Calling Oneself a Saint: Self-designation and the Idea of the Holy in Medieval Chinese Buddhism

21/10/2010 - 16:00

21 October 2010
16.00-17.30 hrs.
Leiden

Lecture by Prof. Toru FUNAYAMA, Numata Visiting Professor of Buddhist Studies

Venue: IIAS, Conference Room, Rapenburg 59, 2311 GJ Leiden

Chinese Buddhism up to the 10th century developed on the basis of translations of Indic texts, on the one hand, and established its own style in accordance with Chinese culture and the Chinese way of thinking, on the other. This talk introduces several anecdotes and legends from India and China in which a monk labels himself a holy being, something usually unthinkable in other religions. Two traditions regarding the idea of the holy are examined here, as is the Chinese view of saintly monks who sometimes appear as pseudo-saints.

Toru Funayama is professor of Buddhist studies at the Institute for Research in Humanities, Kyoto University, Japan, and he has also served as visiting professor of Harvard Divinity School. His research interests cover the fields related to scholastic traditions and practices in medieval Chinese Buddhism, especially during 5-7th centuries. He has also published a number of articles on Buddhist logic and epistemology in India, centering on the definition and nature of perception.