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New Research in Buddhist Studies on Landscapes and Children

Submitted to Program Units
1: Buddhism Unit

This omnibus session showcases work by newer scholars in the field of Buddhist Studies. Papers address two common themes: Buddhist landscapes and children in Buddhism. Topics include contesting the ‘decline’ paradigms of Indian Buddhism by attending to built landscapes, autogenous phenomena (or rangjön) and monasteries as pilgrimage sites in Tibet, quiet and pure sensory experiences on Mount Putuo in contemporary China, the soteriological capacity of children in medieval China, and contemporary Japanese lay Buddhist childcare programs in the Tendai tradition.

Bryan Lowe, Princeton University, Presiding

Abstract for Online Program Book (maximum 150 words)

This omnibus session showcases work by newer scholars in the field of Buddhist Studies. Papers address two common themes: Buddhist landscapes and children in Buddhism. Topics include contesting the ‘decline’ paradigms of Indian Buddhism by attending to built landscapes, autogenous phenomena (or rangjön) and monasteries as pilgrimage sites in Tibet, quiet and pure sensory experiences on Mount Putuo in contemporary China, the soteriological capacity of children in medieval China, and contemporary Japanese lay Buddhist childcare programs in the Tendai tradition.

Papers

  • Shaashi Ahlawat, University of Pennsylvania

    Deciphering the Decline: Assessing the Medieval Buddhist Landscape in Eastern India

    Abstract

    This paper challenges the prevailing notion of an abrupt termination of Indian Buddhism in the thirteenth century CE. It does so by examining material culture from archaeological contexts of identified Buddhist monasteries in the Magadha region. The paper primarily relies on the data collected during a systematic village-to-village survey conducted during 2021-22. In addition, a variety of textual and epigraphic sources have also been used to reconstruct the social and political context of the region during the long period between the eleventh and seventeenth century CE. The study of changes in both continuity and discontinuity in the Buddhist landscape of Magadha after the alleged decline offers a unique insight into the medieval history of Indian Buddhism in the region.  Through this micro-regional approach, the study provides a nuanced perspective on the history of diverse religious traditions in eastern India, contesting the ‘decline’ paradigms surrounding Medieval Buddhism in India.

  • Michael Ium, University of Toronto

    Ganden Monastery’s Autogenous Miracles (rang byon): A Study in Tibetan Pilgrimage, Material Culture, and Discursive Construction

    Abstract

    As one of Central Asia's most popular pilgrimage sites, Ganden Monastery in Tibet is renowned for the autogenous phenomena (or rangjön) found along its circumambulation route. These rangjön depict deities and other phenomena thought to have spontaneously and miraculously manifested in the rockface. The goal of this paper is to describe the significance and function of Ganden's rangjön. Analyzing pilgrimage guide texts related to Ganden, it argues that rangjön are complex phenomena that are best understood as both material and discursive constructions with implications in the social, religious, and geographic spheres. And that the presence of rangjön represents a method by which a manmade monastery became a sacred place, one that then played a key role in the growth of the Tsongkhapa devotional cult and the rise of the Geluk tradition. As a corollary, I argue for the thus far overlooked importance of monasteries as pilgrimage sites in Tibet. 

  • Haolun Sun,

    Sensing the Purity of Guanyin’s Abode: The Meanings of Qingjing and its Logics as an Ideal Sensory Experience for Visitors at Contemporary Mount Putuo

    Abstract

    This paper examines qingjing, a Chinese expression referring to the quiet and pure sensory experiences, in contemporary Mount Putuo, the abode of Guanyin (a compassionate deity) in China. While existing studies have focused on red-hot sensory experiences and sociality in Chinese contexts, this paper emphasizes qingjing as a sensory experience that is opposite to red-hot but ideal in Chinese religious life. Through ethnographic fieldwork, this paper argues that qingjing is based on the presumably strong efficacy (ling) of Guanyin and Mount Putuo to respond to visitors’ wishes and related to a reverse sensory experience: xianghuo (incense fires). Though seemingly contradictory, qingjing and xianghuo both represent the efficacy of Guanyin and Mount Putuo and thus constitute each other. This paper specifies three logics: qingjing in the “absence”, “complementation”, and “distraction” of xianghuo. Beyond the perspective of sociality, this paper contributes to the general understanding of sensory experiences in Chinese religious life.

  • Kelly Carlton, Princeton University

    Little Devotees: Children’s Ritual Efficacy and Soteriological Capacity in Medieval Chinese Buddhism

    Abstract

    In Buddhist thought, do children have the capacity to attain enlightenment? Or are they bound by their ignorance, unable to ascertain the Dharma until they develop a certain level of discernment? This paper examines concepts of children’s ritual efficacy and soteriological capacity in medieval Chinese Buddhist miraculous tales and hagiographical accounts from the third to tenth centuries CE.  It considers in what circumstances, in what capacities, and for what purposes children appear as religiously agentive in accounts of Buddhist practice in medieval China. Reflecting indigenous Chinese concepts of biophysical and moral development, medieval Chinese Buddhist miraculous tales and hagiographical accounts ascribe ritual efficacy and soteriological capacity to children from roughly six-years-old (seven sui 歳) onward. By exploring portrayals of children’s religious practice in medieval Chinese Buddhism, my paper invites scholars in Buddhist studies to reconsider how historical and cultural notions of childhood shaped basic tenets of Buddhist thought.

  • Yuxin Qin, Harvard University

    Caring as Serving: Lay Buddhist Childcare as Reflective Responses to Societal and Organizational Expectations

    Abstract

    This paper examines contemporary Japanese lay Buddhist childcare through a case study of the Tendai-derived lay Buddhist organization, Kōdō Kyōdan, and its childcare programs. Against the backdrop of Japan’s low birth rate, Kōdō Kyōdan established its three childcare programs at its headquarters in the city of Yokohama at the turn of the 21st century to address demographic concerns at both the national and organizational levels. Drawing on ethnographic research conducted since 2018, this paper explores lay Buddhists’ understanding and practice of hōshi (serving) in their relationships with the religious organization, family, and society in the context of public caution against religious proselytization. This paper argues that by reflectively responding to societal and organizational expectations, the childcare staff members at Kōdō Kyōdan negotiate their religious and social identities in a dynamic context marked by changes in their parent religious organization and in Japanese society at large.

Audiovisual Requirements

Resources

LCD Projector and Screen
Podium microphone

Full Papers Available

No
Program Unit Options

Session Length

2 Hours

Schedule Preference

Monday, 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Tags

Tibet
Pilgrimage
Geluk
material
miracle
icon
sacred landscape
Buddhism
medieval Chinese Buddhism
children
childhood
Buddhist narratives
lay practice
religious agency
ritual efficacy
soteriological capacity