My main research interest is the study of Medieval Chinese, as reflected in Buddhist texts (early vernacular Chinese; Buddhist Hybrid Chinese), including syntax, semantics, and rhetorical devices. The focus is currently on semi-vernacular texts among the Dūnhuáng manuscript material.

During recent years, research has also focused on Buddhist iconography in Central Asia and China, studying mechanisms of text-image relations in Buddhist narratives.

Other interests: Chan/Zen Buddhism; Classical/Literary Chinese (syntax); Asian history of religion; Buddhist medieval lexicography; Digital Humanities; palaeography (Dūnhuáng manuscripts); Chinese historical phonology

Short CV

Since Feb. 2015: Professor, Chinese Language and Culture, Ghent University
Marie Curie Pegasus Fellowship, Ghent Univ. (April 2014-January 2015)
Visiting Research Fellow, KHK, Ruhr Univ. Bochum (Aug.2013-March 2014)
Research Fellow, Ruhr Univ. Bochum (2010-2013)
Guest Professor for East Asian Linguistics, Ghent Univ. (2010-2013)
Senior Research Fellow, IKOS, Oslo Univ. (2007-2010)
Associate Professor, IKOS, Oslo Univ. (Jan.-June 2008)
Guest researcher, Kyoto Univ. (March-June 2008)
Senior lecturer, IKOS, Oslo Univ. (Jan.-June 2007)
Research assistant, seminar lecturer, IKOS, Oslo Univ. (Sept.-Nov. 2006)
Restorer/Consultant, Norwegian Inst. of Palaeography and Historical Philology (Feb.2006-Dec.2007)
Consultant, Hermes Academic Publishing, Oslo (May 2006-Dec.2007)
Research Fellow at the Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study in the Social Sciences, Uppsala (Sept.2004-June 2005)
Doctoral Research Fellow/Lecturer, IKOS, Oslo Univ. (2000-2004)
Lecturer, IØO, Univ. of Oslo (1999)
Research assistant/Lecturer, IØO, Univ. of Oslo (1997-1998)

Current international research projects

Main supervisor of PhD and Postdoctoral projects / research projects

See "Projects"

Previous research projects

"Dynamics of Text Corpora and Image Programs: Representations of Buddhist Narratives along the Silk Route" (MERCATOR/CERES, Ruhr Univ. Bochum):

"Zen Thought, Literature, Language and Rhetoric in a Interdisciplinary and Comparative Perspective" (IKOS, Univ. of Oslo)

Publications (published and in progress)

See: https://ugent.academia.edu/ChristophAnderl

Projects

Projects as supervisor

Bide 比德: A Study on the Premodern Chinese Approach to the Integration of Morality and Aesthetics--An Examination of the Interaction between Confucian and Buddhist Aesthetics (2025 - 2027)
Vignettes of the Life of the Buddha at Dunhuang during the Tang and Five Dynasties (2025 - 2029)
Research on the Influence of Buddhism on the Historical ‘City-Mountain’ Landscape in Southwest China (2025 - 2026)
Narrating the rules. A study of the dynamics of modal markers in Chinese Vinaya translations of the 5th century (2023 - 2027)
A study of Dunhuang mourning texts (哀祭文) and their transmission to Japan with a focus on linguistics and codicological features (2023 - 2027)
Carving the Patriarchs: Chan Historiography in Tang-Song Transition China (2023 - 2026)
A cross-cultural study of the origin and development of the 'Three Hares' motif in the Dunhuang Mogao caves (2022 - 2026)
Flying apsaras in the grottoes of the Northern Wei dynasty (2022 - 2026)
A study of garden aesthetics in the Song Dynasty. Confucian, buddhist, and daoist influences (2021 - 2023)
A study of BIYO, an endangered Chinese ethnic minority language of the Lolo-Burmese family. Language documentation and an analytical approach to the system of discourse markers in contact with Southwestern Mandarin (2021 - 2025)
A study of the belief in the planetary deities in Dunhuang (2021 - 2023)
The three religions during the late Ming. Research in the philosophical works by Fang Yizhi 方以智 (2019 - 2020)
Typologies of text-image relations (2018 - 2025)
A study on the relationship between medieval Chinese Buddhism and the practice of divination (2017 - 2019)
Economic monastic texts from Dūnhuáng (2017 - 2024)
A study of idiomatic phrases in medieval Chán texts (2016 - 2021)
The relationship between Yongming poetic style and politics in the Yongming era (2016 - 2020)
A study on Chinese phonetic loan characters in Dunhuang manuscripts dating from 700-1000 CE (2016 - 2020)
DMCT. Database of medieval Chinese texts (2015 - 2027)
The Zutang ji 祖堂集. Aspects of textual history, genealogy, and intertextuality (2015 - 2023)
Tense and aspect in early Chinese Buddhist literature. A typological approach (2013 - 2019)
A diachronic study of passive constructions in ancient Chinese (2011 - 2020)

