D.T. Suzuki: Letters, lectures, and legacies

Buddhism, modernity, and transpacific exchange

D.T. Suzuki: Letters, lectures, and legacies

The envelope of a letter sent from D.T. Suzuki to Ruth McCandless on February 3, 1955. (Photo: Meng Tong. Adjusted, cropped, and used with permission.)


This workshop explores the cultural, religious, and intellectual legacy of Daisetz Teitaro (D.T.) Suzuki (1870-1966), the preeminent figure who introduced Zen and Mahayana Buddhism to the modern Western world.

Friday, November 13, 2026
9:30 AM - 3:15 PM (Pacific Time)
Charles E. Young Research Library, Main Conference Room

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The program features a keynote address by Dr. Richard M. Jaffe, professor of religious studies at Duke University; an exhibition of rare Buddhist archives related to D.T. Suzuki from UCLA Library Special Collections; and a roundtable bringing together academic research, lived practice, and community engagement.

Schedule

9:00-9:30am    Arrival & Registration (Main Conference Room of YRL)

9:30am-9:45am   Welcome Address

Morning Presentations |  Moderated by Stephanie Balkwill, UCLA

9:45am-10am    "D.T. Suzuki in UCLA Library Special Collections," Meng Tong (UCLA Library)

10am-10:45am  Keynote Address:  "Promoting Buddhism from West to East: D.T. Suzuki's California Sojourns," Richard M. Jaffe (Duke University)

10:45am-11am  Q&A

11am-noon  Buddhist Archival Exhibition

Young Research Library (A-Level), Distinctive Collections Classroom

On display: Suzuki correspondence and related Buddhist archives

Led by Meng Tong, UCLA Library

12:15pm-1:30pm Lunch Break (Presentation Room of YRL)

Afternoon Roundtable  | Moderated by Stephanie Balkwill and Meng Tong, UCLA 

1:30pm-2:15pm  Roundtable Presentations

  •  "Zen's Unconscious: a bridge of East and West," Rev Jitsujo Gauthier, University of the West / Zen Centerof Los Angeles
  • Emily Anderson, Independent scholar and curator
  • "A Bit of Pollen on a Mouse's Handkerchief: Traces of Suzuki in the WWII Japanese American Incarceration Camps,"  Duncan Williams, University of Southern California
  • "Imagining Suzuki: Media, Race, and the American Reception of Zen," Jane Iwamura, University of the West 

2:15pm-3pm  Q&A and Open Discussion

3pm-3:10pm  Closing Remarks


Kim Mc Nelly
kmcnelly@international.ucla.edu

Download file: DTS-Flyer_UCLA-uq-j5k.pdf

Sponsor(s): Center for Buddhist Studies, UCLA Library, Center for the Study of Religion