Category: Uncategorized

The next phase of the Reading Group convened on October 23, 2025, marking the first of three sessions dedicated to the study of materials prepared by Wushi Lin, a joint PhD student of Professor Bart Dessein (Ghent Centre for Buddhist Studies) and Professor Weijen Teng (Department of Buddhist Studies, Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts). The materials focus on the epistemological interpretation of the no-self doctrine by the influential late Ming dynasty Buddhist monk Zibo Zhenke (紫柏真可, 1543–1603), and are part of Wushi Lin’s PhD project, “Comprehending Everything as Oneself: The No-Self Doctrine of Zibo Zhenke in Ming Dynasty Buddhism.”

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Kikee Doma Bhutia, who, having won the FWO Junior Postdoctoral Fellowship, will be with the Ghent Centre for Buddhist Studies for the next three years. Her project, “Local Deities, Natural Disaster, and Ritual Waste in Vernacular Buddhist Practices in the Himalayas,” project examines the intersection of local religious practices, environmental policies, and waste management in Sikkim, with a particular emphasis on the influence of Buddhist rituals and beliefs on the community’s approach to sustainability.

Despite its relatively small geographic size, Sikkim has emerged as a leader in environmental initiatives, including the prohibition of plastic and the promotion of eco-friendly practices. However, traditional rituals, such as the tying of prayer flags and the use of synthetic materials in religious offerings, pose significant challenges to environmental conservation. This research investigates the roles of local deities, vernacular Buddhist practices, and monastic institutions in waste management, analyzing how religious concepts are integrated into environmental policies. Utilizing ethnographic fieldwork, interviews, and archival research, this study will explore how communities navigate the complexities of modernization and tradition, thereby contributing to academic discussions on waste, religion, and sustainability in the Himalayas. The project aims to produce scholarly articles, presentations, and public outreach materials, thereby fostering both academic and social engagement.

Yurui Zhao is a joint PhD candidate at the Department of Languages and Cultures, Ghent University, and the School of Chinese Classics, Renmin University of China. Her research focuses on the social, religious, and cultural history of China during the 4th–6th centuries. Her doctoral dissertation, Taoism and Social Life in Southern China during the Jin, Song, Qi, and Liang Dynasties, adopts a cultural-historical approach to examine the interaction between Taoist beliefs and social practices in Southern China during the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties.

Her project aims to reconsider the realities of Chinese society in this period by tracing the development of Taoism. Her study will extensively use Taoist literature, connecting it to social life to provide insights into the relationship between Taoist rules and social behaviors. Additionally, it will analyze historical records, anecdotal literature, and literary works to explore people’s views on social, moral, and ritual behaviors. Finally, it will utilize archaeological materials, like tomb epitaphs and murals, to reveal how Taoist beliefs influenced daily life and social values.

In the first semster of the 2025/2026 acedemic year, GCBS postdoctoral fellow Dr. Paride Stortini, together with Dr. Akshara Ravishankar, is co-organizing the elective MA course “Contemporary Asian Academic Debates I” at Ghent University. Focusing on the theme of “Golden Ages” across different regions of Asia, the course invites students to critically explore how this idea is constructed and contested in various historical and cultural contexts. Several sessions are directly relevant to Buddhist Studies, including Massimiliano Portoghese’s lecture “Xuanzang’s Journey: Tang China and Its Cosmopolitan Golden Age”, which highlights the intersections between Buddhist history, travel, and the making of cultural memory.

The Ghent Centre for Buddhist Studies opened its 2025–26 reading group on September 11, 2025, with a focus on rare Vinaya (monastic discipline) texts from Dunhuang. For the first three sessions, the group will engage with primary sources studied by Zixuan Wang, joint PhD student of the Ghent Centre for Buddhist Studies and the Institute of Dunhuang Studies, Lanzhou University. Her doctoral project, “A Study of Buddhist Vinaya Texts from Dunhuang Excluded from the Taishō Tripiṭaka”, examines materials outside the standard Chinese Buddhist canon. The inaugural meeting explored one such text, concentrating on passages concerning the establishment of monastic boundaries (结界).

Ghent Centre for Buddhist Studies has a notable presence at the XXth Congress of the International Association of Buddhist Studies (IABS) held at Leipzig University, Germany, from August 10th to 15th, 2025. Our professors, postdocs and PhD students made eight presentations at various panels:

