Wenyin Library · Zongcheng

Author: Wu Limin, Editor-in-Chief, Hong Kong Chi Lian Jing Yuan Cultural Department
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-07-01
Features: Buddhism was introduced to China during the Eastern Han Dynasty. Through its transmission and development during the Three Kingdoms, the Jin, the Southern and Northern Dynasties, it reached its peak in the Sui and Tang dynasties. In the late Tang Dynasty, Emperor Wu Zong suppressed Buddhism, leading to its gradual decline. Through the efforts of eminent monks and scholars during the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, each sect of Buddhism still made new contributions. After the Opium War, influenced by Western culture, the Buddhist community in China faced unprecedented challenges and shocks. Weiyin (Buddhist Magazine) was first published in January 1930 as a bimonthly. It was changed to a monthly publication starting from its 25th issue and ceased publication in September 1937, with a total of 78 issues published. The original magazine featured articles in nine categories: essays, sects, scriptural interpretations, esoteric Buddhism, translations, miscellaneous notes, monographs, lectures, and news. Due to the limited space in magazine publications, some articles spanned several years and were scattered across different issues, making it difficult to locate them. Now, the Cultural Department of Hong Kong Chi Lian Jing Yuan has vowed to reclassify and compile Weiyin in an anthology format. They have invited Mr. Wu Limin to serve as the editor-in-chief, to reformat and punctuate the content, and to divide the entire work into nine volumes based on the original magazine's categories: essays, sects, scriptural interpretations, esoteric Buddhism, translations, miscellaneous notes, monographs, lectures, and news. The original front covers of books are also compiled together at the end of the News Volume, and a general index of Weiyin Anthology is appended at the end of each volume.