European Network of Buddhist Christian Studies (ENBCS) with the University of Hamburg’s “Academy of World Religions” and “Academy for International Ecumenism”
2.−6. July 2026, St. Ansgarhaus Hamburg
The topic of this conference is a sequel to the last one. After 2024’s “Buddhist Christian Dialogues on the Body”, the 2026 conference will present different aspects of the mind from Buddhist and Christian perspectives. Traditional conceptions of the mind, its possible transformation, its relation to ultimate reality and its role in conceptions of life after death will be discussed against the background of contemporary perspectives from neuroscience.
In addition to the invited papers there will be two sessions (with parallel groups) on Sunday morning for short presentations (20 mins) on any kind of topic related to Buddhist-Christian studies. This is an opportunity especially for upcoming scholars (but also more senior scholars) to report about their research projects. Proposals for the open presentations need to approved by the Network (please send them to Prof. Schmidt-Leukel: perrysl@uni-muenster.de).
On Friday, 3 July, the programme will include a cultural component exclusive to conference participants: a guided harbour tour through the Port of Hamburg in the afternoon. This provides time for informal exchange and networking in a relaxed setting. In the evening, the conference opens to the public with a celebratory event at the University of Hamburg marking the Network’s thirtieth anniversary, featuring presentations. In the evening, the conference opens to the public with a celebratory event at the University of Hamburg marking the Network’s thirtieth anniversary, featuring two presentations by Elizabeth Harris and Perry Schmidt-Leukel.
For registration click here
PROGRAM
Thu, 2 July
19.45 – 20.00: Opening of the Conference (Perry Schmidt-Leukel, University of Muenster)
20.00 – 21.00: Session I (Moderator: Martin Rötting)
Mind and Matter: Insights and Challenges from Neuroscience (Brigitte Falkenburg, TU
Dortmund University)
Fri, 3 July
Session II and III: Moderator: Andreas Nehring
Morning (Moderator: Andreas Nehring)
9.00 – 10.30: (II) Understandings of Mind (1): Buddhist Perspectives (Dr. Szilvia Szanyi, University of Oxford)
11.00 – 12.30: (III) Understandings of Mind (2): Christian Perspectives (Fabian Völker, University of Vienna)
Afternoon
14.00 – 18.00: Tour (with Hamburg harbour)
Night (Moderator: Carola Roloff)
18.00– 20.30: Celebrating 30 Years of Buddhist-Christian Studies Venue: University of Hamburg; public event with reception Elizabeth Harris (University of Birmingham): Thirty Years of ENBCS; Perry Schmidt-Leukel (University of Muenster): Why Buddhist-Christian Studies?
Sat, 4 July
Morning (Moderator: Peter Tyler)
09.00 – 10.30: (IV) Transforming Mind (1): Buddhist Perspectives (Stephen E. Harris, University of Leiden)
11.00 – 12.30: (V) Transforming Mind (2): Christian Perspectives (Thomas Cattoi, Angelicum Rome)
Afternoon (Moderator: Raquel Bouso)
14.00 – 15.30: (VI) Mind and Ultimate Reality (1): Buddhist Perspectives (Douglas Duckworth, Temple University Philadelphia)
16.00 – 17.30: (VII) Mind and Ultimate Reality (2): Christian Perspectives (Louise Nelstrop, University of Oxford)
Sun, 5 July
Morning
09.00 – 10.30: OPEN PRESENTATIONS 1-4 (Moderators: John O’Gradey, Josef Götz OSB,
Perry Schmidt-Leukel, Kurt Krammer)
11.00 – 12.30: OPEN PRESENTATIONS 5 - 8 (Moderators: John O’Gradey, Josef Götz OSB;
Sybille Fritsch-Oppermann, Kurt Krammer)
Afternoon (Moderator: Anissa Strommer)
14.00 – 15.30: (VIII) Mind and Continuity After Death (1): Buddhist Perspectives (Carl B. Becker, Kyoto University)
16.00 – 17.30: (IX) Mind and Continuity After Death (2): Christian Perspectives (Mathias Schneider, University of Muenster)
20:00: Conclusion of the Conference (Martin Rötting)
19.15: Conclusion of the Conference, Welcome of the New ENBCS Presidents
Moderator: Martin Rötting
Mo, 6. July
Departure after breakfast
Sunday, 9:00 – 10:30: Open Presentations 1 – 4
Panel 1 (John O’Grady)
J. Abraham Vélez de Cea (Eastern Kentucky University, USA)
Forgiveness as Emotional Cultivation: Khanti, Avera, and Mettā in Early Buddhist Ethics
