Buddhist Conference

The Institute for Humanistic Buddhist Thought & Practice at Trinity College, University of Toronto, is delighted to announce its International Inaugural Conference on the theme “Navigating Conflict: Humanistic Buddhism and Comparative Theology in a Divided World.”

This conference seeks to explore how Humanistic Buddhism can engage in comparative theological reflection with other religious traditions to deepen mutual understanding, spiritual insight, and ethical renewal, particularly in a divided global context. Rooted in the teachings of the historical Buddha and shaped by the Chinese Mahayana tradition, Humanistic Buddhism emphasises compassion, wisdom, and the transformation of everyday life—values that resonate across faiths and cultures. Yet what happens when traditions are themselves internally divided, or are located in a social-historical context that sets them in apparent opposition with another tradition?

Through conversation with theological traditions such as Christianity, this conference aims to examine how various strands of Buddhism contribute to, or perhaps even complicate, global theological discourse. How might Buddhist teachings on interdependence, emptiness, and compassion inform comparative theology’s search for peace and reconciliation across differences? Conversely, how might comparative theology illuminate new dimensions of Humanistic Buddhist thought and practice that may serve as resources for bridging or healing divides in the face of conflict?

Bringing together scholars, monastics, practitioners, and theologians from around the world, the conference invites fresh perspectives on how religious traditions can and do intersect positively (and sometimes negatively) in an age of global pluralism and shared humanity.

DATE: From May 6 to May 8, 2026
LOCATIONS: Trinity College and Fo Guang Shan Temple of Toronto

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Rev. Dr Francis X. Clooney, S.J. (Harvard University)—a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and one of the world’s foremost voices in Comparative Theology. Clooney’s scholarship includes work on Sanskrit and Tamil religious texts, the Jesuit missionary tradition in India, and interreligious dialogue. He has authored influential books and articles, including translations and studies of Hindu theologians, has held leadership roles at Harvard, and received multiple honorary doctorates and academic honours.

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Dr Lewis R. Lancaster (University of California, Berkeley) is a pioneer in the digitisation of Buddhist texts, a practice now central to contemporary Buddhist scholarship. Over a distinguished six-decade career, he has published more than 75 articles and reviews and authored or edited numerous influential works, including Prajnaparamita and Related Systems, The Korean Buddhist Canon, Buddhist Scriptures, Early Ch’an in China and Tibet, and Assimilation of Buddhism in Korea. Among his most significant achievements is the creation of a descriptive catalogue and the digitisation of the Korean Buddhist Canon, for which he received the Jogye Order’s Grand Award in 2014.

PLENARY SPEAKERS

Rev. Dr Michelle Voss is an expert in comparative theology, specialising in Christian and Hindu contexts. Her scholarship encompasses aesthetics, gender, and embodiment. She is a professor of theology at Emmanuel College, where she served as principal and led the consolidation of the institution’s multireligious programs.

Rev. Dr Gregory Snyder (Union Theological Seminary) oversees the Master of Divinity program in Buddhism and Interreligious Engagement and leads the Thích Nhất Hạnh Program for Engaged Buddhism. His research interests encompass Buddhist liberatory practices, social transformation, and comparative studies in Buddhism, liberation theology, and Western continental theory, with a particular focus on phenomenology. His research investigates Buddhist frameworks for public, political, and liberation theologies, as well as the intersection of critical phenomenology and theories of collective karma.

