Buddhist education between tradition, modernity and networks: reconsidering the ‘revival’ of education for the Saṅgha in twentieth-century China

ABSTRACT In line with the overall focus on the special issue, this article offers a critical evaluation of Welch’s writing on Buddhist education. It analyzes the vocabulary and conceptual binaries used by Welch, and assesses the impact of his arguments on the field. The first part of this study will also critically contextualize Welch’s publications within a wider range of works that have been published in the Welch and Post-Welch eras. The second part of the article rethinks the research paths that have been undertaken so far and propose new trajectories for an alternative study of Buddhist education. It also suggests adopting the conceptual category of networks in order to unveil connections and dynamics of the actual religion on the ground that remain unexplored. Finally, given the debates that the idea of ‘revival’ has provoked, this article will conclude with some reflection on if and how we could frame the situation of the Saṅgha education in twentieth-century China in relation to the revival paradigm.