This is the first book in any language offering a comprehensive study that places Daoxuan
(596-667) one of the most important scholarly monks in the context of medieval Chinese
Buddhist history. In presenting a fresh image of medieval monastic life of Chinese Buddhism it
focuses on several key issues in Daoxuan's work including the veneration of Buddha's relics
the re-creation of the ordination platform and ordination ritual and how the Buddhist
community reclassified and dealt with monastic property. It is indispensable for all those who
are interested in the religions and history of medieval China and comparative monasticism.
