BERKELEY — The Center for Buddhist Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, is pleased to announce that the winner of the 2019 Toshihide Numata Book Award in Buddhism is Professor Paul Swanson (Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture) for his book: Clear Serenity, Quiet Insight: T’ien-t’ai Chih-i’s Mo-ho chih-kuan (3 vols., Nanzan Library of Asian Religion and Culture, University of Hawai’i Press).
The Toshihide Numata Book Award in Buddhism is awarded on an annual basis to an outstanding book or books in the area of Buddhist studies. The selection is made by an external committee that is appointed annually. The members of this year’s committee had high praise for Clear Serenity, Quiet Insight: T’ien-t’ai Chih-i’s Mo-ho chih-kuan, calling it “a landmark,” “a formidable achievement,” “a masterwork of scholarship,” and “the fruit of mature and sustained scholarship of the highest level.” The reviewers highlighted Swanson’s erudite and lucid translations, his deft handling of complex Tiantai concepts, and the rich and comprehensive annotation that runs through all three volumes.
Professor Swanson will be presented with the Toshihide Numata Book Award on the afternoon of Friday December 6, 2019 (Banatao Auditorium, Sutardja Dai Hall, 2594 Hearst Ave, Berkeley, CA 94720). The award presentation, which will begin at 3 PM, will be followed by a keynote by the author and a symposium that will include presentations by Professors John Kieschnick (Stanford University), Jan Nattier (UC Berkeley), and Jacqueline Stone (Princeton University).