Open research questions in Indian and Buddhist Studies
342 gap statements mined from Indian and Buddhist Studies papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 4,094 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.
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What the literature leaves open
It highlights the need to analyze the role of Buddhist youth in the administration of the Buddhist Order. The paper also identifies a gap in the understanding of the responses of Buddhist youth to the wartime regime.
Buddhist Youth in Colonial Korea: Discourse on Growth and Perceptions of Colonial Reality · 2026 · DOIThe multiplication of formats and frameworks of yoga may lead to a lack of convergence in the articulation of the practices and aims of yoga. There is a need to analyze the datasets for shared terms and to conduct a semi-supervised topic modeling.
Grammars of yoga: an exploratory text analytics approach to classical, pedagogical, scholarly, and scientific corpuses of yoga · 2026 · DOIAlso, despite the obvious importance of Tilopā for the traditions, the Gaṅgāma and Tilopā’s Dohākośa have not yet been compared.
Tilopā’s Two Mahāmudrā Songs: A Comparative Study Including Critical Editions of the Dohākośa Within the Sārārthapañjikā and the Gaṅgāma with Rang byung rdo rje’s Commentary · 2025 · DOIThe lack of a bilingual inscription. The short length of the inscriptions. The complexity of the script and the need for an interdisciplinary approach.
Between Script and Symbol: A Critical Review of Indus Seal Interpretation, Decipherment Efforts, and Scholarly Traditions · 2026 · DOIThere is a need to reinterpret ancient texts using modern frameworks.
There is a gap in the understanding of tiṇai. The literature survey reveals a need for further study of the connection between the Hebrew Song of Songs and the Sangam corpus.
Tiṇai and the Song of Songs: What the philological literature documents, and one characterisation of tiṇai the literature does not give · 2026 · DOIThe current understanding of Ikinyanshinga in Kinyarwanda is limited. There is a gap in the distinction between Ikinyanshinga and Inshinga itondaguye.
Future research can use the Lexicon of the Indus Script (LIS) as a foundation for paleographic, linguistic, and computational testing of the Indus script. The lexicon can be used for future computational, statistical, and comparative studies.
The Indus script lacks a systematic, phonetic-semantic register. Prior corpora provided essential sign lists, frequencies, and positional statistics but refrained from proposing a linguistic decipherment.
Future research could explore the ways in which Jain laywomen's spiritual practices impact their social and economic status. The study of the gendered modes of spiritual advancement in the Jain faith could be extended to other religious traditions. Further research could investigate the role of education and socialization in shaping Jain women's understanding of their spiritual roles.
The research highlights the need to consider the different foundations and orientations of the laity in the Jain faith. The study aims to address the lack of analysis of Jain narratives and practices in the context of gender roles.
It highlights the need for a more nuanced understanding of the complex and multifaceted nature of myth and spirituality in modern Indian poetry.
Future research could explore the application of literary hermeneutics in analyzing other literary works. Future research could examine the transformation of other concepts in prophetic literature.
The transformation of the concept of mahabbah in prophetic literature has not been fully explored. The use of literary hermeneutics in analyzing the concept of mahabbah in Kuntowijoyo's poems has not been fully explored.
Existing scholarship has not fully appreciated the internal architecture of Shandao's thought. There is a need to reconstruct the way Shandao's commentary integrates contemplative practice with doctrinal commitments. The paper identifies a gap in understanding Shandao's originality and the coherence of his programme of exegesis, practice, and Pure Land soteriology.
Shandao’s Construction and Innovation of the Pure Land Doctrinal System: A Study Centred on the Commentary on the Contemplation Sūtra · 2026 · DOIIt highlights the need to integrate insights from the Vedas with modern sociological and genetic studies.
The Interplay of Birth, Action, and Chance: Vedic Insights and Modern Interpretations on Life’s Determinants · 2026 · DOIThe study highlights the need for further research on the localization of Buddhist narratives in Siam.
Future research can explore the application of the maxims in modern Ayurvedic practice. Future research can investigate the use of the maxims in other areas of Ayurveda.
