Sichuan Buddhism=四川佛教; Chengdu Buddhism=成都佛教; Pi xian=郫縣; Wenjiang xian=溫江縣; Buddhist nuns=比丘尼; Sangha education=僧教育; monk Changyuan=昌圓法師; Jinsha Nunnery=金沙庵; Zhuyin Nunnery=竹隱寺
摘要
The study of Buddhism in modern Sichuan has been limited mostly to a few case studies and places. However, in-depth research reveals a richer picture, involving several rural and urban centers. This article seeks to redirect scholarly focus and give voice to monastics and institutions that are so far less known, bringing the peripheries to the center of the study of Chinese religions. Protagonists of this study include the monk Changyuan 昌圓(1879–1945), the nuns Fangchong 方崇 (1841–192?), Longshou 隆壽 (1910–2007), and Nengjing 能靜 (1909–1993), as well as sites like Jinsha Nunnery (Jinsha an 金沙庵) and Zhuyin Nunnery (Zhuyin si 竹隱寺). The article starts with reflections on the concept of (in)visibility. The second part explores small institutions and marginal communities in Chengdu, especially in the suburban regions Pi xian 郫縣 and Wenjiang xian 溫江縣. The final section explores connections between Changyuan and nuns, especially through an analysis of local education projects. This study gives voice to local Buddhist communities in Sichuan, while also detecting the participation of these local players in patterns and dynamics of modern Chinese Buddhism in general.
Introduction: Zooming in on Sites and Players of Local Buddhism in Modern Sichuan 191 I. Defining the Concept of (In) Visibility 196 I. 1 Categorizing Buddhist (In)Visibility in Republican Sichuan 197 I. 2 Memorialization Strategies Within (In)Visibility 200 I. 3 Challenging the Narrative of Modern Chinese Buddhism 208 II. Pi and Wenjiang Xian: From the Center to the Periphery 209 II. 1 Pi Xian: Changyuan’s Homeland 211 II. 2 Zhuyin Nunnery and the Nun Fangchong 方崇 (1841–192?) 215 II. 3 Wenjiang Xian: A Buddhist Land in the Hands of Nuns 216 III. Changyuan’s Mission of Education: Initiatives for Local Women and Nuns 219 III. 1 Nuns’ Education in Wenjiang Xian 224 III. 2 Institute for Nuns at the Dizang Nunnery 227 III. 3 Schools for Nuns at Aidao Nunnery and Jinsha Nunnery 228 Concluding Remarks 231 Acknowledgements 232 Bibliography 233
