Call for Proposals: CILS 10th Annual Symposium

A wonderful professional development opportunity for teachers and educators who want to learn more about Asian history and culture.
A unique study tour during which educators can learn, see and feel through interactions with historians, academics, educators, activists and survivors at places where history occurred.
Financial grant of up to $1,500 available. Please check details at Peace and Reconciliation Study Tour<http://torontoalpha.org/index.php/educators/mandate>.
Please note that the application due date is March 28th, 2014 (Friday).

·         The China Scholarship Council is seeking applications from Canadian academics, students and professionals who wish to study or conduct research in subject areas related to China at participating Chinese institutions. Scholarships are available for studies and research, for a combination of studies and language studies or for language studies only.
·         The scholarship is tenable for a period of four to 12 months for students and no less than eight weeks in the case of midcareer professionals, professors and researchers.
·         The Canada-China Scholars’ Exchange Program is based on reciprocal agreements between the Government of Canada and the Government of the People’s Republic of China.
·         Deadline: March 25, 2014
·         For more information, visit Canada-China Scholars’ Exchange Program<http://www.scholarships-bourses.gc.ca/scholarships-bourses/can/ccsep-peucc.aspx?lang=eng&utm_source=Scholarships&utm_medium=CBIEemailEN&utm_content=EN&utm_campaign=CanChinaSEP>.

​To whom it may concern:
We would like to bring to your attention the summer program < 2014 Fo ​ Guang Buddhist Monastic Retreat >, that you may forward the information to any of your undergraduate or graduate students who may be interested, and encourage them to apply.
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2014 Fo Guang Buddhist Monastic Retreat
What:  Fo Guang Buddhist Monastic Retreat
Where:  Fo Guang Shan Monastery, Taiwan RoC
When:  2014, Summer, June 26th 6am to July 24th 5pm—28 days total
Who:  50-60 university / college students or graduates within 3 years after graduation aged 18-35 with an interest in experiencing authentic Chinese Buddhist monastic life How Much:  Free!  (Travel costs to and from the Retreat not included.) Retreat Website:  <<http://www.fgs.org.tw/events/fgmonasticretreat/ >> Apply Online: << Apply Online Here<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1r5zCoqGFlW3gotG-sikD5CRy-I3RQeTWWCaJ5BXbNiM/viewform> >>  Applications close April 15th 2014 ​​
What is the Fo Guang Buddhist Monastic Retreat?
The Fo Guang Buddhist Monastic Retreat is an opportunity for English speaking university / college students and recent graduates to experience one month of authentic Chinese Buddhist monastic life at Fo Guang Shan Monastery in Taiwan. The full program features four distinct phases:
A: Orientation, Monastic Life, Buddhist Studies Classes (14 days) A full day of orientation to the monastic lifestyle, followed by two weeks of morning meditation, Buddhist studies classes, getting to know the monastery, vegetarian meals, Dharma talks, and evening chanting.
B: Intensive Chán Meditation Retreat (7 days) Seven days in a silent intensive meditation retreat, putting the theory to practice, to understand the mind as deep as one can go.
C: International Youth Seminar on Life and Chán (4 days) Participation in a large scale modern Buddhist youth conference with over 1000 students from all over the world.
D: Tour of Taiwan (3 days)
Tour the “treasure island” of Taiwan Formosa, seeing the sights, and experiencing the local culture, staying at different temples along the way.
Who should apply?
The Retreat is aimed at and designed for English speaking university / college students and recent graduates aged 18-35 years old who would like to have an authentic experience of Chinese Buddhist monastic life.
Are there any admission fees?
There are no admission fees for the Retreat.  For the entire duration of the Retreat, all accommodation, meals and so forth will be covered by Fo Guang Shan Monastery.  However, airfare to and from the Monastery in Taiwan, personal expenses, such as buying phone cards, free time snacks or beverages, items and gifts purchased during the cultural tour and so forth, as well as personal hygiene products needed during the retreat will be the student’s own responsibility.
FAQ
*  Buddhist monastic ethics take five basic principles as its core:
–  To refrain from taking life;
–  To refrain from taking what is not given, i.e. theft;
–  To refrain from any form of sexual relations;
–  To refrain from lying;
–  To refrain from taking intoxicants such as alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (tea, coffee, and prescription medicines are permitted).
*  Chinese Buddhist monastic ethics also includes strict (lacto-ovo) vegetarianism.  Not only are all meals in the monastery vegetarian, but even bringing meat or meat products into the monastery is prohibited.
–  Inability to adhere to the above key rules may lead to the student being asked to leave the Retreat.
*  Participants are not required to take any formal Buddhist initiation, tonsure or ordination.  Nor are they required to wear monastic robes.
*  Participants are not required to shave their heads.  However, head and facial hair should be kept tidy and neat.
*  Clothing should be appropriately modest, and the uniforms reflect this.  During free time out of uniform, please do not wear tank-tops, mini-skirts, or otherwise overly revealing attire.
*  While use of personal electronic devices is permitted, such as mobile phones, pads / tablets, laptops, etc. we strongly encourage participants to make the most of an opportunity to be offline during the Retreat.
For any further questions please contact Fo Guang Buddhist Monastic Retreat:
< fgmonasticretreat@gmail.com<mailto:fgmonasticretreat@gmail.com> >.
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Thank you for your kind attention,
​Yours,
(Ven. Dr.)
​​
SHI Huifeng (釋慧峰)
On behalf of the Fo Guang Buddhist Monastic Retreat Team http://www.fgs.org.tw/events/fgmonasticretreat/
​
Office: +886-3-9871000 #27219
Mobile:  +886-0-978050109
博士  助理教授  佛教學系
佛光大學  礁溪  台灣
PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Buddhist Studies, Fó Guāng University, Ilan County, Taiwan RoC http://buddhist.fgu.edu.tw/main.php
副住持  佛光山寺  高雄  台灣
Vice Abbot, Fó Guāng Shān Monastery, Kao Hsiung, Taiwan RoC http://www.fgs.org.tw/

