A Tale of Two Stūpas

Albert Welter is Professor of East Asian Studies at the University of Arizona. He is currently leading a project funded by the Khyentse Foundation on Buddhist Culture in the Hangzhou Region of China and its impact throughout East Asia.

• Foreword Preface Chapter One: Introduction: Buddhist Relic Veneration, Buddhist Sites and Translocations, and the Transformation of the Hangzhou/Jiangnan region into an Indian Buddhist Homeland Chapter Two: Hangzhou Buddhism in Historical Perspective Chapter Three: The Origins and Development of the Yongming Stupa Chapter Four: The Origins and Development of Leifeng Pagoda Chapter Five: A Tale of Two St=upas: The Parameters of Buddhist Revival in China Appendix 1: Translations Associated with the "resurrection" of Yanshou and establishment of the Yongming Stupa Appendix 2: Translations of The Precious Chest Seal Dharani Satra and selections from Jingci Monastery Gazetteer relating to Leifeng Pagoda Bibliography Index

An eye-opening investigation of the multiple layers embedded in the construction and reconstruction of two of the most renowned pieces of religious architecture in East Asia. The narrative is engaging and revealing, bringing to light and relief a plethora of long-obscured elements of critical significance to medieval Chinese sociopolitical and religious history. Yet another tour de force by a dynamic historian of East Asian Buddhism and a must-read for all scholars from different fields of Asian History.