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All life is interconnected: elite Buddhist responses to environmental destruction in the early Anthropocene Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2024-02-22 Songjoo Kim
The Song dynasty was a period of unprecedented change, with new economic policies, agricultural advances, and increased urbanisation accelerating ecological changes in the more densely populated ar...
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Dimming the radiance to mingle with dust: Ximing temple as a confluence of historical elements Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2024-01-16 Ru Zhan
As a major temple associated with the imperial regime, Ximing Temple played multiple roles that ordinary Buddhist temples did not, but, at the same time, it resembled other temples in being an impo...
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Hakuin’s system of practice and its background Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2023-11-02 Mikiyasu Yanagi
Based on the works of Hakuin Ekaku 白隱慧鶴 (1686–1769), this article analyses the practice system he constructed and its background and clarifies the following two conclusions. First, the system of pr...
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The Śūraṅgama Sūtra, sudden awakening and gradual cultivation in Chan Buddhism during the Tang and Song periods Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2023-11-02 Jun Gong
This article undertakes an indepth examination of the Śūraṅgama Sūtra’s influence on the ideas of sudden awakening and gradual cultivation in Chan Buddhism during the Tang (618–907) and Song (960–1...
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Suzuki Daisetsu’s and Hisamatsu Shin’ichi’s discussions on East Asian arts, dramatic art and ‘Zen’ Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2023-11-02 Michi Shigeta
In recent history, Suzuki Daisetsu’s Zen to Nihon bunka and Hisamatsu Shin’ichi’s Zen to bijutsu have defined the East Asian cultural complex as ‘Zen.’ However, the basic characteristics they attri...
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The intellectual history of Chan Buddhism in the Tang and Song Dynasties and Japanese Zen: borrowing the perspective of D.T. Suzuki Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2023-04-24 Takashi Ogawa
ABSTRACT Under the common premise that everyone has buddha-nature (foxing 佛性) and original mind (benxin 本心), there are different ways of thinking about how to relate one’s ‘original self’ as a buddha to one’s living, physical ‘actual self’. There are four types of thought in the history of Tang-Song Chan Buddhism. The first is the so-called ‘Northern’ Chan 北宗禪, which seeks to overcome the ‘actual self’
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The modern Buddhist studies of Zen priests at Tokyo Imperial University: considering perspectives on original Buddhism Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2023-03-31 Daigo Isshiki
ABSTRACT While the study of Buddhism at universities in Japan since the Meiji period (1868–1912)—transplanted as a modern institution—produced many results using a critical and rational approach to Buddhist texts, many scholars of Buddhism, who were also Buddhists, were challenged to reconcile their own belief systems with those of Japanese Buddhism, which existed outside of the texts. In this context
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The introduction of anthropomorphic imagery in Daoist Ritual Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2022-11-04 Gil Raz
ABSTRACT Daoist ritual during the three centuries between the early Celestial Master community and the systemization of ritual and textual canon in the fifth century by Lu Xiujing was aniconic. The ritual protocols of the Celestial Master community and of the Lingbao scriptures simply had no use or place for iconic imagery. This remains the case in the Daoist compendium Wushang biyao 無上秘要, compiled
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Spirit-writing altars and Daoist rituals in Qing Jiangnan Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2022-11-04 Vincent Goossaert
ABSTRACT The study of late imperial spirit-writing altars has so far focused on their textual productions. The historical evidence, however, also shows that many of them operated as ritual service centers, providing for free a large range of rituals including healing, salvation of the dead, exorcism and more. The article surveys these activities and the ways in which ‘lay’ members were trained in ritual
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Divine Soldiers: the Boxers and their religious universe Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2022-09-01 Barend ter Haar
ABSTRACT The author argues that the Boxers of 1900 should be understood from the mainstream religious culture of that time, rather than in terms of sectarian traditions as is still common, especially in Chinese language scholarship. This culture was expressed in narrative form in theatre, storytelling and ritual practices, and some of the best known vernacular novels of the sixteenth century. Their
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On the integration of Chinese, Tibetan, exoteric and esoteric Buddhism in the Tangut Kingdom Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2022-07-18 Weirong Shen
