Buddhism in Chinese History

by Arthur F. Wright

Book Overview

One of the great themes in the history of Eastern Asia is the transformation of Chinese culture by Buddhism. This process can be traced across nearly two millennia and can be seen at work in almost every aspect of Chinese life and thought. This study was undertaken with the object of showing how Buddhism has influenced Chinese culture, and in the hope that it may provide some insight into the role of the religion as a carrier of elements from one...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0804705488
• ISBN13: 9780804705486
• Release Date: June 1959
• Publisher: Stanford University Press
• Length: 184 Pages
• Weight: 0.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.3" x 7.7"

Customer Reviews

Good overview

This little book provides a good overview of, as the title suggests, Buddhism in China. It delves into relevant and fascinating exploration of how Buddhism changed in its adoption of Chinese culture and values. Where this book really shines is the section on neo-Confucianism, and how the two blended together. Good, insightful read. Perfectly fine for someone not too familiar with the topic (such as myself.) 4 stars for the plates not being all that well explained, as the book fails to explain the changes in the Buddhist art that it has pictures of.

prescient and relevant

one might wonder what relevance a book written in the late fifties could possibly have to the China of today. then, communism was consolidating its grip on the country, today it seems to be losing it. in fact, Wright points to similarities between the Buddhist and Marxist influence. he cites the Chinese willingness to give enthusiastic support to an idea which suggests that we look carefully at the ideology developing in China today. he debunks the notion that China merely absorbs outside influences by pointing to the incredible changes that Buddhism affected in China. perhaps most importantly, he reminds us that periods of disruption have been the time when the Chinese have seemed most responsive to alien ideas. Read Wright and stay tuned. Lynn Hoffman, author of The New Short Course in Wine

The importance of Buddhism in understanding Chinese culture

"Buddhism in Chinese History" is a collection of six lectures presented at the University of Chicago by Arthur F. Wright in the late 1950's. Wright offers up an attempt at reflective interpretation of the study of Chinese Buddhism, which explains how Buddhism played an important role in reducing the cultural and institutional differences that existed in China during the 6th century A.D. and laid the foundations for the unified, and eventually Confucian, society that would ultimately exist. Wright's analysis extends all the way from the Han China of 206 B.C. to the Modern Era, where Buddhism continues to have strong influences in China. Specifically, Wright looks at elements of thought, language and culture that have been so completely appropriated that their origins have been essentially forgotten. Indeed, you can imagine what position the Chinese Communist government would have on Wright's views, especially given Wright's claim that there is a self-conscious effort by the Chinese to identify, reinterpret and use elements of the country's Buddhist heritage to solve the problems China's traditional civilization faces when confronted with the dominating forces of the West. Whether you come to this volume because of an interest in the religion of Buddhism or the cultural history of China, you will certainly find Wright's arguments to be of interest.

Great

Awesome overview of Buddhism's adaptation to Chinese civilization.