Journal paper

Issue No.	No. 38
Title	The Influence of Master Taixu on Buddhism in Việtnam
Author	Elise A. Devido
Page	211-248
Abstract	The Việtnamese Buddhist Revival,Chận Hưng Phật Giáo, of the 1920s-40s saw reform and developments in institutional Buddhism as well as the rise of new sects such as Cao Đài, Hòa Hâo, and the Tịnh độ cư sĩ. From the 1920s, Việtnamese Buddhist reformers revitalized their religion, inspired in great part by the Chinese monk Taixu’s [Thái Hư Ðài Sư ](1890-1947) blueprint to modernize and systematize samgha education and temple administration, and by his idea of Renjian fojiao [Nhân Gian Phật Giáo ], “Buddhism for this world,”emphasizing the centrality of education, modern publishing, social work, and Buddhist lay groups to Buddhism’s future in the modern world. 　　This paper first discusses the Chinese Buddhist revival, then the activitiesof Buddhist reformers in Việtnam 1920-51, and the flows of Buddhist personnel and materials between Việtnam and China. The paper then traces the influence of Taixu upon Buddhism in Việtnam, primarily in two ways: first, via his writings and his disciples; how was Nhân Gian Phật Giáo, “Buddhism for this world,” interpreted and realized in Việtnam? Second, the paper narrates Taixu’s two visits to Việtnam in 1928 and 1940 and points to the importance of the overseas Chinese community in the propagation of transnational Buddhism in modern times. 　　The paper stresses that the Việtnamese Buddhist Revival of the first half of the twentieth-century established the institutional and conceptual foundation for Việtnamese Engaged Buddhism’s remarkable developments in the 1960s-70s, as well as Việtnamese Buddhism’s mainstream institutional growth and influence from the 1940s to the present. As the Việtnamese Buddhist Revival took place in a transnational context, more comparative work is needed on the history of modern Buddhism.
Keyword	Master Taixu, Vietnamese Buddhist Revival, Buddhism for this world, transnational Buddhism
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