We are very happy to announce the publication of a new issue of the “Newsletter of the Database of Medieval Chinese texts (DMCT)” (ISSN: 2952-8534), a collaborative project of the Department of Languages and Cultures / GCBS, Ghent University, and the Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts (DILA)! The newsletter can be downloaded from the frontpage of the DMCT. or by the link Newsletter of the Database of Medieval Chinese texts_2025.05 .
The current issue includes research papers and reports. Here is an overview of the contents:
1: Message from the editor-in-chief (p. 1-4)
2: Featured research paper “The Interpretation and Lexicographical Compilation of Idioms in Chán Buddhist Literature”, by Zeng Chen (p. 4-10)
3: Report by project Co-director Lin Ching-hui 林靜慧 (DILA) (p. 11)
4: Introduction to DMCT in Chinese by 林靜慧 and 洪振洲 (DILA) (p. 11-23)
5: Introduction to newly marked-up manuscript texts 寫卷說明2022&2023 by 林靜慧 (p. 23-31)
6: News from our members: contributions by Laurent Van Cutsem and Liang Litian (p. 32-34)
7: Poster session (p. 34-37)
8: Newly funded projects (p. 38-40)
9: Internship report by Wu Taoyu 吴韬玉, featuring an edition of the earliest dated Dunhuang manuscript, a rendering of the Ten Recitations Prātimokṣa sūtra based on Ms. Or.8210/S.797r (p. 39-52)
10: News from our partners, with contributions by Manuel Sassmann concerning our new collaboration with Buddhist Stone Sutras in China project (Heidelberg Academy of Science), a paper by Marcus Bingenheimer on encoding Buddhist texts using DNA, and a thorough introduction to the Thesaurus Linguae Sericae (TLS) database by Christian Wittern (p. 52-59)
11: MA thesis reports, introducing a selection of recent MA theses, “Words with Alternative Pronunciations in Modern Chinese and the Reading Traditions of Pre-modern Chinese Poetry” by Wu Taoyu, “A Study of Popular Character Forms (súzì 俗字) in the Dūnhuáng Manuscripts of Sōushén jì 搜神记” by Yang Yuting, and “A Study of Proper Names in the Chinese translations of the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya Saṃghabheda-vastu” by Zhang Longyu (p. 59-65)
12: Publications and lectures (selection) (p. 66-67)
WE WISH YOU ALL A PLEASANT READING EXPERIENCE!
We are delighted to share that two researchers will be joining the Ghent Centre for Buddhist Studies in the fall having both been awarded prestigious FWO Junior Postdoctoral Fellowships in the 2025 competition under the supervision of Professor Charles DiSimone. Congratulations to Dr. Xiaoming Hou and Dr. Kikee Bhutia! We are excited to welcome them into our research group in the Fall.
Dr. Hou joins us from UC Berkeley with the project: Visualizing Doctrine: A Study of Exegetical Diagrams in Medieval Chinese Buddhism (8th–10th Centuries)
Abstract:
This research project investigates the technical and pedagogical practices of medieval Chinese Buddhism by focusing on exegetical diagrams preserved in Dunhuang from the 8th to 10th centuries. Known both as fenmen tu 分門圖 (“diagram of gate-division”) and kewen 科文 (“text of analytical division”), these diagrams exemplify the liminal nature of this unique genre, which bridges the boundaries between image and text. Flourishing in medieval China and persisting into modern Buddhist practice, these diagrams provide critical insights into the epistemological foundations of Chinese Buddhist scholasticism. The study addresses three key questions: (1) What are the defining features and functions of these diagrams, and how do they facilitate knowledge organization? (2) How were they produced, transmitted, and utilized in their manuscript contexts, and what do these practices reveal about their pedagogical roles? (3) What do these diagrams disclose about the social and institutional networks of their producers and users? The project also situates Buddhist exegetical diagrams within the broader Chinese tu 圖 tradition, comparing them with diagrams from non-Buddhist traditions to analyze their divergences as scholastic tools. By exploring these diagrams as technical devices for knowledge transmission, this research shifts scholarly focus from doctrinal content to the technical savoir-faire underpinning intellectual traditions.
