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The Buddhist tradition is diverse. That reflects its antiquity and geographical spread. Also, this is not a revealed religion. So there has been no bar on the continuing development of new literatures in new languages. Indeed, this has been a constant feature of the tradition’s development. It has always been a phenomenon of civil society. Consider how it spread up the Silk Road to China: individuals travelled and spoke their understanding of it. As they gained local support, it took root. So the tradition grew afresh in each territory it reached. As it adapted to the new environment, it became deeply embedded. At the same time, there is a unity to the tradition. At a minimum, common characteristics are discernible across the range of Buddhist phenomena. So any academic unit that wants to do justice to this field of study must encompass a range of specialists in different languages, areas and periods. At the same time, it makes sense to study the tradition as a whole, relating its diverse manifestations across time and space. Those twin priorities inform the OCBS programme for the establishment of endowed posts. Whoever holds the Numata chair in Buddhist Studies will be expert in more than one major strand of Buddhism: the southern, the eastern and the central Asian. Then, it is intended to establish separate Lecturerships in: Those specialisms define one dimension of Buddhist Studies, the vertical axis as it were. On the horizontal axis, there is also a need to address features found equally in all major strands of the tradition.
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Academic Posts
