Fotucheng / 佛图澄

Fotucheng / 佛图澄 is the Buddhist monk in 87.过年最适合聊玄学！探讨神仙方术发展史（接上集） who anchors the episode’s [[BuddhistMiraclePolitics|Buddhist miracle politics]] branch. The source presents him as an Indian monk active around Later Zhao rulers Shi Le and Shi Hu, surrounded by stories of extreme longevity, fasting, light from his body, lotus miracles, ghost command, water retrieval, rescue, and prophecy.

The episode’s reading is politically cautious. Fotucheng served violent rulers, but his positive image is explained through miracle authority, protective intervention, life-preserving counsel, and the spread of Buddhism in northern China.

Key Claims

• Buddhist supernatural power could become politically useful in court settings.
• Miracle stories helped authorize foreign religious specialists in Chinese elite environments.
• The source keeps the ethical tension visible: service to violent power coexists with protective and missionary memory.

Connections

• Buddhist Miracle Politics / 佛教神通政治 - concept generated from the source.
• Chinese Folk Religion Layering and Fangshu Systematization / 方术系统化 - adjacent religious-history frames.
• Daoist Ritual Technology / 道教仪式技术 - parallel ritual-power branch in the same episode.