Journal

癸卯年夏季學術活動總結 2024 summer academic trips

 

Bill Mak @ Stonehenge

癸卯仲夏於英國巨石陣    Bill Mak @ Stonehenge

過去一年,為了弘立書院成立中華研究中心,時間都花在行政方面。實際上,學術活動才是學者真正工作的核心。但學者究竟在幹什麼?讀書、寫論文、教學?如果我們說研究,學者究竟在研究什麼?對於學術界以外的人來說,學者的生活既神秘,也讓人費解。香港社會,商業掛帥,大家普遍認為對學術抱有很多誤解,認為學術研究必然是枯燥無味、莫名其妙,甚至是無用的。無用之用,本來是我們中國人原有的觀點和智慧,但西方的學者也有這種見解,像美國學者Abraham Flexner這部有趣的著作:The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge,值得一讀;還有一種見解,認為所謂無用的學問,其實一種知識的轉型,舊學問被淘汰,新學問才能出現。無論如何,讓我為大家介紹一下我個人的研究,同時揭開學術研究的神祕面紗!

由於疫情影響,各種學術會議與合作計劃一併受到延誤,如今學術活動如同雨後春筍般復甦,開展得如火如荼。學者們三年不見,現在也都紛紛聚首,爭相交流,忙於會晤。而我也一樣,暑期的幾個月,我展轉於英國、德國、中國的不同大學開授課程、拜訪學者,並參與了多場學術會議。

中文版按此

In the past year, my time was spent mostly in administration, establishing the Chinese Research Center at the ISF Academy here in Hong Kong. However, for scholars, the core activities should be academic in nature. But what do scholars do? Often, as my non-academic friends or even family members would wonder, do scholars just read and write some books as they like, and perhaps teach some classes occasionally? Indeed, the definition of scholarship varies across cultures. Having studied and worked in universities in North America, Europe, China, Japan, India, and Southeast Asia, I have become keenly aware of the differences of perception and the actual works that scholars do or are expected to do! If there is one thing that connect them is the kind of research they do, i.e., the kind of research they are involved in that connect them both to their colleagues, and their fields at large. A genuine scholar should be a researcher who is in the forefront of their fields. They are naturally innovators and creators, not because they want to create new scholarship for the sake of it, but because by having mastered one’s own field of research and having become a authority recognised by their peers, one engages constantly with topics at the frontier of knowledge. At the frontier of knowledge, one sees many new and surprising things that others do not. This is the reason why for most people outside the academia, the interests of a scholar are often mysterious and obscure. In a very pragmatic society like here in Hong Kong, scholars are often accused of being unpractical and overpaid. Leaving aside the overpaid part, the works of true scholars are often unpractical because they are visionary, and the before their ideas are turned into something transformative and useful, they need to be properly investigated and explored. This is true for both science and humanities, as great inventions and ideas all start off from creative thinking, connecting ideas and things that may appear to be useless. On this topic, a provocative, little book titled The Usefulness of Useless Knowledge by Abraham Flexner published by Princeton University Press is highly recommended. Here, please let me share with you at least the kinds of scholarly activities I was involved in over the summer months.

For scholars and researchers, myself included, the past few months were particularly hectic since many academic meetings and conferences have been postponed during the pandemic. For the first time in years, scholars are able to see each other in person once again. My summer months were spent giving lectures in universities, visiting fellow academics, and attending conferences in multiple cities in the UK, Germany and China. Many of these activities are connected with my own field of research in premodern history of science in Asia, while some are connected with my broader interests in Buddhism, history of Sino-Indian relation, and Chinese studies in general.

1. Cambridge, UK. 19 June – 7 July, 2023. University of Cambridge / NRI Workshop: “Exploring the Senses in Chinese History: Body, Space, Spirit.”

2. Hefei, China. 9 – 26 July, 2023. University of Science and Technology of China. Two post-graduate summer courses: 1. Introduction to the history of science and technology in ancient China; 2. Reading Ancient Indian Scientific Literature.

3. Baofeng Monastery, Jiangxi, China. 27 — 31 July, 2023. Sanskrit Recitation and translation of Mahāyāna Buddhist text.

4. Qufu, China. 31 July — 4 August, 2023. Visit of traditional Chinese academies.

5. Hong Kong, China. University of Hong Kong. “Buddhism, Science and Technology: Challenges to Religions from a Digitalized World” at the Inaugural Forum “Beyond Civilizational Clash: The Coalescence of Human Civilizations”

6. Hong Kong, China. 13 August, 2023. Public lecture: “Siddham and Siddham Studies”.

7. Frankfurt, Germany. 21–23 August, 2023. 16th International Conference on the History of Science in East Asia (ICHSEA). Panel: “Translating East Asian Sources: Historical Studies and Research Practice”. Paper presentation: “Sino-Indian astronomical texts in translation – Authorial intention vs. readers’ interpretation”.

