The Impact of Buddhism on Chinese Material Culture

John Kieschnick

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English

Princeton University Press
17 June 2003

Asian history; Buddhism

Series: Buddhisms: A Princeton University Press Series

From the first century, when Buddhism entered China, the foreign religion shaped Chinese philosophy, beliefs, and ritual. At the same time, Buddhism had a profound effect on the material world of the Chinese. This wide-ranging study shows that Buddhism brought with it a vast array of objects big and small--relics treasured as parts of the body of the Buddha, prayer beads, and monastic clothing--as well as new ideas about what objects could do and how they should be treated. Kieschnick argues that even some everyday objects not ordinarily associated with Buddhism--bridges, tea, and the chair--on closer inspection turn out to have been intimately tied to Buddhist ideas and practices. Long after Buddhism ceased to be a major force in India, it continued to influence the development of material culture in China, as it does to the present day. At first glance, this seems surprising. Many Buddhist scriptures and thinkers rejected the material world or even denied its existence with great enthusiasm and sophistication. Others, however, from Buddhist philosophers to ordinary devotees, embraced objects as a means of expressing religious sentiments and doctrines.

What was a sad sign of compromise and decline for some was seen as strength and versatility by others. Yielding rich insights through its innovative analysis of particular types of objects, this briskly written book is the first to systematically examine the ambivalent relationship, in the Chinese context, between Buddhism and material culture.

By: John Kieschnick
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Volume: 5
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 20mm
Weight: 510g
ISBN: 9780691096766
ISBN 10: 0691096767
Series: Buddhisms: A Princeton University Press Series
Pages: 360
Publication Date: 17 June 2003
Audience: Professional and scholarly , College/higher education , Undergraduate , Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

John Kieschnick is an associate research fellow at the Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica, in Taipei.

Reviews for The Impact of Buddhism on Chinese Material Culture

"""I fully recommend this book... Kieschnick deserves high praise for a thoughtful and sustained presentation of a crucial element of the Chinese Buddhist tradition.""--Alan Cole, Journal of Chinese Religions ""John Kieschnick has produced a very good book on a topic that deserves attention... He has opened up new areas of inquiry that will no doubt stimulate further investigation. One has every reason to expect that the book will be widely read and appreciated for years to come.""--James A. Benn, Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies ""This book ... makes a lasting contribution to our understanding of the diverse ways in which Buddhism and material culture interacted in China.""--Koichi Shinohara, Journal of Asian Studies ""The direct confrontation of the material expressions of [Buddhism] has finally materialized with the publication of John Kieschnick's The Impact of Buddhism on Chinese Material Culture. In this sense, the new book indeed breaks new ground in the studies of Chinese Buddhism... Kieschnick has written an insightful, informative, and entertaining book... He should be congratulated by us all for his admirable scholarship.""--Yuet Keung Lo, Asian Journal of Social Science"