Chinese Buddhist Apocrypha

DETAILS : 

• Author : Buswell Robert E.
  
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sri Satguru Publications
  
• Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 1, 1992
  
• Edition ‏ : ‎ 1992nd
  
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
  
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 8170303419
  
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 9788170303411
  
• Weight : 600 g

ABOUT THE BOOK 

Chinese Buddhist Apocrypha is a groundbreaking academic volume that investigates "indigenous scriptures"—texts once believed to be translations of Indian sutras but actually composed in China by Chinese authors. Edited by Robert E. Buswell Jr., the book features contributions from ten eminent scholars who analyze how these apocryphal works reshaped the Chinese Buddhist canon. It challenges the traditional view of the canon as a static repository, instead presenting it as a dynamic institution influenced by social, political, and economic forces. By examining the "Sinicization" of Buddhism, the work illustrates how Chinese authors adapted foreign doctrines to fit local religious sensitivities. It remains a seminal text that established apocryphal studies as a critical field in East Asian Buddhology.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Robert E. Buswell Jr. is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Buddhist Studies at UCLA and is widely considered the premier Western scholar on Korean Buddhism and East Asian Zen. Before his academic career, he spent seven years as an ordained Buddhist monk in Thailand, Hong Kong, and Korea, an experience that deeply informed his later research and writing. He is the founding director of UCLA’s Center for Buddhist Studies and served as the first scholar of Buddhism to be elected President of the Association for Asian Studies. His monumental contributions include serving as editor-in-chief of the Encyclopedia of Buddhism and co-authoring the Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism. In recognition of his pioneering work, he was awarded the prestigious Manhae Grand Prize in Korea.