Thích Nhất Hạnh and the Legacy of Vietnamese Buddhism – Conference

Within the year-long (2025/26) programme celebrating the 75th anniversary of Hungarian–Vietnamese relations (2025), we warmly invite you to the in-house conference “Thích Nhất Hạnh and the Legacy of Vietnamese Buddhism”, to be held on 10 March 2026 at The Dharma Gate Buddhist College (DGBC) in Budapest. The conference is organised with the support of the Vietnamese Buddhist Community in Hungary (VINABUDH) and the Embassy of Viet Nam in Hungary.

Aim of the conference

The conference seeks to provide a comprehensive overview of the life work and legacy of Thích Nhất Hạnh, the Vietnamese Zen (Thiền) master, as well as the historical, spiritual, and social significance of Vietnamese Buddhism. The programme will explore key features of the Vietnamese Buddhist tradition and examine Thích Nhất Hạnh’s teachings, with particular attention to mindfulness, Engaged Buddhism, and compassionate action, and their wider impact. We aim to create a space where scholarly reflection, interreligious and social dialogue, and personal and communal practice can meaningfully meet.

Who is it for?

We recommend the conference to:

• those interested in Buddhist philosophy and practice,
• researchers and students working on the history and contemporary forms of Vietnamese Buddhism,
• professionals in religious studies, philosophy, social sciences, or education,
• practicing Buddhists and all those open to questions of mindfulness, peacebuilding, and ethical social engagement.

Date

10 March 2026

Venue

The Dharma Gate Buddhist College (DGBC)
Börzsöny utca 11, 1098 Budapest, Hungary
(Free on-street parking is available for those arriving by car. In consideration of local residents, we kindly encourage you to use public transport whenever possible.)

Online participation

Online attendance will be available. The access link will be sent to registered participants on the day before the event.

Please feel free to forward this invitation to colleagues who may be interested.

Registration

1) As an attendee (audience/student)

Please register by 6 March 2026 using the following form:
Registration as attendee (audience/student)

2) As a presenter

Registration as presenter

• Deadline for submission of a proposal (abstract): 15 February 2026, 23:59
  The abstract should include the proposed title of the presentation and an approximately 2,000-character summary, together with the applicant’s name, institutional affiliation and position (if applicable).
• Planned length of presentations: 25 minutes
• We intend to publish selected contributions either as an edited volume or as a special issue of Keréknyomok. Publication costs will be covered by the College.
• There is no registration fee. The College will provide modest catering for participants. Travel and (if needed) accommodation costs are to be covered by presenters.
• Applicants will be notified by 22 February 2026.

Suggested themes

• Thích Nhất Hạnh’s oeuvre and spiritual legacy: philosophical, spiritual and ethical dimensions (views of being/existence, compassion, non-self/anattā, interbeing and moral action), contemporary reception and interpretations, global influence
• History and major currents of Vietnamese Buddhism: Mahāyāna, Zen (Thiền), popular religious traditions
• Engaged Buddhism: Buddhist responses to 21st-century global crises, social responsibility, ecology, non-violence, and ethical action
• Mindfulness between tradition and modernity: classical roots of meditative practice and contemporary applications
• Buddhism, education and healing: education, mental health, community building, and trauma processing
• Interreligious and intercultural dialogue: the role of Vietnamese Buddhism in global spiritual discourse

Programme Committee

Gábor Karsai, Rector
Dr Orsolya Hoffmann, Vice-Rector for Education and International Affairs
Dr Péter Győri, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs
Dr Gergely Hidas, Chair of the Research Council

Contact

Dr Orsolya Hoffmann
hoffmann.orsolya@tkbf.hu