The Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation Centre for Buddhist Studies is recruiting a Coordinator, Administration and Events for a 1-year term. View the posting and apply by July 4, 2024 at jobs.utoronto.ca. Thank you!
Repost: Conference report on Buddhism & the Body in Tibet Symposium
We are delighted to repost this lovely report that Ian Turner wrote for the Canadian Journal of Buddhist Studies News Blog about the Buddhism & the Body Symposium that we co-sponsored with the Dept. for the Study of Religion in April 2024. Follow the link to read more.
Postdoctoral Fellowship Position: Department for the Study of Religion & The Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation Centre for Buddhist Studies
Posting date: February 14, 2024
The Department for the Study of Religion (DSR) and the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Centre for Buddhist Studies (Ho Centre) at the University of Toronto invite applications from recent holders of a PhD (2022 and onward) in the Study of Religion (or cognate field) for a postdoctoral fellowship in the interdisciplinary field of the study of Buddhism. We welcome applications from scholars engaging in a diverse range of methods and time periods, including those working in the study of Buddhism and its intersections with race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality. We also welcome candidates who are familiar with or willing to engage in digital humanities projects and/or public outreach. The postdoctoral fellowship is a one-year position, from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025, with the possibility of a one-year renewal.
In addition to conducting research in their area of expertise, the responsibilities of the postdoc include: teaching 1.0 FCE (2 courses) per year in the DSR; the Fellow is also expected to contribute to Ho Centre initiatives (pedagogy projects or public outreach, etc.) and to organize and host a public event/program/conference of their design in keeping with the Ho Centre mission. The theme and format of this event will be determined at the beginning of the Fellow’s term, together with the Ho Centre Director.
The Fellow will be provided with workspace, library privileges, and full access to the university’s electronic resources. Postdoctoral fellows are expected to be in residence and to contribute to the intellectual life of the DSR and the Ho Centre through active participation in seminars, workshops, and other events. The Postdoctoral Fellow will be jointly supervised by a DSR faculty member in their research area (appointed by the Chair) and the Ho Centre Director.
The Department for the Study of Religion is located at the University of Toronto, one of the world’s leading research universities. Building upon the expertise of our faculty and the extensive resources of the university, the Department for the Study of Religion is uniquely positioned to nurture critical scholarship and teaching. We draw students from across the world and are situated in one of the most diverse metropolitan regions in North America, on the traditional lands of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and the Mississaugas of the Credit River.
The Ho Centre promotes excellence in research and teaching of Buddhist Studies across all three University of Toronto campuses and is housed administratively within the Department for the Study of Religion. The Ho Centre’s programs and events explore the way Buddhist traditions have grown and developed, how they have been understood and transformed, and how we can think about them with discipline in our religiously plural environment.
Salary: $63,000 (plus benefits)
Application deadline: February 29, 2024.
To apply, please send your application with the following information (in a single PDF document) to Tanya Proulx, Chair’s Assistant and Office Administrator, via email: tanya.proulx@utoronto.ca:
• Statement of interest describing your professional and academic experience and specifying your proposed research project and your possible idea for a public-facing event/program/conference sponsored by the Ho Centre
• CV
• List of DSR courses interested in teaching, and one sample syllabus
• Teaching statement of no more than 2 pages
• Two letters of recommendation (to be sent directly to tanya.proulx@utoronto.ca). If candidate is currently ABD, please make sure the letter specifies a projected dissertation completion date.
Employment as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Toronto is covered by the terms of the CUPE 3902 Unit 5 Collective Agreement. The normal hours of work are 40 hours per week for a full-time postdoctoral fellow (pro-rated for those holding a partial appointment) recognizing that the needs of the employee’s research and training and the needs of the supervisor’s research program may require flexibility in the performance of the employee’s duties and hours of work. The award is open to both domestic and international candidates. Successful international candidates must meet all Canadian immigration requirements.
The University of Toronto is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from racialized persons / persons of colour, women, Indigenous / Aboriginal People of North America, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ persons, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas.
Winter Semester 2023 Roundup
Buddhism & Posthumanism Conversation Series 2022–2023
This academic year, the Ho Centre for Buddhist Studies continued its popular conversation series on Buddhism & Posthumanism for a second year.
