Buddhist Studies Group, NUS

The Buddhist Studies Group warmly congratulates our outstanding graduates on reaching this important milestone. We are proud to celebrate Xiang-Yun Ng, who completed her MA by Research with the thesis "Becoming a ‘Modern Sangha’: The Life and Times of Daxing, 1900–1952"; Guan-Fan Tan, whose MA by Research thesis is "Bonding with Buddha: Tang Buddhist Heritage through Famen Temple Museum's Traveling Exhibitions, 1999–2011" and who was also named the FASS valedictorian; and Weikai D**g, whose MA by Research thesis is "Dharma for the Lay: The Singapore Chinese Buddhist Association, 1927–Present." We also extend our congratulations to Tiffany Koh on earning her BA (Hons) with the thesis "Sacred Spaces in Transition: Poo Thor Jee Temple and the Transformation of Buddhism in Singapore."

Together, their research reflects the growing interest in Buddhist Studies at NUS, with a new generation of scholars offering fresh perspectives on Buddhist history, heritage, and communities across China and Southeast Asia. We are immensely proud of their intellectual curiosity and commitment to scholarship, and we look forward to seeing the many ways they will continue to contribute to the field and beyond.

Congratulations once again to Xiang-Yun, Guan-Fan, Weikai, and Tiffany on these well-deserved achievements!

BSG graduate student Bowen Liao was interviewed about his book, "Bujang Valley: Heritage, Archaeology, and National Identity." Check out the interview below!

The Lost Civilisation We Don’t Talk About | with Bowen Liao 📚 Get the book here: https://www.gerakbudaya.com/product/bujang-val...

Buddhist Studies Group wishes everyone a blessed Vesak. May all beings be well and happy! 🪷

Call For Papers | At the Crossroads: Dunhuang and Its Global Connections

Date: 08 Jan 2027 - 10 Jan 2027
Venue: National University of Singapore & Asian Civilisations Museum

CFP | At the Crossroads: Dunhuang and Its Global Connections » Asia Research Institute, NUS CALL FOR PAPERS DEADLINE: 15 JULY 2026 The Asian Civilisations Museum, in collaboration with the Courtauld Institute, the Asia Research Institute (National University of Singapore), the Harvard-Yenching Institute, and the Dunhuang Foundation, will host a three-day international conference in Singapo...

We are delighted to share that the "Taixu in Singapore: A 100-Year Commemoration" exhibition, curated by BSG Chair A/Prof Jack Meng-Tat Chia, has been newly relocated to the Wan Boo Sow Chinese Library, Level 6 (North Wing), where it will remain on view until 31 July 2026. We warmly invite you to visit the exhibition and explore this special commemoration!

A wonderful way to conclude this semester’s Foo Hai Seminar Series, with an engaging and thought-provoking talk by our very own Jesse LeFebvre. Many thanks to Jesse for his talk, “Generative Karma: Buddhist Disaster Response in Medieval Japan,” and to all colleagues, students, and friends who joined us for this final seminar of the term. It has been a real pleasure building this space for conversation and exchange together.

Wishing everyone a restful break, and we look forward to seeing you again this fall!

We are pleased to share that the video recording of the book launch for "Figures of Buddhist Diplomacy in Modern Asia" (Bloomsbury, 2026) is now available on YouTube. The event brought together colleagues, students, and friends for a thoughtful conversation on the role of Buddhism in diplomacy and transnational networks in the modern world.

We warmly invite you to watch the full recording here:

NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Book Launch: Figures of Buddhist Diplomacy in Modern Asia