Future research may involve a more detailed study of the relationship between quantum mechanics and Indian spiritual writings. The study may be extended to other spiritual writings, such as the Upnishads and the Shrimad Bhaagwat Mahapuraan.
Beyond Materialism: Quantum Mechanics and the Bhagavad Gita on the Nature of Reality and Consciousness: A Comparative Study with Special Reference to the Bhagavad Gita – Part I · 2026 · DOIDespite being celebrated as novel Jaina contributions to Indian philosophy, the mutual relationship between these three theories is poorly understood.
In Some Ways: Syādvāda as the Synthesis of Anekāntavāda and Nayavāda in Akalaṅka’s Philosophical Treatises · 2024 · DOIIt suggests that ancient India's approach to environmental management can serve as a model for modern times. The study highlights the importance of understanding the traditional practices and philosophies that contributed to sustainable development.
The problem of the rich getting richer while the poor remain at the same level.
The Interplay of Birth, Action, and Chance: Vedic Insights and Modern Interpretations on Life’s Determinants · 2026 · DOITo illustrate the inseparable and symbiotic connection between Madhyamaka philosophy and meditation the paper surveys salient features from the sparsely studied Tibetan genre of dbu ma’i lta khrid (Guides to the Madhyamaka View).
The Tibetan Traditions of Guides to the Madhyamaka View (dbu ma’i lta khrid): The Schooling of View with Meditation · 2025 · DOIThe development of a systematic and collaborative approach to deciphering the script. The use of computational methods to analyze the script and identify patterns. The integration of archaeological and linguistic approaches to understand the context and meaning of the script.
Between Script and Symbol: A Critical Review of Indus Seal Interpretation, Decipherment Efforts, and Scholarly Traditions · 2026 · DOIThe paper identifies a gap in the understanding of the maxims of Sushruta Samhita. The paper aims to bridge this gap by consolidating the maxims into a unified compilation.
Most-cited papers in Indian and Buddhist Studies
- gastro‐politics in Hindu South Asia · American Ethnologist · 1981 · 603 citations
- Cultural Constraints on Grammar and Cognition in Pirahã · Current Anthropology · 2005 · 496 citations
- meaning and feeling in the anthropology of emotions · American Ethnologist · 1996 · 268 citations
- Ancient science and tamil heritage: Exploring the interdisciplinary connections for research and revival · AIP conference proceedings · 2023 · 228 citations
- Orientalist Constructions of India · Modern Asian Studies · 1986 · 194 citations
- Elder respect: exploration of ideals and forms in East Asia · Journal of Aging Studies · 2001 · 188 citations
- Polythetic Classification: Convergence and Consequences · Man · 1975 · 180 citations
- Comparison of the Conceptualization of Wisdom in Ancient Indian Literature with Modern Views: Focus on the Bhagavad Gita · Psychiatry · 2008 · 125 citations
- MORALITY AND THE CONCEPT OF THE PERSON AMONG THE GAHUKU‐GAMA · Oceania · 1955 · 123 citations
- Glancing: Visual Interaction in Hinduism · Journal of Anthropological Research · 1981 · 120 citations
Most recent work
- Attention, Not Self: Buddhist Abhidharma Meets Computational Phenomenology · Open MIND · 2026
- Three Doors Into Breath Vocabulary: Words for the Air, the Act and the Aim · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026
- THE BILLIONAIRE BHAGAVAD GITA: Ancient Wisdom That Transforms How You Think About Wealth and Success · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026
- Dharma, Karma, Guna: A Sanskrit Glossary for First-Time Readers of the Bhagavad Gita · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026
- Where the Yogi Came From: Tracing the Old Roots of Gathered Attention · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026
- Before the First Arrow: Setting the Scene for the Bhagavad Gita · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026
- Five Old Words for Breath and the Roots of Pranayama · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026
- A Conversation on a Battlefield: Where the Bhagavad Gita Comes From and Why Readers Keep Returning · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026
- Before, During and After the Sit: A Glossary Shaped Like a Meditation Session · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026
- Never Read the Gita Before? A First-Timer's Orientation and a Modest Way to Begin · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026
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