Historical Meetings between I-Kuan-Tao Chong-De School (IKTCDS) President Lu and Harvard Divinity School (HDS) Dean Hempton and HDS Center for the Study of World Religions (CSWR) Director Stang
Historical Meetings between I-Kuan-Tao Chong-De School (IKTCDS) President Lu and Harvard Divinity School (HDS) Dean Hempton and HDS Center for the Study of World Religions (CSWR) Director Stang
Part 1：Historical Meeting between IKTCDS President Lu and HDS CSWR Director Stang on May 23, 2018
The first meeting with Harvard Divinity School on Wednesday, May 23, 2018: An afternoon with Harvard Divinity School (HDS, https://hds.harvard.edu/) Professor Charles Stang (https://cswr.hds.harvard.edu/people/charles-stang), the director of Center for the Study of World Religions (CSWR, https://cswr.hds.harvard.edu/home)
In a beautiful late May Boston afternoon, the season of graduations of all universities and colleges of this scholarly city, President Lung-Chi Lu, alongside with Master Chin-Lung Chen, Lecturer Charles Hsu, Lecturer Chi-Chi Liao, Lecturer Chu-Yun Huang and Lecturer Ming Chang, paid a visit to CSWR. Greeted by Associated Director Corey O’Brien (https://cswr.hds.harvard.edu/people/corey-obrien) and Harvard Divinity School Director of Principal Gifts Sheila Dennis (https://hds.harvard.edu/people/sheila-dennis) we were led to a peaceful and sunny conference room with provocative art of various religious themes on the wall. Professor Stang greeted us, generously gave us a tour of the Center, starting from the meditation room across from the conference room on the first floor, then walked through a narrow hallway with many religious arts, including Asian Buddhist art, that led to a spacious meeting room with many religious sculptures representing various deities decorated the room where they host talks and discussions several nights a week, open to scholars as well as people from the community. Outside of the meeting room is a beautiful garden, with colorful flowers blooming and Asian style of rocks and mini waterfalls. What a quiet sanctuary! As we walked up the stairs to the second floor, a Chinese tombstone writing caught our eyes. It is the copy of 大秦景教流行中國碑. The main body of the text was in Chinese while Professor Stang pointed out that on the side, there are traces of Manichaeism. He also emphasized the picture of a cross rose out of the lotus on top of the tombstone writing, which represented the intersection of Western Christianity mixing with Chinese Buddhism and Taoism in the Tang Dynasty. On the second floor of the Center, we saw Professor Stang’s office as well as the library and visiting scholar’s residence.
When we sat down after the tour, before we talked about the purpose of our meeting, we first presented our gifts to Professor Stang, two forms of revelations, one in English from Toronto and of course one in Chinese, the Purpose of Tao. As we read the English revelation with rhyme and showing the revelation within the revelation, all three of them were amazed by both the message and the composition of the revelation. Professor Stang even jokingly indicated that he needed to work on his temper when we read through part of the Purpose of Tao. Then when we expanded the whole book of the Purpose of Tao, they were once again astonished by the intricate design and collection of revelations. These two gifts truly gave us a great introduction of Tao and the opening to collaborate with HDS from I-Kuan-Tao Chong-De School (IKTCDS).
President Lu started respectfully by asking Professor Stang what his research interest is. When Professor Stang pointed out how the Christian messages transformed under the Asian influence, using the cross as an example, even the context seemed changed but the main point stayed the same. Also, professor Stang recognized that in the text, “Tao” is used essentially as another way to say God. He continued by explaining before there was a word Christian, there was a word in Greek that means “the way” and the way is Tao! All of us smiled and nodded! What a confluence of East and West!
Lecturer Hsu then started by proposing the various possibilities to collaborate with HDS CSWR, offering our openness to support its rigorous research and studies and the study of Tao from Chong De School can be examined and critiqued by excellent scholarly advices. There are two possible opportunities coming up in August and December this year. We highly anticipate to see an arrangement of a meeting with scholars from Taiwan IKTCDS and Cambridge HDS in August 2018 and the participation of the IKTCDS Annual Conference in December 2018 in Taiwan!
When Professor Stang asked President Lu if propagation of Buddhism and Taoism is easy in Taiwan, President Lu replied, “The result of propagation is truly depended on the openness and acceptance of the people.” Professor Stang nodded in complete agreement.
Lecturer Liao also offered the collection of President Lu’s art in the Tao community and the journal of Chong De School, giving them the concrete example of various manifestation of Tao. Professor Stang wholeheartedly praised President Lu’s artistry and clearly indicated welcoming of scholarly exchange between two schools in the near future.
