The Restricted Publicity: Esoteric Buddhist Texts and Imperial Control in Medieval China

In medieval China, the state regularly sponsored the compilation of Buddhist canons and its circulation. It was a measure of publicity as well as restrictionism, and standardization. The official control of the translation and publish of esoteric texts exemplifies the theory, which, to both the state and the church, contain messages improper for ecumenical accessibility. A probe into this issue helps us better know about information sharing of the past and rethink its digitalizing and universalizing trend that is sweeping the world. The investigation would shed new light on the ideological nature of the Buddhist canons in history and provide references for the ongoing digitalization program of Buddhist texts undertaken by Dharma Drum Mountain, which aims to create a massive electronic database including all kinds of Buddhist texts. It would be available for consultation on the design of the exhibition on East Asian manuscript and print culture both online and on-site (UBC Asian Centre, Feb.-May 2016) that is sponsored by Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies.

Faculty Supervisor:

Jinhua Chen

Student:

Partner:

Dharma Drum Mountain Buddhist Association (Vancouver, BC)

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Other services (except public administration)

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program: