Jizhang Yi

CV

JIZHANG YI
6 Hoskin Avenue • Toronto, ON • M5S 1H8
Email: jizhang.yi@utoronto.ca 

ACADEMIC POSITIONS

  • Harvard University 

Postdoctoral Fellow, August 2025 – May 2026

  • University of Toronto, Trinity College

Founding Director, Institute for Humanistic Buddhist Thought and Practice, July 2025 – present

Director, Certificate in Theology and Inter-Religious Engagement, January – December 2025

EDUCATION

  • University of Toronto

PhD in Philosophical Theology, September 2019 – March 2023

Supervisor: Abrahim Khan

Dissertation: Truth and Subjectivity: Thinking Kierkegaard through the Lens of Huineng

  • University of British Columbia

Master of Divinity, graduated with highest academic achievement (top of cohort), January 2017 – November 2018

PUBLICATIONS

  • Books:

Knowing/Seeing Truth: Conceptual Bridges between Kierkegaard and Chan Buddhism. Cham: Springer, 2026 (forthcoming).

The Bible of Customer Service. Beijing: China Industry and Commerce Joint Publishing House, 2011.

The Five Mindsets of an Effective Manager. Beijing: Beijing Publishing Group, 2010. 

  • Research Articles:

“Toward an Existential-Hermeneutic Model for Comparative Theology: Reading Panikkar and Clooney through Kierkegaard.” Journal of the American Academy of Religion. 2026 (revise).

“The Responsible Architect: An Existential Hermeneutic Ethics for AI in Design.” In Architects Where Too? AI an Existential Threat or Opportunity?, edited by Mustapha El Moussaoui. Springer, 2026 (forthcoming).

“Relational Becoming: A Comparative Process Philosophical Engagement with Kierkegaard, Chan Buddhism, and AI Ethics.” In Weaving Together: Comparative Approaches to Process Philosophy, edited by Jea Sophia Oh and Robert Smid. Bloomsbury Academic, 2026 (forthcoming).

“The Philosophical Foundations of Humanistic Buddhism: Middle Way and Non-Duality.” Studies on Humanistic Buddhism 8, 2026 (forthcoming).

“Subjectivity and Śūnyatā: A Conceptual Bridge Between Kierkegaard and Tsongkhapa.” Buddhist-Christian Studies 45 (2025): 41-57.

“Thinking the Starting Point of Chinese Theology through Chan’s Dharma as Nonduality.” Cultural China 111, no. 2 (2022): 71-78.

“An Introduction to the Dunhuang Manuscript of the Platform Sutra: Facts or Legends?” Cultural China 104, no. 3 (2020): 37-44.

  • Creative Works:

“There Was a Piece of Grass” (a free verse poem). The Canadian Journal of Theology, Mental Health and Disability 1, no. 2 (Fall 2021): 208-209.

“Yee: Turning Eyes into Ears” (a 14-verse poem). The Canadian Journal of Theology, Mental Health and Disability 1, no.1 (April 2021): 103-104.

Cultivating Elite Workplace Mindsets (6 DVDs). Beijing: Peking University Press, 2010.

