Theme: Tōseiden: A Retrospective History of the Vinaya Tradition 東征伝絵巻: 鑒真東渡與律宗傳統
Picture Scroll of the
Eastern Expedition (Tōseiden) depicts the Vinaya master Jianzhen’s arduous journey from China to Japan for the
purpose of conferring Buddhist precepts. This
visualized journey symbolizes the transmission of a dharma lineage and Vinaya
related texts across national boundaries. Tōseiden
is a complex cultural product, which involves the interrelation of image,
narrative, textual tradition, ritual, sacred geography, and historiography,
embedded in the milieu of the thirteenth century rather than in Jianzhen’s own
time. Moreover, what motivated the commission of Tōseiden
was common resurgent interest in the Vinaya that motivated the creation of
the reimagined journey of Jianzhen. The “reconstruction” of the transmission
history of the Vinaya is largely an attempt to transform the Vinaya tradition
from an idea to an event and to retell the story of Jianzhen in visualized
form. From the perspective of Sino-Japan cultural exchanges in terms of Vinaya
and precepts, this talk explores how a disrupted tradition can be
reimagined and reconstructed through the making of artworks.
Speaker: Professor Wang Xingyi 王星逸教授
Prof.
Wang Xingyi is an assistant professor at
Chinese University of Hong Kong since 2024. She is trained as a Buddhologist
specialized in East Asia Buddhist history and thought. Her research includes
Buddhist monasticism, Vinaya studies, Pure Land, ethics, Buddhist literature.
Born and raised in China, she received MTS (2015) from Harvard Divinity School
and Ph.D. (2021) from Harvard University. She is currently working on a
monograph on the commentarial tradition of the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya and the
formation of the Vinaya School through the cultural exchanges between Song
China and Kamakura Japan.
Date: 28 October 2025 (Tuesday)
Time: 4:00
p.m. – 4:30 p.m.︱ Tea Reception
4:30 p.m. – 6:00
p.m.︱ Talk
Venue: Activities Room, 2/F, Art Museum East Wing
Event details: Sharing and Q&A sessions
Language: English
Enquiry: 3943 0406 / ics-activities@cuhk.edu.hk
**Priority is given to CUHK staffs and students.**
