Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 26-30) Also available in print.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1989. / Also available in print.

Thesis (D.Phil.)--University of Oxford, 2009. / Supervisor: Professor Glen Dudbridge. Bibliography: leaves 278-304.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Guo li zheng zhi da xue, 1979. / Cover title. Reproduced from typescript: on double leaves. Includes bibliographical references (p. 481-491).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Guo li zheng zhi da xue, 1979. / Cover title. Reproduced from typescript: on double leaves. Bibliography: p. 481-491.

The present research attempts to conceptualize and theorize the social engaging phenomenon of a contemporary Buddhist organization – Foguangshan – from a sociological and cultural perspective. This approach sees the growing presence of religion in contemporary society as a multi-facet social process that involves dialectic exchanges with various actors in the public realm, and acknowledges that a full understanding of the social presence and significance of a religious actor in a society cannot be realized only by the examination of their religious beliefs and practices but also the conceptualization of these religious expressions in search for the meanings and implications underneath. / The study acknowledges that despite the existence of abundance studies on Taiwanese Buddhism and Foguangshan, they are mostly historical and philosophical in nature; theoretical analysis of the social engaging mentality of these Buddhist communities and their interaction with the society is insufficient if not inattentive. The present research, therefore, would like to confront this issue by taking a dialectic approach that draws a connection between the socially engaging Buddhist community of Foguangshan with current social and cultural theories. / Specifically the paper will conduct a theoretical examination of Foguangshan and its interaction with the Taiwanese society by investigating their multiple aspects of publicness. This includes 1) how Foguangshan understands and imagines the public; 2) their strategy in engaging and penetrating into the public; and 3) how the people of the general public in return receives and responses to the social presence of the monastery. What this research tries to reveal is that while Foguangshan has been successful in expanding and penetrating into various public domains of the Taiwanese society, the outcome of their particular strategy in engaging with the public might result in an identity crisis beyond the intention of the monastery – an ambiguous public image between being religious and secular. / From our case study of Foguangshan in Taiwan the contemplation of these topics would be contextualized in a contemporary Chinese setting, and by doing so allows a cross cultural examination of the validity and universality of existing models of secularization and public religion. Hence the outcome of this study would not only provide an in-depth sociological and cultural understanding of the various public aspects of Foguangshan in relation to the contemporary history of Taiwan, the contextualization of this Buddhist phenomenon within a Chinese context could also further our understanding on how the particular social and cultural history of Taiwan, its Chinese cultural roots, and the religiosity of Chinese Buddhism have contributed to the unique way Chinese religions adapts and negotiates with modernity. / 本研究試圖從社會及文化角度，對當代佛教組織佛光山及其社會參與現象作概念化及理論化的分析。此方法視當代社會宗教增長現況，為一個牽涉公共領域中不同行動者的多層面社會過程，及相信一個對社會及宗教現狀的全面理解，並不能單靠對宗教信仰及其思想習俗的探討而獲得，而是更需要對這些宗教表象背後的意義和引伸作出概念化的整理。 / 本研究指出，儘管現存對台灣佛教及佛光山之研究非常豐富，然而，這些研究多屬於歷史及哲學性質，因而頗為缺乏對這些佛教團體的社會參與現象作社會學的理論分析。本論文直面這個問題，透過辯證方法把佛光山及其社會參與現象與當今社會及文化理論連接起來。 / 本論文將會透過研究佛光山的不同公共面貌，對佛光山及其在台灣社會的社會參與作理論性的探究，這包括︰(一)佛光山如何了解及想像公共這一概念，(二)他們參與及滲透公共領域的策略，及(三)大眾市民如何接收及回應佛光山的公共存在現象。本研究嘗試揭示正當佛光山成功地擴張及滲透台灣公共領域之際，他們探取的獨特策略卻做成了對這當代佛教團體的一個身份危機 – 一個游離於宗教與世俗之間的不明確公共形象。 / 本研究亦嘗試延伸到有關於宗教當代社會學中更廣闊的課題，特別是宗教與世俗之間的界線，以及現代化當下之社會變遷的探討。從對台灣佛光山的個案研究，這些課題將會落實於當代中國脈絡中，作全面性的思考，這樣便能給現有對世俗化和公共宗教的既有理解中，展開一個有效性和普遍性的跨文化檢驗。因此，本研究的結果不但提供一個對佛光山不同公共層面的社會及文化的深入理解，也進一步加深我們認識及了解台灣特殊的社會及文化歷史、中國文化根源、及中國佛教的宗教性、如何促成中國宗教對現代化過程作出獨特的適應及協調。 / Chan, Fang Michael. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2015. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 295-302). / Abstracts also in Chinese. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on 28. September, 2016). / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only.

