The Study of Sanskrit in Medieval East Asia: China and Japan

This paper explores the historical study of the Sanskrit language and its related systems of writing in ancient and medieval East Asia. It is argued that the varied availability of teachers and manuals in different time periods and environments led to uneven studies of Sanskrit in different generations. In some cases, we can point to significant understanding of Sanskrit in the writings of some monks. Although some monks had direct access to Indian teachers, the majority of students never had this opportunity, and instead relied on resources in Chinese, which primarily included word lists, rather than grammars. There is evidence for the systematic study of Sanskrit grammar, but this was apparently limited in time and faced a number of challenges. The script of Siddhaṃ became widely studied as a sacred system of writing, but I argue that this did not necessitate the learning of Sanskrit grammar

The Birth of Christ and the Persian Gift Bearers in Medieval Chinese Sources

This study examines the perception of Magi and Persians in China from the seventh to ninth centuries

Iranian Elements in Late-Tang Buddhist Astrology

The study and practice of foreign astrology — both Indian and Iranian — became popularized and widespread in Tang-dynasty China during the eighth and ninth centuries. It was integrated into Buddhism and Daoism and exerted an influence on Tang literature. Although foreign astrology as it was practiced by Buddhists in eighth-century China was predominately Indian, by the ninth century it was increasingly a hybrid of Indian and other foreign elements. This study surveys the apparent Iranian influence in Chinese astrology in this period

Astronomy and Calendrical Science in Early Mikkyō in Japan: Challenges and Adaptations

This study examines the use, adaptation, modification and omission of astronomical and calendrical elements in early Japanese Mikkyō (ninth century) in large part from the perspective of exact sciences. Shingon and Tendai inherited a Sinicized system of Indian astrology from their respective beginnings, but the significance of this fact in the study of Japanese religions is underrecognized despite the reality that astrology was both studied and technically required in Mikkyō. This study will examine how Mikkyō negotiated the demand for orthopraxical use of Indian models with the contingent realities of only possessing in practice a Chinese calendar and system of observational astronomy. Japanese monks were compelled to observe Indian astrology according to their own scriptures, which by extension necessitated knowledge of Indian astronomy, but substitutions and omissions had to be made in the absence of the required resources and knowledge

Tejaprabhā

*Tejaprabhā (Chn. Chishengguang; Jpn. Shijōkō [熾盛光]) is a prominent Tathāgata in East Asia, closely associated with astral deities. His cult emerged in China in the early 9th century as an amalgamation of Buddhist practices tied to astrology, and subsequently spread. His worship functioned as an apotropaic practice against calamities believed to be instigated by the planets envisioned as sentient deities

A Walk through the Iranian Heavens: Spherical and NonSpherical Cosmographic Models in the Imagination of Ancient Iran and Its Neighbors by Antonio C. D. Panaino

A Walk through the Iranian Heavens is an innovative and focused study by the well-known scholar Antonio Panaino. This monograph looks at cosmography in ancient Iran and adjacent cultures, with attention to the problem of sphericity in antiquity. We might take for granted that the Greeks, after a point, operated with the model of a spherical Earth, but what about Iran, which had its own Mazdean mythology and worldview but was still influenced by Hellenic culture? At what point did ancient Iran become exposed to and/or adopt a spherical Earth as well as the model of a cosmic sphere? How did this model of the universe affect the Zoroastrian worldview? These are the questions that come to mind when approaching A Walk through the Iranian Heavens

Astronomy and Calendrical Science in Early Mikkyō in Japan: Challenges and Adaptations

This study examines the use, adaptation, modification and omission of astronomical and calendrical elements in early Japanese Mikkyō (ninth century) in large part from the perspective of exact sciences. Shingon and Tendai inherited a Sinicized system of Indian astrology from their respective beginnings, but the significance of this fact in the study of Japanese religions is underrecognized despite the reality that astrology was both studied and technically required in Mikkyō. This study will examine how Mikkyō negotiated the demand for orthopraxical use of Indian models with the contingent realities of only possessing in practice a Chinese calendar and system of observational astronomy. Japanese monks were compelled to observe Indian astrology according to their own scriptures, which by extension necessitated knowledge of Indian astronomy, but substitutions and omissions had to be made in the absence of the required resources and knowledge.Arts, Faculty ofAsian Studies, Department ofReviewedFacult

Milk, Yogurt and Butter in Medieval East Asia: Dairy Products from China to Japan in Medicine and Buddhism

Dairy products have existed in China from at least the Han Dynasty onward. Later, under the influence of Buddhism, dairy items such as yogurt, butter and ghee were required for ritual purposes. The domestic dairy industry in medieval China is an understudied topic, but even more so is the use of dairy in contemporary Japan, where Chinese traditions of Buddhism were transplanted in full. The kanji describing various dairy products were also known in Japan, but we must ask whether these substances were available in Japan, and to what extent. Unlike luxury consumables such as aromatics and medicines, perishable foodstuffs were unlikely to have been transported from the mainland. This study will document and discuss the transmission of a dairy industry from China to Japan, with a focus on the role of these products in religious and medical contexts.Arts, Faculty ofAsian Studies, Department ofReviewedFacult