Overview

During the Republican period (1912–1949) and after, many Chinese Buddhists sought inspiration from non-Chinese Buddhist traditions, showing a particular interest in esoteric teachings. What made these Buddhists dissatisfied with Chinese Buddhism, and what did they think other Buddhist traditions could offer? Which elements did they choose to follow, and which ones did they disregard? And how do their experiences recast the wider story of twentieth-century pan-Asian Buddhist reform movements? Based on a wide range of previously unexplored Chinese sources, this book explores how esoteric Buddhist traditions have shaped the Chinese religious landscape. Wei Wu examines cross-cultural religious transmission of ideas from Tibet and Japan, considering the various esoteric currents within Chinese Buddhist communities and how Chinese individuals and groups engaged with newly translated ideas and practices. She argues that Chinese Buddhists' assimilation of doctrinal, ritual, and institutional elements of Tibetan and Japanese esoteric Buddhism was not a simple replication but an active process of creating new meanings. Their visions of Buddhism in the modern world, as well as early twentieth-century discourses of nation building and religious reform, shaped the reception of esoteric traditions. By analyzing the Chinese interpretation and strategic adaptations of esoteric Buddhism, this book sheds new light on the intellectual development, ritual performances, and institutional formations of Chinese Buddhism in the twentieth century.

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9780231200691

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Reviews

Wei Wu's captivating book examines the influential role of esoteric Buddhism during the Republic of China, offering a distinctive perspective on this often overlooked facet of the era's religious landscape. It illuminates some of the dynamic dialectics that characterize this transformative period, and it sheds new light onto how Chinese Buddhists reshaped doctrines, practices, and institutional structures by engaging with Japanese and Tibetan esoteric traditions. -- Ester Bianchi, University of Perugia With the disintegration of the Qing dynasty, culminating in its collapse and the subsequent establishment of the Chinese Republic, China entered a period of social and political turmoil, from which religious life was not exempt. For Chinese Buddhists, this provoked efforts to modernize and reinvigorate tradition and, for many, a search for new inspiration in the esoteric Buddhism of Tibet and Japan. These developments have received much attention from historians of Chinese religions in recent years, but none so far has attempted such a far-reaching synthesis as Wei Wu now offers us in Esoteric Buddhism in China. Her work is an essential contribution to the twentieth-century religious history of China and its neighbors. -- Matthew T. Kapstein, professor emeritus, École Pratique des Hautes Études, Paris Here Wu recounts the remarkable story of the Chinese search for Esoteric Buddhism in the early twentieth century, including attempts to reimport it from Japan and then from Tibet, massive rituals in Chinese cities attracting hundreds of thousands, enthusiasm for the English translation of the Tibetan Book of the Dead, and spirited debates over ritual, sexual yoga, and meat eating. -- John Kieschnick, author of <i>Buddhist Historiography in China</i>

Here Wu recounts the remarkable story of the Chinese search for Esoteric Buddhism in the early twentieth century, including attempts to reimport it from Japan and then from Tibet, massive rituals in Chinese cities attracting hundreds of thousands, enthusiasm for the English translation of the Tibetan Book of the Dead, and spirited debates over ritual, sexual yoga, and meat eating. -- John Kieschnick, author of <i>Buddhist Historiography in China</i>

Author Information

Wei Wu is an assistant professor of religion at Emory University.

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