James A Benn

Tea in China: A Religious and Cultural History

Reviews: Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies 78, no. 3 (October 2015), 659-660... more Reviews: Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies 78, no. 3 (October 2015), 659-660 [T. H. Barrett] [electronic]; Hanxue yanjiu tongxun (Newsletter for Research in Chinese Studies) 34, no. 2, May 2015, 20–21 [Liao Zhen 廖箴]; New Zealand Journal of Asian Studies 17, no. 2 (December 2015), 126–27 [Maria Galikowski]; Religious Studies Review 42, no. 3 (September 2016), 225 [Barbara Hendrischke]; Journal of Asian Affairs 47, no. 2 (2016), 341–43 [Susan Pares]; Journal of Chinese Studies, no. 63 (July 2016), 308–316 [Victor Mair]; CHINOPERL 35, no. 1 (July 2016), 58–61 [Peter Micic].

Burning for the Buddha: Self-immolation in Chinese Buddhism

Paperback edition released November 2016. Notices:Chronicle of Higher Education 53, no. 28, p. A... more Paperback edition released November 2016.

Notices:Chronicle of Higher Education 53, no. 28, p. A21; Choice 45, no. 1 (September 2007), p. 115.

Reviews: Hanxue yanjiu tongxun (Newsletter for Research in Chinese Studies) 26, no. 3, August 2007, 55–56 [Stefania Travagnin] [electronic]; Middle Way 82, no. 2, August 2007, 119 [Simon Hui-Chiao]; Tang yanjiu 13, December 2007 [Chen Huaiyu]; Journal of the American Academy of Religion 76, March 2008, 198–202 [Natasha Heller] ; The Journal of Religion 88, no. 2, April 2008, 269–270 [Marcus Bingenheimer] ; Journal of Asian Studies 67, no. 2, May 2008, 678–681 [Wendi Adamek]; Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies 69, no. 1, June 2009, 221–225 [Vincent Goossaert] ; Journal of Chinese Religions 36, 2008, 124–127 [Linda Penkower]; H-Buddhism, H-Net Reviews, November 2009 [Ryan Overbey]; Religious Studies Review 36, no. 3, September 2010, 193–198 [Liz Wilson].

Buddhism and Medicine: An Anthology of Premodern Sources. Edited by C. Pierce Salguero

Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Feb 1, 2018

G lossary entries were compiled collectively by the contributors to this volume. Note that the de... more G lossary entries were compiled collectively by the contributors to this volume. Note that the defi nitions below are not intended as defi nitive, but rather to facilitate understanding of how these terms are used in the translations included in this volume. Agarna (Skt.): A category of scripture that is said to have been orally transmitted from the times of Sakyamuni Buddha. often representing the earliest historical layers of Buddhist literature. Aggregates (Skt. skandha) : The fi ve aspects of a sentient being, including fo rm, sen sation, perception, intention, and consciousness. Arnitabha (Skt.): Known in Chinese as Amituo, and in Japanese as Amida, he is the Buddha of Boundless Light. He resides in the western direction in a realm cre ated through the power of his own meditation known as Sukhavati, the "Pure Land" or "Blissful Place." Devotees of Amitabha Buddha pray for this buddha and his emissaries to appear to them at the moment of death to lead them into rebirth in Sukhavati. amrta (Skt.): Ambrosia, the nectar of the gods. As the etymology (a= not, m_rta = death) suggests, this sacred substance averts the onset of death. Frequently used as a metaphor for the Dharma and other virtuous things. Ananda: The cousin, disci ple, and constant companion of Sakyamuni Buddha, who heard and recalled his teachings with infallible memory, and is often the un named narrator of sutras.

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Buddhist Monasticism in East Asia

Digital copies of this work may be made and distributed provided no change is made and no alterat... more

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Images, Relics, and Legends: The Formation and Transformation of Buddhist Sacred Sites

A major collection of important essays by many of the leading scholars in the field of Buddhism, ... more A major collection of important essays by many of the leading scholars in the field of Buddhism, including Phyllis Granoff from Yale University, T. H. Barrett from the University of London, Raoul Birnbaum from University of California, Toru Funayama from Kyoto University, Eugene Wang from Harvard University, and others. The spread of Buddhism in Asia may be viewed from one perspective as a protracted and complex process in which numerous sacred sites were continually created and re-created in different parts of Asia. This study of Buddhist sacred sites in South and East Asia yields some revealing new perspectives on the cross-cultural issues created by the Buddhist conquest of Asia. The volume sheds new light on issues such as pilgrimage, the development of Buddhist monasticism, the remembrance of Buddhist saints and patriarchs, Buddhist sacred sites, and more, and deepens our understanding of the Buddhist tradition. The volume contains thirteen original articles plus a preface and full bibliography.