• Andreeva, Anna (Ghent University): “Buddhist Embryological Knowledge and Women’s Reproductive Health in Medieval Japan: A study of the Daigoji and Kanazawa Bunko manuscripts of Sanshō ruijūshō 産生類聚抄 (Encyclopedia of Childbirth, ca. 1318)”
• Choi, Jin Kyoung (Ghent University); Matsuda, Kazunobu (BAdW & Bukkyo University): “New Sanskrit Manuscript of the Abhidharmakośa from Afghanistan”
• Chu, Li-Ya (Department of Languages and Cultures, Ghent University): “Taiwanese Buddhism and Sexual Ethics for Laypeople”
• DiSimone, Charles (Ghent University): “The Gandhāra Corpora Project: Reports from Year One”
• Heirman, Ann (Ghent University): “Buddhist Monastics and (Their) Dogs: Daoxuan’s Vinaya Commentaries”
• Portoghese, Massimiliano (Ghent University): “Debates and Perceptions of Śramaṇas’ Bodily Gestures in Early Medieval Chinese Society”
• Sokolova, Anna (Ghent University): “The Integration of Buddhist Practices in Tang Dynasty Mortuary Rituals”
• Stortini, Paride (Ghent University): “Observing Japanese Buddhism from the Peak of the Kailash: Pilgrimage and Mountaineering in the Photography and Travel Accounts of Hasegawa Denjirō”

In addition, GCBS’s Professor Charles DiSimone, together with Naomi Appleton, will chair a discussion on the possibility of holding regional IABS meetings — in particular, an annual European Regional IABS gathering — with the aim of fostering more regular Buddhist Studies research exchange and networking among IABS members in Europe and those able to travel there.

For details, please see the Conference Program.

From 21 September 2024 to 11 May 2025, the Domain & Royal Museum of Mariemont, in cooperation with the Ghent Centre for Buddhist Studies, presented the exhibition Sensing the Buddha — an unprecedented, multisensory immersion into the world of Buddhism.

Although the exhibition has now closed, you can still experience it through the Virtual Tour: 🔗 Start your visit here

For the English version, simply select your language in the upper left corner of the screen. Then switch to full-screen mode, explore the 3D map, move through the space, zoom in on objects, read exhibition panels, and enjoy the embedded audio and video content. You can even try the “dollhouse view” for a unique overview of the exhibition layout.

🎥 Highlights from the virtual experience:

• Video: The Life of the Buddha → Watch on YouTube

• Interview: Aaron Ponce on the concept of Dana → Listen here

• Interview: Sayalay Vajiranani on the concept of Karma → Listen here

Step inside Sensing the Buddha—no matter where you are—and discover a rich world of history, art, and spiritual insight.

We are hiring! One fully funded four-year PhD fellowship is now available in the ERC-funded project “Corpora in Greater Gandhāra: Tracing the Development of Buddhist Textuality and Gilgit/Bamiyan Manuscript Networks in the First Millennium of the Common Era” led by Professor Charles DiSimone at the Department of Languages and Cultures, Ghent University located in the center of the beautiful and historic city of Ghent, Belgium.

We warmly invite applications from MA graduates, particularly those interested in pursuing research on Buddhist textual traditions in classical languages. The successful candidate will join a dynamic and collegial team of international scholars.

📅 Application deadline: August 15
🔗 For the official announcement, please visit the website of the Ghent University.

Job description

In the last several years, fantastic manuscript finds have surfaced opening new windows into the scholarly study of the development of Buddhist literature. Gandhāra Corpora represents a multifaceted, holistic approach to the study of an important and voluminous genre of manuscript witnesses from an early era of Buddhist textual transmission composed mainly in Sanskrit in the Gilgit/Bamiyan type scripts from the historic region of Greater Gandhāra covering modern day Afghanistan, Pakistan, and parts of Northern India. The advertised PhD fellowship offers an opportunity for a young scholar to situate themselves within the field of the philological study of Buddhist manuscript cultures specifically and Buddhist Studies broadly.

In the Gandhāra Corpora project, the researcher will join an international team of scholars working on manuscript materials recently uncovered from the historic area of Greater Gandhāra and contribute to the study and preservation of this material. Within the department, the Pre-doctoral researcher will be a member of both the Ghent Centre for Buddhist Studies (https://www.cbs.ugent.be/) and the Ghent Centre for South Asian Studies research groups (https://www.india.ugent.be/english/). A project website will be up this fall but brief project details may be found here: https://research.flw.ugent.be/en/projects/corpora-greater-gandh%C4%81ra-tracing-development-buddhist-textuality-and-gilgitbamiyan

All nationalities are welcome to apply.

You will contribute to the project in the following ways:

1. You will complete a doctoral dissertation on a Buddhist Studies project for a degree in Oriental Languages and Cultures.

2. Your dissertation will consist of an original research project based upon your research interests within the scope of the Gandhāra Corpora project. The topic will be agreed upon in the early stages of your fellowship. While no particular dissertation topic is anticipated, projects on Buddhist sūtra literature and textual transmissions are most welcome.

3. You will contribute to the project’s goals including but not limited to the digitization of manuscript materials in the field, the development of a database of akṣara usage in the manuscripts the project is focused upon, the creation of a digital archive of Buddhist and secular textual materials from the area of Greater Gandhāra, cataloging of manuscript witnesses, and additional research goals as deemed relevant to your doctoral project.

4. You will work closely with the research carried out by the project supervisor, post-doctoral fellows, and with the other project members including expert research partners stationed around the globe consisting of scholars in Europe and Asia and our partners at the Archaeology Institute of Afghanistan in Kabul consisting of a dedicated team of archeologists and conservationists.