Projects as co-supervisor

Tracing macro-cyclical change through micro-cycles in historical Chinese (2025 - 2028)
Lability in the diachrony of Chinese (2023 - 2027)
The evolution and significance of Brahma in medieval Chinese buddhism (2023 - 2027)
Bhaiṣajyaguru: Iconography and Rituals of Medicine Buddha between East and North-western India and Tibet (2022 - 2026)
Buddhism in Turfan around the 5th century (2022 - 2026)
Legitimizing buddhism through the body. On robe, posture and tonsure in early medieval China's buddhist communities (2022 - 2026)
From the ground up. Buddhism and East Asian religions (2016 - 2024)

Projects as researcher

Publications

Most recent publications

Full bibliography

Teaching

Activities

Conference lectures, guest lectures, guest teaching, intensive courses, Doctoral School organization, fieldwork, etc.

Key note lecture: "The Power of the Word (While Not Depending on Words…): Revisiting Aspects of the Use of Language and Rhetorical Devices in Early Chan/Zen Buddhism". Conference: "Chinese Chan Buddhism: Innovation and Inheritance in Translocal Contexts 國際學術會議「中國禪 — 跨地域的開創與傳承」." Hong Kong University, Jan. 11-12, 2025.
Roundtable on Dunhuang manuscripts. Workshop: "Exploring Horizons in the Manuscript and Print Culture of Chinese Buddhism" (「佛教寫本與印刷文化」工作坊). National Chengchi University 政治大學, Taipei, Dec. 11, 2024.
Invited lecture: "敦煌佛教白話寫本與異體字資料庫", DILA, Dharma Drum, New Taipei, Dec. 4, 2024.
Guest teaching: "中國佛教與絲綢之路 [Chinese Buddhism and the Silk Road]". National Chengchi University 政治大學, Taipei. Nov. 19 and 26, Dec. 3 and 10, 2024.
Poster presentation of the project "Ghent Database of Medieval Chinese Texts". Research Day, Faculty of Arts and Philosophy, Ghent University. Nov. 27, 2024.
Invited lecture: "《正名要錄》研究：敦煌寫本研究與研究方法". Zhejiang Normal University 浙江師範大學 - Centre for Dunhuang Studies 敦煌學研究所, Oct. 28, 2024.
Invited lecture: "歐洲與根特大學的佛教研究". Centre for Dunhuang Studies at Lanzhou University 蘭州大學敦煌研究所, Gansu, Oct. 22, 2024.
Invited lecture: "關於佛教及佛教造像研的究方法論：案例分析". Centre for Dunhuang Studies at Lanzhou University 蘭州大學敦煌研究所, Gansu, Oct. 21, 2024.
Fieldwork at Maijishan Buddhist caves 麦积山石窟, Gansu, China, Oct. 17-18, 2024.
Conference lecture: "Bringing Buddha Down to Earth: Text-Image Relations in the Panels on Buddha's Life in Mogao Cave 61". EACS conference, Tallinn, Aug. 30, 2024.
Conference lecture: Yu Jiahang and Christoph Anderl: "A Linguistic Study of the Funeral Address to a Donkey in Dunhuang Manuscript Or.8210/S.1477". EACS conference, Tallinn, Aug. 28, 2024.
Presentation: Remarks on the research cluster "Typologies of Text-Image relations" at the concluding meeting of the FROGBEAR project "From the Ground Up: Buddhist and East Asian Religions", online, Aug. 13, 2024.
Organizer of Public Lectures on "Asian Buddhism: Text, Art, and Practice", Ghent University, June 22-23, 2024.
Main organizer of Doctoral School: "Chinese Buddhist Iconography and Manuscript Culture: Fieldwork Data and their Use in Pedagogical Contexts, with an Emphasis on Digital Resources", Ghent University, June 17-21, 2024.
Invited lecture: "An Introduction to Buddhist and Dunhuang Studies at Ghent University" and "敦煌寫本文獻研究：文獻學與數字人文學科的交融", Zhejing Normal University, June 10, 2024.
Academic Trip to Taiwan, Hong Kong and South China, as part of a Ghent University delegation (visits of NSYSU in Kaohsiung, NTU in Taipei, Dharma Drum University, Foguang University, Hong Kong Polytech, Hong Kong University, Sun Yatsen University in Guangzhou, Zhejiang Normal University, June 1-13 , 2024.
Invited lecture: "Bringing Buddha Down to Earth: Celebrating Śākyamuni's Life in Mogao Cave 61", Foguang University, May 29, 2024.
