Date: March 27, 2023
Speaker: Imre Galambos (University of Cambridge)
Location: University of Hong Kong
Abstract:
The Śyāma jātaka has been a popular Buddhist tale throughout Asia. Texts with the tale reached China relatively early and were translated into Chinese as part of longer scriptures starting at the third century AD. Images depicting scenes from the story appear at Dunhuang and other sites along the Silk Road. Nothing demonstrates the popularity of the jātaka in China more than that in addition to its spread to East Asia along with other Buddhist narratives it also became adopted into the non-Buddhist popular tradition as a story of a filial son. By the tenth century, the original jātaka story evolved into a separate version that was included among the twenty-four paragons of filial piety. This presentation looks at the diachronic development of the story and its transformation into a non-Buddhist narrative.
About the Speaker:
After having studied for several years in China (Tianjin) and Hungary, Imre Galambos received his Ph.D. from UC Berkeley with a dissertation on the orthography of Chinese writing during the Warring States period. Following his graduation he started working for the International Dunhuang Project at the British Library and became involved in the study of Dunhuang manuscripts and the manuscript culture of medieval China in general. After 10 years at the British Library, he moved to Cambridge in 2012.
Event details: https://www.buddhism.hku.hk/event-post/thechanging-face-of-filial-piety/
Lecture video: https://youtu.be/jPYCDlasiFg
