Khyentse Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 2001 by the Bhutanese lama, filmmaker, and author Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, is partnering with universities in Asia, Europe, and North America, to present the Goodman Lecture series for 2021–22. The series will feature a lecture each month from one of the university Buddhist studies programs that has partnered with Khyentse Foundation. Through the lectures, which will be free and open to the public, scholars will seek to bridge the academic-nonacademic divide, sharing with audiences leading research and theories in an accessible format.
Donald S. Lopez, Jr. From shambhala.comThe Goodman Lectures have been organized to honor the life and commitment to the Dharma of Prof. Steven D. Goodman (1945–2020), a long-time Khyentse Foundation friend and advisor. According to the Khyentse Foundation: “During his many years of service to different academic institutions and Buddhist communities, Prof. Goodman’s wisdom and humor buoyed his students and colleagues. His commitment to making the fruits of Buddhist studies available to a broad audience was unshakeable. The Goodman Lectures are inspired by Steven’s enduring vision of making academic talks sponsored by Khyentse Foundation available to all.” (Khyentse Foundation)
The first lecture will be by Donald S. Lopez, Jr., the Arthur E. Link Distinguished University Professor of Buddhist and Tibetan Studies at the University of Michigan on 12 June (10:00 EDT; 16:00 CET; 19:30 IST; 22:00 CST). The lecture will be titled “Reason and Revelation in Buddhism,” and will be introduced by Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche. Details and a registration link for future talks will be announced by email and on social media near the beginning of each month.
Upcoming lectures in the Goodman Lecture series:
Prof. Shrikant Bahulkar, Savitribai Phule Pune University
Vedism and Buddhism
Saturday, July 31, 2021
10:00 EDT; 16:00 CET; 19:30 IST; 22:00 CST
Prof. Dorji Wangchuk, University of Hamburg
When Can Buddhism Be Considered Dead and When Living?
Thursday, August 19, 2021
13:00EDT; 19:00 CET; 22:30 IST; 1:00 CST August 20
Prof. Sarah H. Jacoby, Northwestern University
The Relatable and Extraordinary Life of Sera Khandro Dewé Dorjé
October 2021
Prof. Imre Hamar, Eötvös Loránd University
The Role of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva in Buddhist Practice
November 2022
10:00 EST; 16:00 CET; 20:30 IST; 23:00 CST
Prof. Peter Skilling (Bhadra Rujirathat), Chulalongkorn University
Buddhist Canons: A Survey
December 2021
Prof. Anne C Klein (Rigzin Drolma), Rice University
Being Human and a Buddha Too: Longchenpa’s Open Secret
January 2022
Dr. Eviatar Shulman, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
On Creating the Early Discourses (Suttas) of the Buddha
February 2022
Dr. Naomi Appleton, University of Edinburgh
Narrative Buddhology: Explorations of Indian Buddhist Literature
March 2022
Ven. Prof. K.L. Dhammajoti, Buddha Dharma Centre of Hong Kong
April 2022
Steven D. Goodman. From berkeleyside.comSteven D. Goodman worked as a translator for a number of prominent Tibetan Buddhist teachers, including Dzongsar Khyentse, Tenzin Wangyal, Bhaka Tulku, Thinley Norbu, and Lama Tharchin.
He served as a founding member of the Working Committee for the project 84000: Translating The Words of The Buddha in addition to his work as an advisor to Khyentse Foundation. He was also a founding board member and president of the Buddhist Film Foundation.
At the time of Goodman’s passing in 2020, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche said in a statement: “Steven had all the requisite academic knowledge and achievements, and he was also one of those very, very rare scholars who looked at Buddhism directly for what it truly is. And so he dared to go beyond both the subjective and the objective. Steven Goodman’s passing is a major loss for Buddhism in America, and especially for the study of Tibetan Buddhism in the West.” (Berkeleyside)
