In Search of the Dharma

Memoirs of a Modern Chinese Buddhist Pilgrim

By Chen-hua
Edited by Chun-fang Yu
Introduction by Chun-fang Yu
Translated by Denis C. Mair

Subjects: Buddhism
Series: SUNY series in Buddhist Studies
Paperback : 9780791408469, 312 pages, August 1992
Hardcover : 9780791408452, 312 pages, September 1992

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Table of contents

List of Illustrations

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

I. From Honan to Chiang-nan

II. Ordination at Pao-Hua Mountain

III. Reporting for Examinations at P'i-Lu Monastery

IV. Staying at Tung-Yueh Temple

V. Studying at T'ien-ning

VI. Ling-Yen Monastery in Soochow

VII. Collecting Rents at Lake T'ai

VIII. About My Father

IX. Buddha Recitation Week

X. Victory for the Chinese Communists

XI. P'u-t'o Island

XII. Arrival in Taiwan

XIII. Medical Discharge from the Army in 1952

XIV. A Near-Fatal Illness

XV. Teachers and Teachings that I Cannot Forget

Glossary

Index

Description

This is the first and only book in English on modern Chinese Buddhism written by a practicing Chinese monk. Chen-hua provides a rare eyewitness account of Chinese monastic life and Buddhist practices before they were changed forever by the Communist revolution. It begins with his departure from home in northern China to study Buddhism in Kiansu and Chekiang in the south and ends with his rejoining the monastic order in Taiwan after spending several years as a draftee in the Nationalist army.

Following century-old traditions of Ch'an monks, Chen-hua made prilgrimages to all the major monasteries and holy sites, and sought instruction from many famous masters. His ordination at Pao-hua; "Buddha recitation weeks" at Ling-yen; scriptural studies at T'ien-ning; and a pilgrimage to P'u-t'o, the sacred island of Kuan-yin, are some of the highlights of this candid and perceptive book.

The Introduction by Chun-fang Yu places the work in a historical perspective. Notes, a glossary of Chinese terms, maps, and photos help readers who are new to the field.

Chun-fang Yu is Associate Professor in the Department of Religion at Rutgers University. She is the author of Renewal of Buddhism in China: Chu-hung and the Late Ming Synthesis.