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Feeding a Scapegoat? The Political Function of Amoghavajra’s Ritual Services in Protecting the Country

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Buddhism and the Political Process
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Abstract

The career of the eminent Buddhist monk Amoghavajra (Chinese: Bukongjingang or Bukong, 705–774) is closely connected with the crisis of imperial authority in the years after the An Lushan Rebellion (755–763) that led to a near collapse of the Tang dynasty (618–907). This offers valuable reference points for a rethinking of the relation between politics and Buddhist authority and the respective institutional framework supported by the imperial court.

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Notes

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© 2016 Martin Lehnert

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Lehnert, M. (2016). Feeding a Scapegoat? The Political Function of Amoghavajra’s Ritual Services in Protecting the Country. In: Kawanami, H. (eds) Buddhism and the Political Process. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-57400-8_10

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