Aug. 25, 2010
For Charles Jones, an expert in the history of Chinese Buddhism, a trip last month to China revealed the changing relationship between the ancient religion and the country that once banned it.
Jones, associate dean for graduate studies in theology and religious studies, was one of 26 scholars on a study tour last month of China, where he was surprised to learn that the Chinese government is helping to fund the repair of Buddhist temples around the country. Four decades ago, during the Cultural Revolution, Buddhism was banned by the government.
Jones, who last visited mainland China in 2006, said, "This was the first time I noticed that these temples, which were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, are now being rebuilt with government funds."
As a participant on a tour sponsored by the Taiwan-based Woodenfish Program, Jones traveled with professors and graduate students from other universities to numerous Buddhist sites from Shanghai on China's southeastern seaboard to Shanxi Province in the northwest. The tour was a collaborative effort involving Woodenfish and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing.
Titled "Huayan Buddhism and Mount Wutai," the tour also included lectures by experts on Shanxi Province's Wutai Mountain - one of four major mountain sites for Buddhists in China.
Wutai means "five terrace or five peak." The mountain is actually a cluster of five terrace-like peaks. Almost two miles above sea level, the North Terrace is the highest peak. It is known as the Roof of North China.
Jones and the other study tour members spent six days at Wutai, which is a national park. Once the site of 400 Buddhist sites, Wutai is now home to 44.
The CUA professor noted that he and only one other tour member traveled to the top of all five peaks - no small feat given the elevation and the grade of the roads.
"The drop-off is extremely steep," said Jones. "There are no guardrails and the switchbacks are pretty scary."
But Jones said the harrowing trips to the five peaks were worth it. He said he visited small Buddhist monasteries, where he talked to monks who live "way above any timberline."
Other highlights of his trip included visits to the Yungang Caves and the Hanging Temple. Dating back to the fifth and sixth centuries, the caves, in Datong City, are a series of niches, some two to three stories in height.
The Hanging Temple stands at the foot of Mount Hengshan, about 40 miles from downtown Datong City. It hangs on a cliff overlooking Jinxia Gorge on the Yellow River more than a third of a mile above the ground. Construction of the temple started in 491, at the end of the Northern Wei Dynasty.
Crossbeams were half-inserted into the rock as the foundation, while the rock in back became its support. Over the years, the temple has been repaired and extended. Inside the temple, there are 40 halls and cabinets, which contain about 80 sculptures made of copper, iron, terracotta and stone.
During his trip, Jones was interviewed by Chinese State TV and the Buddhist Television Network. A Fulbright scholar in Taiwan in 2004-2005, Jones teaches graduate seminars in Zen and Mahayana Buddhism at CUA.