Fostering Education Beyond the Classroom: Examples from Republican Buddhism and their Legacy Today

Main author: Travagnin, Stefania
Format: Journal Article           
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id eprints-41385
recordtype eprints
institution SOAS, University of London
collection SOAS Research Online
language English
language_search English
description This research explores how Buddhist “education within/for lay society” translated in the Chinese context. In both the Imperial and Republican eras, Buddhist monastics and lay intellectuals did more than simply preach the laity. Trusting that Buddhist ethics could offer positive guidance to the community, central and local governments requested that Buddhist monastics lecture in other less usual venues, like military camps or prisons, or open their temple premises to soldiers and inmates. Besides formal lecturing, Chinese monastics often inspired by example, and facilitated the development of the surrounding community through their charisma, leadership, and practical initiatives. This article starts with a historical overview of education in China, and the interlinked development of religious (Buddhist and Daoist) and secular (Confucian) learning in the premodern era. The second and third parts focus on continuation and developments in the Republican era, addressing intellectual arguments and debates, as well as concrete examples of Buddho-Confucian educational initiatives outside the classroom. The study ends with reflections on the contribution of Buddhism to for global society.
format Journal Article
author Travagnin, Stefania
author_facet Travagnin, Stefania
authorStr Travagnin, Stefania
author_letter Travagnin, Stefania
title Fostering Education Beyond the Classroom: Examples from Republican Buddhism and their Legacy Today
publisher Cambria Press
publishDate 2023
url https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/41385/