 CONFERENCE PAPER PRESENTATIONS 

  • “Transformative Metaphors: Humanistic Buddhism and the Future of Interreligious Dialogue.” 2026 Annual Meeting of American Academy of Religion. Denver, USA, November 2026 (upcoming).
  • “Leap to Truth: Kierkegaard Beyond the ‘Leap of Faith’.” Oxford Symposium on Religious Studies, Keble College, Oxford University, UK, August 2026 (upcoming).
  • “Bridging Hsing Yun’s ‘I Am Buddha’ and Kierkegaard’s ‘Subjectivity Is Truth’.” Navigating Conflict: Humanistic Buddhism and Comparative Theology in a Divided World. Trinity College, U of T, Toronto, Canada, May 2026 (upcoming).
  • “Teaching as Indirect Communication: Comparative Theology and the Ethics of Encounter.” 22nd Engaging Particularities Conference: Comparative Theology and Education, Boston College, Boston, USA, March 2026.
  • “Toward an Existential-Hermeneutic Model for Comparative Philosophy of Religion: Reading Panikkar and Clooney through Kierkegaard.” The 2026 Central Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association. Chicago, USA, February 2026.
  • “Relational Becoming: A Comparative Process Philosophical Engagement with Kierkegaard, Chan Buddhism, and the Ethics of Technological Mediation.” The 2026 Eastern Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association. Baltimore, USA, January 2026.
  • “Dialogical Dialogue and Comparative Theology: A Kierkegaardian Perspective.” 2025 Annual Meeting of American Academy of Religion. Boston, USA, November 2025.
  • “Shakuhachi and Chan/Zen Buddhist Meditation: Sound, Space, and Spirituality.” Sacred Space: Conflicts and Convergences. U of T, Toronto, Canada. November 2025.
  • “Truth as Subjectivity in the Age of AI: Kierkegaard, Indirect Communication, and the Crisis of Authorship.” 13th International Philosophical Conference and Workshop of Søren Kierkegaard. Ljubljana, Slovenia, September 2025.
  • “Realizing Mind and Radiating Wisdom, Promoting Harmony through Education: A Case Study of the Institute for Humanistic Buddhist Thought & Practice at the University of Toronto.” The 4th China–US–Canada Buddhist Forum, Columbia University, New York City, USA, September 2025.
  • “Two Concepts of the Middle Way: Confucian Zhong Yong and Nagarjuna’s Middle Path in Teaching Religious Diversity.” Alway/Emmanuel Symposium – Bridges and Boundaries: Religious Diversities in the 21st Century Classroom, U of T, Toronto, Canada. January 2025.
  • “Kierkegaard, Tsongkhapa, and Ultimate Truth.” The 2025 Eastern Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association. New York City, USA, January 2025.
  • “Confucius’s Zhong Yong and Nagarjuna’s Middle Way.” The 2025 Eastern Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association. New York City, USA, January 2025.
  • “A Tibetan Buddhist Perspective on Kierkegaard’s Truth and Existence.” The 2024 Annual Meeting of American Academy of Religion. San Diego, USA, November 2024.
  • “Kierkegaard and Huineng Conversing across Cultural Divide.” The 25th World Congress of Philosophy. Rome, Italy, August 2024.  
  • “Indirect Communication in Kierkegaard and Chan Buddhism.” The 2024 Eastern Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association. New York City, USA, January 2024.
  • “A Chan/Zen Perspective on Kierkegaard’s Truth as Subjectivity.” The 55th annual Conference of the Society for Asian and Comparative Philosophy. San Francisco, USA, November 2023.
  • “A Chan Buddhist Perspective on Kierkegaard’s Truth and Existence.” Princeton Project in Philosophy & Religion: 2023 Conference. Princeton University, Princeton, USA, March 2023.
  • “Thinking Kierkegaard’s Truth as Subjectivity through the Lens of Huineng.” The 2023 Eastern Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association. Montreal, Canada, January 2023.
  • “Dialogical Dialogue and Conceptual Metaphor: Analysis for Comparative Religion.” The 2022 Annual Meeting of American Academy of Religion. Denver, USA, November 2022.
  • “Ambiguity of Technology with respect to the Truth of Existence.” The 10th International Philosophical Conference and Workshop of Søren Kierkegaard. Ljubljana, Slovenia, June 2022.

