The past 2017 fall semester is an exciting and productive period for the Center for Buddhist Studies. Since its founding in July 2017, the Center for Buddhist Studies has become an influential institution for research, teaching, and community outreach in and beyond Arizona. The Center has established collaborative relationships with institutions around the world such as the University of British Columbia in Canada, Taiwan Sheng Yen Education Foundation, and Pu Yin Educational Center.
Due to the efforts of our faculty and students in the Center, we have received prestigious grants at the regional, national, and international levels. Notable among all these projects is the Hangzhou Buddhist Culture Project led by Dr. Albert Welter, which has attracted funding of more than half a million US dollars. This project continues our regional approach to East Asian Buddhism and is anticipated to initiate a paradigm shift in Buddhist Studies. The Center also starts to build a small archive for Buddhist special collections. A group of students and visiting scholars is exploring the ways to catalogue these materials. Recently, the Center acquired the original translation notes on the Chinese Chan classics the Records of Master Linji (Rinzairoku) prepared by Ruth Sasaki, Iriya Yoshitaka, and Yanagida Seizan and plans to launch a project to digitize this valuable collection.
Embracing the goal of providing leadership in the academic field of Buddhist Studies, the Center will continue to advance our current projects and seek new opportunities in the future. We are excited to highlight the following events for the year 2018 and welcome you to attend.
- Inaugural ceremony for the Center on March 28, 2018 will mark the official kickoff of the Center. UA Provost Andrew Comrie will attend.
- International conference on Chan/Zen/Son from March 29-31, 2018 invites more than twenty scholars in the world to examine the history of Chan/Zen/Son Buddhism in China, Japan, and Korea.
- Khyentse Foundation Buddhist Studies Lecture Series will feature Prof. Robert Buswell and Ven. Guang Quan from Lingyin Temple, China.
- Pu Yin Buddhist Studies Lecture Series in Spring 2018 will include talks on the Hangzhou Buddhist Culture Project (Albert Welter), Chan Buddhism in Bailin Temple, China (Chu Yaling), History of San Francisco Zen Center (Norman Fischer), and Tibetan Buddhist geography (Karl Ryavec).
- International conference on the Buddhist Canon in the digital age will be held on campus in October 2018, sponsored by Pu Yin Educational Center, Society for the Promotion of Buddhism (BDK), and other organizations.
Our achievements and bright future also draw generous donations from our friends all over the world. To all of you who have supported the Center for Buddhist Studies, we extend our sincere gratitude. In the new year, we wish you all the best and look forward to your continuous support.
Please go to our website at cbs.arizona.edu to sign up our free email list or follow us at Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ to receive latest announcements and updates.
Sincerely yours
Jiang Wu
Director, Center for Buddhist Studies
The University of Arizona