New era in Buddhist Studies at UCC
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New era in Buddhist Studies at UCC
03.02.2012

In another ‘first’ for the pioneering Study of Religions department at UCC, a research post in Buddhist Studies has been established at the university. It is one of three fellowships awarded jointly to Oxford University, King’s College London, and UCC. To mark the award, senior Thai Buddhist monk Ven. Veera Vingvorn and eminent Buddhist Studies expert Dr Kate Crosby of London University’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) visited UCC on Friday 3rd February. During the course of their visit, they met UCC’s President Dr Michael Murphy and lectured to students.

 

The new research post is funded by a European charity supported by The Dhammakaya Foundation, a modern Buddhist movement with over a million members in Thailand. Dr Crosby is an academic advisor for the research project between Oxford, King’s and UCC.

The researcher now at UCC, Dr Phibul (pronounced ‘Pibun’) Choompolpaisal, will conduct research both at UCC and in Thailand. With Professor Brian Bocking of UCC, he will organise an international conference in Cork in September 2012 on ‘Pioneering Western Buddhists’. These include the once-famous “Irish Buddhist” U Dhammaloka.  Dhammaloka, a working class migrant from Dublin, arrived in Bangkok as a fully ordained Buddhist monk in 1903. He started a school there which still exists 109 years later.

Professor Brian Bocking, Head of UCC’s Department of the Study of Religions, is overseeing the UCC part of the research project.

Professor Bocking commented: “it has been a great year for the department and for UCC. In September 2011 we appointed Ireland’s first lecturer in Indian Religions, Dr Lidia Guzy. In December the Teaching Council of Ireland approved our ‘Religions and Global Diversity’ BA programme for intending teachers of Religious Education (RE). And now we have a full-time research post in Buddhist Studies, the first ever in the Republic”!

Study of Religions Dept. website http://www.ucc.ie/en/studyofreligions/

New MA Contemporary Religions http://www.ucc.ie/en/study/postgrad/what/acsss/masters/religion/

Picture L-R: Dr Kate Crosby, UCC President, Dr Michael Murphy, Thai Buddhist monk Ven. Veera Vingvorn and Professor Brian Bocking.



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