Buddhism and Contemporary Society Programme
Tung Lin Kok Yuen 東蓮覺苑 Canada Foundation
Workshop  Buddhist perspectives on the work of care
University of British Columbia | Friday, May 9 to Saturday, May 10, 2014
Abstracts due: March 13, 2014
Papers due: May 23, 2014
Please submit a 100- word abstract and short bio to: bcsprogram@gmail.com by March 13, 2014 for consideration.
The program committee welcomes proposals for papers from academics, professionals, and graduate students interested by the influence of Buddhism on the work of care. The workshop will serves as the foundation for an edited volume or a special issue on that topic in a peer-reviewed journal.
The commodification of the work of care in the Asia-Pacific is emerging as one of the main social trends in the region, as populations are ageing and the structure of a constantly changing workforce exert increasing pressure on families, gender relations, and migration patterns which altogether have upset traditional modes of care-giving often centered on the household. In Japan and the other post-industrial economies of East Asia, the rapid ageing of the population has brought tremendous pressure on the public provision of health care and generated demand for the immigration of care providers to offset gaps in the workforce. In China, the government has responded to the lack of a robust social security with many measures, including the revitalization of family-based care provision. In this broad context, Buddhist institutions have emerged as important providers of social service, especially in long term and end-of-life care. In a broader social context in which gender inequalities in the work force remain rife, Buddhist women play a disproportionate role as provider of care, as lay volunteer but also as nuns.
Buddhist lay associations such as the Tzu Chi Foundation in Taiwan and the Tong Lin Kok Yuen Foundation in Hong Kong have emerged as important actors in the provision of care, with a special emphasis in long term care and end-of-life care, whether by running their own network of accredited general hospitals, like Tzu Chi, or supporting financially institutions for the aged and for mental rehabilitation, like the Tong Lin Kok Yuen Foundation. Even in China, the state is expecting Buddhist institutions to provide relief in crisis situations, and monks are increasingly acting as counselors for people in dire circumstances. In Thailand, where Buddhism is the religion of the majority and where temples used to be major providers of care, they remain last resort option and sources of support for HIV/AIDS victims. In Japan, where the Soka Gakkai is involved in governance in its position in the coalition government, Buddhism stands in a position to shape public policy on care. Yet, very little is known about the viability of Buddhist institutions as actors in the work of care, or about the views of Buddhist Sanghas on caring, beyond these anecdotal evidences. Our workshop seeks to take stock and assess how much Buddhist institutions contribute to the welfare mix of social policies, in particular with respect to the work of care.
Our workshop explores a series of question in relation to these trends, in relation to Buddhism, gender, and the work of care. It welcomes scholars in Buddhist studies, public policy, sociology, anthropology, and history. Questions that will be explored include, but are not limited, to the following:

• How sustainable is that approach as a palliative, if not as an alternative to the approaches relying on family-based care?
• Buddhist perspectives on the idea of care generally, or the idea of long-term and end-of-life care more specifically
• Debates over the role of Buddhist institutions, lay or monastic, as a provider of care
• Buddhism and gendered division of labor
• Differences between the Mahāyāna and Theravāda traditions on the issue of care

Applicants can cut and paste both their proposal and a short academic CV through submissions at our site at: http://www.ubc.ca/buddhiststudies/workshop/
The deadline for submissions is Friday March 13, 2014.  Participants will be notified by April 4th if their submission has been successful.
This workshop is generously supported by an endowment for the Program on Buddhism and Contemporary Society at The University of British Columbia, made possible by the Tung Lin Kok Yuen Canada Foundation.
Questions about this event may be addressed to Andre Laliberte, Visiting Professor and Chair of the Buddhism and Contemporary Society Program at: andre.laliberte@uottawa.ca , with the subject heading: workshop on Buddhism and the work of care.