Buddhism and the Invention of Tea Culture in Medieval China”

H-Buddhism LECTURE> James Benn on “Buddhism and the Invention of Tea Culture in Medieval China”

Discussion published by Jimmy Yu on Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Dear Colleagues,

We are delighted to announce the 4th Sheng Yen Lecture Series speaker this year, Dr. James Benn, who will be speaking on “Buddhism and the Invention of Tea Culture in Medieval China” at the Florida State University, in Dodd Hall Auditorium, on March 3rd, from 4:30-5:30pm. More information can be found here: http://religion.fsu.edu/documents/lecture_shengyen_BENN_2017.pdf

The dramatic change in Chinese drinking habits that occurred in the eighth century CE cannot be understood without considering the crucial role of Buddhist ideas, institutions, and individuals in creating a new culture around the consumption of tea. Benn's lecture will look closely at the surviving artistic, material, and literary evidence for Buddhist involvement in the invention of a Chinese tea culture during the Tang and Song dynasties, roughly seventh through thirteenth centuries.

James Benn is a Professor of Buddhism and East Asian Religions in the Department of Religious Studies at McMaster University. His research evolves around three major areas of research: bodily practice in Chinese Religions; the ways in which people create and transmit new religious practices and doctrines; and the religious dimensions of commodity culture. He is the author ofBurning for the Buddha: Self-immolation in Chinese Buddhism and Tea in China: A Religious and Cultural History, and numerous other articles.

The lecture is open to public, and you are all invited. If you are unable to attend, a video recording of his talk will eventually be posted on our FSU Religion Dept Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh9dI0od6iK-BeA8CUEWxJw

Hope to see you at the lecture.

Best wishes,

Jimmy Yu

Sheng Yen Associate Professor of Chinese Buddhist Studies Co-editor, Journal of Chinese Buddhist Studies Florida State University Department of Religion, 120D Dodd Hall 641 University Way Tallahassee, FL 32306-1520 Office Phone: 850-615-1406 Office Fax: 850-644-7225 http://myweb.fsu.edu/jyu2

Citation: Jimmy Yu. LECTURE> James Benn on “Buddhism and the Invention of Tea Culture in Medieval China” . H-Buddhism. 02-21-2017. https://networks.h-net.org/node/6060/discussions/168235/lecture-james-benn-%E2%80%9Cbuddhism-and-invention-tea-culture-medieva l Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. 1