Taixu's (1890--1947) Creation of Humanistic Buddhism

Humanistic Buddhism, conceived by the Chinese Buddhist monk Taixu (1890--1947), has been influential not only in Taiwan and China, but also indirectly in the West, as Thich Nhat Hanh's Engaged Buddhism traces its origins to Taixu's Humanistic Buddhism. This dissertation examines the biographical, historical, and religious factors contributing to Taixu's creation of Humanistic Buddhism. It relies upon Taixu's numerous published works and other contemporary source materials to describe the main features and functions of Taixu's Humanistic Buddhism. Finally, it is argued that despite its structure as a theoretical system, Humanistic Buddhism implicated reform ideals that Taixu was unable to implement in his lifetime.