Friends of SACP may be interested in the following symposium: 
https://csr.princeton.edu/events/2022/translating-buddhist-philosophy

A symposium focused on a new translation of Vasubandhu’s Twenty Verses and Exposition

In North America today, philosophers are aware of and often respectful of non-canonical philosophical traditions, but still, Buddhist philosophical texts are taught almost exclusively in Religion departments. Perhaps the problem is partly one of translation.

The Vasubandhu Translation Group (VTG) has sought to create texts that can be dropped into a non-specialist’s philosophy course: This includes their recently-completed draft translation of the 5th century Indian Buddhist philosopher Vasubandhu’s Twenty Verses and Exposition (Viṃśikāvṛtti). So, we’ve provided the draft to ten Philosophy professors and asked them each to provide their thoughts in response to the following question: “Can you imagine a place for a text like this in a philosophy curriculum?”

Has the VTG succeeded in producing a translation that might fit into a philosophy course? If not, why not? What works and what doesn’t? What’s left to do? What kinds of contextualization, justification, translation choices, notes/apparatus, or disciplinary changes would be necessary to grant this text—or other Buddhist philosophical texts—a week in a course? Answers to these questions have ramifications beyond the text in question and beyond Buddhist philosophy. The six members of the VTG will participate in conversation with the presenters.

A keynote by one of the translators, Parimal Patil (Harvard University) will follow the day’s conversations. His talk is entitled “Philosophy, Philosophers, and Buddhist Scholastic Texts (Śāstra).” Another member of the VTG, Trina Janiec Jones, will be discussant after the talk.

Register for the symposium Zoom meeting. 

Schedule

9-10:30am Panel 1 Jonathan Gold, moderator
Harvey Lederman
Gabriel Citron
Susanna Siegel

10:30-11:00am break

11am-12:45pm Panel 2 Hagop Sarkissian, moderator
Elliot Paul
Akeel Bilgrami
Dan Garber
Andrew Chignell

12:45-2:00pm Lunch

2:00-3:30pm Panel 3 Jonathan Gold, moderator
Alex Guerrero
Mark Johnston
Allison Aitken

3:30-4:00pm Break

4:00-5:00pm Panel 4: Translators' panel (general discussion) Nataliya Yanchevskaya, moderator
Jonathan Gold
Parimal Patil
Trina Janiec Jones
Mario D'Amato
Dan Arnold
Richard Nance

5:00-7:00pm Dinner

7:00-8:45pm Keynote
Parimal Patil, "Philosophy, Philosophers and Buddhist Scholastic Texts (Śāstra)" Trina Janiec Jones, respondent