The sinification of Buddhism as found in an early Chinese indigenous Sutra: A study and translation of the 'Fo-shuo Ching-tu San-mei Ching' (the Samadhi-Sutra on Liberation through Purification Spoken by the Buddha).

摘要

My dissertation is an attempt to look at some aspects of sinification of the early Chinese Buddhism through the examination of a Chinese indigenous Buddhist scripture entitled the Samādhi-Sūtra on Liberation through Purification Spoken by the Buddha (Ch. Fo-shuo Ching-tu san-mei ching , abbreviated as the FCSC).; Scholarship up to the present time indicates that this Chinese indigenous sūtra was composed by, or under the supervision of, T'an-yao, Śraman&dotbelow;a Superintendent of the Northern Wei dynasty, in order to aid in the recovery of Buddhism after Emperor T'ai-wu's harsh persecution of Buddhism which took place between 446 and 452. I found that this scholarship was founded on an overreliance on the descriptions of Buddhist catalogues starting in the late sixth century, and concluded that a re-examination of the original texts, when available, as well as a look at the historical background of these works, are necessary.; My research on the FCSC has led me to the conclusion that this Buddhist scripture was composed sometime in the late fourth century or the first half of the fifth century in southern China where the Western Chin, or Liu-Sung dynasties, the rival states of the Northern Wei dynasty, patronized Buddhism, and where Taoists assiduously composed their own scriptures.; From this point of view, I analyze aspects of the sinification process of early Chinese Buddhism, looking at Buddhist concepts and practice: emptiness, hell, the lay Buddhist retreat, the decline of the Dharma, and the terms san-mei and san-mei ching.