Invited lecture: "The Introduction of Buddhism to China and its Spread Along the Silkroad(s)", Sun Yatsen University, Kaohsiung, May 27, 2024.
Conference lecture: "From the Virtual to the Physical, and Back to the Digital: Redefining Fieldwork During and After the Epidemic” Session 3: Cluster 3.4: Typologies of Text-image Relations: Looking Back and Future Prospects, FROGBEAR, online, April 20, 2024.
Fieldwork: "Bangkok Guanyin Temples". 3D Survey and documentation of ten Chinese temples in Bangkok, Thailand. Nov. 25-Dec. 1, 2023.
Invited lecture: "“Sources for the Study of Late Medieval Chinese: with a Focus on Dunhuang Materials”. National University of Singapore, Nov. 24, 2023.
Main organizer of the Doctoral School "Systems of Representation in Asian Religious and Philosophical Traditions"; Ghent University, Oct. 9-13, 2023.
Main organizer of the international fieldwork project "Chinese Temples in Bangkok" (ca. 30 participants), documenting ca. 60 Chinese temples in the Bangkok area; in the context of the Research Cluster "Typologies of Text-Image Relations" of the Frogbear project "From the Ground Up: Buddhism and East Asian Religions" [https://frogbear.org/portfolio-item/cluster-3-4-typologies-of-text-and-i.... Bangkok, Thailand, May 23-June 3, 2023.
Invited lecture: "Working with Manuscripts in the Database of Medieval Chinese Texts: Exemplified by Non-canonical biographies of Buddha Discovered in Dunhuang (如何利用中古中國文獻的電子資料庫來研究寫本：以敦煌佛傳變文為例). Foguang University, Taiwan, December 15, 2022.
Conference lecture: "Silence as Action in the Literary Devices of Medieval Chán Buddhist Literature"; Panel: "Exploring the Sound of Silence – The unspoken, omitted, and hidden in Early and Medieval China"; Conference of the European Association for Chinese Studies (EACS); Olomouc; August 24-27, 2022.
Panel chair: "Animal Management in Chinese Buddhist Monasteries: Ethical, Commercial, and Normative Discourse"; Conference of the European Association for Chinese Studies (EACS); Olomouc; August 24-27, 2022.
Co-teacher (main instructor: Prof. Robert Sharf, Univ. of California, Berkeley) of the Doctoral School "“Demystifying Chan (Japanese: Zen) Buddhism”; Ghent University; July 4-8, 2022.
Conference lecture: "A Study of the yīn tóng yì bié 音同義別” Category of the Zhèng míng yào lù 正名要錄"; Conference of the European Association of Chinese Linguistics (EACL); Olomouc; July 1-2, 2022.
Invited Guanlian Tang Lecture: "从树木、岩石到狩猎部队：自然在佛教叙事中的角色变化——着重于睒子本生"; Sichuan University; June 21, 2022.
Lecture: "Buddhism - Text and Image: Techniques of Adaptation to Local Spaces." "Image - Text - Reality in Buddhism: Interrelation and Internegation"; Research Cluster "Typologies of Text-Image Relations", Frogbear: "From the Ground Up: Buddhist and East Asian Religions"; June 23-26, 2022.
Organizer of conference (with Polina Lukicheva): "Image - Text - Reality in Buddhism: Interrelation and Internegation"; Research Cluster "Typologies of Text-Image Relations", Frogbear: "From the Ground Up: Buddhist and East Asian Religions"; June 23-26, 2022.
Organizer of virtual field work (Sichuan sites: Wofo yuan, Qianfo zhai, Huayan dong, Pilu dong); Research Cluster "Typologies of Text-Image Relations", Frogbear: "From the Ground Up: Buddhist and East Asian Religions"; online (ca. 40 participants); June 26-July 31, 2022.
Organizerr of Doctoral School (with Linda Badan): "Hani Phonology Course"; online / Ghent Univeristy; January 12-23, 2022.
Invited lecture (online): “Western Studies on the Development of the Chinese Language Based on Buddhist Texts: A Concise Overview”; conference: “The Spread of Buddhism and Language Change”; 第十四屆漢文佛典語言學國際學術研討會; Hong Kong; December 10-12, 2021.
