Our Shared Karma

Buddhism, Literature, and the Modern Chinese Revolution
Erscheinungsjahr 2026
ISBN: 978-0-674-30737-7
Verlag: Harvard University Press

Buch, Englisch, Band 153, 350 Seiten, Format (B × H): 152 mm x 229 mm

Reihe: Harvard-Yenching Institute Monograph Series

Our Shared Karma reveals the profoundly Buddhist beginning of the modern Chinese revolution. It is the first monograph to critique the secularist assumption that has tacitly governed the received narrative of China’s modern transformation, and also the first book-length study in English to approach modern Chinese literature from the perspective of Buddhist studies. Probing the intersection of literature, religion, and politics at the turn of the twentieth century, Our Shared Karma highlights a revolution of the mind that dwells at the core of the Chinese quest for modernity. It illuminates a shared horizon of meaning between Buddhism-inspired progressive intellectuals—such as Liang Qichao, Zhang Taiyan, and Lu Xun—and reform-minded Buddhists—such as Yang Wenhui, Taixu, and Ouyang Jingwu—at a historical juncture of radical epistemic openness and escalating momentum for change. In recovering the Buddhist face of modern Chinese literature, Our Shared Karma unveils at the same time a different, and revolutionary, face of modern Chinese Buddhism. The dual discovery pays homage to an existential courage embodied by these extraordinary seekers and seers, as they braved their karma and groped for light in a dark and tumultuous world.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Ying, Lei

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Literaturen sonstiger Sprachräume Ost- & Südostasiatische Literatur
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Geschichte einzelner Länder Asiatische Geschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Buddhismus

Über Autor(innen)

Ying, Lei
Lei Ying is Associate Professor of Asian Languages and Civilizations at Amherst College.