Lauren Bausch
Professor Lauren M. Bausch has been teaching at DRBU since 2015. A specialist in the Brāhmaṇa texts, she investigates the relationship between Vedic tradition and early Indian Buddhism. She edited Self, Sacrifice, and Cosmos: Vedic Thought, Ritual, and Philosophy (Primus Books, 2019) and is currently working on a book about the Vedic Philosophy of Language and Causality. A scholar-practitioner, she reads classical texts with a mind to apply their wisdom in order to awaken her own. Lauren was awarded the International Association of Sanskrit Studies’ Honorary Research Fellowship in 2019, thanks to which she organized a seminar on the Vedic Philosophy of Language at Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute in Pune, India. Passionate about interreligious dialogue, translation, education, and practice, she supports Sanskrit learning and the Institute for World Religions at DRBU. In addition, she contributes to developing the curriculum for the Contemplative Exercise Immersions at DRBU. Lauren enjoys traveling in India, meditating, and watching Star Wars.
Education
B.A., University of California, Berkeley, 2004;
M.A., Graduate Theological Union, 2006;
M.A., University of California, Berkeley, 2011;
Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, 2015
Positions
Program Assistant, Institute for World Religions, 2005-2008;
Assistant Professor, Dharma Realm Buddhist University, 2015-2022
Professor, Dharma Realm Buddhist University, 2022-
Publications
Editor, Self, Sacrifice, and Cosmos: Vedic Thought, Ritual, and Philosophy. Delhi: Primus Books, 2019.
“Dual varṇa in Vedic texts,” in Śabdānugamaḥ: Indian linguistic studies in honor of George Cardona, Vol. 2. Ed. Peter M. Scharf. The Sanskrit Library, 2022.
“Bráhman as the Absolute in Late Brāhmaṇa Texts,” Yogadānam: Contribution of Prof. G.U. Thite to Sanskrit Studies. Ed. Ravindra Muley and Mugdha Gadgil. Pune: Department of Sanskrit and Prakrit Languages, 2021.
“Philosophy of Language in the Ṛgveda,” Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute XCVII, ed. S.S. Bahulkar and Shilpa Sumant. 2020.
“Pratiṣṭhā in the Brāhmaṇas and Āraṇyakas,” in Self, Sacrifice, and Cosmos: Vedic Thought, Ritual, and Philosophy, ed. Lauren Bausch. Delhi: Primus Books, 2019.
“The Kāṇva Brāhmaṇas and Buddhists in Kosala,” Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies 41, 2018, pp. 27-53, doi: 10.2143/JIABS.41.0.3285738.
“Vedic Travel: The Agnihotra and Beyond,” in Decolonial Travel. Ed. Avishek Ray. Routledge, forthcoming.
“Sūrya Reliefs in Early Buddhist Art,” in Les Actes du colloque en l’honneur de Francine Tissot, École Normale Supérieure, ed. Jessie Pons. Paris: Brépols, forthcoming.
“Parisaṃkhyāna: Śaṅkarācārya’s Method for Knowing Oneself,” in a volume ed. Shashiprabha Kumar. Delhi: Bharatiya Viday Bhavan, forthcoming.
