8th Sakyadhita International Conference on Buddhist Women: Seoul, Korea June 27 to July 2,2004 "discipline and practice of Buddhist women: present and past".

Deadline for Proposals: January 15,2004

Deadline for Papers : March 15,2004

The International Planning Committee invites proposals for panel presentations at the 8th Sakyadhita International Conference on Buddhist Women to be held in Seoul, Korea, from June 27 to July 2, 2004.

Panels will consist of four 15-minute presentations in English, with simultaneous translation in to Korean and other languages. The four panel presentations will be followed by a 30-minute question and answer session. Tentative topics for presentations appear below.

Proposals should include:

* An abstract of 500 words

* Biodata of speaker, including :

Name

Affilation

Position

Address

Phone Number (s)

Fax Number

Email Address 

Proposals must be submitted by January 15,2004. The proposals will be evaluated by the planning committee and notification will be sent on February 1. Planning committee members will organize the accepted proposals into panels of papers on related topics. Abstracts of accepted proposals will be published on the Sakyadhita website and print copies will be included in conference registration packets. Papers of 8-10 pages (double-spaced) must be submitted by March 15 and will be translated into Korean and other languages to be included in the conference registration packets. In case papers are compiled for publication following the conference, speakers will have the opportunity to revise and expand their papers.

Submit proposals in the body of an email message to : [e-mail] or by post to: Karma Lekshe Tsomo, Theology & Religious Studies, 5998 Alcala Park, San Diego, CA 92110-2492, USA.

TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION

The theme of the 8th Sakyadhita Conference is "Discipline and Practice of Buddhist Women : Present and Past." Tentative topics for discussion include :

Meditation Practices "Shamatha and Vipassana in the Buddhist Traditions,"

"Buddhist Meditation Practices : Asia and the West," "Practices for Developing Loving Kindness and Compassion," "Mindfulness in Daily Living,"

"Meditation and Work," "Combining Religious Practices, Combining Buddhist Practices," "Practical Meditation Techniques," "Meditation on Emptiness."

Everyday Practice "Ritual Practices," "Devotional Practices," "Practice of the Precepts : Lay and Monastic," "Food of Dharma : Rituals at Meals and in the Kitchen," "Rituals of the Robes," "Dharma in Everyday Life," "Dharma in Relationships."

Discipline, Education and Training "Teaching Dharma to Children," "The Education and Training of Laywomen and Nuns," "Buddhist Women and Discipline : Transitions," "Historical Spread of Buddhism Throughout the World."

Engaged Buddhist Practice "Buddhist Responses to Social and Political Realities (Abortion, Death Penalty, Burma, Tibet, etc,)," "Buddhist Approaches to Conflict Resolution," "Interfaith Understanding, Inter-Buddhist Understandng," "Trafficking in Women and Children: What Can Buddhists Do? (e,g., "Learning from Korea's Experience of "Comfort Women"),"

"NGOs : Organizing for Social Change," "Buddhist Theories of Interdependence and the Environment"

Buddhist Practice and Women's Issues Buddhist Liberation, Women's Liberation," "Is an Egalitarian Buddhism Possible?" "Buddhism and Women's Health," "Feminist Interpretations of Buddhist Doctrine," "Can Women Become Enlightened? How Do We Do It?"

Buddhism Today "Multimedia Opportunities," "Buddhist Practice in Uncertain Times (international Security, Nuclear Danger, Global Economics, etc.)," "Contemporary Buddhist Practices," "Buddhist Practice Today : Tradition and Adaptation"