At the end of 2025, three early-career scholars affiliated with the Ghent Centre for Buddhist Studies — Dr. Laurent Van Cutsem, Dr. Mariia Lepneva, and Massimiliano Portoghese — published new research articles in leading international peer-reviewed journals. Their work reflects the methodological diversity and scholarly depth of current research at the GCBS and contributes to ongoing debates in Buddhist and Chinese studies. Below, we briefly present each publication in turn.
Revisiting Huairang: The Fragments of the Baolin zhuan Preserved in the Keitoku dentō shōroku and Their Implications for Tang-Song Chan HistoriographyAuthor: Laurent Van Cutsem
T’oung Pao
Volume 111: Issue 5-6
Online Publication Date: 16 Dec 2025
Publisher: Brill
Pages: 584–662
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/15685322-11105003
The Baolin zhuan 寶林傳 is a cornerstone in the formation of Chan historiography, yet it survives today only in two incomplete historical textual witnesses. Its tenth and final fascicle, likely covering the lives and teachings of Huineng 慧能 (638–713) and his first- and second-generation successors, is lost. Building on earlier Japanese scholarship, Shiina Kōyū 椎名宏雄 further identified and explored fragments of this missing fascicle preserved in five later works. This article examines the fragments concerning Huairang 懷讓 (d. 744) preserved in the Keitoku dentō shōroku 景德傳燈鈔錄 and investigates the influence of the Baolin zhuan’s account on Chan historiography in the Five Dynasties and early Song periods.
Keywords: Nanyue Huairang; Chan/Zen Buddhism; Buddhist historiography; Baolin zhuan; Zutang ji; Jingde chuandeng lu; Tiansheng guangdeng lu; Keitoku dentō shōroku
The Dynamics of Chinese Buddhism in the Ming and Qing: Social Network Analysis Based on a Combined DatasetAuthor: Mariia Lepneva
Journal of the European Association for Chinese Studies
Volume 6, Issue 2
Online Publication Date: 29 December 2025
pp. 77–99
https://doi.org/10.25365/jeacs.2025.6.2.lepneva
The revival of Buddhism during the late Ming and early Qing has long captivated scholarly interest. Recently, a significant methodological advancement has emerged through the application of social network analysis, leverag-ing the extensive “Historical Social Network of Chinese Buddhism” dataset. This paper seeks to further refine scholarly understanding of this revitalisation by incorporating monks of the Vinaya tradition, largely absent from the original dataset. To achieve this, it proposes an innovative approach that integrates period-specific data from the original dataset with newly collected data. The analysis corroborates scholarly emphasis on the centrality of Chan master Miyun Yuanwu 密雲圓悟 (1567–1642) in the late Ming, employing both degree and betweenness centrality. However, the integration of the Vinaya segment reconfigures the arrangement of Chan lineages vis-à-vis the High Qing imperial cluster, providing new perspectives on the early Qing and eighteenth century, particularly emphasising the role of Vinaya monks who served as Mount Baohua (Baohua shan 寶華山) abbots. These findings underscore the significance of the Vinaya tradition through quantitative metrics, enhancing scholarly understanding of the history of the Buddhist community during this period.
Exploring the Cultural Perceptions and Symbolism of Tonsure in Early Buddhist China
Author: Massimiliano Portoghese
Journal of Chinese Religions
Volume 53, Number 2
Online Date: December 2025
pp. 185-212
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/jcr.2025.a975819
The practice of tonsure, an essential component of Buddhist ordination rituals, faced significant disapproval from Chinese society from the very advent of Buddhism in China. Beginning in the Han dynasty, shaving one’s head emerged as a powerful marker of identity that challenged established etiquette norms and directly opposed the state’s control over ceremonial practices. This article aims to explain why, among the various Indian customs that entered China, the act of shaving the head became such a contentious issue. To achieve this, it will first analyze the arguments both for and against monastic tonsure that are found in Buddhist apologetic sources. Additionally, the article will attempt to place this specific body modification in the broader cultural context of hair in pre-Buddhist China in order to explore several perspectives beyond the well-known charge of monastics lacking the virtue of filial piety.