Open research questions in Indian and Buddhist Studies
334 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 3,672 Indian and Buddhist Studies papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.
What the literature leaves open
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 · DOIThe paper identifies challenges in exploring the modalities through which models and motifs circulated between sites. The study notes the need for a more fine-grained terminology to capture the diversity of production contexts and mechanisms of transmission. The paper highlights the risk of oversimplifying complex doctrinal and institutional questions in Buddhist studies.
Stephen A. Murphy. 2024. Buddhist landscapes: art and archaeology of the Khorat Plateau, 7th to 11th centuries. Singapore: National University of Singapore Press; 978-981-325-213-4 hardback S$78. · 2026 · DOIFurther discussion of conceptual issues, such as the term 'workshop' and the circulation of narrative traditions, - Closer engagement with the wider scholarship in Buddhist studies
Stephen A. Murphy. 2024. Buddhist landscapes: art and archaeology of the Khorat Plateau, 7th to 11th centuries. Singapore: National University of Singapore Press; 978-981-325-213-4 hardback S$78. · 2026 · 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 · 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 study identifies a gap in the understanding of cosmic architecture in Vedic tradition. There is a need to reinterpret ancient texts using modern frameworks.
The paper identifies a gap in modern environmental management. It 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.
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 paper identifies a gap in the understanding of the gendered modes of spiritual advancement in the Jain faith. 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.
The risk of overlooking the deeper essence of Kathak practice. The challenge of cultivating patience, humility, and sustained effort in Kathak practice. The need to balance external validation with inner fulfillment in Kathak practice.
The conventional approach to Kathak overlooks its deeper essence as a lifelong sādhana. There is a need to explore Kathak beyond its stage-oriented aspects and examine its significance as a path of personal refinement and inner growth.
The paper identifies a gap in existing research, which often romanticizes or simplifies the relationship between myth, spirituality, and water cosmologies. 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.
The challenge of understanding the complex interplay of birth, action, and chance. The difficulty of changing one's religion and social status in feudal society. 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 · DOIThe paper identifies a gap in understanding the interplay of birth, action, and chance in shaping individual destinies. It 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 paper identifies a gap in the understanding of the depiction of the Sāvatthī Miracles in Siamese art. The 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.
The 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.
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 · DOIThere is a gap in the understanding of the relationship between quantum mechanics and Indian spiritual writings. The study aims to fill this gap by establishing an analogy between some concepts of physical sciences, especially from quantum mechanics, with that of the Bhagavad Gita.
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 · DOI
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
- Food Fermentation and Preservation Among the Limbu Tribe of the Eastern Himalayas: An Observation · Journal of the Anthropological Survey of India · 2026
- Udayana’s Logical Defense of the Self: Conception and Arguments in the Ātmatattvaviveka · Logica Universalis · 2026
- Śūnya-Kathā or Interplay of Being and Nothingness · Logica Universalis · 2026
- Jaina Theory of Knowing and Omniscience: Ramifications for Recognising Mind and Its Identity · Logica Universalis · 2026
- Conflict between Scripture and Inference in Argumentation: A Comparison of Nyāya and Mādhva-Vedānta in Medieval India · Logica Universalis · 2026
- On the Ontology of Composites in Abhidharma Buddhism · Philosophy and Phenomenological Research · 2026
- Dölpopa, Shentong Buddhism, and the three jewels: an analytic-friendly analysis · Asian Journal of Philosophy · 2026
- A Comparative Approach to the Concepts of Ananya and Niskama Bhakti · REVIEW JOURNAL PHILOSOPHY & SOCIAL SCIENCE · 2026
- Between Script and Symbol: A Critical Review of Indus Seal Interpretation, Decipherment Efforts, and Scholarly Traditions · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · 2026
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