International
Conference on “Esoteric Buddhism and East Asian Society”
(Aug 2 to
Aug 4, 2019, Xi’an 西安 and Zhen’an 鎮安, Shaanxi province)
The
organizing committee for the international conference on “Esoteric Buddhism and
East Asian Society” cordially invites the submission of related papers. The
conference is hosted by the Association for the Promotion of
Xuanzang-associated Culture 玄奘文化促進會 in Xi’an 西安, Shaanxi province, co-organized by the From the Ground Up Project based
at the University of British Columbia (www.frogbear.org), Guiyuan Monastery 歸元寺 in Xi’an,
Shaanxi, Xinglong Monastery 興隆寺 in Zhen’an 鎮安, Shaanxi, and the Jintai Academy 金臺書院, Shaanxi.
The conference will be held between August 2 and August 4, 2019 in Xi’an and the
Jintai Academy in Zhen’an.
It has been
thirty-two years since the discovery of the underground chamber at Famen
Monastery 法門寺, west of Xi’an. The discovery of this chamber fascinated the world not only with its
rare treasures, but also the esoteric implements and offerings that had been
preserved there more than a millennium ago. This discovery allows us to glimpse
the design and the high artistic achievements represented by Tang religious
artifacts and reveals the significant role that Esoteric Buddhism assumed
during the Tang dynasty. For instance, similar to Esoteric Buddhism in medieval
Japan where influences can be seen across all levels of society, Esoteric Buddhism
under the Tang was unique: not only in that it achieved a recognizable
sectarian identity, but also because elements of esoteric teachings were
absorbed by other religious schools, influencing their philosophical tenets and
everyday practices. Some scholars have recently shed new light on the important
role that the esoteric tradition played in the formation of Chan teachings and
its central narrative of transmission from master to disciple.
