Tibetans have celebrated Padmasambhava, the Lotus Born, as the Second Buddha from his legendary era in the past to the present day. The continuous retelling of Padmasambhava’s stories, reenactments of his deeds in rituals, and depictions of those acts in art testify to the Buddhist master’s significance as a figure who changed and continues to shape Tibetan cultural identity. His legacy also plays an increasingly important role in the practice and spread of Tibetan Buddhism around the world today.
This first international seminar focused on Padmasambhava organized in the United States will take place in conjunction with the exhibition The Second Buddha: Master of Time. The seminar will take the form of a master class, in which leading scholars discuss their ongoing research in direct conversation with colleagues, students, and attendees. The study sessions will be structured as dialogues on a particular theme, stimulating academic inquiry, generating productive exchanges of ideas, and fostering new research. Each study session will feature an expert’s introduction to a topic (15 minutes) followed by responses from two specialists (15 minutes each) and an open group discussion. The three-day schedule includes a special tour of the exhibition, thematically organized sessions, and a concluding discussion on the final day to define avenues for further study and summarize what has been achieved at the seminar.
