Middle Indic Tantric Buddhist Literature

We are delighted to invite you to the upcoming symposium on Middle Indic Tantric Buddhist Literature, focusing on the Caryā Songs in Old-Bengali, on Thursday, April 23, Friday, April 24, and Saturday, April 25. The symposium will be hosted by graduate students from the Group in Buddhist Studies and the Department of South and Southeast Asian Studies, UC Berkeley.

A panel of experts on siddha literature and material culture, including Dr. Julian Schott, Dr. Westin Harris, Dr. Saymon Zakaria, and Jackson Stephenson, will present their textual, art-historical, and ethnomusicological research on different aspects of Tantric Buddhist songs in Apabhramśa and the lineages of the siddhas in Eastern India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Tibet. A tentative schedule for the talks on Thursday and Friday is attached to this email.

Following the speakers’ presentations on Friday April 24th, we will be treated to a rare musical performance of tantric Buddhist caryā songs by Sadhika Srijoni Tania from 5:30 P.M. to 7 P.M. in the Durham Studio Theater, on the ground floor of Dwinelle. Srijoni Tania and Dr. Saymon Zakaria have spent years working closely with Baul-Fakir musicians in Bangladesh to revive the tradition of caryā songs attributed to the siddhas, and have been performing these songs globally.

Finally, on April 25, we will hold a day-long workshop where the presenters will lead us in close reading excerpts from tantric Buddhist songs in Apabhraṃśa, Sanskrit and Tibetan. Please RSVP by 15th April if you want to attend the workshop so we can share the materials with you in advance. The talks and the performance are free and open to the public. We hope to see you there.