This work investigates how the revival of Chan Buddhism in seventeenth-century China was fundamentally shaped by intense doctrinal disputes and the broader socio-political instability of the Ming-Qing transition. Jiang Wu, a scholar of Chinese Buddhism, utilizes a rigorous historical framework to analyze how Chan institutions navigated challenges regarding lineage authenticity and meditative practice. By examining these internal conflicts, the author argues that the institutionalization of Chan was not a static preservation of tradition but a dynamic reinvention necessitated by the changing landscape of late imperial China.

Scholars frequently cite this text as a foundational study for understanding the institutional evolution of Buddhism during the Ming-Qing period. Readers often note the academic density of the prose, which is tailored for researchers and students of East Asian religious history.