Buddhism in Court: Religion, Law, and Jurisdiction in China

What happens to Buddhist monks or nuns who commit crimes? My book Buddhism in Court explores how Buddhists campaigned for clerical immunity to prevent state courts from prosecuting and punishing ordained Buddhist offenders. This book unveils how Buddhists in China reimagined this Indian campaign and how their reimagination continued to define Buddhism’s place in the Chinese jurisdictional landscape in China from the fourth century to the present. Drawing on archives, court documents, Chinese laws, official histories, law case books, Buddhist monastic codes, institutional announcements, memoirs of retired magistrates, and private writings circulated on social media, this book traces the legacy of the campaign for clerical privilege from its origin in India to its transformation in China and its continuing impact in the Chinese courtroom to the present day. Diverting from the dynasty-centered approach to studying religion, law, and history in China, Buddhism in Court expands our understanding of this legacy of early Chinese Buddhism and challenges the notion that the passage between imperial and post-imperial China was one of disruption