Buddhist Culture and History

Author: Su Jinren
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-01-01
Features: Buddhism was introduced to China from the Later Han Dynasty, and the "translation of Buddhist scriptures" also emerged. During the reigns of Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling, translators like An Shigao and Zhi Luojia translated dozens of scriptures. From then until the late Qing Dynasty, this tradition continued for over 1,700 years, with many people engaged in translation work. From the perspective of the development of translation centers, it can be divided into four stages:
Stage 1, Pioneering Period: Later Han (Emperor Huan) — Western Jin (148–316 AD)
Stage 2, Development Period: Eastern Jin — Sui (317–617 AD)
Stage 3, Peak Period: Tang — Northern Song (618–1126 AD)
Stage 4, Decline Period: Southern Song — Qing (1127–1912 AD)
In the history of Buddhist scriptural translation, from the Later Han Dynasty to before the arrival of Kumārajīva, it was a single stage — the Ancient Translation Period; from Kumārajīva to before Xuanzang, it was another stage — the Old Translation Period; and from Xuanzang to the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, it was a stage — the New Translation Period. Each period had its own distinct translation styles, approaches, and works. Now, in line with the periods of scriptural translation history, a general introduction to the development of translation centers will be provided.
Since the Republic of China, although some Buddhist works have been translated from Tibetan, Pali, Sanskrit, and other languages, their scale and quality of translation cannot be compared to the past. Therefore, they are not discussed here.