From June 1 to 3, the Center for Buddhist Studies at Fo Guang University (FGU), in collaboration with the Center for Multicultural Studies at the National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) College of Liberal Arts, the Tainan Chih-Shan Education Foundation, and the Institute of Philosophy under the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS), jointly held the International Academic Conference and Roundtable Forum on "Vietnamese Buddhism and Manuscripts: Collection, Compilation, and Research."
In addition to the international academic conference held at NCKU on June 1, special lectures and a roundtable forum were hosted at Fo Guang University on June 3. These sessions featured invited Vietnamese scholars and Dharma masters, aiming to enhance the Taiwanese academic community's understanding of the current state of Vietnamese Buddhist research, assist Vietnamese graduate students in Taiwan in mastering research resources, and pave the way for future collaboration. The event attracted over 70 enthusiastic participants, including members of the public as well as faculty and students from Huafan University and Fo Guang University, attending both in-person and online.
Exchange of Manuscripts Promotes Vietnamese Buddhist Research
The event invited distinguished Vietnamese Buddhist scholars and experts to visit the FGU Center for Buddhist Studies. Guests included Director Nguyen Tai Dong, Researcher Nguyen To Lan, and Research Assistant Nguyen Dinh Hung from the Institute of Philosophy (VASS); Venerable Thich Quang Dinh of the International Buddhist Manuscript Translation Center; Venerable Thich Dong Duong, Editor of the Quang Nam Buddhist Journal; Venerable Thich Khong Nhien, Vice Rector of the Vietnam Buddhist Academy in Hue; Venerable Thich Khong Hanh, Director of the Hue Quang Institute in Ho Chi Minh City; as well as Dr. Lee Kuei-Min, Postdoctoral Researcher at the Center for Multicultural Studies (NCKU), and Venerable Fu Xiang.
During the visit, the delegation donated precious academic literature to the Center, including Lieu Quan Magazine, the Hue Quang Buddhist Collection, and Buddhist Dictionaries, with the hope that keeping these bibliographies in Taiwan will encourage more in-depth research on Vietnamese Buddhism. Professor Lin Hsin-Yi, Executive Secretary of the Center for Buddhist Studies, reciprocated on behalf of the Center by presenting the Fo Guang Journal of Buddhist Studies and other academic works, hoping for further cooperation and exchange.
Roundtable Forum Explores New Perspectives in Buddhist Research
During the roundtable forum, Venerable Thich Quang Dinh proposed three new perspectives for studying Vietnamese Buddhism. First, research should move beyond single-text analysis to conduct cross-national textual comparisons. Second, attention should be paid to rituals and liturgy; he noted the significant discrepancy between the 3,000 volumes in the Canon versus only 20 found in Vietnam, questioning whether this relates to religious customs. Third, regarding commentaries, he suggested exploring the unique characteristics of Chinese and Vietnamese interpretations of scriptures, a topic worthy of further discussion.
Professor Kan Cheng-Tsung remarked on the arduous process of collecting and compiling Buddhist manuscripts. Drawing from his own long-term fieldwork experience, he noted that while vast amounts of data are often collected, very few people conduct research on it. He expressed deep admiration for researchers doing this work, welcomed more scholars to join the field, and hoped for many future collaborations with Vietnam.
Venerable Thich Dong Duong mentioned that when conducting manuscript research, one should pay attention to how Vietnamese people use Nôm script to interpret Vietnamese scriptures. He also noted that his visit aimed to reference Chinese and Taiwanese scholarly research on the Caodong and Linji schools.
Venerable Thich Khong Hanh introduced the Hue Quang Institute, noting that their current focus is on collection rather than research. They have collected approximately 5,000 ancient books on Vietnamese Buddhism. He expressed a desire to learn digitization and preservation techniques in Taiwan, such as scanning technology and equipment usage, to digitally preserve Vietnam's precious documents.
Venerable Thich Khong Nhien expressed his sincere invitation to FGU students: anyone willing to explore Vietnamese Buddhism is welcome at the Vietnam Buddhist Academy in Hue. He promised that the Academy would provide local hospitality and make their archives open to everyone for research.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Dr. Lee Kuei-Min announced that four Dharma masters would be invited to conduct online lectures next semester—something to look forward to!
Group photo.
Exchange of precious academic literature between the two parties.
Director Nguyen Tai Dong of the Institute of Philosophy (VASS) delivers a speech.
The event received an enthusiastic response with a full house, many faculty and students from inside and outside the university attended.
Researcher Nguyen To Lan from the Institute of Philosophy (VASS) served as the primary interpreter.
Roundtable Forum (from left to right): Director Nguyen Tai Dong (VASS), Vice Rector Ven. Thich Khong Nhien (Vietnam Buddhist Academy in Hue), Professor Kan Cheng-Tsung (FGU Dept. of Buddhist Studies), Dr. Lee Kuei-Min (NCKU), and Ven. Thich Quang Dinh (International Buddhist Manuscript Translation Center).
Visiting the College of Buddhist Studies Library and taking a commemorative photo.