UQ receives boost to Buddhist collection

UQ receives boost to Buddhist collection

Buddhist studies at the University of Queensland have received a boost with the donation of a 160-volume set of the Chinese Buddhist canon to the University Library.

In a simple ceremony, Venerable Master Ching Kung of the Amitabha Buddhist Association handed over the books to University Librarian Janine Schmidt. The Master was accompanied by several monks and lay followers, including UQ graduate Tom Chen, who arranged the donation.

The new donation is a reprint of an edition of the Chinese Buddhist canon originally printed from wood-blocks in the early 18th century. Commonly known as the Dragon Edition, it was produced on the instructions of the Qing dynasty emperor Qian Long.
Reader in Buddhist Studies Dr Rod Bucknell, who expects to make good use of the new acquisition in his research into early Buddhism, said the Dragon Edition differed significantly from the Taisho Tripitaka.

"Although it dates only from the 18th century, the Dragon Edition is based closely on much earlier editions," he said. "Some important sutra collections contained in it are preserved in a form significantly different from their counterparts in the Taisho edition."

Dr Bucknell said Buddhist studies in the Department of Studies in Religion would benefit from the donation, because there had recently been a marked growth of postgraduate interest in research based on the Chinese canon.

Head of the Department of Studies in Religion Professor Philip Almond said the Amitabha Buddhist Association's generous donation was an example of the good relations that existed between the Department and various religious groups in Brisbane.

He said the gift was appropriate, in keeping with Master Ching Kung's message that Buddhism is as much a form of education as a form of religion.

The Amitabha Buddhist Association (which has its headquarters in Taiwan, and more than 50 branches around the world, including one in Brisbane) is reprinting the canonical texts of Chinese Buddhism and related works, and donating them to relevant institutions. In 1996 they also donated 150 titles to the University Library, including the Taisho Tripitaka, the version of the Chinese canon most used by scholars in Buddhist studies.

Further information, Dr Rod Bucknell, telephone 07 3365 3321.