Dear Friend, As we conclude 2025, we extend our sincere gratitude to the members and supporters of the Center for Buddhist Studies (CBS) at the University of Arizona. Your generosity has enabled a year of extraordinary scholarly productivity, global engagement, and public impact. The past twelve months have demonstrated not only the vitality of Buddhist studies at Arizona, but also the Center’s growing role as a national and international platform for research, education, and public humanities. 2025: A Year of Tangible Impact and Scholarly MomentumNational and International Scholarly Presence
In 2025, CBS faculty and graduate students actively represented the University of Arizona at major international scholarly venues. Our faculty and graduate students participated in the 2025 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion, presenting new research and strengthening professional networks across Buddhist studies, religious studies, and the humanities. This visible presence underscores the Center’s commitment to shaping national and global conversations in the field. Research Dissemination and Knowledge Infrastructure
The Center continued its leadership in Buddhist canon studies with the publication of the 36th issue of the Chinese Buddhist Canon Research Newsletter, an internationally circulated research outlet that reports on new discoveries, exhibitions, digitization efforts, and scholarly collaboration. In parallel, CBS secured a major digitization grant from Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai (BDK) America, advancing our long-term mission to preserve, digitize, and make accessible key Buddhist textual materials for scholars worldwide. Student Support, Fellowships, and Career Formation
Student mentorship and support remained a cornerstone of our work in 2025. Multiple Khyentse Foundation Fellowships were awarded to CBS graduate students, including Xinrui Zeng and Yuyu Zhang, enabling sustained research and dissertation progress. Jesenia Sánchez-Frost received the Khyentse Foundation Best Student Award, recognizing exceptional scholarly promise. Our junior fellow Yuyu Zhang also received the inaugural Graduate Associate Teacher Award for Teaching Excellence from the College of Humanities—an important affirmation of the Center’s commitment to pedagogical excellence. Beyond current students, CBS continued to highlight the success of its alumni and fellows, including Dr. John Johnston’s appointment as Assistant Professor at Mahidol University and Nan Ouyang’s publication of her first monograph alongside a Robert Ho Family Foundation Fellowship Award. These outcomes demonstrate the Center’s effectiveness in training scholars for impactful academic careers. Public Humanities, Contemplative Practice, and Integrative Well-Being
CBS played a leading role in public-facing and interdisciplinary programming throughout 2025. Highlights included: - A day-long Zen retreat at the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine that drew more than one hundred participants, bridging contemplative practice and integrative health.
- A Mid-Autumn Wellness program featuring Dr. Andrew Weil and bestselling author Lisa See, which brought Buddhist-inspired reflections on health, storytelling, and community to a broad public audience.
- The continued success of the Integrative Well-Being Prize sponsored by the Shatz Family Foundation, with its extended application cycle reflecting strong interest from scholars and practitioners working at the intersection of Buddhism, ethics, health, and human flourishing.
Lectures, Reading Groups, and Intellectual Exchange
The Center organized a rich slate of scholarly and public lectures in 2025, including talks on mindfulness and artificial intelligence, Buddhist ethics and spiritual humanism, Stone Lanterns in the Tang Dynasty, Tang-Song Studies in China, and new research on Chan Buddhism in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Our Spring 2025 Rinzai Roku Reading Group concluded its weekly sessions, sustaining deep engagement with classical Zen texts and cultivating a vibrant intellectual community. Arts, Ritual, and Cultural Engagement
CBS also strengthened its role in cultural programming and experiential learning. The Sand Mandala event, featuring ritual artistry and public reception, offered a powerful visual and contemplative experience for the wider university and Tucson community, embodying Buddhism as a living cultural tradition. Faculty Excellence and Recognition
The accomplishments of CBS faculty were formally recognized in 2025. Professor Jiang Wu was named a Regents Professor, one of the University of Arizona’s highest honors for scholarly distinction. Professor Alison Jameson received the Distinguished Undergraduate Advising and Mentoring Award, highlighting the Center’s commitment not only to research excellence but also to student guidance and care. Finally, the Center’s digital humanities innovation was affirmed when its ArcGIS StoryMap project was named a finalist in a major international competition—demonstrating how CBS integrates spatial analysis, digital tools, and Buddhist studies to reach new audiences. Looking Ahead to 2026: A Convergence of MilestonesThe momentum of 2025 sets the stage for a landmark year ahead. In 2026, the Center will mark several historic milestones: - The retirement of Professor Albert Welter, honoring his foundational contributions to Chinese Buddhist studies and to the intellectual vision of the Center.
- The publication of the Encyclopedia of Hangzhou Buddhist Culture, a major international scholarly achievement years in the making.
- The 1,700th anniversary of Lingyin Monastery, offering a powerful historical frame for rethinking Buddhism’s enduring cultural and global significance.
- The eighth anniversary of the Center for Buddhist Studies, an occasion to reflect on growth, resilience, and future ambition.
Together, these moments represent not an endpoint, but a renewed call to stewardship, collaboration, and scholarly leadership. Planned Programs and Events for 2026 The Center for Buddhist Studies will enter 2026 with a focused set of scholarly programs that build directly on its core strengths in Chinese and East Asian Buddhism, textual studies, and international collaboration. In April 2026, the Center will host an international symposium on Hangzhou Buddhist Culture, bringing together scholars to examine Hangzhou’s historical role as a major religious, cultural, and intellectual center in East Asia. This symposium will also resonate with the publication of the Encyclopedia of Hangzhou Buddhist Culture and the 1,700th anniversary of Lingyin Monastery and the celebration of Dr. Welter's retirement. In May 2026, CBS will organize a research workshop on Tang-dynasty Buddhism, focusing on the Tang Prime Minister Pei Xiu, the disciple of Huayan Master Zongmi and Chan Master Huangbo Xiyun, and providing a concentrated forum for specialists to reassess formative developments in Buddhist institutions, doctrines, and practices during one of the most influential periods in Chinese religious history. During Spring 2026, the Center will welcome a Japanese scholarly delegation for the Rinzai Roku Notes Project, advancing collaborative research on Zen textual traditions and strengthening long-standing academic ties between North American and Japanese Buddhist studies communities. Together, these programs reflect the Center’s commitment to sustained research, international exchange, and the cultivation of long-term scholarly networks. If you are interested in sponsoring any of the above events, please do not hesitate to contact our Center. An InvitationNone of this work—supporting students, advancing research, hosting public programs, or preserving Buddhist cultural heritage—would be possible without you. As we look toward this pivotal moment in 2026, we warmly invite you to continue supporting the Center for Buddhist Studies and to help us build the next chapter of this shared endeavor. | 