ABSTRACT This article analyzes four Tibetan Buddhist texts or groups of texts written in Chinese from the Tangut period (1038–1227), in order to demonstrate the distinctive character of Tangut Buddhism as a blend of Sino-Tibetan and exoteric–esoteric Buddhist traditions. The four (groups of) texts are: (1) The texts related to the Mahāmudrā teachings in the Dacheng yaodao miji 大乘要道密集 [The Secret Collection
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Eison, Monkan, and the cult of founders in medieval Japan: on the construction of narrative and material selves in East Asian Buddhism Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2022-03-10 David Quinter
ABSTRACT This article addresses the viability of constructions of a narrative self in light of the Buddhist doctrine of no-self by examining Eison (or Eizon; 1201–90), founder of the Shingon Ritsu movement; his grand-disciple Monkan (1278–1357); and their involvement in the cult of founders in medieval Japan. The article begins by briefly establishing Eison and Monkan’s significance, then looks at
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Reception and transformation of the Huiji Jin’gang shuo shentong daman tuoluoni fashu Lingyao men: the discovery and significance of medieval Japanese scripture manuscripts Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2022-02-15 Limei Chi
ABSTRACT Investigative research of the Buddhist manuscripts in Japan are garnering the attention of the international community, but these achievements are all oriented toward problems associated with the traditional methods of research into Chinese translations of Buddhist scriptures. In other words, they are demonstrating the dangers of relying too much on printed editions of texts. This suggests
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Tangut Buddhism and the Bodhicittotpādasamādānavidhi Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2021-11-29 Kirill Solonin, Haoyue Xie
ABSTRACT The paper introduces part of the Tangut textual corpus, associated with the Bodhicaryāvatāra and the ritual composition by Jitāri, Bodhicittotpādasamādānavidhi. We conclude that in Xixia (1038–1227) there was a textual cluster revolving around these two texts. Tanguts generated a local tradition of studying both of these texts, whereas the Bodhicittotpādasamādānavidhi appeared to have been
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Kūkai 空海 (774–835) and Saichō’s 最澄 (766–822) theories on gotra 種姓 (caste) Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2021-10-15 Zijie Li
ABSTRACT In this article, I argue that although the Pusa yingluo benye jing 瓔珞本業經 [Sutra of the Diadem of the Primary Activities of the Bodhisattvas] utilised the theory of zhongxing 種姓 (Skt. gotra; Jp. shushō; caste) in the Pusa dichi jing 菩薩地持經 [Sutra of Stages of Bodhisattvas], the Pusa yingluo benye jing changed the explanation of zhongxing with the stages of bodhisattvas. According to Kūkai and
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Images of Thousand-armed and Thousand-eyed Avalokiteśvara with Cintāmaṇicakra and Amoghapāśa as attendants: References to the chanting of the ‘Dabeixin Dhāraṇī’ 大悲心陀羅尼 Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2021-10-15 Tamami Hamada
ABSTRACT Images of the Thousand-armed and Thousand-eyed Avalokiteśvara include the main deity with many kinds of attendant figures; known examples from the Tang-Song dynasties include the Dunhuang paintings and the Sichuan cliff carvings. Some paintings from the Dunhuang caves have inscriptions of the attendants’ names and their situations. This work focuses on the appearance of Cintāmaṇicakra and
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The integration of Buddhist Doctrinal Philosophy in the Northern Dynasties: a comparison between Dasheng Yizhang 大乘義章 and Pusa Zang Zhongjing Yao 菩薩藏眾經要 Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2021-03-23 Kai Sheng
ABSTRACT The Myriad Teachings of the Bodhisattva Treasury (Pusa zang zhong jingyao 菩薩藏眾經要) in the Western Wei and Northern Zhou dynasties and the Essay on the System of Mahāyāna (Dasheng yizhang 大乘義章) in the Eastern Wei and Northern Qi dynasties both inherited the legacy of the Daśabhūmi-śāstra school (Dilun xuepai 地論學派), and yet developed separately. The former represents the latest results of the
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A preliminary survey of Buddhist higher education in Asia: developing typologies and comparing secularities Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2021-02-18 Thomas Borchert
ABSTRACT Over the course of the last century, a number of Buddhist institutions of higher learning have been established across Asia. These institutions play an important role in many Asian sanghas, but they have received little scholarly attention. This article maps out some of the diverse aspects of these universities, and sketches out different types of institutions of Buddhist higher education
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From Western Lands: Dharma lineages of Ximing 西明 Monastery and Jingshan 徑山 Monastery Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2020-12-18 Ru Zhan
ABSTRACT Ximing 西明 Monastery was a famous imperial monastery during the Tang Dynasty. Its abundant collection of books and rich inheritance of Vajra Studies attracted many monks who went there to study. During the mid to late period of the Tang Dynasty, Chan Buddhism was extremely popular, and numerous interactions between Ximing Monastery and Chan monks also occurred. This article investigates that
