Buddhist Culture Encyclopedia (Revised Edition)

Author: Chen Yudong, Editor-in-Chief
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Features: Buddhism was introduced to China around the common era, and it has a history of nearly two thousand years to this day. During this long historical period, Buddhism has gone through stages of initial transmission, growth, maturity, and culmination, gradually transforming from an alien foreign culture into an integral part of traditional Chinese culture, exerting a significant influence on all aspects of social life. Even today, when we mention "Chinese culture," we still refer to the three schools of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism together. This book includes 5,379 entries on various aspects of Buddhist culture, divided into 17 major categories, with most of these categories further subdivided into smaller ones. The specific categories include: schools, sects, organizations, institutions, terms, systems, figures, events, scriptures, treatises, doctrines, principles, terminology, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, Arhats, Devas, ghosts and gods, rituals, festivals, customs, crafts, ritual implements, clothing, flora and fauna, literature and arts, allusions, idioms, metaphors, architecture, scenic spots, sculptures, paintings, calligraphy and inscriptions, music, opera, dance, sports, hygiene, food and accommodation, etc. The entries in this book use standardized modern Chinese. When an entry has multiple names, one is used as the main title, while others are referenced as "see." The book is accompanied by color and black-and-white illustrations. The color illustrations are compiled at the beginning, while the black-and-white illustrations are placed within the explanations of some entries. An index of Chinese character strokes is provided at the beginning of the book, and an "Chronological Table of Buddhist Culture," a "Pinyin Index," and a "Categorical Index" are appended at the end for reference and retrieval.