Between 1850 and 1966, tens of thousands of Buddhist sacred sites in China were destroyed, victims of targeted destruction, accidental damage, or simply neglect. During the same period, however, many of these sites were reconstructed, a process that involved both rebuilding material structures and reviving religious communities. The conventionally accepted narrative of Chinese Buddhism during the modern era is that it underwent a revival initiated by innovative monastics and laypersons, leaders who reinvented Buddhist traditions to meet the challenges of modernity. Gregory Adam Scott shows, however, that over time it became increasingly difficult for reconstruction leaders to resist the interests of state actors, who sought to refashion monastery sites as cultural monuments rather than as living religious communities. These sites were then intended to serve as symbols of Chinese history and cultural heritage, while their function as a frame for religious life was increasingly pushed aside. As a result, the power to determine whether and how a monastery would be reconstructed, and the types of activities that would be reinstated or newly introduced, began to shift from religious leaders and communities to state agencies that had a radically different set of motivations and values.
Building the Buddhist Revival explores the history of Chinese Buddhist monastery reconstruction from the end of the Imperial period through the first seventeen years of the People's Republic. Over this century of history, the nature and significance of reconstructing Buddhist monasteries changes drastically, mirroring broader changes in Chinese society. Yet this book argues that change has always been in the nature of religious communities such as Buddhist monasteries, and that reconstruction, rather than a return to the past, represents innovative and adaptive change. In this way, it helps us understand the broader significance of the Buddhist "revival" in China during this era, as a creative reconstruction of religion upon longstanding foundations.
Gregory Adam Scott received his PhD from Columbia University, was previously a research fellow at the University of Edinburgh, and is currently lecturer at the University of Manchester. Originally from Canada, he is a historian of religion in modern China, particularly Buddhism.
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这部作品的结构设计简直是一次精妙的迷宫探险。它没有遵循传统学术著作的线性逻辑,而是像一个不断回旋上升的螺旋,每一章都在前一章的基础上引入新的维度和更复杂的张力。我发现作者似乎故意设置了一些“不完整”的叙事节点,迫使读者自己去填补那些知识的空白,这使得阅读过程充满了主动参与的乐趣和挑战。尤其是在探讨跨文化传播和在地化适应的部分,作者的论证路径极其曲折,她似乎不满足于简单的因果关系,而是热衷于揭示那些潜藏在表象之下的矛盾与张力。每一次当我以为自己抓住了核心论点时,下一页的内容又会以一种意想不到的方式将我引向另一个更深邃的哲学思辨。这种处理方式对于习惯了清晰、直给论证的读者来说,或许需要一些适应,但一旦沉浸其中,那种智力上的愉悦感是无与伦比的,它让你感觉自己不仅仅是在阅读一个研究,而是在参与一场思想的深度对话。
评分这本书的叙事视角非常独特,它没有采用那种宏大叙事的历史回顾,而是深入到具体的个体经验和日常实践中去。作者仿佛带着我们走进了那些正在经历变革的社区,亲眼目睹了信仰如何在一个快速现代化的世界中重新扎根、演变。我尤其欣赏它对“复兴”这一概念的解构,它并非简单地将佛教的“复兴”等同于仪式或建筑的重建,而是将其置于社会变迁、政治压力和文化身份重塑的复杂背景下进行考察。书中对知识分子群体和底层信徒在这一过程中的不同角色进行了细致的描绘,这种多层次的分析避免了单一化的解读,让人对当代佛教的生命力有了更深一层的理解。阅读过程中,我经常停下来思考,这种“复兴”究竟是在回应什么,它是在抵抗什么,又是在寻求什么新的连接点?那种细腻的田野观察和严谨的理论框架相结合的方式,让这本书读起来既有学术的厚重感,又不失故事的吸引力。它强迫读者跳出固有的框架,去思考信仰在当代语境下真正的“功能”是什么。
评分从写作风格来看,作者展现出一种近乎诗意的克制。她的语言非常精准,每一个用词都像是经过了无数次的打磨,既避免了空洞的口号式陈述,也远离了晦涩难懂的术语堆砌。这种平衡感在描述那些极其敏感的宗教与国家关系议题时尤为重要。我注意到,在处理争议性较强的内容时,作者总是采用一种近乎冷静的、如同高空俯瞰的视角,让事实本身说话,而不是急于给出价值判断。这种叙事上的“不偏不倚”反而赋予了作品极大的说服力。此外,书中对仪轨和日常修行的描绘,充满了对细节的迷恋,那些对香火气、诵经声、僧侣日常劳作的描摹,极其生动,仿佛能穿透纸面触及真实的生活肌理。这种对“微观世界”的专注,使得整本书的论述如同由无数细小的、闪光的马赛克拼贴而成,宏大主题在这些微小之处得到了最坚实的支撑。
评分这部书最令人耳目一新的地方,在于它对“现代性”本身的批判性反思。它没有把佛教的“复兴”看作是对西方或现代性的简单回归或对抗,而是将其视为现代性内部的一种必然的、甚至是带有内在悖论的产物。作者似乎在暗示,正是现代性所带来的疏离感、物质主义的空虚,才为这种精神层面的“再组织”提供了土壤。我欣赏作者拒绝将当代佛教简化为一种怀旧情绪,而是将其视为一种对未来生活方式的积极探索。书中关于青年一代如何重新诠释古老教义,以及技术媒介在其中扮演的角色讨论,尤其具有前瞻性。它让我思考,当我们谈论传统时,我们到底是在怀念过去,还是在为尚未到来的未来构建新的精神架构?这本书挑战了许多关于宗教进步与衰退的二元对立观念,提供了一个更具流动性和适应性的理论框架来理解信仰的韧性。
评分阅读此书的体验,就像是跟随一位技艺高超的导游,穿梭于一个看似熟悉却又充满迷雾的历史地景之中。导游的讲解不时会突然中断,让你独自面对一幅巨大的历史壁画,让你自己去解读那些复杂的符号和人物关系。这种“留白”的艺术处理,极大地激发了读者的思考欲。我特别喜欢作者在章节之间设置的那些看似不相关,实则相互映射的案例研究。例如,对某一地区寺院经济结构的分析,突然被置于对某一重要哲学文本翻译变迁的讨论之后,这种并置产生了强大的共振效应,揭示了物质基础与精神阐释之间难以割裂的联系。这本书的深度不在于它提供了多少明确的答案,而在于它提出了多少令人不安但又极富洞察力的问题。它不是一本能让你轻松合上书本后就感到“已掌握”的著作,它更像是一种思维的催化剂,让你在合书之后,脑海中仍然持续地进行着高强度的辩论和重构。
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