Practicing Scripture is an original and detailed history of one of the most successful religious movements of late imperial China, the Non-Action Teachings, or Wuweijiao, from its beginnings in the late sixteenth century in the prefectures of southern Zhejiang to the middle of the twentieth century,...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Bibliographische Detailangaben

1. Verfasser:	ter Haar, Barend (VerfasserIn)
Format:	Elektronisch E-Book
Sprache:	English
Veröffentlicht:	Honolulu University of Hawaii Press [2014]
Schlagworte:	Buddhism > China > History Buddhist laymen > China > History Wuwei jiao (Sect)
Online-Zugang:	DE-859 DE-860 DE-473 DE-739 DE-1046 DE-1043 DE-858 URL des Erstveröffentlichers
Zusammenfassung:	Practicing Scripture is an original and detailed history of one of the most successful religious movements of late imperial China, the Non-Action Teachings, or Wuweijiao, from its beginnings in the late sixteenth century in the prefectures of southern Zhejiang to the middle of the twentieth century, when communist repression dealt it a crippling blow. Uncovering important data on its beliefs and practices, Barend ter Haar paints a wholly new picture of the group, which, despite its Daoist-sounding name, was a deeply devout lay Buddhist movement whose adherents rejected the worship of statues and ancestors while venerating the writings of Patriarch Luo (fl. early sixteenth century), a soldier-turned-lay-Buddhist. The texts, written in vernacular Chinese and known as the Five Books in Six Volumes, mix personal experiences, religious views, and a wealth of "ations from the Buddhist canon.Ter Haar convincingly demonstrates that the Non-Action Teachings was not messianic or millenarian in orientation and had nothing to do with other new religious groups and networks traditionally labelled as White Lotus Teachings. It combined Chan and Pure Land practices with a strong self-identity and vegetarianism and actively insisted on the right of free practice. Members of the movement created a foundation myth in which Ming (1368–1644) emperor Zhengde bestowed the right upon their mythical forefather. In addition, they produced an imperial proclamation whereby Emperor Kangxi of the Qing (1645–1911) granted the group similar privileges.Thanks to its expert handling of a great number and variety of extant sources, Practicing Scripture depicts one of the few lay movements in traditional China that can be understood in some depth, both in terms of its religious content and history and its social environment. The work will be welcomed by China specialists in religious and Buddhist studies and social history
Beschreibung:	Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 21. Nov 2017)
Beschreibung:	1 online resource 4 maps
ISBN:	9780824847920