From June 1st to 3rd, the Center for Buddhist Studies of Fo Guang University, in collaboration with the Multicultural Research Center of the College of Liberal Arts at National Cheng Kung University, the Zhi Shan Education Foundation in Tainan City, and the Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Philosophy in Vietnam, held an international academic conference, special lectures, and a roundtable forum titled "Vietnamese Buddhism and Literature: Collection, Compilation, and Research."

In addition to the international academic conference held at National Cheng Kung University on June 1st, Vietnamese scholars and Dharma masters were invited to Fo Guang University on June 3rd to hold special lectures and a roundtable forum. This aimed to promote the Taiwanese academic community's understanding of Vietnamese Buddhist research and benefit Vietnamese graduate students in Taiwan by enhancing their access to Vietnamese research resources. Over 70 participants, including faculty and students from Huafan University and Fo Guang University, attended both online and offline.

Document Exchange Promotes Vietnamese Buddhist Research

This event invited Vietnamese Buddhist scholars, such as Dean Prof.  Nguyễn Tài Đông, Researcher Dr. Nguyễn Tô Lan, and Research Assistant Dr. Nguyễn Đình Hưng from the Institute of Philosophy under the Vietnamese Academy of Social Sciences. Also in attendance were Venerable Thích Quang Định from the International Buddhist Literature Translation Center, Venerable Thích Đồng Dưỡng from the editorial department of the Guang Nam Buddhist Journal, Vice President Thích Không Nhiên from Vietnamese Buddhist University in Hue, and Venerable Thích Không Hạnh, the abbot of Hue Quang Book Institute in Ho Chi Minh City. They visited the Center for Buddhist Studies of Fo Guang University and donated valuable academic literature, such as the "Liaoguan Journal" and "Hue Quang Buddhist Canon Series," hoping these books would remain in Taiwan for future in-depth research on Vietnamese Buddhist studies. Dr. Hsinyi Lin, the executive secretary of the Center for Buddhist Studies of Fo Guang University, reciprocated by presenting academic works such as the "Fo Guang Journal of Buddhist Studies," aiming for further collaboration and exchange in the future.

Roundtable Forum Explores New Perspectives in Buddhist Research

During the roundtable forum, Venerable Thích Quang Định proposed three new perspectives for researching Vietnamese Buddhism: conducting international text comparisons instead of single-document research, paying attention to the ritualistic aspects and the significant difference in the number of scriptures between China (3000) and Vietnam (20), and exploring the unique annotation styles in Chinese and Vietnamese scripture interpretations.

Professor Kan Cheng-Tsung highlighted the arduous process of collecting and organizing Buddhist literature, sharing his long-term fieldwork experiences. Despite the vast amount of collected data, few research studies have been conducted. He expressed great admiration for researchers undertaking this task and welcomed more researchers to join, hoping for increased collaboration with Vietnam in the future.

Venerable Thích Đồng Dưỡng emphasized the importance of understanding how Vietnamese people use Nôm characters to interpret Buddhist scriptures. He came to learn from Chinese and Taiwanese scholars about the academic research on the Caodong and Linji schools of Chinese Buddhism.

Venerable Thích Không Hạnh introduced the Hue Quang Book Institute’s efforts in collecting approximately 5000 ancient Vietnamese Buddhist texts without involving in research. His visit aimed to learn digital preservation techniques, such as scanning technology and equipment usage, to digitally preserve precious Vietnamese literature.

Venerable Thích Không Nhiên expressed sincere hospitality, welcoming students from Fo Guang University to explore Vietnamese Buddhism at Hue Buddhist Academy, promising open access to resources for research.

The conference concluded with Dr. Li Gui-Min, a postdoctoral researcher at National Cheng Kung University, announcing that four Dharma masters would be invited to teach online courses next semester. Stay tuned!