Mariangela Carpinteri (PhD student in Religious Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara), “Green Buddhism: The Birth and Development of Environmental Buddhism”
In October, Mariangela Carpinteri joined us to present her research on “Green Buddhism,” the unofficial denomination of a contemporary and environmentally focused form of Buddhism that developed in the United States starting in the 1950s. The story of Green Buddhism runs parallel to the emergence of ecology and environmentalism, pacifist movements, the artistic revolution of the Beats, the hippie movement, and the analysis of the human psyche in relation to nature. In addition, Mariangela linked this movement to the emergence of a Japanese version of Green Buddhism through the creation of green burials and various forms of activism in the Pure Land schools and Shugendō. She argues that both forms of Green Buddhism indicate the adaptability of Buddhism to particular social, geographical, and ecological contexts, and that far from being a superficial adaptation of Buddhism to Western ideals, Green Buddhism is a concrete example of the evolution of Buddhism in history and, more generally, of the role of religion in the contemporary world.
Alice Millington (PhD student in Geography and Social Anthropology at the University of Cambridge), “Mythical Beasts and Changing Climates: The Fulfilment of Buddhist Prophecies of Decline in Far-Eastern Nepal”
In January, Alice Millington joined us to explain how Tibetan Buddhist communities in the Eastern Himalayas explain the climate changes they have witnessed, and in particular, the role of spiritual non-humans (particularly local deities and mythical animals) as actors in meteorological events. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in Nepal’s Taplejung District, Alice described how the Tibetan Buddhist community of Walung (Olangchung Gola) explains the consequences of climate change in terms of the dawning of a degenerate time (kawa nyampa), which is marked by the expulsion of magical and mythical animals such as the yeti, and the anger of the mystical snow frog, which unleashes its fury through swollen rivers and treacherous landslides. These signals not only tell stories of environmental risk, but the disenchantment of a sacred landscape.
Saskia Abrahms-Kavunenko (Research Fellow in the Center for Contemporary Buddhist Studies at the University of Copenhagen), Polyester Blessings: The Persistent Incarnation of Purity in Contemporary Mongolia
In February, Saskia Abrahms-Kavunenko joined us to examine the intersections between Buddhism, capitalism and environmentalism in Inner Asia. Observing that in the pre-socialist period (before 1921) in Mongolia prayer scarves were expensive and made of silk, Saskia argues that the proliferation of polyester prayer scarves in recent times indicates the degree to which modern rituals are being impacted by global capitalism. Since religious items today are often mass produced, cheap, and made from materials which cannot reintegrate into ecological systems, Saskia argues that their lingering presence in Inner Asian landscapes are a problematic and unintended consequence that can impact ecological systems in the area.
An Evening with Tsering Yangzom Lama
In March, we were thrilled to host the Tibetan-Canadian author and activist Tsering Yangzom Lama. Nourished by tea and Tibetan dumplings (momo) from a restaurant in Little Tibet, a packed house enjoyed a reading, panel discussion, audience Q and A, and book signing at the campus’ Multi-Faith Centre. Tsering’s book is deeply personal, written as a reflection on the experience of Tibetans today. It was written in English to reflect the current Tibetan exile experience, mirrored by Tsering’s own lack of confidence in her Tibetan proficiency. It was also inspired by the experiences of Tibetans living in refugee camps in Nepal, or those who have fled to new lands such as Canada attempting to make a new home.
The novel largely revolves around the perspectives of three Tibetan women, born out of a desire to emphasize the oft neglected perspectives of Tibetan women, as well as the diversity of the Tibetan experience. Members of the panel were also chosen to reflect this diversity. Kalsang Yangzom interrogated the category of anglophone literature, observing that the appearance of anglophone Tibetan literature indicates the complex and multifaceted nature of Tibetan identity today. Dr. Rupaleem Bhuyan (Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work) and Tsomo (Tibetan Women’s Association of Ontario) shared findings from their research project into migrant communities in Toronto. For Tsomo, the experience of reading this book was deeply affecting, as she shared that she knows people in real life who are just like the characters, and that every Tibetan family has experienced the precarity, the poverty, and the personal tragedies contained in the book.
