Buddhist monastic education has traditionally integrated textual study, ritual training, and communal service. However, contemporary monastic institutions increasingly prioritize scholastic study, marginalizing ritual practice and creating tensions between traditional responsibilities and modern Buddhist networks. This panel examines how monastic training continues to rely on ritual expertise while adapting to local and global changes.
Bringing together an international team of scholars, this panel explores vernacular traditions and global dialogues on ritual training in Buddhist monasticism. Papers address diverse case studies: monks at the Central Institute of Buddhist Studies (CIBS) in Ladakh balancing ritual obligations with academic study; monastic music and its transmission despite modernization; vows and ritual commitments as pedagogical and ethical frameworks; and Vajrayāna ritual training at Sera Jey Monastery, where secret Hayagrīva practices shape monastic identity.
Together, these papers challenge the perceived divide between ritual and scholasticism.
In contemporary Ladakh, becoming a monk extends beyond ritual mastery or preserving tradition—it now includes higher education, engagement with global Buddhist discourse, and career possibilities beyond the monastery. This paper, based on ethnographic fieldwork, interviews, and surveys, examines how monks at the Central Institute of Buddhist Studies (CIBS) navigate the dual demands of scholastic training and ritual obligations, balancing academic study with responsibilities as ritual specialists in their home monasteries. This paper argues that monastic education at CIBS is a dialogical process, shaped by the interplay of ritual expertise and transnational Buddhist movements.
Monastic rituals in Ladakh are accompanied by sacred music, enshrined in the ritual text known as dbyangs-yig. In Ladakhi monasteries (gonpas), monks perform these rituals with musical precision and religious sanctity, preserving centuries-old traditions. While these practices have historically remained intact, recent shifts have led to degradation in ritual performance, particularly due to the absence of standardized musical notation and the evolving role of monastic education. Around Leh, the capital of Ladakh, four major Gelukpa monasteries exert a strong musical influence, shaping the ritual practices of more remote monastic communities. Increased interaction between monks from these monasteries has further contributed to shifts in ritual transmission and pedagogy. This paper examines historical and social transformations in monastic music and ritual performance, situating these changes within broader discussions on Buddhist education, vocational training, and the evolving role of ritual expertise in contemporary monasticism.
Vow-making is a fundamental yet often overlooked ritual in Buddhist monastic training, shaping both individual practice and communal ethics. This paper examines vow-making as a living ritual that structures monastic discipline, moral cultivation, and the path of awakening. Drawing on Buddhist hermeneutics of practice, it explores how vows are studied, embodied, and ritually renewed in monastic education, focusing on Chapter 40 of the Flower Adornment Sutra and Samantabhadra’s ten vows.
Engaging both scriptural analysis and personal monastic experience, this paper interrogates authenticity, authority, and agency in vow-making, demonstrating how these commitments serve as a dynamic practice of ethical formation and spiritual development. By examining vow-making as a repetitive yet evolving ritual, this study highlights its continued relevance in contemporary monastic education, where monks and nuns negotiate the tensions between tradition, modernity, and the pursuit of awakening.
Sera Jey, one of the major colleges of Sera Monastic University, was founded in Tibet in 1419 as a premier center for Gelug monastic scholarship, emphasizing sūtra study within the Nālandā tradition. However, despite this strong scholastic orientation, Most Secret Hayagrīva (rta mgrin yang sangs)—an explicitly tantric deity in yab-yum form—remains central to monastic life at the re-established Sera Monastery in India. His image is found not only in temples but also in hostels, restaurants, and offices, reflecting his institutional significance.
This paper examines the monastic rituals associated with Hayagrīva, particularly the annual serviceability retreat (las rung) and fire puja (sbyin sreg), both attended by the entire sangha. These rituals reinforce communal identity, forge ritual bonds, and negotiate the role of Vajrayāna within a monastic curriculum traditionally centered on scholasticism, highlighting the continued importance of esoteric practices in contemporary Gelug monasticism.
As an unbroken fully-ordained Buddhist nun's lineage, Chinese bhikṣuṇī has not only continued but also thrived throughout Buddhist history. Among its prosperous status, Chinese Bhiksuni in Taiwan serves as an exceptional case. Having a conducive environment and versatile characteristics, Taiwanese Bhiksuni is called the “Infinite Sky of Bhikṣuṇīs”. They take on the roles as torchbearers in Buddhism and religious professionals in society, illuminating themselves by practicing Buddha’s teaching personally and illuminating others by actualizing the teaching in society. Taiwanese bhikṣuṇīs’ accomplishments reflect their fruitful education systems and pedagogy.
This paper aims to investigate contemporary pedagogy and its outcomes of Chinese bhiksuni education in Taiwan by taking a representative Bhiksuni Sangha, the Luminary International Buddhist Society香光尼僧團(LIBS), as a case study. Based on the case study, the dissertation mirrors the general condition of contemporary Chinese bhikṣuṇī education in Taiwan, and will envision the future trajectory and contribution of Chinese bhikṣuṇī education.