Posts written by Bill M. Mak

16th International Conference on the History of Science in East Asia (ICHSEA)

University of Frankfurt am Main
University of Frankfurt am Main

 

I was on the road, once again, on the third week of semester. The timing was not ideal but it was beyond my control. I was invited to the 16th International Conference on the History of Science in East Asia (ICHSEA) by Prof. Catherine Jami to present a paper in her panel, titled “Translating East Asian Sources: Historical Studies and Research Practice”. My paper was titled “Sino-Indian Astronomical Texts in Translation – Authorial Intention vs. Readers’ Interpretation”. It focused mainly in two translingual East Asian astronomical texts: the Nine Seizers Canon (Jiuzhi li 九執曆) and the Treatise on Lunar Mansions and Planets (Xiuyao jing 宿曜經). Writing this paper was not too stressful as I published two book chapters precisely on these two texts in a Brill volume edited by Dagmar Schäfer et al. This was the first time I participated in an international conference with funding not from a university, namely, as Director of Chinese Research Center of the ISF Academy. There are some ISF ties here as well, since Prof. Catherine Jami is the wife of Prof. Christopher Cullen, who was the former Director of the NRI. Because of various publishing projects, it made sense for me to meet the academic couple. Furthermore, this was the first time I would be interacting with international scholars since the pandemic had passed. Frankly, speaking the conference was not as seamlessly organised as I would have expected from one organised by our German colleagues. But it was a good occasion to see so many scholars nonetheless, especially the large number of Chinese scholars, including those from USTC. Prof. Shi Yunli, who represented not only USTC, but also as the chairman of the International Society for the History of East Asian Science, and his team of almost 10 scholars. Some highlight of the conference included Taiwanese scholar Chu Pingyi’s 祝平一keynote speech and the special Chinese collection of Prof. Alfred Forke at the University of Frankfurt am Main. Unfortunately, I was the only scholar from Hong Kong, with another being a Chinese PhD student who was pursuing a degree in Hong Kong. My German trip was a hasty one. I managed nonetheless a side trip to Berlin to see the fantastic Humboldt Forum, and the visit to the Städel Museum in Frankfurt was delightful.

Visit to Humboldt Forum with Dr. Corinna Wessels-Mevissen

Visit to Humboldt Forum with Dr. Corinna Wessels-Mevissen

Special collection of Prof. Alfred Forke at the University of Frankfurt am Main

Special collection of Prof. Alfred Forke at the University of Frankfurt am Main

Bencao Collection of Prof. Alfred Forke at the University of Frankfurt am Main

Bencao Collection of Prof. Alfred Forke at the University of Frankfurt am Main

My presentation at the ICHSEA
My presentation at the ICHSEA

香港佛教真言宗居士林公開講座:「悉曇梵字與悉曇學」

香港佛教真言宗居士林公開講座(2023年8月13日)

香港佛教真言宗居士林公開講座(2023年8月13日)

2023-08-13 12.37.58

8月13日,我受邀到香港佛教真言宗居士林,舉辦了一場「悉曇梵字與悉曇學」的公開講座。2003年在香港大學修讀佛學碩士課程,北京大學王邦維教授當時訪港教學,我在王教授指導下,完成悉曇學相關的碩士論文。2008年幸獲文部省獎學金留學日本,在京都大學攻讀第二個博士課程,課餘隨種智院大學兒玉義隆教授修習悉曇書法。二十年後,非常高興能回到香港,在這個有近百年歷史的密宗道場,分享一些小知識與學習心得。

悉曇書法入門課程

悉曇書法入門課程

Public lecture: “Siddham and Siddham Studies”

Lecture at the Temple of the Hong Kong Mantra School for Lay Buddhists

Lecture at the Temple of the Hong Kong Mantra School for Lay Buddhists

2023-08-13 12.37.58

On August 13th, I was invited by the Hong Kong Mantra School for Lay Buddhists to deliver a public lecture, titled “Siddham and Siddham Studies”. Back in 2003, soon after I enrolled in Master of  Buddhist Studies at HKU, I found out that Prof. Wang Bangwei was coming to Hong Kong from Peking University. Prof. Wang was the student of the eminent Chinese Indologist Ji Xianlin. I took the opportunity to take a class offered by Prof. Wang who was then a guest lecturer. He eventually supervised my M.A. dissertation on Siddham Studies, as well as later my PhD thesis at Peking University. In 2008, thanks to a scholarship from the Japanese Ministry of Education, I was able to pursue a second doctoral program in Kyoto University. While in Japan I studied Siddham calligraphy in my spare time under the masterful guidance of Prof. Giryu Kodama from Shuchiin University. Fast forward twenty years, and I am glad to return to Hong Kong and share my experiences in Sanskrit learning and Buddhist Sanskrit calligraphy in a lay Buddhist temple that has a fascinating history.

My first public class of Sanskrit calligraphy offered in Hong Kong

My first public class of Sanskrit calligraphy offered in Hong Kong