Given the sponsorship of the Department for the Study of Religion’s committee on Anti-Racism, Decolonization, and Equity, I also took the opportunity to ask Tsering to share some typical Tibetan perspectives on the academic study of Tibet. Her response was simply that Tibetan Studies is “by white people and for white people,” so ordinary Tibetans don’t pay it much attention. However, she shared that she is heartened by the growing numbers of Tibetans in graduate programs in Tibetan Studies, and that she appreciates the work done by scholars who are allies of the Tibetan people.
U of T/McMaster University Yehan Numata Program in Buddhist Studies
This semester witnessed the return of the Yehan Numata Program in Buddhist Studies after a pandemic-related hiatus. For my part, the return of this lecture series was a valuable opportunity to network with peers from across the Buddhist Studies world, learn from their expertise, and chat in an informal and relaxed environment.
The first speaker was Uranchimeg (Orna) Tsultem (Indiana University), who presented a paper entitled “Performativity and Imagination in Mongolian Buddhist Art.” In this talk, Orna argued that certain Mongolian paintings are not subservient to texts, but themselves act as important primary sources of Buddhist practice. In doing so, they possess a performative agency that structures the participatory acts of their viewers and shapes their modes of seeing to form their sense of belonging and unity as a community.
The second guest was Mark Allon (University of Sydney), who offered a reading group titled “An Introduction to Reading Gandhari Manuscripts.” For this event, Mark shared with us some of the challenges in reading Gandhari manuscripts, as well as some of the latest technology used to scan and share manuscripts online. Of particular note to me was learning that the phrase arapacana—both the name of a form of Mañjuśrī and a phrase found in Mañjuśrī’s mantra—is actually the name (and the first letters of) the syllabary of Gandhari!
The third guest was April Hughes (Boston University), who presented a paper titled “Worldly Saviors, Terrestrial Utopias, and Imperial Authority in Medieival Chinese Buddhism.” In this talk, April examined the association between Wu Zhao of Great Zhou (Empress Wu Zetian) and Maitreya Buddha in a commentary on the Scripture of the Great Cloud (Dayun jing 大雲經, T. no. 387) presented to the throne in 690 just prior to her being declared emperor. In particular, she argued that this commentary associates Wu Zhao with this particular depiction of Maitreya, thus depicting her as both worldly savior and religious figure.
Talks by HCBS Students
This semester also witnessed a series of special talks given by HCBS students around campus.
In March, Rachelle Saruya (Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Historical Studies, University of Toronto Missisauga) presented a paper as part of the Pathbreakers: New Postdoctoral Research on South Asia at U of T series, sponsored by the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy’s Asian Institute and Centre for South Asian Studies, and co-sponsored by the Asian Institute’s Southeast Asia Seminar Series. In her talk—titled “Nun-Making: Myanmar Buddhist Nuns’ Educational Practices and Rituals in Training”—Rachelle discussed her research on Myanmar Buddhist nuns’ formal and informal education, based on her ethnographic research at one nunnery in Sagaing, Myanmar. In particular, her research touches on themes of secular vs. monastic education, child nuns vs. older ones, disability and minority status, reformed nunneries vs. old institutions, and lineages, among other matters.
Also in March, Anthony Scott (Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Political Science) also presented a paper as part of the Pathbreakers: New Postdoctoral Research on South Asia at U of T series, sponsored by the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy’s Asian Institute and Centre for South Asian Studies, and co-sponsored by the Asian Institute’s Southeast Asia Seminar Series. In his talk—titled “Exposing Enlightenment: The ‘Living Arahant’ in Photography and Print in Post-colonial Burma”—Tony focused on the “living arahants” of early twentieth-century Burma, examining how the narratives surrounding this supposedly enlightened class were negotiated and contested in the public sphere through the mediums of photography and print. By exploring the figure of the Mingun Jetavana Sayadaw (1868-1955), a Burmese scholar-monk and pioneer of insight, or vipassanā meditation, he argued that the application of these categories is not just a religious act, but profoundly political—determining who wields the power of definition itself.
