Buddhism and Caste Beyond Classical South Asia

Scholarship on Buddhism and caste typically focuses on classical South Asia and/or looks to Pali literature to reconstruct Buddhist positions on caste. Yet caste discourse moved with Buddhism (and other religions) outside of India, intersecting with the religious discourses of other regions. This roundtable asks what we can learn by expanding our focus to other Buddhist traditions, including those in the Himalayas, Bengal, Southeast Asia, China, and Japan. Together, panelists will cover the intersection of tantric practices, institutions, and discourses with caste hierarchies and the movement of caste categories into East Asia.