My eyes kept being drawn to the cartoon characters on the bob-bing bus ceiling. Mickey Mouse and Pluto were pasted between metallic paper roses, hearts and butterflies. It seemed incongruous, hovering over an eclectic...My eyes kept being drawn to the cartoon characters on the bob-bing bus ceiling. Mickey Mouse and Pluto were pasted between metallic paper roses, hearts and butterflies. It seemed incongruous, hovering over an eclectic collection of rural passengers jabbering away in a jarring dialect, crammed into a bus chugging its way to the mountains high above Xining, the capital of Qinghai Province in northwest China.展开更多
Understanding the physical characteristics and cultural connotations of water is fundamental in obtaining a more in-depth view of the relationship between monastic lives and spaces.This study moves from several case s...Understanding the physical characteristics and cultural connotations of water is fundamental in obtaining a more in-depth view of the relationship between monastic lives and spaces.This study moves from several case studies to two case comparisons to a synthesis of two space prototypes to investigate how water management evolved into spatial water thought and became a common reference for monastic lives and spaces.Cistercian and Han Buddhist monasteries are investigated and considered to share many similarities in the internal institutional model of monks’lives,as well as their corresponding architectural core values.They are suitable cases for exploring this research idea.In Cistercian and Han Buddhist monasteries,the role of water in monks’lives and spaces is mainly reflected in the following aspects:1)the form of the water body shaped the monastic spatial morphology in site selection;2)the structure of water flow was closely related to spatial order and affected the spatial distribution;and 3)the performance of the water status formatted the connotation of space.This article attempts to depict a complete picture of the relationship between monastic lives and spaces from the perspective of water.Under the common pursuit of selfsufficient retreat life,water management was the common strategy for monastic venues to turn the wilderness into paradise refuges.Findings of this article show that the water culture of self-sufficiency and self-cleaning is the common reference,a shared universal value,and common parts of the spatial thought of the two monastic venues.Awareness of the importance of water in monastic lives and spaces helps us to pay attention to the relationship between the water environment and monastic venues.The research findings are linked to the current requirements of historical monasteries’preservation,restoration,and even reconstruction,which are fundamental in maintaining the sustainable development of monastic lives and spaces.展开更多
Masters of kung-fu,sources of ancient and infallible wisdom,religious leaders beyond reproach—the Buddhist monk and the grand tradition of monasteries is of incalculable value to the culture of China.But the modern w...Masters of kung-fu,sources of ancient and infallible wisdom,religious leaders beyond reproach—the Buddhist monk and the grand tradition of monasteries is of incalculable value to the culture of China.But the modern world brings with it something far more dangerous to these traditions than all the martial arts and religious purges in the world:money.For the faithful,the introduction of the free market is finishing off the work展开更多
This article examines regulations of Tibetan Buddhism locally and nationwide,especially focusing on regulations pertinent to Tibetan lamas/monks.Based on fieldwork and studies of contemporary materials,the article dem...This article examines regulations of Tibetan Buddhism locally and nationwide,especially focusing on regulations pertinent to Tibetan lamas/monks.Based on fieldwork and studies of contemporary materials,the article demonstrates regulations of Tibetan Buddhism in contemporary China derive from two religious management systems:the state management system of religion and the monastic management system.Then it discusses the intersection of these regulations of Tibetan Buddhism in China,and it argues further that the changing balance between state power and religion throughout the intersectional regulations in practice,despite the religion under the leadership of the Communist Party of China.展开更多
文摘My eyes kept being drawn to the cartoon characters on the bob-bing bus ceiling. Mickey Mouse and Pluto were pasted between metallic paper roses, hearts and butterflies. It seemed incongruous, hovering over an eclectic collection of rural passengers jabbering away in a jarring dialect, crammed into a bus chugging its way to the mountains high above Xining, the capital of Qinghai Province in northwest China.
文摘Understanding the physical characteristics and cultural connotations of water is fundamental in obtaining a more in-depth view of the relationship between monastic lives and spaces.This study moves from several case studies to two case comparisons to a synthesis of two space prototypes to investigate how water management evolved into spatial water thought and became a common reference for monastic lives and spaces.Cistercian and Han Buddhist monasteries are investigated and considered to share many similarities in the internal institutional model of monks’lives,as well as their corresponding architectural core values.They are suitable cases for exploring this research idea.In Cistercian and Han Buddhist monasteries,the role of water in monks’lives and spaces is mainly reflected in the following aspects:1)the form of the water body shaped the monastic spatial morphology in site selection;2)the structure of water flow was closely related to spatial order and affected the spatial distribution;and 3)the performance of the water status formatted the connotation of space.This article attempts to depict a complete picture of the relationship between monastic lives and spaces from the perspective of water.Under the common pursuit of selfsufficient retreat life,water management was the common strategy for monastic venues to turn the wilderness into paradise refuges.Findings of this article show that the water culture of self-sufficiency and self-cleaning is the common reference,a shared universal value,and common parts of the spatial thought of the two monastic venues.Awareness of the importance of water in monastic lives and spaces helps us to pay attention to the relationship between the water environment and monastic venues.The research findings are linked to the current requirements of historical monasteries’preservation,restoration,and even reconstruction,which are fundamental in maintaining the sustainable development of monastic lives and spaces.
文摘Masters of kung-fu,sources of ancient and infallible wisdom,religious leaders beyond reproach—the Buddhist monk and the grand tradition of monasteries is of incalculable value to the culture of China.But the modern world brings with it something far more dangerous to these traditions than all the martial arts and religious purges in the world:money.For the faithful,the introduction of the free market is finishing off the work
基金the research project of University of Macao,Project Title:The Role of Intellectuals in China’s Ethnic Studies and Ethnic Policymaking.Project Number:MYRG2015-0033-FSS.
文摘This article examines regulations of Tibetan Buddhism locally and nationwide,especially focusing on regulations pertinent to Tibetan lamas/monks.Based on fieldwork and studies of contemporary materials,the article demonstrates regulations of Tibetan Buddhism in contemporary China derive from two religious management systems:the state management system of religion and the monastic management system.Then it discusses the intersection of these regulations of Tibetan Buddhism in China,and it argues further that the changing balance between state power and religion throughout the intersectional regulations in practice,despite the religion under the leadership of the Communist Party of China.
