In This Issue:
Rinpoche's Landmark Trip
to Beijing, China
•••
|
Khyentse Foundation Sponsors Buddhist Lecture at Beijing University
On March 15 and 16, 2007, Khyentse Foundation sponsored a Buddhist Studies Lecture Program at Beijing University at the invitation of the Department
of Philosophy and Religious Studies. Professor Robert Sharf, Chair of Buddhist Studies at the University of California at Berkeley, and Dzongsar
Khyentse Rinpoche spoke at the conference. More than six hundred students, faculty, and guests attended the talks. This was more than twice the crowd
the university had expected, but fortunately everyone was accommodated. Beijing University offers both an M.A. and a Ph.D. in religious
studies. The aim of the program is to train people for an in-depth understanding of religious theory and history and also to train
administrators of religious affairs.
Professor Sharf is the D.H. Chen Distinguished Professor of Buddhist Studies, Chair of the Center for Buddhist Studies, and Director of the Group in
Buddhist Studies at U. C. Berkeley. He worked closely with Cangioli Che, Executive Director of Khyentse Foundation, in establishing the Khyentse
Foundation Distinguished Professorship in Tibetan Buddhism at U.C. Berkeley in 2006.
Professor Sharf's talk, entitled, "What the Transmission of Buddhism to the West Can Tell Us about the Transmission of Buddhism to China and Vice
Versa," addressed key questions:
. What happens when Buddhism moves from one culture to another?
. What is moved? Is there Buddhism to be transmitted?
. Is it possible to represent Dharma incorrectly? What does it mean to get it right?
. What do we use to adjudicate different presentations of Buddhism?
Professor Sharf said that when Buddhism takes root in a new place, it is profoundly influenced by existing philosophies, religious beliefs, culture,
and language; and then at a later time, unique versions of thought and practice are created. He explained that one might think that there is a
pure Buddhism in India, China, or Tibet, a somewhat diluted Buddhism in Japan, and a degenerate brand of Buddhism in America. But, he said, all
Buddhism has been influenced by culture and history; to imagine that there is a real Buddhism is to think that emptiness is a thing you can get hold
of.
Professor Sharf challenged the notion that Buddhism should jibe with science, stating his opinion that we are better served if Buddhism challenges
our fascination with science. He believes that Buddhism is perhaps most powerful when it looks strange, because when it is telling us something we
already believe, it has no capacity to challenge. "Many people cling to Buddhism for a sense of certainty. I think the power of Buddhism is to teach
us how to live with uncertainty."
Who decides what is authentically Buddhist? Professor Sharf noted that the question itself reflects an assumption that a "real Buddhism" exists
that we can test our understanding against. But in Buddhist scriptures, the notion of absolute authenticity or truth is refuted because there
is
no objective place to stand. "For me, Buddhism is a conversation about these matters that has been going on for 2500 years. That is what
Buddhism is in the world, and we have to make peace with it. To enter the conversation, you have to know something about the language, the
philosophies, and the history."
Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche applauded Professor Sharf's lecture, saying "It is a great honor to speak at one of the greatest universities in China. We
seek leaning, especially the truth. For me, Buddhism is another angle, a tool, to find the truth. Buddhism does a lot, not as a religion but as a
means to actualize the truth."
Rinpoche also gave a teaching on the Four Seals, which are also known as the four "truths" realized and taught by the Buddha. This subject is the
theme of his latest book, What Makes You Not a Buddhist. The audience was eager, engaged, and asked many questions. They expressed
appreciation for
the speakers' honest approach and for the unique and useful context of the teaching. "Why Buddhism?" Rinpoche asked. "Well, why anything?
Fundamentally, it's because we want to be happy. We want fun that lasts, fun that is portable, and fun that is cheap, if possible."
Rinpoche said that one of the reasons he came to Beijing University was to talk about truth and about not confusing tools for finding the truth
with the truth itself. He noted that tools such as practices, rituals, and so forth are often taken as the truth. Using a glass of clear water
to make his point, he explained that because teachers want you to be able to see what's in the glass, they color the water. This color is fake, not
the
truth. But as a tool, the color is useful because without it you cannot see the water. "You should also know that each teacher colors the water with
their own cultural leanings. Therefore it is important that academic students learn what has happened in history, know where the rules are
coming from, and study a variety of philosophic approaches."
Khyentse Foundation is exploring a number of proposals for further collaboration with Beijing University. We will keep you informed of our
progress.
View a short slideshow of images from the Beijing
conference.
Photo: Sharon Roe
|
Rinpoche uses the digital library to research texts from his laptop during a recent puja in Taipei.
photo: Amelia Chow
|
Digital Library in Action:
During a recent puja in Taiwan, Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche used the Tibetan Buddhist
Resource
Center (TBRC) digital library of Tibetan archives to gain direct access to the texts he
needed.
Watch the KF Publications video to learn how the digital library
works.
The Foundation supports TBRC's text preservation and digitization initiatives, which are under the direction of scholar Gene Smith. TBRC has acquired
over 15,000 volumes of Tibetan texts, the largest collection in the world. These precious texts will be scanned, formatted, and archived for
easy distribution. These preservation initiatives benefit not only Buddhists, but also the world at large by sharing the highly developed traditions
of scholarship and practice. In addition to Buddhist texts, the collection includes material in metaphysics, ethics, philosophy, psychology,
medicine, poetry, and art.
|
