UTAR hosted a conference on “Following in the Bodhi’s footsteps: First Generation of Buddhist Characters in Malaya/Malaysia” (菩提履迹:马来(西)亚第一代佛教人物研究学术研讨会) on 15 April 2023 at Kampar Campus.

The conference was a collaboration between UTAR Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS), the Centre for Chinese Studies (CChS), the Young Buddhist Association of Malaysia (YBAM), The Buddhist Research Society of Malaysia (BRSM), Yayasan Belia Buddhist Malaysia (YBBM) and International Buddhist College (IBC), Thailand. It was sponsored by the Perak State Government. 

The conference received wide participation from researchers, academics, students and members of the public, both local and abroad. A total of 15 research papers were presented at the conference by scholars and experts.

Invited to officiate the event were UTAR President Ir Prof Dato’ Dr Ewe Hong Tat, IBC Council Chairman Venerable Wei Wu, YBBM Chairman Dato’ Ir Ang Choo Hong, CChs Chairperson and ICS Deputy Dean for Academic Development and Undergraduate Programmes Assoc Prof Dr Wong Wun Bin, and Organising Chairperson and ICS Head of Department of Chinese Studies (Kampar Campus) Dr Toh Teong Chuan.

In his welcome speech, Dr Toh shared the aims and purposes of the conference. He revealed, “The theme of the conference is related to the ongoing research project of our research team, formed by researchers from different countries. We study Buddhist characters because a character/person is a specific research object, which is a ‘point’, meanwhile the historical space-time background of a person’s traces is the ‘surface’. Starting from the study of a character, that is, starting from a point to spread into a surface, then combining the research vision and care points of different fields in order to study Buddhist characters. Therefore, the connected surfaces will form a 3D stereoscopic depth, which can be constructed into a more specific historical narrative of Malaysian Buddhism. Although the research team on Malaysian Buddhism is not big, the said team, which is comprised of middle-aged and young researchers, has been gradually expanding. Therefore, we can build our own academic structure to have dialogues and exchanges with foreign academic circles. Healthy academic research must be pluralistic, but on top of that our own voice, vision and care must also be there.”

“This conference is not just a presentation of research outcomes, but also a platform to promote and develop future research horizons, so that more Malaysian young researchers can contribute to this specialised area. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank foreign scholars who have paid attention and explored the research topics of Malaysian Buddhism during the early years, which have supported the growth of local researchers,” he added.

In his opening speech, Prof Dato’ Ewe expressed his gratitude to ICS, co-organisers, sponsor, speakers and committee members for their commitment and support. He mentioned, “According to the historical records, Buddhism was widely spread before Malaysia’s independence. In order to deepen the discussion on the history of the spread of Buddhism in Malaysia, especially the historical records of the first generation of Buddhist characters and their role and influence on the development of Buddhism in our country, the conference specially invited experts and scholars from the academic and Buddhist circles to share their research and insights. I believe the participants will have a better understanding of the history of the development of Malaysian Buddhism through this conference.” He also shared a brief introduction of UTAR and UTAR Hospital to the participants and invited them to experience the beauty of the Kampar Campus.

The conference started with a keynote speech titled “Venerable Fa Hang’s influence on Buddhism in Southeast Asia” (法航法师对东南亚佛教的影响) by Venerable Wei Wu. Venerable Wei Wu shared about Venerable Fa Hang’s growth, background, process of becoming a monk, education journey, personality, Dharma propagation journey as well as contributions to education. He elaborated, “In 1941, Venerable Fa Hang first visited Southeast Asia from China as a Buddhist missionary. He then stayed in Myanmar for more than a year, studying Burmese Buddhism. In 1943, he arrived in India and went to the International University to study Sanskrit, Pali and English. He then moved to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) to specialise in the study of Buddhist teachings in Pali and Sanskrit. At that point in time, he was already able to teach in English. He shared Chinese Buddhism with others. In 1947, he visited Southeast Asia for the second time and was deeply impressed by Malaysian Buddhism. He once said that, if an opportunity arises in the future, he will establish the ‘Malayan World Buddhist Academy’ in the Peninsula of Southeast Asia as a worldwide Buddhist research centre due to its advantages in international geography.”

He added, “Venerable Fa Hang’s third visit to Southeast Asia was from 1949 to 1951. He came to Singapore and Malaya many times for Dharma propagation. He travelled back and forth from Ceylon to Malaya because he regarded Malaya as a place where he could develop his talents. In April 1950, he was invited to preside over the consecration of the Buddhist altar of Phor Tay Institution, and stayed over to preach Buddhist scriptures to the audience. He passed away in Ceylon in October 1951. Venerable Fa Hang has a profound influence on Buddhism in Southeast Asia.”

The conference was divided into three sessions. It also included a roundtable dialogue session, focusing on the origin and prospect of study on Buddhist characters in Malaysia. The conference concluded after Dato’ Ang’s session.

The speakers from UTAR included ICS Dean Assoc Prof Dr Chong Siou Wei, Dr Wong, ICS Head of Programme for Postgraduate Programmes Assoc Prof Dr Tan Ai Boay, Dr Toh, academics Dr Th'ng Bee Fu and Dr Ng Bung Chen, and Faculty of Engineering and Green Technology Dean Ir Prof Dr Ng Choon Aun.