David Wellington Chappell (1940–2004) was a professor of Buddhist studies whose specialties were Chinese Buddhist traditions (esp.

Tiantai Tiantai or T'ien-t'ai () is an East Asian Buddhist school of Mahāyāna Buddhism that developed in 6th-century China. The school emphasizes the '' Lotus Sutra's'' doctrine of the "One Vehicle" (''Ekayāna'') as well as Mādhyamaka philosophy ...

) and interreligious dialogue. After receiving a B.A. from

Mount Allison University Mount Allison University (also Mount A or MtA) is a Canadian primarily undergraduate liberal arts university located in Sackville, New Brunswick, founded in 1839. Like other liberal arts colleges in North America, Mount Allison does not par ...

and a B.D. from

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Univer ...

, he completed a Ph.D. in the history of religions at

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...

. His subsequent teaching career included three decades as a professor of religion at the

University of Hawaii A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

, where he founded the journal

Buddhist-Christian Studies ''Buddhist-Christian Studies'' is an academic journal covering the historical and contemporary interrelationships between Buddhism and Christianity. It includes articles, conference reports, book reviews, and sections on comparative methodology an ...

in 1981, edited it through 1985, then helped found the Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies in 1987. His publications include ''Buddhist and Taoist Practice in Medieval Chinese Society, T'ien-t'ai Buddhism: An Outline of the Fourfold Teachings, Buddhist Peace Work: Creating Cultures of Peace,'' and ''Unity in Diversity: Hawaii's Buddhist Communities.'' After retiring from the University of Hawaii, he taught comparative studies at

Soka University of America Soka University of America (SUA) is a private liberal arts college in Aliso Viejo, California. Originally founded in 1987, it was established on its current campus in 2001 by Daisaku Ikeda, the founder of the Soka Gakkai International Buddhist ...

and was actively engaged in Buddhist-Muslim dialogue in Asia, Europe, and North America.

Published works

* Chappell, David W. (1987). 'Is Tendai Buddhism Relevant to the Modern World?' in ''Japanese Journal of Religious Studies'' 1987 14/2-3. Source

accessed: Saturday August 16, 2008 * Chappell, David W., ''Buddhist Peacework -- Creating Cultures of Peace,'' Wisdom Publications, 2000. https://www.amazon.com/Buddhist-Peacework-Creating-Cultures-Peace/dp/086171167X/

References

In Memoriam: David Wellington Chappell (1940–2004). ''Buddhist-Christian Studies'' 25 (2005): v. 1940 births 2004 deaths {{Buddhism-bio-stub