This was a Buddhist Seminary 佛學院 established in Chóngqìng 重慶, Sìchuān 四川 by Liú Xiāng 劉湘 with help from Tàixū 太虛. It was organized as part of the World Buddhist Studies Center 世界佛學苑, and much of the early work of setting it up was done by Mǎnzhì 滿智, who was also the Institute's first principal. From 1933 to 1949, Fǎzūn 法尊 was principal of the school, sharing those duties for 2 or 3 years with Fǎfǎng 法舫 starting in 1938.
Gray Tuttle points out that the original purpose of the Institute was the training of Chinese monks in Tibetan language and Tibetan Buddhism. Before it opened, the Institute received money from the government and it was granted buildings and rent-producing lands by the Army. With these grants came the stipulation that the Institute work as a bridge between Han and Tibetan cultures, for the implied purpose of bolstering Han control of Tibetan areas. It thus became the first modern Buddhist school to receive both public funds and a government mandate.[1]
It closed in 1949.
During the Second Sino-Japanese War, a number of prominent Buddhists fled from the East Coast to Sìchuān. Many of them taught at the Institute, including Tàixū, Yú Déyuán 虞德元, Fúshàn 福善, Yándìng 嚴定, Yìnshùn 嚴定, and Xuěsōng 雪松. Notable students during that period include: Zhèngguǒ 正果, Yǎnpéi 演培, Xǔmíng [[]續明], and Báihuì 白慧.
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