Dr. Barbra Clayton is a scholar of classical Indian and contemporary Buddhism. A specialist in ethics, she is the author of Moral Theory in Śāntideva’s Śikṣāsamuccaya: Cultivating the Fruits of Virtue, as well as numerous other publications in this area, including the Oxford Handbook of World Philosophy article on “Buddhist Ethics.” Clayton’s current research project examines Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness (GNH) Policy, and her study of GNH and Bhutanese visions of the ideal society recently appeared in Buddhist Visions of the Good Life for All https://www.routledge.com/Buddhist-Visions-of-the-Good-Life-for-All/King/p/book/9780367561819. Clayton co-chairs to American Academy of Religion Buddhist Critical-Constructive Reflection Unit and serves on the board of both the Canadian Journal of Buddhist Studies (https://www.sfu.ca/davidlamcentre/research/past-projects/canadian-journal-of-buddhist-studies–cjbs-.html) and the Journal of Buddhist Ethics (https://blogs.dickinson.edu/buddhistethics/).
At Mount Allison University, Clayton teaches courses on Buddhism and Hinduism, as well as those exploring contemporary Asian moral issues, environmental ethics, and gender issues in courses such as “Quest for Enlightenment,” and “Mother Earth, Father Sky: Religions, Humans, and Nature.” This year, her third-year “Religious Ethics and the Environment” seminar participants will apply their learning to co-design Mount Allison University’s green roof learning space. Dr. Clayton is Chair of the Department of Religious Studies, as well as an RPEACE research associate who teaches in the newly-established Community Engaged Learning program. She is a long-time environmental activist and volunteer working with local organizations such as EOS Eco-Energy (https://eosecoenergy.com/en/) to help promote a just and truly sustainable transformation of our economy and society.