Lastly, in April, Amber Moore (Doctoral Candidate) presented as part of the New College Senior Doctoral Fellow Speakers Series. In her talk—titled “Between Literary Worlds: Translation as commentary in the study of Newar Buddhist narratives”—Amber discussed her recent research into the origin story of the Buddhist Goddess Vajrayoginī found in the Maniśailamahāvadāna, a compilation of various narratives, māhātmyas and avadānas now only found in a few remaining manuscripts in Nepal.
Sarah Richardson’s Tibetan Murals exhibitions
This winter, Dr. Sarah Richardson hosted several groups for viewings of Thomas Laird’s special published collection of Tibetan murals. This is a special large format book that contains high resolution (and even some true to scale) reproduction photographs of historic Tibetan mural paintings drawn from temples in Tibet, including some of Tibet’s most famous art historical temple sites like the 12th century temple of Drathang, the 14th century temple of Shalu, the 15th century Gyantse Kumbum, and the 17th century Potala. Since these places are often inaccessible to visitors, and in particular, to Tibetans outside of Tibet, this book offers a rare and important point of access to view these incredibly beautiful historic remains. Dr. Richardson is interested in facilitating more learning opportunities for students of Tibetan language, history and religion, focused on this book.
Graduating Students!
Last but not least, we would like to acknowledge and congratulate our graduate students who have completed degrees this year.
Jade Hui: Under the supervision of Amanda Goodman, Jade completed their Master of Arts degree this year. Their thesis is entitled “How Might the Buddha and Buddhists Guide a Psychotic Queer?”
Annie Heckman: Under the co-supervision of Amanda Goodman and Shayne Clarke, Annie Heckman completed her Doctor of Philosophy degree this year. Pamela Klassen also served on her committee. Her dissertation is entitled “Reassembling Discipline: Bu ston Rin chen grub’s Collection of Incidents Involving Nuns from the Vinaya (’Dul ba dge slong ma’i gleng ’bum).
Rachelle Saruya: Under the supervision of Christoph Emmrich, Rachelle Saruya completed her Doctor of Philosophy degree this year. Also on her committee were Hiroko Kawanami and Valentina Napolitano. Her dissertation is entitled “Towards the Noble Royal Flower: Educational Practices and Rituals in Training.”
Tony Scott: Under the supervision of Christoph Emmrich, Tony Scott completed his Doctor of Philosophy degree this year. Also on his committee were Srilata Raman and Alicia Turner. His dissertation is entitled “The Politics of Commentary: The Mingun Jetavana Sayadaw’s Milindapañhā-aṭṭhakathā in Mid-twentieth-century Burma.”
Khenpo Kunga Sherab: Under the supervision of Frances Garrett, Kunga Sherab completed his Doctor of Philosophy degree this year. Also on his committee were Amanda Goodman and Christoph Emmrich. His dissertation is entitled “Incarnation on the Roof of the World: A History of Practices to Identify Trülku (sprul sku) in Tibetan Buddhism.”
Congratulations to all graduates and their faculty supervisors and committee members. Our best wishes for your future success! Emaho!
Fall Semester 2022 Roundup
After a few years of remote events due to the pandemic, the Ho Centre for Buddhist Studies was happy to return to a vibrant schedule of in-person, hybrid, and online events this Fall semester.
Michael Ium, Pathbreakers: New Postdoctoral Research on South Asia at U of T
In September, our new postdoctoral fellow Michael Ium presented a paper for the “Pathbreakers: New Postdoctoral Research on South Asia at U of T” series, co-sponsored by the Ho Centre and the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy’s Asian Institute and Centre for South Asian Studies. The event was chaired by Christoph Emmrich with Rory Lindsay serving as discussant.
Michael’s paper offers a reevaluation of the early patronage of the Geluk tradition in Tibet in the fifteenth century, arguing that the influential Tibetan figure Tsongkhapa’s (1357-1419) status as a mahāsiddha or “great adept” of Buddhist Tantra was a primary (and thus far, overlooked) factor in his tradition’s gaining patronage from the political elites of the Tibetan Pakmodrupa Dynasty. Unfortunately, media from this event is not available, but a journal article on this topic has been published in the 45th volume of the Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies (2022). https://poj.peeters-leuven.be/content.php?url=issue&journal_code=JIABS&issue=0&vol=45
Himalayan Studies Conference
In October, the 6th Himalayan Studies Conference was organized and hosted by the University of Toronto on behalf of the Association for Nepal and Himalayan Studies (ANHS). Members of the U of T Conference Organization Team included HCBS faculty Christoph Emmrich, Frances Garrett, and Sarah Richardson. The conference was a great success, bringing together over a hundred panelists spread over eight sessions and three days.
