Taixu's 'on the Establishment of the Pure Land in the Human Realm' - by Charles B Jones (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

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.

Review Quotes

"[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." --H-Net Reviews

"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." --Richard K. Payne, Institute of Buddhist Studies, Berkeley, USA

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