Dear IABS members,

We hope that all are doing well at the end of this summer which for Buddhist Studies worldwide has been quite extraordinary: Thanks to your strong support and the impressive efforts of the convener and her team, the 20th IABS conference was held on August 10th-15th at the University of Leipzig in Germany. We write to you to report on the proceedings of the conference.

The conference was attended by 543 participants, 528 of which IABS members, altogether. Among them, 435 participated in panels/sections in person and 18 online via Zoom. 90 were registered without presenting papers. The conference consisted of 48 panels (282 sessions) and 23 sections (160 sessions). These are unprecedentedly high numbers that speak of the strength and vibrancy of our field. We share with you the PDF version of the program of the conference.

The opening ceremony was held in the evening of the first day (Aug. 10th) at the Paulinum of the University of Leipzig. Following the opening addresses by Prof. Dr. Matthias Middell, the Vice-Rector for Campus Development: Cooperation and Internationalisation, and Dr. Torsten Loschke, the Head of the Office for Science Policy of the City of Leipzig, Professor Birgit Kellner (President of the IABS) gave the presidential address, sharing with her audience “More Reflections on the Place of Philosophy in the Study of Buddhism,’ while the keynote address was given by Professor Jens-Uwe Hartmann (President of the Congress) who asked “Buddhist Philology, quo vadis?” Professor Jowita Kramer (Congress Convenor) gave the welcome address. Academic coordinators Beier Wang and Feng Yang concluded with housekeeping announcements. In the spirit of Leipzig as the city of Bach and Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, the opening event was punctuated with musical interventions by two pianists performing classical and modern pieces.

On the evening of the fifth and final day, Aug. 15th, the IABS general meeting was held in the Lecture Hall Building. It was attended by 109 members. (The quorum of the general meeting is 25 according to the IABS statute.) Mindful of the conference’s location, the General Secretary saluted, on behalf of the IABS, the two distinguished German Indologists and Honorary Members of the IABS, Professor emeritus Oskar von Hinüber and Professor emeritus Lambert Schmithausen. The meeting covered the agenda’s seven items: (1) the announcement of three new IABS Honorary Fellows, Professor emerita Cristina Scherrer-Schaub, Professor emeritus Gregory Schopen, and Dr. Peter Skilling, (2) the remembrance of the colleagues deceased in 2022–2025, (3) the statement of accounts, (4) the shift of the accounts and membership fees to Swiss Francs (CHF), (5) the reduction of the three-year membership package fee, (6) the 2023 election result, and (7) the venue of the 21st IABS conference, the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. Both items that required the voting of the members at the general meeting (3 and 6) were approved. The results of the meeting are summed up in the minutes prepared by the General Secretary and attached to this email. The PDF of an abridged version of the PowerPoint file shown at the meeting is also shared with the membership for their reference.

The concluding celebratory dinner took place in the historical underground structures of the Moritzbastei, featuring musical performances by University of Leipzig students.

On behalf of the IABS officers and board, we would like to express our most sincere gratitude to the university for hosting and to the convenor, staff, student volunteers for their several year-long dedication towards meticulously preparing and successfully hosting the event to everyone’s satisfaction. We also send huge thanks to all the participants who took the great trouble to travel to Germany from all over the world. We wish all of you the best in your work and health.

Sincerely,
Birgit Kellner
President
International Association of Buddhist Studies
Professor
Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna

and

Christoph Emmrich
General Secretary
International Association of Buddhist Studies
Associate Professor
Department for the Study of Religion
University of Toronto