A Tentative Study On The Establishment Wuchang College Of Buddhism Of Taixu And Lay Buddhist

During the periods of the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, the style of Buddhism was at a low ebb and came to a crisis for it was criticized by all parties. At the same time, lay Buddhism’s sudden rise created a surge of enthusiasm for lay Buddhists’ participation in the revitalization of Buddhism. In consideration of the pressure from education initiation with temple property, Buddhist monks began to reform centered on the Buddhist education. Modern Buddhism, in time of the opportunities coexist with challenges, was reformed to build a new kind of Buddhism which could fit into the secular society. Establishing Wuchang College of Buddhism is a try of Taixu with the idea of Equality of All Sects and Human Buddhism.In this paper, the first chapter mainly discusses the two major social background of the modern revival of Buddhism. It is lay Buddhism’s sudden rise and education initiation with temple property. The second chapter mainly elaborated Taixu’s exploration of the revival of Buddhism in Jiangsu and Zhejiang area and the modern Wuhan Buddhist condition. Taixu, on the one hand, attempted to rely on Buddhist temple and set a good example for Buddhism. On the other side, he tried to depend on lay Buddhists to develop monks and lay Buddhists to be accordant with the concept of Human Buddhism. However, it came out that Taixu ran up against a stone wall repeatedly in the reform of Buddhist education around Jiangsu and Zhejiang area. The third chapter mainly discusses, with the development of Wuhan Buddhist business, Taixu transferred the center for reform to Wuhan and turned to cooperate with lay Buddhists. He founded Wuchang College of Buddhism (WCB), which had a far-reaching influence on later generations, lay Buddhists in Wuhan as well as he himself, through transferring some rights. Afterwards, due to believer-in-Wuhan’s lack of unity, together with the sudden rise of Esoteric Buddhism in Wuhan and the change of his way of Buddhist revitalization, Taixu’s zeal for Wuchang College of Buddhism continuously decreased, which resulted the Wuchang Buddhist gradually lost the leadership of the modern revival of Buddhism. The fourth chapter mainly elaborated the impact of Wuchang College of Buddhism. Taixu’s new concept of modern Buddhism started to be established and flourished gradually. Participants of Buddhist revitalization was established with each passing day. The concept and the new form of modern Buddhist development constantly took shape.In a word, Taixu and Lay Buddhist of Wuhan launched Wuchang College of Buddhism, in order to the revival of Buddhism in the environment of the opportunities and challenges. The direct purpose is not the same about Establishing Wuchang College of Buddhism. Taixu wants to maintain the center position of Buddhist monks. Lay Buddhist wants to be participants in the development of Buddhism and even leader, rather than the spectator. The defects of the internal makes the conflict become increasingly apparent, eventually leading to the founding and development of Wuchang College of Buddhism can’t realize the revival of Buddhism, and is constantly promote the formation of the modern new form of Buddhism.