CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
2018-19 Winter Program of Lecture Series, Conference/Forum, and Fieldwork on Buddhism and East Asian Cultures
| Schedule | Lecture Series | Lecturers | Participants |
| Conference | Resources | Young Scholars Forum | Gallery |
The Sheng Yen Education Foundation, Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies, Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts (DILA), the Buddhist Studies Forum at the University of British Columbia (UBC-BSF) in Vancouver, Canada, Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China, Center for Interdisciplinary Studies on Buddhism (CEIB) in Paris, France cordially invite applications for a 10-day program of lecture series, conference/forum, and fieldwork on Buddhism and East Asian Cultures (January 7-16, 2019) in DILA, Taiwan.
I. Venue: Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts (DILA), Taiwan
II. Schedule: January 7-16, 2019
- January 7: Registration, Opening Ceremony, Keynote speech session for the Conference;
- January 8-9: Conference;
- January 10-12: Main Programs (Intensive lecture series);
- January 13-14: Young Scholars’ Forum;
- January 15: Tour of sacred sites in Northern Taiwan;
- January 16: Home-going (participants who wish to utilize the excellent collection at DILA may apply to spend 3-5 extra days with free boarding.
III. Three-part Lecture Series:
The program organizers have invited three international scholars to conduct a three-part lecture series related to Buddhism and East Asian Culture, with each part composed of three consecutive 120-minute lectures with a general theme (over three days). These three bilingual speakers and their lecture themes are:
- Professor Jinhua Chen (University of British Columbia, Canada): Technology, Disaster and Religion: East Asian Perspectives;
- Professor Sarah Fraser (Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg): Buddhist Archaeology in the 20th century;
- Professor Masahiro Shimoda (University of Tokyo): Some Reflections on the History of Thoughts of Mahāyāna Buddhism.
This three-part lecture series will be accompanied by a fourth of five lectures on Buddhism and East Asian cultures, to be delivered by five scholars based on Taiwan and mainland China.
IV. Four Additional Projects:
In addition to this four-part intensive lecture series, this program also sponsors the following four projects:
- An international conference on Chan Buddhism, titled “Unfolding of Modern Chan & Meditation and their Challenges in the Global Modernity,” to be held at the DILA, January 7-9, 2019 (conference information announced here);
- Young Scholars’ Forum on Buddhism and East Asian Cultures, January 13-14, 2019; Excellent articles may be recommended to academic journals for publication. They include the Fojiao wenxian yanjiu 佛教文獻研究 (Studies on Buddhist Texts), Foxue yanjiu 佛學研究 (Buddhist Studies), Fojiao shi yanjiu 佛教史研究(Historical Studies of Buddhism), Studies in Chinese Religions, edited by Prof. Fang Guangchang 方廣錩, Prof. Shengkai 聖凱, Prof. Sun Yinggang 孫英剛, and Prof. Jinhua Chen 陳金華, respectively.
- Taste of the Dharma: a series of 1-2 hour sessions providing monastic experiences, including seated meditation, tea-ceremony and other temple rituals；
- Tour: Occasional visits to renowned historical sites (especially Buddhist and other religious temples and shrines) in the northern part of Taiwan.
V. Applications
Participants are required to take part in all of the activities supported by this program, including the four-part lecture series, the Young Scholars’ Forum (paper presentations are optional, but attendance is compulsory), and monastic experience session, etc., with the only exception of field trips, the participation of which is optional. Graduate students specializing in any Buddhist tradition(s) or East Asian religions, and postdoctoral fellows working on relevant fields, are encouraged to apply. Please direct applications and inquiries to buddhistseminarandfieldwork@gmail.com. Please submit applications before October 15, 2018. Each application should include:
- an application form (to be provided upon request via the above email);
- an updated curriculum vitae;
- one writing sample;
- a reference letter (to be emailed by the referee directly to the above email address).
VI. Program Expenses:
Successful candidates will be exempted from all tuition fees. Program organizers will also provide free boarding (lodging and meals) in Taiwan during the program period, although participants are expected to cover
- the costs for the transportation between their home cities and Taiwan;
- an administration fee of US$150.
VII. Enrollment Limit: 100.
