Donald S. Lopez Jr.: belief

Transcript context

…If you think of the next, or maybe current, generation of younger scholars of Buddhism, do they evince a similar level of dedication? Is it somehow in decline, or you think it’s fine? Part of it is the state of the American academy, of course. That’s a whole other conversation. Religion departments are declining in some places right now. The jobs that there were, I think, at certain times during my own career — our own graduate students are having trouble getting academic positions. Sometimes they can work as translators. Sometimes they can do other things, but the academic field of Buddhist studies, at least in the US, is in a bit of a crisis right now. Last question in two parts. If you just think of yourself, what is it you want to write next? And what is it you want to do next with respect to Buddhism?…

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