The Eighth Glorisun International Intensive Program on Buddhist Studies – Seminar and Lecture Series

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Segment 1

 

Seminar 1: Vincent GOOSSAERT 高萬桑 (École Pratique des Hautes Études [EPHE] 法國高等研究實踐學院)
Religious literature in late imperial China: typologies, spirit-writing and ritual uses
  1. Chinese religious texts: formats, genres, institutions
    This lecture will offer a general overview of religious texts composed and circulated in late imperial China (1600-1920) with a focus on printed editions. It will introduce and use the CRTA open-access database.
  2. Liturgical texts
    This lecture will look more closely at texts meant for ritual use. It will explore the various type of liturgical manuals, in different traditions (Daoist, Buddhist, Confucian, sectarian, etc.), and the various modes for ritualizing texts. It will also discuss how these texts shed light on the ritual activities of late imperial literati.
  3. Spirit-writing
    This lecture will introduce the history of spirit-writing in late imperial China, survey the production of texts and books by spirit-writing groups, and introduce through several examples the dynamics of relationships between humans and gods through this means.

 

晚期帝制中國的宗教文獻：類型學、扶乩活動與儀式用途
  1. 中國宗教文本：形式、體裁與機構
    本講將概述晚中華帝國晚期（1600-1920）宗教文本的創作與流傳狀況，重點關注印刷制作的宗教文獻。本講還將介紹並使用“宗教書籍規範索引”（CRTA） 開放資料庫，以展示相關資源和研究方法。
  2. 儀式文本
    本講將聚焦於用於儀式活動的文本，探討道教、佛教、儒教、民間教派等各種傳統中不同類型的儀式手冊，考察文本儀式化的不同方式。此外，本講還將討論這些文本如何有助于我們理解晚期帝制時期士人的儀式活動。
  3. 扶乩活動
    本講將介紹晚期帝制中國扶乩實踐的歷史，考察扶乩團體如何通過這一方式創作文本和相關書籍，並通過若干案例分析人與神在扶乩活動中的動態互動關係。

 

Seminar 2: ZHAN Ru 湛如 (Peking University 北京大學) / Jinhua CHEN 陳金華 (The University of British Columbia 加拿大英屬哥倫比亞大學): Precepts Discepted and Accepted: Studies of the Transformation of Vinaya Traditions in East Asia 戒之詰、律之履：東亞律學嬗變
  1. Field and Capitals, Identity and Network in the Construction and Innovation of Ordination Platform at a Mount Songshan Temple Huishansi in Eighth Century China | 場域與資本、認同與網絡：八世紀中國律宗傳承建構之理論路徑與個案探析
  2. Field and Capitals, Identity and Network in the Construction and Innovation of Ordination Platform at the Huishan Temple on Mount Songshan Temple in Eighth Century China | 場域與資本、認同與網絡：八世紀中國嵩山會善寺戒壇建構與修構之研究
  3. Why Were Vinaya Masters Unhappy with Buddhist Thaumaturge and Self-immolator: A Close Reading of some Hagiographical Accounts of a Eighth Century Magician-monk | 律師何以不悅神異行者與燒身者？——細讀八世紀一位巫僧之若干聖傳敘述

 

Lecture 1: Noga GANANY 高諾佳 (University of Cambridge 英國劍橋大學): The Impact of Buddhism on Late Imperial Book Culture 佛教對晚期帝制中國書籍文化的影響

The multifaceted impact of Buddhism on Chinese writing and printing has been studied extensively in recent decades, yet we are still far from fully understanding its role in shaping Chinese book culture. This lecture will explore the impact of Buddhism on book culture in late imperial China from three interrelated perspective. First, we will discuss the significance of several ambitious Buddhist printing projects, from the Ming and Qing editions of the Buddhist Canon to compilations such as “Origins of the Śākyas” (Shishi yuanliu 釋氏源流). As we shall see, although these projects were led by Buddhist institutions and the state, they highlight the close collaboration between clerics and laypeople in Buddhist publishing, as well as a growing aspiration to circulate Buddhist knowledge widely. Second, we will look at the inclusion of Buddhist texts, themes, and visuality in lay commercial publications. In this respect, we will discuss the diffusion of Buddhist materials (doctrinal teaching, practical instruction, historiography and hagiography) in reference books (leishu 類書) and illustrated narratives (xiaoshuo 小說). Lastly, we will consider the various contributions of Buddhist ideas, texts, and images to Chinese writing and publishing vis-à-vis broader developments in Chinese book culture.

 

Lecture 2: Anna SHIELDS 田安 (Princeton University 美國普林斯頓大學): Daoism in Poetry from the Late Tang through the Early Northern Song: Losing the Way

In this lecture, we will examine the role of Daoism in poetry from the ninth century through the early Northern Song, with a focus on the ways that Daoist themes pervaded key strands of the poetic tradition, with attention to how these interests were erased in later views of the Tang poetic canon. Scholarly debates over the influence of Buddhism and Daoism on Tang poetry are often shaped by disciplinary boundaries, producing disparate conclusions about the relative role and importance of religious belief and practices on poetry, and the standard literary historical narratives of the Tang often marginalize writing on religious topoi. In the short pre-assigned readings and lecture, we will consider how we might read across such boundaries and put poetry treating Daoist topoi back into a broader literary historical understanding of the Tang, and also into conversation with poetry on Buddhist themes, sites, and figures.

