for incorporating fundamental Buddhist principles and values into the mainstream programs of the School of Law, the School of Development Studies & Applied Sciences, and the four Departments.

•     A peer-reviewed proceedings volume, or a special journal issue, drawn from selected conference papers.

•     A network of national and international scholars and partner institutions for continued engagement with FABS’s programs.

Sub-themes

The conference theme, “Approaches to Applied Buddhist Studies,” is developed through the following eleven sub-themes. Sub-theme 1 anchors the conference conceptually and is proposed as the opening plenary.

1. Applied Buddhist Studies: An Academic Discipline

•     Defining the scope, subject matter and disciplinary boundaries of Applied Buddhist Studies

•     Applied Buddhist Studies vis-à-vis classical/textual Buddhist Studies: distinctions and complementarities

•     Methodologies and research approaches for an applied, interdisciplinary field

•     Curriculum design, learning outcomes and academic standards for FABS programs

2. Buddhist Approaches to Humanities and Social Sciences

•     Buddhist sociology, anthropology and social theory

•     Buddhist perspectives on culture, identity and community

•     Peace, conflict transformation and social harmony

•     Gender, caste and social justice through Buddhist ethical frameworks

3. Buddhist Approaches to Management

•     Buddhist economics and ethical entrepreneurship

•     Mindful leadership, organizational behaviour and workplace well-being

•     Buddhist principles in human resource management and decision-making

•     Corporate social responsibility and Right Livelihood (samyak ājīva)

4. Buddhist Approaches to Law

•     Buddhist jurisprudence, ethics and concepts of justice

•     Restorative and transformative justice grounded in Buddhist principles

•     Human rights, constitutionalism and rule of law through a Buddhist lens

•     Buddhist perspectives on environmental law and animal welfare

5. Buddhist Approach to Education System

•     Contemplative pedagogy and mindfulness in education

•     Value-based / character education rooted in Buddhist ethics

•     Buddhist principles in curriculum design and teacher training

•     Monastic education and its interface with mainstream education systems

6. Buddhist Approaches to Hospitality & Tourism

•     Sustainable and mindful tourism management

•     Pilgrimage management across the Buddhist circuit, including Lumbini

•     Hospitality ethics and guest care grounded in generosity (dāna) and compassion

•     Buddhist heritage as a driver of cultural and economic development

7. Buddhist Approaches to Psychology

•     Buddhist psychology and models of mind

•     Mindfulness-based clinical and therapeutic interventions

•     Buddhist counseling, trauma healing and resilience

•     Contemplative neuroscience and mind-training research

8. Buddhist Approaches to Applied Sciences

•     Buddhist ethics in science, technology and innovation

•     AI, digital technology and data ethics from a Buddhist perspective

•     Environmental and applied sciences grounded in interdependence

•     Research methodology bridging scientific and contemplative approaches

9. Buddhist Approaches to Health and Wellbeing

•     Buddhist and traditional systems of medicine and healing

•     Preventive health, hygiene and monastic health practices

•     Integrating Buddhist medicine with modern clinical and public health systems

•     Well-being, end-of-life care and Buddhist approaches to death and dying

10. Buddhist Heritage and Archaeology

•     Buddhist archaeology, material culture and art history

•     Conservation and management of Buddhist heritage sites, including the Lumbini/Buddhist circuit

•     Epigraphy, numismatics and manuscript studies relevant to Buddhist history

•     Museums, interpretation and heritage-based education

11. Buddhism and Socio-economic Transformation

•     Buddhist economics and well-being-centred development models

•     Community development and rural livelihoods grounded in Buddhist values

•     Buddhism’s role in poverty reduction and inclusive growth

•     Buddhist perspectives on globalization, migration and social change

Note: The participants may choose any of these sub-themes and present their papers in the light of the broad theme of the conference, “Approaches to Applied Buddhist Studies.”

Tentative Conference Program

The program is tentative and subject to change.

Instructions:

•     Participants should submit an abstract under one of the eleven sub-themes listed above.

•     Abstracts will be reviewed and selected by the Academic Committee by sub-theme. Acceptance letters and visa-support letters (for international participants) will be sent after the review.

•     Language of paper presentation in English.

•     Individual or group presentation (individually or in a group of two/three/four researchers)

•     Time allotted for paper presentation and discussion (15 minutes for presentation pluse 5 minutes for discussion total 20 minutes)

•     Selected papers will be considered for a peer-reviewed proceedings volume or a special journal issue. An abstract book will be printed for the conference.