Chinese Buddhism Today
ID: 3164 - View Book Page - Edit In OJS
Fo Guang Shan, "Buddha's Light Mountain", is a Buddhist movement founded in Taiwan in 1967 and led by the Ven Hsing Yun (b.1927), who had fled to Taiwan from mainland China in 1949. It stands in the Chinese tradition of Mahāyāna Buddhism and more specifically is a form of Buddhism which in English is usually referred to as "Humanistic Buddhism" or as "engaged Buddhism". Humanistic Buddhism owes its origin to the Chinese monk Tai Xu (1890-1947). He found the Buddhism which surrounded him in China dreary and moribund, preoccupied with rituals for the dead, and offering nothing to help or guide people living in the world outside monasteries. His determination to reverse this decay centred on the idea that it was the vocation of a Mahayana Buddhist to do good to others, finding their own spiritual benefit in benefitting society.
Hsing Yun has been a devoted disciple of Tai Xu. It is telling that he founded a seminary before he founded a monastery, and has laid huge emphasis on education. As the sub-title of this book indicates, in order to make Buddhism widely attractive and relevant he has incorporated every influence available. Gifted with a benign personality, he has turned his seemingly boundless energy and prodigious versatility to creating an institution which presents Buddhism as potentially a source for benefitting society through making life enjoyable. This book hopes to convey the movement's ethos primarily by focusing on his views and activities.
Published: Jun 22, 2022
Series
| Section | Chapter | Authors |
|---|---|---|
| Foreword | ||
| Foreword | Eileen Barker | |
| Prelims | ||
| List of Figures | Yu-Shuang Yao, Richard Gombrich | |
| Chapter 1 | ||
| Preamble: Previous Work | Yu-Shuang Yao, Richard Gombrich | |
| Chapter 2 | ||
| Introduction: Our Title | Yu-Shuang Yao, Richard Gombrich | |
| Chapter 3 | ||
| Karma, Death and Ancestors | Yu-Shuang Yao, Richard Gombrich | |
| Chapter 4 | ||
| Hsing Yun's Ethos and Activities | Yu-Shuang Yao, Richard Gombrich | |
| Chapter 5 | ||
| FGS and Education | Yu-Shuang Yao, Richard Gombrich | |
| Chapter 6 | ||
| Public Ritual at FGS Main Monastery, Kaohsiung | Yu-Shuang Yao, Richard Gombrich | |
| Chapter 7 | ||
| Ritual as Symphony | Yu-Shuang Yao, Richard Gombrich | |
| Chapter 8 | ||
| Fo Guang Shan's Activities: Edification through Spectacle and Entertainment | Yu-Shuang Yao, Richard Gombrich | |
| Chapter 9 | ||
| Offshoots of FGS | Yu-Shuang Yao, Richard Gombrich | |
| End Matter | ||
| Bibliography | Yu-Shuang Yao, Richard Gombrich | |
| Index | Yu-Shuang Yao, Richard Gombrich | |
Reviews
Whether we are considering the extravagant, yet sensitive and perceptive FGS of Hsing Yun or the more sober but impressively productive Tzu Chi of Cheng Yen, suffice it to say that the authors present us with a wide-ranging, informed and sensitive picture of Humanistic Buddhism.
From the Foreword by Eileen Barker, Professor Emeritus of Sociology with Special Reference to the Study of Religion, London School of Economics
Chinese Buddhism Today provides a succinct, yet thorough introduction to the history of Fo Guang Shan. The reader comes away with a real sense of Hsing Yun’s optimism and the energy he injected into the organization ever since he established it in 1967. Two audiences in particular will find this monograph useful. First, those with an interest in contemporary society in Taiwan, but who have limited background in Buddhism, will not only become familiar with one of the preeminent religious organizations on the island, but will also learn much about such fundamental Buddhist doctrines as the four Noble Truths (16-18) and karma (38-42), as well as the central assumptions of Pure Land Buddhism (21-25). Alternatively, those familiar with Buddhism, but who do not focus on the religion’s development in contemporary Chinese society, will gain clear insight into how a very charismatic individual has shaped the tradition through founding both a worldwide network of monasteries and an accompanying lay society, Buddha’s Light International Association.
Reading Religion
The book represents an addition to the growing body of research on modern and contemporary Chinese Buddhism, combining historical and sociological perspectives.
Journal of the American Academy of Religion