Buddhism in Contemporary China Through the Prism of Meditation Techniques

A talk and conversation with Ester Bianchi, PhD

In modern times, outstanding Buddhist masters reinforced and revived traditional Chinese Buddhist practices, such as chan meditation and Pure Land chanting and remembrance of the Buddha's name. However, this general emphasis on meditation also included the implementation of early meditation techniques inspired by the Theravada tradition, as well as Tibetan and Japanese tantric practices. Being perceived as legitimate parts of the Buddhist tradition according to a modern perception of the religion, these forgotten or new forms of meditation were integrated into mainstream Chinese Buddhism. The idea was that of complementing chan meditation with other cultivation practices which, in some cases, were even considered to be more effective than chan itself. This general trend can still be seen in present-day China and Taiwan. The talk will present contemporary Chinese Buddhism through the prism of these various meditation techniques among Han Chinese practitioners.