Sacred Economies: Buddhist Monasticism and Territoriality in Medieval China (The Sheng Yen Series in Chinese Buddhist Studies)
By Michael Walsh.
Description
Buddhist monasteries in medieval China employed a variety of practices to ensure their ascendancy and survival. Most successful was the exchange of material goods for salvation, as in the donation of land, which allowed monks to spread their teachings throughout China. By investigating a variety of socioeconomic spaces produced and perpetuated by Chinese monasteries, Michael J. Walsh reveals the "sacred economies" that shaped early Buddhism and its relationship with consumption and salvation.Centering his study on Tiantong, a Buddhist monastery that has thrived for close to sevent...
ISBN(s)
0231148321, 9780231148320
