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 Kent, Putnam County, New York, in the United States. The temple is home to the largest indoor statue of a Buddha (Vairocana) in the Western Hemisphere. The name "Chuang Yen" means "Maje ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, Putnam County,

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

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

, run by the

Buddhist Association of the United States Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and grad ...

(BAUS). It selects publications under the categories “

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

” 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 in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

. 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 S ...

- Professor at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

and expert on

Yogācāra Yogachara ( sa, योगाचार, IAST: '; literally "yoga practice"; "one whose practice is yoga") is an influential tradition of Buddhist philosophy and psychology emphasizing the study of cognition, perception, and consciousness through ...

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

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manha ...

*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 t'ai chi ch'uan student. The long-time editor of Amerasia Journal (1977–2010), Leong was an adjunct professor of English and Asian-American Studi ...

- Chief Editor of

Amerasia Journal ''Amerasia Journal'' is a triannual peer-reviewed Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work (peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of ...

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a Normal school, teachers colle ...

*Dr. James Carter - Professor at Saint Joseph's University *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 and currently teaching in the New York and New Jersey area. He was appointed the second president of the Buddhist Public ...

- 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 (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means 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 ...

, mythical narratives and practices of

bodhisattvas In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( ; sa, 𑀩𑁄𑀥𑀺𑀲𑀢𑁆𑀢𑁆𑀯 (Brahmī), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood. In the Early Buddhist schools ...

, 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 ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...

'' 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