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, attended the conference and presented a paper entitled “An Inquiry into the Term ‘Nōzen’ (農禅)” (「農禅」という語の考察). Her participation provided an opportunity for scholarly exchange with researchers in Indian and Buddhist Studies from Japan and other parts of the world.

The Japanese Association of Indian and Buddhist Studies is one of Japan’s major academic organizations devoted to research in Indian and Buddhist Studies. Its annual conference provides an important forum for scholars to present their latest research and engage in academic discussion. This year’s conference was held primarily in person, with selected sessions conducted online. More than 260 scholars presented papers, with parallel sessions taking place simultaneously in over ten classrooms. Scholars at different stages of their careers—from senior specialists to emerging researchers—shared their work, reflecting the breadth and vitality of contemporary scholarship in Indian and Buddhist Studies in Japan.

The 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 facilitated scholarly discussion on the history, preservation, transmission, and future of Buddhist canonical literature.

“Nōzen” as a Point of Cross-Cultural Dialogue between Chinese and Japanese Buddhism

Ven. Zhiwen’s paper focused on the term “nōzen” (農禅), examining the formation of the concept and its broader intellectual and religious contexts. She noted that although the term is widely used within Chinese-speaking Buddhist communities, it remains relatively unfamiliar in Japanese Buddhist circles. Her presentation therefore provided an opportunity for dialogue across different Buddhist cultural and scholarly contexts.

Reflecting on her presentation, Ven. Zhiwen explained: “Through nōzen, a concept widely used in Chinese-speaking Buddhist circles but relatively unfamiliar in Japanese Buddhism, I hoped to introduce the Humanistic Buddhist understanding of practice in which Chan is embodied in everyday life and daily work.”

She further observed that integrating Chan practice with labor and everyday monastic duties is more than simply a way of organizing daily life; it is closely connected with the pedagogical traditions through which Chan masters trained their disciples. Her research thus uses the concept of nōzen as a point of departure for reconsidering the relationship among Chan cultivation, labor, everyday practice, and contemporary Humanistic Buddhism.

Experiencing the Vitality of International Buddhist Studies

Participation in the conference also gave Ven. Zhiwen an opportunity to observe more closely the development of Buddhist Studies in Japan and the broader international academic community. She noted that many Japanese universities with histories extending over a century were founded by Buddhist denominations or institutions, while major research universities, including the University of Tokyo, have also maintained longstanding traditions of teaching and research in Indian philosophy and Buddhist Studies.

At the conference, she encountered not only a large number of young Japanese researchers but also international students and scholars from Taiwan, mainland China, South Korea, Europe, North America, and other regions, all actively engaged in Buddhist Studies.

“With more than two hundred research presentations taking place across over ten classrooms, senior scholars and younger researchers alike were able to share their work through the same academic platform,” Ven. Zhiwen observed. Participating in a conference of this scale gave her a deeper appreciation of the professional depth, international scope, and continuing vitality of Buddhist Studies as an academic discipline.

Her experience also prompted reflection on the institutional environment for training Buddhist Studies scholars in Taiwan. Compared with Japan, relatively few Taiwanese universities have academic units centered specifically on Buddhist Studies and equipped with a concentrated body of specialist faculty and graduate-level training. At the same time, scholars at institutions including National Taiwan University, National Chengchi University, National Sun Yat-sen University, and Tzu Chi University continue to contribute to Buddhist research. Exchanges among researchers across these institutions constitute an important part of Taiwan’s wider academic network in Buddhist Studies.

Appreciating the Educational Vision behind the Establishment of the Department of Buddhist Studies

The conference also deepened Ven. Zhiwen’s appreciation of the founding vision behind the Department of Buddhist Studies at Fo Guang University. Reflecting on the many young scholars from Japan and other countries whom she encountered at the conference, she remarked: “Seeing so many young scholars from Japan and around the world dedicating themselves to Buddhist Studies made me appreciate even more deeply the vision and foresight of Venerable Master Hsing Yun in establishing the Department of Buddhist Studies.”

The Department of Buddhist Studies at Fo Guang University has long been committed to advancing Buddhist scholarship and cultivating specialists in the field. Graduate students are encouraged to participate in major academic conferences in Taiwan and abroad, where presenting research, engaging in scholarly discussion, and participating in international exchange enable them to broaden their academic perspectives and strengthen their professional training. Participation in international scholarly communities not only provides opportunities for students to present their individual research but also contributes to building stronger connections between Fo Guang University and the international field of Buddhist Studies.

Ven. Zhiwen also expressed her gratitude to the Fo Guang Shan Institute of Humanistic Buddhism for its financial support of her participation in the conference. This support enabled her to present her research in an international academic setting and to engage with scholars working within different Buddhist cultural and intellectual traditions.

Ven. Zhiwen’s participation in the 77th Annual Conference of the Japanese Association of Indian and Buddhist Studies demonstrates the active engagement of Fo Guang University’s doctoral students in international Buddhist scholarship. More importantly, by bringing the concept of nōzen into dialogue with Japanese scholarship, her research introduced perspectives from Chinese Buddhism and Humanistic Buddhism into a broader international academic conversation, opening further possibilities for cross-cultural exchange in Buddhist Studies.

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