Stewart Gordon is an expert historian who specializes in Asian history. He is a Senior Research Scholar at the Center for South Asian Studies at the University of Michigan and has authored three different books on Asia. Gordon’s When Asia Was The World uses the narratives of several different men to explore The Golden Age of medieval Asia. The fact that this book is based on the travels and experiences of the everyday lives of real people gives the reader a feeling of actually experiencing the history. Gordon’s work reveals to the reader that while the Europeans were trapped in the dark ages, Asia was prosperous, bursting with culture, and widely connected by trade. This book serves to teach readers about the varieties of cultures, social …show more content…
One of those men is Xuanzang. Under his brothers training he grew up a young monk and entered monastery in Luoyang at 13. It was there that Xuanzang studied, learned, & meditated about Buddhism. In 623, defying his older brother Xuanzang left their monastery to travel and hear oral teachings. He traveled through Henan, preaching and gaining fame. However by age 26, after listening to many oral teachings, he became unsatisfied because there were so many schools of thought and he did not know which doctrine to follow. He decided to travel to the center of Buddhism to find answers but the quest faced difficulties in the beginning as the Tang government forbade commoners to travel west, so his journey was illegal and a warrant for arrest circulated. Luckily for him a Buddhist sympathizer gave him passage and provisions at a government tower. Xuanzang received a royal escort from King Qu-wentai and he became known as a notable teacher wherever he traveled, leaving his mark. He returned to China to explain what he had learned. He brought back many books, relics, statues, plants, and seeds. Xuanzang received the emperor’s forgiveness and even a royal escort home. Xuanzang’s trek sparked many pilgrimages between China and India, opening possibly trade for both. As for Xuanzang, he chose to stay a Buddhist monk and supervised a team of …show more content…
Gordon accurately depicts the varied and vibrant Asian culture, by showing the reader this world instead of simply describing it. Each of the men whom Gordon uses to tell the story undertakes expeditions which are mixed with hardships and triumphs. The varied spectrum of Asian cultures is covered. Readers will find Gordon’s take on tackling this topic fresh and straightforward. One strength found in Gordon’s book is the fact that these are the personal memoirs of these travelers and therefore allows the readers to connect on a more personal level. This personal connection causes the reader to be more invested in the story and therefore truly strive to understand the world portrayed instead of just shallowly absorbing the setting. This is a strength because it gave the reader unique outlook on the Asian cultures because the audience feels personally involved in these situations. There are a few weaknesses in the book. I think perhaps, by putting the audience in these men’s shoes you cause them develop a bias. The reader will possibly have and emotional tie to the characters and because of this not see straight facts of history. The book is highly recommended to readers interested in pre-modern history, the book is a good look into the eastern world especially if one lacks research experience with that part of the world and its
The author is graphic in his detail of the people and the places of importance during this time in history. The book is written more from a Northern point of view and so I didn’t get quite the same perspective of the Southern side but still learned more than I knew before.
This is my personal reflection about this book. First and foremost, I would like to say that this book is very thick and long to read. There are about nineteen chapters and 278 pages altogether. As a slow reader, it is a quite hard for me to finish reading it within time. It took me weeks to finish reading it as a whole. Furthermore, it is written in English version. My English is just in average so sometimes I need to refer to dictionary for certain words. Sometimes I use google translate and ask my friends to explain the meaning of certain terms.
Yu, Han. “Memorial on Buddhism”. Making of the Modern World 12: Classical & Medieval Tradition. Trans. Richard F. Burton. Ed. Janet Smarr. La Jolla: University Readers, 2012. 111-112. Print.
Upshur, Jiu-Hwa, Janice J. Terry, Jim Holoka, Richard D. Goff, and George H. Cassar. Thomson advantage Books World History. Compact 4th edition ed. Vol. Comprehensive volume. Belmont: Thompson Wadsworth, 2005. 107-109. Print.
During the interval of time between the years 1000 A.D. and 1400 A.D., a multitude of events referring to cultural exchange transpired. In the given documents, In the sense that the Silk Road was brought under the rule of the Mongols, people felt that is was now safe to travel through the Asian continent. Most people would sometimes come all the way from Europe. A multitude of these people were merchants, missionaries, or travelers. They carried along with them goods, news, or cultures from the corners of the then ‘known’ world. These are people who contemplated a multitude of sights on their journeys, which usually ended in China or Cathay. These given documents state the many dissimilarities in politics, social status, religion, and economics which all affected the cultural exchange.
