As part of the College of Arts and Sciences’ Full Professor Lecture Series, Kevin Trainor, chair and professor of religion, will deliver his talk, “The Case of the Missing Pilgrimage Site: The Buddha’s Cave in Sri Lanka,” on Tuesday, Feb. 12, at 5 p.m. in the Waterman Memorial Lounge.

Pilgrimage plays a vital role in many religious traditions -- Sri Lankan Buddhists recognize sixteen important pilgrimage sites widely believed to have been visited by the Buddha during his lifetime. And yet one of these sacred centers, Divaguhava, the Cave of the Buddha’s Midday Rest, cannot be visited because its location is unknown. Trainor will explore the history of this site, highlighting a campaign initiated in 1995 to establish its authentic locale. 


Trainor has been on the UVM faculty since 1989. His research is focused on Indian and Sri Lankan Buddhism, with particular attention to Buddhist material culture, ritual and practices of relic veneration. He has been a Fulbright Scholar in Sri Lanka and a visiting scholar at Cornell University. His books include Relics, Ritual, and Representation in Buddhism and two co-authored books, Embodying the Dharma: Buddhist Relic Veneration in Asia and Buddhism: The Illustrated Guide. 

A recording of the lecture will be made available shortly after the event at the CAS online media archive and, later, at the College of Arts and Sciences website.

Information: (802) 656-3166.