A New Page Turned for Buddhism in Taiwan: DDBC invited to host the 16th IABS Conference
Dharma Drum Buddhist College (DDBC) has for the first time taken part in an international conference hosted by the International Association of Buddhist Studies (IABS).
The IABS was established in 1976 with a conference to be held every 3-4 years. Venerable Master Sheng Yen was one of the founding members of this initiative during the time of his propagation of Chinese Buddhism in the United States.
With 325 research papers presented and with the attendance of 450 international Buddhist scholars, the 6-day conference began on 23 June 2008 in Emory University, Atlanta, United States.
Led by its President, Venerable Hui Min, the DDBC delegation was represented by distinguished scholars of DDBC itself and of the Chung Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies (CHIBS).
The delegation introduced Chinese Chan to all participants in the conference and presented the results of promoting Chinese Buddhism and Buddhist modernization in Taiwan in the theme of Buddhist technologies. The presentation left a deep impression on the attendants.
Following research presentations by Venerable Hui Min, Professor Yi Xun Huang and Professor Guo Rui, Professors William Magee and Marcus Bingenheimer presented on the digitization of Buddhist scriptures based upon the progress of the Chinese Buddhist Electronic Text Association (CBETA). DDBC's major involvement in this project drew great interest from scholars particularly from Denmark and Bhutan.
As a result of such great efforts exerted in Taiwan, DDBC was awarded the honor of hosting the 16th IABS Conference in 2011, turning a new page for Buddhism in Taiwan.
Indeed, the honorary hosting of the 16th IABS Conference signifies that the long term dedication in Buddhist education of DDBC and CHIBS has gained solid accolades and recognition from the international Buddhist community.
(translated by Jin Yang/edited by DDM Australia Editing Team)
