Events
Fafang’s Conception of Humanistic Buddhism
15 May 2026
15:00 ~ 17:00
Room 220, Fung King Hey Building, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)
Assistant Prof. Yu Sang
University of Sydney
Yu Sang is a lecturer (assistant professor) in Chinese Studies in the School of Languages and Cultures at the University of Sydney. She holds a PhD from the Australian National University and an MA (Research) from the University of Sydney. Her main research interests include Chinese philosophy and religion, particularly Buddhism and Confucianism, as well as the intellectual history of modern China. She has published book chapters and journal articles in both English and Chinese on these topics, and is the author of a monograph on the ti-yong 體用 metaphysics of Xiong Shili 熊十力 (1885–1968), a founding figure of the modern New Confucian school. She is currently exploring the development of Humanistic Buddhism, with a particular interest in the thought and activities of Fafang 法舫 (1904–1951).
cshb@cuhk.edu.hk
3943 0646
Fafang 法舫 (1904–1951) was a prominent scholar-monk who made great contributions to China’s Buddhist reform during the first half of the twentieth century. He inherited and further developed the concept of “Humanistic Buddhism” (renjian fojiao 人間佛教), which is often associated with the reformist vision of his teacher Taixu 太虛 (1890–1947), offering a systematic and philosophically rich interpretation that has not received sufficient scholarly attention, particularly in English-language scholarship. Situating Fafang’s thought within the broader context of modern China, this talk introduces his conception of Humanistic Buddhism, including its definition and historical foundations, as well as his articulation of the reasons for its establishment, its significance, and the approaches he proposed for its realisation. By foregrounding Fafang’s contributions, this study provides a more nuanced understanding of the diversity and complexity of Humanistic Buddhism in the twentieth century.
Language: Mandarin
