The 77th Annual Conference of the Japanese Association of Indian and Buddhist Studies (日本印度学仏教学会) was held at Taisho University in Tokyo, Japan, from September 3 to 4, 2026. Ven. Zhiwen, a PhD student in the Department of Buddhist Studies at Fo Guang University, participated in the conference and presented a research paper, engaging in scholarly exchange with researchers in Indian and Buddhist Studies from Japan and other regions.

The Japanese Association of Indian and Buddhist Studies is a major academic organization in Japan dedicated to research in Indian and Buddhist Studies. Its annual conference provides scholars with an important forum for presenting recent research and engaging in academic discussion. The 77th Annual Conference was held primarily in person, with selected sessions offered online. Research presentations covered a broad range of fields, including Indian Studies, Buddhist thought, Buddhist history, textual studies, and related areas, reflecting the diversity of contemporary scholarship in Indian and Buddhist Studies.

This year’s conference also featured a special thematic section entitled “The History and Future of the Buddhist Canon: Commemorating the International Registration of the Three Buddhist Canons at Zōjōji, the Head Temple of the Jōdo School, in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register” (大蔵経の歴史と未来―浄土宗大本山増上寺三大蔵・ユネスコ「世界の記憶」国際登録記念―). The special section provided a forum for scholarly discussion on the preservation, transmission, and future development of Buddhist canonical literature.

The Department of Buddhist Studies at Fo Guang University has long placed strong emphasis on graduate research and international academic exchange, encouraging students to participate in major academic conferences in Taiwan and abroad. Through presenting their research and engaging in scholarly dialogue, graduate students are able to broaden their academic perspectives, strengthen their research training, and establish connections with the international scholarly community.

Ven. Zhiwen’s participation and research presentation at the annual conference of the Japanese Association of Indian and Buddhist Studies not only demonstrates the active engagement of the Department’s graduate students in Buddhist scholarship, but also contributes to strengthening academic exchange between Fo Guang University and the wider international community of Buddhist Studies scholars.