A Neighing Horse, a Silkworm God, and the Chinese Domestication of Buddhism

Apr 10 2008 - 11:30am Eliot Hall, Room 102

Religious Studies Program 314-935-8677 or smassey@wustl.edu

Stuart Young, PhD Candidate, Princeton University
Buddhism has been adapted to suit the cultural values and social norms of many different peoples. This talk will illustrate one important way in which Chinese Buddhists asserted the relevance of their religion to local Chinese concerns. In this case the integration of Buddhism took place through the all-important Chinese silk industry. By promoting one of their most famous ancient Indian forebears as a local god of silk production, Chinese Buddhists sought to insinuate Buddhism into one of China’s most prevalent and lucrative material enterprises, and thereby secure a central place for their religion in the lives of a good many Chinese people.
Stuart Young is a doctoral candidate in the Asian religions program of the Department of Religion at Princeton University. He has recently completed his doctoral dissertation, titled “Conceiving the Indian Buddhist Patriarchs in China,” examines how medieval Chinese Buddhists re-presented the history and practice of Buddhism in ancient India, and how this presentation influenced Chinese ideals of Buddhist sainthood across the Sino-Indian divide. His broad interests include the relationships between Buddhism and indigenous traditions, ideals of the embodiment of sanctity, and the material culture of East Asian religions.