Doctoral Student Ven. Zhiwen Presents Research at the 77th Annual Conference of the Japanese Association of Indian and Buddhist Studies

The 77th Annual Conference of the Japanese Association of Indian and Buddhist Studies (日本印度学仏教学会) was held on September 3–4, 2026, at Taisho University in Tokyo, Japan. Ven. Zhiwen (釋知文), a doctoral student in the Department of Buddhist Studies at Fo Guang University, attended the conference and presented her paper, “An Inquiry into the Term ‘Nōzen’ (農禅)” (「農禅」という語の考察). The conference provided her with an opportunity to engage in scholarly exchange with researchers in Indian and Buddhist Studies from Japan and around the world.The Japanese Association of Indian and Buddhist Studies is a major academic organization in the fields of Indian and Buddhist Studies in Japan. Its annual conference provides a platform for scholars to present their latest research and exchange ideas.

The 77th conference was held primarily in person, with selected sessions offered online. More than 260 scholars presented papers, with parallel sessions taking place in over ten classrooms. From senior scholars to emerging researchers, participants shared their latest findings, reflecting the vitality and diversity of contemporary research in Indian and Buddhist Studies. A major theme of this year’s conference was “The History and Future of the Buddhist Canon: Commemorating the International Registration of the Three Buddhist Canons of Zōjōji, 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―). A special thematic section was organized to explore the history, preservation, transmission, and future development of Buddhist canonical texts.知文3
Ven. Zhiwen’s presentation focused on the term “Nōzen” (農禅, literally “farming and Chan/Zen”), examining the formation of the concept and its intellectual contexts. She pointed out that although the term is widely used within Chinese-speaking Buddhist communities, it remains relatively unfamiliar within Japanese Buddhist scholarship. Her presentation therefore provided an opportunity for scholarly dialogue across different Buddhist cultural and intellectual traditions.

“Through this conference, I had the opportunity to discuss nōzen, a concept that is quite widespread in Chinese-speaking Buddhist circles but relatively unfamiliar in Japanese Buddhism,” Ven. Zhiwen explained. “I also hoped to introduce the Humanistic Buddhist understanding of putting Chan practice into action through everyday life and daily work.”

She further noted that integrating Chan practice with physical labor and everyday monastic duties is not merely a practical way of life; it is closely connected with the traditional methods through which Chan masters trained and educated their disciples. By examining the concept of nōzen, her research seeks to reconsider the relationships among Chan cultivation, labor practices, and contemporary Humanistic Buddhism.

Attending the conference in Japan also gave Ven. Zhiwen an opportunity to observe more directly the development of Buddhist Studies in Japan and within the broader international academic community. She noted that many Japanese universities with histories extending over a century were founded by Buddhist denominations or temples. At the same time, major comprehensive research universities, including the University of Tokyo, have long maintained academic programs and research fields related to Indian philosophy and Buddhist Studies.
 

The conference brought together not only a large number of young Japanese scholars but also international students and researchers from Taiwan, mainland China, Korea, Europe, and North America who are pursuing research in Buddhist Studies.

“In more than ten classrooms, over two hundred research presentations were taking place, with senior scholars and emerging researchers alike sharing their work on the same academic platform,” Ven. Zhiwen observed. “Participating in such a large-scale academic conference in person gave me an even stronger appreciation of the professionalism and intellectual vitality of Buddhist Studies within the international academic community.”

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The experience also prompted her to reflect on the environment for cultivating scholars of Buddhist Studies in Taiwan. Compared with Japan, relatively few universities in Taiwan have Buddhist Studies as a central academic field supported by a comprehensive faculty and graduate training system. Nevertheless, scholars from institutions such as National Taiwan University, National Chengchi University, National Sun Yat-sen University, and Tzu Chi University continue to contribute actively to Buddhist-related research and academic conferences. Exchanges among these scholars and academic institutions collectively form an important network for Buddhist Studies in Taiwan.

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Participating in this international academic conference also deepened Ven. Zhiwen’s appreciation of the founding of the Department of Buddhist Studies at Fo Guang University.

“Seeing so many young scholars from Japan and other countries devoting themselves to Buddhist Studies made me appreciate even more deeply the vision and foresight of Venerable Master Hsing Yun, the founder of Fo Guang University, in establishing the Department of Buddhist Studies,” she said.

The Department of Buddhist Studies at Fo Guang University has long been committed to Buddhist scholarship and the cultivation of professional researchers. It encourages graduate students to participate in major academic conferences in Taiwan and abroad, enabling them to broaden their scholarly perspectives and deepen their professional training through paper presentations, academic discussions, and international exchanges. Graduate students’ participation in international scholarly communities not only showcases their individual research achievements but also helps strengthen academic connections between Fo Guang University and the global community of Buddhist Studies.

Ven. Zhiwen also expressed her particular gratitude to the Fo Guang Shan Institute of Humanistic Buddhism for its sponsorship and support of her participation in the conference. This assistance enabled her to present her research in an international academic setting and to engage with scholars representing different Buddhist cultures and research traditions.

Ven. Zhiwen’s participation in the 77th Annual Conference of the Japanese Association of Indian and Buddhist Studies demonstrates the active engagement of doctoral students from Fo Guang University’s Department of Buddhist Studies in contemporary Buddhist scholarship. Through her research on nōzen, she also brought perspectives from Chinese-language Buddhism and Humanistic Buddhism into international academic dialogue, further expanding the possibilities for cross-cultural exchange in Buddhist Studies.