The Buddhist Academy of China (BAC), the Buddhist Academy of Shanghai located within Shanghai’s Yufo chansi (BAS), the Research Center for Buddhist Texts and Arts (RCBTA) at Peking University, and the Buddhist Studies Forum at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada cordially invite applications for a 12-day program of lecture series, conference/forum, and fieldwork on Buddhism and East Asian Cultures (August 3-13, 2015) at the Buddhist Academy of Shanghai, China.

I. VENUE：

Buddhist Academy of Shanghai (within the Yufo chansi in Shanghai上海玉佛禪寺內; address: 170 Anyuan Road, Putuo District, Shanghai 上海市普陀區安遠路170號)

 II. SCHEDULE——August 3-13, 2015

1. August 3, 2015：Registration
2. August 3-10, 2015：Main Programs
3. August 11-12, 2015：Temple and Museum Visits
4. August 13, 2015：Home-going

III. FOUR-PART LECTURE SERIES: The program organizers have invited three international scholars to conduct, all bilingually (English and Chinese), a three-part lecture series related to Buddhism and East Asian Culture, with each part composed of five consecutive 150-minute lectures with a general theme (over five days). These three bilingual speakers and their lecture themes are:

• Professor Robert Campany（Asian Studies Program at Vanderbilt University, USA): Religious Interactions in Early Medieval China;
• Professor Jinhua Chen (Department of Asian Studies, University of British Columbia, Canada): Tied by Blood and dharma: Lineage Factors in the Monastic-Secular Interactions in Medieval China;
• Professor Stefano Zacchetti (Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford University, United Kingdom): Translations, Commentaries and Bibliographical Records: Shaping and Imagining the Canon in Early Chinese Buddhism

This three-part lecture series will be accompanied by seven lectures delivered by seven individual scholars on Buddhism and East Asian Religions.

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 East Asian temples and shrines, titled “More Bonds than Boundaries: The Diverse Roles and Functions of East Asian Temples and Shrines,” to be held at the Buddhist Academy of Shanghai, August 3-4, 2015 ( conference information announced at: http://blogs.ubc.ca/dewei/call-for-papers-an-international-conference-on-more-bonds-than-boundaries-the-diverse-roles-and-functions-of-east-asian-temples-and-shrines/).
• An International Young Scholars Forum on Buddhism and East Asian Religions (August 7-8, 2015 at the Buddhist Academy of Shanghai). Excellent articles may be recommended to academic journals for publication. They include the Fojiao wenxian yanjiu (Studies on Buddhist Texts), Foxue yanjiu (Buddhist Studies), Fojiao shi yanjiu (Historical Studies of Buddhism), Studies in Chinese Religion, edited by Prof. Fang Guangchang, Prof. Shengkai, Prof. Sun Yingggang, and Prof. Jinhua Chen, respectively.
• Taste of the Dharma: a series of five 1-2 hour sessions providing monastic experiences, including seated meditation, tea-ceremony and other temple rituals.
• Occasional visits to renowned local historical sites (especially Buddhist and Daoist temples) and museums in the Jiangnan region. Students with relevant research interests may also apply to participate in an additional one-week program (July 27-August 2, 2015) combining an international conference (on the Wutai cult; July 31-August 1) and a 3-day (July 28-30) temple-tour around the Wutai area. More information available: http://blogs.ubc.ca/dewei/studies-of-the-wutai-cult-in-multidisciplinary-and-transbordercultural-approaches/

 V. APPLICATIONS: Participants are required to take part in all of the activities supported by this program, including the four-part lecture series, the regular conference and the Young Scholar Forum (paper presentations are optional, but attendance is required), field trips, monastic experience session, etc. 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 April 20, 2015. Each application should include (i) an application form (to be provided upon request via the above email), (ii) an updated curriculum vitae, and (iii) 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 (hotel accommodation and meals) in China during the program period, although participants are expected to cover

• their own airfare; and
•  a small amount of costs associated with the field trips.

VII. ENROLLMENT LIMIT: 80 participants.