A History of Uyghur Buddhism

Johan Elverskog

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Hardback

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English

Columbia University Press
18 June 2024

History of religion; Buddhism

Today, most Uyghurs are Muslims. For centuries, however, Uyghurs were Buddhists. By around 1000 CE, they, like many of their neighbors, had decisively turned toward the Dharma, and a golden age of Uyghur Buddhism flourished under the Mongol empire. Dwelling along the Silk Road in what is now northwestern China, they stood at the center of Buddhist Eurasia, linking far-flung regions and traditions. But as Muslim power grew, Uyghur Buddhists converted to Islam, rewriting their past and erasing their Buddhist history.

This book presents the first comprehensive history of Buddhism among the Uyghurs from the ninth to the seventeenth century. Johan Elverskog traces how the Uyghurs forged their distinctive tradition, considering a variety of social, political, cultural, and religious contexts. He argues that the religious history of the Uyghurs challenges conventional narratives of the meeting of Buddhism and Islam, showing that conversion took place gradually and was driven by factors such as geopolitics, climate change, and technological innovation. Elverskog also provides a nuanced understanding of lived Buddhism, focusing on ritual practices and materiality as well as the religion's entanglements with economics, politics, and violence. A groundbreaking history of Uyghur Buddhism, this book makes a compelling case for the importance of the Uyghurs in shaping the course of both Buddhist and Asian history.

By: Johan Elverskog
Imprint: Columbia University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9780231215244
ISBN 10: 023121524X
Pages: 296
Publication Date: 18 June 2024
Audience: College/higher education , Further / Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Becoming Buddhist 2. Buddhist Politics 3. Buddhist Economics 4. Uyghur Buddhisms 5. Becoming Muslim Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index

Johan Elverskog is Dedman Family Distinguished Professor, professor of religious studies, and, by courtesy, professor of history at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. He is the author or editor of ten books, including, most recently, The Precious Summary: A History of the Mongols from Chinggis Khan to the Qing Dynasty (Columbia, 2023).

Reviews for A History of Uyghur Buddhism

Employing an impressive range of scholarly tools, Elverskog paints a fascinating portrait of Uyghur Buddhism, demonstrating that the Uyghurs were not simply bystanders as Buddhism made its way along the Silk Road from India to China. They developed their own important tradition of Buddhist practice, one that had largely been forgotten, until now. -- Donald Lopez, University of Michigan