On March 28, 2018, the University of Arizona officially launched Center for Buddhist Studies with the center director, Professor Wu Jiang presiding over the founding meeting. Faculty and Honorary guests in attendance and delivered congratulatory speeches included the Provost for Academic Affairs Professor Jeffrey Goldberg, the Associate Dean of the College of Humanities Professor Kimberly Jones, and the Head of the Department of East Asian Studies Professor Albert Welter. The Abbot of Lingyin Temple Venerable Master Guangquan was invited as special guest to attend the founding meeting and the subsequent seminar where he delivered a keynote speech and presented his paper.

In his keynote speech ＂Promoting Chinese Buddhism as well as exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations＂, Venerable Master Guangquan introduced the historical status of Hangzhou as an important region for the history of Chan Buddhism; his research on the exploration of the historical roles Buddhism played in the promotion of exchanges and mutual learning between the eastern and western cultures. The following day, Abbot Guangquan presented his paper entitled ＂An exploration of the core status of Hangzhou in Buddhism in the Southern Song dynasty.＂ 


 

Founding meeting for U of A Center for Buddhist Studies

Venerable Master Guangquan delivering a keynote speech

Venerable Master Guangquan presenting his calligraphy as a gift of prosperity in their research endeavors

Venerable Master Guangquan presenting at the seminar