The Legacy of Long-distance Transmission: Dunhuang Buddhist Literature Derived from Japan

Author: Wang Xiaoping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-06-01
Features: Buddhist literature has played a special role in cultural exchanges between China and Japan. The neglected genre of "volitional texts" in Chinese literature developed into a mournful lyrical literature in Japan, its influence continuing to this day. The Chinese legendary deity governing longevity, Mount Tai Fujun, was transmitted to Japan and became a ceremonial figure in Onmyodo for safeguarding the state, granting longevity, and bestowing blessings. In classical theater, it even became a guardian of cherry blossoms, ensuring their enduring bloom. Dunhuang literature and Buddhist literature are treasures of Chinese culture and focal points of overseas Chinese culture studies. This book begins with the Dunhuang Buddhist literature that spread from Japan, using substantial materials and rigorous analysis to provide a thorough examination and exploration of the dissemination of Dunhuang Buddhist literature and Japan's cultural reception of it, drawing valuable conclusions. We are about to enter a strange world, a world created in the name of the Buddha. The Dunhuang caves preserve a world filled with magical and dreamlike wonders, as well as a history of cultural exchanges across the Eurasian continent and surrounding islands. Especially noteworthy are the rich Buddhist literary classics there, which recount the beliefs and wisdom of ancient nations and peoples.