CESNUR - Centro Studi sulle Nuove Religioni diretto da Massimo Introvigne
www.cesnur.org

The 2026 CESNUR Conference

Co-organized by:
Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR)
Weixin Shengjiao Merit Foundation
International Society for the Study of New Religions

RELIGIONS AND NEW SPIRITUALITY IN EAST ASIA AND BEYOND
GRAND MASTER HUNYUAN CHANSHI MEMORIAL CONFERENCE

Weixin Shengjiao Taichung Branch Temple,
Taichung City, Taiwan, October 10–14, 2026 [with return on october 15]

VIDEO-PROCEEDINGS

Opening Greetings https://youtu.be/qXEdh3FHu1c 

Session 1 (Plenary): Grand Master Hunyuan Chanshi in Comparative Perspective https://youtu.be/vl5UZCFrzvk 

Session 2 (Plenary): New Controversies Come Back https://youtu.be/VMfOmfCllsA 

Session 3 (Plenary): New Perspectives on Shincheonji https://youtu.be/D-otYD21iQo 

Session 4 (Plenary): The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light and the 2026 Raid in Crewe, UK https://youtu.be/zARofyO6ZTU 

Session 5: Reconfiguring Religion and Spirituality in Contemporary East Asia: Daesoon Jinrihoe at the Crossroads of Digital Spirituality https://youtu.be/a1WOeWCrgMc 

Session 6: Sanctuary, Ashram, Monastery: Introspection and Art in the Path of YahRa (POYRA) https://youtu.be/3oq_RpJ7m0w 

Session 7: Esoteric Innovation, New Age, and Miraculous Events https://youtu.be/Y1QN5-qj4Ng 

Session 8: Spiritual Cultivation Through I Ching, Feng Shui, and Religious Practice https://youtu.be/1JBCqffO2zs 

Session 9 (in Chinese): Case Study of Weixin Shengjiao Dao Verification https://youtu.be/tiPeeoicgrs 

Session 10 (Plenary): “Ashram Shambhala”: A Panel on the Case of Konstantin Rudnev https://youtu.be/DiUnuoWknJY 

Session 11: International Perspectives on a New Global Religion: The Case of Jehovah’s Witnesses https://youtu.be/Y0aNxESyQPs 

Session 12: Colonial and Post-Colonial Perspectives, Mission, and Dialogue https://youtu.be/yj0Lp9Tyol0 

Session 13 (in Chinese): Case Study of Feng Shui Application https://youtu.be/kfIVcqzE4cE 

Session 14: Perspectives on Caodaism https://youtu.be/P3HjgA2fBpE 

Session 15: Deconstructing the Anti-Cult Playbook https://youtu.be/X2KeCk4xJ20 

Session 16 (Plenary): The Case of the Unification Church in Japan https://youtu.be/6cw8NYgv_-g 

Session 17 (Plenary): The OneTaste Case: The Return of “Brainwashing” in American Courts of Law? https://youtu.be/-QQHdgHGO_8 

Session 18 (English Plenary): African Indigenous Spirituality and Anti-Cultism in South Africa https://youtu.be/-0Rshy09XYo

 Session 19 (Chinese Plenary): Chinese Ancestral Veneration https://youtu.be/vuIqExYlGEU 

Session 20 (English Plenary): The Christian Gospel Mission (CGM) in South Korea and Taiwan https://youtu.be/DYhRHreUkB4 

Session 21 (Chinese Plenary): The Charisma of Grand Master Hunyuan Chanshi https://youtu.be/KcQSLR0Ptwg 

Session 22: Why Victoria? Why Now? Abuse, Apostasy, and Activism in an Age of Accountability https://youtu.be/2i7zA7B8QmE 

Session 23 (in Chinese): Weixin Shengjiao Heart Dharmas and Scriptures https://youtu.be/Vc9l981Daxg 

Session 24: Religion, Spirituality, and Democracy from the Middle East to East Asia https://youtu.be/1OZuP1bpkwg 

Session 25: Buddhist and Other Movements in East Asia https://youtu.be/_85UN_PHhGE 

Session 26: Dialogues, Spirits, and Wonders https://youtu.be/JmqWTMARsiY 

Session 27: Religious Liberty Issues https://youtu.be/X4ypnBXhrkU 

Session 28: New Perspectives on the Tai Ji Men Case https://youtu.be/gW1JjTc4q64 

Session 29: New Religions in Australia: Innovations, Controversies, and Cultural Responses https://youtu.be/W5iRD3gQoHo 

Session 30:https://youtu.be/qXEdh3FHu1c New Religious and Spiritual Movements and Leaders, East and West https://youtu.be/GdnFBfuE6NQ