Buddhist studies at top of its class

UCLA is a university that houses one of the most diverse student
populations in the nation, and it acknowledges and explores the
diversity of its students, faculty and the community at large with
various programs that study themes like religion and
nationality.

UCLA currently has one of the top three Buddhist studies
programs in the United States, according to the Center for Buddhist
Studies Web site, which takes into consideration the faculty size
and quality at UCLA, as well as the breadth of coverage in the
subject.

Jen Pham, a third-year psychobiology student who used to teach
Vietnamese in a Buddhist temple next to her house and plans to do
the same again this summer, relayed the importance of the Buddhist
studies program at UCLA.

“I think this program will be beneficial for students and
the UCLA community because this will benefit those who want to know
and learn more about Buddhism,” she said. “Moreover, I
think having a belief will be necessary because people nowadays
face more changes in society, and they have more challenges. And I
think if people have a belief, people will not feel lost and become
stronger when facing obstacles.”

The Los Angeles community, which has especially seen great
influxes of immigration from all areas of the world, is flush in
its diverse cultures and history.

Southern California specifically has seen a great growth of
people of Asian ancestry, and this growing population with its rich
cultures is reflected at UCLA and its academic reach.

“With the growing percentage of UCLA students of Asian
heritage, the center acts as a way to serve students interested in
studying their ancestral cultures,” said Robert E. Buswell,
Jr., director and founder of UCLA’s Center for Buddhist
Studies.

UCLA at this time has the largest Buddhist studies program of
any university outside Asia. The university has four full-time
faculty who are Buddhist specialists, and additionally two faculty
members in art history who specialize in Buddhist art.

“It was (established) in recognition of the major
commitment UCLA had made to building the premier program in
Buddhist studies in the United States. The center was also among
the first such centers anywhere in the country devoted specifically
to Buddhist studies. The center enabled UCLA to spearhead the
compilation of the first complete Encyclopedia of Buddhism to be
published in the West,” Buswell said. The encyclopedia was
published in 2004 by Macmillan Reference.

The Center for Buddhist Studies at UCLA, founded in July of
2000, houses numerous specialists who understand and teach the
different facets of Buddhism. The center is research-oriented and
regularly sponsors conferences, colloquia, workshops and
symposia.

The Center for Buddhist Studies is affiliated with UCLA’s
Asia Institute, and was founded by the UCLA College, with support
and funding provided from the UCLA College’s humanities and
international divisions, according to its Web site.

“The center was established as a means to recognize the
rapid growth in UCLA’s study of Buddhism across several
different departments, from Asian languages and cultures, to art
history, to anthropology. The center’s activities bring
together faculty and students in Buddhist studies to broaden
UCLA’s coverage of the field. The center holds various events
and programs dedicated to the exploration of Buddhism and expanding
its reach,” Buswell said.

Furthermore, UCLA has numerous courses and academic studies
devoted to the discipline, which include courses in anthropology,
art history, Chinese, Asian languages and cultures, Japanese and
Korean.

This quarter, there is a sociology Fiat Lux freshman seminar
titled “Zen and the Art of Cooperation: Buddhist Approaches
to Peacemaking,” which is not part of the Center for Buddhist
Studies program but explores Zen Buddhism as a system of social
psychology that has evolved for thousands of years.

UCLA is the only institution that offers both comprehensive
undergraduate and graduate curricula in Buddhist studies, and
courses offered at UCLA encompass a wide array of subjects related
to it.

“UCLA is one of the few universities that offers a
complete curriculum in Buddhist studies at both the undergraduate
and graduate levels. The undergraduate major in Asian Religions
administered by the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures
focuses primarily on Buddhist studies and is the first such major
offered at any university in the Western world. We enable students
to engage in in-depth study of Buddhism,” Buswell said.

UCLA also houses numerous institutes devoted to Asian studies,
including the UCLA Asia Institute, which promotes Asian studies at
UCLA and uses outreach activities like public symposia to garner
greater understanding of Asia, as well as the UCLA International
Institute, which is dedicated to educating global citizens.

Various Buddhist clubs and associations also have chapters at
UCLA, such as the University Buddhist Association, a group of
students, faculty and staff that holds both social and educational
activities including bonfires, trips to Buddhist temples and
meditation sessions in order to learn about Buddhism and the
Buddhist community.

In addition to academics, the Fowler Museum of Cultural History
has had various Buddhist exhibits, as well as exhibits that feature
works of Asian ancestry, open to the public. Past displays have
included a photography show titled “Visions of Buddhist
Life” in 2004 and an art exhibit from October 2003 to January
2004 titled “From the Verandah: Art, Buddhism,
Presence.”

Programs like these allow students and the UCLA community at
large to become better associated with Buddhism and its role
today.

For instance, the Center for Buddhist Studies, along with the
UCLA Asia Institute, will sponsor a colloquium with Alexander von
Rospatt, a UC Berkeley professor, on April 22.

The colloquium, “The Sacred Origins of the Svayambhcaitya
and the Kathmandu Valley,” will examine the beginnings of
this caitya, one of the most important shrines for the Newar
Buddhists, and the reasons for its erection more than 1,500 years
ago.

Also, the Center for Buddhist Studies and the UCLA Asia
Institute will sponsor a colloquium scheduled for April 29, with
Robert Sharf of UC Berkeley, titled “The Ritual Function of
the Dunhuang Grottoes.”

The colloquium will explore a possible function of the Mogao
cave complex of Dunhuang, China.

Though many scholars have hypothesized that these rock-cut caves
were used for monastic purposes, Sharf will use architectural,
visual and inscriptional evidence to argue that the caves
functioned as family or clan shrines.

Thus, there are many opportunities at UCLA for students with
Asian ancestry, or just those interested in exploring a rich
culture and history, to explore Buddhism and its reaches.

“I find that this is a good way to learn about the
Buddhist religion, and there are many practices within Buddhism
that can be very beneficial in everyday life,” said Nathan
Tran, a third-year mathematics student.