The Will to Orthodoxy: a Critical Genealogy of Northern Chan Buddhism. By Bernard Faure, translated by Phyllis Brooks. pp. xii, 289, bibliography, glossary, index. Stanford, Stanford University Press, 1997. £37.50

Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, Apr 1, 2000

modern interpretation of Confucianism in China owes its origins to the (mis-)interpretations of t... more modern interpretation of Confucianism in China owes its origins to the (mis-)interpretations of the Jesuit visitors during the early Qing period. Shocking as it may read to the uninitiated, the "Confucian myth" forms part of the complex interaction between western and Chinese intellectuals during the Republican period. In its manifold expressions, the phenomenon has already been scrutinised from different angles: the role of the missionaries, the influence of western ideology, the role of the colonial powers. Jensen's contribution thus lies in the explicit analysis of the sources and of the subject matter. The book's biggest asset is at the same time also one of its major shortcomings: Lionel Jensen certainly invested a great deal of personal ambition into the topic. At times, his personal involvement creates the impression of using the monograph as a tool in a missionary struggle for the enlightenment of the scholarly community and the world beyond. Creating awareness among a public which has fallen prey to a centuries-old construct. A second corrective remark refers to the second, "modern" half of Jensen's contribution: the limited number of Chinese sources used inevitably leads to questions about the representative qualities of the two chosen authors. A broader presentation of the topic in the mirror of the early republican scholarly scene would have produced even more convincing evidence. Jensen's style is clear throughout, though the chapters are at times longer than necessary. A more concise presentation of the topic could have been achieved without sacrificing any of the impressive sources. Praise for the excellent and explicit appendix, with an encyclopaedic glossary of the terms used in the monograph. Alongside the bibliography, the glossary will help academics to orientate themselves through a philosophical corridor of more than four hundred years. Jensen's reflection on the interpretation of Confucianism in the modern world is on the whole a welcome contribution to the study of Chinese philosophy and to the pursuit of East-West crossfertilisation. By portraying modern perceptions of Confucianism in the West and in China as the outcome of western imagination and Chinese aspiration, Manufacturing Confucianism can indeed be referred to as a true "dispeller of myths".

How Zen Became Zen: The Dispute over Enlightenment and the Formation of Chan Buddhism in Song-Dynasty China. By Morten Schlütter. Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press, 2008. x, 289 pp. $48.00 (cloth)

The Journal of Asian Studies, Nov 1, 2009

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Images, Relics, and Legends: the Formation and Transformation of Buddhist Sacred Sites. Essays in Honour of Professor Koichi Shinohara

One Mountain, Two Traditions: Buddhist and Taoist Claims on Zhongnan shan in Medieval Times

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Images, Relics, and Legends: The Formation and Transformation of Buddhist Sacred Sites

A major collection of important essays by many of the leading scholars in the field of Buddhism, ... more A major collection of important essays by many of the leading scholars in the field of Buddhism, including Phyllis Granoff from Yale University, T. H. Barrett from the University of London, Raoul Birnbaum from University of California, Toru Funayama from Kyoto University, Eugene Wang from Harvard University, and others. The spread of Buddhism in Asia may be viewed from one perspective as a protracted and complex process in which numerous sacred sites were continually created and re-created in different parts of Asia. This study of Buddhist sacred sites in South and East Asia yields some revealing new perspectives on the cross-cultural issues created by the Buddhist conquest of Asia. The volume sheds new light on issues such as pilgrimage, the development of Buddhist monasticism, the remembrance of Buddhist saints and patriarchs, Buddhist sacred sites, and more, and deepens our understanding of the Buddhist tradition. The volume contains thirteen original articles plus a preface and ...

Multiple Meanings of Buddhist Self-Immolation in China — A Historical Perspective

offer this contribution to the study of the recent wave of selfimmolations in Tibet not because I... more offer this contribution to the study of the recent wave of selfimmolations in Tibet not because I believe that the historical perspective on Buddhist self-immolation is the only useful one, but in the hope that the issues raised below may still be helpful to interpret current events. As a historian of medieval Chinese religions, my own immediate frame of reference is to things that happened well over a thousand years ago. Here, I am only able to condense a few essential points from my recent publications on selfimmolation and related issues in Chinese Buddhism.1 I will begin with an account of what is probably the earliest recorded case of self-immolation by a Buddhist monk in China. This happened in the year 396:

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Self-immolation, Resistance and Millenarianism in Medieval Chinese Buddhism

The Medieval History Journal, 2014

Accounts of Buddhist monks and laymen who made offerings of their bodies by fire or other means o... more Accounts of Buddhist monks and laymen who made offerings of their bodies by fire or other means often hint at larger themes of resistance to state authority and millenarian or Utopian hopes on the part of religious communities. I will put some of these sources, drawn from hagiographical collections and commemorative inscriptions, into dialogue with each other and with other historical materials in order to reveal some of the larger forces at work behind (apparently) individual acts of self-immolation.

