A History of Chinese Buddhist Faith and Life

A History of Chinese Buddhist Faith and Life
Author: Kai Sheng
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 606
Release: 2020-06-15
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9004431772

The goal of this book is to study the ways in which Chinese Buddhists expressed their religious faiths and how Chinese Buddhists interacted with society at large since the Northern and Southern dynasties (386-589), through the Ming (1368-1644) and the Qing (1644-1911), up to the Republican era (1912-1949). The book aims to summarize and present the historical trajectory of the Sinification of Buddhism in a new light, revealing the symbiotic relationship between Buddhist faith and Chinese culture. The book examines cases such as repentance, vegetarianism, charity, scriptural lecture, the act of releasing captive animals, the Bodhisattva faith, and mountain worship, from multiple perspectives such as textual evidence, historical circumstances, social life, as well as the intellectual background at the time.

The Cultural Practices of Modern Chinese Buddhism

The Cultural Practices of Modern Chinese Buddhism
Author: Francesca Tarocco
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 202
Release: 2007
Genre: History
ISBN: 0415375037

Buddhism in China during the late Qing and Republican period remained a powerful cultural and religious force. This innovative book comes from a rising star in this field, offering a new perspective on the influence of Buddhism on Chinese culture.

Buddhism in Chinese Society

Buddhism in Chinese Society
Author: Jacques Gernet
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Total Pages: 466
Release: 1995
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780231114110

Translated and revised by respected scholar of Chinese religions Franciscus Verellen, who has worked closely with Gernet, this edition includes new references, an extensive, up-to-date bibliography, and a comprehensive index.

The Flower of Chinese Buddhism

The Flower of Chinese Buddhism
Author: Daisaku Ikeda
Publisher: Middleway Press
Total Pages: 209
Release: 2012-03-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 1938252195

Beginning with the introduction of the religion into China, this chronicle depicts the evolution of Buddhism. The career and achievements of the great Kumarajiva are investigated, exploring the famed philosophical treatises that form the core of East Asian Buddhist literature. Providing a useful and accessible introduction to the influential Tien-t'ai school of Buddhism in Japan as well as the teachings of the 13th-century monk Nichiren, this examination places special emphasis on the faith of the Lotus Sutra and the major works of masters such as Hui-su, Chih-i, and Chanjan. From the early translations of the Buddhist scriptures to the persecution of the T'ang dynasty, this exploration illuminates the role of Buddhism in Chinese society, and by extension, in humanity in general.

The Souls of China

The Souls of China
Author: Ian Johnson
Publisher: Pantheon
Total Pages: 480
Release: 2017
Genre: History
ISBN: 1101870052

From the Pulitzer Prize winning journalist: a revelatory portrait of religion in China today, its history, the spiritual traditions of its Eastern and Western faiths, and the ways in which it is influencing China's future. Following a century of violent antireligious campaigns, China is now awash with new temples, churches, and mosques as well as cults, sects, and politicians trying to harness religion for their own ends. Driving this explosion of faith is uncertainty over what it means to be Chinese, and how to live an ethical life in a country that discarded traditional morality a century ago and is still searching for new guideposts. Ian Johnson lived for extended periods with underground church members, rural Daoists, and Buddhist pilgrims. He has distilled these experiences into a cycle of festivals, births, deaths, detentions, and struggle a great awakening of faith that is shaping the soul of the world s newest superpower. (With black-and-white illustrations throughout).

Chinese Buddhism

Chinese Buddhism
Author: Chün-fang Yü
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
Total Pages: 300
Release: 2020-06-30
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0824881583

What are the foundational scriptures and major schools for Chinese Buddhists? What divinities do they worship? What festivals do they celebrate? These are some of the basic questions addressed in this book, the first introduction to Chinese Buddhism written expressly for students and those interested in an accessible yet authoritative overview of the subject based on current scholarship. After presenting the basic tenets of the Buddha’s teachings and the Chinese religious traditions, the book focuses on topics essential for understanding Chinese Buddhism: major scriptures, worship of buddhas and bodhisattvas, rituals and festivals, the monastic order, Buddhist schools such as Tiantai and Chan, Buddhism and gender, and current trends—notably humanistic Buddhism in Taiwan and the resurgence of Buddhism in post-Mao China. Each chapter ends with discussion questions and suggestions for further reading. A convenient glossary of common terms, titles, and names is included.