Dr. Bhutia joins us from the University of Tartu with the project: Local Deities, Natural Disaster, and Ritual Waste in Vernacular Buddhist Practices in the Himalayas
Abstract:
This project examines the intersection of local religious practices, environmental policies, and waste management in Sikkim, with a particular emphasis on the influence of Buddhist rituals and beliefs on the community’s approach to sustainability. Despite its relatively small geographic size, Sikkim has emerged as a leader in environmental initiatives, including the prohibition of plastic and the promotion of eco-friendly practices. However, traditional rituals, such as the tying of prayer flags and the use of synthetic materials in religious offerings, pose significant challenges to environmental conservation. This research investigates the roles of local deities, vernacular Buddhist practices, and monastic institutions in waste management, analyzing how religious concepts are integrated into environmental policies. Utilizing ethnographic fieldwork, interviews, and archival research, this study will explore how communities navigate the complexities of modernization and tradition, thereby contributing to academic discussions on waste, religion, and sustainability in the Himalayas. The project aims to produce scholarly articles, presentations, and public outreach materials, thereby fostering both academic and social engagement.
On May 15, 2025, the King of the Belgians received a special royal gift from the King of Thailand: a beautifully bound edition of the Pali Tipitaka, the foundational scripture of the Theravāda Buddhist tradition. The gift symbolizes the long-standing friendship and cultural ties between Thailand and Belgium, and highlights the importance of interreligious dialogue and mutual respect. This meaningful gesture reflects the shared value both countries place on preserving and honoring religious heritage. Head of the Ghent Centre for Buddhist Studies Prof. Dr. Ann Heirman attended the ceremony.
In February 2025, our postdoctoral researcher Dr. Laurent Van Cutsem returned from an enriching six-month stay as a Visiting Scholar at the Institute for Research on Ancient Books 古籍研究所 at Zhejiang University 浙江大學 in Hangzhou 杭州. His host was Prof. Feng Guodong 馮國棟, a leading expert on the Jingde chuandeng lu 景德傳燈錄, a landmark Chan historiographical text originally compiled in 1004 by the monk Daoyuan 道源 (d.u.).
During his time in China, Dr. Van Cutsem presented papers at three international conferences. The first was International Conference “Canonical, Non-Canonical and Extra-Canonical: Interdisciplinary and Multi-media Studies of the Formation, Translation and Transmission of Buddhist Texts 佛教典籍的成立與傳譯視閾下的佛教中國化,” co-organized by The Wutai Shan Institute of Buddhism and Eastern Asian Culture 五臺山東方佛教文化研究院, the FROGBEAR project at the Univ. of British Columbia, and the Institute for Ethics and Religions Studies 道德與宗教研究院 at Tsinghua Univ. 清華大學 and held at Great Bamboo Grove Monastery 大聖竹林 on Mt. Wutai 五臺山 (August 11–15, 2024). Dr. Van Cutsem’s paper focused on focused on the role of Ānanda in Tang-Song Chan hagiography.
The second was International Conference “Cross-Regional and Cross-Cultural Interaction and Integration between Buddhism and Other Asian Religions 佛教與亞洲宗教跨地域與跨文化的互鑒與共融” (August 16–19, 2024), organized by the Center for Buddhist Culture Studies 佛教文化研究中心 at Zhejiang University 浙江大學, in collaboration with the Glorisun Global Network of Buddhist Studies, with administration support from the FROGBEAR project at the Univ. of British Columbia. Dr. Van Cutsem’s paper explored quotations from the influential Baolin zhuan 寶林傳 preserved in the little-studied 14th-century Keitoku dentō shōroku 景德傳燈鈔錄.
At the third conference—“Buddhist Civilization and Manuscript Culture along the Silk Road” 絲綢之路上的佛教文明與寫本文化 (Zhejiang University, November 15–18, 2024), organized by Prof. Hou Haoran 侯浩然—he presented research on the Shengzhou ji 聖冑集 and the Dunhuang manuscript Or.8210/S.4478. In addition to his presentation, he also served as a discussant for Prof. Kirill Solonin’s paper on Tangut-language Chan texts from the Western Xia 西夏 empire.
