Renewal of Buddhism in China: Zhuhong and the Late Ming Synthesis

The Renewal of Buddhism in China, first published in 1981, challenged the conventional view that Buddhism had declined in China and instead showed that it had entered a period of revitalization in the late Ming dynasty. The book explores the life and teaching of Zhuhong, a charismatic monk who was a successful reformer of monastic Buddhism and a teacher of lay Buddhists. It provides a vivid portrait of lived religion in Ming society and has remained a crucial touchstone for scholarship on post-Tang Buddhism. This fortieth anniversary edition features updated transliteration, a foreword by Daniel B. Stevenson, and an updated introduction by the author.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 360 pages
\n Publication date: 02 March 2021
\n Publisher: Columbia University Press
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First published in 1981, The Renewal of Buddhism in China has emerged as a groundbreaking work in the field of Chinese Buddhism. An interdisciplinary exploration of a Buddhist master and reformer in late Ming China, it challenges the conventional notion that Buddhism experienced its zenith during the Tang dynasty (618–907) and subsequently declined. In her comprehensive account, Chün-fang Yü delves into the transformative period in sixteenth-century China when Buddhism experienced a resurgence, largely driven by a cohort of innovative monks who aimed to transcend sectarian rivalries and doctrinal specialization.

The life, work, and teachings of one of these remarkable monks, Zhuhong (1535–1615), are examined in detail by Yü. Zhuhong was a charismatic teacher of lay Buddhists who achieved significant reform within monastic Buddhism. His contributions highlight the late Ming as a period of immense creativity in Chinese intellectual and religious history. By drawing upon a diverse range of sources, including scriptures, dynastic history, Buddhist chronicles, monks' biographies, letters, ritual manuals, legal codes, and literature, Yü establishes a solid foundation for Buddhism in the context of Ming society. She emphasizes distinctive lay Buddhist practices, offering a vivid portrayal of the lived religion.

Since the publication of The Renewal of Buddhism in China four decades ago, numerous scholars have contributed to the study of Buddhist beliefs and practices in the centuries preceding and following Zhuhong's time. Nevertheless, this seminal work remains a pivotal reference point for all research on post-Tang Buddhism. To commemorate its fortieth anniversary, this edition has been updated with improved transliteration, a foreword by Daniel B. Stevenson, and an updated introduction by the author, reflecting on the enduring relevance of this classic study.

\n Weight: 526g\n
Dimension: 156 x 235 x 23 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9780231198530\n
Edition number: fortieth anniversary edition\n