The Annual Meeting of the Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies Concurrent with the American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting San Diego, November 2019 Powerful Resources for Victims of Sexual Violence and for Dual Religious Practitioners

The highlight of Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies (SBCS)'s 2019 annual meeting was our extremely powerful sessions. The Friday session was "Buddhist and Christian Resources for Addressing Sexual Violence." All the panelists focused on violence in sanghas or churches in which they'd been engaged. Each panelist in the Saturday session, "Buddhist-Christian Dual Practice and Belonging," described dynamics in their own dual practice, sometimes linking these dynamics with data on the overall phenomenon.

I won't summarize each paper this year, since we are hoping to publish all of them in the journal and since past president Kristen Largen has commented on the Friday papers on our blog at: https://www.society-buddhist-christian-studies.org/topics.

What made these sessions powerful—and useful—were:

1. a. the careful, practical way each panelist drew on their long term, on the ground engagement with the issue under discussion;

2. b. the practical resources each paper provided to help listeners become more helpfully engaged with the issue themselves: resources that could be passed on to students and others;

3. c. the Friday panelists' use of their tradition's scriptures and founding rituals as powerful, practical resources.

The papers exemplified scholarly depth and precision, but none was merely an academic exercise. Each one struck me as an exercise in passing on hard-earned wisdom to help heal this planet.

In her SBCS blog post about the Friday panel, Kristin wrote: "Frankly, it was hard to process all of the information by the end, and we didn't allow enough time for conversation and reflection [that's on us]." None of the papers went overtime, and current president Leo Lefebure, who pulled together this brilliant panel, moderated it brilliantly, too. Instead, the problem was that, unlike most years, none of "us" on the board arranged a Friday evening dinner gathering. Nostra culpa; mea culpa! Jonathan Seitz has often organized these, but he was unable to attend in 2019.

Reflecting on Kristin's comment reminded me that, when I have asked long-term members how the SBCS has strengthened their teaching and other vocations, they have often mentioned past SBCS international conferences that offered:

• • powerful, experience-based presentations,

• • time and space for listeners to reflect upon, and then discuss together, how to apply in their own contexts the resources these presentations offered.

I don't think the SBCS should, or could, organize a face-to-face conference now! But perhaps we could consistently organize, during our annual meeting, Friday post-panel dinner gatherings, and/or Saturday post-panel lunches. If we need to move our annual meeting online due to the COVID-19 epidemic, we could schedule, after each panel, or perhaps after them all, a video-conferenced reflection period. During these gatherings we could "process" together the resources the panelists offer us with an eye toward application in our academic teaching and our religious communities. Since academic scholars in religion and theology are working more hours for less pay (often with no travel allowance) and since few monastic scholars in our fields can travel much, perhaps we should also consider sometimes streaming or recording SBCS gatherings in venues without steep conference media fees, even if we have no epidemicdriven gap in meeting with American Academy of Religion (AAR).

The past conferences, annual meeting panels, and journal articles of the SBCS have documented—and in some cases shaped in positive directions—many local and global religious phenomena and the ways these phenomena have been researched. SBCS members have deeply shaped the field of comparative theology to highlight the current relevance of disparate ancient texts reflecting seemingly similar wisdom. One of our founders, Rita Gross, helped reshape the field of religious studies to value the work of both women scholars and practitioner scholars. She drew on conversations within the SBCS as she clarified the ways the research perspectives of religious insiders and outsiders can mutually inform each other in socially beneficial ways.

Our planet is experiencing increasing environmental instability. This includes—and affects—its political, economic, and educational environments. I'm hoping the current SBCS can, like our predecessors, utilize resources of upaya, grace, and scholarly discipline to provide scholars of religion (who have increasingly less time and money) some time and space for extended conversation with each other. I'm hoping such conversations might shape our planet's current instabilities in ways that eventually benefit all living beings and honor their source.

One way SBCS members could foster such discussions is to send the board names of sanghas and churches that might donate a venue for such meetings and perhaps offer an inexpensive meal, especially when AAR plans to meet near you. You could use our contact page: https://www.society-buddhist-christian-studies.org/contact.

