Monks in Motion: Buddhism and Modernity across the South China Sea. By Jack Meng-Tat Chia. New York: Oxford University Press, 2020. xxi, 275 pp. ISBN: 9780190090975 (cloth).

Identity in Transnational Buddhism—The Case of a Chinese Buddhist Nun in Shan State, Myanmar

“…320-39). Other studies of Buddhist identity include the discussion on Buddhist identities in North America (e.g., Numrich 2003), Buddhist nationalism (e.g., Rambukwella 2018), or monastic networks (e.g., Chia 2020). I hope this paper will contribute to the ongoing academic discussion on Buddhist identity and transnational networking.…”

One Hundred and Eight Rosary Beads in Landscape and Architecture Design

“…That is, the Borobudur Temple Compound seems being made of three monuments: namely the Borobudur Temple and two smaller (ancillary) temples situated to the east on a straight axis to Borobudur (see Appendix about Four Temples). Let us stress that the first historically attested celebration of Vesak at Borobudur dates 1953 (Chia, 2020).…”

“…Il più famoso è quello spettacolare, lungo cinquanta metri, della frullatura del mare di latte, in cui 108 angeli (deva) e demoni (asura) tirano da parti opposte, per 1000 anni, un serpente gigante (naga) avvolto attorno a un monte usato come frusta, e producono infine il nettare dell' immortalità. ... 108 è il numero magico degli indù e dei buddisti, perché attraverso le sue cifre rappresenta l' unione dell' unità (1), del nulla (0) e del tutto infinito (8). Oltre che nella rappresentazione della frollatura lo si ritrova anche nei grani dei rosari, e nei 54 angeli e 54 demoni che costeggiano i ponti di accesso alla seconda meraviglia di Angkor: il Bayon, centro simbolico e planimetrico della vecchia capitale Angkor Thom.…”

Diaspora governance and religion: The (re)production of the Guangze Zunwang cult in the Chinese diaspora

“…Apart from migrants, diasporic networks of Chinese religions were also driven by other religious actors and institutions. For example, the transnational religious activities of monks and nuns not only stimulated the spread of Chinese religions in Southeast Asia but also served as intermediaries who strengthened historical religious connections with ancestral land (Chia, 2020). Chinese Buddhists, like caigu (vegetarian women from Southern Fujian, China) (Show, 2021), were also active facilitators of cross‐border religious ties.…”