The meanings of "心眼" in both Eastern and Western religions have some similarities -- the German scholar delivered the entire speech in Chinese.
On May 30th, The College of Foreign Languages held a “Panda Lecture” at the Chang Yeo Lan Hall of the Hsu Shou-Chlien International Conference Center. Professor Christian Schwermann (史克禮), Chair of the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Ruhr-University Bochum (RUB) in Germany provided a comprehensive interpretation in fluent Chinese, highlighting the concept of "心眼" (mindset) and its semantic evolution in the context of Chinese-Western cultural comparisons. He delved deep into his topic: "What does '心眼' look like?”
Starting with the earliest depiction of Saint Augustine in 6th-century Roman murals, Prof. Schwermann discussed the concept of "心眼" as "the eye illuminated by the sun". He then examined the oldest textual evidence of "心眼" in the Chapter Lie Yukou of Zhuangzi (莊子·列禦寇) and the "Nine Signs" (九徵) along with the therapeutic critique by Hans-Georg Moeller. The meaning of "心眼" was repeatedly explored. Finally, he referenced the Pure Land School of Mahayana Buddhism's "Visualization Sutra" and its interpretation of "心眼," suggesting that after the introduction of Buddhism to China, the concept of "心眼" was replaced by Buddhist ideas and underwent a shift in meaning, moving closer to the definition of the concept during the Western medieval period.
In addition to the Panda Lecture and the meeting with President Huan-Chao Keh and Chairperson Flora Chia-I Chang, Prof. Schwermann also reached a consensus on exchange and communication with the Chinese Department, facilitated by Dr. Wan-Bau Wu. He also participated in the graduation ceremony of the university and that of the German Department before returning to his home country.
Prof. Takaaki Kajita introduced research on gravitational waves in space.
The College of Science organized its 2nd heavyweight Panda Lecture on May 31st at the Chang Yeo Lan Hall of the Hsu Shou-Chlien International Conference Center. Professor Guo-Chin Liu from the Physics Department invited the 2015 Nobel laureate in physics, Prof. Kajita Takaaki, who is also the Director of the Institute for Cosmic Ray Research at the Department of Physics, University of Tokyo. The lecture topic was "Gravitational wave astronomy with KAGRA”. He introduced the detection and analysis of "gravitational waves" and discussed the KAGRA project, which he personally led, highlighting its significant contributions and breakthroughs to scientific research.
Prof. Kajita expressed his gratitude for the invitation from Tamkang University and highlighted Taiwan's significant participation as the second-largest contributor to the KAGRA project. He expressed optimism about the future development of gravitational wave interferometers and mentioned the involvement of research institutions such as the University of California in the United States and various European institutions in related studies.
In addition to the Panda Lecture and the meeting with President Huan-Chao Keh and Chairperson Flora Chia-I Chang, Prof. Kajita also visited Tamkang High School, where he participated in a science-focused forum involving students and teachers from Tamkang Senior High School, ZhuWei High School, and Tamsui Vocational High School. During the forum, he engaged in discussions with high school students on topics related to scientific research and life in high school and university. He expressed his hope to encourage more young people to study fundamental sciences.
