Parsing Buddhist Modernity in Republican China

Ritzinger, Justin R.

doi:10.4324/9781315542140-4

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Ritzinger recently illustrates the fragility of such a brute dichotomy by showing the devotionalism inside Taixu's thought 4 . Ritzinger, moreover, suggests using "establishment" and "upstart" instead of "reform" and "conservative" for viewing the dichotomous positions within the Republican-era Buddhist community (Ritzinger 2017b). Conceptually, the new terminologies undoubtedly depict the situation in a less ideological manner, with which I agree.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

The Bodily Discourse in Modern Chinese Buddhism—Asceticism and Its Presentation in Buddhist Periodicals

2020

Religions

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This article focuses on accounts of bodily asceticism published in Buddhist periodicals in Republican China (1912–1949) in order to explore the mentality and motivation of publicly presenting this seemingly fanatic and backward tradition in an era marked by modernization. By zeroing in on practices of self-immolation, bodily mutilation, and blood writing, as presented in periodicals advocating either reform or preservation of Buddhist tradition, the article reveals that Buddhists with different visions for the modern form of Chinese Buddhism, despite their multifaceted responses, reached a consensus: ascetic practices were part of the tradition worthy of preservation and a strong testament of Buddhist morality. Arguments and eulogies about specific cases, preserved in these periodicals, made Buddhist asceticism an integral part of Chinese Buddhism’s modern transformation, which contributes to the rethinking of religion and modernity discourse.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 90%

The Bodily Discourse in Modern Chinese Buddhism—Asceticism and Its Presentation in Buddhist Periodicals

2020

Religions

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“…The notion of 'Buddhist modernism' is used to refer to forms of Buddhism that developed in the nineteenth century and afterward as a response (and reaction) to the spread of ideas drawn from Western modernity (McMahan 2008). Recent scholarship has shown that one should rather speak of 'modernisms,' given the variety of aspects involved, and considering the fact that local developments may include only a few of them depending on contingent factors and on the local understanding of 'modernity' (see the essays included in McMahan 2012); for the Chinese case, see Fisher (2012); Ritzinger (2017b). While often employed as interchangeable synonyms, I prefer to distinguish Buddhist modernism from the broader category of 'modern Buddhism,' which includes a combination of these modernist approaches and more established teachings and practices.…”

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confidence: 99%

Revisiting Impurity in Republican China: An Evaluation of the Modern Rediscovery of Bujing guan 不淨觀

Bianchi

2021

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During the era of the Republic of China, a number of Buddhists rediscovered early meditation techniques. These practices were mainly revived from canonical scriptures, following a modern text-based approach to Buddhism. Within this framework, specific attention was devoted to the ‘visualization of the impure’ (bujing guan 不淨觀, Sk. aśubhabhāvanā), particularly in the form of the visualization of one’s own body transforming into a putrefying corpse and skeleton. Masters with various backgrounds (Modernist Buddhists, Yogācāra scholars, Tiantai 天台 and tantric masters) wrote articles and guides on this practice, which had the advantage of being common to both Hīnayāna/Śrāvakayāna and Mahāyāna. This study considers a selection of modern texts on bujing guan in an attempt to uncover why the meditation on impurity was favored and how it was revived.

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Parsing Buddhist Modernity in Republican China

Cited by 2 publications

References 1 publication

The Bodily Discourse in Modern Chinese Buddhism—Asceticism and Its Presentation in Buddhist Periodicals

The Bodily Discourse in Modern Chinese Buddhism—Asceticism and Its Presentation in Buddhist Periodicals

Revisiting Impurity in Republican China: An Evaluation of the Modern Rediscovery of Bujing guan 不淨觀

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