Sacred Economies: Buddhist Monasticism and Territoriality in Medieval China (The Sheng Yen Series in Chinese Buddhist Studies)

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 seventeen centuries in southeast China, Walsh follows three main topics: the spaces monks produced, within and around which a community could pursue a meaningful existence; the social and economic avenues through which monasteries provided diverse sacred resources and secured the primacy of Buddhist teachings within an agrarian culture; and the nature of "transactive" participation within monastic spaces, which later became a fundamental component of a broader Chinese religiosity. Unpacking these sacred economies and repositioning them within the history of religion in China, Walsh encourages a different approach to the study of Chinese religion, emphasizing the critical link between religious exchange and the production of material culture. 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, the author 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 seventeen centuries in southeast China, the author follows three main topics: the spaces monks produced, within and around which a community could pursue a meaningful existence; the social and economic avenues through which monasteries provided diverse sacred resources and secured the primacy of Buddhist teachings within an agrarian culture; and the nature of "transactive" participation within monastic spaces, which later became a fundamental component of a broader Chinese religiosity The,Shen,Yen,Series,in,Chinese,Buddhist,Studies;,monastic,and,religious,life;,Buddhism;,China;,medieval,economics The Shen Yen Series in Chinese Buddhist Studies,monastic and religious life,Buddhism,China,medieval economics Contents 7 List of Illustrations 9 Preface 11 Dynastic Chronology 13 1. Monastic Identity, Buddhist Religiosity, and Land 14 2. A Square at the Center of the World 38 3. Corporate Bodies 64 4. A Culture of Estates 84 5. Grains of Sand 106 6. Cultivating Salvation 116 7. Salvation and Survival 134 Appendix A. Yin County Buddhist Monastic Land, c. 1226 C.E. 141 Appendix B. Population Figures for Yin County, Ming Prefecture 145 Appendix C. Land Totals in Ming Prefecture 147 Appendix D. Major Structures in Tiantong Monastery’s Compound 151 Notes 153 Glossary 201 Bibliography 215 Index 241 Monastic Identity, Buddhist Religiosity, And Land -- A Square At The Center Of The World -- Corporate Bodies -- A Culture Of Estates -- Grains Of Sand -- Cultivating Salvation -- Salvation And Survival. Michael J. Walsh. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.