Plain--Essentials of Buddhist Culture Series

Author: Jing Sanlong
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2002-10-01
Features: Originating in ancient India around the 6th century BCE, Buddhism has traversed over 2,500 years of history. It began to spread to China around the beginning and end of the Common Era and, through long-term interaction and integration with traditional Chinese culture, gradually developed into Chinese Buddhism with distinct ethnic characteristics. It gave rise to numerous sects, presenting a diverse and multifaceted landscape. Taking the Chinese Buddhist tradition as an example, its three major systems (Sinitic, Tibetan, and Pali) include numerous schools such as the Tiantai, Huayan, Xianxia, Jingtu, Chan, and Esoteric schools. Among these, each sect developed its own unique methods of practice and enlightenment, establishing distinct lineages and traditions that have endured to this day. For instance, the Lengya Jing is regarded as a representative classic, with the Lengya Jing held in the highest esteem first, followed by the Diamond Sutra as the primary text for Chan Buddhism. During its evolution, it gave rise to five major schools: the Anying, Linji, Caodong, Yunmen, and Fayan schools. Among these, the Linji school further branched into the Huanglong and Yangqi schools in the Song Dynasty. Traditionally, these sub-sects of Chan Buddhism are collectively referred to as the "Five Houses and Seven Schools." Its influence has remained strong both within and beyond China. In terms of philosophy, Buddhism resonated with the Xuanxue (Neo-Daoism) that flourished during the Wei and Jin periods, appealing to scholars and literati. It reached its zenith during the Sui and Tang dynasties, complementing Confucianism and Daoism, forming a tripartite synthesis. Over the subsequent dynasties of Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing, Buddhism became the traditional scholarship of Chinese literati, with great masters and scholars emerging in each era. Buddhist studies have become an important and profound component of traditional Chinese culture. Given this context, our research should adopt a calm and objective approach, rejecting simplistic affirmations or denials and avoiding interpretations based on personal beliefs or sectarian perspectives. Instead, we should focus on annotating Buddhist classics within the broader context of ancient Indian intellectual and cultural development, as well as on the foundation of traditional Chinese culture, ensuring the inheritance and promotion of its excellent intellectual traditions. This is also the author's aspiration.
The full title of the Lengya Jing is Lengya Abhidharmarakshita Ratnagupta Sutra, also known as the Lengya Sutra or the Mahayana Lengya Sutra. Its translations were made by Nanda Bodhi in the 20th year of the Yuangao era of the Southern Dynasties (443 CE), Paramartha during the Northern Wei Dynasty, and Shijianrandana, a monk from the Kingdom of Khotan (now Hetian, Xinjiang) in the Tang Dynasty. These translations exist in four, ten, and seven fascicle versions, respectively. Since Nanda Bodhi's translation is the earliest and closest to the original meaning of the text, it has had the widest dissemination and greatest influence. We have used the four-fascicle version as our working text.
For the dialogues between monks and laypeople, as well as the interplay of prose and verse, we have applied punctuation and segmentation accordingly. The annotations adopt a sentence-by-sentence approach, supplemented by thematic annotations covering multiple sentences. When Buddhist terms appear with varying emphases in meaning, we simplify and provide supplementary annotations. For the colloquial translations, we primarily use literal translations, supplemented by paraphrasing where relevant annotations already exist, to facilitate reading. This approach is also based on the Lengya Jing's distinctive emphasis on theoretical inquiry and philosophical debates.
It should be noted that the author does not strictly adhere to traditional annotations but seeks to break free from the dogmas of any single teaching or sect. Instead, he strives for a calm and objective approach within the broader context of Indian and Chinese historical and cultural development. Some prior research findings have been incorporated as needed, and the reader is kindly requested to bear with this. Due to the need to maintain consistency with the series and the urgency of the project, errors, omissions, or biases may inevitably arise. We sincerely hope for the guidance of experts and scholars and earnestly wish this book will be cherished and helpful to its readers.