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Diplomatic relations of the Buddhist kingdom Northern Liang北涼: a research on the time of Juqu Mengxun’s 沮渠蒙遜 (368–433, r. 401–433) building stone Buddha for his Mother on Mount Tianti 天梯山 Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2020-11-19 Ling Tong
ABSTRACT Northern Liang (397–439), known for its patronage of Buddhist translation and statuary, is undoubtedly an exceptional ‘Buddhist kingdom’ in the medieval history. On 9 October 2018, Guangming Ribao 光明日報 (Guangming Daily) published an article claiming that a Buddhist statue recently discovered on Mount Tianti in Wuwei by the founder of Northern Liang (i.e., Juqu Mengxun 沮渠蒙遜 [r. 401–433]). Juqu’s
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Ritual refashioned: Buddhism, Lingbao and the adaptation of vows (yuan願) Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2020-04-02 Lucas A. Wolf
ABSTRACT This article examines the influence of the early third century ce Foshuo pusa benye jing 佛說菩薩本業經 (T no. 281), translated by Zhi Qian 支謙 (fl. 222–252), on a formative scripture in the Daoist Lingbao 靈寶 (Numinous Treasure) tradition in the early fifth century ce, Taishang dongxuan xiaomo zhihui benyuan dajie shangpin jing 太上洞玄消魔智慧本願大戒上品經 (DZ no. 343). It does so by exploring the adaptation of
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The contribution of the Dunhuang Daoist manuscripts on Daoist studies history Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2020-04-02 Yi Liu
ABSTRACT This article presents the progress made since 2000 in the studies of the Daoist Dunhuang manuscripts. By and large, these manuscripts have proved to be important primary sources for studying various aspects of medieval Daoism, including its history, classics and doctrines; and are particularly valuable for understanding Daoist texts in support of Buddhist teachings (經教道教) – the Daoist influence
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Narratives on a portrait of Japanese Prince Shōtoku (c.573–622): East Asian Buddhist networks in the royal painting Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2020-04-02 Pei-Ying Lin
ABSTRACT The painting Tōhon miei 唐本御影 is allegedly the earliest portrait of Japanese Prince Shōtoku (c.573–622), traditionally regarded as the first royal patron of Buddhism. This article will discuss this particular portrait from three viewpoints: questions concerning the identity of its artist, the painting style, and its socio-historical background. Each of these three facets demonstrates cultural
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A visit of Christian missionaries at Mount Wutai: Mongol Buddhism from a cross-cultural perspective Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2020-01-02 Temur Temule
James Gilmour (1842–1891) was a Scottish missionary of London Missionary Society who carried out his mission assiduously among Mongols and Han-Chinese north of the Great Wall from 1870 until 1891. ...
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Decentering Mañjuśrī: some aspects of Mañjuśrī’s cult in medieval Japan Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2019-10-02 Bernard Faure
ABSTRACT Many scholars have studied Mañjuśrī’s role as bodhisattva of wisdom. However, while Buddhist deities have usually been studied ‘individually,’ I believe that they can only be understood in a broader context. A deity is not an individual, but the salient part of a network that includes, first of all, his acolytes, his entourage, but also his mount, his various manifestations, as well as a number
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The Mañjuśrī cult in Khotan Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2019-10-02 Imre Hamar
ABSTRACT The so-called new representation of Mañjuśrī that is found in Dunhuang and became quite popular in Wutaishan region and East Asian Buddhism includes a foreign looking person who became identified as the Khotanese king. This representation shows the close association of Khotan with Mañjuśrī and the Cult of Mañjuśrī on Wutaishan. The possible Khotanese compilation of the Buddhāvataṃsaka-sūtra
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Lessons from the Sanjie: merit economies as catalysts for social change Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2019-04-03 Leah Kalmanson
ABSTRACT When considering questions of Buddhism, business and the economy, the production and transfer of karmic merit is an often-overlooked resource, perhaps due to the unexamined assumption that merit is not, after all, ‘real.’ This essay aims to show that taking merit production seriously reveals a well-established economic model that operates alongside, and at times contrary to, systems of monetary
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Buddhism and commerce in ninth-century Chang’an: a study of Ennin’s Nittō Guhō Junrei Kōki 入唐求法巡禮行記 Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2019-04-03 Tatsuhiko Seo
ABSTRACT Chang’an was a religious center of Buddhism in seventh- and eighth-century East Asia. More than 50,000 Buddhist monks, nuns and priests lived in the city. Buddhist monasteries spread all over in the city, centers of social, economic and cultural activity. Yet while a large number of research studies have explored Chang’an Buddhism in the mid-Tang, the relationship between the social economic
