Understanding the Chinese Buddhist Temple

Understanding the Chinese Buddhist Temple PDF

Author: Karma Yonten Gyatso

Publisher:

Published: 2010-09-01

Total Pages: 60

ISBN-13: 9781896559063

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

This book is a collection of annotated photos taken in 2009 and 2010 at Ching Kwok Chinese Buddhist Temple, located in Toronto, Ontario.The book is arranged as a walk-around, featuring pictures of the main shrine hall, the main altar, all of the statues, close-up details of many statues, the various chapels, offering tables, paintings, ritual objects, decorative panels, and calligraphic scrolls. Each item is accompanied by an explanation of its iconographic meaning, context, fabrication and provenance.The significant contribution of "Understanding the Chinese Buddhist Temple" is to reveal the key concepts embedded within the numerous objects common to Chinese Buddhist shrines, as well as the layout of the temple, in an engaging manner that combines photographic representations with explanations. The book is suitable for anyone interested in Chinese Buddhism and culture.

The Space of Religion

The Space of Religion PDF

Author: Yoshiko Ashiwa

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Published: 2023-08-29

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 0231552122

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The Nanputuo Temple in the southeastern Chinese city of Xiamen has been a cherished site for the worship of the bodhisattva Guanyin for centuries. It was a center of modernizing Buddhism in the early twentieth century and a flagship for the revival of Buddhism after state suppression during the Cultural Revolution. The Space of Religion takes readers inside the Nanputuo Temple in order to explore the practice of Buddhism in modern China and the complex relationship between Buddhism and the Chinese state. Based on three decades of ethnographic research, Yoshiko Ashiwa and David L. Wank tell the story of Nanputuo against the backdrop of a dramatic stretch of Chinese history. They vividly depict episodes such as renovating the halls, reestablishing ties with overseas Chinese donors, conflicts with local government, revival of ritual life, reopening of its Buddhist academy, and the passion of the Guanyin birthday festival. To understand Nanputuo, Buddhist communities, and other temples in Xiamen, Ashiwa and Wank develop the concept of religion as a space constituted by physical, semiotic, and institutional dimensions. They also show how the Chinese state and Buddhism have each adapted to the other, as the temple has adjusted to government policy while the state has deployed Buddhism in its promotion of Chinese culture. This interdisciplinary book is both a theoretically generative analysis of religious spaces and an empirically rich account of the recovery of Buddhism in China after the Mao era.

The Shaolin Monastery

The Shaolin Monastery PDF

Author: Meir Shahar

Publisher: University of Hawaii Press

Published: 2008-01-10

Total Pages: 298

ISBN-13: 0824831101

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

This meticulously researched and eminently readable study considers the economic, political, and religious factors that led Shaolin monks to disregard the Buddhist prohibition against violence and instead create fighting techniques that by the 21st century have spread throughout the world.

Chinese Buddhism

Chinese Buddhism PDF

Author: Chün-fang Yü

Publisher: University of Hawaii Press

Published: 2020-06-30

Total Pages: 300

ISBN-13: 0824881583

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

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.

The Origins of Buddhist Monastic Codes in China

The Origins of Buddhist Monastic Codes in China PDF

Author: Professor Yifa

Publisher: University of Hawaii Press

Published: 2009-08-18

Total Pages: 386

ISBN-13: 0824863801

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The Origins of Buddhist Monastic Codes in China contains the first complete translation of China’s earliest and most influential monastic code. The twelfth-century text Chanyuan qinggui (Rules of Purity for the Chan Monastery) provides a wealth of detail on all aspects of life in public Buddhist monasteries during the Sung (960–1279). Part One consists of Yifa’s overview of the development of monastic regulations in Chinese Buddhist history, a biography of the text’s author, and an analysis of the social and cultural context of premodern Chinese Buddhist monasticism. Of particular importance are the interconnections made between Chan traditions and the dual heritages of Chinese culture and Indian Buddhist Vinaya. Although much of the text’s source material is traced directly to the Vinayas and the works of the Vinaya advocate Daoan (312–385) and the Lü master Daoxuan (596–667), the Chanyuan qinggui includes elements foreign to the original Vinaya texts—elements incorporated from Chinese governmental policies and traditional Chinese etiquette. Following the translator’s overview is a complete translation of the text, extensively annotated.

In Search of the Dharma

In Search of the Dharma PDF

Author: Zhenhua

Publisher: SUNY Press

Published: 1992-01-01

Total Pages: 316

ISBN-13: 9780791408452

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

This is the first and only book in English on modern Chinese Buddhism written by a practicing Chinese monk. Chen-hua provides a rare eyewitness account of Chinese monastic life and Buddhist practices before they were changed forever by the Communist revolution. It begins with his departure from home in northern China to study Buddhism in Kiansu and Chekiang in the south and ends with his rejoining the monastic order in Taiwan after spending several years as a draftee in the Nationalist army. Following century-old traditions of Ch'an monks, Chen-hua made prilgrimages to all the major monasteries and holy sites, and sought instruction from many famous masters. His ordination at Pao-hua; "Buddha recitation weeks" at Ling-yen; scriptural studies at T'ien-ning; and a pilgrimage to P'u-t'o, the sacred island of Kuan-yin, are some of the highlights of this candid and perceptive book. The Introduction by Chun-fang Yu places the work in a historical perspective. Notes, a glossary of Chinese terms, maps, and photos help readers who are new to the field.

Monks in Motion

Monks in Motion PDF

Author: Jack Meng-Tat Chia

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Published: 2020

Total Pages: 301

ISBN-13: 0190090979

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

In Monks in Motion, Jack Meng-Tat Chia explores why Buddhist monks migrated from China to Southeast Asia, and how they participated in transregional Buddhist networks across the South China Sea. This book tells the story of three prominent monks--Chuk Mor (1913-2002), Yen Pei (1917-1996), and Ashin Jinarakkhita (1923-2002)--and examines the connected history of Buddhist communities in China and maritime Southeast Asia in the twentieth century.

Chinese Buddhism and Traditional Culture

Chinese Buddhism and Traditional Culture PDF

Author: Litian Fang

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2018-11-21

Total Pages: 254

ISBN-13: 1317519094

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Since the first century, when Buddhism entered China, the foreign religion has influenced and been influenced in turn by traditional Chinese culture, and eventually became an important part of it. That is one of the great historical themes not only for China but also for East Asia. This book explores the elements of Buddhism, including its classics, doctrines, system, and rituals, to reveal the basic connotation of Buddhism as a cultural entity. Regarding the development of Buddhism in China, it traces the spread in chronological order, from the introduction in Han Dynasties (202 BC–220 AD), to the prosperity in the Sixteen Kingdoms (ca. 304–439 AD), and then to the decline since the Five Dynasties (907–ca. 960 AD). It is noteworthy that the Buddhist schools in the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420–589 AD) and the Buddhist sects in Sui and Tang Dynasties (581–907 AD) contributed to the sinicization of Buddhism. This book also deals with the interesting question of the similarities and differences between Chinese Buddhism and Indian Buddhism, to examine the specific characters of the former in terms of thought and culture. In the last chapter, the external influence of Chinese Buddhism in East Asia is studied. Scholars and students in Buddhism and Chinese culture studies, especially those in Buddhist countries, will benefit from the book. Also, it will appeal to readers interested in religion, Chinese culture, and ancient Chinese history.

Lanterna Rally - Theme by Grace Themes