南國島夷：古代東亞與中國中古研究

講　題：“The Buddhist Arts of Tea in Medieval China” (22nd Sammy Yukuan Lee Lecture on Chinese Archaeology and Art, Lenart Auditorium)

主講人：James A. Benn (Associate Professor of Buddhism and East Asian Religions,  McMaster University)

日　時：Saturday, November 07, 2009, 14:00~15:30

會　場：Fowler Museum of Cultural History, UCLA (Los Angeles, CA 90095-1487, USA)

內容簡介：

The relatively rapid change in drinking habits that occurred in late medieval China (Tang dynasty, 618–907) cannot be understood without appreciating the crucial role of Buddhist ideas, institutions, and practitioners. While Buddhist texts vividly depicted the dangers of imbibing intoxicating substances, Buddhist monks were also active in spreading an alternative to alcohol—tea—throughout the empire. By the end of the ninth century, tea had become a vital component in the Chinese economy and an essential commodity of everyday life. Tea was valued for its ability to sustain long periods of meditation and for its health-giving properties. It was considered an appropriate offering for Buddhist deities, and a suitable gift for monks and laypeople to exchange. Tea, like alcohol before it, stimulated and inspired poets and connoisseurs.

This lecture will look closely at the surviving artistic, material, and literary evidence for Buddhist involvement in the promotion of tea drinking and the invention of a Chinese tea culture.