At the end, Professor Stang presented the brochure of CWSR to all of us, and a small token of gift of a notebook with the mark of CWSR. Then they enthusiastically invited us to the pre-graduation ceremony at Memorial Church of Harvard and the commencement tea celebration on Thursday May 24, 2018. A mutually delighted and with great potential relationship between the two schools has begun!
Part 2：Historical meeting between IKTCDS President Lu and HDS Dean Hempton on May 24, 2018
The first meeting between IKTCDS President LU and HDS Dean David Hempton took place in the beautifully cultivated CSWR garden on Harvard Commencement Day, May 24, 2018.
Lecturer Charles HSU and Lecturer Chi-Chi LIAO accompanied IKTCDS President LU to HDS CSWR at around 4:15pm on May 24, 2018 to attend the HDS Commencement Tea Party. Other than enjoying excellent companies and mingling with world-renowned scholars, President LU has a focused mind to a courtesy meeting with HDS Dean David Hempton. Dean Hempton arrived at CSWR promptly at 4:40pm and started working his way around the CSWR garden to greet HDS scholars, students, and many supporters.
Lecturer HSU led President LU and Lecturer LIAO to meet up with Dean Hempton and exchanged business cards and greetings. Dean Hempton started by welcoming President LU’s presence to be a part of HDS Commencement Tea Party and he extended his warmest regard to President LU’s meeting with CSWR Director Professor Charles Stang on May 23, 2018. President LU then briefly explained his purpose for this meeting with HDS Dean Hempton by stating that both scholarly focused yet spiritually connected IKTCDS and HDS shall have profound and deep-rooted collaborations in the making as God’s calling and affinity bind these two schools together. President LU further explained the Study of Tao, the Appreciation of Tao, the Cultivation of Tao, the Self Realization and Enrichment of Tao, and most important of all, the Practice of Tao in our daily lives to Dean Hempton. Dean Hempton nodded in complete agreement and offered his own views on HDS’ multi-religious/multi-faith scholarly exchange environment protected by United States of America’s Constitution yet he was intrigued by the concept of Tao and the five major religions that may possibly transcribe Tao – Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Christianity, and Islam – in the Study of Tao at IKTCDS. Dean Hempton was especially intrigued by the Lineage of Tao through recorded history in China. He was so intrigued that Dean Hempton would welcome an invitation from IKTCDS to visit Taiwan and especially IKTCDS campus and Kuang Hui Cultural and Educational Center. President LU promptly invited Dean Hempton to come to IKTCDS Annual Scholarly Conference in mid-December 2018 right there and then. Dean Hempton asked Lecturer HSU to check with his Executive Assistant Ms. Suzanne Rom (https://hds.harvard.edu/offices/deans-office) on his December schedule for planning purpose.
Dean Hempton continued with his view on HDS today and in the future. He stated that he is proud to trace HDS’ origins and mission back to the early days of American history. He also believes, however, that a crucial goal today for HDS—a nonsectarian school of religious and theological studies based within a major research university—is to advance understanding of religion and to educate leaders for a religiously complex world. Since its founding in 1816, HDS has kept its attention on the future and the challenges it must meet in order to remain a relevant, progressive institution. Dean Hempton continue by saying that President LU along with all visitors to HDS will get to know Harvard Divinity School as a diverse and inclusive, outward-turning, and caring community, within which intellectual ideals and the ideals of social awareness and participation naturally inform one another. Dean Hempton believes that working together with IKTCDS and many other find institutions will only broaden HDS’ view of the whole world that we humans call home and he is excited to have this brief yet insightful meeting with President LU on this important day of Harvard University history, Harvard’s 367th Commencement, May 24, 2018.
After the two school leaders met each other, Professor Jacob K. Olupona (https://hds.harvard.edu/people/jacob-k-olupona) came to greet President LU and offered his own insights about HDS and HDS’ outreach strategies with IKTCDS delegates. Professor Olupona will be back in Nigeria during the summer and will not be present during IKTCDS scholars’ visit in mid-August; however, he also demonstrated great interests in visiting IKTCDS campus and meeting with his scholarly colleagues at IKTCDS whenever the opportunity comes. Lecturer HSU shall work closely with IKTCDS President’s Office to draft Open Invitation Letters to Dean David Hempton, Professor Charles Stang, and Professor Olupona to name a few.
At the end, President LU circled back to say good-bye to Dean Hempton for his hospitality and his warm welcome to HDS and in return Dean Hempton also said farewell to President LU and a first meeting between IKTCDS President LU and HDS Dean Hempton concluded with a very positive note and a new beginning for scholars from these two schools to start working collaboratively to impact the world together!
Written and photographed by Ming Chang, M.A. Lesley University. Charles Hsu, Ph.D. MIT EECS Chi-Chi Liao, Sc.D. Harvard University HSPH