While at Zhejiang University, Dr. Van Cutsem attended select classes by Imre Galambos and Zhang Yongquan 張湧泉, both renowned specialists in Dunhuang studies and manuscript culture. He also did archival research and exchanged ideas about his ongoing projects with several professors, including Feng Guodong, Imre Galambos, Dou Huaiyong 竇懷永, and Chen Ruifeng 陳瑞峰.
He returned to Ghent with a rich collection of photographs documenting sites associated with the Zutang ji 祖堂集, another key Chan historiographical text compiled in Quanzhou 泉州 in the mid-10th century and the central focus of his Ph.D. dissertation, and from his visits of several museums and special exhibitions in Hangzhou.
Research Institute for Ancient Books 古籍研究所, Zhejiang UniversityBuilding of the School of Literature 文學院, School of History 歷史學院, and School of Philosophy 哲學學院, Zhejiang UniversityLibrary of the Research Institute for Ancient Books 古籍研究所圖書館, Zhejiang UniversityPart of the Zijingang 紫金港 campus, Zhejiang University. View on the main libraryInternational Conference “Canonical, Non-Canonical and Extra-Canonical: Interdisciplinary and Multi-media Studies of the Formation, Translation and Transmission of Buddhist Texts,” Mount Wutai 五臺山, August 11–15, 2024.International Conference “Cross-Regional and Cross-Cultural Interaction and Integration between Buddhism and Other Asian Religions ,” Zhejiang University, August 16–19, 2024International Workshop “Buddhist Civilization and Manuscript Culture along the Silk Road,” Zhejiang University, Nov. 15–18, 2024
Dr. Mariia Lepneva conducted fieldwork in China from March 16 to April 5, 2025, as part of her FWO-funded postdoctoral project, “Vinaya Revival on Baohua Mountain in Ming–Qing China.” The primary objectives of this research trip were threefold: to strengthen academic ties with colleagues in Chinese institutions, to visit monasteries associated with the Vinaya (monastic discipline and rituals) tradition during the seventeenth century, and to collect both primary and secondary sources for ongoing research. Further details can be found in Dr. Lepneva’s report below.
Tianning Nunnery in Beijing
The first stop on my journey was Beijing, where I stayed from March 16 to 23. During this time, I was able to visit all six monasteries that conducted monastic ordinations during the late Ming and early Qing periods: Fayuan 法源寺, Guangji 广济寺, Guanghua 广化寺, Tanzhe 潭柘寺, Jietai 戒台寺, and Tianning 天宁寺. Fayuan and Guangji Monasteries experienced a relatively swift revival following the implementation of the Reform and Opening-Up policy in the late 1970s. These sites played important roles in fostering unofficial ties with Buddhist countries across Asia, as the People’s Republic of China sought broader international recognition. As a result, both monasteries became repositories of cultural artifacts. Guanghua Monastery is usually closed to the public; however, I had the rare opportunity to enter during a religious festival celebrating the birthday of Bodhisattva Samantabhadra. As for Tianning Monastery, only the pagoda courtyard remains, now reduced to about one-tenth of its original size. Interestingly, the site once functioned as a factory for producing gramophone records, but it has since been repurposed as a nunnery.
Ordination platform in Tanzhe Monastery
Located in the Western Hills, about an hour’s drive from central Beijing, Tanzhe and Jietai Monasteries have become popular weekend destinations for residents of the capital. Although managed by tourism companies, both monasteries are still home to active monastic communities. Each site preserves a historical ordination platform, though these are no longer in use. Currently, monastic ordinations in the capital region are only permitted at Baipu Monastery 白瀑寺, located in the Mentougou district, with the next ordination scheduled for June 2025.
Delivering a talk at Peking University
During my stay in Beijing, I engaged in a number of fruitful scholarly exchanges. Most notably, I delivered a lecture at Peking University, hosted by Professor Wang Song 王颂. In my presentation, I discussed the institutional transformation of Guangji Monastery during the early Qing dynasty, highlighting the emergence of a new power structure that elevated the role of Vinaya monks.
In addition, I had the opportunity to meet with several renowned scholars, such as Professor Sheng Kai 圣凯 of Qinghua University and Professor Xuan Fang 宣方 of Renmin University, as well as Professor Ju Xi 鞠熙 of Beijing Normal University, who is co-leading a project on publishing all stele inscriptions within the inner city walls of Beijing.
