[NOTICE] 18th Academic Symposium

The 18th Academic Symposium of Tasmanian Chinese Buddhist Academy of Australia will be held on Saturday, 18 July and Sunday 19 July 2026, from 2 pm to 5 pm AEST, virtually via Zoom.

The Supremely Profound and Unsurpassable Dharma,

A Rare Encounter over Hundred Thousand Million Kalpas

I now see it, hear it, receive it, and uphold it,

Vowing to Decipher the Tathagata’s Truth

Following the 17th Academic Symposium of Tasmanian Chinese Buddhist Academy of Australia in 2025 with the theme of The Dual Utilisation of Compassion and Wisdom, Dharani of the Cosmos, the discussions in 2026 are aimed at further exploring the religious value, philosophical value, academic value and cultural value of Chinese Han Transmission Tantrayana Buddhism – Holy Tantra Gu Fan Mi Jin-Gang-Dhyana Buddhism and secular and transcendental values, and to organise, collect and explain Jin-Gang-Dhyana academic study.

Main theme for academic discussion of the 18th annual meeting is:

The Four Systems of Great Dharma, Solid Practice and Personal Realisation –– An academic exploration of the meditation stages and realisation realms of Chinese Han Transmission Tantrayana Buddhism –– Holy Tantra Gu Fan Mi Jin-Gang-Dhyana Buddhism

Sub-themes:

1. An exploration of the teaching form origins, Dharma theory frameworks, and stages of meditation practice of the Four Systems of Great Dharma, together with a comparative study of their similarities and differences in relation to Indian Esoteric Buddhism and Tibetan Transmission Esoteric Buddhism.

   
   

2. An exploration of the meaning of “solid practice and personal realisation” — how practitioners of Holy Tantra Esoteric Buddhism integrate the Four Systems of Great Dharma into daily cultivation through the sequential processes of hearing, reflection, practice, and realization, thereby achieving purified transformation of body, speech, mind, and consciousness.

   
   

3. The theoretical relationships between the Four Systems of Great Dharma and the studies of Tathagatagarbha, Yogacara (Consciousness-Only), and Madhyamaka, as well as their concrete manifestations within the teaching form, yoga form, precept form and perfection form of Holy Tantra Esoteric Buddhism.

   
   

4. An academic interpretation of “personal realisation” — exploring the linguistic articulation of the criteria and meditation realisation experiences of realisation realms, and the importance of master-to-disciple verification in the Dharma lineage transmission.

   
   

5. A study of pedagogical innovation and the contemporary adaptability of teaching methods and meditation practices of the Four Systems of Great Dharma within the modern environment of Dharma dissemination.

   
   

6. The Four Systems of Great Dharma and the eradication of illusions — an exploration of how Holy Tantra Esoteric Buddhist meditation practice discerns true realizations from mental hallucinations, and how correct Dharma meditation practice purifies the deluded attachments of the sixth and seventh consciousnesses, ultimately attaining the ultimate realm of breaking and eliminating avidya, and departing the illusory to return to the truth.

   
   

7. Spiritual Life View — an exploration of Holy Tantra Esoteric Buddhism’s doctrinal interpretations of the nature of life, the cycle of birth and death, and the Dharmakaya wisdom-life, as well as how the meditation practice of the Four Systems of Great Dharma reveals the innate spiritual life inherent in all sentient beings.

   
   

8. Spiritual Meditation View — an examination of the principles, methods, and stages of Holy Tantra Esoteric Buddhist meditation practice, and how practitioners achieve transformation of body and mind, purification of afflictions, and spiritual elevation through the Four Systems of Great Dharma.

   
   

9. Spiritual World View — an exploration of Holy Tantra Esoteric Buddhism’s understanding of the Saha world and the ten-direction Dharma realms, and how practitioners observe all phenomena from a spiritual perspective and benefit sentient beings.

   
   

10. Spiritual Cosmic View — an exploration of Holy Tantra Esoteric Buddhism’s profound doctrines concerning the fundamental nature of the universe, the structure of space and time, and the condition arising of dharma realms, and how the meditation practice of the Four Systems of Great Dharma practically integrated into the ultimate true form of Dharani of the Universe.

    
    

11. Spiritual Values — an exploration of Holy Tantra Esoteric Buddhism’s value judgments regarding the meaning of life, the goals of meditation practice, and the Bodhi path, and how practitioners apply spiritual values to guide both worldly and transcendental aspects of life.

Scholars and friends within the Religion and within the School who are interested in Chinese Han Transmission Tantrayana Buddhism – Holy Tantra Gu Fan Mi Jin-Gang-Dhyana Buddhism are welcome to write papers. Practitioners are encouraged to actively submit manuscripts.

Please submit articles in a word document format to tcbaa0515@gmail.com.

Papers should be no less than 4,000 words in Chinese, and there is no limit for the length of the paper. Please attach an English translation if possible.

Papers written in Sanskrit, Pali, English, Arabic, Mongolian, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, Vietnamese, Indonesian and other languages are welcome, and an English translation should be provided.

Quotes and references used in the paper must be annotated and cited.

Papers must contain headings and abstracts before the main article. Abstract word count is 300–500 words. Please include 3–5 keywords.