Buddhist Higher Education During The Contemporary Era, A Comparatime Study Of China And Vietnam;

Buddhism is a major world religion, which was founded in India by Sakyamuni in the early sixth century B.C.E. to teach beings how to obtain freedom and happiness. Buddhist education is one a branch of Asian higher education. The most representative Buddhist educational institutions are mostly Indian Buddhist institutions of traditional Asian higher education, including Nalanda, Vikiramasila, Odantapura, Jagaddala, and others.The author, a Buddhist disciple and a graduate of the Vietnam Buddhist University, having a keen interest in Buddhist education, has conducted an in-depth study of Buddhist higher education in China and Vietnam.It has been over 2000 years since Buddhism entered China and Vietnam. Buddhist thought, culture, pedagogy, aesthetics, and values have long been integrated into mainstream thought in China and Vietnam and have profoundly influenced both countries. This is also the case with regard to their educational histories and pedagogical practices. Two representative institutions of Buddhist higher education, the Institute of Buddhism in Beijing, China and Institute of Buddhism in Ho Chi Minh City of Vietnam, have been selected as the focal institutions for this comparative study, which is organized into four parts:The first part elaborates the historical evolution of Buddhist education in China and Vietnam. In the second half of the 19th century, Western powers opened the doors of the Asian countries, bringing their technological civilizations to the East and causing cultural collisions. Buddhist education began to adopt Western educational modes. In China, Buddhist education gradually shifted from traditional forms of rural education to the modern form of Buddhist Institute. In addition, Buddhist education became more widely available to local communities with the founding of many basic level schools. In Vietnam, the traditional tutorial form of Buddhist education gradually evolved into modern Buddhist Institute. Meanwhile, for the purpose of improving the social education function, the Buddhist community established a number of relatively complete common schools from primary to University levels. Nevertheless, the development of Buddhist education in the two countries was very different as a result of their different historical evolutions and national characteristics.In the second part, the author compares the cases of the college students of Chinese Buddhist Academy and Vietnam Buddhist Academy. Since the 1980s, China and Vietnam began to embark on reform programs, which reinvigorated all aspects of society. In this context, the religious policies were transformed, religious activities were restored, and the original Buddhist institutes returned to operation, giving increased numbers of young people greater opportunities to study Buddhism. However, Buddhist college students in China and Vietnam differ greatly in their cultural levels, Buddhist knowledge, age, and personal qualities.In the third part, the author compares the faculty at the Chinese and Vietnamese Buddhist Institutes. Generally, the teaching faculty employed at the Buddhist Institutes in China and in Vietnam are of two kinds:temporalin structors and ordained monastic educators. As there are distinct differences in Buddhist learning engagement and also in Buddhism itself in the Buddhist Institutes of the two countries, the teachers and subjects of instruction also differ from one another, reflecting teachers’gender, subjects of instruction, professional degrees, etc. As a result, the relationship between the academic and the Buddhist domains is different, which is not only manifested in the differences among teachers but also in the different emphases placed on Buddhist studies in the universities of the two countries.In the fourth part, the author compares the curricula in the Chinese and Vietnamese Buddhist Institutes. The Chinese Buddhist Academy attaches great importance to the Eight Chinese Buddhist sects, reflected in the curricula of Buddhism and ancient languages. The Chinese Buddhist Academy possesses the principle of "the rural Buddhist academy" and "learning integration," which leads to the emphasis on knowledge of Buddhism, with relatively few social science courses. Buddhist education seems to be confined inside the Buddhist community and somewhat out of touch with secular life and social education. Buddhist education retains a strong traditional color. Vietnamese Buddhism is not only deeply influenced by Chinese Buddhism, but at the same time it fuses Northern and Southern Buddhist thought. With the exception of the spread of Buddhist knowledge, the Vietnam Buddhist Institute is trying to narrow the distance between the society and the Buddhist community. In terms of curriculum, many courses are taught from a Buddhist perspective but involve current topics and social science disciplines in order to bring Buddhist insights and practices into society. Furthermore, the Vietnam Buddhist Institute has begun to offer many socially and even vocationally oriented courses, which reflects its more worldly focus in comparison with the Chinese Buddhist Institute.