Seeing beyond the state? : the negotiation of moral boundaries in the revival and development of Tibetan Buddhist monasticism in contemporary China

This study explores the revival and development of Tibetan Buddhist monasticism in contemporary China since 1980 and its relationship to a society undergoing rapid socio-economic transformations. The speed and extent of the revival has been one of the most extraordinary aspects of the Tibetan Buddhist resurgence. Yet, monastic actors are facing serious challenges as they attempt to 'move with the times' while maintaining the soteriological and mundane bases of monastic Buddhism in rapidly changing political, economic and social contexts. Thus far, accounts of the revival have largely been framed in relation to the Chinese state, the shifting public space for religion and culture and the 'Tibet question'. This study attempts to 'see beyond the state' to examine other contingent factors in the ongoing process of renewal and development. Taking the monastery as the central unit of a synthetic analysis of its relations to both state and society and exploring the topic 'from the ground up', this study focuses on the shifting mundane bases of Gelukpa 'mass monasticism' over the past 30 years at regional monastic centres and local monasteries in eastern Qinghai province, part of the Tibetan Amdo region. By paying attention to the subjective experiences of those involved in monastic development and focusing on its moral dimensions this study provides a fresh perspective on a process that has been intermeshed with, but not exclusively dominated or defined by, its relationship to the state.