Invited lecture: "Graphic variation in vernacular Dunhuang manuscripts of the 10th century"; CRLAO, Paris; December 7, 2021.
Seminar organizer / lecturer: “Graphical Variation in Dunhuang Manuscripts”; Frogbear Seminar, UBC (“From the Ground Up: Studies in Buddhism and East Asian Religions”): “Graphic Variation, Modification and Replacement in Medieval Chinese Writing: Case Studies and Resources”; Part 2; November 30, 2021 (online).
Seminar (online): “Deciphering difficult character forms in Dunhuang manuscripts of the 5th and 6th centuries: Theory and practice”; (organized by Imre Galambos, Cambridge Univ., and Christoph Anderl, Ghent Univ.), Oct. 16, 2021.
Keynote lecture: “The Development of the System of Interrogatives in Buddhist Texts from the Early to the Late Medieval Period.” Conference: “Linguistic Features of Buddhist Texts”. Munich, Oct. 22-23, 2021 (online).
Panel chair: “Reflecting on the Dunhuang Manuscripts: Transmission and Transformation.” Aug. 19, 2021. 23rd Biennial Conference of the European Association of Chinese Studies. Leipzig, Aug. 24-28 (online).
Panel chair: “Primary Education in Imperial China.” Aug. 20, 2021. 23rd Biennial Conference of the European Association of Chinese Studies. Leipzig, Aug. 24-28 (online).
Seminar organizer / lecturer: “Graphical Variation in Dunhuang Manuscripts.” Frogbear Seminar, UBC (“From the Ground Up: Studies in Buddhism and East Asian Religions”): “Graphic Variation, Modification and Replacement in Medieval Chinese Writing: Case Studies and Resources”; Part 1, August 17, 2021 (online).
Keynote lecture: “SOAS Chinese Buddhist Texts Translation Workshop”. June, 14-16, 2021 (online).
Keynote lecture: “《正名要錄》‘本音雖同字義各別’初探”. Conference at 復旦大學出土文獻與古文字研究中心. June 18-19, 2021 (online).
Seminar organizer / lecturer: “Basic Patterns of Text-image Relations in Buddhist Narratives.” Frogbear Seminar, UBC (“From the Ground Up: Studies in Buddhism and East Asian Religions”). May 18, 2021 (online).
Panel organizer at the conference of the European Association of Chinese Linguistics 2020: “Recycling Characters: The Significance of Phonetic Loan Characters and Substitutions in the Medieval Chinese Writing System” [cancelled because of COVID]
Lecture: "From Trees and Rocks to Hunting Parties: The Transformation of Peripheral Objects in the Transmission of Buddhist Narratives"; Conference "The Exchange of Goods and Knowledge in China's Cultural History"; Università degli studi della Tuscia; Decemember 16, 2020.
Main organizer of the Doctoral School "Sino-Tibetan Languages: Research Methodologies and Approaches to Linguistic Field Studies and LanguageDocumentation among Tibeto-Burman Speaking Minorities in China"; Ghent Univ. (online); Oct. 26-30, 2020.
Invited lecture: "Vernacular Dunhuang Versions of Buddha's Biography"; Sichuan University; November 27, 2019.
Invited lecture: "在歐洲為何，如何成為“漢學家”的一些思想"; Sichuan University; November 26, 2019.
Invited lecture: "Typology of Predictions in the Gaoseng zhuan and the Xu gaoseng zhuan." Workshop "Prophecy and Foretelling of Destiny in Buddhism"; International Consortium for Research in the Humanities; University of Erlangen; November 19-20, 2019.
Main organizer of the Doctoral School "Chinese Buddhist Historical Records in the Context of Digital Humanities" (main instructors: Prof. Christian Wittern, Kyoto Univ.; Marcus Bingenheimer, Temple Univ.); Ghent Unviverstiy; Oct. 21-25, 2019.
Summer School teaching (European Association of Chinese Linguistics, EACL): “The Study of the Vernacular Based on Dunhuang Manuscripts”; 6 hours; Naples University, 9th -13th September, 2019.
Invited lecture: “Dunhuang Studies in Europe – A Short Overview”; Sichuan University, 19th May, 2019.
