Religious Encounters Along the Silk Road

Religious Encounters along the Silk Road draws on a diverse range of sources to examine the connections, rivalries, and interactions among Buddhism, Christianity, and Daoism along the Silk Road during the medieval era.

This book analyzes these dynamics from political, textual, ritual, and ethnic perspectives to argue that interreligious exchanges were integral to the broader process of medieval globalization, shaping political and religious life in Central Asia and China within a multilingual, multi-religious, and multi-ethnic environment. This book further suggests that Buddhists, Christians, and Daoists coexisted within shared political, textual, ritual, and ethnic spheres, developing distinct strategies to navigate and adapt to political and religious challenges. These communities likely influenced one another’s texts and rituals under the same political regime.

Author Biography

Huaiyu Chen is Professor of Buddhism and Chinese Religions at Arizona State University, USA.