Equality of Access? Chinese Women Practicing Chan and Transnational Meditation in Contemporary China
Religions January 20, 2022 DOI: 10.3390/rel13010061 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Ethnography Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Chinese nuns and laywomen practicing Buddhist meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Chan Transnational meditation Han chinese Nuns Women |
| Key findings | Transnational meditation practices have enabled Chinese women to take significant roles in organizing retreats and establishing meditation centers, influencing gender equality and the development of contemporary Chinese Buddhism. |
Abstract
This paper examines how the Buddhist revival, the Chan revival, and recent popularity of transnational meditation practices have facilitated Chinese women practicing Buddhist meditation in contemporary China. With the influence of the opening of China and growing transnational networks, there has been an increasing number of Han Chinese monastics and lay people practicing transnational meditation, such as samādhi, vipassanā and mindfulness, in the past two decades. Despite the restriction of accessing Chan halls at monasteries, some Chinese nuns and laywomen have traveled to learn meditation in different parts of China, and international meditation centers in Southeast Asia to study with yogis from all over the world. Surprisingly some returned female travelers have taken significant roles in organizing meditation retreats, and establishing meditation centers and meditation halls. Through examining some ethnographic cases of Chinese nuns and laywomen, this paper argues that the transnational meditation movement has an impact not only on gender equality, especially concerning Chinese women practicing meditation, but also on the development of contemporary Chinese Buddhism. The significant role of Chinese female meditators in promoting Buddhist meditation can reflect a trend of re-positioning the Chan School in contemporary China.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on meditation, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- From Stress Reduction to Contemplative Cultivation: a Mixed-Methods Study of Meditation Motives, Challenges and Risks in Hong Kong Mindfulness November 1, 2025
- Domesticating esoteric Buddhism: lay women, Foxin Jing practice, and somatic authority in contemporary China. Frontiers in Sociology September 9, 2026