CO-SPONSORSHIP: Buddhism Unit and Religion, Film, and Visual Culture Unit

Buddhism as Cinematic Experience and Practice (Contact: Dhondup T. Rekjong, rekjong@gmail.com, and Jue Liang, storylj@gmail.com)

Instead of focusing on the content of films as relevant to Buddhism, this panel queries the embodied aspects of Buddhism as both cinematic experience and practice. Potential topics include: Film viewing as a Buddhist practice (individual viewing, collective, conversational; locations, settings, multisensational experiences); Filmmaking or film viewing as a new mode of studying Buddhism; Filmmaking as both a depiction of Buddhism on screen and a practice of Buddhism itself; Filmmaking as a cinematic way of practicing Buddhism that moves beyond its textual, oral, and institutional authorities; Presenting Buddhism within the frame of a film is like experiencing it in a particular space and time. We welcome participation from filmmakers, artists, and other practitioners in filmmaking.