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

:: Venue: Seeley Hall

12:00 p.m. to 12:55 p.m. | REGISTRATION & COFFEE/TEA RECEPTION

1:00 p.m. to 1:25 p.m. | WELCOME CEREMONY

Chair: Summer Sun

Opening Ceremony

Welcome remarks from:
Dr. Jizhang Yi, Director of the Institute for Humanistic Buddhist Thought & Practice (Trinity College, University of Toronto)
Nicholas Terpstra, Provost & Vice Chancellor (Trinity College, University of Toronto)
Ven. Miao Fan, Chancellor (Fo Guang Shan Institute of Humanistic Buddhism, Taiwan)

Unveiling Ceremony

1:30 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. | PLENARY PRESENTATION (30 MIN) | Q&A (15 MIN)

Chair: Dr. Christopher Brittain

Plenary Speaker
Rev. Dr. Michelle Voss (Emmanuel College, University of Toronto)
Comparative Theology for Humanistic Ends: Learning from the Margins in Divided Times

2:15 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. | COFFEE BREAK

2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. | PAPER PRESENTATIONS AND Q&A

Chair: Dr. SeungJung Kim

PANEL 1. Engaging Buddhist Thought through Historical Perspectives

Henry Shiu (Emmanuel College, University of Toronto)
A Historiographically Under-Recognized Precursor of Humanistic Buddhism (renjian fojiao 人間佛教):
Yang Wenhui (楊文會) and the Preconditions of the Revival of Modern Chinese Buddhism

Kenneth W. Holloway (Florida Atlantic University)
The History and Science of Bodily Cultivation in Humanistic Buddhism

Xia Demei (Institute of World Religions, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)
Ahiṃsā and the Changes of Social Concepts in China’s Middle Ages

4:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. | COFFEE BREAK

4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. | PAPER PRESENTATIONS AND Q&A

Chair: Dr. Cindy Choi

PANEL 2. Migration and Localisation of Humanistic Buddhism

Kazal Barua (Harvard University)
Humanistic Buddhism in Bangladesh: Expanding Monastic Roles and Community Development Across Religious Boundaries

Tzu-Lung Melody Chiu (Nanhua University, Taiwan)
Temples as Second Homes: Chinese Diaspora and Fo Guang Shan’s Transnational Networks in Europe

Wei-Yi Cheng (Fo Guang University) & Teng-Hsiang Chen (Fo Guang Shan Institute of Humanistic Buddhism, Taiwan)
Rethinking Migrants’ Buddhism: Religious Localisation and Cultural Hybridity

:: Venue: Strachan Hall

6:15 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. | DINNER

:: Venue: Seeley Hall

7:45 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. | PLENARY PRESENTATION (30 MIN) | Q&A (15 MIN)

Chair: Dr. Abrahim Khan

Plenary Speaker:
Rev. Dr Gregory Snyder (Union Theological Seminary, Columbia University)
Poverty, Shame, and Liberation: Considering a Critical Phenomenology of Collective Karma and Structural Sin

:: Venue: Seeley Hall

8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. | COFFEE/TEA RECEPTION

9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. | PAPER PRESENTATIONS AND Q&A

Chair: Dr. Bill M. Mak

PANEL 3. Humanistic Buddhist Practices in Comparative Perspective

Katherine Mae Gonzales Sabate, Heidi Salih Emelo-Ato, Miguel Antonio S. Lorino
(Guang Ming College Philippines)
Faith on the Plate: Guang Ming College Philippines’ Plant-Based Culinary Education in a Comparative Theological Framework

Miao Guang (Fo Guang Shan Institute of Humanistic Buddhism, Taiwan)
Encoding Compassion: Humanistic Buddhism, Dictionaries, and Interreligious Knowledge Structures

Zhi Guan & Stephanie Hong (Fo Guang Shan Temple of Toronto)
Compassion and Coexistence in Humanistic Buddhism: A Case Study of the Spiritual Care Project at Fo Guang Shan Temple of Toronto

10:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. | COFFEE BREAK

10:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. | PAPER PRESENTATIONS AND Q&A

Chair: Dr. Maria Majorie R. Purino

PANEL 4. Navigating Buddhism in Western and Modern Contexts

Jue Ji (Fo Guang Shan Xiang Yun Temple, Austin, USA)
Shaping a Prototypical Paradigm: Localisation of Buddhism in the West

Bill M. Mak (Needham Research Institute, Cambridge)
Peaceful Dialogues in the Time of Unpeace: Sino-Japanese Buddhist Cooperation and Interfaith Engagements in Wartime Hong Kong during WWII

