excerpted from the Institute of Asian Research Annual Report 2008-2009.
By Gustaaf Houtman.
During my tenure at UBC, I taught Introduction to Buddhism (ASIA 250) and the graduate seminar on Buddhism and Politics in Burma (IAR515B). Both were a delight to teach. Students at UBC are highly motivated and the AV facilities are excellent.
A family offers a meal to a senior Buddhist monk, Mandalay 2003 (photo courtesy of Dr. Houtman).
For Asia 250, I managed to arrange three visits by a Burmese and a Sinhalese monk. These visits were received particularly well by students, who asked many questions about the guests’ lives as monks. Of particular note is the student interest in contemporary Buddhism on topics such as: the saffron revolution; tree ordination; Buddhist concepts underlying Aung San Suu Kyi’s idea of “freedom from fear” and “revolution of the spirit”; introduction of meditation into prison (for which two videos were of particular interest); Schumacher’s Buddhist economics, etc.
In addition to teaching these courses, I gave six lectures / presentations: a guest lecture at Tineke Hellwig’s Southeast Asian Studies course; a brief introduction to the presentation prior to a showing of the documentary Burma VJ, which deals with the saffron revolution, (followed by leading the film’s subsequent discussion) at St. John’s College; a paper at the UN Vesak Day in Bangkok, May 2-7, 2009 (http://www.icundv.com/seminar03.php); as well as a lecture at the UBC Department of Anthropology, and another at the Humanities Centre of Oregon State University in mid-May.
A senior Buddhist monk instructs his disciples, Mandalay 2003 (photo courtesy of Dr. Houtman).
I made many new friends at the Asian Studies Department, the Institute of Asian Research, and at St. John’s College, where I lived during this period. I would particularly like to pursue a project with Dr. Timothy Cheek on the concept of revolution in Asia (to which I can contribute research into Buddhist and vernacular Burmese ideas of revolution). I value especially the contacts I established with my colleagues in both Southeast Asian and Tibetan studies since these provided some of the best connections with my own research. Thanks especially to the help of Fay Sims, who facilitated the quick organization of events at St. John’s College. It was mainly through these events that I was able to foster ties between members of the Theravada Buddhist community in Canada and at UBC. Hopefully, this community can be drawn upon by Jessica Main, incoming Tung Lin Kok Yuen Canada Foundation Chair, once she teaches her course and organizes speakers and events for the Buddhism and Contemporary Society Program.
I also tried to reach out beyond the Department of Asian Studies and IAR. For example, I met scholars interested in the study of the effects of meditation on the brain. I also had lunch with John Barker, Head of the Department of Anthropology, and with other members of the Department. My meeting with Mary Lynne Young, Head of the School of Journalism, and Candis Callison, the newly appointed anthropologist in the School of Journalism, issued a discussion that may yet bear fruit; namely how we might creatively combine anthropology and journalism. I proposed putting together a course focusing on topical issues covered in Anthropology Today. Hopefully, arrangements can be made for me to provide input into the School as this would be mutually beneficial for both Anthropology Today and the School of Journalism.
One outcome of presenting a paper at UN Vesak day was that I met Kate Crosby for the first time, who invited me to teach her course on the social dimensions of Buddhism at SOAS while she is on leave next year. We hope to work on joint projects in the future where possible. Also during my tenure at UBC, I joined a broad interdisciplinary project in Norway set up by Halvor Eifring on “Cultural Histories of Meditation.” The above contacts will be of great value in interdisciplinary collaboration and I shall be happy to assist in fostering interdisciplinary engagement among IAR, Asian Studies, Anthropology, and Journalism at UBC should the opportunity arise. I edited and produced the April and June issues of Anthropology Today and made several contacts which will be reflected in the future content of the journal (including contributors on the upcoming Olympic Games and an interview with Anthony Shelton on the Museum of Anthropology). Furthermore, I met and shared experiences with the editors of Pacific Affairs for our respective journals. In sum, I feel greatly privileged to have encountered so many interesting scholars at UBC. I can highly recommend the Institute of Asian Research and the Program on Buddhism and Contemporary Society to future scholars.