Chinese conceptions of "soul" vs. Buddhist terminology

[tingdzin]

Can any academically-oriented students of Chinese Buddhism point me to studies on how Chinese Buddhism adopted previously-existing terminology dealing with "souls" (hun?) or other concepts of post-death existence, after the introduction of Buddhism? In particular, is there any pre-Buddhist terminology that was incorporated into Chinese translations of Indic words such as vijnana?

[Huifeng]

Can any academically-oriented students of Chinese Buddhism point me to studies on how Chinese Buddhism adopted previously-existing terminology dealing with "souls" (hun?) or other concepts of post-death existence, after the introduction of Buddhism? In particular, is there any pre-Buddhist terminology that was incorporated into Chinese translations of Indic words such as vijnana?

Maybe "How Buddhism Acquired a Soul on the Way to China", circa pp. 185ff.
http://www.amazon.com/Buddhism-Acquired ... 1845539974
check out 魂hun, 魄po, 靈ling, 精jing, 神shen, 識shi, etc. ...

Haven't read it, but has been recommended.

Also, the classic Chinese text, the Hongmingji has some discussion on this, the "soul doesn't perish theory" 神不滅論, that sort of thing.

~~ Huifeng

[tingdzin]

Thanks a lot -- seems exactly what I'm looking for