John Kieschnick, "Buddhist Historiography in China" (Columbia UP, 2022)

Dec 1, 2025

John Kieschnick, a Professor of Buddhist Studies at Stanford University, discusses the intricate relationship between Chinese Buddhism and historiography. He uncovers how Buddhists have documented historical events, dating the Buddha's life while grappling with Indian influences on their narratives. Kieschnick delves into the role of karma as a tool for understanding history and the significance of monastic genealogies. He also examines the evolution of Buddhist historiography against the backdrop of modern scholarship, setting the stage for future explorations.

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INSIGHT

History Matters In Buddhism

Buddhist historians treated history as essential despite doctrines of cyclical time and nirvana.
Karma made history intelligible by linking past actions to present consequences across lives.

INSIGHT

Dating Tension Between China And India

Chinese historians demanded precise dates, but Indian sources often lacked them, creating tension.
Chinese compilers became creative in reconciling undated Indian materials with Chinese chronological expectations.

INSIGHT

Authority Shapes Source Trust

Chinese Buddhist scholars used sophisticated source criticism but rarely doubted texts provenanced to India.
Provenance from India plus state-backed translation lent texts unquestioned authority.

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Since the early days of Buddhism in China, monastics and laity alike have expressed a profound concern with the past. In voluminous historical works, they attempted to determine as precisely as possible the dates of events in the Buddha's life, seeking to iron out discrepancies in varying accounts and pinpoint when he delivered which sermons. Buddhist writers chronicled the history of the Dharma in China as well, compiling biographies of eminent monks and nuns and detailing the rise and decline in the religion's fortunes under various rulers. They searched for evidence of karma in the historical record and drew on prophecy to explain the past. John Kieschnick provides an innovative, expansive account of how Chinese Buddhists have sought to understand their history through a Buddhist lens. Exploring a series of themes in mainstream Buddhist historiographical works from the fifth to the twentieth century, he looks not so much for what they reveal about the people and events they describe as for what they tell us about their compilers' understanding of history. Kieschnick examines how Buddhist doctrines influenced the search for the underlying principles driving history, the significance of genealogy in Buddhist writing, and the transformation of Buddhist historiography in the twentieth century. This book casts new light on the intellectual history of Chinese Buddhism and on Buddhists' understanding of the past.

As I say in the interview, Buddhist Historiography in China (Columbia University Press, 2022) is one of those that you hope exists out there somewhere, and are delighted when you find out it does! This book is highly recommended not only for those with a keen interest in Buddhism and Chinese history, but also those fascinated by questions of historiography and temporarily more broadly.

Lance Pursey is a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Aberdeen where they work on the history and archaeology of the Liao dynasty. They are interested in questions of identity, and the complexities of working with different kinds of sources textually and materially.

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