A Study Of The Development And Management Of Chinese Buddhist Sangha

Study of development and management of Chinese Buddhist Sangha, as an important aspect of Buddhist studies, is significant to understanding, advocating, strengthening Buddhism as well as its adaptation to socialism. Written with this view, the dissertation includes three parts: preface, text and conclusion.The preface, reviewing the history and present situation of studies in this topic, illustrates the value of this study. Then, through defining several categories and content in this study, it outlines an extent for this study. After introducing the approaches, it briefly combs the history of Chinese Buddhist Sangha and its management system.The text has five chapters respectively dealing with the history and characteristic of Chinese Buddhist Sangha and its management system in different periods: Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, Sui, Tang, Song, and Yuan Dynasties, Ming and Qing Dynasties, modern and contemporary times.Chapter 1: From Han to the Southern and Northern Dynasties. From the change of two Han dynasties to Eastern Han, during over 200 years of Buddhist early spreading in China, Sangha was first built up incompletely with unsystematic management system. Wei and Jin was the forming period of Chinese Sangha. Several typical Chinese Saigha groups appeared, which, while managed by Buddhist commandments, set off to sinicizationIn Southern and Northern Dynasties, Chinese Buddhist Sangha and its management system entered maturity. Chinese Buddhist Sangha, with larger scale, formed a double-track management system of commandments and Sangha official.Chapter 2: From Sui to Yuan Dynasties: Sui, Tang and Song were the prosperity periodof Chinese Buddhist Sangha. The Sangha official system was perfected and fixed. Sinicized Sangha system, represented by monastic system of Zen sect, appeared and developed into the basic model of Chinese Buddhist Sangha management.Chapter 3: Ming and Qing Dynasties. In this declining period of Chinese Buddhist Sangha, under stronger administration by the government, Sangha and temples were managed with declined monastic system and changed commandments. Thus appeared the cause of reform and revival of monasteries.Chapter 4: Modern times. Chinese Buddhist Sangha and its management system were reformed and changed to adapt to the developing society. Due to the development of Sangha autonomy, the organization, reformation of Sangha entered a plural developmentChapter 5: Contemporary times. Chinese Buddhist Sangha and its management system entered a period of plural development since the founding of People's Republic of China. In the mainland, a system came into form, with Chinese Buddhist Association as the core and local associations and grassroots Sangha as the closely related net Sangha management, with several important policies being documented, has stepped on the way of formalization. Hong Kong and Taiwan have their own characteristic Sangha organization and management systems corresponding to their social system.In conclusion, the author gives a review of the basic track of Chinese Buddhist Sangha and its management system, analyzes the problems in contemporary Sangha management and existing remedies, and points out the feasible direction for the future development of Chinese Buddhist Sangha management system. This is the purpose of this study.