Dr Paul Fuller
Teaching Fellow in Buddhist Studies
Address
- Street
-
New College
Mound Place - City
- Edinburgh
- Post code
- EH1 2LX
Background
I joined the University of Edinburgh as a Teaching Fellow in Buddhist Studies in 2021 having studied at New College as an undergraduate in Religious Studies.
I hold an MA and PhD in Buddhist Studies from the University of Bristol. I have lectured in Buddhist Studies, Asian Studies and Religious Studies at universities in Asia, Australia and the UK. My main research interests are in early Buddhist philosophy, and modern Buddhism, particularly engaged Buddhism.
Qualifications
PhD (University of Bristol, 2003)
MA (University of Bristol, 1998)
MA (First Class Hons) (University of Edinburgh, 1995)
Responsibilities & affiliations
Programme Director for Religious Studies
Undergraduate teaching
Understanding Buddhism
Religions of Ancient In
Buddhism in Global Contexts
Buddhist Ethics
Lives of the Buddha: Jātaka Stories and Early Buddhism
Buddhist Literature
Religion and Nationalism in the Contemporary World
Hindu Traditions: History, Power and Agency
Contribute to: Religion, Violence and Peacebuilding
Postgraduate teaching
Lives of the Buddha in Indian Art and Literature
Buddhist Literature
Religion and Nationalism: Theory and Performance
Hindu Traditions: Critical Investigations
Theory and Method in the Study of Religion
Contribute to: Literature and Religion: Exploring the Connections
Research summary
I have two main areas of research. My PhD at the University of Bristol was a study of 'views' (diṭṭhi) in the Pāli canon. It was published as The Notion of Diṭṭhi in Theravāda Buddhism: The Point of View (Routledge, 2004). This explored the textual basis of discrimination and attachment in early Buddhism.
My early research prompted questions about how belief and attachment are factors in modern forms of Buddhism. Therefore I have interests in engaged Buddhism, the prevalence of blasphemy in Buddhist culture, and political and chauvinistic expressions of Buddhism.
My recent research and publications attempt to understand how modern Buddhist movements are anticipated in the earlier textual tradition. It explores possible interpretations of Buddhist identity based on ethnicity and nationalism. My new book, An Introduction to Engaged Buddhism was published by Bloomsbury in 2021. It looks at contemporary issues in Buddhism including, politics, sexuality, gender, eco-engaged Buddhism and ethnocentric Buddhism.