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Miracles and military merit: the state’s sponsor to Bukong’s 不空 Buddhist enterprise Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2019-04-03 Zeng Yang
ABSTRACT The Tang state under Emperor Daizong 代宗 was afflicted with acute financial depletion caused by prolonged warfare. In this time of hardship, the court provided institutional support to a series of costly Buddhist projects directed by Bukong 不空 in the name of state protection. This invited intense criticism from traditional historians, not only for the drain on national resources but also for
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A study of the Buddha’s biographies in the Vinaya Piṭaka: centered on the Chinese translations of the four complete Vinayas Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2019-01-02 Lina Wang
ABSTRACT The Buddha’s biographies in the Vinaya Piṭaka are mainly found in the ‘Grantha [Section] on Receiving the Precepts’ of the Tāmraparṇīya Vinaya, Four-Part Vinaya and Five-Part Vinaya. Each of these has its own Buddha’s biographical accounts, forming the Buddha’s biographical motif in the Vinaya Piṭaka. The Buddha’s biographies in the Vinaya Piṭaka are descriptions of the Buddha’s life that
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Gathering medicines among the cypress: the relationship between healing and place in the earliest records of Mount Wutai Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2019-01-02 Susan Andrews
ABSTRACT Early imaginings of Mount Wutai’s (the Mountain of Five Plateaus) importance were more diverse than we might expect given the site’s longstanding and intimate affiliation with Mañjuśrī (Wenshu). Alongside its importance as the Bodhisattva’s territory, early accounts of this place preserved in Huixiang’s (seventh-century) Ancient Chronicle of Mount Clear and Cool (Gu Qingliang zhuan) root
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‘The healer of all illnesses’: the origins and development of Rûm’s gift to the Tang court: theriac Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2019-01-02 Ming Chen
ABSTRACT In the second year of the Qianfeng era (667 ad), an envoy of the Rûm (Fu Lin) King arrived with a gift of theriac (diyejia) for the Tang Empire. From then on, the theriac was recorded in Chinese materia medica books, and even a Muslim medical formulary, namely Huihui Yaofang. In fact, since the ancient Greek and Roman Empires, theriac has been a highly renowned Western antidote, which even
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Laozi teaching Confucius: history of a text through time Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2018-10-02 Imre Galambos
ABSTRACT In addition to religious scriptures that survive from the Ming-Qing period, the Qing archives related to the prosecution of secret societies contain references to texts and images found in the possession of members of such societies at the time of their arrest. Texts may also be mentioned or at times quoted in full by the accused in the course of their interrogation. Some of these texts are
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On several biographical data of Ch’oe Ch’iwŏn崔致遠 (855-908+): with a focus on his family background and important years Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2018-07-03 Zeng Yang
ABSTRACT Biographical data can be comprised of more than numbers and facts, and this is especially true in cases of people accorded with historic importance, such as Ch’oe Ch’iwŏn, who is celebrated as a giant of letters and Confucian paragon in Korean history. This article construes various primary sources about his family background and the dates which mark critical moments in Ch’oe’s career and
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On 10 Chan-Buddhism images in the poetry of Du Fu Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2018-07-03 Yi’nan Zhang
ABSTRACT There is a significant amount of images with multiple meanings from Chan-Buddhism in Du Fu’s poetry. Representative among them are ‘moon,’ ‘rain,’ ‘pearl,’ ‘bell,’ ‘lamp,’ ‘three carriages and white ox carriage,’ ‘tiger,’ ‘dragon, elephant and poor son,’ ‘golden scalpel,’ ‘mirror,’ ‘clearly cool and irritated hot.’ These images not only enable Du Fu to write in the classic style of poetry
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On Buddhist ideological trends as reflected in statues from Song dynasty cave shrines Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2018-04-03 Jingjie Li
ABSTRACT Centrally distributed in the North of Shaanxi 陕西, at Dazu 大足 in Chongqing 重庆, and at Anyue 安岳 in Sichuan 四川, large scale grottoes from the Song dynasty – and the Buddhist statuary found therein – accurately reflect trends in Buddhist ideology of the period. First, filial piety receives greater emphasis. These images even suggest that filial piety is an important component of the practice of
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Buddhism and medicine: an anthology of premodern sources Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2018-04-03 Matthew W. King
This pioneering collection invites readers into the rarified, technical world of medical knowledge and practice in Buddhist communities across pre-modern Asia. Specialists in Buddhist Studies, ofte...
