The Microcosm Holds Mountains and Seas: The Sinicization of Buddhism in ‘Multi-Layered Contextualization’ from Local to Global History
A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 May 2025) | Viewed by 588
Special Issue Editors
Interests: East Asian Buddhism
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: Buddhism
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
From its inception, Buddhism has exhibited a tendency towards globalization. Originating in Central India, it expanded in various directions, traversing Central Asia and extending to East Asia. During this process, the intertwining trends of globalization and localization have been constant companions in the spread of Buddhism, giving rise to the unique phenomenon of ‘Glocalization’, a blend of global and local influences.
In the study of Buddhism, it is important to adopt a ‘multi-layered contextualization’ approach, which involves an integration of local, regional, national, and global histories at different levels. On the one hand, the study of Buddhist history cannot be detached from the construction of microhistories to avoid being overly general. Even macroscopic studies require a detailed examination of local and regional histories. On the other hand, a broader perspective and framework are essential to understand the global significance underlying local events.
The Sinicization/localization of Buddhism was an extremely lengthy and complex process, warranting multi-layered, interdisciplinary, and multimedia research from diverse perspectives. Integrating localization and globalization, the ‘multi-layered contextualization’ approach, which considers both local and global history, represents a novel approach worthy of exploration in the study of Buddhism’s adaptation in China. Consequently, it is the aim of this Special Issue that scholars both within and outside China explore these new perspectives on the Sinicization of Buddhism, as well as how Buddhism, once Sinicized/localized, navigated the historical processes of modernization and globalization.
The topics for this Special Issue include, but are not limited to, the following:
- The history of regional Buddhism and regional history;
- The globalization of Chinese Buddhism since the Ming and Qing Dynasties;
- The modernization of Chinese Buddhism in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republican era;
- The globalization and modernization of Chinese Buddhism;
- Overseas/diaspora Chinese Buddhism: new sources and perspectives;
- Overseas/diaspora branches and home bases of Chinese Buddhism;
- Modernization and globalization prospects of Buddhism;
- Buddhism’s spread and civilizational exchanges in countries along the land and maritime Silk Road.
Prof. Dr. Jinhua Chen
Prof. Dr. Ru Zhan
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- sinification of Buddhism
- localization of Buddhism
- globalization of Buddhism
- modernization of Buddhism
- overseas/diaspora Chinese Buddhism
- spread of Buddhism through land and the maritime Silk Road
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