Cultural encounters along the Silk Roads: Insights into the spread of Buddhism

The speaker pointed out functional parallels between historical and modern religious patronage by comparing, for example, the depiction of the Tangut royal couple with their Tibetan teacher in a painting from the late 12th century with contemporary images of celebrities such as Richard Gere and his Tibetan teacher, the 14th Dalai Lama. In this way, she was able to illustrate how the structures and concepts of the dissemination of religious ideas have resembled each other over the centuries.
Meinert also showed how various forms of Buddhism spread along the trade routes in Central Asia, often referred to as the Silk Roads. Clergymen, local rulers, traders and a generally multicultural society found orientation in Buddhist meditations and teachings for almost a millennium. Numerous manuscripts, silk paintings, paintings in caves and buildings as well as statues were created against the backdrop of this cultural and religious contact and are still evidence of this cultural heyday today.

Finally, Carmen Meinert pointed out that the current geopolitical significance of the region, from which memorabilia of a former Buddhist high culture and multicultural society with Chinese, Khotanese, Tanguts, Tibetans and Uyghurs have survived, is once again coming under particular scrutiny. This is particularly true in the context of efforts to politically reinterpret history. The lecture led to a lively discussion on a variety of topics ranging from Buddhist meditation to the instrumentalization of religious history.

Outlook: Japanese for religion? - A walk through Japanese religions

The lecture series “Religions from Aha to Zen” will continue on May 14, 2025. Japanologist and religious studies expert Dunja Sharbat Dar will then invite you on an exciting journey through Japan's diverse religious landscape. Between Shintō shrines, Buddhist temples and Christian wedding churches, she will shed light on how religious traditions coexist in everyday Japanese culture. The lecture will once again take place at the VHS Bochum. The lecture is in German!

📅 Date: 14.05.2025, 18–19.30 h
📍 Venue: VHS Bochum, Gustav-Heinemann-Platz 2-6, 44787 Bochum
✍️ Registration via the portal of the VHS: https://vhs.bochum.de/kurssuche/kurs/Japanisch-fuer-Religion-Eine-Wanderung-durch-japanische-Religionen/K15102