Social Life History of Chinese Buddhist Monks

Overview & Synopsis

Based on the transition and development of Chinese Buddhism, and employing an interdisciplinary methodology situated within the context of the history of global civilization that integrates religious studies, sociology, and history, this Special Issue concentrates on the social life history of Buddhist monks and the history of Buddhist ideas. Guided by inquiries into “how the Sinicization of Buddhism occurred” and “how Chinese Buddhism spread”, this reprint uses various materials to examine the spiritual, institutional, political, cultural, and material facets of the lives of Chinese Buddhist monks, as well as the economics and spatial organization of monasteries in relation to social life. This reprint aims to break the boundaries between elite and popular Buddhism, as well as those between doctrinal and devotional Buddhism, advocating for a holistic understanding of the religion. It also reveals the essence and characteristics of the secularization of Buddhism. Furthermore, within the framework of the history of global civilization, this reprint examines the Sinicization of Buddhism. Most authors have investigated how Buddhism, following the principle of “confirming both Buddhist doctrine and realistic situation”, spread in the land of Chinese culture, and how Chinese Buddhism developed its own characteristics through these interactions.