Invited lecture: “Aspects of Dunhuang Manuscript Studies 研究敦煌寫本幾個方面”; Sichuan University, 20th May, 2019.
Erasmus teaching (2 lectures): “Text – Image Relations in the Transmission of Buddhist Narratives / Chinese Buddhist Iconography”; Ljubljana University, March, 2019.
Intensive course at the University of Zurich (8th – 9th March, 2019): “Medieval Chinese Texts from Dunhuang: Introduction and Readings."
Conference paper: "Discussing soem Textual Problems of the Fóshuō Lèngqié jīng chánmén xītán zhāng 佛說楞伽經禪門悉談章. 佛學文獻與文學國際學術研討會, Sichuan University, 10th -12th Nov., 2018.
Invited lecture: "Dūnhuáng Buddhism and the 'Chán Songs'". 中国俗文化研究所海外学系列讲座. Sichuan University, 10. Nov., 2018.
Invited lecture: "跟特大学汉学研究的历史，现状与未来." Sichuan University (中华文化研究院), 11th Nov., 2018.
Main organizer and co-instructor of the Doctoral School "Chinese Writing and Lexicography in Medieval China"; Ghent University; Oct. 8-12, 2018.
Guest teaching: 10-day Summer School on "Chinese Buddhist Iconography" at University of British Columbia (7 lectures, August 2018).
Invited lecture: "The Mahāsattva jātaka: Continuities and Discontinuities in the Transmission of a Birth Story." Khyentse Lecture Series, ELTE University Budapest, 3rd Oct. 2018.
Guest teaching: 2-week Summer School course on "Medieval Chinese" at Leiden University (10 lectures, "Leiden Summer School of Linguistics", July 2018).
Co-organizer (with Prof. Ann Heirman) of the Doctoral School "Buddhism in Medieval Silk Culture"; Ghent University; May 28 - June 1, 2018.
Erasmus teaching: Classical and Medieval Chinese, Perugia, May 7th – 11th, 2018.
Invited lecture on Dunhuang manuscripts (Cambridge University, January 25th, 2018).
Invited lecture: "《龍龕手鏡》中的佛教術語及異字 [Buddhist Terms and Character Variants in the Longkan shoujing]." Conference paper; "New Frontiers of Huayan Studies: One Asia, Multiple Paths"; Peking University, 10.-13. Nov., 2017.
Panel "Religion" fascilitator for the "Second Conference on Middle Period Chinese Humanities 第二屆唐至明人文會議." Leiden University, 14.-17., Sept., 2017.
Conference lecture: "The Siddham Songs among the Dunhuang Manuscripts." Second Conference on Middle Period Chinese Humanities 第二屆唐至明人文會議. Leiden University, 14.-17., Sept. 2017.
Workshop: "Dunhuang Manuscripts: Analysis of Linguistic and Textual Features." Second Conference on Middle Period Chinese Humanities 第二屆唐至明人文會議. Leiden University, 14.-17. Sept., 2017.
Conference lecture: "The Mahāsattva Jātaka in China: Continuities and Discontinuities in the Transmission of the Birth Story." Conference paper; "Where the Buddha Was Previously Born"; Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), 27.-28. Aug., 2017.
Conference lecture: "The Development of Māra Iconography in China: Continuities and Transformations. With an Emphasis on the Narrative Tableaux in Yúlín 榆林 Cave 33." Conference paper; International Association of Buddhist Studies (IABS); Toronto, 23. Aug., 2017.
Main organizer of the Doctoral School "East Asian Historical Phonology in a Comparative Perspective"; Ghent University, March 13-17, 2017.
"An Introduction to Chinese Buddhist Art." MA intensive course. Six lectures at King's College, London, 12.-13. Jan., 2017.
Invited conference paper: "The Terminology of Internal Visual Processes in Early Chán Buddhism: A Preliminary Analysis."; "Vision and Visuality in Buddhism and Beyond", Zurich University, 24.-26. Nov., 2016.
Conference lecture: "根特中古汉语数据库 [The Ghent Database of Medieval Chinese]." ; "东亚文献与文学中的佛教世界", 四川大学中国俗文化研究所, Chengdu, 28. Oct., 2016.
