Wednesday Forum this week provides a topic “A New Trans-yanic Buddhism in the Making?” that will be articulated by the speaker, Prof. Asanga Tilakaratne. We invite you to join this forum. Some information about the forum can be read as follows.
Date: Wednesday, 10 June 2009
Time: 12.30 pm – 2.30 pm (free lunch)
Venue: Room 306, UGM Graduate School Teknika Utara, Pogung
Speaker: Prof. Asanga Tilakaratne
Abstract:
This paper examines the impact of globalization on religion. The particular emphasis in this study is on Buddhism, which has been confined to its localities for centuries and now has started traveling. Due to extensive physical encounters among various Buddhist traditions naturally there have been many interchanges of ideas, practices, techniques, methods and even ideas. It appears that a trans-yanic Buddhism, which goes beyond the traditional categories such as Hinayana, Mahayana and Vajrayana, is in the making.
In this paper I start with recording some historical instances of efforts to find the universal “core” of Buddhism. I specifically refer to Henry Steel Olcott’s efforts in this direction. Then I look at some organizational efforts to form “world” Buddhist organizations transcending traditional boundaries. Finally I will examine some more recent efforts such the establishment of Bhikkhuni order with combined effort of both Theravada and Mahayan as examples of what I call trans-yanic Buddhism.
About the speaker:
ASANGA TILAKARATNE is a Professor of Pali and Buddhist Studies at University of Colombo, Colombo, Sri Lanka. He has been teaching subjects related to philosophy, logic and critical thinking and Buddhist philosophy since 1986. He earned his Master’s degree in Western Philosophy from University of Hawai at Manoa, USA (1984-1986). He studied from the same university and earned his Doctoral degree in Comparative Philosophy in May 1992, with the research entitled: Transcendence, Ineffability and Nirvana: An Analysis of the Relation between Religious Experience and Language According to Early Buddhism. His publication includes: (1) Minis Getalu Pilibanda Bauddha Vigrahaya (in Sinhala) (Human Problems from a Buddhist Perspective), 1979 (State Literary award for the best publication of the category of Buddhism for 1979). (2) Nirvana and Ineffability: A Study of the Buddhist Theory of Reality and Language pp. xi + 169. Postgraduate Institute of Pali and Buddhist Studies, Colombo, Sri Lanka. 1993. (3). Beyond the Metaphysics of Common Sense. Edited with Arjuna de Zoysa, Y. Karunadasa, and Cahmpika Ranawaka. 1998. A joint Publication of Vidyartha, Colombo and Postgraduate Institute of Pali and Buddhist Studies, Colombo.
Registration:
The forum is free of charge and on a first-come-first basis.
Contact Person:
Elis Z. Anis (ICRS): elis236.andri@yahoo.com,elis@ugm.ac.id; Lina Pary (CRCS): lina_pary@yahoo.com; Mustaghfiroh Rahayu (CRCS): mth.rahayu@gmail.com.
(JMI)
