Taixu’s ‘On the Establishment of the Pure Land in the Human Realm’: A Translation and Study

by Charles B. Jones

Publisher:

Bloomsbury Academic

, 2021

In this book, Charles B. Jones provides the first English language translation of one of the most important texts of modern Chinese Buddhism: monk-reformer Taixu's 'On the Establishment of the Pure Land in the Human Realm'. The essay, written in 1926 as part of Taixu's attempt to revive Chinese Buddhism with a Humanistic Buddhist approach, incorporates Western thought into a reconstruction of the idea of the 'Pure Land in the human realm'. In his commentary on the text, Jones argues that it has been widely misunderstood and mischaracterized.

Jones demonstrates that, besides laying out the very modern idea of the Pure Land in the human realm as a slogan for Buddhist engagement with the problems of the modern world, the essay does not, as commonly assumed, discourage practices leading to rebirth in the Pure Land. He also shows that the 'human realm' can mean anywhere in Buddhist cosmology that humans reside, and that the essay's attempts to reconcile Buddhism with modern science is tentative and incomplete. Jones reveals that the essay promotes visions of both paradises and utopias, and that Taixu supports his ideas with many lengthy sutra quotations. The book concludes with an examination of how Taixu's followers developed the idea of the Pure Land in the human realm into a more coherent and modernized ideal.

Features

Features the first English language translation of the essay 'On the Establishment of the Pure Land in the Human Realm' by Taixu
Contextualizes the ideas contained in Taixu's 1926 essay and analyzes its key themes
Examines the essay in relation to Taixu's other writings, and considers the work of subsequent scholars on the 'Pure Land'

Contents

Table of Contents
Preface and Acknowledgments

PART I INTRODUCTORY STUDY
1. Introduction
2. Taixu's Life to 1926
3. Previous Western Writings on Taixu's Ideas about the “Pure Land in the Human Realm”
4: Utopianism East and West in Taixu's Essay
5: Key Themes

PART II TRANSLATION: “ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PURE LAND IN THE HUMAN REALM” BY TAIXU
6. The Translation

PART III THE PURE LAND IN THE HUMAN REALM AFTER TAIXU AND CONCLUSIONS
7. The Pure Land in the Human Realm after Taixu
8. Concluding Remarks

Bibliography and Notes

Praise for Taixu’s ‘On the Establishment of the Pure Land in the Human Realm’

[A]n excellent contribution to the study of Chinese Buddhism, Pure Land Buddhism, and the nuances of the republican peri- od. The work's quality lies in its uncompromising attempt to highlight complexities without setting them straight. The nuanced, almost vivid picture the reader receives of Taixu is inspiring. The book is a lesson in methodology and critical thinking for historians, religious scholars, and scholars of philosophy in China (and beyond). Aside from these qualities, I see this book as a great informative reader about Pure Land Buddhism, suitable for advanced researchers and students.

Charles B. Jones provides an excellent study of the work of one of the most important Chinese Buddhist figures, Taixu, who was highly influential in the development of modern Chinese Buddhism and the globally important idea of Buddhism for Human Life. Jones exposes the complexity of Taixu-simultaneously a traditional Buddhist monk, and a reformist modernizer.

This is an important contribution for scholars of Buddhism and East Asian religions.

Product Details

• Title: Taixu’s ‘On the Establishment of the Pure Land in the Human Realm’: A Translation and Study
• Author: Charles B. Jones
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Print Publication Date: 2021
• Logos Release Date: 2024
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Ebook
• ISBNs: 9781350144279, 9781350201255, 1350201251, 1350144274
• Resource ID: LLS:9781350144279
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-04-09T04:51:48Z

About Charles B. Jones

Charles B. Jones was born in North Carolina in 1957, but grew up in a military family that moved frequently both within the U.S. and abroad. He graduated from Morehead State University (Kentucky) in 1980 with a degree in music, and went on to earn the Master of Theological Studies cum laude from the Divinity School of Duke University in 1988 and the Ph.D. in History of Religions from the University of Virginia in 1996. Since joining the faculty of the STRS in the fall of that year, he has pursued research in the history of Chinese Buddhism and the Christian practice of interreligious dialogue. He has also taught courses for Virginia Theological Seminary and the Smithsonian Associates, and recorded a set of lectures on theories in religious studies for The Teaching Company. He has consulted with the U.S. Department of State, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and was a Fulbright scholar in Taiwan during the 2004-05 academic year.