The Flower of Chinese Buddhism
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(Published by Weatherhill, 1986)
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The introduction of Buddhism to China is a fascinating story of the meeting of two great civilizations: India, the land of the Buddha's birth, and China, where Buddhism was transformed into a world religion and from where the Buddhist scriptures eventually spread to Japan.
Picking up where his earlier volume, The Living Buddha, leaves off, Ikeda gives narrative to Buddhist missionaries and translators, the first Chinese Buddhist leaders, the development of distinctly Chinese schools of Buddhism, and the eventual decline of Buddhism in China after the tenth century. He describes the career and achievements of Kumarajiva, famed for his renditions of the sutras, among them the Lotus Sutra, and the philosophical treatises that form the core of East Asian Buddhist literature.
The careers and major works of the Huisi, Zhiyi and Zhanran, and master interpreter-advocates of the Tiantai school of Buddhism in China, are outlined. This presents a useful introduction to the Tiantai school that arose in Japan and informed the teachings of Nichiren in the 13th century.
Translated by Burton Watson, The Flower of Chinese Buddhism offers insightful account of one of the key time periods in the spread of Buddhism across Asia.
The Flower of Chinese Buddism is also available in Japanese, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Thai, Danish, Indonesian, Spanish and Chinese (simplified).
CONTENTS
Editor's Note
Preface to the English Edition
Translator's Note
- FROM INDIA TO CHINA
- Buddhism as a World Religion
- The Introduction of Buddhism to China
- Possible Earlier Contract with Buddhism
- The Situation in Central Asia
- EARLY CHINESE TRANSLATIONS OF BUDDHIST SCRIPTURES
- Seeking Knowledge of Buddhism
- Monk-Translators from Central Asia
- A Priceless Cultural Legacy
- KUMARAJIVA AND HIS TRANSLATION ACTIVITIES
- The Unparalleled Monk-Translator
- Kumarajiva's Parentage
- The Period of Youthful Study
- The Road to Chang'an
- The Nature of Kumarajiva's Translations
- The Translation of the Lotus Sutra
- EFFORTS TO SYSTEMATIZE THE TEACHINGS
- Translations in the History of Chinese Buddhism
- The Activities of Kumarajiva's Disciples
- TRAVELERS IN SEARCH OF THE LAW
- Pilgrimages of Chinese Monks to India
- Faxian's Account of His Travels and Its Importance
- Over Endless Mountains and Rivers
- Visiting the Sacred Sites of Buddhism
- HUISI AND THE VENERATION OF THE LOTUS SUTRA
- The Beginnings of the Tiantai School
- Huisi and His Understanding of the Lotus Sutra
- The Lotus Meditation
- Coming Face to Face with the Buddha
- Huisi and the Concept of the Latter Day of the Law
- TIANTAI ZHIYI AND HIS THREE MAJOR WRITINGS
- Master Interpreter of the Lotus Sutra
- Encounter with Huisi
- The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra
- The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra
- Great Concentration and Insight
- XUANZANG AND HIS JOURNEY TO INDIA
- Tang Culture and Xuanzang's Place in It
- Background and Motives for the Journey to India
- To the Crossroads of Civilization
- The Beginning of the Sectarian Period
- TANG BUDDHISM AND THE ACHIEVEMENT OF MIAOLE ZHANRAN
- Buddhism in the Reign of Emperor Xuanzong
- Doctrinal Profundity and the Problem of Propagation
- Zhanran's Achievements and Their Importance
- THE BUDDHIST PERSECUTIONS
- The Suppression of Buddhism in Wartime
- The Background of the Buddhist Persecutions
- The Characteristics of Chinese Buddhism
Glossary
Appendix: Romanization Table
Index
