Monks in Motion

Jack Meng-Tat Chia is Assistant Professor of History and Religious Studies at the National University of Singapore.

• Acknowledgements List of Illustrations List of Tables List of Abbreviations A Note on Translation and Transliteration Introduction: Toward a History of South China Sea Buddhism 1. Migrants, Monks, and Monasteries 2. Chuk Mor: Scripting Malaysia's Chinese Buddhism 3. Yen Pei: Humanistic Buddhism in the Chinese Diaspora 4. Ashin Jinarakkhita: Neither Mahayana Nor Theravada Coda: Monks in Motion Appendix A: List of Interviewees Appendix B: Complete Works from the Fragrance Incense Studio (Zhuanxiang huashi wenji) Appendix C: Collected Works of Mindful Observation (Diguan quanji) Appendix D: A Sequel to the [Collected Works of] Mindful Observation (Diguan xuji) Appendix E: Sacred Scriptures of Indonesian Buddhism (Kitab-Kitab Suci Agama Buddha Indonesia) Glossary of Chinese Characters Bibliography Index

The book is a remarkable study by a young talented researcher. The book is original and innovative as it aims to trace the often overlooked Buddhist connections between China and the western part of maritime Southeast Asia. The author combined archival work with anthropological skills. In doing so he was able to add an important religious dimension to Chinese migration histories. By tracing the lives and roles of the monks, the author reveals aspects of modernity of Mahayana Buddhism in maritime Southeast Asia. Taken together this book represents a new step in the study of religion in Southeast Asia and contributes to a new trend to approach Southeast Asia in a broader global context.