Introduction to the History of Buddhist Texts in China -- Century Library

Author: Chen Yuan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: A historical record of Chinese Buddhist education, closely related to the history of various dynasties. Without cross-referencing, many historical records become difficult to understand. This discussion categorizes the essential Buddhist historical texts since the Six Dynasties, outlining their general ideas to assist historical research, not claiming to be a comprehensive Buddhist history. The texts discussed are mostly commonly read by scholars, frequently used in historical research, and well-known as collected in the "Siku Quanshu." First, those related to Chinese history are selected, such as "The Collection of Records on the Translation of the Three Baskets" and "Biographies of Eminent Monks," while "The Genealogy of Sakyamuni" and "The Records of Sakyamuni" are briefly mentioned. The scope of Chinese Buddhist historical texts is roughly based on "The Guide to the Buddhist Canon," categorizing the (catalogs), (biographies), (defense of Buddhism), (compilations), and (phonetic and semantic explanations) written in this land in chronological order. Each book is listed with its name, brief name, alternative names, variations in volume numbers, sources of editions, a brief biography of the author, and the content and structure of the book, as well as points related to historiography. This book introduces the Buddhist historical texts commonly referenced in historical research since the Six Dynasties, categorized by the time of their compilation. Regarding the names, brief names, alternative names, brief biographies of the authors, variations in volume numbers, sources of editions, and the content and structure of each book, as well as other historical-related issues, the author uses abundant historical materials, cross-references extensively, analyzes objectively, and corrects the errors in the "Siku Tieshuo" regarding Buddhist historical texts one by one.