Early Ch An In China And Tibet

Ch'an (Zen) Buddhism was popularized in the West by writers such as D.T. Suzuki and Alan Watts as a kind of romantic abstraction outside of history. The papers in this volume, originally presented as a unique conference sponsored by UC-Berkeley and the San Francisco Zen Center, go a long way towards revealing the complex historical development of Ch'an theory and practice both in China and Tibet. The papers on China reveal Ch'an not as a single line of transmission from Bodhidharma, but as a complex of contending and even hostile factions. Furthermore, the view that sees Ch'an as the sinicization of Buddhism through Taoism is questioned through an examination of the Taoism that was actually prevalent during the establishment of Ch'an in China. The papers on Tibet take us to the heart of the controversies surrounding the origins of Buddhism in that country, based on exciting research into the Tunhuang materials, the indigenous rDzogs-chen system, and the Sudden vs. Gradual Enlightenment controversy. Of particular note in this volume is the inclusion of several translations of papers by noted Japanese scholars who have led the way in this type of research, made available to the Western reader for the first time.

Sino-Tibetan Buddhism implies cross-cultural contacts and exchanges between China and Tibet. The ten case-studies collected in this book focus on the spread of Chinese Buddhism within a mainly Tibetan environment and the adaptation of Tibetan Buddhism among a Chinese-speaking audience throughout the ages.

Early medieval Tibet remains one of the most challenging fields in Tibetan Studies overall, wherein numerous mysteries remain. The six contributions comprising the present collection shed light on major topics in history, literature and religion.

This major study analyses the traditional modes of Sino-Tibetan relations in order to unearth general patterns beyond partisan points of view. It sheds light on contemporary issues in the Sino-Tibetan dialogue, and discerns possible future structures for conflict resolution in occupied Tibet. With its economic reforms, China is changing and will change more in the near future, thereby expanding the scope for freedom and democracy. It is in such a context that several leading Chinese intellectuals have, since the early 1990s, called for a fresh examination of the history of Sino-Tibetan relations in order to determine the actual status of Tibet. This book is a Tibetan's contribution to this great debate. Tibet is often viewed in isolation from other developments in Asia or the West. This book, for the first time, analyses the Tibetan question within the context of international politics, especially the roles of Britain, India, the USA and Russia in paving peaceful ways to conflict resolution in Tibet.