Dear list members, Our next seminar will be held at 5:30-7:00pm on Friday October 31 in the Rogers Room (N397) of the John Woolley Building, University of Sydney. We hope you can attend. Kind regards, AABS Executive Parading the Buddha: Localising the Buddha’s Birthday Celebrations in China Between 500 and 528, the emperor and his people held citywide parades in Luoyang to celebrate the Buddha’s birthday, showcasing over a thousand exquisite images, accompanied by Buddhist monks, performers and animals.  Images, carriages and decorations—mostly in gold, jade and other precious materials—richly displayed the nation’s wealth. This talk will highlight the mutual acculturation process that resulted in the procession of foreign images and the important role of the Buddha’s birth story in enabling Buddhism to become a large organized movement in medieval China. The presentation will also examine how this festival in the resplendent capital of Luoyang changed the politics, relationships and religious imagination of the Northern Wei people. Venerable Dr. Juewei is the Special Assistant to the Dean and Associate Lecturer at Nan Tien Institute. Juewei holds a PhD from University of the West in USA, a Master of Arts in Buddhist Studies from Tsung-Lin University in Taiwan, a Master of Business Administration from Cranfield University in UK and a Master of Science in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in USA. From developing artificial intelligence systems through re-engineering business processes to her decade-long monastic experience, Juewei has focused on "building bridges." Her interest is in bridging research and practice, faith and function so as to facilitate interactions among people of myriad backgrounds.