Theravāda Meditation in Modern Chinese Buddhism, with a Focus on Mahasati Dynamic Vipassanā in Shifosi Temple

This essay examines the spread of Theravāda-inspired meditation techniques within mainstream Chinese Buddhism beginning in the early 2000s. It first gives a preliminary clarification of the Chinese terminology referring to Theravāda. It then examines the increasing integration of Theravāda meditation with traditional Chinese practices in mainstream Chinese Buddhist monasteries and nunneries in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). This dynamic process is illustrated through the case study of Shifo Temple 石佛寺, a nunnery in Sichuan Province with a small community of Han Chinese nuns and semi-residential laypeople, which has functioned as the Chinese headquarters of Thai dynamic vipassana Mahasati.