Suzanne Cahill

Suzanne Cahill, Professor of History, received her PhD from UC Berkeley in Classical Chinese Literature in 1982.  Earlier, she served in the Peace Corps in Afghanistan, spent one year at National Taiwan University and two years as a graduate student at Beijing University.  She was a research fellow in Chinese Art at the Smithsonian from 1982-83. She has been a member of the faculty of the Department of History at UC San Diego since 1984, teaching courses on early and medieval Chinese history and thought, as well as on women, Daoism, Buddhism, Material Culture, and the Silk Road in Chinese history.  She has written four books and has published numerous articles on medieval Chinese history, literature, art, material culture, and religion, translated Chinese texts, and led art and archaeology tours to China.  Her current research focuses on clothing and vehicles during the Tang dynasty.

“Suffering, Enlightenment, and Immortality:  Medieval Chinese Buddhist and Daoist perspectives on What it Means to be Human "

The lecture will discuss the human condition from the perspectives of China's two great religions:  Buddhism and Daoism.  I will focus on beliefs and practices of people who lived during the Tang dynasty (618 - 907 CE), often considered China's golden age.  Looking at Buddhism, I will investigate suffering, the non-existence of the soul, the privilege of being born as a human being, the lifelong goal of enlightenment, and the final goal of nirvana or extinction. Examining Daoism, I will explore the ideal of becoming one with the Dao (the Way), several practices aimed as this ideal, and the concepts of human perfectibility and immortality.  I will contrast the teachings of two religions but also show where they find common ground.