News and Events

Find out more about events hosted by the Edinburgh Centre for Buddhist Studies, as well as news about our activities.

Five happy people standing in front of historic buildings
A gathering of ECBS colleagues during the visit of Prof Ann Heirman in spring 2025.

Events for the 2026-2027 academic year

We have some exciting events planned for the coming academic year. Check back later for details of future events, or contact buddhist.studies@ed.ac.uk to be added to our mailing list or membership.

Wednesdays, starting 23rd September 2026, 12.30-1.30pm, Rainy Hall, New College

ECBS lunch

On 23rd September join us for the first ECBS lunch of the semester, when we welcome our new cohort of students and reconnect with existing members. Bring your own lunch as the Rainy Hall cafe will not reopen until the end of October. We will meet weekly during semester, for informal conversation. 

Friday 6th November 2026, 11.10am-1pm, Evolution House Rm 5.21 (ECA)

Panel discussion with Professor Michael I. Como (Columbia University)

Details, including how to register for hybrid participation, to follow.

Friday 6th November 2026, 4.10-5.30pm, Project Rm (1.06), 50 George Square

Professor Michael I. Como (Columbia University): "Literate Gods and Illiterate Kami: Buddhas, Stowaway Deities, and the Ritual Revolution of Eighth-Century Japan"

The annual Khyentse Lecture in Buddhist Studies. Hybrid participation will be made possible - check back for details.

Tuesday 10th November 2026, 4.10-5.30pm, Martin Hall, New College, and online via Teams

Prof Naomi Appleton: Love in the Time of the Buddha: Friendship and Devotion in early Buddhist Narrative (Religious Studies research seminar)

For hybrid participation email the series convenor, Dr Shadaab Rahemtulla: s.rahemtulla@ed.ac.uk

Wednesday 2nd December, 2-5.30pm, Martin Hall, New College, and online via Teams

"The Excremental Imagination across Buddhist Literature"  

A workshop and book launch. The workshop (2-3.30pm) will feature three short papers and a discussion.

Sarah Shaw: ‘Wake up and smell the poo: how Pāli jātakas remind us we are all in samsara'

Oliver Hargrave: 'Sticks, Silk, and, Paper: Toilet Objects in Medieval Chinese Buddhism’

Naomi Appleton: 'Scatological humour and Buddhist literature'

followed by:

4.10-5.30pm Book launch for Prof Rajyashree Pandey's The Excremental Imagination: Disgust, Compassion, and Laughter in Medieval Japan

For hybrid participation register for the event via EventBrite: link to follow

12th January 2027, time and venue tbc

Prof Rachel Saunders will be visiting from Princeton University 

She will give a lecture on an aspect of her work as an art historian of Japan, as well as participate in a workshop with PG and ECR members. Details to follow.

3rd March 2027, Senate Room, New College, schedule tbc

Annual ECBS Works-In-Progress Workshop

Our annual sharing space for work in progress. Attendance in person only and limited to ECBS members.

10 March 2027, time and venue tbc

Kristina Buhrman (Binghamton University, State University of New York): "In and Out of Shadow: The History of Onmyōdō and the Creation of a Secular Religious Profession in Classical and Early Medieval Japan" 

As part of the Asian Studies seminar series.

date tbc, June 2027, 10am-2.30pm, National Museum of Scotland

Our annual "Discovery Day" for school pupils

Bring your National 5 and Highers/Advanced Highers pupils into Edinburgh for a day designed to broaden their learning about Buddhism. The day includes a Q&A session with a Thai Buddhist monk, guided meditation with a Zen Buddhist priest, taster lectures from Buddhist Studies scholars, and a Treasure Hunt for Buddhist objects at the National Museum of Scotland. There is no charge for this event.
 
For further information and to secure your place, contact halle.oneal@ed.ac.uk.

Past events

To see details and pictures from our past events click below.

News

In autumn 2025, people from outside the University will be able to join students in learning Classical Tibetan, in a new course taught by Dr Upali Sraman. The format involves a mix of live classes (hybrid enabled) and online self-paced learning, making it possible for both locals and those from further afield to give this fascinating language a go. 


We're delighted to announce that we have been granted the status of a University of Edinburgh Research Centre. As such, we will be changing our name to the Edinburgh Centre for Buddhist Studies (ECBS) and continuing to build upon our events programme and other activities.


Comprising of a fee-waiver by the University of Edinburgh and a stipend from the Khyentse Foundation, one lucky student will be awarded this scholarship for a full-time on-campus PhD starting September 2025.

See further details on the scholarship webpage.


EBS will launch a new taught Masters programme in Buddhist Studies in September 2025. Applications open in the autumn for this one-year (two-year part-time) on-campus programme. For details, including entry requirements and how to apply, see the Programme Webpage. 


August 2023

We are delighted to write with the good news that EBS has made an exciting hire for the Buddhist Languages & Cultures post.

This position has been made possible through generous funding from the Khyentse Foundation and Divinity at the University of Edinburgh. We had an outstanding pool of candidates, and we are pleased to welcome Upali Sraman to our team. Upali recently completed his PhD in Religion at Emory University and is an ordained Buddhist priest with an MDiv from Harvard. He brings a wealth of expertise to our program and will be teaching Sanskrit, Pali, and Tibetan, in addition to offering courses on his dissertation research on bodily practice within the Vinaya. We look forward to having him join us and make significant contributions to our community.


Thanks to a new grant from the Foundation starting in January 2022, we have been able to appoint a dedicated schools outreach officer for EBS, Dr Paul Fuller. Alongside his role teaching in the School of Divinity, Dr Fuller will work one day per week on schools outreach, including school visits, resource creation, and the organisation of our annual Discovery Day for pupils.


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