ICS academic recognised with prestigious award for Buddhist research

Assoc Prof Dr Toh Teong Chuan, Head of the Department of Chinese Studies at the Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS), Kampar Campus, was honoured with the Buddhist Academic Research Award (学术研究奖) at the inaugural Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia (YBAM) Award (佛青精神奖). The award recognises his decades-long commitment to Buddhist academic research. He received a trophy in recognition of his achievement.

The award ceremony was held on 7 June 2025 at KSL Esplanade Hotel, Klang, in conjunction with the YBAM 27th Biennial National Convention and 55th Anniversary Luncheon. UTAR President Ir Prof Dato’ Dr Ewe Hong Tat was also present at the event.

Dr Toh is a well-known writer who is deeply engaged in documenting the history and folk culture of Penang and the Malaysian Chinese community. He won the Judges’ Award in the prose category at the 8th Sin Chew Hua Zong Literature Award in 2005. That said, when asked about his thoughts on receiving the YBAM Award, he shared, “Many people associate me with Penang or Chinese cultural history, but academically, my main focus has always been Buddhist studies. It is a path I chose for myself during my university years and have pursued ever since. This award affirms over 20 years of commitment to Buddhist research. It is both a form of self-affirmation and a reflection of my long-standing dedication. Enjoying and devoting myself to the work—that is what matters most. Even so, receiving recognition and affirmation from others is an added encouragement, and for that, I am grateful.”

Reflecting on his journey into Buddhism studies, he shared with ease, “I began focusing on Buddhism and Buddhist studies during my undergraduate years. While studying at a university in Taipei, I started writing Buddhist research papers in response to open calls for scholarship applications. It was partly to support my book purchases and living expenses, but also because I had a knack for it. Later on, I pursued a master’s degree in Chinese Studies at the National University of Singapore (NUS) with a clear research goal—to focus on Buddhist studies.”

“After 2000, I returned to Malaysia. Having completed both my undergraduate and master’s studies abroad, my first sense of ‘return’ upon coming back was both spiritual and academic. I began to ‘make up’ for the local knowledge I had missed by independently exploring books on Malaysian history and culture. Drawing on my background in folk literature, I observed and wrote about my hometown, Penang, using writing as a way to reconnect with my roots and return home through words. In my Buddhist studies, my earlier focus had been on historical and philosophical developments, with little attention to the local context. After returning to Malaysia, I began to reflect on how my research could better connect with the land beneath my feet. I started reading and thinking about Malaysian Buddhism, gradually developing research topics—from specific issues to broader themes,” he added.

On his research trajectory and future goals, he remarked, “My Buddhist studies focus on two main areas: the modernisation of Chinese Buddhism—particularly through the lens of Humanistic Buddhism, which I began exploring in my master’s thesis, and the development of Malaysian Buddhism in the modern era, a focus that emerged after my return to Malaysia. While my early work centred on Venerable Yin Shun’s Humanistic Buddhism in Taiwan, returning to Malaysia allowed me to explore local Buddhist developments more closely. I often approach Chinese Buddhism from a Malaysian perspective and vice versa, and this exchange of viewpoints helps uncover hidden strengths and blind spots in both contexts. Over the years—especially after the pandemic—I have accumulated a substantial body of research. I hope to gradually refine and organise these findings into thematic studies, covering topics such as Southbound Chinese monks in Malaysia, the modernisation of Malaysian Buddhism, and Humanistic Buddhism within Chinese Buddhism.”

His return to Malaysia marked a turning point in his academic journey, as he began to explore local Buddhist developments—work that would later deepen at UTAR through several significant projects. He revealed, “My Buddhist research was initially unrelated to Malaysia. In 2008, Prof Chen Mei-hua from Academia Sinica invited me to contribute to a project on Chinese Buddhist monastics in Malaysia, which marked the beginning of my return to Malaysian-focused research. Later, under a project led by ICS academic Assoc Prof Dr Tan Ai Boay from UTAR, involving a multinational research team and titled The First Generation of Southbound Monastics in Malaya from an Asian Cross-Cultural Perspective, funded by the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation, I continued studying Southbound Buddhist monastics and further expanded my findings. Dr Tan and I also conducted a cave temple survey in Ipoh, commissioned by the Perak Non-Islamic Affairs Committee, with support from research assistants Liao Mingwei and Chen Zhaohui. Through both local and overseas fieldwork, we uncovered historical narratives tied to early Buddhist development. These efforts form part of the research experience and findings accumulated over the past decade at UTAR.”

He expressed his appreciation for the university’s support in his academic journey, noting that, “UTAR provides all the essential support for academic work, especially access to academic databases, which are indispensable for conducting research and writing papers. In this regard, the university has consistently ensured that the necessary academic resources are in place.”