Early Buddhist transmission and trade networks
Journal Data
| Type | SOURCE_BOOK |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Brill (NL) |
| ISBN-13 | 9789004181595 |
| Open Library | OL15473915W |
| Total publications | 10 |
| Coverage period | 2011 - 2011 |
| Language | EN |
| Cited by | 32 |
| h-index | 1 |
| i10-index | 1 |
This exploration of early paths for Buddhist transmission within and beyond South Asia retraces the footsteps of monks, merchants, and other agents of cross-cultural exchange. A reassessment of literary, epigraphic, and archaeological sources reveals hisorical contexts for the growth of the Buddhist saṅgha from approximately the 5th century BCE to the end of the first millennium CE. Patterns of dynamic Buddhist mobility were closely linked to transregional trade networks extending to the northwestern borderlands and joined to Central Asian silk routes by capillary routes through transit zones in the upper Indus and Tarim Basin. By examining material conditions for Buddhist establishments at nodes along these routes, this book challenges models of gradual diffusion and develops alternative explanations for successful Buddhist movement
Index
Chapter Five. Capillary Routes Of The Upper Indus
While the Old Road across the Hindu Kush in Afghanistan connected Taxila to Bactria and western Central Asia, an alternative network of intertwined passageways through deep river valleys and high mountain passes in the upper Indus region of northern Pakistan directly linked major arteries of the Northern Route of the Indian subcontinent with branches of the silk routes in the Tarim Basin of eastern Central Asia. Capillary routes following the Ind…
Preliminary Material
Chapter Six. Long-Distance Transmission To Central Asian Silk Routes And China
Previous chapters have retraced paths of Buddhist expansion along the great arteries of the Northern and Southern Routes of the Indian subcontinent, the Old Road to Bactria, and capillaries through the mountain valleys northern Pakistan. In this chapter, the focus shifts to overland networks for long-distance transmission through the desert oases of Central Asia, which functioned as a critical transit zone for the early movement of Buddhism to Ch…
Chapter Seven. Conclusion
Patterns of Buddhist transmission overlap with cultural and commercial exchanges due to symbiotic relationships between monastic communities and donor networks in a moral economy of merit. Extensive contacts helped to open paths for the transmission of Buddhism beyond South Asia to Bactria in the Oxus valley of western Central Asia and with the Tarim Basin in eastern Central Asia. The case study of early patterns of Buddhist transmission highligh…
Chapter One. Introduction
This chapter clarifies geographical and chronological contexts for patterns and processes in the formation of Buddhism in ancient and early medieval South Asia and its transregional expansion outside of the Indian subcontinent, particularly in the northwesten frontiers of areas of modern Pakistan and Afghanistan. It then discusses initial phases of the establishment of Buddhist communities in early India, and presents legacy of the mauryans: Aśok…
Chapter Two. Historical Contexts For The Emergence And Transmission Of Buddhism Within South Asia
The aim of retracing routes and identifying nodes is to understand how trade networks shaped patterns of Buddhist transmission and how Buddhist ideologies provided an impetus to cross-cultural mobility and material exchanges. The designations applied to routes used by merchants and religious travelers refer not only to their itineraries, but also to geographical regions with flexible boundaries and polyvalent socio-religious connotations. The Utt…
Chapter Three. Trade Networks In Ancient South Asia
[ This introductory chapter provides a to theoretical models of religious mobility, critical issues in the study of religion and economics, and methodologies for analyzing primary sources. It discusses a brief treatment of different metaphors and paradigms for understanding patterns of Buddhist movement widens the range of perspectives by exploring possible alternatives to the typical view of the spread of Buddhism by gradual diffusion. The chapt…
Chapter Four. Old Roads In The Northwestern Borderlands
This chapter focuses on the role of a particular transit zone in Buddhist transmission beyond the Indian subcontinent. In the first part of the chapter (Geography, Economy, and Capillary Routes in a High-Altitude Environment), geographical and economic features are given a detailed treatment in order to explain links between transregional and intraregional networks. The second part of the chapter (Graffiti, Petroglyphs, and Pilgrims) examines epi…
Early Buddhist Transmission and Trade Networks
