Ji Xianlin - Fifteen Questions on Buddhism

Author: Ji Xianlin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: Must academic articles be obscure and difficult to understand? Looking at Professor Ji Xianlin's academic articles, one will discover that academic papers can also be this engaging and lively. This book arranges Professor Ji Xianlin's articles on Buddhism into fifteen topics, following the thread of how Buddhism originated, developed, and spread in India, how it entered China, its impact on China, and how it further developed in China before flowing back to India. It enables readers to read Professor Ji's important discussions on Buddhist history and Sino-Indian relations in a clear and organized manner: the historical origins of primitive Buddhism, on Sakyamuni, on the linguistic issues of primitive Buddhism, a distorted and forgotten "line struggle" during the early period of Buddhist founding—the issue of Devadatta, Buddha and Futu, further discussion on "Futu" and "Buddha," Faxian, the "Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch" in the history of Chinese Buddhism, the translation and organization of Buddhist scriptures, the development of Buddhist doctrines and the formation of sects, the relationship between Buddhism and Confucianism and Taoism, on Xuanzang, on the "Record of the Western Regions during the Great Tang Dynasty," the influence of Buddhism on Confucianism and Taoism in China, and the reverse flow of Buddhism. Reading this book not only allows readers to gain basic knowledge of Buddhism and Sino-Indian relations but also to learn about the enlightenment of Sakyamuni Buddha, his struggle with his cousin Devadatta, and the stories of Xuanzang and Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, as well as Bodhidharma and Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty. Professor Ji Xianlin's writing is accessible and easy to understand, with clear and logical arguments, meticulously crafted. He studies Buddhism from a linguistic perspective while revealing the cultural exchange between China and India through the spread and development of Buddhism. His academic thought fully embodies the characteristic of Chinese and Eastern cultures in their ability to synthesize and connect. It is hoped that this book will meet the needs of ordinary readers who yearn for the research achievements of academic masters.