Research papers presented at this event.
Gyanin Rai
· Ph.D. Scholar, Faculty of Buddhist Studies, LBU
The Greater Lumbinī Area (GLA), in the southern Terai of Nepal, is the sacred birthplace of Siddhārtha Gautama and a UNESCO World Heritage Site (1997). This paper examines its Buddhist heritage across three dimensions — historical-archaeological context, contemporary concerns (environmental degradation, industrial encroachment, governance fragmentation and pilgrimage-tourism pressure), and future prospects — situating Lumbinī within a sacred geography of some 235 archaeological sites including Tilaurākoṭ-Kapilavastu and Rāmagrāma. It argues that long-term sustainability depends on a holistic, participatory "living heritage" model that safeguards the Outstanding Universal Value of the GLA.
Deependra Pahari
· Ph.D. Scholar, Faculty of Buddhist Studies, LBU
Sustainable tourism is vital where spiritual and cultural values shape visitor behaviour. Taking the World Peace Pagoda in Pokhara as a case study, this mixed-method study (150 respondents — 120 tourists and 30 stakeholders) explores how Buddhist principles of compassion, mindfulness, non-violence and harmony with nature foster environmentally and culturally responsible tourism. Findings show Buddhist values significantly influence respectful visitor behaviour, though gaps remain in awareness and formal management; integrating Buddhist philosophy into tourism planning can enhance sustainability while preserving spiritual integrity.
Prem Prasad Sigdel
· Ph.D. Scholar, Faculty of Buddhist Studies, LBU
Buddhism began as a search for a solution to human suffering. Drawing on the Aṅguttara Nikāya, this paper analyses the root causes of human problems — greed, hatred and delusion arising in the mind — arguing that people often fixate on solving problems while ignoring their origin. Using a hermeneutic method within an exploratory, interpretive paradigm and secondary sources, it connects selected suttas to the context of modern life to convey the value of Buddhism.
Sushma Acharya
· Ph.D. Scholar, Faculty of Buddhist Studies, LBU
This study examines Saṅgha Pariṇāma (monastic transformation) as a doctrinally grounded institutional process shaping community (Gāma) development within the UNESCO World Heritage landscape of Lumbinī. Through interpretive ethnography and Buddhist doctrinal analysis of the Royal Thai Monastery, it argues that monastic transformation is an ontologically embedded process grounded in impermanence, dependent origination and skilful means. It introduces the Saṅgha–Society Interaction Model (SSIM) for post-secular heritage governance, contributing to decolonising tourism theory.
Awadhesh Kumar Tripathi (Ven. Metteyya)
· Ph.D. Scholar, Faculty of Buddhist Studies, LBU
This article examines early Buddhist perspectives on animal ethics and conservation, arguing that Buddhism offers a historically grounded framework recognising animals as sentient participants in an interdependent moral landscape. Drawing on Pāli canonical sources, Vinaya regulations and early historical records — including the reign of Emperor Aśoka and regional adaptations in Sri Lanka — it traces how ahiṃsā, karuṇā and dependent origination shaped Buddhist attitudes toward animals and the environment, offering a non-anthropocentric moral vision grounded in restraint, responsibility and relational care.
Tek Narayan Kunwar
· Ph.D. Scholar, Faculty of Buddhist Studies, LBU
This study examines the structural, legal and ethical dimensions of justice accessibility for trafficked women in Nepal. Despite a comprehensive anti-trafficking legal framework, victims face procedural complexity, social stigma, limited legal awareness and institutional inefficiency. Integrating Buddhist ethics (compassion, non-harm and moral responsibility) with feminist legal theory and qualitative fieldwork, it proposes a context-sensitive, victim-centred framework emphasising dignity, healing and restorative justice.
Vijay Kranti Shakya
· Ph.D. Scholar, Faculty of Buddhist Studies, LBU
Pregnancy is shaped by socio-cultural and religious practices as well as biology. Using an ethnographic, qualitative approach with a purposive sample of 25 participants, this study investigates antenatal practices in the Tamang community of Changu Narayan Municipality, Bhaktapur. Findings show pregnant women continue household labour with limited nutritional supplementation; dietary restrictions and symbolic prohibitions reinforced by traditional healers and family hierarchies shape maternal behaviour, revealing the antenatal period as both a biological and culturally significant stage.
Chhatra Karki
· Ph.D. Scholar, Faculty of Buddhist Studies, LBU
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn in 1979, is one of the most influential secular adaptations of Buddhist mindfulness. This analytical paper traces MBSR's origins, eight-week curriculum and theoretical foundations, examining Kabat-Zinn's "universal dharma foundation" and recent scholarship revealing Mahāyāna (Zen and Tibetan Dzogchen) influences. It treats MBSR as a form of skilful means (upāya) adapted to secular contexts, illuminating how Buddhist contemplative practices have been translated into Western therapeutic settings.
Shi Kuansen (Wang Weila)
· Ph.D. Scholar, Faculty of Buddhist Studies, LBU
Lumbini is the birthplace of the Buddha. Since the Wei-Jin period, Chinese monks travelled to India, Nepal and Sri Lanka in search of the Dharma, compiling travelogues that became key historical sources for South Asian Buddhist history and the identification of holy sites. This paper analyses the records of Lumbinī in the travelogues of ancient Chinese monks, including the Great Tang Records on the Western Regions and A Record of Buddhistic Kingdoms.
Ven. Khantisara
· Ph.D. Scholar, Faculty of Buddhist Studies, LBU
This study examines the sociological implications of the Maṅgala Sutta and its efficacy in building a harmonious, peaceful society. Arguing that its thirty-eight blessings function as a comprehensive framework for social ethics and communal stability, the qualitative study traces the Sutta's progression from basic social interactions to advanced mental states, proposing that its emphasis on association with the wise, gratitude and moral discipline offers a blueprint for "social capital" and "collective efficacy" that can alleviate interpersonal violence and promote sustainable peace.
Ven. Khamavudha
· Ph.D. Scholar, Faculty of Buddhist Studies, LBU
This research explores the Brahmāvihāra (four sublime states) and the five precepts as foundations for social harmony and conflict resolution. Using qualitative analysis of the Theravāda Pāḷi Canon, commentaries and scholarly literature, it argues that the four sublime abidings — loving-kindness, compassion, appreciative joy and equanimity — together with the five precepts can settle relationship conflicts rooted in bodily and verbal misconduct, offering an approach adaptable to both Buddhist and secular settings that treats inner calm and external peace as mutually reinforcing.
Myo Thein
· Ph.D. Scholar, Faculty of Buddhist Studies, LBU
This dhamma-study paper provides an overview of Samatha (calm) meditation and the attainment of the jhānas, which may be followed by supernormal powers (abhiññā). It describes the benefits of Samatha, how to prepare and steady the mind on the nimitta, and the mental application involved in the technique, aiming to guide monks, nuns and yogis toward the development of Vipassanā insight.
शान्तिश्री बज्राचार्य
· Ph.D. Scholar, Faculty of Buddhist Studies, LBU
यशोधरा बज्राचार्य
· Ph.D. Scholar, Faculty of Buddhist Studies, LBU
युवराज कँडेल
· Ph.D. Scholar, Faculty of Buddhist Studies, LBU
