Table of Contents
- LECTURE > Jonathan Silk, "Editing without
an Ur-text," Otani University, 23 May
- Re: PASSING> Gene Reeves; May 8, 2019
LECTURE
> Jonathan Silk, "Editing without an Ur-text," Otani University,
23 May
by Tomomichi Nitta
Dear Colleagues,The International Buddhist Studies Research Group at Otani University's Shin Buddhist Comprehensive Research Institute will host a lecture by Jonathan Silk (Professor, Leiden University) entitled "Editing without an Ur-text: Buddhist Sūtras, Rabbinic Text Criticism, and the Open Philology Digital Humanities Project" on 23 May, 2019, from 14:40 to 16:10 in the Multimedia Seminar Room on the third floor of the Korukan 響流館 at Otani University's main campus.
There is no fee for participation and no need to register in advance.
See below for the abstract.
Title: "Editing without an Ur-text: Buddhist Sūtras, Rabbinic Text Criticism, and the Open Philology Digital Humanities Project"
Speaker: Jonathan Silk (Professor, Leiden University)
Abstract:
The works attributed to Homer, folktales, Rabbinic literature and Buddhist scriptures share the feature that they all lack an Ur-text, an originally core. How are we to understand the nature of such literature, and how are we to edit it in a fashion that does not impose a unitary perspective onto what is inherently diverse and fluid? The ERC-funded Open Philology project is building a digital environment within which to edit Buddhist scriptures. This lecture introduces the problem of fluid texts, sketches how reflections on Rabbinic and Biblical literature shed light on it, and outlines the approach being taken by our team to our multi-lingual corpora of Buddhist materials.
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Refer to the following link for information about the location of the campus and a campus map.
http://www.otani.ac.jp/annai/nab3mq0000000ze8.html
Sincerely,
Tomomichi Nitta (Associate Professor, Otani University)
Re:
PASSING> Gene Reeves; May 8, 2019
by Taigen Dan
This is not a full or proper
obituary for Gene Reeves, but just some information.Gene Reeves passed away Tuesday evening at his Chicago home surrounded by family and friends. He was 86 years old. He had been in hospital in Tokyo for seven months for multiple myeloma, then back in hospitals in Chicago for more than a month, before returning to hospice in his Chicago home. I was grateful to be able to say goodbye Monday, though Gene was no longer able to speak. Tuesday he was joined by Rissho Kosei-kai colleagues chanting the Lotus Sutra for him. Gene's wife Yayoi says, "His passing was beautiful and graceful. He took a deep breath quietly and opened his palm slowly as if the petal was starting to bloom."
Many of us were grateful to participate in the Rissho Kosei-kai sponsored International Seminar on the Lotus Sutra organized by Gene in Japan and elsewhere on topics related to the Lotus Sutra. Gene Reeves was a former Professor at the University of Chicago Divinity School and former Dean of Meadville Lombard Unitarian Universalist Seminary. Gene also taught at the University of Tsukuba in Japan, Renmin University of China, and was a visiting professor at the University of Beijing, China. He was one of the founders of the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions, and was a member of the Board of the Society for Buddhist Christian Studies.
His many publications include the books, The Lotus Sutra: A Contemporary Translation of a Buddhist Classic; Stories of the Lotus Sutra; and his edited A Buddhist Kaleidoscope: Essays on the Lotus Sutra.
Gene Reeves was proud of his roots in Franklin, New Hampshire. Gene had many interests. He was a jazz afficionado who was friends with many fine musicians. He also marched with Dr. King when the latter was campaigning in Chicago, and later Gene was friends with Harold Washington, Chicago's first African-American mayor.
Dan Leighton, Graduate Theological Union
