Audiobook · read by volunteers
Buddhism and Buddhists in China
Lewis Hodous (1872–1949)
Read by Scott Robbins, Leon Mire, daxm, ML Cohen, Chris Masterson, Philippa Willitts · 11 chapters · 3 h 06
About the book
What did Buddhism look like in China at the start of the twentieth century? Lewis Hodous went to see for himself and wrote down what he found. This book looks at the religion as it was lived: its temples and monasteries, the monks who filled them, the festivals, the rites and the beliefs of ordinary people. It also asks how and when Buddhism first entered China, how it became established as a leading faith, and how it stood in relation to Christianity, a comparison of obvious interest to a missionary-minded readership of the day. Written in a clear, direct style, it offers a snapshot of a tradition in a moment of change. Eleven recordings, a little over three hours, and an informative window onto a world that has since been transformed.
Introduction
Lewis Hodous (1872-1949) was an American scholar who spent a considerable part of his career studying Chinese religion, and Buddhism and Buddhists in China was published in 1923. It is a work of observation as much as of history, written at a time when it was still possible to describe religious life in China as it had been practised for generations.
The book is arranged in short chapters that move from general questions to particular ones. It begins with an introduction, then follows the entry of Buddhism into China and its establishment as a dominant religion, and goes on to describe monks, temples, rites and popular belief. Hodous also draws comparisons with Christianity, which reflects the interests of his era and of many of his first readers.
Listeners should keep in mind that this is a text of the 1920s, and some of its language and assumptions belong to that time. It is useful as both a source of information and a historical record of how Western scholars approached Chinese religion a century ago.
The recording has eleven files, including the preface, and it lasts a little over three hours. It was made by LibriVox volunteers. It will interest anyone curious about religion in China, the history of Buddhism, or the encounter between Eastern and Western traditions in the early twentieth century. The chapters can be taken in order or chosen by interest, since each deals with a different aspect of the subject. A reader approaching the topic for the first time will gain a general picture, while one who already knows something will enjoy the contemporary tone and the particular examples the author selects.
Public domain
Lewis Hodous died in 1949: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text