About this Event
Date and time: Thursday, 26 November 2026, 6pm- 7.00pm
Venue: JONATHAN SWIFT THEATRE, Arts Building, Trinity College Dublin
This lecture examines the translation and adaptation of a particular group of dreams across Asia. With slight variations in content and interpretation, these widely circulated dream stories were understood as predictions of the end of the Dharma. I focus especially on their “afterlife” in four sets of Chinese manuscripts from Dunhuang. Rather than simply comparing versions, this paper situates these dreams within the broader landscape of Buddhist dream literature. What changed most during their transmission and adaptation? Why did these dreams, rather than others, become so widespread? Addressing these questions will help us rethink the significance of dreaming and dream narratives in Buddhism.
Yixiu JIANG received her PhD in Buddhist Studies from Leiden University in 2024. Her dissertation provides a detailed study of an early Mahāyāna sūtra, the *Svapnanirdeśa (“Teaching on Dreams”), which instructs bodhisattvas to determine their spiritual progress toward Buddhahood through their dreams. From 2024 to 2026, she held a postdoc position at the Ho Centre for Buddhist Studies at Stanford University. In September 2026, Yixiu started her Khyentse Visiting Research Fellowship in Buddhist Studies at Trinity College Dublin, continuing to work on dreams and bodhisattva progress in ten stages. She is also interested in Kharosthi documents excavated from Niya, Xinjiang.
Event venue & nearby stays
TCD Arts Building, College Green, Dublin, Ireland
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