Grant Category:	Fulbright-Nehru Senior Researcher
Field of Specialization:	Law
Name:	Ms. Rebecca R. French
Official Address and Designation:	Distinguished Professor SUNY--University at Buffalo School of Law Buffalo, New York
Indian Host Institution:	Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi
Duration of Grant & Start Date :	6 months December 2011

Brief Bio:

Professor Rebecca French is currently the distinguished Professor of Law at the SUNY-University of Buffalo. Professor French earned her Ph.D. in anthropology and her L.L.M. in Law from the Yale University. Prof. French's Fulbright-Nehru research is the study on "Buddha's Theory of Secular Law". Countering the view that Buddhism presents only a religious philosophy, her research has shown that the Buddha and his tradition had a very significant influence on secular law. The result of this study will be a book that will provide a more nuanced understanding of legal ideas during the Buddha's life, his approach to monastic and secular legal problems, the central texts that present his legal theories, and the legal policies of the first Buddhist empire in India. This will set a foundation for a new sub-discipline and add Buddhism to the world's major legal traditions.