Customer Reviews

The History of Doctrinal Classification in Chinese Buddhism: A Study of the Panjiao System

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I have never seen the book which exclusively discusses, the panjiao (doctrinal classification) systems, one of the most important topics in East Asian Buddhism in the Western languages. Chanju Mun presented the comprehensive picture of doctrinal classification in Chinese Buddhism in this magnificent book.

When various Buddhist texts were translated into Chinese over several centuries, Chinese Buddhists strongly needed to systematically organize those texts based on their own philosophical interpretations and sectarian positions.

Without knowing the doctrinal classification systems, readers cannot understand Chinese Buddhism in particular and East Asian Buddhism in general. Moreover, the systems were the theoretical foundations to each scholar and each tradition.

In conclusion, I strongly recommend all of readers who are interested in East Asian Buddhism to have this masterpiece book in your bookselves.

Chanju Mun academically introduced a number of doctrinal classification schemes available in Chinese Buddhism in this magnificent book and helped readers comprehend how Chinese Buddhists understood and classified various texts trasnlated from Indo-Central Asian languages from their hermeneutical, soteriological, and sectarian or ecumenical perspectives.