BOOK REVIEW - Esoteric Buddhism in China

Abstract

Wei Wu’s Esoteric Buddhism in China examines the rise of esoteric Buddhism during the Republican era (1912–1949) in China, focusing especially on the cross-cultural interactions between Chinese, Japanese, and Tibetan Buddhist traditions. Drawing on Ann Swidler’s repertoire framework—the way people strategically select from a repertoire of resources to address specific problems—Wei Wu analyzes the choices and motivations of Chinese Buddhists who strategically used esoteric texts, rituals, and practices to address issues they faced in the early twentieth century. These included Taixu太虛 (1890–1947), Dayong 大勇 (1893–1929), Nenghai 能海 (1886–1967), and Fazun 法尊 (1902–1980). Exploring a range of previously unexamined sources including speeches, periodical articles, letters, advertisements, memoirs, biographies, commentaries, and lecture notes, Wu considers the doctrinal, ritual, and institutional impact of esoteric Buddhism on Buddhist modernity in China.