Engaged but not Entangled: Miaofeng Fudeng 妙峰福登 (1540–1612) and the Late Ming Court
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Abstract
Miaofeng Fudeng was a most respected monk who had incomparable influence in the late Ming samgha, except a few leading masters like Hanshan Deqing, Zibo Zhenke, and Yunqi Zhuhong. However, he has been unduly ignored by later generations. This paper reconstructs his life by piecing together fragmentary information and, in connection with his religious and non-religious life, explores how he obtained and maintained his extraordinary influence. In particular, two features stood out in his life. First, Fudeng received huge favors repeatedly from the inner court but remained rooted deeply in local society. Second, Fudeng was extremely active in the religious and social field but clearly shunned from politics. Consequently, Fudeng maximized his influence and avoided being entrapped in court strife, which proved disastrous to both Deqing and Zhenke. Fudeng represented a stable constructive force in the contemporary Buddhist community, and his formidable achievements enriches our understanding of the samgha-state relationship.