2017-2018 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 Video

The Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts (DILA), Sheng-yen Education Foundation, the Buddhist Studies Center in the Humanities College at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou 廣州, China, and the Buddhist Studies Forum at the University of British Columbia (UBC-BSF) in Vancouver, Canada cordially invite applications for a 9-day program of lecture series, conference/forum, and fieldwork on Buddhism and East Asian Cultures (January 13-21, 2018) in DILA, Taiwan.

To learn more about the program, please read the reports below from two student attendees.

Winter Program 2018 report by Maggie Mitchell (UBC)

Winter Program 2018 report by Kai Shumushko (Tel Aviv University)

 

I. Venue: Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts (DILA), Taiwan

II. Schedule: January 13-21, 2018

  • January 13: Registration, Opening Ceremony, Keynote speech session for the Conference;
  • January 14-15: Conference;
  • January 16-18: Main Programs (Intensive lecture series);
  • January 19: Young Scholars’ Forum;
  • January 20: Tour of sacred sites in Northern Taiwan;
  • January 21: Home-going (participants who wish to utilize the excellent collection at DILA may apply to spend 3-7 extra days with free boarding.

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 three consecutive 120-minute lectures with a general theme (over three days). These three bilingual speakers and their lecture themes are:

  • Professor Jinhua Chen (Department of Asian Studies, University of British Columbia, Canada): Knotless Net: Identity and Network in East Asian Buddhism;
  • Professor James Robson (Department of East Asian Languages and Civilization, Harvard University): Buddhist Meditation: From Ideals to Realities;
  • Professor Barend ter Haar (Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Oxford): Writing, Reciting and 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 and Dunhuang Studies, titled “From the Caoxi Creek to Mogao Cave: Interdisciplinary Studies of Chan Buddhism and the Dunhuang Cache from Multiple Sources and Perspectives,” to be held at the DILA, January 13-15, 2018 (conference information announced at https://frogbear.org/from-the-caoxi-creek-to-mogao-cave-interdisciplinary-studies-of-chan-buddhism-and-the-dunhuang-cache-from-multiple-sources-and-perspectives/);
  • Young Scholars’ Forum on Buddhism and East Asian Cultures, January 19, 2018; 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 northern part of.

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, 2017. Each application should include：

  1. an application form (to be provided upon request via the above email);
  2. an updated curriculum vitae;
  3. one writing sample;
  4. 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

  1. the costs for the transportation between their home cities and Taiwan
  2. an administration fee of US$150.

VII. Enrollment Limit: 100.