Science of Chinese Buddhism
Subtitle: Early Twentieth-Century Engagements
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Published: 2015
Language: eng
Number of pages: 264
ISBN-13: 9780231170345
Subjects: China, intellectual life; Religion and science
Description: Kexue, or science, captured the Chinese imagination in the early twentieth century, promising new knowledge about the world and a dynamic path to prosperity. Chinese Buddhists particularly embraced scientific language and ideas to carve out a place for their religion within a rapidly modernizing society. Examining dozens of overlooked writings from the Chinese Buddhist press, this book maps Buddhists efforts to rethink their traditions through science in the initial decades of the twentieth century.