DOI: 10.30792/2949-5768-2024-8-47-55
RESEARCH ON BUDDHISM IN CHINA
Khabdaeva Ayuna Konstantinovna – Doctor of Philosophical Sciences, Professor of the Department of Oriental Languages at the Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education St. Petersburg State University of Economics (St. Petersburg, Russia).
E-mail: ayupost@yandex.ru.
The main trends in the development of Chinese Buddhology, which determined its current state, were laid in the 20th century, when scientific research began in this field. An important role in the development of Chinese Buddhology was played by lay Buddhists Yang Wenhui, Taixu, Ouyang Jingwu, Yin Shun, Zhao Puchu, who proclaimed the ideas of «Buddhism of life» and «humanistic Buddhism». During the crisis period of Chinese history at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, significant scientific achievements were achieved by Lü Cheng and Hu Shi. The key figures in Chinese Buddhology in the 21st century can be recognized as the scientists Yang Zengwen and Hong Xiuping. The discovery of the Dunhuang manuscripts and the introduction of Buddhist works brought from Japan into scientific circulation at the beginning of the 20th century were of great importance in activating scientific interest in Chinese Buddhism. Currently, Buddhology is an important part of China’s research work in the social sciences and humanities.