Friday board of directors meeting

Mark Unno Elected Vice President

President Kristin Largen called the meeting to order at 9 a.m. After her agenda and last year's minutes were approved, we unanimously, and gratefully, approved Mark Unno (University of Oregon) as the vice presidential candidate to be presented on the slate at the Saturday members meeting. After two years in this role, SBCS vice presidents then serve on the board as president for two years and then for two years as past president.

Officers' Reports

Treasurer's Report

John Sheveland reported on our account balances and then suggested we appoint a second person who can access the accounts if the treasurer cannot, as a contingency plan. Since this will require a bylaws change, which must be announced prior to the meeting that makes it, the change will be made official at the 2020 board meeting.

John reviewed our major expenses, which include website management and our annual meeting expenses for renting rooms and audio-visual equipment. We are considering various ways of reducing the latter.

The board approved by acclamation John's hiring an accountant at $45 per hour to help with tax forms connected to our tax exempt status and any other accounting issues.

Newsletter Editor's Report

Kristin announced that the nomination committee proposed John Becker (Lyon College) as the new newsletter editor. Jonathan Seitz, the current editor, is working with John on the spring issue to make the transition smooth. John was approved unanimously, and Jonathan was unanimously thanked for his excellent work for many years.

Book Review Editor's Report

Max Rondolino noted that, although publishers have been sending review copies, not all reviewers have been submitting their reviews in a timely fashion. Jay Ford suggested that he send out the list to the current SBCS board and membership.

Journal Coeditors' Report

Thomas Cattoi and Carol Anderson began with a plea that members asked to peer review submissions to the journal complete and return these expeditiously. They noted that the agreement with University of Hawai'i Press (UHP) is working well, and UHP is taking care of all the copyediting.

The board applauded the now-finalized agreement from Routledge for Thomas and Carol to edit a volume titled The Routledge Handbook of Buddhist-Christian Studies. Society members will be heavily represented in the thirty-five to forty essays.

Noting that Carol said we may need a new female editor before the end of her term, Mark moved that we appoint both coeditors for another term. John Sheveland seconded the motion. They were both unanimously, and gratefully, reappointed.

Committee Reports

Joint Social Media and Website Committee and Membership Committee Report

Social Media and Website Chair Judith Simmer-Brown reported that our 2019 website traffic was about the same as 2018. The largest group of viewers is aged 35–45, with more men than women. The back issues of the journal, to which we offer free access on our website, are an important draw. New blog posts have been, too. Lots of people are following the link to each new newsletter that the newsletter editor emails both members and nonmembers who sign up for free newsletter access.

We have gained eighteen new members since 2018. Judith reminded us to remind our students about the $10 student rate, which includes a hard copy of the journal. If you've had problems with membership renewal, please contact the board at https://www.society-buddhist-christian-studies.org/contact.

After March 2020, Alicia Brown will no longer be able to manage our online media. Judith will serve one more year as chair of social media, having helped skillfully shepherd the Society through the transition to using online media for almost all of our non-email communication except for the journal. This has contributed immensely to the Society's visibility and growth. Jonathan Seitz is slated to pick up these responsibilities as the committee's new chair. As the newsletter's editor, he has guided the transition from snail-mailing the newsletter to posting it on our website with an emailed link. In countless ways he's contributed to our overall media presence, including being coordinator-moderator of the news section of our blog.

The board voted unanimously to stagger the years when this committee's members rotate off, according to the following schedule:

Judith Simmer-Brown (chair), term ending 2020,

Jonathan Seitz, term ending 2021, and open to serving as chair,

Miriam Levering, term ending 2022,

Mark Unno, term ending 2023.

Streng Book Award Committee Report

Since Abraham Velez, chair, was unable to attend, Kristin announced that Mark Heim's Crucified Wisdom: Theological Reflection on Christ and the Bodhisattva, published by Fordham University Press in 2018, was chosen for the award this year.

In order to stagger the years that current members rotate off the committee, Kristin suggested we adopt the following years for their terms to end after our annual meeting:

Massimo Rondolino, term ending 2021,

Andre van der Braak, term ending 2022,

Paul Ingram, term ending 2023,

Mark Unno (alternate), term ending 2023.

Nominating Committee Report

Kristin announced that, in addition to the nominations for vice president and newsletter editor mentioned above, the committee proposed Julius-Kei (JK) Kato (King's College—Western University) and Duane Bidwell (Claremont School of Theology) as new board members, pending approval by the members meeting. Both were unanimously approved by the board.

