Buddhist Discourses in Modern Suining (Sichuan): Local Discourses within Chinese and Regional Narrative

Click here to view record
Main author: Travagnin, Stefania
Format: Journal Article           
Online access: Click here to view record


id eprints-36160
recordtype eprints
institution SOAS, University of London
collection SOAS Research Online
language English
language_search English
description Research on Buddhism in modern Sichuan has been limited mostly to a few case studies and places. However, the in-depth research undertaken here reveals a richer picture, involving several rural and urban centers, and overlapping monastic and lay networks. One of these understudied yet crucial places is Suining 遂寧. The development of Buddhism in Republican-era Suining centered on three elements: the local belief that Suining was the home of Guanyin 觀音; the life and practice of the monk Qingfu 清福 (1862–1940); the “invisible” yet growing female communities there. Based on fieldwork encounters and written documents, this article is a microhistory that zooms in on lived religious practices and unique local narratives. At the same time, it shows that Suining Buddhism also reflected key features of Buddhism in modern Sichuan, and it engaged in significant Chinese and regional discourses, such as the call for a new model of sangha education, and the quest for Original Buddhism (yuanshi Fojiao 原始佛教).
format Journal Article
author Travagnin, Stefania
author_facet Travagnin, Stefania
authorStr Travagnin, Stefania
author_letter Travagnin, Stefania
title Buddhist Discourses in Modern Suining (Sichuan): Local Discourses within Chinese and Regional Narrative
publisher Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica
publishDate 2021
url https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/36160/

Similar items