Invited guest lecture: "比利时根特大学佛学中心: 根特中古汉语数据库 [The Ghent Centre for Buddhist Studies and the Ghent Database of Medieval Chinese]."; Institute of Chinese Folk Cultural Studies, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 27. Oct., 2016.
Conference lecture: "Narrative Tableaux in Yúlín Cave 33: An Analaysis of Structure and Content."; European Association of Chinese Studies (EACS), St.Petersburg, 23. -28. Aug., 2016.
Conference lecture: "Some Reflections on the Use and Distribution of Interrogative Pronouns in Medieval Chinese, With a Focus on Rhetorical Questions."; Workshop, 9th International Symposium on Ancient Chinese Grammar (ISACG-9), Berlin, 29. July – 1. Aug., 2016.
Invited lecture: "Yánjiū zăoqī kŏuyŭ jĭge wẻntĭ 研究早期口語幾個問題 [Several problems related to the research on early colloquial Chinese]." Fǎgŭ wénlǐ xuéyuản 法鼓文理學院 (DILA, Dharma Drum), Taiwan, 10. May 2016.
Invited guest lecture: "The Interplay of Text and Image: Programmatic Representations of Buddhist Narratives (with case studies from China)." The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 5. May, 2016.
Invited guest lecture: "The Development of Early Chán Buddhism Revisited: Manuscripts, "Chán Languages", and the Diversification of Chán Thought and Literature." Hong Kong University, Centre of Buddhist Studies, 3. May 2016.
Invited guest lecture: "Aspects of Text-Image Relations in Representations of Buddhist Narratives: With Selected Case Studies from China." SOAS, London, 4. Feb., 2016.
Invited guest lecture: "Chinese Buddhist Biographical/Hagiographical Writing." King's College, London, 5. Feb. 2016.
Organizer of the Doctoral School "Chinese Buddhist Apologetic Literature through the Ages"; Ghent University; Sept. 28 - Oct. 2, 2015.
Lecture series/guest teaching: "An Introduction to Chinese Buddhist Iconography." Course: "Buddhist Art of South Asia and China: an Introduction", Kuroda Institute of Buddhist Studies, Hamburg Univ., 5.-6. June, 2015.
Lecture: "Aspects of Maitreya Cult in China - Past and Present." Lecture series "Permanent Training in Buddhist Studies." Ghent Univ., 10. March, 2015.
Conference lecture: "The Oxhead Mountain Tableau and Auspicious Statues Depictions in Yulin Cave 33: Some Initial Thoughts." Conference: "International Conference on Dunhuang Studies", Kyoto Univ., 23.-24. Jan., 2015.
Conference lecture: "Coercing the Reader: Forced Textual Reproduction and Strategies of Self-referencing in Medieval Chinese Apocryphal Scriptures." Conference: "Apokryphe Texte im Kultur- und Religionskontakt", Ruhr Univ. Bochum, 30.-31. Oct., 2014.
Conference lecture: "Analyzing Grammar of Late Medieval Chinese in an eXist 2.x Environment." Conference: "Digital Sinology and Taiwan Studies", Czech Academy of Sciences, Praha, 23.-24., Oct. 2014.
Conference lecture: "Where is the Buddha Located: Buddhist Deites and their 'Doubles' in the Form of Auspicious Statues." Conference: 17th Congress of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, Univ. of Vienna, 18.-23. Aug., 2014.
Conference lecture: "The Oxhead Mountain Tableau and Auspicious Statues Depictions in Yulin Cave 33: Some Initial Thoughts." Conference: "Ancient Central Asian Networks." KHK, Ruhr Univ. Bochum, 24.-26. June 2014.
Invited lecture: "Bridging Time and Space: Flying Buddha Statues and the Transmission of Buddhism to China: Tang Dynasty Buddhist Historiographical Narratives in Text and Image." Lecture at the Ghent Centre of Buddhist Studies (Permanent Training in Buddhist Studies lecture series), Ghent, 22. April 2014.
Conference lecture: "Damaging One's Body for the Sake of the Dharma? Aspects of Self-Immolation in Medieval Chinese Buddhism." Conference: "Body Trouble: The Ambivalence of Sex, Gender, and Desire in Religious Discourse", Parador de Santo Domingo de la Calzad (Spain), 10.-14. March 2014.
