With more than 150 temples in thirty countries, Foguangshan has developed over the last thirty-five years into one of the world's largest and most influential Chinese Buddhist movements. Each year millions of devotees participate in the ceremonies, educational programs, and social service projects organized by the disciplines of Master Xingyun--a religious leader known not only for his charisma and energy, but also for his close ties to Taiwan's power elite, his positive attitude toward big business, and his involvement in both national and international politics. The result of two years of fieldwork in Foguangshan temples in Taiwan, the U.S., Australia, and South Africa, this volume is an unprecedented examination of the inner workings of a dynamic and innovative religious movement. Based on direct observations, private interviews, and careful textual and historical analysis, Stuart Chandler looks at the challenges faced by Master Xingyun and his followers as they try to adhere to traditional practices and values while tapping into the advantages afforded by modern, global society. Foguangshan's slogans ("Humanistic Buddhism" and "Establishing a Pure Land on Earth") are placed in historical context to reveal their role in shaping the group’s attitudes toward capitalism, women's rights, and democracy, as well as toward the traditional Chinese virtue of filial piety and the Chinese Buddhist concept of "links of affinity" (jieyuan). Chandler goes on to analyze Foguangshan's educational system and its understanding of how precepts relate to contemporary problems such as abortion and capital punishment. The book's final chapters consider the cultural and political dynamics at play in Foguangshan's ambitious attempt to spread Humanistic Buddhism around! the world and how its followers have reinterpreted the Buddhist ideal of homelessness to take advantage of the spiritual potentialities of people's lives as global citizens.
Anyone with an interest in modern Buddhism or Chinese religion and culture will find Establishing a Pure Land on Earth an accessible, in-depth study of one of the most important Buddhist movements of the twenty-first century.