Ass.-Prof. Dr. Jens Reinke (Free University Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
Rethinking the Spirit in Buddhist Spiritual Care: Navigating Religious Boundaries in Shi Huimin’s
Thought
Dr. Gaston Bacquet Quiroga (Lecturer in Education Studies, University of Glasgow, Scotland)
A Catholic – Buddhist Dialogue on How Conscience and Formation Impact the Awareness,
Enactment and Embodiment of Nonviolence
Panel 2 (Josef Götz OSB)
Ass. Prof. Dr. Matthew Vale (Boston College, USA)
Theological Interpretations of “Pure Awareness” and Predictive Processing in Buddhist and
Christian Traditions
Prof. Dr. Heinz-Dieter Meyer (State University of New York, USA)
The Buddhist Heart-Mind (citta) and the Augustinian Soul: Conceptions of Affect, Cognition, and
Consciousness. Implications for PracticeDr. Sybille Fritsch-Oppermann (Independent Scholar and Author, Germany)
Religion, Language and the Human Mind
Panel 3 (Perry Schmidt-Leukel)
Dr. Jakub Zamorski (Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland)
A Clash of Faiths: Pure Land Buddhism in Seventeenth Century Buddho-Christian Controversies
Hyung-jin An (PhD Candidate, Department of Philosophy, University of Delhi, India)
Embodied Faith and Emotional Formation: A James–Lange Reading of Hōnen’s Nembutsu and
Shinran’s Shinjin
Yoko Ito (PhD student, University of Hamburg, Germany)
Metanoia as Ontological Transformation: Tanabe Hajime's Philosophy of Zangedō
Panel 4 (Kurt Krammer)
Dr. Vladimir Hrabal (Fellow of Titus Brandsma Institute, Nijmegen, The Netherlands)
Kenotic Movement of the Mind
Prof. Dr. Sarita Tamayo-Moraga (Santa Clara University, USA)
The Role of Unconditional Love in the Practices of Centering Prayer, the Spiritual Exercises, and
Zen
Ass. Prof. (retd.) Dr. Shodhin K. Geiman (Valparaiso University, USA; Abbot Chicago Zen Center)
Midwifing the Deathless: The Teacher’s Role in Coming to Realization in Zen and Early Christian
Contemplative Practice
Sunday, 11:00 – 12:30: Open Presentations 5 – 8
Panel 5 (John O’Grady)
Prof. Dr. Raquel Bouso (Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain)
Unveiling the Secret Nature of the Mind in Buddhism, Philosophy, and Neuroscience
Dr. Astrid Heidemann (Senior Lecturer, University of Wuppertal, Germany)
Lenses on (Cognitive) Science: A Comparison of Interpretations influenced by Christian and
Buddhist Worldviews
Anissa Strommer (PhD Student, Salzburg & Lecturer Kirchlich Pädagogische Hochschule, Vienna,
Austria)
Portable Minds? Body-Swap Cinema and the Instability of Personhood
Panel 6 (Josef Götz OSM)
Dr. Jarosław Marek Duraj, S.J. (University of Saint Joseph, Director of Macau Ricci Institute, S.A.R.
China)
Intercultural Philosophy of Dialogue with Buddhism
Mirja Lange (PhD student, University of Münster, Germany)
Buddhism in the Eyes of Hans Haas
Peter Boros (PhD Student, Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, Hungary)
Master Taixu on Christianity. The Unexplored Texts.
Panel 7 (Sybille Fritsch-Oppermann)
Prof. Dr. Paul Hedges (RSIS, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore)
Reflections on Translation and Comparative Method: Hope as Word and Concept in Christianity and
Buddhism
Dr. Gabriele Helmer (Independent Scholar, Munich, Germany)
Pindapāta in Allgäu. An interreligious Dialogue in Rural Areas
Dr. Graham Wiseman (PhD Student, University of Salzburg, Austria)
The Creation of Identity Codes in the Portraiture Iconology of Buddha and Christ – a Comparative
Study
Panel 8 (Kurt Krammer)
Ass.-Prof. Dr. John Becker (California State University, Long Beach, USA)
Grounding Bodhicitta/Metanoia: A Comparative Reading of The Awakening of Faith and Meister
Eckhart
Ass.-Prof. Dr. Thao Nguyen (Santa Clara University, USA),
Invocational Prayers and Religious Experience in The Catholic Litany of Loreto and the Buddhist
Lotus Sutra: A Comparative Study
Ass. Prof. Dr. Tyler D. McNabb (Vin University, Hanoi, Vietnam),
Shentong Buddhism, Aquinas and the Meaning of Life: An Exploration
Speakers
Brigitte Falkenburg is a philosopher and physicist. She is Professor of Theoretical Physics (retired) at the Technical University of Dortmund and specialises in philosophical issues of science and technics.
