Huaiyu Chen Book order

The study explores the interaction between animals and plants within the context of medieval Chinese religions and science. It highlights how religious figures engaged with these elements of material culture, illustrating the reciprocal enrichment of the spiritual and natural worlds during this period. By examining these relationships, the book sheds light on the significance of flora and fauna in shaping cultural and religious practices in medieval China.

Huaiyu Chen examines how Buddhist ideas about animals changed and were changed by medieval Chinese culture. He explores the entangled relations among animals, religions, the state, and local communities, considering both the multivalent meanings associated with animals and the daily experience of living with the natural world.

"This is the first book in any language offering a comprehensive study that places Daoxuan (596-667), one of the most important scholarly monks, in the context of medieval Chinese Buddhist history. In presenting a fresh image of medieval monastic life of Chinese Buddhism, it focuses on several key issues in Daoxuan's work, including the veneration of Buddha's relics, the recreation of the ordination platform and ordination ritual, and how the Buddhist community reclassified and dealt with monastic property. It is indispensable for all those who are interested in the religions and history of medieval China and comparative monasticism."--Jacket