Coming to Terms With Chinese Buddhism: A Reading of the Treasure Store Treatise (Studies in East Asian Buddhism)

Through an analysis of a somewhat obscure, nominally Buddhist, T'ang dynasty text, the Treasure Store Treatise , Sharf (Buddhist studies, U. of Michigan) hopes to challenge the notion that the evolution of Buddhism in China was the story of two discrete and fully formed systems in "dialogue" with each other. Arguing that attempts in other disciplines to conceptualize complexity should inform scholars of the "sinologization" of Buddhism, he argues that the Treatise first seems to be a muddled and syncretic work, but in fact, in teasing out its underlying worldview, it is revealed to be a coherent essay revealing some of the essential "Chineseness" of certain fundamental doctrines of T'ang Buddhist thought. Fully half of the material consists of a translation of the Treatise accompanied by commentary by Sharf. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)