...fascinating insight into these five Rebels’ lives. It is such a shame that the majority of the book deals with their conflicts with the authorities, and does not reveal the person behind the argument. My only wish is that there was more space to allow this to happen. However, it has given me a taste to look deeper into the lives of these Rebels and perhaps to even research their biographies in detail.
Coffin, Judith G., and Robert C. Stacey. "CHAPTER 18 PAGES 668-669." Western Civilizations: Their History & Their Culture. 16TH ed. Vol. 2. New York, NY: W. W. Norton &, 2008. N. pag. Print.
In this essay I will discuss the many aspects and ideals of Asian Religions along with their impact and the role they play within the United States. I had a few questions that I had to try and find answers for, in order to complete the connection of Asian Religions to the United States. Why are some Americans and westerners finding Asian Religions as well as Asian thought and philosophy to be more gratifying than traditional western religions and philosophy? How are Asian Religions perceived and practiced here in the United States as opposed to its place of origination? Finally, is there further growth of the Asian Religions as well as philosophy still possible here in the United States and the west? All of the answers to these questions will try and explain the place Asian Religions have here in the United States.
The Age of Western Imperialism. Modern East Asia From 1600. Second Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2009. 295-367.
Yet, when discussing the origins and impact of Orientalism, the concept continues to be bolstered by the trendy era of technology. The illustration of the Orient is currently being viewed on television, in films, and on the World Wide Web. These representations of the Orient are available in a lot of condensed forms, and are simpler and more effective than before. The concept of Orientalism is a European created mirror reflecting itself. The Orientalist described himself by defining the Oriental and this helped him be superior. The representation of the Orient through arts and literature empower the thought of Orientalism, and whereas people at large will write their own history, i feel this distorts the facts and results in misconceptions about the Orient.
Whereas Buddhism started fifth century BCE with Buddha’s first sermon, which preached the four noble truths, Buddhism’s spread into China happened later during the period of political instability, after the collapse of the Han dynasty. One of the first documents showing the acceptance of the spread of Buddhism was the Chinese scholar Zhi Dun who preached that anyone in China who served the
This is an odd little book, but a very important one nonetheless. The story it tells is something like an extended parablethe style is plain, the characters are nearly stick figures, the story itself is contrived. And yet ... and yet, the story is powerful, distressing, even heartbreaking because the historical trend it describes is powerful, distressing, even heartbreaking.
There was the first introduction of Buddhism in fourth century, during the Three Kingdoms period. Koguryŏ was the first of the Three Kingdoms which officially adopted Buddhism in the second year of reign of King Sosurim (372). The King had a friendly relationship with Former Ch’in in northern China. Fu Chien, the powerful ruler of the Former Ch’in, who supported Buddhism, sent a monk named Sundo with images and canon of Buddha to Koguryŏ. In this year King Sosurim accepted Buddhism . In the case of Paekche, Buddhism was introduced by a monk from Eastern Ch’in of the southern China in the first year of King Ch’imnyu’s reign (392). Not long after the arrival of Buddhism to Paekche, King Asin proclaimed that people should believe in Buddhism and seek happiness (392) . Buddhism only had a fundamental level of doctrine in Ch’in where distributed Buddhism to Koguryŏ and Paekche . Thus Buddhism was also not understood deeply in these two countries. Consequently, although Buddhism was adopted early in these two countries, Buddhism could not impact deeply Koguryŏ and Paekche on their political structures.
Xuanzang was a highly educated Buddhist monk from China, who in 629 C.E. made the long and treacherous journey along the Silk Road to India. His main objectives in his sixteen years away from home were fundamentally religious; he only wanted to study more complete scriptures to answer questions he had, which he deemed unsolvable in his own country. It is important to understand Xuanzang’s own position within the Chinese society and the type of situation it was in: Chinese Buddhists had many disagreements
This book was given to me by a good friend who knew that I had an interest in Asia. I chose to read it because it was a true story and was told that it was a good read.