This study analyzes the growing appeal of Tibetan Buddhism among Han Chinese in contemporary China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. It examines the Tibetan tradition's historical context and its social, cultural, and political adaptation to Chinese society, as well as the effects on Han practitioners. The author's analysis is based on fieldwork in all three locations and includes a broad range of interlocutors, such as Tibetan religious teachers, Han practitioners, and lay Tibetans.
Tibetan Buddhism among Han Chinese: Meditation and Superscription of the Tibetan Tradition in Contemporary Chinese Society, Joshua Esler, Lexington Books, Paperback, 314 pp, $49.99
Joshua Esler is lecturer and researcher in Asian studies at Sheridan College.
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CONTENTS: Tibetan Buddhism among Han Chinese
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| List of Figures |
ix |
| A Note on Romanisation |
xi |
| Introduction |
xiii |
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| 1
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The State, Popular Imagination, and Traditional Chinese Cosmology |
1
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| 2
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Superscribing New Meaning on Guan Gong, the Chinese 'God of War' |
41 |
| 3
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The Confucian Revival and Tibetan Buddhism |
71 |
| 4
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Pragmatism, Protestantism, and Tibetan Buddhism in Hong Kong |
109 |
| 5
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Tibetan Deities and Spirits in a Multilayered Tibetan Landscape |
155 |
| 6
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Chinese Ghosts and Tibetan Buddhism |
191 |
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| Conclusion: Tibetan Buddhism Engaging Contemporary China: Continuity, Change, and Authenticity |
227 |
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| Glossary of Chinese Terms |
241 |
| Appendix |
245 |
| Bibliography |
251 |
| Index |
265 |
| About the Author |
271 |
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