Program Committee Report

Outgoing chair Leo Lefebure and incoming chair Mark Unno sparked a lively discussion of topics for next year. The first was differences between U.S. Buddhists with an ethnic Buddhist heritage and those who are converts, taking into account similarities, differences, and ways of negotiating this divide. Mark noted that lots of condescension goes both ways and that U.S. Buddhist approaches to ritual practice and practical theology are often related to the differences between convert and natal practitioners. In light of the fact that "dreamers" will probably be gone by next year, John suggested migration. Other topics suggested were:

• • approaches to nationalisms, perhaps with the Society for Hindu-Christian Studies,

• • inter-religious religious studies,

• • the question "Are meditation and other contemplative practices rituals?,"

• • practical theological approaches to ritual studies, and

• • interactions with animals.

International Advisor Report from Europe

Elizabeth Harris announced that the next conference of the European Network of Buddhist Christian Studies is slated for July 1–4, 2021 in Salzburg, with the theme "European Buddhism and the Role of Christianity." Participants will explore the role Christians have played in the development of European Buddhism through antagonism and hospitality, focusing the discussion around issues related to three themes: secularism, gender, and creolization-hybridity. Kristin suggested an SBCS panel that could share a North American perspective on Christian influences on the development of Buddhism in Europe and/or share American experiences of how Buddhism here has been formed by a majority "other."

Perry Schmidt-Leukel (Muenster) is the new European network president, having succeeded Liz. She reported that she was involved in a project initiated by the International Committee of the Red Cross on Buddhism and International Humanitarian Law. The project held its first conference in Sri Lanka in September, 2019 titled "Reducing Suffering during Armed Conflict: The Interface between Buddhism and International Humanitarian Law." The Red Cross sees this as a long-term project. When the working group met in London, she attended, and they hope to meet next in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The conference brought military personnel such as Buddhist military chaplains into the discussion of compliance with the Geneva conventions. The emphasis of the project is Buddhist doctrinal frameworks for approaching international humanitarian law, for instance, issues connected with the protection of women and children.

The European Network will be publishing, in the UK and in Sri Lanka, the papers from its 2019 conference near Munich titled "Buddhist-Christian Encounter – A Visionary Approach: A Conference inspired by Lynn A. de Silva (1919–1982)."

Announcements and Adjournment

Leo updated us on the work of the European Society for Intercultural Theology and Interreligious Studies, which has a heavy emphasis on practical peace-building. They meet every other year, most recently in Sarajevo in 2019. They have sponsored books and book series.

There being no further business, Kristin adjourned us at 2:47.

Saturday, November 23 Members Meeting

After we enjoyed four moving testimonies at our 9 a.m. session "Buddhist-Christian Dual Belonging and Practice," President Kristin Largen called the meeting to order at 11:36 and then presented the Streng Award to Mark Heim. In his brief response, he mentioned that our long-time members Ruben Habito, Catherine Cornille, and John Makransky had been important for this book which, in part, considers the question, "What is God doing with Christians becoming engaged with Buddhism?"

Kristen then presented the slate that the board had agreed upon for new officers and board members. Mark Unno was unanimously approved as vice president and John Becker as newsletter editor, with thanks to Jonathan Seitz for his long editorship and that he will work with John throughout the transition. Jay-Kei Kato and Duane Bidwell were unanimously approved as board members. Carol Anderson and Thomas Cattoi were unanimously approved for another term as coeditors of the journal, with much gratitude for their ongoing fine work.

As outgoing program chairperson Leo Lefebure and incoming chairperson Mark Unno led the members present in discussing potential topics for next year's panels, the following were mentioned:

• • convert versus natal belonging in Buddhism and Christianity;

• • Buddhist and Christian religious nationalism, populism, and ethnocentrism (perhaps as a joint session with the Eastern Orthodox studies unit);

• • practical theological methodologies as tools for analyzing religious practices on a spectrum from contemplative practices to ritual practices;

• • What can we do in the face of unrecoverable climate change?

After Kristin was applauded for her excellent two years of leadership, and Leo Lefebure was thanked for stepping into the presidential role, we adjourned at 11:59.