The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Endows Chair in Buddhist Studies

October 13 2011

Stanford’s first professorship dedicated to the study of Buddhism has been established thanks to a $2.5 million gift from The Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation, with matching funds from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

The chair, based in the Department of Religious Studies, builds upon the Ho Foundation’s $5 million gift in 2008 to establish the Ho Center for Buddhist Studies at Stanford and endow two doctoral fellowships.

“We are delighted to acknowledge the generosity and vision of the Ho Foundation,” said Paul Harrison, center co-director and the George Edwin Burnell Professor of Religious Studies. “This new gift reinforces our collaboration with the Ho Foundation to advance the academic study of Buddhism and promote wider public understanding of the Buddhist tradition.”

Harrison said the search for the inaugural Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation Professor, who will be a specialist in Chinese Buddhism, will begin this year. The scholar will take an active role in the work of the center and enhance its graduate program in Buddhist Studies.

Carl Bielefeldt, center co-director and the Evans-Wentz Professor in Religious Studies, said he is deeply grateful for the Ho Foundation’s support. “It ensures that Buddhist Studies will continue to be represented at the university, and that the Ho Center for Buddhist Studies will continue to benefit from senior faculty leadership in the field,” he said. “Stanford’s matching gift is a measure of its commitment to the study of Buddhism and its appreciation of the generous support of the Ho Family Foundation.”

In addition to Stanford, the Ho Foundation on Oct. 3 announced a $2.7 million grant to Harvard Divinity School to fund its new Buddhist Ministry Initiative. This effort will create the school’s first formal structure to enable master’s students to pursue studies in a distinctly non-Christian tradition.

A statement from the Ho Foundation noted that the two gifts break new ground by establishing a deeper connection between academic Buddhist scholarship and Buddhist practice. “The Ho family began working 10 years ago to build a global network of Buddhist learning, even before the foundation was formally established,” said Chairman Robert Y.C. Ho. “We believe that a deeper understanding of Buddhist philosophy can help nurture creativity; encourage greater integrity and ingenuity in confronting challenges; and foster effective and positive change, both for individuals and for societies.”

Established in Hong Kong in 2005, The Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation is a private philanthropic organization engaged in strategic, sustainable, and long-term projects in Hong Kong and around the world. Its mission is to foster and support Chinese arts and culture, and to promote deeper understanding of the teachings of the Buddha and apply them to everyday life. Since 2001, the Ho family has been building a global network through supporting Buddhist studies at leading universities. These include Stanford, Harvard, the University of Hong Kong, International Buddhist College in Thailand, and the University of British Columbia and the University of Toronto in Canada.