Julian Butterfield: Joy in the Lotus Sūtra

Miles Osgood talks to Julian Butterfield about the winding path to a dissertation topic, overcoming exegetical resistance to emotional affect in religious literature, and the central role of joyful anumodanā (隨喜 suixi) in the Lotus Sūtra.

Julian Butterfield holds a BA in Comparative Literature and Religious Studies (2016) and an MA in Religious Studies (2018), both from the University of Toronto, and a PhD from Stanford University (2025). Generally interested in the dissemination and development of Mahāyāna Buddhism in early medieval China, his past research explored the textual history of the "Huayan jing" and the related development of bodhisattva ordination in the "Chinese Pusa yingluo benye jing." Julian’s current research interests include the history of Buddhist drama, especially along the Silk Roads, and the poetics of divine encounter across Mahāyāna literature and ritual.