Professor Hiroshi Kanno of Graduate School of Letters participated in the "9th Sino-Japanese Conference on Buddhist Studies" as the Japan leader

The 9th China-Japan Buddhist Studies Conference was held on November 1 and 2 at Renmin University of China in Beijing, and Professor Hiroshi Kanno of the Graduate School of Letters of our university participated as the Japan leader. Renmin University of China is home to the Institute of Buddhism and Religious Studies, which is one of the 100 research bases recognized by the Chinese Ministry of Education (established in 2000). Director Zhang Fenglei and Deputy Director Zhang Wenliang). This conference was launched in 2004 in the spirit of the Japan-China Buddhist Scientific Conference, which was co-sponsored by the Chugai Daily and the Institute of World Religions of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and was held in 2004, and this is the ninth time. Since the establishment of the Institute, Professor Kanno has been a visiting researcher and has cooperated with the Sino-Japanese Conference on Buddhist Studies, which is regarded as one of the important academic activities of the Institute.

The conference was held under the general theme of "The Vimalakirti Sutra and East Asian Buddhism," with five scholars from Japan and five from China giving presentations. The Vimalakirti Sutra is a dramatic scripture that vividly depicts the free and easy activities of the lay bodhisattva Vimalakirti, based on the idea of emptiness, and has consistently enjoyed popularity in China up to the modern era.

Professor Kanno gave a research presentation titled "Interpretations of the Non-dual Dharma Gate in the Vimalakirti Sutra - The Role of Silence and Verbal Expression in Buddhism," and acted as a commentator on Associate Professor Xuan Fang of Renmin University of China's "Comparison of Daosheng's Commentary and Sengzhao's Commentary on the Annotated Vimalakirti Sutra." He also delivered speeches at the opening and closing ceremonies as the leader of the Japanese delegation. The research papers presented in the Japanese side will be published in Renmin University of China's journal Religious Studies, and the Chinese side will be published in the Japanese journal East Asian Buddhist Studies.

Professor Kanno said, "I have been working hard to continue this kind of academic exchange for as long as possible and contribute to Japan-China friendship. When we started this conference, we promised the Chinese side that we would continue it for 10 times. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the conference has been delayed, but we will continue to work hard towards holding the 10th conference in two years. Professor Matsumori Hideyuki, who received his PhD in Philosophy from Renmin University of China, also participated in the conference this time as an interpreter for the Japanese side."

Faculty Information

Professor

Hiroshi Kanno

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Specialized Field

Buddhist Studies, Chinese Buddhist Thought Studies

Research theme

Research on commentaries on the Lotus Sutra in China, research on the Chinese Tendai sect, research on the Chinese Sanron sect, research on Chinese Buddhist thought in the Northern and Southern Dynasties and the Sui dynasty