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The early Lingbao transmission ritual: a critical study of Lu Xiujing’s (406–477) Taishang dongxuan lingbao shoudu yi Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2018-01-02 Pengzhi Lü
ABSTRACT The Taishang dongxuan lingbao shoudu yi (hereafter, Shoudu yi; DZ 528) compiled by eminent Daoist master Lu Xiujing (406–477) is the first ritual manual in the history of Daoism that describes in detail the complete procedures of the Lingbao transmission ritual. However, up to the present, thorough and comprehensive studies of this text are very few. This article will provide a synopsis and
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Lu Xiujing’s Shoudu yi 授度儀: a grammatical reading Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2018-01-02 John Lagerwey
ABSTRACT Ritual, like any language, has its own grammar and, like spoken languages, we can get at that grammar by breaking the ritual down into its smallest component parts, which I call ritèmes. As phonemes are combined to form words, ritèmes are combined to form ritual acts, which are in turn combined to form ‘sentences’. Ritual sentences are frequently composed of three parts, which I refer to as
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The Dark Emperor’s law: a Daoist temple and its codification of rituals in Hunan Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2018-01-02 Mark Meulenbeld
ABSTRACT This article investigates different types of rituals that constitute the Daoist repertoire of Yangyuan Village in Hunan (PRC). I first show that the ‘indigenous’ Meishan rituals represent an older – possibly non–Han – stratum of the Yangyuan repertoire. Revolving around mountains, grottoes and other landmarks of the local sacred geography, it nonetheless bears the traces of inter-regional
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The Buddhist canon of Ximing Monastery and Tang China Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2017-04-03 Ru Zhan
ABSTRACT The Buddhist canon at Chang’an’s Ximing Monastery played a pivotal role in Tang China. Many of the scriptures comprising the canon were translated at Ximing Monastery. This paper reconstructs the outline of the Ximing Canon by examining Daoxuan’s Catalogue of Buddhist Texts of the Great Tang (Da Tang neidian lu), Daoshi’s Pearl Forest of the Dharma Grove (Fayuan zhulin), and other sources
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Inclusion and exclusion: two modes of Daoist mysticism Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2017-04-03 Cheng Lesong
ABSTRACT On the basis of etymological exploration, the essay analyzes Daoism through the lens of mysticism, studying both what we might term its religious and philosophical dimensions. The essay identifies mystical elements in both philosophical Daoist traditions and religious Daoism and notes some of their distinct features. It endeavors to show that the concept of mysticism affords a unique and instructive
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Patrons and patriarchs: Chan monks and regional rulers during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, by Benjamin Brose Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2016-10-01 Geoffrey C. Goble
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Study on the two Daoist treatises of ‘Sitting in Oblivion’ Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2016-07-02 Jinhua Jia
ABSTRACT Traditionally two Tang-dynasty Daoist treatises both titled ‘Zuowang lun’ 坐忘 論 (Treatise on Sitting in Oblivion) have been attributed to Sima Chengzhen 司馬承楨 (647–735). This study adds new evidence to the recent reattribution of the longer, seven-chapter ‘Zuowang lun’ to Zhao Jian 趙堅. It further finds that the shorter ‘Zuowang lun’ inscription is also not Sima’s work, and it is possible that
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TheYongle Northern Canonand its donors Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2016-04-02 Darui Long
Abstract Various renditions of the Yongle Northern Canon, a court-sanctioned Buddhist canon sponsored by rulers in the Ming and Qing, are preserved in such places as the Yangxian Museum in Shaanxi Province, the Regenstein Library of the University of Chicago, and Yunju Temple (雲居寺) in Beijing. This paper examines the donors who sponsored the printing of these Yongle Northern Canon editions in three
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The master–disciple relationship between Huisi and Jingwan Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2016-04-02 Aiming Zhang
ABSTRACT This paper analyses historical data and stone inscriptions to restructure the ‘master–disciple’ relationship between Venerable Nanyue Huisi 南岳慧思 (515–577) and Venerable Jingwan 敬琬 (?–639), who initiated the stone carving in Fangshan. At the end of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), Venerable Zibai 紫柏, determined to restore Yunju Monastery 雲居寺, was the first to forge such a link between the two
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Emperor Wu Zhao and Her Pantheon of Devis, Divinities, and Dynastic Mothers, by N. Harry Rothschild Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2016-01-02 Stephanie Balkwill
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Slaves (nubi 奴婢) in Daoxuan’s Vinaya writings Studies in Chinese Religions Pub Date : 2016-01-02 Chengzhong Pu
ABSTRACT Daoxuan’s view on monastic slavery is based mainly on the principle of the Vinaya, but it seems that he particularly opposes individual monastics to possess slaves and supports the releasing of monastic slaves and the ordination of slaves of a certain kind.