Organized by the Center for Buddhist Studies and hosted by the Department of Buddhist Studies, the 2025 Spring Semester Lecture Series  officially began on June 16, 2025. This semester’s theme, “Overview of Buddhist Studies in the English-Speaking Academic World,” is presented by Professor Huaiyu Chen from the School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies at Arizona State University, USA.

The opening lecture, titled “A Brief History and Current Status of Western Buddhist Studies,” provided an overview of the development of Buddhist Studies as a world religion in Western academia over the past two centuries. The lecture explored the diversity of Buddhist languages, as well as interdisciplinary research approaches that draw from history, philosophy, philology, art history, and ritual studies. Topics included the evolution of the field from Orientalism and Indology to modern Buddhist studies, the academic traditions of Germany and France, and recent research on Central Asian Buddhist texts, such as those in Sogdian and Khotanese. The lecture aimed to help students gain a broader understanding of the international landscape of Buddhist scholarship and the contributions of key scholars.

Five more lectures will follow in this series. All those interested in the field of Buddhist studies are warmly invited to attend and are encouraged to register early to avoid missing out.