Transformations of The Buddhist Community in Modern China

Buddhism, one of the greatest world religions, spans 2500 years of Asian history, it is a diverse complexity of not only doctrines and institutions, so ritual, moral, devotional and meditative practices. Since the Awakening of Gautama Buddha in the fifth century B.C.E., Buddhism has focused on the realization of enlightenment through the cultivation of morality, meditation and wisdom. While the vast array of Buddhist religious and cultural forms defines the breadth of the experience of Buddhism, is profound spiritual quest for enlightenment defines is depth.

As Buddhism has evolved over the last few decades, it may be speculated that Buddhism has become an indispensable part of China that could not be ignored even by the Communist regime. Since the founding of New China in 1949, major reforms have taken place that have changed the lives of the monks and nuns and Buddhist lay devotees.

Very few Indian scholars have endeavoured to study this field. A humble attempt is being made here to analyse the relevant conditions of Buddhism in this regard from available materials in English and Chinese. In the present juncture of Sino-Indian relations, the present study will hopefully be of contemporary significance.

Dr. Jayeeta Ganguly was born to Kalyani and Jayanta Kumar Ganguly in Kolkata. Her schooling was in Delhi (Carmel Convent School) and Kolkata (Sr. John's Diocesan School). Passionate about languages since her teenage years, she joined the Department of Chinese Language and Culture under Visva-Bharati University. She also received a Diploma in Japanese after completing her Masters.

Dr. Ganguly, now the senior most professor in the Department of Chinese Language and Culture under Visva-Bharati University, specializes in Chinese Buddhism, with special reference to the Vinaya Literature preserved in Chinese. Many of Dr. Ganguly's articles on Buddhism have been published in several international, national and state-level journals. She has also attended many seminars both nationally and internationally. Her first book was Uposatha Ceremony -The Earliest Traditions and Later Developments, published in 1991.7M4rmations of the Buddhist Community in Modern China is her second brain-child.

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