Lotus Blossoms and Purple Clouds

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Southeast China has long been a stronghold of Buddhism, yet it has received little scholarly focus. Brian Nichols' groundbreaking work centers on a significant Buddhist monastery in Quanzhou, blending ethnographic detail with insightful analysis to explore religion in post-Mao China. Over a fourteen-year period (2005-2019), Nichols conducted more than twenty-six months of field research, offering a re-description of Chinese monastic Buddhism that goes beyond traditional sources to include local texts, material culture, oral history, and living traditions. His study challenges normative narratives and illuminates the lived experience of Buddhism. Readers are introduced to the Quanzhou Kaiyuan Monastery and its clergy, who are working to revive traditions after the Maoist era, as well as lay Buddhists worshiping in the monastery and tourists admiring its historical artifacts. Nichols traces the monastery's history from the Tang Dynasty to the present, highlighting significant events like the lotus-blooming mulberry trees and auspicious purple clouds linked to its founding. Through ethnographic participation and interviews, he reveals unexpected aspects of Buddhist life, emphasizing the liturgical nature of monastic practice, characterized by daily recitations and ancestor veneration. Additionally, he presents an innovative spatial analysis of the monastery, showcasing how various groups interact with the site as a space for reli