An ironical problem with Buddhist academia is that it often assumes study of limited ‘facts’ as the path to objectivity, while it is practice that leads to realisation of the truth. The Buddha was not a Buddhist academic after all. Due to the above, I decided not to further academic studies after receiving my MA in Buddhist Studies some years ago. Life is too short to be buried in research, to neglect practice. Even more ironically, truths realised via practice might be rejected academically due to academia’s limited means of measure.
Also, recently, I’ve disappointingly come across some supposedly Buddhist academics publicly stating their incredibly narrow views, which are clearly results of lacking the spirit of Ehipassiko – to come and see by enquiry AND practice. Never ever assume academics of Buddhism to definitely be experts – not even if they have been studying for a long time. Sometimes, they are spiritually the worst, with the least open minds, with the most mental blockages – the direct opposite of what the Buddha envisioned of those who study AND practise the Dharma. Sad but true.