Speaker: Péter-Dániel Szántó, All Souls College, University of Oxford The talk will share some thoughts backed by evidence about how medieval Indian tantric communities were organized socially and economically. It will also present some passages dealing with tantric Buddhist gurus' various strategies for dealing with royal punishment and patronage.

Speaker: Bryan Lowe, Vanderbilt University This paper looks at itinerant preaching in early ninth-century Japan with a particular focus on sermons intended for provincial villagers. In contrast to most studies of this period, which address sectarian founders, I will highlight figures peripheral to dominant scholarly accounts: minor monks, provincial patrons, and destitute villagers. I will […]