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Dear H-Buddhism Subscribers: I'm working on modern/contemporary monasticism and monastic education in China, but I'm all interested in seeing data and trends elsewhere in the Buddhist world. Through the following four questions in this post, I’m interested in information on certain distinctions, boundaries, and recruitment related to monastic orders, namely: 1. Can anyone recommend recent research that shed light on the term “precept-substance/essence” or “precept-body” (C. jieti, J. kaitai) and/or how it has been understood outside of doctrinal/commentarial contexts? I’m aware of chapter 12 in Paul Groner’s _Saicho_ (1984) and the sources he gives there (earlier research in Japanese). I've also read on this in Shi Guodeng's 2004 Chinese book on late Ming Buddhism and know of the (Chinese language) sources to which that work refers. 2. Can anyone show me canonical (paracanonical, quasi-canonical, commentarial…) proof-text for the Chinese Buddhist taboo against laity reading monastic vinaya texts (as opposed to being present during an uposatha recitation)—particularly one that has been historically invoked? Monastic teachers in contemporary Chinese seminaries fumble this question and say discrepant things. And of course originally the vinaya was passed down orally, so one would not find injunctions about reading non-existent texts in some strata of material. 3. Can anyone recommend research that traces diachronically the total number of Buddhist monastics (preferably divided into subtypes) in a given country or region? I have seen bits on this—two paragraphs, a footnote, anecdotes—in three dozen or so sources, but little that examines the topic in a sustained way—with partial exceptions being in writings of Holmes Welch and Li Yu-chen for China and Taiwan, respectively. I particularly lack on data on Sri Lanka in this respect. 4. Can anyone recommend research on monastic recruitment? This fourth question is more involved, and I start with a quotation that raises many of my questions. In his _Theravada Buddhism_ (1988), Richard Gombrich writes on Sri Lanka (p. 154) that: "I know of no study of modern monastic recruitment, but it is a safe guess that the great majority of monks continue to be recruited when children from a rural background, and therefore also to receive their schooling (unless and until they go to university) in purely monastic institutions. Though these monastic schools incorporate some ‘modern’ subjects in the curricula, they hardly give the kind of education which will enable their pupils to impress the general public with their intellectual grasp of the modern world. Among those monks and novices who attend university the rate of leaving the Sangha is notoriously high." My sub-questions: Have there been any studies of monastic recruitment since that was written? Can anyone recommend studies (esp. with quantitative data) on (1) modern monastic recruitment and tenure/attrition/dropout rates? (2) the urban vs. rural origin of recruits, as well as level of education, esp. in relation to national averages, and (3) correlations, or even educated guesses/discussion such as Gombrich's, between further education and disrobing? I know Bunnag’s _Buddhist Monk, Buddhist Layman_ (1973) has a bit on such topics, although that book seems to lack base-rate data from non-monastics, without which it's hard to really demonstrate what, if anything, is distinctive about monastics. And I know of the discussion in Spiro's _Buddhism and Society (1970)_, esp. chapter 14, and the sources he cites. Holt’s _Spirit of the Place (2009)_ also has numbers on rural/urban origin of sramaneras and the percentage who intend to remain monks after their education is complete. Gombrich’s 1984 article “Temporary Ordination in Sri Lanka” also has a few observations on recruitment. Except for Holt’s book, these sources are all quite dated. And none have rigorous design (representative samples, control variables, etc.). I also know of a few other sources that discuss or allude to these issues in places (ex, two of Holmes Welch’s books, and Charles Jones’s book on Taiwan and his PhD dissertation). Thanks for your assistance! Sincerely, Douglas M. Gildow PhD Candidate, Princeton University --------------------------- H-Buddhism (Buddhist Scholars Information Network) Web Site: <http://www.h-net.org/~buddhism/> Posting Guidelines: <http://www.h-net.org/~buddhism/posting_guidelines.html> Handling Your Account: <http://h-net.msu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=h-buddhism> --
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