The Woo Ju Memorial Library (和如紀念圖書館) is a library in the grounds of

Chuang Yen Monastery Chuang Yen Monastery () is a Buddhist temple situated on in Carmel Hamlet, New York, Carmel, Putnam County, New York, Putnam County, New York (state), New York, in the United States. The temple is home to the largest indoor statue of a Buddha ( ...

Carmel Carmel may refer to: * Carmel (biblical settlement), an ancient Israelite town in Judea * Mount Carmel, a coastal mountain range in Israel overlooking the Mediterranean Sea * Carmelites, a Roman Catholic mendicant religious order Carmel may also ...

, Putnam County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, run by the Buddhist Association of the United States (BAUS). It selects publications under the categories “

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

” and “Mind, Spirit, and Health” on a regular basis, so as to showcase the library collection. Loan, references, and library tour services are also provided.

History

The Library was founded by C.T. Shen to commemorate his wife, Woo Ju Shen, for her two decades of service propagating Buddhism. It currently holds over seventy thousand volumes on Buddhist topics. Since mid-2010 to the present, the Library has held close to twenty

Dharma talks A Dharma talk (Sanskrit) or Dhamma talk (Pali) or Dharma sermon (''Japanese'': , ''Chinese'': ) is a public discourse on Buddhism by a Buddhist teacher. In Theravāda Buddhism, the study of Buddhist texts and listening to Dhamma talks by monks o ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

. BAUS has invited scholars, authors, professors and other experts from different fields to enrich their audience's awareness and understanding of Buddhism and the Buddhist lifestyle. Lecturers have included: *Dr.

Dan Lusthaus Dan Lusthaus is an American writer on Buddhism. He is a graduate of Temple University's Department of Religion, and is a specialist in ''Yogācāra''. The author of several articles and books on the topic, Lusthaus has taught at UCLA, Florida Stat ...

- Professor at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

and expert on

Yogācāra Yogachara (, IAST: ') is an influential tradition of Buddhist philosophy and psychology emphasizing the study of cognition, perception, and consciousness through the interior lens of meditation, as well as philosophical reasoning (hetuvidyā). ...

*Dr. Weijen Teng - Professor at Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts *Dr. Chun-fang Yu - Professor at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

*Dr. Paul Fulton - Pioneer psychologist at Harvard University *Dr.

Russell Leong Russell Charles Leong (born 1950) is an academic editor, professor, writer, and long-time Chen-style tai chi student. The long-time editor of Amerasia Journal (1977–2010), Leong was an adjunct professor of English and Asian-American Studies at Un ...

- Chief Editor of

Amerasia Journal ''Amerasia Journal'' is a triannual peer-reviewed academic journal established in 1971 that covers Pacific Islander and Asian American studies. The journal regularly publishes special issues addressing particular themes. History The Amerasia jou ...

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

*Dr. James Carter - Professor at

Saint Joseph's University Saint Joseph's University (SJU or St. Joe's) is a Private university, private Jesuits, Jesuit university in Philadelphia, Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, and Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The university was founded by the Jesuits, Society of J ...

*Dr. Tzung Kuen Wen - Professor at Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts *

Bhikkhu Bodhi Bhikkhu Bodhi (born December 10, 1944) () born Jeffrey Block, is an American Theravada Buddhist monk ordained in Sri Lanka. He teaches in the New York and New Jersey area. He was appointed the second president of the Buddhist Publication Soci ...

- Buddhist monk and Pali scholar * Dhammadipa Sak - Abbot of

*Many others These lectures covered various topics such as the Buddhist textual canon, the doctrine of

karma Karma (, from , ; ) is an ancient Indian concept that refers to an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively called ...

, mythical narratives and practices of

bodhisattvas In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is a person who has attained, or is striving towards, ''Enlightenment in Buddhism, bodhi'' ('awakening', 'enlightenment') or Buddhahood. Often, the term specifically refers to a person who forgoes or delays personal n ...

, the scientific development of meditation and psychology, the search of Truth; Buddhist views and involvement in secular affairs, and many other subjects. Since October 2012, the library has held a “Mind over Movie” series on the first Saturday of each month. Movie discussion is led by Professor

to discuss Buddhist concepts in films. Contemporary films such as '' Awake: The Life of Yogananda'', '' Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring'', and ''

Zen Zen (; from Chinese: ''Chán''; in Korean: ''Sŏn'', and Vietnamese: ''Thiền'') is a Mahayana Buddhist tradition that developed in China during the Tang dynasty by blending Indian Mahayana Buddhism, particularly Yogacara and Madhyamaka phil ...

'' have been screened with Buddhist themes elaborated upon. The library has provided a communication platform for shared understanding in the quest for life. The library divides its collection into six areas: Loaned, Multimedia, Reference, Periodical and Magazine, BAUS publication, Youth and Children.

References

External links

* (English)
和如紀念圖書館
(Mandarin)
Facebook page
Libraries in New York (state) Buddhist libraries {{Buddhism-stub