  • Lecture Page (accessible to intensive program participants)

 

Segment 2

 

Seminar 3: Ulrike ROESLER 鄔瑞可 (University of Oxford 英國牛津大學): Buddhist Advice for Rulers: The Dilemma of Kingship in Buddhist Ethics

Religion and politics are not always easy to reconcile, and this dilemma seems to have troubled Buddhists in Asia throughout the centuries. It is obvious that the ethical norms of Buddhism are at odds with machiavellian theories of statecraft that prescribe the use of force to secure one’s power. However, even without such a machiavellian approach to politics, Buddhist ethics does not easily go together with the pragmatic aspects of governance that seem to require a firm hand in order to generate social and political stability and well-being. And at a more fundamental level, doesn’t a personal involvement in politics contradict the soteriological goal of Buddhism in principle?

In ancient India, the uneasy relationship between Buddhist ethics and kingship has been addressed in various forms, by Buddhist scholars and teachers and by actual kings alike. This lecture course will investigate a variety of genres of Buddhist literature that provide insights into Buddhist ideas of good governance and ethical norms for rulers. The texts chosen span slightly more than a millennium, from the Pāli suttas to Buddhist letters written in the 11th century. This survey aims to provide insights into the advice early and medieval Buddhist literature has to offer to those who are in charge of running a government.

 

Topics

  1. Royal duties and Buddhist ethics: a difficult relationship
    • 1.1 Introduction: Issues of Buddhist kingship
    • 1.2 A real-life Buddhist king: Ashoka
  1. Kingship in Mahāyāna Buddhist literature
    • 2.1 Letters to Kings: Buddhist advice for rulers
    • 2.2 Advice against kingship in Buddhist sūtras and śāstras
  1. Creative solutions: Kingship in Buddhist narratives
    • 3.1 The origin of kingship and images of the ideal ruler in the Pāli suttas
    • 3.2 A kingship narrative from the tantric Buddhist world
  • Conclusion

 

Recommended pre-reads:

Nance, Richard F. 2015. “How to Address Kings: Buddhist Letters to Indian Rulers.” Revue d’études tibétaines 31, pp. 207-215.

Zimmermann, Michael 2006. “Only a Fool Becomes a King: Buddhist Stances on Punishment.” In M. Zimmermann (ed.), Buddhism and Violence, pp. 213–242. Lumbini: Lumbini International Research Institute.

  • Seminar Page (accessible to intensive program participants)
Seminar 4: Zhe JI 汲喆 (Inalco-CEIB 法國國立東方語言文明學院-多學科佛教研究中心): Lay Buddhism and it New Forms in Contemporary China 當代中國居士佛教的新形態

1. Lay Buddhism and Chinese Modernity

One striking feature of contemporary Chinese Buddhism is the reorganization of lay Buddhists. But what exactly is Lay Buddhism, and who are “lay Buddhists”? To answer these questions, it is necessary to analyze the relationship between the monastic community and laypeople through the lens of the sociology of power. This dynamic must also be contextualized within China’s modernization process, which began in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This lecture will focus on lay Buddhist movements during the first half of the 20th century, with a particular emphasis on Buddhist studies led by secular cultural elites.

2. The Role of Lay Buddhists in Ritual Innovations

The revival of Buddhism in post-Mao China has involved continuous ritual innovation. Rituals are not merely repetitive activities; they are adaptive responses to changing social contexts. The institutional capacity of Buddhism, combined with its rich ritual repertoire, allows for these phychological and moral responses to be transformed into collective expression. Newly developed rituals not only mobilize lay Buddhists from diverse sociological backgrounds but also assign them new religious roles, thereby expanding their participation in the Buddhist community.

3. Building Textual Communities: From Learning Dizigui to the “Mass Canon Reading” Movement

Text reinterpretation is a core mechanism of religious innovation. Modern religious phenomena demonstrate that the emergence of new texts or interpretations often coincides with the proliferation of new symbols and rituals. Using recent cases in Chinese Buddhism, this lecture will explore how texts, symbols, and rituals are interwoven to create powerful social mobilization dynamics. These processes continuously reshape ideologies and social relationships among lay Buddhists, leading them to form numerous communities of varying scales, natures, and conceptual orientations centered around specific texts.

1. 居士佛教與中國現代性

當代中國佛教的一個顯著特點是居士佛教的重組。然而誰是“居士”？何為“居士佛教？”要回答這些問題，有必要從權力社會學的視角分析僧團與居士之間的關係，同時，還須將這種關係置於19世紀末和20世紀初開始的中國現代化進程之中加以考察。本講將聚焦於20世紀上半葉的居士佛教運動，特別關注居士文化精英在推動佛學研究方面的作用。

2. 居士在儀式創新中的角色

改革開放後中國大陸佛教的復興也伴隨著持續的儀式創新。儀式不僅是對既定活動的重複，更是對不斷變化的社會環境的適應性回應。佛教的制度性動員能力與其豐富的儀式語言，可以使大眾心理與道德感受轉化為集體行動。本講將探討新興儀式如何有針對性地動員了具有不同社會學特徵的在家佛教徒，同時也將分析這些新儀式如何賦予了居士們新的宗教角色，從而擴大了他們在整個佛教共同體中的能見度。

3. 建立文本共同體：從學習《弟子規》到“大眾閱藏”運動

對宗教文本的重新解讀是宗教創新的核心機制之一。對現代宗教現象的觀察表明，新文本或新解讀的出現往往伴隨著新符號和新儀式的湧現。通過當代中國佛教的具體案例，本講將探討文本、符號與儀式如何交織在一起，形成強大的社會動員力量。這些過程不斷重塑著居士的意識形態和社會關係，并使他們圍繞特別文本形成了具有不同規模、性質和觀念的諸多共同體。