Lillian Lan-ying Tseng. Picturing Heaven in Early China . Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Asia Center, 2011

Early China, 2015

is an example of a successful study using historical archaeology 1-a Western counterpart of what ... more is an example of a successful study using historical archaeology 1-a Western counterpart of what is usually called sanchong zhengju fa 三重證據法 (Triple Evidence Method) 2 in China-and an increasingly popular method of comparing excavated artifacts with inscriptions, images, and related received texts. Although Tseng provides detailed analysis of how Tian is depicted in a great variety of artistic media, the subject represents a large and fundamental issue in Chinese philosophy and therefore deserves to be covered in broad as well as granular strokes. Furthermore, though the exact meaning of tian 天 (Heaven) was probably not considered carefully by ordinary people in China's early period, it was still frequently depicted in Han art. As the author herself points out, this study focuses on two essential questions: "Was Heaven represented as it had been referred to in writing?" (p. ) and "How did the many meanings of Heaven influence how it was represented?" (p. ). Tseng answers these questions by analyzing and interpreting visual and textual resources in the following aspects: ) representations of tianming 天命 (Mandate of Heaven) on building; ) depictions of auspicious omens by Han artisans; ) imaginative journeys to Heaven; and ) the depiction of celestial bodies. In each chapter of this book, she describes the evolution of cultural conventions by which different motifs were expressed diachronically during the Han Dynasty. Her illustrative examples, such as the Mother Queen of the West (pp. -) and the asterisms of the Twenty-eight Lunar

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Written in Flames: Self-Immolation in Sixth-Century Sichuan

T'oung Pao, 2006

This article discusses the religious career and self-immolation (which involved public acts of bu... more This article discusses the religious career and self-immolation (which involved public acts of burning the fingers and body) of the sixth-century monk, Sengyai. The author discusses the sources for a study of his life, and translates the extant biographical materials. He demonstrates that self-immolation was a practice open to multiple interpretations, and that Sengyai?s act was understood as one of cosmic significance in a religious milieu in which recent political events such as the fall of the Liang dynasty were interpreted as signs of the decline of the dharma. Cet article s'intéresse à la carrière religieuse d'un moine du vie siècle, Sengyai, et à ses actes publics d'auto-immolation, tels que la crémation, d'abord, de ses doigts, et ensuite de son corps tout entier. L'auteur examine les sources permettant d'étudier sa vie et propose une traduction des matériaux existants. Il montre que la pratique de l'auto-immolation s'offrait à de multiples int...

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Self-immolation, Resistance and Millenarianism in Medieval Chinese Buddhism

Medieval History Journal, 2014

Biographies of Eight Auto-Cremators and Huijiao’s Critical Evaluation

Early Medieval China: A Sourcebook, edited by Robert F. Campany, Wendy Swartz, and Lu Yang, 543–60., 2013

One Mountain, Two Traditions: Buddhist and Taoist Claims on Zhongnan shan in Medieval Times

Images, Relics and Legends: the Formation and Transformation of Buddhist Sacred Sites. Essays in Honour of Professor Koichi Shinohara. Edited by James Benn, Jinhua Chen, and James Robson, 69–90., 2012

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Multiple Meanings of Buddhist Self-Immolation in China—A Historical Perspective

Revue des Études Tibétaines 25, 203–212, Dec 2012

offer this contribution to the study of the recent wave of selfimmolations in Tibet not because I... more offer this contribution to the study of the recent wave of selfimmolations in Tibet not because I believe that the historical perspective on Buddhist self-immolation is the only useful one, but in the hope that the issues raised below may still be helpful to interpret current events. As a historian of medieval Chinese religions, my own immediate frame of reference is to things that happened well over a thousand years ago. Here, I am only able to condense a few essential points from my recent publications on selfimmolation and related issues in Chinese Buddhism. 1

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The Silent Saṃgha: Some Observations on Mute Sheep Monks

Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies 32, no. 1–2 (2009 [appeared 2010]), 11–38., 2009

format_quoteThe definition of 'mute sheep monks' in the Dazhidu lun raises questions about their purpose, role, and the text's attention to them.format_quote

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The Lotus Sūtra and Self-immolation

Readings of the Lotus Sūtra, edited by Jacqueline I. Stone and Stephen F. Teiser, 107–131. , 2009

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