A Journey Through Chinese Buddhist Culture (Revised Edition)

Author: Hong Xiuping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-11-01
Features: The author approaches the history of Buddhist culture with a macro perspective and a spirit of challenge, demonstrating a unique line of thought. The book is rich in materials, substantial in content, well-organized, appropriately detailed, and presents novel viewpoints, showcasing the author's insightful research, making it highly academically valuable. – Book review published in Journal of World Religions, Issue 3, 1996.
The relationship among Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism serves as a guiding principle for the writing of The Journey and also becomes a distinct marker that sets it apart from other similar works, highlighting its unique characteristics. The Journey analyzes and interprets the relationship among the three teachings in each historical period, pointing out their features with well-supported arguments and clear analysis, offering valuable reference material for understanding the role and influence of Chinese Buddhism within the context of the three teachings. It is highly recommended and considered one of the better Buddhist studies publications in recent years. – Book review published in Buddhist Studies, 1996 issue.
Chinese Buddhist culture is an important component of Chinese culture, rich in content and diverse in form, encompassing nearly all aspects of Chinese society and culture, including politics, economy, philosophy, religion, ethics, literature, history, art, education, and folk customs. It has had and continues to have a broad and profound impact on the development of the Chinese nation, as well as the shaping of its national psychology and spirit. This book takes the self-development of Chinese Buddhist culture as the vertical axis and its relationship with other cultural forms (especially Confucianism and Taoism) as the horizontal axis, systematically organizing and deeply exploring the rich connotations of Chinese Buddhist culture (including Han, Tibetan, and Southern traditions). From the perspective of the sinicization of Buddhism, it thoroughly examines and elaborates on the Indian origins, Chinese development, religious characteristics, philosophical foundations, theoretical basis, cultural spirit, exchanges between Chinese and foreign Buddhist cultures, and the relationship between Buddhism and Chinese society and culture. The book vividly recreates the journey of Chinese Buddhist culture from all angles, making it a valuable reference for professional researchers and general lovers of history and literature.