A.J.Berkovitz: A Life of Psalms in Jewish Late Antiquity. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2023; pp. x + 263.

for the Deliverance of Creatures of Water and Land (shuilu fahui 水陸法會), deployed for the pacification of the dead (p.27).Thus, for many Chinese followers or Chinese who were simply interested in the practical aspects of such ceremonies, Tibetan Buddhism was seen as particularly "potent" in comparison to other traditions.Wu brings together all of these perspectives through rich and diverse sources, including speeches, periodical articles, letters, advertisements, memoirs, and commentaries.These are gathered from various actors including Tibetan lamas and Chinese monks, laypeople, politicians, warlords, educators, and others.Wu's access to recent publications of Buddhist periodicals from the Republican era, relevant archives inside China, unpublished manuscripts, and interviews with Nenghai's Dharma descendants provides an insightful and balanced analysis of the topic at hand.Wu is to be congratulated on this book, which fills a number of important gaps in current scholarship on the spread and adaptation of Tibetan Buddhism in Chinese society.The work is well cross-referenced and transitions seamlessly between the different voices which give body to her topic.This sharp focus on the specific topic of the book may, however, at times distract from the gravity of what was happening in the background.For example, although the Sino-Japanese war is certainly mentioned, the major upheavals in Chinese society caused by that war could have been given greater emphasis, as well as the strained relations between China and Japan at the time, which influenced Buddhist relations between the two countries.Another point that was touched upon but could have been explored further is the political tensions that existed between Tibet and China at the time.For example, the thirteenth Dalai Lama's declaration of Tibetan independence in 1913 and the subsequent weakened official Chinese presence in Tibet would have directly led to the difficulties experienced by Chinese monks such as Dayong, Nenghai, and Fazun seeking permission to enter Tibet to study.

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