Speaker: Venerable Khammai Dhammasami (Oxford Buddha Vihara and Shan State Buddhist University)
Date: Monday 14 October 2024 (Week 1 MT)
Basement Teaching Room 1 at 5:00pm
Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
Pusey Lane, Oxford, OX1 2LE
All Welcome
Tea and snacks at 4:30–4:50pm (Common Room in the basement)
All enquiries: pyi.kyaw@ames.ox.ac.uk
Glorisun Lecture Series in Buddhist Studies 2024-2025
Kindly supported by Glorisun Global Network for Buddhist Studies
Abstract:
Most of the contemporary Buddhist universities and colleges in Southeast and East Asia were established in the 1950s and 1960s, inspired by the celebrations of the 2500th Years of Buddhism “Buddha Jayanti” (1954–1956). They have been regarded as a revival of Buddhism and Buddhist higher education throughout the Buddhist world, particularly in the Theravada nations. Despite setbacks in the late 1960s and 1970s, a new generation of Buddhist universities came into existence in Asian countries from the 1980s. Many of them emphasize teaching in English medium and aim to emulate the rich, diverse Buddhist scholarship that was a feature of ancient Buddhist institutions such as the famous Nālandā institution in India in the 5th–12th centuries CE. This talk gives an overview of the current situation of research in Buddhist studies in Southeast Asia, focusing on the efforts and challenges to develop a research-based teaching approach at these new Buddhist institutions.
Speaker:
Prof. Dr. Khammai Dhammasami, also known as Oxford Sayadaw, is a distinguished Burmese Theravada Buddhist monk. He completed his DPhil in 2004 at the Institute of Oriental Studies, Oxford under the supervision of the then Boden Professor of Sanskrit, Richard Gombrich. During his time in Oxford, he founded and became abbot of the Oxford Buddha Vihara (OBV) with branches around the world. He also founded the Shan State Buddhist University (SSBU) in Taunggyi, Myanmar. In addition to his role as the Buddhist chaplain at Oxford University, he is a member of the Oxford Council of Faith, a fellow at the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies (OCBS) and serves on the World Council for Religions for Peace. His various leadership roles include the International Council for the United Nations Day of Vesak, the International Association of Buddhist Universities (IABU) and the Association of Theravada Buddhist Universities (ATBU).
