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Research at HCBSS

HCBSS provides various types of support for research and publication by faculty, students, and visiting scholars.

The HCBSS Library
The Center maintains a reference library and reading room open to all members of the Stanford community.  The library, which includes the 3000-volume Michel Strickmann collection, is built around primary texts and reference works on Buddhism and other Asian religions in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Sanskrit, Pali, and Tibetan.  HCBSS is actively developing its collection through purchases and donations, and is working with other Stanford libraries to expand the university’s resources for the study of Asian religions.

Research Fellows Program
HCBSS hosts visiting scholars, postdoctoral fellows, and doctoral students from other universities to do research and writing at Stanford on Buddhist Studies and related subjects. Since the founding of the Center, over sixty scholars from around the world have taken advantage of this program, which provides research assistance, incidental research expenses, and opportunities to participate in the activities of the Center. The program runs an annual Fellows Colloquium.

Research Seminars, Workshops, and Conferences
HCBSS offers an annual weekend seminar that brings a scholar to campus to work on Buddhist materials with faculty, students, and research fellows. It develops workshops and conferences that bring scholars to campus for team projects.

Research Projects
HCBSS develops and administers research projects of Stanford faculty and students, in conjunction with scholars at other institutions.  Current efforts include a project on Buddhist Sanskrit manuscripts, a study of the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra, and a translation of the scriptural corpus of the Sōtō Zen school.