Faith · Thinking · Enlightenment

Author: Feng Dawen, Zhang Xian, Editors-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-12-01
Features: Religion, like other streams of thought and disciplines, has shaped and continues to shape the "soul" of a region, a nation, or a country. However, for a long period in the last century, this highly important field of inquiry concerning the "soul" was overshadowed by utilitarian, cognitive, and political pursuits within the country. Fortunately, since the 1980s, religion has once again gained attention as an academic discipline. At Sun Yat-sen University, renowned scholars and historians such as Professor Jiang Boqin, Professor Cai Hongsheng, and Professor Lin Wushu have achieved research accomplishments in (Lingnan Buddhism) and (Manichaeism) that are widely recognized by the academic community both at home and abroad. However, the establishment of religious studies as an academic program was relatively late at Sun Yat-sen University compared to similar institutions. In 1996, after approval by the university's academic degree committee, a master's program in religious studies was established based on the research capabilities of the Department of Philosophy (religious studies falls under the philosophy major). In 1997, to coordinate teaching and research resources, the Religious Studies Institute was formed within the School of Humanities at Sun Yat-sen University. In April 2000, after review by the university's academic committee, it was expanded into the Comparative Religious Studies Institute of Sun Yat-sen University. As a result, religious studies at Sun Yat-sen University (including some research forces from the Guangzhou region) have been conducted in a more organized and coordinated manner. Today, as people can see, the institute has a strong academic team with excellent academic backgrounds and mutual friendliness. In Buddhist studies, young scholars such as Professor Gong Jun, Professor Xiao Ping, and Lecturer Feng Huanzhen have all conducted long-term or short-term academic visits to academic institutions in the United States, Japan, and Taiwan. They are not only well-trained in English or Japanese but have also preliminarily studied Pali and Sanskrit. They have published numerous research papers, and their current training will lay a better foundation for their future research. In Taoist studies, Professor Liu Zhaorui, Professor Li Dahua, Associate Professor Wang Chengwen, and Doctor Wan Yi are also young scholars. Their visits to Japan, the United States, and France have given them an advantage in accessing and interpreting textual materials, and their anthropological perspectives will lay the groundwork for innovative research in the future. In Christian studies, Associate Professor Zhang Xian's nine-year academic visit to Europe and his expertise in German, French, and English, as well as the training received by Associate Professor Chen Lisheng and Associate Professor Li Lanfen during their academic visits to the United States, have significantly contributed to the institute's Christian studies. Notably, the addition of renowned young scholar Professor Liu Xiaofeng, the director of the Hong Kong Institute for Advanced Study in Chinese Christian Culture, who returned from Germany; Doctor Zhang Xianyong, who returned from the United Kingdom; and Doctor Yang Qingqiu, who returned from the United Kingdom and is the director of the Hong Kong Chinese Theological Seminary, along with the full support of these scholars, as well as the enthusiasm of graduate students currently studying Greek and Hebrew, all indicate that Christian studies will be a major focus of development for the institute. As an institute for comparative religious studies, the study of Confucianism (the Confucian tradition as a religion) is indispensable. In this field of research, Professor Li Honglei, Professor Chen Shaoming, and Professor Ren Jiandao have gained recognition for their research achievements. They, along with Associate Professors Xiao Bin and Zhang Yongyi, who have also served as visiting scholars in the United States for over a year, form a young and creative team. With such a team, our research endeavors are full of hope! The smooth development of the academic program and the institute has been supported by numerous overseas academic institutions and research groups. Since 1997, the Hong Kong Institute for Advanced Study in Chinese Christian Culture and the Tao Fung Shan Christian Monastery have periodically donated research materials and documents to our institute, invited scholars from home and abroad to give lectures, and facilitated visits by our faculty and students to study abroad, all in an effort to create conditions for our research work. The assistance provided by the Hong Kong Christian Cultural Society and He Shiming Foundation has enabled us to establish the "Dr. He Shiming Cultural Lecture Series." Scholars from many renowned universities in China, as well as from overseas, including the United States, Canada, Japan, Singapore, and regions such as Hong Kong and Taiwan, have delivered outstanding academic lectures on this platform. The Hong Kong Chinese Theological Seminary has annually sent professors to our institute to teach Greek and Hebrew courses, while the Hong Kong Union Theological Seminary has sent professors to teach religious philosophy in English to undergraduate philosophy students. These professors come to teach every Friday afternoon and return to their work in Hong Kong the next day. Their dedication has earned the respect of faculty and students. The University of British Columbia's Regent College in Canada has also provided visiting opportunities for Ph.D. students in comparative religious studies at our institute. The Hong Kong Taoist Academy has maintained a strong cooperative relationship with us in Taoist and Taoism studies. In 1998, with funding from the Taoist Academy, we jointly organized the "Second International Academic Conference on Taoist Culture," which attracted over 200 scholars from 17 countries and regions. The collaboration between the two parties has led to the establishment of a Taoist Culture Study Program at the Taoist Academy, now in its third phase. The Taiwan Chinese Buddhist Studies Research Center is committed to supporting our Buddhist studies. From September 1999 to June 2000, they sent young scholars to our university to teach Pali and Sanskrit. Subsequently, they have allowed our young teachers to continue their studies in Buddhist and Sanskrit at their institution to cultivate faculty for us. The Taiwan Buddha Education Foundation has donated nearly 8,000 books to our institute, including the entire collection of classics such as the Taisho Tripitaka, the Wenshu Zongjing, and the Xinxiu Taisho Tripitaka Bu Bian. Institutions such as the Taiwan Sanqing Cultural Foundation, the Religious Culture Research Center at Nanhua University in Taiwan, and the Taiwan Confucianism and Taoism Research Association have also donated books and materials or established scholarships for our graduate students. In the field of Confucian studies, renowned scholars such as Professor Tu Weiming, the president of the Harvard-Yenching Institute at Harvard University in the United States, Professor Huang Junjie, the director of the Joint Education Committee at National Taiwan University, and Professor Chen Guying at National Taiwan University, have provided significant support to our research through their own studies and personal influence, leaving a deep impression on the faculty and students of our institute. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all groups and individuals who sincerely care about and support our institute's research endeavors! We are fully aware that even though our research work has already begun, it is merely at the starting point. Our future research plans undoubtedly reflect in the name of our institute: Comparative Religious Studies (primarily Comparative Religious Philosophy). Establishing this direction is partly because most of the young scholars here have both Chinese and Western academic backgrounds. Moreover, only with a comparative perspective can we better explore modern values. Additionally, we consider that interfaith dialogue will become a major theme in the spiritual and cultural landscape of this century. We hope to develop our unique characteristics in this research direction. At the same time, we are fully aware that such research topics can easily become superficial or detached. Therefore, we are particularly concerned with classical texts and their interpretations. For many years, we have been dedicated to offering courses in Pali, Sanskrit, Greek, and Hebrew, precisely for this reason. This undoubtedly increases the difficulty of academic research. Our research will thus be tested: Can one truly "enter meditation" under the desk lamp while surrounded by the bustling crowds and restless hearts outside the window?