Fabian Völker is Research Assistant (post doc) at the University of Vienna with a focus on intercultural philosophy of religion.
Elizabeth J. Harris in Honorary Fellow at the University of Birmingham and retired Professor in Religious Studies of Hope University (Liverpool). Her research focusses on Theravāda Buddhism and Buddhist-Christian relations.
Perry Schmidt-Leukel is Senior Professor of Intercultural Theology and Religious Studies (retired) at the University of Münster focussing on Buddhist Studies and Interfaith-Studies.
Stephen E. Harris is a Lecturer Indian and Comparative Philosophy at the University of Leiden with a focus on Buddhist moral philosophy and its relationship to issues investigated in contemporary philosophy.
Thomas Cattoi is Professor of Early Christian Theology and Inter-Religious Dialogue at Angelicum - Pontificia Università San Tommaso d'Aquino in Rome focussing particularly on the relation between Eastern Christianity and Buddhism.
Douglas Duckworth is Professor of Religion at Temple University (Philadelphia). His research focusses on Buddhist, especially Tibetan, philosophy of the mind.
Louise Nelstrop is Director of Studies at the Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology and Junior Research Fellow at the University of Oxford with a focus on mystical theology
Carl B. Becker is Professor at Kyoto University with a research focus on the medical ethics issues in contemporary Japan. He is also specialised in Buddhist concepts of death and afterlife.
Martin Rötting, Professor für Religious Studies, University of Salzburg. His research focusses on Buddhist-Christian Dialogue, contemporary Buddhism with a focus on South Korea and Europe, contemporary Spirituality and Religion.
Dr. Szilvia Szanyi is Junior Research Fellow in the Study of Mysticism and Religious Experience at the Faculty of Theology and Religion and Campion Hall, University of Oxford. Her research focuses on Abhidharma and Yogācāra Buddhist thought.
Mathias Schneider is Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Center for Religion and Modernity (University of Münster). His research focus is on Buddhist interpretations of Jesus and eschatology in comparative perspective.
Costs
Only Day Visitors available, rooms fully booked, send registration request latest by until June 12th to martin.roetting@plus.ac.at :
Thu, 2 July: 15,00 €€(evening), students 10,00€
Fri, 3 July: 15,00 (morning), students 10,00€
Sat, 4 July: 30,00 €(all day), students 20,00€
Sun, 5 July: 30,00€ (all day), students 20,00€
Rooms and Excursion are now fully booked, only day visitors available
Cultural Tour (Friday, 3 July 2026)
On Friday afternoon, conference participants are invited to join a cultural highlight of the ENBCS 2026 programme: a one-hour harbour cruise through the Port of Hamburg, including – if water levels allow – the historic Speicherstadt district. An English-speaking guide will accompany the tour.
The total cost (incl. bus transfer and guide): €60.00 per person / €40 (students).
Separate registration required by 26 April 2026.
Venue:
St. Ansgar-Haus
Schmilinskystraße 78
20099 Hamburg
Telefon (040) 284 25-0
Fax (040) 284 25-199
st.ansgar-haus@erzbistum-
www.ansgarhaus-hamburg.de
Directions
The front desk is staffed Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. On Saturdays and Sundays, access is available by appointment only. Outside these hours, we will provide you with a code to gain access to the building.
You can reach St. Ansgar-Haus:
- by S-Bahn: to Hauptbahnhof (all lines)
- by U-Bahn: to the stations Hauptbahnhof (U1, U2, U3) or Lohmühlenstraße (U1)
- by bus: Metrobus 6, to the Krankenhaus St. Georg stop
- by car: from the A1, A7, A24, follow the signs for City and Hauptbahnhof
- by plane: from the airport, take the S1 to Hauptbahnhof
Unfortunately, we do not have on-site parking.
We would be happy to provide information about parking in the area.