The History of the Formation of Early Chinese Buddhism

Alexander Choi and Ronald Dziwenka, in translating In-sub Hur's History of the Formation of Early Chinese Buddhism, have given global Buddhist studies a rare gift. Philosopher Hur has spent a lifetime of research developing his synoptic understanding of the complex intricacies of the sinicization of Buddhism and, on this basis, has been able to advance a compelling argument for the central role that early Daoist cosmology and its Wei-Jin Neo-Daoist evolution has played in the Chinese domestication of Buddhist philosophy. Eschewing the overdetermination that would simplify the story, Hur strives with both nuance and imagination to give affordance to the heterogeneities in ways of thinking that obtain among the many historical actors, and to allow each of them to speak on their own terms. He is keenly sensitive to the hermeneutical need for interpretive context as he leads us across this broad historical and intellectual landscape. --Roger T. Ames, Peking University The History of the Formation of Early Chinese: A Study on Discourse Characteristics stands as the first translated comprehensive history of Chinese Buddhism written by a distinguished Korean scholar. It is an essential read for anyone seeking a profound understanding of the intricate interplay between Buddhism, Daoism, and the cultural tapestry of ancient China. This remarkable work also engages in a comparative analysis of the prevailing cognitive frameworks in India and China during the Wei-Jin era, spotlighting the profound interplay of universal ways of comprehending the world. --Jiang Wu, The University of Arizona