:: Venue: Strachan Hall

12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. | LUNCH BREAK

:: Venue: Seeley Hall

1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. | PAPER PRESENTATIONS AND Q&A

Chair: Dr John Meehan

PANEL 5. Comparative Theology: Buddhist–Christian Dialogue

Christopher Brittain (Trinity College, University of Toronto)
Models for Anglican-Buddhist Engagement: encounter, synthesis, and comparative theology

Shou-Jen Kuo (University of the West)
Confessing sins from a karmic perspective of Humanistic Buddhism

Wang Xuemei (Northwest University of China)
“信 (xin)” in The Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana.

Jizhang Yi (Trinity College, University of Toronto)
Bridging Hsing Yun’s “I Am Buddha” and Kierkegaard’s “Subjectivity Is Truth”

3:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. | COFFEE BREAK

4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. | KEYNOTE ADDRESS + Q&A

Chair: Dr. Nicholas Terpstra

Keynote speaker:
Rev. Dr Francis X. Clooney, S.J. (Harvard University)
Humanism and Comparative Theology in our Multifaith Future

:: Venue: Seeley Hall

8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. | COFFEE/TEA RECEPTION

9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. | PAPER PRESENTATIONS AND Q&A

Chair: Dr. Elisa Freschi

PANEL 6. Comparative Theological Frameworks for Buddhist Ethics

Alex Grabiner (McGill University)
On Humanistic Buddhism and Political Movements

Maria Majorie R. Purino (Department of Philosophy, University of San Carlos)
The Ethics of Humanistic Buddhism

Elizabeth Dugu (Concordia University)
A Daoist Cosmological Ethic for Navigating Conflicts in the Global Landscape

10:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. | TRIP TO FO GUANG SHAN TEMPLE OF TORONTO

Bus departing from: St. Hilda’s College driveway – 44 Devonshire Place (north of Hoskin Ave)

:: Venue: Fo Guang Shan Temple of Toronto

12:00 p.m. to 1:25 p.m. | LUNCH BREAK

1:30 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. | KEYNOTE ADDRESS (30 MIN) | AND RESPONSE (15 MIN)

Chair: Dr. Joy Lidu Yi

Keynote Speaker: Lewis R. Lancaster (University of California, Berkeley)
Navigating Conflict: Humanistic Buddhism & Comparative Religion

Response: Miao Guang (Fo Guang Shan Institute of Humanistic Buddhism)

2:15 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. | COFFEE BREAK

2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. | PAPER PRESENTATIONS AND Q&A

Chair: Dr. Shou-Jen Kuo

PANEL 7. Practising and Translating Humanistic Buddhism Across Contexts

Eleanor Pontoriero (Department for the Study of Religion, University of Toronto)
Compassionate Engagement: Humanistic Buddhism, United Nations Interfaith Harmony, and Faith for Earth

Jue Qian (Fo Guang Shan Humanistic Buddhism Reading Association, Taiwan)
Reading, Attentive Listening, Communal Sharing, and Self-Awareness: Humanistic Buddhism Reading Association Responses to Modern Life Challenges.

Joy Lidu Yi (Florida International University)
Interreligious Translation, Ritual Practice, and Image-Making in the Sutra of the Divine Spells of Great Auspiciousness

4:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. | COFFEE BREAK

4:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. | CLOSING CEREMONY

Chair: Nancy Huang

Closing remarks and gifts

5:00 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. | TOUR OF FGS TEMPLE

6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. | DINNER

7:45 p.m. | DEPART TO TRINITY COLLEGE

Registration for this event is closed.

For questions, please email: trinity.buddhism@utoronto.ca

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

PLENARY SPEAKERS

DAY 1 — Wednesday, May 6, 2026 – 12:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.+

DAY 2 — Thursday, May 7, 2026 – 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.+

DAY 3 — Friday, May 8, 2026 – 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.+