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Buddhism, Daoism, and Chinese Religion

Stephen F. Teiser & Franciscus Verellen

The articles published in this volume represent some of the best recent work on a vast subject: the interaction between Buddhism and Daoism and the conse¬ quences of those connections for understanding Chinese religion. Early versions of these essays were presented at a conference held at Princeton University in October, 2,010, through the sponsorship of the David A. Gardner '69 Magic Project (Council on the Humanities of Princeton University) and the École française d'Extrême-Orient. As organizers of the conference, we were conscious of the antiquity of the conceptual challenges raised by the confrontation of Buddhism and Daoism, and our assessment of the state of research influenced our design of the conference. Now, as guest editors of Cahiers d'Extrême-Asie, we think it fitting to provide here a brief orientation to the articles that follow, outlining our understanding of the field. Our discussion focuses on the relationship between Buddhism and Daoism, the question of sources, and recent areas of research.

The Larger Context

The emergence of "Chinese religion" in the post-classical age occurred in the context of China's encounter with Indian civilization. Viewed from China, the indigenous religion proved remarkably receptive to the imprint of Buddhism, introduced via the commercial routes linking China with Central Asia and India, notwithstanding the deep roots of Daoism in the thought system and practices of Chinese antiquity and the fact that the Buddhist ideal of a celibate samgha was fundamentally at odds with the Confucian kinship system and ancestor cult. Indeed, the foreign religion met with near universal success in China — especially in regard to its vision of life after death, its teaching on morality, its practice of iconic representation, mortu¬ ary ritual, even monastic life and institutions. That attraction has lasted — or been reborn — despite periodic polemics and incidents of persecution, throughout the formative period of Chinese religion and into the present.

It is probably no coincidence that two of the most formative periods in the history of Daoism were also periods of strong interaction with Buddhism: the constitution in the fifth century of the Lingbao scriptural corpus, marking the massive entry of Buddhist doctrines and rituals into the Daoist canon, and the arrival of Tantric forms of Buddhism especially during the Tang dynasty (618-907) that transformed Daoist liturgy, art, and practices under the Song (960-1279).

Stepping back from the Chinese perspective, the same Sino-Indian interaction can be viewed from the vantage point of the spread of Buddhism across Asia. Wher¬ ever Buddhism entered into contact with different civilizations, societies, thought

Cahiers d'Extrême-Asie 20 (201 1) : 1— 12