Modern Buddhism in Greater China

Buddhism in Greater China, 1895-2009

From 1895 on, when the transport of Western knowledge into China began to increase rapidly, many Buddhist monasteries were transformed into worldly schools. Some Buddhist monks, being pushed out of their territory, started to build up their own new monasteries. In this time of change and disruption, two new main schools developed: the Wuchang school and the Zhina school. The Wuchang school was dominated by monks with traditional concepts of Buddhism. The main leader was Taixu Dashi, his teachings were passed down to Yinshun and influenced what is today Buddhism in Taiwan. The Zhina school was mainly established by laymen who questioned and challenged the traditional teachings. This group was more inclined to scholarship. Important leaders were Ouyang Jingwu and Lü Cheng. The Zhina school was almost extinguished on mainland China by Communist rule, but is being revived to a certain amount in the last decades.
While Communist China faced a break of religious traditions, new forms of Buddhism developed in Taiwan. Some of these forms changed so much that one has to ask whether they can still be classified as Buddhism. When mainland China and Taiwan started communication in the religious field after China's political opening, even more new forms developed, some only partly from Buddhism. A well-known example is Falun Gong.

This seminar will provide a broad introduction into modern Chinese Buddhism. Students are going to discover the historical circumstances, the biggest schools and important persons in the modern development of modern Buddhism in Greater China. Controversial issues are waiting for discussion and will contribute to the student's understanding of Chinese society.