Chinese Steles : Pre-Buddhist and Buddhist Use of a Symbolic Form

Buddhist steles represent an important subset of early Chinese Buddhist art that flourished during the Northern and Southern Dynasties period (386–581). More than two hundred Chinese Buddhist steles are known to have survived. Their brilliant imagery has long captivated scholars, yet until now the Buddhist stele as a unique art form has received little scholarly attention. Dorothy Wong rectifies that insufficiency by providing in this well-illustrated volume the first comprehensive investigation of this group of Buddhist monuments. She traces the ancient roots of the Chinese stele tradition and investigates the process by which Chinese steles were adapted for Buddhist use. She arranges the known corpus of Buddhist steles into broad chronological and regional groupings and analyzes not only their form and content but also the nexus of complex issues surrounding this art form—from cultural symbolism to the interrelations between religious doctrine and artistic expression, economic production, patronage, and the synthesis of native and foreign art styles. In her analysis of Buddhism’s dialogue with native traditions, Wong demonstrates how the Chinese artistic idiom planted the seeds for major achievements in figural and landscape arts in the ensuing Sui and Tang periods.

In Monastic Life in Medieval Daoism, a senior scholar of Daoist studies presents for the first time a detailed description and analysis of the organization and practices of medieval Daoist monasteries. Following an introduction to the wider, comparative issues involved in the study of monasticism, Livia Kohn outlines the origin, history, conceptual understanding, and social position of the monasteries, which came into their own early in the Tang dynasty. She examines texts from this period along with the architectural layout of Daoist monasteries, the daily discipline and interpersonal etiquette of monks and nuns, their implements and vestments, as well as the liturgical dimension (regular services, annual festivals, and special rites such as funerals) of monastic life. Throughout, Professor Kohn maintains a high comparative level, linking the Daoist situation and practices not only with Chinese popular, Confucian, Buddhist, and lay Daoist traditions, but also with relevant examples from Indian Buddhism and medieval Christianity.

The book breaks new ground in Daoist studies, the understanding of Chinese religion and medieval society, and the theoretical understanding and interpretation of the comparative phenomenon of monasticism. It will be required reading for scholars of Daoist studies and Chinese religion and medieval history and illuminating to experts in comparative religion and religious studies in general as well as to the wider public interested in questions of monastic life.

Contents Illustrations Foreword Acknowledgments Abbreviations Dynastic Chronology Introduction Part I. TRADITIONAL CHINESE STELES AND THEIR BUDDHIST ADAPTATION Chapter One. ANCIENT ROOTS OF THE CHINESE STELE TRADITION Chapter Two. THE ORIGINS AND RISE OF HAN STELES Chapter Three. THE ORIGINS OF BUDDHIST STELES UNDER THE NORTHERN WEI Part II. THE FLOURISHING OF BUDDHIST STELES Chapter Four. GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF BUDDHIST STELES Chapter Five. THE INITIAL FLOURISHING OF BUDDHIST STELES IN SHANXI Chapter Six. THE MAITREYA FAITH AND HENAN STELES Chapter Seven. THE SHAANXI SCHOOL: BUDDHIST-DAOIST ELEMENTS AND ETHNIC DIVERSITY Chapter Eight. BUDDHIST STELES FROM THE GANSU-NINGXIA REGION Chapter Nine. MONUMENTAL COMPLEX STELES AND FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS IN MAHA-YA- NA BUDDHIST ICONOGRAPHY Chapter Ten. SICHUAN BUDDHIST STELES AND THE BEGINNINGS OF PURE LAND IMAGERY IN CHINA Conclusion. BUDDHIST STELES AS A SYMBOLIC FORM Notes Glossary Bibliography Index "Buddhist steles represent an important subset of early Chinese Buddhist art that flourished during the Northern and Southern Dynasties period (386-581). More than two hundred Chinese Buddhist steles are known to have survived. Their brilliant imagery has long captivated scholars, yet until now the Buddhist stele as a unique art form has received little scholarly attention. Dorothy Wong rectifies that insufficiency by providing in this well-illustrated volume the first comprehensive investigation of this group of Buddhist monuments." "In her analysis of Buddhism's dialogue with native traditions, Wong demonstrates how the Chinese artistic idiom planted the seeds for major achievements in figural and landscape arts in the ensuing Sui and Tang periods."--BOOK JACKET.