Wei Wu

This dissertation explores the intellectual and social history of Chinese Religion with particular focus on the transmission of Tibetan Buddhism to China Proper from the 1920s to the present. With the weakening of imperial centralized power in the early twentieth century, many ethnically Han followers of traditional Chinese Buddhism looked to Tibet and other non-Han ethnic traditions as sources for reviving Chinese Buddhism. By examining historical trajectory of the key events, organizations, and individuals, the dissertation investigates how these cross-cultural endeavors brought great changes to Buddhist thoughts and practice, and significantly altered the shape of the great Chinese Buddhist community.