INVITED TALKS & CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

  • “Theology of Humanistic Buddhism: ‘I Am Buddha’ as a Comparative-Theological Proposal.” Commemoration of the 100th Birth Anniversary of Venerable Master Hsing Yun International Academic Conference on Humanistic Buddhism. Kaohsiung, Taiwan, August 2026 (upcoming).
  • “‘I Am Buddha’: Light Transmission and the Awakening of Humanistic Buddhism.” 12th Symposium on Humanistic Buddhism, Nan Tien Institute, Australia. June 2026 (upcoming).
  • “‘I Am Buddha’ and “Dharma Is Nonduality.” 60th Anniversary of Fo Guang Shan & 100th Birth Anniversary of Venerable Master Hsing Yun. Fo Guang Shan Temple of Toronto. May 2026 (upcoming).
  • “How Do We Wake Up to Truth?: A Buddhist-Christian Dialogue.” Humanistic Buddhism and Beyond. Trinity College, U of T, March 2026.
  • “Realizing Mind and Radiating Wisdom, Promoting Harmony through Education: A Case Study of the Institute for Humanistic Buddhist Thought & Practice.” The 4th China–US–Canada Buddhist Forum, Columbia University, New York City, USA, September 2025.
  • “The Way to Truth: Kierkegaardian Leap and Chan Buddhist Sudden Enlightenment.” SKC Annual Conference 2025. The Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre, Copenhagen University. Copenhagen, Denmark. August 2025.
  • “Not Telling Everything: Kierkegaard’s Indirect Communication and Chan Buddhism’s bu-shuo-po.” Kierkegaard Circle, U of T, December 2024.
  • “Sola Scriptura and Dharma as Nonduality.” International Symposium on Apologetics in Contemporary Chinese Churches. The Associated Canadian Theological Schools, Trinity Western University, Vancouver, Canada, October 2023. 
  • “Can ChatGPT Have Self-awareness?” Forum on ChatGPT: How AI Shapes Our Life? U of T, March 2023.                                         

HONORS & AWARDS

  • SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship ($140,000), recommended for funding by the merit review committee, declined upon accepting a full-time position. 2025
  • Conference Travel Grant ($1,500). Trinity College, U of T, 2023.
  • Third Prize, the 9th U of T Most Understandable Scientist Competition. U of T, December 2022.
  • The GCTS Conference Award ($1,000). Toronto School of Theology, U of T, October 2022.
  • Third Prize and People’s Choice Award, Three Minute Thesis Competition, U of T, April 2022.
  • Ontario Graduate Scholarship ($15,000), awarded to top graduate students across all disciplines in Ontario, The Province of Ontario and U of T, 2021–2022.
  • C. Douglas Jay Scholarship ($22,200), awarded to an outstanding PhD Student in Theological Studies. U of T, 2021–2022.
  • Hannah Cairns Junior Fellowship ($2,600). Trinity College, U of T, 2021-2022.
  • H. H. Clark Junior Fellowship ($6,000). Trinity College, U of T, 2020 – 2021.
  • Highest Academic Achievement Award, Carey Hall, University of British Columbia, June 2019.
  • The Shee Lee & Ah Lee Fellowship Award. Carey Hall, UBC, June 2019.

ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP & SCHOLARLY INITIATIVES

  • Organizing the IHBTP International Inaugural Conference.  U of T, May 2026 (upcoming).
  • Initiated the public lecture series Humanistic Buddhism and Beyond. Institute for Humanistic Buddhist Thought & Practice, U of T, October 2025 – present.
  • Designing and implementing a graduate-level curriculum in Buddhist thought and practice, laying the foundation for the development of a professional degree program in Buddhist ministry and leadership. U of T, July 2025 – present.
  • Founded the Institute for Humanistic Buddhist Thought & Practice (IHBTP) at Trinity College, University of Toronto, July 2025.
  • Launched the ongoing colloquy series Engaging East Asian Religious Traditions Inter-religiously. Trinity College, U of T, November 2024 – present.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE

  • American Academy of Religion, member, September 2022 – present.
  • American Philosophical Association, member, June 2022 – present.
  • Society for Asian and Comparative Philosophy, member, June 2022 – present.
  • Trinity/Wycliffe Joint Library Committee, member, 2021 – 2023.
  • Toronto School of Theology, Associate Director Search Committee, member, June – August 2021.
  • Trinity College’s Senior Common Room, member, 2020 – 2022.
  • Divinity Council at Trinity College, member, U of T, 2019 – 2021.

 LANGUAGES

  • Chinese/Mandarin (native); Taiwanese/Hokkien (native); Wenzhounese (native); English (full professional proficiency); German (TST advanced degree research language course, A+); Classical Chinese (U of T graduate course, A+).