Albert Welter, Head of the UA Department of East Asian Studies, will present a lecture titled "A New Look at Old Tradition: Reimagining East Asian Buddhism through Hangzhou."
The Hangzhou region, centered in the city of Hangzhou, has long been one of the most important cultural hubs in China, and has had a wide-ranging impact on Chinese culture and Buddhism. The study of Buddhism, however, has been conducted from Indo-centric agendas that have long served to marginalize East Asian Buddhism, including the Hangzhou regions contributions. Seen from the vantage point of Hangzhou, East Asian Buddhism assumes a central role in the interregional spread of religion and culture. The advent and dissemination of indigenous forms of Buddhism conceived in the Hangzhou region precipitated cultural advances that have resonated down to the present.
The presentation is part of the UA Center for Buddhist Studies spring 2018 Pu Yin Buddhist Studies Lecture Series. All lectures are presented in English and open to the public. The series is sponsored by the Pu Yin Educational Center.
