BUDDHIST PROJECTS OF THE LIANG WUDI (464–549) AS A WAY TO REFORM THE IDEOLOGY OF THE IMPERIAL POWER // BSU bulletin. Philosophy. - 2023. №1. . - С. 49-56.

BUDDHIST PROJECTS OF THE LIANG WUDI (464–549) AS A WAY TO REFORM THE IDEOLOGY OF THE IMPERIAL POWER

The work was carried out within the framework of the Russian Science Foundation grant No. 21-18-00074 "Worlds of Mahayana Buddhism in the Context of World Civilizational Processes".

DOI: 10.18101/1994-0866-2023-1-49-56 UDK: 94(315)

The article considers the reforming of the foundations of imperial state administration by the Emperor Wu of Liang, his work on reconciliation of the personal favour of the Buddhist sangha with the secular role of the emperor. The imperial elite, which became the main patron of the Buddhist sangha, played an important role in the development of Buddhism in Chinese society. The Liang Wudi not only ensured the ma- terial prosperity of the Buddhist community, but also became one of the reformers of the practices of the Sangha in China, stimulating its economic independence and forbidding the monks to eat meat. At the same time, the spread of Buddhism among the socio- political elite contributed to its moral purification and recovery, which played an une- quivocally positive role in strengthening the foundations of Chinese civilization and the new centralization of the country. The article discusses the activities of the Emperor Wu of Liang for the collection and compilation of the Chinese Buddhist texts, as well as the creation of a translation center in the capital by him.

medieval China, Liang dynasty, Buddhism, Buddhist ritual events, Buddhist scriptures, the Emperor Wudi, bodhisattva initiation ritual, Buddhist monasteries, compi- lations, translation activities.