[Blog] Premodern Japanese Studies International Conference at McGill, 10-11 October 2019

By Alex Dieplam The “Premodern Japanese Studies International Conference” took place on 10-11 October 2019, under the auspices of McGill University – School of Religious Studies, CREOR, BDK Canada, and the Japan Foundation. Seventeen papers on premodern Japan were presented in English and Japanese over two days, and the topics ranged from exchanges between different …

[Blog] Autumn Canadian Conferences

A guest post by Dr. Jeffrey Kotyk This autumn I had the opportunity to attend two major conferences dealing with Buddhist Studies and more broadly Asian Studies, both of which were hosted at Canadian institutions. It is always heartening to see an international community come together at a university in Canada, much like in August …

[Blog] “Buddhism and Religious Diversity in Nepal,” A Talk by Professor Chiara Letizia

By Austin Simoes-Gomes On April 12th, 2018, Professor Chiara Letizia from UQÀM’s Département de science des religions delivered a talk on “Buddhism and religious (and ethnic, cultural, linguistic) diversity in Nepal.” In her talk, Professor Letizia introduced her audience to the immense diversity that is present in Nepal. Upon examining a wide range of Buddhist traditions in …

[Blog] “Buddhism and Compassion,” A Talk by Julia Stenzel at McGill University

By Adrien Moevus On April 5th, 2018, Ph.D. candidate Julia Stenzel from McGill’s School of Religious Studies (SRS) delivered a talk on “Buddhism and Compassion.” Currently working on the role and function of compassion in Buddhism, Stenzel explored how recent scientific findings have transformed compassion from a religious moral imperative to a natural, psychological aspect of …

[Blog] Reflection on Professor James Robson’s Talk “Buddhism and Daoism in Medieval China”

By Shuyue He and Jingjing Li On March 15, 2018, McGill University’s "Buddha and the Other" lunch lecture series continued with a talk “Buddhism and Daoism in Medieval China” delivered by Professor James Robson from the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University. Throughout the presentation, Prof. Robson inquired into the relationship …

[Blog] “Buddhism and Orality”, A Talk by Dr. Caley Smith at McGill University

By Jingjing Li. On February 22th, 2018, Dr. Caley Smith from McGill’s School of Religious Studies (SRS) delivered a talk on ‘Buddhism and Orality’. Currently working on the Vedic tradition, Dr. Smith investigated the role of orality in various religious traditions, especially Buddhism, in his talk. He explored how the oral tradition is not the …

[Blog] Yuima-e (維摩會) in Sixteenth-Century Japan: Recently Acquired Manuscript Now Available in McGill’s Rare Book Collection

By Jingjing Li. This March, a sixteenth-century Japanese manuscript arrived in the Rare Book Collection room of McGill’s McLennan Library. Currently the most ancient East Asian resource preserved at McGill, the text, which dates back to 1539, documents the Yuima-e (維摩會), a popular ritual conducted among monks in the School of Hossō (法相). On March …

[Blog] “Buddhism and the Barbarian in Chinese Zen”, A Talk by Dr. Christopher Byrne at McGill University

By Jingjing Li and Nahid Widaatalla. On February 15th, 2018, Dr. Christopher Byrne from McGill’s Department of East Asian Studies (EAS) delivered a talk on ‘Buddhism and the Barbarian in Chinese Zen’, as part of the Centre for Research on Religion (CREOR) Lunch Lecture Series of “Buddha and the Other”. His presentation centred around the …

[Blog] Reflection on “Buddhism in Indonesia”, a Talk by Prof. Philip Buckley at McGill University

By Shuyue He and Jingjing Li. On January 25, 2018, Dr. Philip Buckley, Professor of Philosophy and currently the Chair of the Department of East Asian Studies at McGill University, delivered a talk on “Buddhism in Indonesia” in the senior common room of the Birks building. Through his study of the “syncretic” religious landscape in …

[Blog] Orthopraxy and ‘Buddhist Art’ in Chinese History: A Case of Socialization – A Talk by Prof. Jeehee Hong at McGill University

By Shuyue He and Jingjing Li. On January 11th, 2018, Professor Jeehee Hong from the Department of Art History and East Asian Studies delivered the talk “Orthopraxy and ‘Buddhist Art’ in Chinese history: A Case of Socialization” in the senior common room of Birks Building at McGill University. This is the fifth session of the …