5. You will be encouraged and expected to disseminate research results together with the research team via publications in international peer-reviewed journals, the participation in international conferences, etc.

6. You will contribute to the research environment in South Asian and Buddhist Studies at Ghent University through participation in reading groups, workshops, and other scholarly events.

Job profile

Your profile includes the following items:

• You hold a master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., Buddhist Studies, Religious Studies, South Asian Studies, Indology, Sanskrit, etc.).
• You have a good or above proficiency in Sanskrit.
• You have some background in the study Buddhist textual transmissions.
• You have the ability to develop an original research project.
• You have an excellent command of written and spoken English.
• You are a dynamic and enthusiastic person looking to do something you love in a thriving research community where you are valued.

Additional desirable qualifications (not required but viewed positively):

• Proficiency in any of the historic languages of Buddhist textual transmission beyond Sanskrit (Classical Chinese, Classical Tibetan, Pali, Gāndhārī, etc.), proficiency in Japanese or Bactrian, knowledge of any Brahmic scripts.
• An interest in the philological and paleographical study of Buddhist texts and/or North Indian/Central Asian textual history broadly.
• An interest in archeology and the preservation of objects of historic and cultural significance.
• Any previous background in the Digital Humanities or an interest in developing such skills.

CONDITIONS AND BENEFITS

• We offer a full-time position as a doctoral fellow, consisting of an initial period of 12 months, which – after a positive evaluation, will be extended to a total maximum of 48 months.
• Your contract will start on October 1, 2025 at the earliest.
• The scholarship amount is quite generous at 100% of the net salary of an AAP (Academic Assistant Personnel) member in equal family circumstances. The individual scholarship amount is determined by the DPO (Department of Personnel and Organization) on the basis of family circumstances and seniority. A grant that meets the conditions and criteria of the regulations for doctoral scholarships is considered free of personal income tax. More information about our salary scales may be found here: https://www.ugent.be/en/work/talent/welcoming-new-staff/salaryscales
• All Ghent University staff members enjoy a number of benefits, such as a wide range of training and education opportunities, 36 days of holiday leave (on an annual basis for a full-time job) supplemented by annual fixed bridge days, bicycle allowance and eco vouchers. Click here for a complete overview of all the staff benefits see here: https://www.ugent.be/en/work/talent/considering and here (in Dutch): https://www.ugent.be/nl/jobs/personeelsvoordelen.htm
• The City of Ghent is truly unique. The campuses of Ghent University are integrated in the medieval town and 19th century districts that circumvent the medieval part of the city. Ghent has a lively art scene and numerous world-class museums, covering ancient, modern and contemporary art, folklore and industrial heritage. The city is also home to a wide range of performing arts centers. The vibrant cultural scene of the city fuses in with the daily life of Ghent people and the city’s more than 70,000 students who together enjoy one of Europe’s largest pedestrian areas. This unique combination of old and new has made Ghent a cultural hot spot with Brussels, Amsterdam, Paris, London and Cologne only a few hours (or less) away by train.

How to apply

To apply submit the following materials in pdf format directly via email to Prof. Charles DiSimone (Charles.DiSimone@UGent.be) with the subject header “LAST NAME Gandhāra Corpora PHD 2025” cc project coordinator Els Bourgeois (Els.Bourgeois@UGent.be).

• Your complete CV and an overview of your study results.
• Your MA diploma (if already in hand) and transcripts of your studies at the undergraduate and MA level (official or unofficial).
• A cover letter outlining your experience and interest in undertaking doctoral studies at Ghent University in the Gandhāra Corpora project.
• A research statement or NO MORE THAN 1500 words (excluding bibliography) outlining your research interests and past experiences including any potential dissertation project you may be interested in undertaking within the broader aims of the Gandhāra Corpora project.
• Up to two samples of academic work (journal articles, research papers, a chapter of your MA thesis, etc.).
• Names and contact details of two or three referees (do not include reference letters).

Shortlisted candidates will be contacted shortly after the application deadline for an online interview with the results announced soon thereafter. Any questions about this vacancy may be sent by email directly to Prof. DiSimone. Interested parties are welcome to initiate contact before submitting their application.

The third lecture in the Gandhāra Corpora Project Lecture Series was delivered by Dr. Stefan Baums from the University of Munich on June 18, 2025, and focused on the formation, structure, and analysis of a comprehensive corpus of Gāndhārī manuscripts and inscriptions within the database gandhari.org. Covering a time span of over 500 years—from the 4th century BCE to the 2nd century CE—the corpus includes inscriptions, manuscripts, documents, and coins, all written in the Kharoṣṭhī script, which serves as the main defining criterion for inclusion in the corpus. These materials trace the spread of Gāndhārī writing culture from Gandhāra across Central and South Asia, including as far east as Luoyang and Chang’an in China, where Indian expatriate Buddhist communities left their marks. Dr. Baums discussed methodological innovations such as high-resolution 3D visualization of relic inscriptions, and introduced digital tools like the READ software (Research Environment for Ansient Documents, available on GitHub) for analyzing ancient documents.