John Kieschnick

If you've ever wondered about the origins and transmission of the ruyi scepter, Buddhist rosary beads, the veneration of icons in a country in which the worship of statues was unknown before Buddhism's entry, the importance given relics (sarira), and the wearing of monastic robes …this is definitely the book for you. And having once read these chapters, Kieschnick goes on to surprise readers with the revelation that although tea drinking did spread with the help of the monastic communities, there is very scant evidence that it was used to 'keep meditating monks awake'. This work marries textual references and sources with concrete evidence--archaeological findings, tomb contents, mural painting details, to uncover the truth behind many of the aspects of material culture in China we take for granted. Examples are the chair from its use in Indian Buddhist art (for example, as the seat of the Buddha of the future, Maitreya) to a discussion of the foreign folding [camping] stool, to a discussion of the traditional raised platforms (tai) upon which the Chinese kneeled, to the broad chair with woven seat used in monasteries to a Chinese reception room. Undocumented conjectures are identified and dealt with in a kindly but firm manner. Did Buddhist rosaries influence the appearance of Qing Dynasty court beads? Absolutely. Were they used as prayer beads? Probably not. By the Qing they had become purely decorative.

In addition to the meticulous research and well-balanced, rationale approach to the subjects selected, were several insights into the spread of Buddhism in China that I don't remember from earlier classic tomes such as [b:The Buddhist Conquest of China: The Spread and Adaptation of Buddhism in Early Medieval China|350938|The Buddhist Conquest of China The Spread and Adaptation of Buddhism in Early Medieval China|Erik Zürcher|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348444398s/350938.jpg|341183] and Kenneth Chen's Chinese Transformation of Buddhism--for example, the idea that it was the 'cultural humility' of Chinese monks that permitted the entry of foreign influences into medieval China (as opposed to the Chinese literati who lived in a carefully defined closed society). As Kieschnick writes, "If in medieval Europe the court was a 'nursery for good manners,' in medieval China the monastery was a nursery for new forms of material culture." (p. 279) If you've read Zurcher and Chen, this book should be next on your reading list.

This is a wonderful and fascinating book that should be read by anyone interested in Chinese history and culture, even if one's knowledge of Buddhism is slight. There should be more studies of this sort--ones that focus on the evidence of material culture and then balance it vis-a-vis the theoretical or scriptural. In other words, actions speak louder than words. What a pleasure this work turned out to be! And for the reader who asked 'So what?' at the end of his review…some of us just find the pleasure of truly understanding the 'how's and 'why's of a phenomenon or practice absolutely fascinating.… (meer)