Preceding the opening of the conference, Sarah Richardson organized an outing for attendees to see Tibetan art currently housed at the Royal Ontario Museum. This was a rare chance to see pieces that have not yet been displayed publicly, and which are in storage awaiting conservation, research, and future display. Collections Technicians Gwen Adams and Vitor Pavao hosted and answered questions about the collection’s history and current care practices.
The conference programming showcased the diversity of current research in Himalayan Studies. Some studies focused on religion, with Christoph Emmrich sharing a paper on Newar menstrual rites for the panel “Controversies on Sacred and Impure Blood.” Others focused on issues of language, with Christoph Emmrich also sharing a paper on The Newar Online Dictionary Project—a collaborative SSHRC-sponsored project based at the University of Toronto and partnering with a team from the University of Virginia—that aims to provide an online Newar dictionary that is more accessible and comprehensive.
Others focused on issues of culture, such as the panel “Religion and Culture II: Environment and Sacred Geographies” chaired by Frances Garrett. Two presenters, Jenny Bentley (University of Zurich) and Minket Lepcha (Filmmaker), shared a paper describing the workshop and mentorship program they organized for the Lepcha community in the Sikkim and Darjeeling Hills, a program supported by the “Himalayan Borderland” project under Frances Garrett. The particular aim of this project was aiding indigenous Lepcha youth to reclaim their ancestral heritage, narratives, and knowledge systems in the contemporary world.
Elsewhere, Sarah Richardson was busy chairing two panels, “Representing Himalayan Pasts and Futures through Art and Literature” and another convened to honour the legacy of John C. Huntington (1937-2021), Professor of Art History at The Ohio State University. As one of his former students, Sarah Richardson shared a paper reflecting on her first Buddhist Art course as a new MA student in Art History with Prof. Huntington, an experience that was formative and continues to shape her own research and teaching to this day.
Lastly, one of the highlights of this conference was the inaugural meeting of the Canadian Himalaya Initiative, a project aiming to facilitate greater networking and collaboration among scholars working on diverse aspects of the Himalayan region in Canada. Members gathered to introduce themselves, get to know one another, and brainstorm together, followed by a hearty dinner and social outing.
Dr. Matthew King, A Book Talk for In the Forest of the Blind: The Eurasian Journey of Faxian’s Record of Buddhist Kingdoms
The last major event in Fall Semester was a book talk by Dr. Matt King, alumni of the DSR and now Director of Asian Studies and Associate Professor of Buddhist Studies at the University of California, Riverside. This talk was well-attended both in person and online, with a lively Q and A session. A recording of this event is available on our YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/yojSB1F34cU
The Record of Buddhist Kingdoms is a classic travelogue that records the Chinese monk Faxian’s journey in the early fifth century CE to Buddhist sites in Central and South Asia in search of sacred texts. In the nineteenth century, it traveled west to France, becoming in translation the first scholarly book about “Buddhist Asia,” a recent invention of Europe. This text fascinated European academic Orientalists and was avidly studied by Hegel, Schopenhauer, and Nietzsche. The book went on to make a return journey east: it was reintroduced to Inner Asia in an 1850s translation into Mongolian, after which it was rendered into Tibetan in 1917. Amid decades of upheaval, the text was read and reinterpreted by Siberian, Mongolian, and Tibetan scholars and Buddhist monks.
Matthew King offers a groundbreaking account of the transnational literary, social, and political history of the circulation, translation, and interpretation of Faxian’s Record. He reads its many journeys at multiple levels, contrasting the textual and interpretative traditions of the European academy and the Inner Asian monastery. King shows how the text provided Inner Asian readers with new historical resources to make sense of their histories as well as their own times, in the process developing an Asian historiography independently of Western influence. Reconstructing this circulatory history and featuring annotated translations, In the Forest of the Blind models decolonizing methods and approaches for Buddhist studies and Asian humanities.
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