Overview

The History of the Formation of Early Chinese Buddhism: A Study on Discourse Characteristics analyzes the process of the sinicization of Buddhism. It provides a comprehensive investigation on how the perceived similarities between Buddhism and Daoism originated and how traditional Daoist terminologies were applied in the translation of Buddhist texts. By doing so, the text critiques the Daoistization of Buddhism and also offers a comparative overview of the general human ways of thinking in India and China by focusing on the relationship between universal ways of understanding the world during the Wei-Jin era. By analyzing commentaries by scholarly Chinese monks in the Wei-Jin era, and the philosophical nature of Neo-Daoism thought that played the most direct role in the Chinese transformation of Buddhism, this book is an attempt to understand why such discourses on the imperishability of the spirit became the main discussion topic in early Chinese Buddhism, and how colossal Buddhist statues that remind us how an Absolute Deity came to be established in China.

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9781666944815

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Alexander Choi and Ronald Dziwenka, in translating In-sub Hur's History of the Formation of Early Chinese Buddhism, have given global Buddhist studies a rare gift. Philosopher Hur has spent a lifetime of research developing his synoptic understanding of the complex intricacies of the sinicization of Buddhism and, on this basis, has been able to advance a compelling argument for the central role that early Daoist cosmology and its Wei-Jin Neo-Daoist evolution has played in the Chinese domestication of Buddhist philosophy. Eschewing the overdetermination that would simplify the story, Hur strives with both nuance and imagination to give affordance to the heterogeneities in ways of thinking that obtain among the many historical actors, and to allow each of them to speak on their own terms. He is keenly sensitive to the hermeneutical need for interpretive context as he leads us across this broad historical and intellectual landscape. --Roger T. Ames, Peking University The History of the Formation of Early Chinese: A Study on Discourse Characteristics stands as the first translated comprehensive history of Chinese Buddhism written by a distinguished Korean scholar. It is an essential read for anyone seeking a profound understanding of the intricate interplay between Buddhism, Daoism, and the cultural tapestry of ancient China. This remarkable work also engages in a comparative analysis of the prevailing cognitive frameworks in India and China during the Wei-Jin era, spotlighting the profound interplay of universal ways of comprehending the world. --Jiang Wu, The University of Arizona

The History of the Formation of Early Chinese: A Study on Discourse Characteristics stands as the first translated comprehensive history of Chinese Buddhism written by a distinguished Korean scholar. It is an essential read for anyone seeking a profound understanding of the intricate interplay between Buddhism, Daoism, and the cultural tapestry of ancient China. This remarkable work also engages in a comparative analysis of the prevailing cognitive frameworks in India and China during the Wei-Jin era, spotlighting the profound interplay of universal ways of comprehending the world.

The History of the Formation of Early Chinese: A Study on Discourse Characteristics stands as the first translated comprehensive history of Chinese Buddhism written by a distinguished Korean scholar. It is an essential read for anyone seeking a profound understanding of the intricate interplay between Buddhism, Daoism, and the cultural tapestry of ancient China. This remarkable work also engages in a comparative analysis of the prevailing cognitive frameworks in India and China during the Wei-Jin era, spotlighting the profound interplay of universal ways of comprehending the world.--Jiang Wu, The University of Arizona

Author Information

Insub Hur was professor of philosophy at a number of prestigious institutions throughout his career, including Yonsei University, Kyonghee University, Jingak University, and Episcopalian University. Ron Dziwenka is adjunct faculty member in the History Department at Salisbury University. Alexander Choi serves on the board of directors of the Seoul-San Francisco Sister City Committee.

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