tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24152639.post3372482173331337378..comments2023-07-04T03:53:40.171-07:00Comments on Matt Kundert's Friday Experiment: The Rise of Buddhism in ChinaMatt Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05304261355315746372noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24152639.post-66378479967936187212010-01-11T09:58:54.625-07:002010-01-11T09:58:54.625-07:00Unfortunately, no. I did find out what the "...Unfortunately, no. I did find out what the "de Bary" reference was to: <i>Sources of Chinese Tradition, Vol. 1</i>. That was the main reference text. We also used two other books that I've since found on a list: <i>Open Empire</i> by Valerie Hansen and <i>Mountain of Fame</i> by John E. Wills.<br /><br />I haven't really studied Eastern thought since the time of that class, some 8 years ago. Though for those of us who still like to refer to "Eastern thought," more needs to be done to remedy our lack of understanding of the <i>diversity</i> of non-Greek intellectual traditions. There's tons of religion survey books, crap assigned to me in classes years ago, but I'm not sure there's a lot of interesting stuff designed to give Westerners a feel for how the traditions actually function (though anything by Ninian Smart is decent). One thing I can think of is Arthur Danto's <i>Mysticism and Morality</i>, which collages together various Eastern traditions. He's a very sensitive and supple thinker.<br /><br />But this is still a deficit of mine. What we need to learn in particular is more about how these various traditions transformed themselves in different cultural contexts--India and China are very different, something that get's glossed over in "Eastern." We all know that "Zen Buddhism" was born of a mispronunciation, but the one thing that was heightened through that class was my awareness of how difficult it is to refer to something unified called "Buddhism."Matt Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05304261355315746372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24152639.post-4944499001376015122010-01-10T18:41:45.241-07:002010-01-10T18:41:45.241-07:00Hhi there,
Interesting post! I like how you compar...Hhi there,<br />Interesting post! I like how you compared Buddhism with Daoism and Confucianism at the same time, very difficult to do... Would you have by any chance books or other sources to suggest on that topic?<br /><br />thanksAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24152639.post-54140026661785973682009-10-07T19:47:15.779-07:002009-10-07T19:47:15.779-07:00Candles... Didn't someone leave a post selling...Candles... Didn't someone leave a post selling candles or something (looks like you deleted it) I don't remember now... I've been gone from the blog for a while... Gotta catch up.Andrew Louishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18204999524677028033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24152639.post-28675549657653669432009-08-24T12:42:00.863-07:002009-08-24T12:42:00.863-07:00Of course, on the other hand, I'm not complete...Of course, on the other hand, I'm not completely sure what ideas are good for if not some of them becoming institutions.<br /><br />p.s.<br /><br />What candles?Matt Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05304261355315746372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24152639.post-50657530429915353652009-08-24T06:02:22.621-07:002009-08-24T06:02:22.621-07:00“Daoism is all about being in the Flow. Being spon...“Daoism is all about being in the Flow. Being spontaneous and letting life happen and going with it. Buddhism is all about getting out of the Flow.”<br /><br />This was certainly true of early Buddhism. No doubt early on the meditation schools were teaching, “escape from reality”, which seems to me nothing more than a form of escaping past appearance to reality and/or retreating to the old “pie in the sky”.<br /><br />This always seems to happen once ideas become institutions…<br /><br /><br />PS,<br />did you buy any candles???Andrew Louishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18204999524677028033noreply@blogger.com