Description
Book SynopsisBuddhist Statecraft in East Asia explores the long relationship between Buddhism and the state in premodern times and seeks to counter the modern, secularist notion that Buddhism, as a religion, is inherently apolitical. By revealing the methods by which members of Buddhist communities across premodern East Asia related to imperial rule, this volume offers case studies of how Buddhists, their texts, material culture, ideas, and institutions legitimated rulers and defended regimes across the region. The volume also reveals a history of Buddhist writing, protest, and rebellion against the state. Contributors are Stephanie Balkwill, James A. Benn, Megan Bryson, Gregory N. Evon, Geoffrey C. Goble, Richard D. McBride II, and Jacqueline I. Stone.
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments List of Figures Notes on Contributors Introduction Stephanie Balkwill and James Benn 1 Metropolitan Buddhism vis-à-vis Buddhism at the Metropolis: How to Understand the Ling in the Empress Dowager’s Name Stephanie Balkwill 2 Silla King Chinhŭng Institutes State-Protection Buddhist Rituals Richard D. McBride II 3 The Commissioner of Merit and Virtue: Buddhism and the Tang Central Government Geoffrey C. Goble 4 Images of Humane Kings: Rulers in the Dali-Kingdom Painting of Buddhist Images Megan Bryson 5 Buddhism and Statecraft in Korea: The Long View Gregory N. Evon 6 Refusing the Ruler’s Offerings: Accommodation and Martyrdom in Early Modern Nichiren Buddhism Jacqueline I. Stone Index
