Buddhism In Hexi Region During The Xi Xia Regime

The rule of Hexi Region by the Xi Xia regime lasted nearly two centuries, which plays an important part in the history of Hexi Region. The Xi Xia regime succeeded the previous Allegiance Army in Guazhou and Shazhou, Ganzhou Uigur regime and Liangzhou Tibetan regime, and predated the Yuan Dynasty. Therefore, Buddhism in Hexi Region during the Xi Xia regime, characterized by its distinctive nationalism and regionalism, soared to an unprecedented height and played a transitional role in the Buddhism development in Hexi region. The dissertation is made up of ten chapters, with the introduction included. The introduction briefs the achievements that have been made by the scholars at home and abroad in nearly a century with respect to the researches conducted on the Xi Xia Buddhism since the "Famous Tower" of Heishui City was discovered. Moreover, this introduction also makes a summary concerning the intention, significance, basic research materials and research methods of the selected topic.Chapter One makes a brief introduction to the conquest of the former regimes in Hexi Region by the Xi Xia regime and its occupation of all the prefectures there. Furthermore, it also discusses the disputed issue over the Uigur kingdom in Guazhou and Shazhou.Chapter Two conducts a textual research on the temples in Hexi Region and their Buddhist ceremonies, illustrating that there was a close connection between the Buddhist ceremonies in the Xi Xia regime and those popular in the Allegiance Army pereiod. The focus of this chapter is concentrated on an experimental study with respect to such untouched fields as the temple economy of the Xi Xia regime and the population attached to the temples.Chapter Three, by taking advantage of Buddhist literature unearthed in Heishui City, investigates some master monks in Hexi Region and the related Buddhist ceremonies. Moreover, through analyzing the organization governing Buddhist monks and nuns, the set-up of monk officers, Buddhist monastic names, and the system of granting frocks, it reaches a conclusion that the conferred titles of the Xi Xia emperors were influenced by the Buddhist monastic names of Tibetan monks. The Xi Xia regime executed the policy "to pay taxes according to the number of lands". Temples and monks also had obligation to pay duties and do corvee labor even if they owned lands. Once the country was faced with critical emergence, the monks, as a source of soldiers, would be enlisted into the army, which proved that monk was not a class that gained from no pain.Chapter Four conducts textual researches on the set-up of translation office, Buddhist Scripture translation of the Xi Xia regime, on the Buddhist Scriptures that prevailed in Hexi Region, and on the honorary titles of emperors recorded in those Buddhist Scriptures. It also clarifies the continuity of the religious belief of the people who lived in Hexi region and how the imperial household attached importance to Buddhism. The blooming of Buddhism also greatly propelled the development of printing. This chapter also discusses printing and binding of Buddhist Scripture. It shows that the discovery of movable type Buddhist Scriptures in the Xi Xia regime has becomea remarkable event on the history of Chinese moveable type printing.Chapter Five explores the Zen Buddhism, The Pure Land Sect, and the belief in Avalokitesvara in Hexi Region through expounding grotto ad* and Buddhist literature unearthed in Heishui City. It verifies that the Xi Xia Buddhism was a type of Buddhism which could be popularized in a mass of believers because it could satisfy diverse needs of the believers from all walks of life, even meeting different psychological needs of the individual believer. Thus the Xi Xia Buddhism was characterized by popularity and utilitarianism.Buddhism originating from Tibet was also flourishing in the Xi Xia regime. Chapter Six proposes that Dangxiang tribe had already been influenced by Tibetan Buddhism even before its migration to the inland, and the translation of Tibetan Buddhist, Scriptures dated back to the beginning of the Xi Xia regime. Chapter Six also probes in great detail into the development of Tibetan Buddhism in Xi Xia and into the extent of influence to which the customs of Tibetan monks had exerted on the Xi Xia monks.Chapter Seven elaborates pagodas, figures of Buddha and paintings found in Hexi Region and then gives attention to some historical problems and the existing period of certain grottoes by analyzing epigraphs in the grottoes, the portraits of patrons and new materials. In addition, for the first time, this chapter examines the account of the craftsmen who created the brilliant Buddhist arts during the Xi Xia regime.Chapter Eight investigates the development of Confucianism and other primitive religions and the syncretism and co-development of diverse cultures in the Xi Xia regime, and then discusses the multi-cultures, as reflected in the funeral conventions in Hexi Region, with Buddhism playing a major role.Chapter Nine expounds several big-scale aggressions started by Mongolia and the aftereffects caused by the wrong policy of "attaching Mongolia to invade Jin kingdom" adopted by the Xi Xia regime. Although the Xi Xia regime was conquered by Mongolia, many survivors of this great upheaval still stayed in Hexi Region and continued to carry out their Buddhism ceremonies. Consequently, the base of Buddhism in the Hexi Region and the Buddhism ceremonies of survivors greatly promoted the development of Buddhism in Mongolia and Yuan Dynasty.