SOAS Research Online

Abstract

Research on Buddhism in modern Sichuan has been limited mostly to a few case studies and places. However, the in-depth research undertaken here reveals a richer picture, involving several rural and urban centers, and overlapping monastic and lay networks. One of these understudied yet crucial places is Suining 遂寧. The development of Buddhism in Republican-era Suining centered on three elements: the local belief that Suining was the home of Guanyin 觀音; the life and practice of the monk Qingfu 清福 (1862–1940); the “invisible” yet growing female communities there. Based on fieldwork encounters and written documents, this article is a microhistory that zooms in on lived religious practices and unique local narratives. At the same time, it shows that Suining Buddhism also reflected key features of Buddhism in modern Sichuan, and it engaged in significant Chinese and regional discourses, such as the call for a new model of sangha education, and the quest for Original Buddhism (yuanshi Fojiao 原始佛教).