Violence and Religion: East Asian Perspectives

Speaker:Dr. Jinhua Chen was trained as a historian of religions, with a focus on East Asian Buddhism. During his term in residence as a Wall Scholar, Dr. Chen will be working on a project, titled “Merits of the Matter: Technological Innovation, Media Transfers, Book Market, and Religion in East Asia,” which will explore how an adequate understanding of the sociocultural, religious and psychological momentum behind the media transfers in medieval East Asia (from orality to literacy, from manuscript to print) may shed light on the social and cultural implications of the current transition from the print to the digital era.
Abstract:
The principle of nonviolence occupies a central place in Buddhist tradition. It is perhaps for this reason that individuals both within and outside the academy regularly contrast it with purportedly more “violent” world religions, asserting that Buddhism has had no institutional involvement in conflicts akin to the crusades or jihad. Against this highly romanticized vision of the tradition, Buddhist monastics have turned out to have interacted with lay people in almost every conceivable way — including violence. This talk aims to throw light on East Asian Buddhism’s involvement in warfare and other forms of violence.
Please register for this free event. Refreshments will be provided for registered guests. For more information, see the poster.
 
Listen to preview of Dr. Chen’s talk live on February 2nd, 2016 at 10:00 am with Roundhouse Radio at 98.3 FM or online.
     University Centre, Seminar Room (307), 6331 Crescent Road, Vancouver