Jiange Buddhist Studies. Volume 3

Author: Research Institute of Buddhist Studies Jiuzu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: In the history of Chinese Buddhism, the journey westward to seek Dharma did not begin with Faxian, but among the Chinese monks who truly reached India and returned with scriptures, Faxian stands out as one of the most notable figures. Moved by the incompleteness of the Vinaya (monastic rules) in China, Faxian, at the age of around sixty, resolved to journey westward to seek Dharma. The scriptures he acquired in India were primarily Vinaya texts. According to the Biography of Faxian, during his ten years of travel in India, Faxian wrote the Mahasanghika Vinaya and the Sarvastivada Vinaya in the city of Baoli, and the Mulasarvastivada Vinaya in the Land of Lions.
It is said that during the period from early Buddhism to the school of schools (nikayas), five Vinayas were popular in the Five Heavens (Wudianxu): the Four-Fold Vinaya of the Dharmaguptaka school, the Ten-Recitation Vinaya of the Sarvastivada school, the Five-Fold Vinaya of the Vaibhasika school, the Liberation Vinaya of the Vaipulya school, and the Mahasanghika Vinaya of the Mahasanghika school. Except for the Liberation Vinaya of the Vaipulya school, which did not reach China, the other four Vinayas were transmitted to China one after another and translated into Chinese. The Vinayas Faxian brought back included three of these four. The Mahasanghika Vinaya was translated in Jiankang’s Daochang Temple together with Buddhabhadra upon his return to China; the Mulasarvastivada Vinaya was later translated by Buddhabhadra and Zhi Daosheng during the Liu Song Dynasty; and the Sarvastivada Vinaya was not translated further because, by the time Faxian returned, Fu Ruoduo and Kumārajīva had already translated the Ten-Recitation Vinaya. This clearly demonstrates Faxian’s significant contribution to the development of Vinaya in Chinese Buddhism.
During his journey to India, Faxian not only brought back Vinaya texts but also several important scriptures and treatises. While studying Sanskrit, Sanskrit language, and writing Vinaya texts in Baoli for three years, he wrote the Majjhima Abhidharma Heart, the Dharani Sutra, the Fangdeng Pannirvana Sutra, and the Mahasanghika Abhidharma separately. In the Land of Lions, he also wrote the Majjhima Agama, the Majjhima Nikaya, and the Majjhima Kanon separately. These scriptures and treatises were either newly spreading or yet to be transmitted in China at the time. Special mention should be made of the Fangdeng Pannirvana Sutra he brought back. This scripture, based on the theory of Tathagatagarbha, promotes the eternal nature of Buddha-nature and is a representative text in the development of Mahayana Buddhism, marking an important transition from the theory of emptiness (?ūnyatā) to the theory of Buddha-nature (tathāgatagarbha). After translating this scripture in Jiankang together with Buddhabhadra (now known as the Sutra on the Great Nirvana, six volumes), it had a profound impact on the Buddhist community at the time.
During the period between the Jin and Southern Dynasties, a group of scholars known as the "Nirvana Masters" emerged in the south, promoting the theory of Buddha-nature. This was closely related to the translation of this scripture. As a result, it advanced the theoretical integration and development of the "Emptiness" (?ūnyatā) and "Buddha-nature" (Tathāgatagarbha) schools in Chinese Mahayana Buddhism, sparking extensive and in-depth discussions on important theoretical issues such as whether Buddha-nature is inherent, present, or whether all sentient beings possess Buddha-nature. P41
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