Professor Hu Yonghui hosts my talk at Nanjing University
The second stop on my journey was Nanjing, where I stayed from March 23 to 30, including a one-day visit to Shanghai on March 26. Both Nanjing and Shanghai Universities maintain joint teaching programs with our Department of Languages and Cultures, so I was especially pleased to take this opportunity to strengthen ties with our academic partners in both cities.
At Nanjing University, I delivered a lecture on the conceptualization of the Vinaya tradition of Baohua Mountain by its seventeenth-century abbot. The event was hosted by Professor Hu Yonghui 胡永辉, the coordinator of the university’s cooperation with Ghent. It was also a great pleasure to reconnect with several PhD students from Nanjing University whom I had previously met in Ghent during their exchange year.
In addition to my academic activities at Nanjing University, I also visited Professor Wang Jianguang 王建光 at Nanjing Agricultural University. A leading expert on the history of the Vinaya tradition in China, Professor Wang provided valuable insights relevant to my research and also shared that his new book, Continuation of the General History of Vinaya School in China 中国律宗通史续篇, will soon be published as part of Jiechuang Buddhist Studies Series 戒幢佛学论丛. During my visit to Shanghai, I met with Professor Cheng Qing 成庆 of Shanghai University, who is currently serving as co-promoter of a project focused on publishing rare Buddhist sources from the early seventeenth century.
Entrace of Longchang Monastery on Baohua Mountain
With the kind help of my new and old friends in Nanjing, I was able to visit the major site I am investigating within the framework of my current research project: Baohua Mountain. Longchang Monastery 隆昌寺 it houses is still a well-know Vinaya centre, which hold regular monastic ordinations and supplies staff for similar ceremonies elsewhere in China. I was pleased to learn that the resident monastic community is actively engaged in collecting, preserving, and publishing materials related to the monastery’s history, Vinaya studies, and ordination practices.
Pagoda of Guxin Ruxin at the centre of the pagoda yard of Tianlong Monastery
On the same day, I explored the pagoda yard of Tianlong Monastery 天隆寺, where one can see the pagoda of the famous reviver of monastic ordinations in the early seventeenth century, Guxin Ruxin 古心如馨 (1541-1616) (the structure likely dates to a renovation carried out in the early twentieth century). I also visited Jiming Monastery 鸡鸣寺 and Qixia Monastery 栖霞寺, which currently host female and male Buddhist seminaries, respectively. The library of Jiming Monastery is managed by Nanjing Normal University and has a catalogue available online.
Lineage genealogy on Dinghu Mountain (with final entries added in 2008)
The final stop of my fieldwork trip was Guangzhou, where I met with two scholars whose work has been particularly relevant to my research. The first was Dr. Li Fubiao 李福标 of the library of Sun Yat-sen University, whose pioneering studies on monastic ordinations in seventeenth-century Guangzhou—and the broader Lingnan (southern China) region—have been invaluable. The second was Professor Zhang Dewei 张德伟, author of the influential monograph Thriving in Crisis: Buddhism and Political Disruption in China, 1522–1620, which has long served as a major source of inspiration for my own work.
Professor Zhang hosted my talk at Jinan University, where I presented an analysis of late Ming and Qing monastic networks. With the generous support of both colleagues, I visited Dinghu Mountain 鼎湖山, a key center of Vinaya studies in southern China during the seventeenth century. I also had the opportunity to visit several historic monasteries within the city of Guangzhou, including Guangxiao Monastery 光孝寺, Wuzhuo Temple 无着庵, and Haichuang Monastery 海幢寺.
The wealth of texts from the famous “Library Cave” or Cave 17 from Mogao near Dunhuang, which was closed around the turn of the eleventh century, offers scholars a time-capsule from the social and cultural world of first-millennium CE Dunhuang, a melting pot with connections to China and places farther west along the so-called Silk Road. It can also be used, with caution, to compare religious practice there with what we know of Buddhism at the court of the Tibetan emperors in the eighth and ninth centuries especially. One aspect of this is what Arthur Waley termed “Dhāraṇī Buddhism” in his 1931 work, A Catalogue of Paintings Recovered from Tun-Huang by Sir Aurel Stein. This presentation will bring recent advances in the study of the importance and changing nature of prayer in Indic- and Chinese-language sources to bear on Pelliot tibétain 45, a stitched concertina Tibetan-language manuscript from Dunhuang that consists of a corpus of rituals dating to between the imperial and early post-imperial period. In this presentation, I will identify some of the dhāraṇīs and prayer texts found in this manuscript, with correlates provided (in somewhat different forms) in the later Tibetan canons, discuss the ritual uses of these texts evidenced in the manuscript’s marginalia, and connect the literary and artistic additions in it to central Tibet, Gilgit and South Asia during the first millennium.
