UP library receives generous donation of Encyclopedia of Buddhist Art

At an event held on the 3rd of August 2017, Deputy Director Lindiwe Soyizwapi,  representing the UP Department of Library Services, received  from the international Chinese Buddhist monastic order, Fo Guang Shan,  the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts, consisting of 20 volumes.     

The University of Pretoria was one of 20 universities selected by the monastic order to receive this donation.

The Venerable Hui-Fang, the Abbot of the Fo Guang Shan, personally attended the event and delivered the set of encyclopedias to the library, joined by members of the Buddha’s Light International Association, as well as members of the monastic order from the Nan Hua Buddhist Temple in Bronkhorstspruit, near Pretoria.

The donation was made by Nan Hua Temple Bronkhorstspruit and BLIA Pretoria Chapter on behalf of Fo Guang Shan Temple in Taiwan.

Also attending the event were Prof Johan Buitendag (Theology), Prof Chrisna du Preez (Architecture) and students, Prof Lize Kriel (Visual Arts), Mr Antony Goedhals (English) and library staff involved in supporting the various departments. Representatives of the Japanese Programme on campus had also been invited, as well as the heads of UP Arts and the heads of the Music and Drama departments.

Dr Alice Chan from the Graduate School of Technology Management, who is herself one of the devout, acted as liaison person, and she undertook the translation for the Venerable Hui-Fang. She also did a short presentation to enlighten the audience about the contents of the encyclopedia.

The Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts is a collection of nearly 10,000 entries and over 14,000 pictures on Buddhist arts from around the world. The 20 volumes of the collection are divided into 8 categories: Architecture (4 volumes), Caves & Rock Carvings (5 volumes), Sculpture (4 volumes), Painting (3 volumes), Artefacts & Decorative Arts (1 volume), Calligraphy (1/2 volume), Seal Engraving (1/2 volume) and People (1 volume). The selected artworks are based on their historical or cultural value, uniqueness, and importance in Buddhist art history. Work on the encyclopedia started in 2001, and over 1000 experts were involved in creating the final product.

The Encyclopedia of Buddhist Art will be housed in the Merensky 2 library on level 6, together with the Visual Arts Reference collection, but we trust that it will also be of use to researchers and students from many other backgrounds and interests.

The encyclopedia was published by Buddha's Light Publication USA, distributed by Foguang Cultural Enterprise Co., Ltd.