A Buddhist Leader in Ming China

A Buddhist Leader in Ming China
Author: Sung-peng Hsu
Publisher: Penn State University Press
Total Pages: 250
Release: 1978
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN:

Although Buddhism had declined during the Ming Dynasty, an age characterized by corruption, weakness, and oppression, new interest in the old religion arose as the dynasty came to an end. Han-shan Te-ch'ing--as well as two other reformers of his time, Yun-ch'i Chu-hung (1535-1615) and Tzu-po Chen-k'o (1543-1603) contributed to the revival of Buddhism. Even to the present day, the teachings of these masters have influenced many Chinese Buddhists. Han-shan wrote extensively on Buddhism and other subjects, but his most interesting work is his autobiography, describing his spiritual development together with significant events of his life. Han-shan was a Ch'an master who also practiced the Pure Land faith. The philosophy of Mind, a synthesis of the Hua-yen, T'ien-t'ai, and Wei-shih teachings, is his system of thought. Han-shan argued that all philosophical teachings are ultimately the same because they lead to the truth of Mind. Dr. Hsu's book is the first detailed study of Han-shan Te-ch'ing's life to appear in any language. As Derk Bodde writes in his foreword, "A good deal of excellent modern scholarship has been devoted to the ascending centuries of Chinese Buddhism, extending from the religion's entry into China (first century AD) through its age of greatest glory (seventh, eighth, and early ninth centuries). Much less, yet nevertheless significant, scholarship has been devoted to the surviving elements of Chinese Buddhism that are still observable in the present century. Almost nonexistent--at least in Western languages has been serious scholarship devoted to the long centuries of intervening decline. The present book, which is the only one known to me in a Western language to devote itself wholly to a single personality from this intervening age, is a notable exception. A Buddhist Leader in Ming China consists of four chapters. In Chapter 1 the sources and methodology are discussed. Chapter 2 concerns the background of Han-shan Te-ch'ing's life and thought. Chapter 3 presents a detailed account of Han-shan's life, based almost entirely on his autobiography. The last chapter discusses his teachings and his views about the Mind, the Universe, Man, Evil, and the Path to Salvation.

Living Karma

Living Karma
Author: Beverley Foulks McGuire
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Total Pages: 241
Release: 2014-08-26
Genre: History
ISBN: 0231537778

Ouyi Zhixu (1599–1655) was an eminent Chinese Buddhist monk who, contrary to his contemporaries, believed karma could be changed. Through vows, divination, repentance rituals, and ascetic acts such as burning and blood writing, he sought to alter what others understood as inevitable and inescapable. Drawing attention to Ouyi's unique reshaping of religious practice, Living Karma reasserts the significance of an overlooked individual in the modern development of Chinese Buddhism. While Buddhist studies scholarship tends to privilege textual analysis, Living Karma promotes a balanced study of ritual practice and writing, treating Ouyi's texts as ritual objects and his reading and writing as religious acts. Each chapter addresses a specific religious practice—writing, divination, repentance, vows, and bodily rituals—offering first a diachronic overview of each practice within the history of Chinese Buddhism and then a synchronic analysis of each phenomenon through close readings of Ouyi's work. This book sheds much-needed light on a little-known figure and his representation of karma, which proved to be a seminal innovation in the religious thought of late imperial China.

The Battle for China's Spirit

The Battle for China's Spirit
Author: Sarah Cook
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 140
Release: 2017-05-16
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1538106116

The Battle for China’s Spirit is the first comprehensive analysis of its kind, focusing on seven major religious groups in China that together account for over 350 million believers: Chinese Buddhism, Taoism, Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam, Tibetan Buddhism, and Falun Gong. The study examines the evolution of the Communist Party’s policies of religious control, how they are applied differently to diverse faith communities, and how citizens are responding to these policies. The study—which draws on hundreds of official documents and interviews with religious leaders, lay believers, and scholars—finds that Chinese government controls over religion have intensified since November 2012, seeping into new areas of daily life. Yet millions of religious believers defy official restrictions or engage in some form of direct protest, at times scoring significant victories. The report explores how these dynamics affect China’s overall social, political, and economic environment, while offering recommendations to both the Chinese government and international actors for how to increase the space for peaceful religious practice in a country where spirituality has been deeply embedded in its culture for millennia.