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HOLMES WELCH
Federation. In April 1941 the Alliance helped arrange an East Asian Buddhist conference in Nanking, and then tried to reactivate the Chinese Buddhist Association (Shanghai, 1929) — apparently without success. It also sponsored some of the Chinese who went to Japan for study.
Japanese-Chinese Buddhist associations set up by the Alliance were to be found in Nanking, Shanghai, Hangchow, Wusih, Soochow, Chen-chiang, Changshu, Pengpu, Nantung, Wuhu, Hofei, and Kiukiang. They were staffed by three categories of personnel: Chinese monks, Japanese priests, and local Chinese officials. If the head was in one category, his deputies would be in the other two. Among the membership the sangha (mostly Chinese) generally outnumbered the laity. The work of these associations is variously described as relief, arranging lectures, and providing guidance for seminaries and devotees' clubs.22 The real work, of course, was mobilizing China's Buddhists in support of Japanese policy.
Although the membership included the Panchen Lama from Tibet and the Living Buddha Chang-chia from Mongolia, only a few well-known Chinese monks appear to have been involved. Among them was Shuang-t'ing, the abbot of Chin Shan, who headed the Japanese-Chinese Buddhist Association in Chen-chiang.23 According to one of his disciples the Japanese authorities told him quite frankly that if he refused this post, there would be "very serious consequences." Shuang-t'ing felt that his first duty was to protect Chin Shan, doubly vulnerable since Nationalist officers had been hidden in a cave there during the Japanese attack. Hence he accepted.
One reason for his decision was that the parent body, the Great Harmony Alliance, was committed to "do its best when Chinese monasteries and temples applied for protection." According to several informants, it generally succeeded. Well-known Buddhist institutions that cooperated with the Japanese encountered few difficulties. Some of the occupation forces behaved badly (one soldier killed a monk at Chin Shan, for example, "because of a language difficulty"), but most of those who visited the immense shrines seem to have treated them with respect or reverence.
80
HOLMES WELCH
Federation. In April 1941 the Alliance helped arrange an East Asian Buddhist conference in Nanking, and then tried to reactivate the Chinese Buddhist Association (Shanghai, 1929) — apparently without success. It also sponsored some of the Chinese who went to Japan for study.
Japanese-Chinese Buddhist associations set up by the Alliance were to be found in Nanking. Shanghai, Hangchow, Wusih, Soochow, Chen-chiang, Changshu, Pengpu, Nantung, Wuhu, Hofei, and Kiukiang. They were staffed by three categories of personnel : Chinese monks, Japanese priests, and local Chinese officials. If the head was in one category, his deputies would be in the other two. Among the membership the sangha (mostly Chinese) general- ly outnumbered the laity. The work of these associations is variously described as relief, arranging lectures, and providing guidance for seminaries and devotees clubs.22 The real work, of course, was mobilizing China's Buddhists in support of Japanese policy.
Although the membership included the Panchen Lama from Tibet and the Living Buddha Chang-chia from Mongolia, only a few well-known Chinese monks appear to have been involved. Among them was Shuang-t'ing, the abbot of Chin Shan, who headed the Japanese-Chinese Buddhist Association in Chen- chiang.23 According to one of his disciples the Japanese authori- ties told him quite frankly that if he refused this post, there would be "very serious consequences." Shuang-t'ing felt that his first duty was to protect Chin Shan doubly vulnerable since Nation- alist officers had been hidden in a cave there during the Japanese attack. Hence he accepted,
One reason for his decision was that the parent body, the Great Harmony Alliance, was committed to "do its best when Chinese monasteries and temples applied for protection." Accord- ing to several informants, it generally succeeded. Well-known Buddhist institutions that cooperated with the Japanese encoun- tered few difficulties. Some of the occupation forces behaved badly (one soldier killed a monk at Chin Shan, for example, "because of a language difficulty"), but most of those who visited the immense shrines seem to have treated them with respect or
reverence.
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