SOAS Research Online

Abstract

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.