Describes the life of a Mongolian Buddhist monastery - the Mergen Monastery in Inner Mongolia - from inside its walls. From the Qing occupation of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries through the Cultural Revolution, the authors tell a story of religious formation, suppression, and survival over a history that spans three centuries.
A wide-ranging exploration of Buddhism and family in Asia—from biological families to families created in monasteries. The Buddha left his home and family and enjoined his followers to go forth and “become homeless.” With a traditionally celibate clergy, Asian Buddhism is often regarded as a world-renouncing ...