This paper aims to investigate the basic problem of Chanting Method in the Pure Land Buddhism . To rebirth in Pure Land by practicing the method of Buddha-Chanting, it would face the question and solution of modernity. The statistics of Pure Land Buddhism acceptable to most people indicate that even there are many people practicing the method of Buddha-Chanting, but few people really rebirth in Amitabha¡¦s Pure Land. The author of this paper discusses the topic with regard to Pure Land sutras in the Da Zheng Zang and the literatures of Master Yin-Guang to view if the contemporary practicer misunderstanding the purpose of Buddha-Chanting for rebirth in Amitabha¡¦s Pure Land. And provides a more detailed interpretation of Amitabha Pure Land methodology.

The role that non-profit organizations play is becoming more and more important in today¡¦s society. NPOs¡¦ presence and responsibilities are essential to the well being of their communities. As Peter Drucker said, the goal of NPO management is not to create profit, but to focus attention on the mission statement. The mission statement drives the activities of the organization, and therefore holds an integral position. This dissertation will focus on Fo Guang Shan¡¦s international achievements, while classifying their strategy using a SWOT analysis. It will delve into the mission of their organization, the character of their leaders, the experience of their work, the recognition of their organizational target, and their dedication to research. The findings of this dissertation are as follows: 1.The concepts held by the NPO leaders will heavily influence the organization. This case study found that Hsing Yun pushed Fo Guang Shan to expand and perform on an international level. 2.Now is the time for economic knowledge and for localized cultural education. For example, Fo Guang Shan has established Chinese schools and Buddhist universities overseas, planting the seed of knowledge in the minds of others. This will influence the values of foreigners and Buddhists alike, raising the understanding and practice of Buddhist philosophies. 3.NPOs advance vigorously to diversify in multiple engagements. They perform as do for-profit organizations, earning the admiration of businesses for the innovation put forth, such as that of Mr. Shi Jhen Rong. Research, innovation, and marketing together create the ¡§smile curve¡¨. And Fo Guang Shan¡¦s ¡§smile curve¡¨ is one that easily shines through. 4.Fo Guang Shan¡¦s dedication to spread Buddhism is not only limited to the temple; another method used is to establish private teachers who spread the success of this organization. 5.This source of this diversification is their established system. For example, the chairmen of all temples rotate locations regularly. This method creates leaders that work well. They use their resources and environments to encourage internationalization and to meet people of different religions and cultures. This fosters flexibility and adaptation.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 285-300) Also available in print.

The great drama of China has been the repeated attempts to bring under single control and preserve the unity of its vast territories, so varied ethnically, socially, and geographically. Han Chinese confidence in the integrity of their own identity has been lastingly unsettled by long periods of fragmentation into regional states, and even in times of political unity the heart-searching has continued: what went wrong? What lessons could be learned for the future? The Southern and Northern Dynasties’ era (317-589 AD) was the longest period of political fragmentation in the imperial era. Its political and social confusion gave rise to differences in later accounts of it. In the eleventh century, scholar-officials intensively debated the issue of imperial rule during this period. At stake was the integrity of the Han Chinese state. On one side were historians who accorded legitimacy to the barbarian dynasties of the north; on the other were those who favoured the southern Han Chinese-ruled dynasties. By the time Song’s power base transferred south in 1127, a strong sense of a Han Chinese identity had developed and pro-Southern opinion predominated. This study approaches the Southern and Northern Dynasties’s era indirectly. It examines it through the most prominent work of eleventh-century historiography, the keystone written history of early imperial China, Sima Guang’s 司馬光 Zi zhi tong jian 資治通鑑 – the main focus of this study. That text has played a central role in shaping later understanding of imperial China’s political traditions and, as a corollary, has contributed to the formation of a Han Chinese self-identity. Yet Sima Guang’s representation of China’s past, though well-researched and written, was inevitably coloured by personal political and social experiences, and by his current commitments – by spin, in fact. This study will argue that at the heart of Sima Guang’s representation of the Southern and Northern Dynasties was a concern for the political survival of the eleventh-century state under which he served. He needed to understand and explicate the political and moral lessons of the earlier period in order to present an imperial vision that would avoid its frailties. This study therefore investigates and demonstrates the previously unexplored extent to which contemporary political concerns informed Sima Guang’s account. By developing a reading of Zi zhi tong jian as an ideological and textual construct, and more than just a simple account of the past, this study affords insights into the composition of historical writing in imperial China, as well as the complexities of the political environment that spawned it. It shows that works of historiography like Zi zhi tong jian served a more nuanced function than later scholarship suggests, and it brings into focus important questions of historical and literary authority.