UKABS Scholar-Practitioner Conference 2025

Consciousness in Buddhism

An interactive and engaging day of talks, workshops, and discussions.

15th November 1100-1700

London Buddhist Vihara

Dharmapala Building The Avenue London W4 1UD

The UK Association for Buddhist Studies (UKABS) and the London Buddhist Vihara are hosting a one day, in person, conference for academics, practitioners, and guests to explore the subject of “consciousness” in Buddhist thought and practice.

Bringing together practitioners from diverse traditions of Buddhism, including those born to Buddhist families and those not born to Buddhist families, for a day of group discussions, short talks, experience sharing, and friendship, the conference will cover topics including: consciousness in meditation, canonical understandings of terms for consciousness, and consciousness and neuroscience.

Guest speakers include TBC, Prof. Rupert Gethin (Bristol University), and Dr Elena Antonova (Brunel University).

Lunch will be provided by the London Buddhist Vihara.

Registration for the event is free but we ask that a suggested donation of £5 be made to the Vihara on the day, to help cover costs.

We are keen for the event to be driven by practitioners’ questions and interests, and to that end we invite you to submit questions on “consciousness” via this form, or use the QR code below. There are also options to provide some background information/context to your questions if you wish to.

We look forward to seeing you on the day.

For registration

https://forms.office.com/e/LfWVefs9WG

For the questionnaires:

https://forms.office.com/e/Mvwy8q0e1Q

2026 UKABS conference: Buddhism and Emotion

 

The Edinburgh Centre for Buddhist Studies is excited to be hosting the 2026 UKABS conference, on the theme “Buddhism and Emotion”.

Date and venue:

24th-26th June 2026, New College, Edinburgh

Organising committee:

Naomi Appleton, Erica Baffelli, Jan Nicol, and Upali Sraman

Planning schedule:

  • Abstracts for proposed papers by 30th November 2025.
  • Paper selection confirmed December 2025.
  • Programme confirmed and registration opens January 2026.
  • Registration closes end May 2026

 

Call for Papers:

The Edinburgh Centre for Buddhist Studies (ECBS) and the UK Association for Buddhist Studies (UKABS) invite abstracts for a conference on the theme of “Buddhism and Emotion” to be held in Edinburgh on 24th-26th June 2026. We are delighted to announce that Professor Maria Heim, author of so many definitive studies of emotion in South Asian Buddhist contexts, has agreed to be our keynote speaker. We welcome submissions on all aspects of the theme, and from all types of disciplinary approach, including (but not limited to) textual, visual, historical and ethnographic studies. 

The deadline for abstracts is the end of November 2025 and we expect to communicate outcomes by 19th December 2025.

Attendees, including those presenting, will be expected to cover the costs of their attendance. We expect the registration fee (including vegetarian lunch and tea/coffee breaks) to be in the region of £80 with a reduced rate of around £60 for UKABS members; registration will open in January 2026. Attendees will need to make their own travel and accommodation arrangements.

We particularly welcome submissions from early career researchers (ECRs), including postgraduate students. A small number of late-stage, UK-based PhD students will have their costs of attendance covered by UKABS, and these presenters need not address the conference theme. We hope to also have a small amount of funding available to support the attendance of ECR presenters from Europe who cannot access institutional funds, and we will be including ECR development events at the conference. If you are a postgraduate student, please also note how close to completion you are, and the (working) title of your thesis, in your abstract submission. 

Presenters will be invited to submit their papers for a special issue of the peer-reviewed UKABS journal Buddhist Studies Review, though inclusion in the journal is neither a requirement for participation, nor guaranteed by acceptance for the conference.

Abstracts should be submitted by email to [email protected] as an attached word or pdf document. Please include the following:

  • Title of paper
  • Abstract (up to 200 words)
  • Name (including title) and affiliation
  • If postgraduate student: title of thesis, anticipated date of completion
  • If ECR (including postgraduate student) based in Europe and unable to access other funds for attendance: what financial support would be required to enable participation
  • Indication of interest in submitting your paper for the special journal issue

Deadline for abstracts: 30th November 2025.