Yang Wenhui Ouyang Jian Lü Chenjuan

Author: Liu Mengxi, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1996-06-01
Features: This book includes numerous representative works of three renowned modern religious figures: Yang Wenhui, Ouyang Jian, and Lü Qing. It comprehensively showcases the achievements in the field of religious studies in modern China. It includes Yang Wenhui's works such as "Record of Equal and Unequal Views," "Elementary Textbook of Buddhism," "Brief Explanation of the Ten Schools of Buddhism," and "On Revealing the Dharma"; Ouyang Jian's works such as "Preface to the Yogācārabhūmi Treatises" and "Collected Prefaces to the Dharmadhāra Treatises," and "Explanation of the Tenets of the Chinese Inner Academy"; and Lü Qing's works such as "Explanation of the Treatise on Entering the Right Path of Logic" and "Brief Notes on the Treatise on Collecting Quantities."
Yang Wenhui (1837–1911), a Buddhist scholar of the late Qing Dynasty, styled Renshan, was from Shidian (now Shitai, Anhui). He lived in Beijing with his father since childhood. During the Taiping Rebellion, he wandered between Anhui, Zhejiang, and Jiangsu. In his early years, he studied Confucianism and also learned astronomy, geography, mathematics, and phonology. In the first year of the Tongzhi reign (1862), he purchased the "Great Vehicle Awakening of Faith" in an Anqing bookstore and, after reading it, became deeply devoted to Buddhism. From then on, he dedicated himself to studying Buddhism, collecting Buddhist scriptures, and printing and distributing them. In the fifth year of the Tongzhi reign, he moved to Nanjing and took charge of government construction projects, meeting Buddhist scholars such as Wang Meishu, Wei Gangyi, Zhao Huifu, and Cao Jingchu, further strengthening his Buddhist faith. Soon after, he raised funds with friends and established the Jinling Buddhist Text Publishing House in Nanjing, engaging in the printing of Buddhist scriptures.
In the fourth year of the Guangxu reign (1878), he accompanied Zeng Jize on a mission to Britain and France, studying their political and religious systems and bringing back many scientific instruments. Several years later, he accompanied Liu Zhiti on a mission to Britain to study manufacturing techniques and deeply explored the foundations of the Western powers' rise. In London, he met the Japanese Buddhist scholar Nanjo Buncho and, through correspondence, learned that many lost Buddhist scriptures from ancient China were preserved in Japan. With Nanjo's help, he recovered over 300 lost Buddhist commentaries from Japan and published selected works such as "Ten Books on Ancient Buddhist Scriptures." In the 20th year of the Guangxu reign, he collaborated with the Britishman Timothy Richard to translate the "Great Vehicle Awakening of Faith" into English. The following year, he met the Sri Lankan Buddhist reformer Darmapala in Shanghai and supported his efforts to revitalize Indian Buddhism. In the 33rd year of the Guangxu reign, he established the Zhiyuan Study Hall at the Jinling Buddhist Text Publishing House, compiling textbooks and hiring the poet-monk Su Manshu to teach Sanskrit and English, training over 20 monks and laypeople proficient in both Eastern and Western languages and Buddhist studies in preparation for spreading the Dharma in India. However, the institution was soon closed due to financial difficulties.
Noting that the Japanese-published "Continuation of the Buddhist Canon" was hastily compiled and poorly curated, he resolved to organize the printing of the "Comprehensive Collection of the Buddhist Canon," selecting over 3,000 Buddhist texts for meticulous editing. He later completed over 2,000 volumes of it. He also provided hundreds of Buddhist scriptures for Japan's "Sutra of the Wanshu Canon." In 1910, he became the president of the Buddhist Research Society and regularly delivered lectures. His writings include "Record of Equal and Unequal Views," among others, which were compiled by the Jinling Buddhist Text Publishing House in 1919 as "The Remains of Master Yang Renshan." He had many disciples and students, including famous figures such as Tan Sitong, Li Duanshu, Gui Bohua, Zhang Taiyan, Ouyang Jingwu, Sun Shaohou, Li Zhenggang, and Kui Ruomu.
"Record of Equal and Unequal Views" is a collection of Master Renshan's works, including 151 articles such as original essays, letters, prefaces, and speeches. Among them, there are 25 original essays and lectures, 28 prefaces, 12 pieces of commentary and debate, 43 letters exchanged with domestic colleagues, and 41 letters exchanged with Japanese scholar Nanjo Buncho. Additionally, it includes a "Bibliography of Buddhist Studies" compiled by Master Renshan. The book's collected texts embody Master Renshan's Buddhist, educational, and religious philosophies, making it his most representative work. It was published by the Jinling Buddhist Text Publishing House in 1919, with some postscripts added by the original compilers.