Elizabeth Morrison

Elizabeth Morrison began teaching at Middlebury College in 2003, just before completing her PhD in religious studies from Stanford University. She teaches classes on the Buddhist tradition and religion in East Asia. Her research focuses on Chinese Buddhist history, particularly the Chan school and Buddhist-Confucian interactions. Her monograph, The Power of Patriarchs: Qisong and Lineage in Chinese Buddhism, offers a biography of the Chan monk Qisong (1007-1072) and analysis of his promotion and understanding of Chan lineage. Her current research takes on the official Li Chunfu (1177-1223) and his defense of the Buddhist tradition against neo-Confucian critics as an important chapter in the rivalry and mutual influence of the “three teachings” and Chinese Buddhist apologetics more generally.