Bio:
Lewis Doney is Professor of Tibetan Studies at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. He received his PhD (Study of Religions) from SOAS, University of London, in 2011 and was then engaged in postdoctoral research on early Tibetan life writing, empire and religion, Tibetan relations with South Asia and their impact on social and labour dependencies within Sino-Tibetan communities around Dunhuang, and later southern Tibetan Buddhist historiography and ritual and their relations to cultural identities and ecologies in the Himalayas. His publications include a solo-authored monograph titled The Zangs gling ma: The First Padmasambhava Biography (International Institute for Tibetan and Buddhist Studies, 2014), an edited volume, Bringing Buddhism to Tibet: History and Narrative in the dBa’ bzhed Manuscript (De Gruyter, 2021) and a monograph co-authored with Brandon Dotson: Producing Buddhist Sutras in Ninth-Century Tibet: The Sutra of Limitless Life and its Dunhuang Copies Kept at the British Library (De Gruyter, 2025).
It has long been recognised that the bases of Buddha and Bodhisattva schist statues from the ancient region of Gandhāra depict to some extent scenes that echo ritual practices that were normative for the region. While they have been the focus of sporadic assessments in the last decades, this paper is a systematic analysis of statue bases coming from ancient Gandhāra, a region located in the Northwest part of the Indic subcontinent, within the wider context of Gāndhārī donative inscriptions and Chinese travelogues. Dating broadly from the second century CE onwards, the statues bases, this paper argues, were a new venue to visually reinforce the ritual efficacy. As part of the systematic analysis, this talk showcases a work in progress, shedding light on the conventions used on statue bases and the actions of figures represented within them.
Short bio:
Dr Ashwini Lakshminarayanan is a Maria Skłodowska-Curie Research Fellow at Cardiff University leading the project ‘GRAVE: Gandharan Relic rituals and Veneration Explored’. This project analyses the visual material from Gandhāra (present day Pakistan and Afghanistan between the 1st and the 4th centuries CE) in its socio-religious context, focussing on contemporary Gandhari relic donative inscriptions and later Chinese accounts of relic veneration in the region. Besides rituals, Ashwini Lakshminarayanan’s work also focuses on gender, multi-cultural and multi-religious interactions within the Kushan kingdom.
On Tuesday, May 6, 2025, a captivating lecture titled “Everything You Didn’t Know You Ever Wanted to Know about Buddhist Manuscript Cultures in Greater Gandhāra” was delivered by GCBS’s Prof. Charles DiSimone as part of our Permanent Training in Buddhist Studies lecture series. The lecture explored the fascinating manuscript cultures of Greater Gandhāra, an area that once served as a thriving center of Buddhist activity and flourished well into the first millennium CE. This region, which spans modern-day Afghanistan, Pakistan, and northern India, was a pivotal crossroads for the development of Buddhist thought and practices.
One of the key insights shared in the lecture was the use of birch bark, rather than paper, as the primary medium for Buddhist manuscripts in Gandhāra. Birch bark, a durable and flexible material, was ideal for preserving the intricate texts that would define the Buddhist literary heritage of the region.
The lecture shed light on the unique artistic elements found in these manuscripts, particularly the use of arsenic pigments and floral embellishments to highlight rubrics. It also emphasized the use of Bamiyan type I and Bamiyan type II scripts for recording Mahāyāna and Śrāvakayāna texts respectively.
