Buddhism in Chinese Society
Title | Buddhism in Chinese Society PDF eBook |
Author | Jacques Gernet |
Publisher | Columbia University Press |
Pages | 466 |
Release | 1995 |
Genre | History |
ISBN | 9780231114110 |
Translated and revised by respected scholar of Chinese religions Franciscus Verellen, who has worked closely with Gernet, this edition includes new references, an extensive, up-to-date bibliography, and a comprehensive index.
Buddhism in Chinese History
Title | Buddhism in Chinese History PDF eBook |
Author | Arthur F. Wright |
Publisher | Acls History E-Book Project |
Pages | 172 |
Release | 2001-01-01 |
Genre | Religion |
ISBN | 9781597401579 |
The Impact of Buddhism on Chinese Material Culture
Title | The Impact of Buddhism on Chinese Material Culture PDF eBook |
Author | John Kieschnick |
Publisher | Princeton University Press |
Pages | 364 |
Release | 2003-04-06 |
Genre | History |
ISBN | 9780691096766 |
Buddhism had a profound effect not only on Chinese philosophy and ritual, but also on the material culture of China. Examining the impact of books, bridges, sugar, tea and the chair, amongst other things, this text looks at how attitudes to such novelties affected the history of Chinese Buddhism.
The Science of Chinese Buddhism
Title | The Science of Chinese Buddhism PDF eBook |
Author | Erik J. Hammerstrom |
Publisher | Columbia University Press |
Pages | 372 |
Release | 2015-08-11 |
Genre | Religion |
ISBN | 0231539584 |
Kexue, or science, captured the Chinese imagination in the early twentieth century, promising new knowledge about the world and a dynamic path to prosperity. Chinese Buddhists embraced scientific language and ideas to carve out a place for their religion within a rapidly modernizing society. Examining dozens of previously unstudied writings from the Chinese Buddhist press, this book maps Buddhists' efforts to rethink their traditions through science in the initial decades of the twentieth century. Buddhists believed science offered an exciting, alternative route to knowledge grounded in empirical thought, much like their own. They encouraged young scholars to study subatomic and relativistic physics while still maintaining Buddhism's vital illumination of human nature and its crucial support of an ethical system rooted in radical egalitarianism. Showcasing the rich and progressive steps Chinese religious scholars took in adapting to science's rising authority, this volume offers a key perspective on how a major Eastern power transitioned to modernity in the twentieth century and how its intellectuals anticipated many of the ideas debated by scholars of science and Buddhism today.
Chinese Buddhism and Traditional Culture
Title | Chinese Buddhism and Traditional Culture PDF eBook |
Author | Litian Fang |
Publisher | Routledge |
Pages | 254 |
Release | 2018-11-21 |
Genre | Religion |
ISBN | 1317519094 |
Since the first century, when Buddhism entered China, the foreign religion has influenced and been influenced in turn by traditional Chinese culture, and eventually became an important part of it. That is one of the great historical themes not only for China but also for East Asia. This book explores the elements of Buddhism, including its classics, doctrines, system, and rituals, to reveal the basic connotation of Buddhism as a cultural entity. Regarding the development of Buddhism in China, it traces the spread in chronological order, from the introduction in Han Dynasties (202 BC–220 AD), to the prosperity in the Sixteen Kingdoms (ca. 304–439 AD), and then to the decline since the Five Dynasties (907–ca. 960 AD). It is noteworthy that the Buddhist schools in the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420–589 AD) and the Buddhist sects in Sui and Tang Dynasties (581–907 AD) contributed to the sinicization of Buddhism. This book also deals with the interesting question of the similarities and differences between Chinese Buddhism and Indian Buddhism, to examine the specific characters of the former in terms of thought and culture. In the last chapter, the external influence of Chinese Buddhism in East Asia is studied. Scholars and students in Buddhism and Chinese culture studies, especially those in Buddhist countries, will benefit from the book. Also, it will appeal to readers interested in religion, Chinese culture, and ancient Chinese history.
Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity, and Chinese Culture
Title | Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity, and Chinese Culture PDF eBook |
Author | Yijie Tang |
Publisher | CRVP |
Pages | 204 |
Release | 1991 |
Genre | Philosophy |
ISBN | 9781565180352 |
Confucianism and Daoism absorbing and mutually transforming new horizons, especially Buddhism; attention to the writings of Matteo Ricci and potential Christian contributions to modern development in Chinese culture.
Chinese Esoteric Buddhism
Title | Chinese Esoteric Buddhism PDF eBook |
Author | Geoffrey C. Goble |
Publisher | Columbia University Press |
Pages | 364 |
Release | 2019-10-08 |
Genre | Religion |
ISBN | 0231550642 |
Chinese Esoteric Buddhism is generally held to have been established as a distinct and institutionalized Buddhist school in eighth-century China by “the Three Great Masters of Kaiyuan”: Śubhākarasiṃha, Vajrabodhi, and Amoghavajra. Geoffrey C. Goble provides an innovative account of the tradition’s emergence that sheds new light on the structures and traditions that shaped its institutionalization. Goble focuses on Amoghavajra (704–774), contending that he was the central figure in Esoteric Buddhism’s rapid rise in Tang dynasty China, and the other two “patriarchs” are known primarily through Amoghavajra’s teachings and writings. He presents the scriptural, mythological, and practical aspects of Chinese Esoteric Buddhism in the eighth century and places them in the historical contexts within which Amoghavajra operated. By telling the story of Amoghavajra’s rise to prominence and of Esoteric Buddhism’s corresponding institutionalization in China, Goble makes the case that the evolution of this tradition was predicated on Indic scriptures and practical norms rather than being the product of conscious adaptation to a Chinese cultural environment. He demonstrates that Esoteric Buddhism was employed by Chinese rulers to defeat military and political rivals. Based on close readings of a broad range of textual sources previously untapped by English-language scholarship, this book overturns many assumptions about the origins of Chinese Esoteric Buddhism.