Buddhism, Diplomacy and Trade The Realignment of Sino-Indian Relations, 600-1400

Abstract

Professor Ji Xianlin and his works were the initial inspirations as I endeavored into the field of Sino-Indian studies. As a graduate student at the Institute for South and Southeast Asian Studies, Beijing University, I had the opportunity to receive his guidance and generous support. Geng Yinzeng, my advisor at the Institute, along with Wang Bangwei and Rong Xinjiang, introduced me to the ancient Chinese records of India, Chinese Buddhism, and cross-cultural interactions between China and the wider world. I am especially indebted to Geng laoshi, who has made my every visit back to China productive and comfortable. The University of Pennsylvania provided an excellent venue to continue my graduate training in Sino-Indian relations. 􀂣ictor H. Mair was instrumental in expanding my knowledge of Buddhist literature and Indian influences on the Chinese culture. Dr. Mair was an ideal mentor who offered prudent advice and was always very supportive during the vicissitudes of my graduate carrier. Even after the completion of my Ph.D., Dr. Mair has been magnanimous with his counsel and assistance. I especially appreciate the time he has taken to read and comment on the various drafts of this book. Nancy Steinhardt and the late Robert M. Hartwell were also tremendously encouraging during my study at the University of Pennsylvania. While Professor Hartwell introduced me to the world of Song trade, Nancy made me acquainted with the art history and archeological material on Chinese and Central Asian Buddhism. I would like to thank Nancy for her continuing encouragement and the quick responses to my email queries regarding Buddhist art in China. xiv Acknowledgments I have also benefited from the courses I took at the University of Pennsylvania with William Lafluer, Ludo Rocher, and Nathan Sivin. Xinru Liu gave me the initial idea to explore the transformation of Sino-Indian interactions during the ninth and tenth centuries as a dissertation topic. Her books and the theoretical framework that she formulated for the first six centuries of the Buddhist and commercial interactions between India and China inspired both my dissertation and a large part of this book. Romila Thapar critiqued the sections dealing with Indian history in my dissertation and compelled me to evaluate Sino-Indian interactions more analytically. In fact, as I re-read her comments on my dissertation, I was convinced that I had to do a complete overhaul of the Ph.D. thesis in order to turn it into a book. As I set out to write this book, I was fortunate to have met and learned from some of the leading scholars of Buddhist interactions between India and China working in Kyoto. Professor Kuwayama Shoshin was my host at the Institute for Research in Humanities at the Kyoto University. Despite his preeminent position at the Institute, Professor Kuwayama took time to personally lead me through the streets of Kyoto in search of a dormitory and research material. In his office, Professor Kuwayama generously shared his publications and in-depth knowledge of the southern Hindukush region. I am extremely grateful to him for his kind support and most helpful guidance. Antonino Forte is arguably the most knowledgeable scholar of the Buddhist interactions between India and China during the Tang period. I am privileged to have had the opportunity to consult him on various issues of Tang-India relations during my stays in Kyoto. The debt that lowe to his research is evident from this book. I would also like to thank his staff at the Italian Institute of East Asian Studies for facilitating my research in Kyoto. Also in Kyoto I made three great friends. Chen Jinhua, Toru Funayama, and Catherine Ludvik have each contributed to this project. Jinhua, in particular, read the first three chapters and sent me some of his forthcoming publications on Sui and Tang Buddhism. His essays and the detailed comments on the chapters were most useful in correcting and elaborating some of the factual details. Similarly, the discussions I have had with Funayama-san have proved extremely fruitful when dealing with Chinese Buddhism in general. Catherine, on the other hand, helped me organize a very successful Acknowledgments xv symposium on Sino-Indian interactions at the XXXVIth International Congress of Asian and North Mrican Studies. I would also like to thank other friends and colleagues who have read the entire manuscript or sections of it and given extensive comments: Jerry Bentley, Daniel Boucher, Hugh Clark, Alan Digeatano, and the anonymous readers for the Asian Interactions and Comparison Series. My colleagues at the History Department of Baruch College, especially the Chairs Stanley Buder, Myrna Chase, and Cynthia Whittaker, have given all the institutional support I have needed to complete this book. Similarly, the reassigned time for research provided by the Dean of the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences during the last four years was extremely crucial for writing this book. For intellectual stimulation, I have to thank Jed Abrahamian, Murray Rubinstein, and Randolph Trumbach. In India, I appreciate the assistance given to me by K T.S. Sarao, Sreemati Chakravarti, and the librarians at the Nehru Memorial Library, New Delhi, and the Chinese collection at Cheena Bhavan, Santiniketan. Olin Ayelet, my student assistant, helped me prepare the bibliography. I am also thankful to Carl Dindial, who taught me how to use computer software to draw the maps included in this book, and to Patricia Francis, who helped me with photocopying articles and books. To Joshua Fogel, Patricia Crosby, Ann Ludeman, and the editorial team at the University of Hawai'i Press I would like to express my sincere gratitude for turning a modest manuscript into an elegant book. Research in India, China, and Japan would not have been possible without the financial assistance during and after the dissertation period by the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, University of Pennsylvania, American Institute of Indian Studies, Japan Foundation, Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai, and PSC-CUNY Research Grant. The American Philosophical Society, Eugene Lang Foundation, and the Drown Funds for Junior Faculty at Baruch College, on the other hand, provided funds during the writing stage of this book. Sections of Chapter 1 and an earlier version of Chapter 3 have appeared in the Journal of World History (2001) as "In Search of Longevity and Good Karma: Chinese Embassies to Middle India in the Seventh Century," and in T'oung Pao (2002) as "The Revival and Failure of Buddhist Translations during the Song Dynasty," respectively. I would like to thank the anonymous readers of these essays whose comments are incorporated in this book. xvi Acknowledgments This book was completed at the cost of neglecting my wife, Liang Fan. I would like to thank her for putting up with me during the length of this project. Unbeknown to her, I have gained a lot intellectually from being in her company and listening to her insightful views. I would also like to thank my parents, especially my father, who took me with them to China and initiated me into the field of Chinese studies. While this book may not have been completed without the help and assistance from the individuals and institutions mentioned above, I alone am responsible for the mistakes that may appear in the following pages.