The Power of Interconnectivity: Tan Sitong's Invention of Historical Agency in Late Qing China
To explore how Chinese Buddhists acted as trailblazers of Engaged Buddhism, I shall analyze a late nineteenth-century thinker, Tan Sitong 譚嗣同 (1865–1898). The focus of my analysis is his masterpiece, <em>Renxue</em> 仁學. From his position of Buddhist eclecticism, Tan discoursed at length...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Society for the Study of Global Buddhism
2015-02-01
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| Series: | Journal of Global Buddhism |
| Online Access: | http://www.globalbuddhism.org/jgb/index.php/jgb/article/view/93 |
| _version_ | 1811255619369304064 |
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| author | Hung-yok Ip |
| author_facet | Hung-yok Ip |
| author_sort | Hung-yok Ip |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | To explore how Chinese Buddhists acted as trailblazers of Engaged Buddhism, I shall analyze a late nineteenth-century thinker, Tan Sitong 譚嗣同 (1865–1898). The focus of my analysis is his masterpiece, <em>Renxue</em> 仁學. From his position of Buddhist eclecticism, Tan discoursed at length on non-differentiation as the truth of the universe to reflect on the creative disposition of human agency. He described in <em>Renxue</em> how this disposition would contribute to the agendas defining Chinese modernity. In addition, discussing the meanings of non-differentiation, Tan also generalized about the nature of the human agency he attempted to advocate: while he perceived the human agency blessed with a non-differentiating mindset as an omnipotent history-making force, he also argued that it did not confer upon its owner the status of world savior. In fact, in his view, the efficacy of a non-differentiating mind was determined by the world it aimed to help. Tan's signature piece, I argue, provides a lens through which we can observe modern Chinese Buddhism's role as an important part of the global formation of Engaged Buddhism. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T17:26:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bc488103451246e881c55876d448b9e0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1527-6457 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T17:26:40Z |
| publishDate | 2015-02-01 |
| publisher | Society for the Study of Global Buddhism |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Global Buddhism |
| spelling | doaj.art-bc488103451246e881c55876d448b9e02022-12-22T03:23:17ZengSociety for the Study of Global BuddhismJournal of Global Buddhism1527-64572015-02-0110032337494The Power of Interconnectivity: Tan Sitong's Invention of Historical Agency in Late Qing ChinaHung-yok Ip0Oregon State UniversityTo explore how Chinese Buddhists acted as trailblazers of Engaged Buddhism, I shall analyze a late nineteenth-century thinker, Tan Sitong 譚嗣同 (1865–1898). The focus of my analysis is his masterpiece, <em>Renxue</em> 仁學. From his position of Buddhist eclecticism, Tan discoursed at length on non-differentiation as the truth of the universe to reflect on the creative disposition of human agency. He described in <em>Renxue</em> how this disposition would contribute to the agendas defining Chinese modernity. In addition, discussing the meanings of non-differentiation, Tan also generalized about the nature of the human agency he attempted to advocate: while he perceived the human agency blessed with a non-differentiating mindset as an omnipotent history-making force, he also argued that it did not confer upon its owner the status of world savior. In fact, in his view, the efficacy of a non-differentiating mind was determined by the world it aimed to help. Tan's signature piece, I argue, provides a lens through which we can observe modern Chinese Buddhism's role as an important part of the global formation of Engaged Buddhism.http://www.globalbuddhism.org/jgb/index.php/jgb/article/view/93 |
| spellingShingle | Hung-yok Ip The Power of Interconnectivity: Tan Sitong's Invention of Historical Agency in Late Qing China Journal of Global Buddhism |
| title | The Power of Interconnectivity: Tan Sitong's Invention of Historical Agency in Late Qing China |
| title_full | The Power of Interconnectivity: Tan Sitong's Invention of Historical Agency in Late Qing China |
| title_fullStr | The Power of Interconnectivity: Tan Sitong's Invention of Historical Agency in Late Qing China |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Power of Interconnectivity: Tan Sitong's Invention of Historical Agency in Late Qing China |
| title_short | The Power of Interconnectivity: Tan Sitong's Invention of Historical Agency in Late Qing China |
| title_sort | power of interconnectivity tan sitong s invention of historical agency in late qing china |
| url | http://www.globalbuddhism.org/jgb/index.php/jgb/article/view/93 |
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