Prof. Wei Daoru’s lecture in English
Prof. Wei Daoru’s lecture in Chinese
Time: Tuesday January 4, 2022 – 5:00 am PST/ 7:00 am CST/ 8:00 am EST
Abstract: The relationship between the concepts of ‘one’ (yi 一) and ‘many’ (duo 多) represents a heated topic of discussion in ancient and contemporary world philosophy. Moreover, ancient Chinese philosophy offers a rich discourse on this subject. After Buddhism’s dissemination in China, discussions on this topic in Buddhist philosophy profoundly impacted Chinese culture.
This lecture will focus on the following issues: The relationship between and characteristics of the concepts of ‘one’ (yi) and ‘many’ (duo) in the Avataṃsaka (Huayan 華嚴) texts; the relationship between and characteristics of ‘one’ and ‘many’ in the ‘Huayan school’ 華嚴宗; the relationship between and characteristics of ‘one’ and ‘many’ in Chinese philosophy; the impact of the Huayan school’s ideas concerning the relationship between ‘one’ and ‘many’ in its doctrines; and the significance of the ‘perfect interfusion’ or ‘interpenetration’ (yuanrong 圓融) of ‘one’ and ‘many’ in modern and contemporary Buddhism.
About the Speaker: Professor WEI Daoru 魏道儒 (b. 1955), is a member of the faculty of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, distinguished professor and doctoral supervisor of the University of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a researcher at the Institute of World Religions of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and the Director of the Buddhist Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Professor Wei’s research focuses primarily on Buddhism, Chinese religions, and Chinese culture. He has authored several books including, Zhongguo huayan zong tongshi 中國華嚴宗通史 [A General History of the Huayan School in China], Zhonghua fojiao shi: song yuan ming qing shi juan 中華佛教史•宋元明清史卷 [History of Chinese Buddhism: the Song Yuan Ming Qing History Volume], Huayanxue yu chanxue 華嚴學與禪學 [Huayan Studies and Chan Studies], Tangsong foxue 唐宋佛學 [Buddhism in the Tang and Song], Songdai chanzong wenhua 宋代禪宗文化 [Chan Culture in the Song Dynasty], Tanjing yizhu 壇經譯注 [Translation and Notes on the Platform Sūtra of the Sixth Patriarch], among other titles.
Discussants: Prof. LIN Anwu (Tzu Chi University), Prof. HAMAR Imre (Eötvös Loránd University)
About the Yin-Cheng Distinguished Lecture Series: Launched in September 2021, the Yin-Cheng Distinguished Lecture Series (印證佛學傑出學術系列講座) is a collaborative, multi-university partnership between Peking University, Columbia University, Princeton University, Harvard University, University of British Columbia, University of Oxford and University of Cambridge. The Lecture Series is established in honour of Venerable Cheng-yen 證嚴, founder of Tzu Chi, and her mentor Yinshun 印順 (1906–2005), with the goal of promoting topics in Buddhist studies.
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