Qianlong Great Canon (Complete 168 volumes) (Luxury Hardcover)

Author: None
Publisher: National Library of China Microfilm Center
Publication Date: 2004-11-01
Features: The Great Buddhist Canon is a comprehensive and systematic collection of all Buddhist scriptures, serving as a single book. This ensures that "the Dharma is established, the canon is transmitted, Buddhist studies have a foundation, and Buddhism has an explanation." In ancient times, it was also called the "Complete Scriptures" or the "Buddhist Canon." Its main content consists of three parts: Sutras, Vinayas, and Abhidharmas, collectively known as the "Three Baskets." These are further divided into the "Scripture Basket," "Vinaya Basket," and "Abhidharma Basket." As the saying goes, "When the Buddha was in the world, the disciples followed the Buddha; after the Buddha's passing, the disciples follow the Dharma. As long as the Dharma treasure remains, it is no different from being in the presence of the Buddha." This demonstrates that this great collection of textual treasures is indeed the essence of the Buddha's true Dharma and the lifeblood of all sentient beings. Its significance is beyond words! The "Qianlong Buddhist Canon" is also known as the "Qing Canon" or the "Dragon Canon." It is a culmination of the translations and writings of Buddhism that have been introduced to China for over 1,700 years, including Buddhist scriptures and academic works on Buddhist studies. It serves as an important source of literature for the study of Buddhism, philosophy, history, literature, art, and translation. In the 11th year of the Yongzheng reign (1733), Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty ordered 130 officials, Han monks, and Lamas to gather and collate Buddhist texts, with the establishment of the Buddhist Canon Compilation Office at Xianliang Temple in Beijing, led by Prince Zhuangshuo Yunlu, Prince Heshen Hongzhou, and the abbot of Xianliang Temple, Chaosheng. In the 13th year of the Yongzheng reign, the carving began, and it was completed in the 3rd year of the Qianlong reign (1738). The entire canon is numbered using the "Thousand Character Classic," starting from the character "Tian" and ending at the character "Ji," totaling 724 characters. Each character corresponds to one volume, resulting in 724 volumes, with each volume containing 10 scrolls, totaling 7,240 scrolls, and 79,036 carved wooden blocks were used. The entire canon is divided into two categories: the Main Canon and the Supplemental Canon. The Main Canon consists of 485 volumes, numbered using the "Thousand Character Classic" from "Tian" to "Qi," divided into eight sections: the Five Major Mahayana Sutras, the Five Major Sutras outside the Mahayana with separate translations, the Theravada "Agamas" and separate translations, the Mahayana and Theravada scriptures compiled during the Song and Yuan dynasties, the Mahayana and Theravada Vinayas and the Vinayas compiled later, the Mahayana and Theravada Abhidharmas, and the Abhidharmas compiled during the Song and Yuan dynasties, as well as the works of eminent Buddhist masters from the Western regions. The Supplemental Canon consists of 239 volumes, belonging to the section "Writings from this Land," numbered from "Shu" to "Ji." Together, the Main and Supplemental Canons total 724 volumes and 7,240 scrolls, actually including 1,670 works of eminent Buddhist masters from the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties (excluding the five-volume catalog of the entire canon).