8. Lanzhou & Dunhuang, China. 23—30 August, 2023. ANSO Silk Road Forum + 2nd ATES Open Science Conference. Alliance of International Science Organisations (ANSO) , Association for Trans-Eurasia Exchange and Silk Road Civilization Development (ATES). Paper presented: “Sino-Indian Astronomical Knowledge Transmitted on the Silk Road — From Kumārajīva to Amoghavajra”

Two upcoming online lectures by Dr. Bill Mak – “Aquilaria and Maritime Silk Road” and “Hindu Cemetery in Hong Kong”

1. Cambridge University, King’s College Silk Roads Programme
Title: Aquilaria and Exotic Aromatics on the Maritime Silk Roads
Speaker: Dr. Bill Mak
Date: 19 May 2023
Time: 6:00 pm (Hong Kong Time); 11:00 am (British Standard Time)
Description: The historical importance of the overland Silk Road connecting China, India, and other Eurasian cultures has generated much scholarly interest in the past century. On the other hand, that of the maritime routes requires further exploration, especially from a longue-durée perspective. This paper examines the role of the Maritime Silk Road connecting South China, Southeast Asia, India, and beyond from the first millennium CE, focusing on the case of aromatic trade, from which Hong Kong was named after. The spread of the exotic aromatics and the cultivation of a variety of species of Aquilaria across tropical and subtropical Asia demonstrate the robust and long-lasting connectivity between a number of Asian cultures from China to the far end of the Indian Ocean.
2. 2023 Congress meeting of Canadian South Asian Studies Association (CSASA)
Title: Hindu Cemetery in Hong Kong—An Unusual History and its Post-colonial Legacy
Speaker: Dr. Bill Mak
Date: 27/28 May 2023
Time: TBC
During the nineteenth century, South Asian communities are established rapidly across Southeast and East Asia as a result of Britain’s imperial expansion. Since Hong Kong became a crown colony of the British Empire in 1842, South Asians arrived in great number both in service to the colonial government as well as to seek commercial opportunities as individuals. South Asian immigrants of different ethnic backgrounds and religious affiliations soon took root on the Chinese soil, adopted local customs and the local Cantonese language while maintaining their unique identities; some throve to become prominent members of the local elite society by triangulating as trusted agents of the colonial government. Although most of these South Asian communities in Hong Kong date back to mid- to late nineteenth century and many of their forefathers arrived in Hong Kong earlier than most of the current Cantonese population, who migrated from the neighbouring Guangdong region or other parts of southern China only later in the twentieth century shortly before or after WWII, the South Asians remain perceived as foreigners by the Chinese locals. The postcolonial government continue to address issues such as inequality, diversity, and inclusivity in their policies. This paper focuses on the history of the nineteenth-century Hindu Cemetery in Hong Kong, an unusual arrangement in orthodox Hinduism, as a case study of the diasporic vicissitude of the South Asian communities in Hong Kong from the colonial period down to the present.

圓覺經考

2023-03-13 06.58.35

週末法會,精舍請來民國二十一年重刻大字《圓覺經》善本,父推薦,聞說值得“品味高”的行者細讀。何謂“品味高”,我沒有任何概念。今略作記。

按照《佛祖統記》的記載,《圓覺經》於唐高宗永徽六年(+655)譯出,譯者佛陀多羅,梵文Buddhatāra,華言“覺救”,北印罽賓人。漢傳佛教自唐末起,《圓覺經》一直廣為流傳,歷代祖師注疏也不少,為當今佛教徒恆常讀誦的經文之一。南懷瑾先生更認為此經屬於華嚴經的系統,一乘圓教,見性成佛,境界至善,而且文字最美。

經文內容大概如下:佛陀進入了神通大光明藏三昧,向十二菩薩以問答形式說法。第一文殊,如來因爲圓覺,果為真如涅槃。第二普賢,圓覺不可無修行。第三普眼,修奢摩他(止),關身心幻相,一切皆空等等。整體風格屬於中晚期大乘佛教經典,其中也包含了一些密宗的內容。

有學者認為《圓覺經》為公元八世紀作品,原因是其經文主要出自《楞嚴》,內容亦多受《大乘起信論》影響。梁任公吸收了日本學者佛教文獻學的觀點,認為此三經為“疑偽經”,即漢傳佛教中所謂“偽經”的問題。近年京都大學船山徹提出:”印度製造,中國組件“的看法,也有道理。像玄奘十六會《大般若經》,那爛陀寺的藏經閣也大概沒有這種編著,但內容不算疑偽。佛典種類繁多,過去祖師以判教形式疏理其中關係,而現代學者則以文獻歷史角度理解,見解各有特色。

我個人傾向以如實觀去理解每一件事物。先把表面的東西弄清楚,像版本、文字、校勘,文獻比對等,然後參考古人和其他學者見解,最後才作個人推測。一層一層,像把洋蔥拆開。像這部大字善本,本來就有很多值得注意的地方。

大家有沒有注意到那些小圈?字外右下角的一般是句號,字中下部的則是我們現在用的逗號(綠框標記)。至於那些與字很近,貼著四角的則是“聲點”,從左下角順時針算起,即漢語四聲平上去入。粵語分陰陽,前三聲化為六聲,加上三入聲,共九聲。像惡與樂兩字(紅框標記),右上角附上小圈,意思即是“去聲”,作動詞解。若名詞或形容詞的話則作“入聲”,需要把兩者區分開來。

20230313 440px-分四聲法 2023-03-13 08.54.40

 

不過,洋蔥最後還是要被吃掉的。所以我喜歡讀誦,而且要虛心讀誦,有時候會靈機一觸,想到一些新事。《圓覺經》還有什麼奧祕,留待日後繼續發現!