Academic Policy

BASICS

OCBS academic policy and strategy will always be wholly compatible with those of Oxford University, as enunciated for instance in the Green Paper issued as a supplement to the Oxford University Gazette, Vol 135 (February 2005).

Within that framework, the OCBS:

  • is committed to the study of the Buddhist tradition in all its diversity and will always seek to relate particular manifestations to the tradition as a whole;
  • upholds the highest academic standards, both as an end in itself and as a means to the further end of widely diffusing accurate information about the Buddhist tradition.

LANGUAGE

The work of the OCBS will always rest on a firm foundation of linguistic competence, supported by competence in all other relevant disciplines.

  • In studying cultural phenomena, it is of course necessary to be familiar with the methods of the historical and social sciences. Equally, to apply such methods to cultures distinct from one’s own it is necessary first to be fully aware of their specificity.
  • Accordingly, students must aspire to use primary sources, written and oral, and to communicate with representatives of the tradition in their own languages.

TEACHING

OCBS aims to ensure that students are exposed to the complete range of methods, tools and approaches necessary for well-grounded academic research in Buddhist Studies and have the opportunity to become involved in collaborative research projects which exemplify the OCBS ideal. In relation to both taught courses and doctoral students, the OCBS will operate on the following principles:

Which areas to cover?

The OCBS covers the whole range of Buddhist Studies. Still, resources are limited, so there are questions about where and how to focus in the short and medium term:

  • In terms of method:
    • Philology is an Oxford speciality. There is much to do in this area, especially in the fundamental activity of critical editing.
      Philological investigation is, of course, important precisely as a means to illuminate historical developments and social and psychological realities. With that proviso, it is anticipated that this will be an early and continuing focus of the OCBS’ work.
      There are, however, few people available to do this work. So an important element of the OCBS mission must be to train more.
    • Once students have the language skills necessary to access their chosen materials, they must process what they find there. Here the OCBS approach recognises that the Buddhist tradition is a social phenomenon with a long history. The psychological and philosophical concomitants of this phenomenon are essential to its persistence and its interest. Its analysis must rest on social science; historical, psychological and philosophical perspectives will always be vital.
    • Generally speaking, the OCBS approach is to relate:
      • texts to their historical and social context, i.e. their past and present uses; and
      • contemporary and historical phenomena to their intellectual, social, psychological and philosophical background, as evidenced in texts they refer to, whether explicitly or implicitly.
    • The OCBS intends also to find a prominent place for art history and for literary approaches. Such disciplines as epigraphy, numismatics, archaeology and architecture will be important too.

In what structures?

The subject is already taught to undergraduates as part of the Oriental Studies degree in Sanskrit-with-Pali, Sanskrit-with-Tibetan and Chinese-with-Tibetan, and to Theology students who choose Track Three (which involves two papers on Buddhism). The scope for expansion here is in the first instance greatest among the Theology students, who will be offered Pali as a language option as soon as the OCBS can guarantee the relevant teaching. It is intended to offer that guarantee as soon as possible.

Apart from that, Oxford has no immediate prospect of competing with the ability of Bristol and SOAS to offer undergraduate places and first degrees in Buddhist Studies. So for the time being the main focus will be on graduate students; the OCBS will be a centre of excellence for doctoral research.
The first step in an expansion programme is to develop an M Phil. This will include an option for those who do not yet have any Buddhist language. For it may be that some will come to Buddhist Studies from fields like History or PPE. This will be welcome in many ways, for instance in building up links with allied groups in the University like the Regional Studies Centre. There is also scope for developing the M St.

    • The existing option for an M St in Oriental Studies will allow a student to develop expertise in, say, Pali or Buddhist Sanskrit.
    • Theology offers an M St in the Study of Religions, which has a Buddhist option. Unfortunately, this does not involve studying sources in their original language and so does not accord with our basic policy.
    • An M St specifically denominated as Buddhist Studies will raise the profile of the subject. It is intended to design a programme for students — Sangha members, say — who arrive equipped with a Buddhist language but have relatively little familiarity with the ways in which texts are interpreted in an academic context.

With what students?

Overseas students are likely to form a significant proportion of the OCBS’ intake. A good number will be Sangha members and others with similar backgrounds or training.

RESEARCH

It has from the first been clear to all that there is much research to be done. Large-scale projects are in prospect, involving specialists in different languages and periods.
Accordingly, the OCBS offers a framework within which scholars can collaborate on research. In this, it has something in common with a science lab. People will always have individual research interests, but the Centre’s major research projects will involve many or even all of the academic team in some capacity.
The OCBS organises its research effort in a series of (often interdisciplinary) project-based work groups. Groups planned or already in formation include:

  • State & Civil Society:
    Exploring the social dimension of the Buddhist tradition and the forms the ‘third sector’ takes in Buddhist Societies.
  • Text Editing:
    Working from manuscript and other sources to establish the historical record.
  • History of Ideas:
    How the ethical, psychological and philosophical categories and arguments associated with the Buddhist tradition have evolved.
  • Art & Literature:
    How visual and narrative forms have reflected and affected the history of Buddhist ideas.