ECU Libraries Catalog

Esoteric Buddhism in China, 1912-1949 / Wei Wu.

Author/creator Wu, Wei (Scholar on religion) author.
Format Book and Print
Publication Info New York : Columbia University Press, 2024.
Descriptionx, 312 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm.
Subject(s)
Series The Sheng Yen series in Chinese Buddhist studies
Contents Introduction -- 1. Chinese Buddhism in Transition -- 2. The Lamas and the Rituals -- 3. Esoteric Buddhism for Laypeople -- 4. Debates on Esoteric Buddhism -- 5. The Path to Enlightenment -- 6. Tibetan Buddhism Among Han Chinese -- Conclusion.
Abstract "After the fall of the Qing dynasty in early twentieth-century China, Buddhists lost imperial patronage and faced both a declining monastic economy and challenges from antireligious campaigns. In order to rejuvenate Buddhism in China, some Buddhists looked to non-Chinese esoteric traditions, leading to the introduction of a rich array of ideas and practices that had a lasting impact on Chinese Buddhism In Esoteric Buddhism in China, 1912-1949, Wei Wu explores the ways that Chinese Buddhists engaged with esoteric Buddhist ideas and practices in the first half of the twentieth century, and examines the effects of this reintroduction in Chinese society. She argues that a process of translating and interpreting esoteric Buddhism in the Chinese cultural context was developed and that a plurality of meanings about esoteric Buddhist rituals, customs, doctrines, and practices was generated in this process. By examining the doctrinal, ritual, and institutional ways that these interpretations were operated and circulated, Wu reveals how significantly esoteric Buddhism shaped the religious landscape in modern China"-- Provided by publisher.
Bibliography noteIncludes bibliographical references and index.
Issued in other formOnline version: Wu, Wei. Esoteric Buddhism in China, 1912-1949 New York : Columbia University Press, 2024 9780231553742
Genre/formHistory
LCCN 2023034126
ISBN9780231200691
ISBN9780231200684 hardcover
ISBN0231200684 hardcover
ISBN0231200692 paperback
ISBNelectronic book

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