Yang, Qixin

Qixin Yang is a PhD student in the Department of Sociology at Zhejiang University. His research field includes historical sociology, sociology of religion, and Sangha-State relations. He is currently attempting to introduce theories and methods from historical sociology and sociology of organization into the sectarian history of Buddhism. His doctoral dissertation focuses on the interaction between the organizational features of Chan and Pure Land Buddhism with the socio-political environment during the mid-Tang Dynasty, in order to (1) Emphasize the significant impact of the An-Shi Rebellion on the ecology of Chinese Buddhism; (2) Explain the regional incongruity in the development of Chan and Pure Land; (3) Explain how “the Chan and Pure Land dominance” came into being.