AAR Denver Convention Center Big Blue Bear

IBS at AAR Denver

October 28, 2026

This year’s annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion is taking place in Denver, CO, from November 21 to 24. And several members of the IBS faculty will be participating or giving presentations. If you’re planning to attend, here are some IBS-related events at the meeting.

  • IBS Prof. Emeritus, Dr. Richard Payne, will be featured on a roundtable discussion of new books in Tantric Studies. His book, Tantra Across the Buddhist Cosmopolis, was published earlier this year by Oxford University Press. The roundtable will be held on Sunday Nov 22 at 12:30 p.m.
  • Research Fellow Dr. Rima Vesely-Flad will be presenting “A Yogacara Analysis of the Interconditioned Prison Industrial Complex” on a panel hosted by the Buddhist Philosophy and Yogācāra Studies Units on Sunday Nov 22 at 9:00 a.m.
  • Dr. Nancy Lin is a co-organizer of a multi-year seminar titled Language, Poiesis, and Buddhist Experiments with the Possible. This year, the group is holding two sessions on Sunday Nov 22 at 3:00 pm and 5:00 pm.
  • Dr. Courtney Bruntz is participating in a roundtable discussion on “Fun and Games in Buddhist Thought, Practice, and Pedagogy.” A corollary to recent scholarly conversations about religious labor, this roundtable will discuss Buddhist play, imagination, performance, and games. This session will be held on Monday Nov 23 at 9:00 a.m.
  • IBS President Dr. Scott Mitchell will be participating in a roundtable discussion on the history and future possibilities for the Buddhism in the West Unit on Monday Nov 23 at 5:00 p.m.
  • The GTU will be hosting a reception on the evening of Monday Nov 23 at 7:00 p.m.; check out the GTU website for details and RSVP information.

Additionally, Dr. Mitchell will be the guest speaker for the Tri-State Denver Buddhist Temple’s Sunday morning service.

Feel free to connect with IBS faculty at these events or follow along on the IBS’s Instagram account.

The American Academy of Religion is the largest scholarly society dedicated to the academic study of religion. Search the complete program book online here for more Buddhist Studies-related events.