Throughout the lecture, Prof. DiSimone emphasized the importance of several major manuscript discoveries that have enriched our understanding of Buddhist manuscript cultures. These include notable finds in locations such as Gilgit, Bamyan, and Mes Aynak. At the same time, he cautioned against using the cashes found there for making overall statements about the Buddhist tradition of the region, as they represent only a small portion of what originally circulated there. In the final part of the lecture, Prof. DeSimone introduced the recent excavations of in Mes Anyak and the work for digitalization of manusctipts his team carries out within the framework of his ERC project “Corpora in Greater Gandhāra. Tracing the development of Buddhist textuality and Gilgit/Bamiyan manuscript networks in the first millennium of the common era”.
From April 1st to 18th, 2025, our PhD student Massimiliano Portoghese undertook a rich and immersive fieldwork journey across India, engaging directly with key sites of Buddhist heritage and scholarship.
His itinerary began in New Delhi, where he visited the Stein Collection at the National Museum, an essential archive for scholars of Buddhist history and archaeology. From there, Massimiliano continued to Sarnath, one of the most revered Buddhist pilgrimage sites and the location of the Buddha’s first sermon.
The next stage of his journey took him to Nalanda, where he explored the archaeological site of the ancient monastery-university, once a vibrant center of Buddhist learning. He also visited the modern Nalanda University campus, where he had the opportunity to connect with Elora Tribedy, Assistant Professor, for a valuable academic exchange.
Continuing on the trail of Buddhist heritage, Massimiliano made his way to Bodh Gaya, the site of the Buddha’s enlightenment, to study the Mahabodhi Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site and a living center of devotion and study.
His fieldwork concluded in Kolkata with a visit to the Bharut Gallery at the National Museum, where he examined early Buddhist art and iconography critical to his research.
Massimiliano’s fieldwork in India provided an invaluable firsthand encounter with key sites, objects, and scholars, deepening his engagement with the historical and material cultures of Buddhism.
Ruins of ancient Nalanda: the world’s first great monastery-universityMassimiliano Portoghese and Elora Tribedy, Assistant Professor, Nalanda UniversityChinese painting of Avalokiteshvara from Dunhuang (Stein collection of the National Museum of New Delhi)Dhamek Stupa of SarnathMulagandha Kuti Vihara at Sarnath
As part of the Permanent Training in Buddhist Studies lecture series, Prof. Jin Kyoung Choi (Ghent Centre for Buddhist Studies) delivered a talk titled “Buddhist Material Culture in East Asian Tea Tradition: The Way of Tea, the Art of Tea, and Tea Ceremony” on Tuesday, 29 April 2025, at the Faculty Library of Arts and Philosophy, Ghent University.
This rich and insightful lecture traced the historical and cultural evolution of the tea ceremony across East Asia, unfolding in five compelling chapters. Prof. Jin began at the spiritual heart of China’s tea culture: Jingshan Temple 径山寺 in Hangzhou, which is widely recognized as the birthplace of the formal tea ceremony. The lecture then took us across the sea to Japan, where Chinese tea culture took on a new life. During the Northern Song dynasty, powdered tea (Ch. mǒchá; J. macha 抹茶) was brought to Japan by monks and evolved into the world-renowned Japanese tea ceremony. Known as chadō 茶道—the Way of Tea—it became deeply embedded in Zen Buddhist practice and Japanese aesthetics. Turning back to the Sinosphere, the focus shifted to gongfucha 功夫茶, the high-skill brewing method that originated in the Chaozhou region of Guangdong. This practice was carried to Taiwan, where it took root and evolved. Oolong tea, in particular, became Taiwan’s most celebrated varietal.
An especially intriguing part of the lecture explored how modern Chinese and Taiwanese societies are negotiating the cultural legacies of tea. The term chadō is rarely used in contemporary China or Taiwan due to its strong association with Japanese tea tradition. Instead, Taiwan promotes chayi 茶艺(art of tea), emphasizing artistic expression and cultural refinement, while mainland China has been working to revive the ancient Song-style powdered tea ceremony as a distinct national heritage. The lecture also shed light on Korea’s distinct tea practices, charye and darye.
Dr. Hou joins us from UC Berkeley with the project: Visualizing Doctrine: A Study of Exegetical Diagrams in Medieval Chinese Buddhism (8th–10th Centuries)
Dr. Bhutia joins us from the University of Tartu with the project: Local Deities, Natural Disaster, and Ritual Waste in Vernacular Buddhist Practices in the Himalayas
