UPEI will host the 2023 Asian Studies International Conference on “Mind and Mind Cultivation in Korean Philosophy and Religion: Buddhist, Confucian, Related, and Contemporary Perspectives,” on June 22 and 23, SDU Main Building, Faculty Lounge.

Conference invitation poster

Conference program

The conference is hosted by UPEI, funded by its Korean Studies Seed Program project, and organized by UPEI’s Asian Studies and Korean Studies in consultation with the American Philosophical Association (APA), American Academy of Religion (AAR), and the North American Korean Philosophy Association.

The conference will open on June 22 with a reception at 8:45 am, and the opening ceremony from 9:00-9:20 am.  The opening ceremony will include a welcome address by Dr. Greg Keefe, UPEI President and Vice-Chancellor (Interim); a congratulatory message by Dr. Young-Kyun Yang, Director of Korean Studies Promotion Service, the Academy of Korean Studies, Korea; and a thank you address by Dr. Greg Naterer, Vice-President Academic and Research.

From 9:20 to 10:05 am, Dr. Robert E. Buswell Jr., Distinguished Research Professor and Founding Director of the UCLA Center for Buddhist Studies and Center for Korean Studies, University of California–Los Angeles, will give the keynote speech, titled “Mind and Mind Cultivation in Korean Zen Buddhism."

The conference will feature five fascinating panels with fourteen prominent scholars from USA, Canada, and Korea who will present and discuss their papers:

Thursday, June 23:

Session 1 (10:15-11:20 am): Korean Buddhism on Mind and Mind Cultivation: Textual & Practical. 

Session 2 (11:30 am-12:35 pm): Buddhism and Related Topics on Self-cultivation: Modern Transformation, Gender, and Dietary Practice. 

Session 3 (1:30-3:40 pm): Korean Confucianism on Mind and Mind Cultivation: Textual, Ethical, and Practical. 

Friday, June 23:

Session 4 (10:20 am-12:00 pm): Confucianism on Mind and Mind Cultivation: Unorthodox, Comparative, and Contemporary Reflections.

Session 5 (1:00-2:10 pm): Philosophy and Religion in General: Comparative, Historical, and Cultural Perspectives. 

Everyone is invited. For more information, contact Dr. Edward Chung, Asian Studies & Korean Studies Project Director, SDU Main Building 413, chung@upei.ca, 902-566-0324 (o).

Special acknowledgment: This conference is supported by an international Seed Program for Korean Studies grant (AKS-2022-INC-2230004) through the Ministry of Education, Republic of Korea and Korean Studies Promotion Service (KSPS), the Academy of Korean Studies (AKS).