Introduction to the Origins of Indian Buddhist Studies

Author: Lü Qing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: This book is the lecture manuscript used by the author when teaching in a five-year Buddhist class initiated by the former Institute of Philosophy and Social Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1961. The Buddhist philosophy of India began to flourish in the 5th century BC and gradually expanded and developed until the 10th century AD when Mahayana Buddhism declined in India, spanning a period of 1,500 years. During this long period, the doctrines of Indian Buddhism also underwent several major transformations: from early Buddhism to new schools of Buddhism, and then evolving into Mahayana and Hinayana. Even within Mahayana, there were distinct phases of early, middle, and late stages. These are clearly identifiable phases. This manuscript divides Indian Buddhism into six stages: early Buddhism, new schools of Buddhism, early Mahayana Buddhism, Hinayana Buddhism, middle Mahayana Buddhism, and late Mahayana Buddhism. Based on a large number of Chinese and Tibetan texts, it cross-references the Pali Tripitaka and existing Sanskrit original texts, explaining the characteristics and changes of doctrines in each stage according to the chronological order of their emergence. It essentially outlines a clear picture of the 1,500-year historical development of Indian Buddhism. According to the compiler, this is the first book in China that provides a comprehensive and original account of the history of Indian Buddhism.