Published on May 7, 2024!
Cuilan Liu. Buddhism in Court: Religion, Law, and Jurisdiction in China. New York: Oxford University Press, 2024.
Book Reviews
Reviewed by L. L. Lam-Easton, in Choice Reviews 62.9 (2025).
“The relationship between church and state is the classic Western dilemma, but less notice is given to this situation in Asia. Jurisdiction and punishments are a difficult problem for India and China. Nuns and monks in question have seen changes since the fourth century. Origins of the solutions start in India, where the Buddhists distrusted the civil law and courts. Monks and nuns functioned under the judicial system of the state and worked on immunity. In China, the system was changed to separate courts and new law founded on “hybrid courts.” The questions of what is Buddhist law, how does it influence the state, and how does the state influence it are examined in this monograph, which is painstakingly careful in unfolding these problems. Well researched and supported, the book will be a fascinating help to legal scholars of international caliber as well as students of religion and culture. For a curious general reader, it offers insights into the fundamental church and state dilemma.”
Reviewed by Paul R. Katz, in Law and History Review (2025): 1-4.
Reviewed by Filippo Pedretti, in Religious Studies Review 51. 2 (2025): 554-555.
Reviewed by Zhang Jingyu, in Religious Studies Review, 52.1 (2025): 548-549.
Edited Volume.
Susan Andrews, Jinhua Chen, and Cuilan Liu (eds.). Rules of Engagement: Medieval Traditions of Buddhist Monastic Regulations. Hamburg Buddhist Studies Series 9. Bochum: Projekverlag, 2017.
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Cuilan Liu 