Conference lecture: "Text-Image Relations in Buddhist Iconography as Exemplified by the Programmatic Rock Carvings in Baoding Shan." (with Jessie Pons) Conference: "Texture III". KHK, Ruhr Univ. Bochum, 5.-6. March 2014
Invited lecture: "Chinese Buddhist Historiography - A Concise Introduction." Guest lecture at King's College, London, 28. Feb. 2014.
Conference lecture: "Lineage as Network - Creating Sectarian Indentity in Chán/Zen Buddhism and the Role of Linguistic Devices in the Transfer Processes from China to Japan." (Part of Panel: "Paradigms of Identity Building in an Emergent Translocal Network of Buddhism in Premodern Asia.") Conference: "Network and Identity: Exchange Relations between China and the World", Ghent Univ. (in collaboration with KHK, Ruhr Univ. Bochum), 18.-20. Dec. 2013.
Conference lecture: "Buddhist Narratives: Aspects of Transfer and Distribution." Conference: The 11th Annual Conference of Asian Studies in Israel 2012, Tel Aviv, 22. – 23. May 2012
Conference lecture: "Transfer and Conversion in Buddhism: Narratives, Metaphors, and and Depictions." Conference: "Between Imagination and Encounter: Religious Cultures in Contact in Pre-Modern Central Asia and its Borders." Ruhr Univ. Bochum, 5.-6. June 2012.
Invited lecture: "Māra’s Assault on the Meditating Buddha: Iconographic and Textual Development of a Buddhist Narrative in Medieval China." The Oslo Buddhist Studies Forum, Oslo Univ., 7. Feb. 2012.
Conference lecture: "Māra’s Assault: Transformation of a Codified Iconography along the Silk Road", with Jessie Pons. Conference: Buddhist Text Corpora and Iconography along the Silk Road – Dynamics of Transfer and Interaction; Ruhr Univ. Bochum, 23rd - 25th 2011.
Conference lecture: "The MERCATUR/CERES Buddhist Narratives Database Project." Conference: Buddhist Text Corpora and Iconography along the Silk Road – Dynamics of Transfer and Interaction; Ruhr Univ. Bochum, 23rd - 25th 2011.
Conference lecture: "From 'Cause and Effect' to 'Deficient Cause and Great Effect': Transformations and Distortions of the mārga in Medieval China". Conference: Between Borrowing and Taking over: The Problem of Sinification and its Implication for a Theory of Religious Contacts; CERES/KHK, Ruhr Univ. Bochum, August 5th, 2011
Lecture: "Mittelalterliche buddhistische Lexikographie und das Liáo Wörterbuch Lóngkān shǒujìng 龍龕手鏡 (10. Jahrh.): Kurze Bemerkungen über Inhalt und Struktur." Lecture: Mittagsforum; June 1st, 2011.
Conference lecture: "The Role of Lay Believers in Early Chán Scriptures." Conference: Lay Buddhism: An Old Issue Viewed in New Perspectives. The Ninth International Symposium Sponsored by UBC Buddhist Forum; Vancouver, March 26th, 2011.
Invited lecture: "Yánjiū Lóngkān shǒujìng jǐge wèntí 研究“龍龕手境”幾個問題 [Some Problems Related to the Study of the Dictionary Lóngkān shǒujìng]." Lecture: Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology – Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing; April 29th, 2010.
Invited lecture :"The Chán Database Project." Tokyo Univ., April 21st, 2010.
Invited lecture: "The Chán Database Project." UCLA, April 9th, 2010.
Invited lecture: "Dūnhuáng studies." Lecture: International Univ. of Florida, March 2010.
Two invited lectures on Buddhist Chinese and Medieval Chinese Buddhism at the Univ. of Texas, Austin; March 19th – 27th, 2010.
Conference lecture: "The Buddhist Liáo Dictionary Lóngkān shŏujìng." Conference: The Tangut Language and the Religions and Cultures of the Northern China in the Age of the Xixia, the Liao, and the Jin; Academia Sinica, Taiwan, Dec. 17th – 22nd , 2009.