This exploration of early paths for Buddhist transmission within and beyond South Asia retraces the footsteps of monks, merchants, and other agents of cross-cultural exchange. A reassessment of literary, epigraphic, and archaeological sources reveals hisorical contexts for the growth of the Buddhist saṅgha from approximately the 5th century BCE to the end of the first millennium CE. Patterns of dynamic Buddhist mobility were closely linked to tra…
Early Buddhist Transmission and Trade Networks
This exploration of early paths for Buddhist transmission within and beyond South Asia retraces the footsteps of monks, merchants, and other agents of cross-cultural exchange. A reassessment of literary, epigraphic, and archaeological sources reveals hisorical contexts for the growth of the Buddhist saṅgha from approximately the 5th century BCE to the end of the first millennium CE. Patterns of dynamic Buddhist mobility were closely linked to tra…
Index
Chapter Five. Capillary Routes Of The Upper Indus
While the Old Road across the Hindu Kush in Afghanistan connected Taxila to Bactria and western Central Asia, an alternative network of intertwined passageways through deep river valleys and high mountain passes in the upper Indus region of northern Pakistan directly linked major arteries of the Northern Route of the Indian subcontinent with branches of the silk routes in the Tarim Basin of eastern Central Asia. Capillary routes following the Ind…
Preliminary Material
Chapter Six. Long-Distance Transmission To Central Asian Silk Routes And China
Previous chapters have retraced paths of Buddhist expansion along the great arteries of the Northern and Southern Routes of the Indian subcontinent, the Old Road to Bactria, and capillaries through the mountain valleys northern Pakistan. In this chapter, the focus shifts to overland networks for long-distance transmission through the desert oases of Central Asia, which functioned as a critical transit zone for the early movement of Buddhism to Ch…
Chapter Seven. Conclusion
Patterns of Buddhist transmission overlap with cultural and commercial exchanges due to symbiotic relationships between monastic communities and donor networks in a moral economy of merit. Extensive contacts helped to open paths for the transmission of Buddhism beyond South Asia to Bactria in the Oxus valley of western Central Asia and with the Tarim Basin in eastern Central Asia. The case study of early patterns of Buddhist transmission highligh…
Chapter One. Introduction
This chapter clarifies geographical and chronological contexts for patterns and processes in the formation of Buddhism in ancient and early medieval South Asia and its transregional expansion outside of the Indian subcontinent, particularly in the northwesten frontiers of areas of modern Pakistan and Afghanistan. It then discusses initial phases of the establishment of Buddhist communities in early India, and presents legacy of the mauryans: Aśok…
Chapter Two. Historical Contexts For The Emergence And Transmission Of Buddhism Within South Asia
The aim of retracing routes and identifying nodes is to understand how trade networks shaped patterns of Buddhist transmission and how Buddhist ideologies provided an impetus to cross-cultural mobility and material exchanges. The designations applied to routes used by merchants and religious travelers refer not only to their itineraries, but also to geographical regions with flexible boundaries and polyvalent socio-religious connotations. The Utt…
Chapter Three. Trade Networks In Ancient South Asia
[ This introductory chapter provides a to theoretical models of religious mobility, critical issues in the study of religion and economics, and methodologies for analyzing primary sources. It discusses a brief treatment of different metaphors and paradigms for understanding patterns of Buddhist movement widens the range of perspectives by exploring possible alternatives to the typical view of the spread of Buddhism by gradual diffusion. The chapt…
Chapter Four. Old Roads In The Northwestern Borderlands
This chapter focuses on the role of a particular transit zone in Buddhist transmission beyond the Indian subcontinent. In the first part of the chapter (Geography, Economy, and Capillary Routes in a High-Altitude Environment), geographical and economic features are given a detailed treatment in order to explain links between transregional and intraregional networks. The second part of the chapter (Graffiti, Petroglyphs, and Pilgrims) examines epi…
Early Buddhist Transmission and Trade Networks
This exploration of early paths for Buddhist transmission within and beyond South Asia retraces the footsteps of monks, merchants, and other agents of cross-cultural exchange. A reassessment of literary, epigraphic, and archaeological sources reveals hisorical contexts for the growth of the Buddhist saṅgha from approximately the 5th century BCE to the end of the first millennium CE. Patterns of dynamic Buddhist mobility were closely linked to tra…