Tiantian Cai

Biography 

I am a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, with a minor in Religious Studies. My research focuses on Mahāyāna Buddhism and Buddhist sūtra literature, with particular attention to the use of metaphor. More specifically, I examine the role of metaphor in Mahāyāna sūtras, tracing its historical development and exploring how abstract Buddhist concepts are transmitted across cultural contexts through metaphoricity in religious discourse, practice, and ritual. Engaging with contemporary theories of metaphor and cognitive science, including Conceptual Metaphor Theory, Conceptual Blending Theory, and Embodied Metaphor Theory, my dissertation investigates ocean-related metaphors in the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra, as well as their cultural variations and their relationship to geographical reality, embodied practice and ritual within and beyond Buddhist contexts.

Advisor: John Dunne (https://alc.wisc.edu/staff/john-d-dunne/)

Personal Website: https://tiantiancai.wordpress.com/

Education

• M.A., East Asian Languages and Cultures, Columbia University
• B.A., Linguistics and Applied Linguistics (Department of Chinese Language and Literature), Beijing Normal University

Fields of Study

Buddhist Studies, Religious Studies, Chinese Art History, Linguistics, Chinese Literature

Publications

Cai, Tiantian. “Unraveling Prapañca: A Yogācāra Examination of Consciousness, Language, and Liberation in the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra.” Religions 15, no. 7 (July 2024): 795. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15070795.

Cai, Tiantian. “Drama Under the Stars and the Moon: Celestial Symbolism and Narrative Design in Min Qiji’s Fourth Leaf.” Ming Qing Studies (Accepted).

Cai, Tiantian. “The Paradox of Goddess’s Magic: Exploring Conceptual Equality and Conventional Realities in Buddhist Gender Transformation.” Journal of Chinese Buddhist Studies (Under review).

Cai, Tiantian. “The Jiguan 機關 and the Mind: Rethinking Agency in a Buddhist Karmic World.” Journal of Buddhist Ethics (In progress).

Book Review

Cai, Tiantian. “Embodying Xuanzang: The Postmortem Travels of a Buddhist Pilgrim, by Benjamin Brose, University of Hawai‘i Press, 2023, x + 230 Pp. (ISBN: 9780824896379, 0824896378).” International Journal of Buddhist Thought and Culture 35, no. 1 (2025): 225–29.

Awards

• ACLS Fellowship in China Studies, Henry Luce Foundation, 2026
• Dissertation Research Grant, American Academy of Religion (AAR) , 2025-2026
• Post-generals Dissertation Research Fellowship, The Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies, 2025
• Student Travel Bursaries Grant, International Association of Buddhist Studies (IABS), 2025
• The University of Wisconsin Madison Student Research Grants Competition, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2023
• Outstanding Student Research Paper Competition Award, Beijing Normal University, 2019
• Outstanding Student Leader Award, Beijing Normal University, 2018
• Outstanding Student Research Award, Beijing Normal University, 2018
• Outstanding Student Research Award, Beijing Normal University, 2017

Courses as TA

• Content Course
  • PSYCH/ASIAN 120, The Art and Science of Human Flourishing (ASHF) (Spring 2026, Spring 2025)
  • ASIAN 310, Introduction to Comics and Graphic Novels: Theory, History, Method (Fall 2023)
  • ASIAN 300, Foodways of Asia (Spring 2024)

• Language Course
  • ASIALANG 301 and 302, Advanced Chinese (Fall 2022, Spring 2023)
  • ASIALANG 101 and 102, Elementary Chinese (Fall 2021, Spring 2022)
  • UN2201 and UN2202, Intermediate Chinese (Spring 2019, Fall 2020, Spring 2020, Columbia University in the City of New York)