Book Notes: Meir Shahar, "Kings of Oxen and Horses"

Book Notes: Meir Shahar, "Kings of Oxen and Horses"

From The Ho Center for Buddhist Studies at Stanford by The Ho Center for Buddhist Studies at Stanford

February 1, 2026 · 39 min · Season 1 · Episode 11

About this episode

Meir Shahar discusses the cult worship of the Ox King and Horse King in China, connecting them to Buddhist figures through scriptural studies and field research.

Meir Shahar talks about the cult worship of the “Ox King” and the “Horse King” in China. Working at the intersection of scriptural studies and field research, Shahar connects the two animal gods back to Sākyamuni and Avalokiteśvara through locally transmitted manuscripts and their Indic sources, and he describes the unorthodox Buddhist priests in Guizhou Province who perform rituals for draft animals using these textual manuals. Kings of Oxen and Horses: Draft Animals, Buddhism, and Chinese Rural Religion (Columbia University Press, 2025). Interview by Miles Osgood. Talk from April 11, 2024 at HCBSS: Meir Shahar, “Buddhism and Chinese Rural Religion.” https://buddhiststudies.stanford.edu/events/meir-shahar-buddhism-and-chinese-rural-religion

People in this episode

Host: Miles Osgood

Guest: Meir Shahar

Topics covered

  • cult worship
  • Ox King
  • Horse King
  • scriptural studies
  • field research
  • Buddhism
  • Chinese rural religion

Keywords

  • draft animals
  • Buddhism
  • Chinese religion
  • Guizhou Province
  • rituals

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Kings of Oxen and Horses: Draft Animals, Buddhism, and Chinese Rural Religion

Books & works: Kings of Oxen and Horses, Buddhism and Chinese Rural Religion

Places: China, Guizhou Province

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