Heart of Buddha, Heart of China: The Life of Tanxu, a Twentieth Century Monk
"Heart of Buddha, Heart of Chinaenriches our understanding of Chinese nationalism and brings the great events and issues of the day into immediate focus through the lens of an individual life. . . . teachers who may be considering offering a course on modern Chinese religion, or specifically Buddhism, will findHeart of Buddha, Heart of Chinaa useful book with which to set the stage, as the thorough contextualization provides an accessibleintroduction both to the particularities of Chinese religious culture and to the challenges it faced in the twentieth century."--H-Net Reviews"Heart of Buddha, Heart of Chinais a gracefully written and deeply humane book, which weaves together the life story of a protean individual and the tale of a nation undergoing profound transformations. This is one of those rare books that I'll look forward to assigning to students and will also encourage friends about to travel to China to read--especially if their itinerary takes them through one or more of the various cities in which Tanxu lived and worked." --Jeffrey Wasserstrom, author ofChina in the 21st Century: What Everyone Needs to Know"James Carter's imaginative new book is a journey within a journey: the monk Tanxu's, to find a place for Buddhism in the war-torn chaos of modern China; and the author's, to find the echoes of the past in China's present. Carter's candid and evocative treatment of Tanxu's life reveals as much about the passions that drive the historian's research as it does about religion in modern China." --Stephen R. Platt, Associate Professor of History, The University of Massachusetts at Amherst"In this ingeniously structured book, James Carter uses the Buddhist monk Tanxu (1875-1963) as a guide to China's travails across one of the most turbulent periods in its history. Carter shows us how Tanxu's personal quests for enlightenment intersected with his knowledge of life amongst foreigners, his experiences in five separate wars, and his vision that the construction of temples offered China an opportunity for spiritual and national regeneration." --Jonathan Spence, author ofThe Search for Modern China"[C]learly well researched . . . this book is written in language that is approachable, flows well, and remains focused on the life of Tanxu without deviating or becoming distracted by focusing on any sub-topic in any great detail."  --Journal of Buddhist Ethics"What makes the book a great read is the fact that Tanxu lived through some of the most dramatic and chaotic events of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century...." --Buddhadharma:The Practitioner's Quarterly"This book is well informed and although its with a broad range of issues, it does so in a balanced manner." --Erik Hammerstrom, Journal of Buddhist Ethics"Heart of Buddha, Heart of Chinais the first full-length study of Tanxu in English, but it is also more than that. The book is an engaging and detailed description of the political, cultural, and social milieu in which Tanxu lived...Carter is a wonderful storyteller...a welcomed addition to scholarship on modern Buddhism, Chinese Republican-era historiography, and Chinese religions."--Journal of Religion