There are two major objectives of the research project. The substantive objective is to comprehensively reconstruct and describe the Sanlun Buddhist philosophical system. This, however, cannot be dissociated from a corollary and equally important disciplinary objective; that is, to inaugurate the methodical study of Chinese Buddhist philosophy in dialogue with Indian and Western analogues. These objectives are pursued through: a) the recruitment of three research-oriented team members in addition to the Principal Investigator (PI) and Project Manager, b) the organization of three specialist conferences, c) the completion and publication of three edited books based on these conferences, and d) research culminating in lectures and research papers, peer-reviewed scholarly articles, and research monographs.
These objectives have been achieved within the first two years of the project as follows:
Regarding a), all three team members (two Postdocs and one PhD student) have been recruited.
Regarding b), the first conference, ‘Buddhist Philosophy Between India and China: From Madhyamaka to Sanlun’, was held in August 2024 and included eleven speakers. The second conference, ‘Chinese Buddhist Philosophy: From Three Treatises to Five Schools’, has been organized and is scheduled to be held in August 2025; this includes tweny-one speakers. A third conference, ‘Philosophies of Belief: Chinese Buddhist and Western Perspectives’ is slated—as planned—for later in the project.
Regarding c), the first conference has successfully issued in the completion and submission for publication of a book, Buddhist Philosophy Between India and China: From Madhyamaka to Sanlun. In addition to being edited by the PI, this book contains an Introduction by PI and PhD as well as a research chapter each by PI and Postdoc A. The second conference is likewise scheduled to issue in a book (now in progress): Chinese Buddhist Philosophy: From Three Treatises to Five Schools. In addition to being edited by the PI, this book contains an Introduction by PI and PhD as well as a research chapter each by Postdoc A and PhD.
Regarding d), given the project research is directly relevant to philosophy of religion, and given that the project aims both to add to the scholarly understanding of philosophically valuable non-Western textual traditions and to advance the surge of literature in academic philosophy over recent decades deliberately concerned with countering the prevalence of exclusively Western perspectives in philosophy, a further project output has been prepared in the form of a book, The Three Jewels: Essaying Buddhist Philosophy of Religion, devoted to Buddhist philosophy of religion. This book has been successfully completed and submitted for publication. In addition to being edited by the PI, this book contains an Introduction and a research chapter by PI.
In addition to the aforementioned books edited by the PI and the contributions by project members therein, the PI has published a peer-reviewed article, and several other research outputs in the form of peer-reviewed articles and book chapters by project members have been completed and are now forthcoming for publication.
Substantial progress has also been made on the research monographs stemming from the project research, such that these remain on course for completion within the project period.
Finally, project members have given numerous invited lectures and conference presentations at which project-related research was disseminated.
