English Lecture Series: Chinese Philosophy and Modern Perspectives

全英文系列讲座：中国哲学与当代视界

Lecture Six: Wise Releasing Life: A Syncretic Innovation of Chinese Buddhism in the City of New York

第六讲：智慧放生：汉传佛教在纽约的综合创新

Speaker 主讲人：Wei Dedong 魏德东

Date 日期: 10.27, 2022，Thursday 周四

Time 时间：14:00-15:30

Place 地点：Lide Building 立德楼 0709

Tencent meeting ID 腾讯会议ID:69945518805

Back up ID 备用会议号：81085252846

Bilibili B站直播间ID：22391891

Abstract for the lecture:

In the 1990s, the philosopher Zhang Dainian (1909-2004) put forward the Theory of Syncretic Innovation 综合创新论), which advocated the integration of all the outstanding achievements of the ancient, modern, Chinese and Western civilizations to create a new form of modern Chinese culture. In this paper, I applied Zhang’s philosophical paradigm to the empirical study of the modern transformation of traditional Chinese Buddhism. In the 21st century, Chinese Buddhist groups in the City of New York cooperated with the organizations of animal rehabilitation and environmental protection to adapt the traditional ritual practice of "Releasing Life" (放生）, avoid the harm to animals and ecological damage caused by the blind releasing animals frequently, and enhance the reputation of Buddhism in the United States. This paper summarizes the renovated approach of releasing animals as "Wise Releasing Life" (智慧放生). This lecture will detail how the wise release attained the syncretic innovation of Buddhist ethics, modern zoology, and contemporary ecology.

About the speaker:

WEI Dedong, Ph.D. of Chinese Philosophy, Professor of the School of Philosophy, the Director of International Center for Buddhist Studies of Renmin University of China. He was an Adjunct Researcher of the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at Columbia University in the City of New York (2016-2019), a post doctoral fellow of Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University (2007-2008). Dr. Wei studies chiefly in Buddhism and Sociology of Religion. His works includes The Essence of Buddhist Yogacara Philosophy, three volumes of Wei Dedong Review on Religion: Field Trip on World Religions, Desensitization for Religion, and Cultural Awakening of Religion, etc.

Host: School of Philosophy, Renmin University of China

Institute for Advanced International Philosophical Studies

主办单位：中国人民大学哲学院

国际哲学高等研究院