Ling Chan

I am interested in Medieval Chinese religion, particularly how and what manuscripts (from Dunhuang, excavations in Turfan, Japanese temple archives etc) and other material sources can tell us about the religious beliefs and practices of the time, and what significance these beliefs and practices had in a wider social context. I also hope to study how these may present a different picture than canonical sources, and if so how these differences could reflect upon issues such as the nature of the source material or distinct regional traditions. I am currently working on a collection of Buddhist gatha, spells, and ritual manuals on a late 10th-century manuscript, hoping to build towards a project on similar miscellanies.