The Flower of Chinese Buddhism

by Ikeda, Daisaku; Watson, Burton

• ISBN13: 9780977924547
• ISBN10: 0977924548
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-11-01
• Publisher: Middleway Press

Summary

The Third Volume in the Soka Gakkai History of Buddhism series tells the fascinating story of the transformation of Buddhism into a world religion as it traveled from India, the land of the Buddha's birth, to China and beyond. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Daisaku Ikeda is the president of the Soka Gakkai International and the founder of the Soka University of America. He is the author of For the Sake of Peace, Unlocking the Mysteries, and The Way of Youth. Burton Watson is a former professor at Columbia, Stanford, and Kyoto Universities. His translations include Chuang Tzu: Basic Writings, The Lotus Sutra, Mo Tzu: Basic Writings, Ryokan: Zen Monk-Poet of Japan, Saigyo: Poems of a Mountain Home, and The Vimalakirti Sutra.

Table of Contents

Editor's Note	p. ix
Preface to the English Edition	p. xi
Translator's Note	p. xiii
From India to China	p. 1
Buddhism as a World Religion	p. 1
The Introduction of Buddhism to China	p. 3
Possible Earlier Contact with Buddhism	p. 7
The Situation in Central Asia	p. 11
Early Chinese Translations of Buddhist Scriptures	p. 15
Seeking Knowledge of Buddhism	p. 15
Monk-Translators from Central Asia	p. 18
A Priceless Cultural Legacy	p. 23
Kumarajiva and His Translation Activities	p. 29
The Unparalleled Monk-Translator	p. 29
Kumarajiva's Parentage	p. 30
The Period of Youthful Study	p. 33
The Road to Chang'an	p. 39
The Nature of Kumarajiva's Translations	p. 43
The Translation of the Lotus Sutra	p. 45
Efforts to Systematize the Teachings	p. 53
Transitions in the History of Chinese Buddhism	p. 53
The Activities of Kumarajiva's Disciples	p. 57
Travelers in Search of the Law	p. 65
Pilgrimages of Chinese Monks to India	p. 65
Faxian's Account of His Travels and Its Importance	p. 68
Over Endless Mountains and Rivers	p. 72
Visiting the Sacred Sites of Buddhism	p. 78
Huisi and the Veneration of the Lotus Sutra	p. 83
The Beginnings of the Tiantai School	p. 83
Huisi and His Understanding of the Lotus Sutra	p. 84
The Lotus Meditation	p. 87
Coming Face to Face with the Buddha	p. 91
Huisi and the Concept of the Latter Day of the Law	p. 94
Tianti Zhiyi and His Three Major Writings	p. 99
Master Interpreter of the Lotus Sutra	p. 99
Encounter with Huisi	p. 102
The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra	p. 106
The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra	p. 111
Great Concentration and Insight	p. 114
Xuanzang and His Journey to India	p. 119
Tang Culture and Xuanzang's Place in It	p. 119
Background and Motives for the Journey to India	p. 120
To the Crossroads of Civilization	p. 123
The Beginning of the Sectarian Period	p. 129
Tang Buddhism and the Achievement of Miaole Zhanran	p. 135
Buddhism in the Reign of Emperor Xuanzong	p. 135
Doctrinal Profundity and the Problem of Propagation	p. 140
Zhanran's Achievements and Their Importance	p. 143
The Buddhist Persecutions	p. 151
The Suppression of Buddhism in Wartime	p. 151
The Background of the Buddhist Persecutions	p. 155
The Characteristics of Chinese Buddhism	p. 162
Glossary	p. 167
Appendix: Romanization Table	p. 175
Index	p. 181
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