Lexington Books Tibetan Buddhism among Han Chinese: Mediation and Superscription of the Tibetan Tradition in Contemporary Chinese Society

This study analyzes the growing appeal of Tibetan Buddhism among Han Chinese in contemporary China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. It examines the Tibetan tradition's historical context and its social, cultural, and political adaptation to Chinese society, as well as the effects on Han practitioners. The author's analysis is based on fieldwork in all three locations and includes a broad range of interlocutors, such as Tibetan religious teachers, Han practitioners, and lay Tibetans. Review The book is well structured and each chapter has a clear focus.... Tibetan Buddhism among Han Chinese is written in a highly accessible style and deserves to be read by anyone seriously interested in Buddhism in the contemporary world. Covering both urban and rural circumstances, the author provides a nuanced account of the adaptation of Tibetan Buddhism in Chinese cultural settings. It provides an insightful perspective into the everyday lives of Chinese practitioners living in various localities. It shows that superscription is embedded within the Chinese everyday lives and that it is experienced in various forms. The book will appeal to a wide audience of scholars and practitioners of Buddhism as well as of cross-cultural religious communication across the globe.-- "Anthropos"Tibetan Buddhism among Han Chinese provides the best overview to date of the contemporary wave of Han Chinese engagement with Tibetan Buddhism. The book is clearly written and is easily accessible to an upper-level undergraduate audience.-- "H-Net: Humanities and Social Science Reviews Online"The growing cultural and spiritual influence of Tibetan Buddhism in the West is well-known, but, unbeknownst to most scholars and observers, growing numbers of Han Chinese are practicing the religion too. This is a significant contribution to the study of the modern transformations of Tibetan Buddhism in a context of globalization.--David Palmer, University of Hong KongTibetan Buddhism among Han Chinese is a new contribution to the growing field of Sino-Tibetan Buddhist studies concerning the presence of Tibetan Buddhism in the religious landscape of contemporary China. Its ethnographic dynamics afford an extensive discussion of what the author terms the "Chinese superscriptions" of Tibetan Buddhism regarding the increasingly individualized interpretations and practices of this non-Chinese religion.--Dan Smyer Yü, Yunnan University About the Author Joshua Esler is lecturer and researcher in Asian studies at Sheridan College.