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College and Department of Buddhist Studies, FGU
A delegation from the Department of Buddhist Studies at Fo Guang University, including Department Chair Professor Cheng-Tsung Kuan, Associate Professor Wei-Yi Cheng, Assistant Professor Jui-Yao Chien, and several graduate students, recently visited the Vietnam Buddhist University in Huế for academic exchange and field research. During the visit, Fo Guang University and the Vietnam Buddhist University in Huế signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), further strengthening cooperation in Buddhist studies, academic exchange, and the education and training of students and scholars.
Upon arrival, the Fo Guang University delegation was warmly received by Most Venerable Thích Quang Nhuận, Member of the Council of Elders of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha and Member of the University’s Steering Council; Most Venerable Thích Hải Ấn, Standing Member of the Executive Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha and President of the Vietnam Buddhist University in Huế; as well as members of the University’s Executive Council. During the meeting, representatives of the University introduced its history, institutional development, and current teaching and research activities.
Associate Professor Wei-Yi Cheng also introduced the history and distinctive features of Fo Guang University’s Department of Buddhist Studies. The Department began admitting students in 2007 and currently offers a bachelor’s program, a Chinese-medium master’s program, an English-medium master’s program, and a doctoral program, providing a comprehensive system of Buddhist Studies education from the undergraduate through doctoral levels. Fo Guang University also provides a comprehensive scholarship program to enable students committed to Buddhist Studies to concentrate on their education without undue financial burden, allowing students from diverse regions and backgrounds to pursue Buddhist Studies and academic training.
As part of the visit, the two institutions held a special academic exchange on “Buddhist Temple Gazetteer Studies” (Tự chí học Phật giáo). The discussions approached the preservation of Buddhist cultural heritage and the study of Buddhist history from multiple perspectives, including the compilation of temple gazetteers, oral history, field research, material culture, Buddhist textual sources, and transnational transmission.
Venerable Thích Không Nhiên, Vice President and Head of the Department of Scientific Research at the Vietnam Buddhist University in Huế, emphasized the importance of researching and compiling Buddhist temple gazetteers. Such work not only contributes to documenting and illuminating the historical development of Buddhism but also facilitates the collection, preservation, and revitalization of contemporary Buddhist cultural heritage. It further provides an academic foundation for the study of local Buddhist history and interdisciplinary research across the social sciences and humanities.
The academic exchange featured seven presentations. Participants from Fo Guang University included Professor Cheng-Tsung Kuan, Associate Professor Wei-Yi Cheng, and Assistant Professor Jui-Yao Chien, who engaged in dialogue with Vietnamese monastics and scholars, including Venerable Thích Nguyên Thành, researcher Trần Đại Vinh, and researcher Trần Đình Sơn. Topics included “Theory and Practice in the Compilation of Temple Gazetteers,” “Theory and Practice of Oral History and Field Research,” “The Contemporary Transmission of Vietnamese Buddhism in Taiwan,” “Monastic Material Culture and the Compilation of Gazetteers,” “An Introduction to the Department of Buddhist Hán-Nôm Studies at the Vietnam Buddhist University in Huế,” “The Compilation of Temple Gazetteers in Huế,” and “The Lives and Activities of the Authors of Hàm Long Sơn chí.”
Most Venerable Thích Hải Ấn noted that research on Buddhist temple gazetteers not only contributes to establishing a more comprehensive scholarly foundation for the study of Buddhist history but also provides an important methodological framework for the collection, research, preservation, and promotion of contemporary Buddhist cultural heritage.
One of the major outcomes of the visit was the formal signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Fo Guang University and the Vietnam Buddhist University in Huế. Under the agreement, the two institutions will promote exchanges of students, faculty members, and administrative staff; collaborate on academic research and scholarly publications; exchange academic materials and related information; and jointly develop short-term specialized academic programs.
During the academic exchange, Ven. Thích Bảo Định, Ven. Thích Tịnh Trí, and Phan Thị Ánh Tuyết, Vietnamese graduate students in the Department of Buddhist Studies at Fo Guang University, served as interpreters, facilitating academic dialogue and discussion between scholars and monastics from Taiwan and Vietnam. Their participation not only enhanced communication across linguistic and academic contexts but also demonstrated the international learning environment of Fo Guang University’s Department of Buddhist Studies and the students’ practical experience in cross-cultural Buddhist academic exchange.
The visit to Huế brought together international academic exchange, Buddhist temple gazetteer research, fieldwork, and inter-institutional cooperation. It not only broadened the understanding of Vietnamese Buddhist history, monastic culture, and contemporary Buddhist development among faculty members and students of Fo Guang University’s Department of Buddhist Studies, but also established a stronger platform for academic exchange between Buddhist scholars in Taiwan and Vietnam. Through the signing of the MOU, the two institutions will continue to deepen cooperation in teaching, research, and academic exchange while promoting cross-regional and cross-cultural dialogue in Buddhist Studies.
For additional coverage and photographs, please see the Vietnamese-language report published by Giác Ngộ Online: https://giacngo.vn/dai-hoc-phat-quang-dai-loan-trung-quoc-tham-lam-viec-voi-hoc-vien-phat-giao-vn-tai-hue-post80564.html
