What is it about?
Religious foundations in China (500–1500 CE) were largely characterized by the interaction of Buddhist and Daoist institutions with the state (court) and the populace. The present contribution tries to offer some preliminary insights into the endowment culture of traditional China, which was fundamentally influenced and shaped by monasticism, its key impulses obviously coming from Buddhism. I thus propose that in principle all monasteries in traditional China, including Daoist institutions, were foundations. Furthermore, I will introduce basic terms of the Chinese endowment culture, with a special focus on the key notion of religious merit (gongde).
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Why is it important?
The social and historical phenomenon of foundations (endowments) in European and other cultures has already been thoroughly researched. However, research into the endowment culture of China, representing one of the great ancient cultures of the world, is still in its infancy. The peculiarities of Chinese culture and history require a special approach to the topic as well as a basic knowledge of the relevant Chinese terminology. This article is one of the first treatises of the topic in a Western language.
Perspectives
Many aspects of Chinese culture and religion in particular are still not well understood. I hope that this contribution will lead to more in-depth studies of Chinese foundations and religious institutions.
Volker Olles
Sichuan University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Merit and Virtue – Buddhist and Daoist Foundations in China (500–1500 CE), Endowment Studies, July 2019, Brill,
DOI: 10.1163/24685968-00301002.
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