Conference lecture: "Buddhist Texts in the Form of Medical Texts among the Dūnhuáng Findings." Conference: Early Chán Manuscripts among the Dūnhuáng Findings – Resources in the Mark-up and Digitization of Historical Texts. Univ. of Oslo, Sept. 28th to Oct. 2nd, 2009.
Conference lecture: "Strategies in the Digitization and Mark-up of the Platform Sūtra." Conference: Early Chán Manuscripts among the Dūnhuáng Findings – Resources in the Mark-up and Digitization of Historical Texts; Univ. of Oslo, Sept. 28th - Oct. 2nd, 2009.
Conference lecture: "Dūnhuáng Manuscripts and the Study of Vernacular Chinese." Conference: The 6th Conference of the European Association of Chinese Linguistics (EACL-6); Poznań, Aug. 26th – 28th, 2009.
Conference lecture: "The Interplay of Text and Picture in East Asian Buddhist Texts." Conference: Iconicity, Iconography and Classification; Univ. of Münster, 21st – 22nd May, 2009.
Lecture: "A Guided Tour Through Buddhist Hells. – Notions Regarding Purgatories and Afterlife in China and Japan." The Oslo Buddhist Studies Forum; Oslo, 27th Jan., 2009.
Conference lecture: "The Rhetorical Function of Buddhist Technical Terms in Chán Texts." Conference: Zen Texts as 'Public' Documents – Zen Rhetoric in a Diachronic and Comparative Perspective; Oslo and Rosendal, 29th Aug. – 1st Sept., 2008.
Guest lecture: "Introduction of Buddhism to China – Material and Religious Culture along the Silk Road." Lectures on East Asian Buddhism and Zen. Series of Guest Lectures; Oslo, 25.08. – 27.08., 2008.
Conference lecture: "Special Functions of Third Person Pronoun tā 他 in Middle Chinese." The XVIIth Biennal Conference of the European Association for Chinese Studies; Univ. of Lund, 6th Aug,. 2008.
Conference lecture: "關於《新編漢文典》:一部探究漢語言概念範疇網絡的歷史和比較類書 [A Short Introduction to the Thesaurus Linguae Sericae Database]." Conference: 第一屆中國古籍數字化國際學術研討 [The First International Conference on the Digitalization of Chinese Classical Texts]; Beijing 15th Aug., 2007.
Conference lecture: "The Structure of the Buddhist Dictionary Lóngkān shǒujìng 龍龕手鏡 (10th cent.)." Conference: The Role of Writing: Organizing the World of Knowledge: Lexical Classifications in a Cross-cultural Perspective; Vienna, 29th June, 2007.
Conference lecture: "The emergence of the notion of Buddhist purgatories and hells in Medieval China: A cross-cultural study on ideas concerning afterlife in India, China, and Japan." Workshop: Cost A31, workgroup on language contact; Jerusalem, March 2nd-5th, 2007.
Workshop presentation: "The analysis of Middle Chinese texts in Theaurus Linguae Sericae." Workshop: Cost A31; Berlin, Humbold Univ. Dec. 6th-10th, 2006.
Conference lecture: "The Heterogeneous Use of Interrogative Pronouns in the Recorded Sayings – A Case of Layering?" Conference: The 20th Paris Meeting on Chinese Linguistics, Centre de Recherches Linguistiques sur l'Asie Orientale; CRLAO, EHESS, June 22nd-23rd, 2006.
Conference lecture: "Notes on the Development of Modal Verbs and Their Functions in Late Middle Chinese Texts." Conference: 4th Conference of the European Association of Chinese Linguistics EACL-4; Budapest, January 20th-22nd, 2006.
Lecture: "Strategies of Recording the Spoken Word – Notes on the Emergence of Vernacular Texts and their Syntactic Features." Lecture: The Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study in the Social Sciences; Uppsala, June 2005.
Invited lecture: "Zǔtáng jí yánjiū jǐge fāngmiàn 《祖堂集》研究幾個方面 [Various Aspects Concerning the Study of the Collection from the Patriarchs’ Hall]." Lecture: Nankai Univ., Tianjin, Oct. 2002.
Conference lecture: "Abusive Speech in Late Middle Chinese / Early Mandarin." Conference: NACS, 2001.

Prof. Dr. Christoph Anderl

Tabgroup

Main research interests