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Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism from the Eastern Han to the Tang Dynasty, II

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Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism from the Eastern Han to the Tang Dynasty, II chapter 6 Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism from the Eastern Han to the Tang Dynasty, II 1. The Transmission of Buddhism to China and Its Significance in Intellectual History, I In general most researchers believe that Buddhism came to China from the Western Regions, that is modern Central Asia and Xinjiang (Serindia). With the exception of a small minority including Liang Qichao, Paul Pelliot (1878– 1945), Hu Shi and others, the majority of scholars believe that Buddhism came east into China on the ancient Silk Road.1 Records of Han Emperor Ming seek- ing to learn of Buddhist dharma (teaching, fa 法) from the Tokharians dem- onstrate that Buddhism came to the Han dynasty from the Western Regions in the middle of the first century ce (around 57–75) along two routes north and south of the Tianshan mountain range passing by Dunhuang and following the Gansu corridor into north China. Recently, however, some scholars study- ing early writings that mention a sea route between China and India, archeo- logical discoveries of a south-west Silk Road and the distribution of some early Buddhist documents have begun to suspect that besides the north-western land route Buddhism may have also entered China via a southern sea route. This idea is still a matter of debate. Regardless of this continuing debate, everyone basically agrees that Buddhism arrived in China sometime during the first-century ce reign of Han Emperor Ming,2 and began to spread widely between the reigns of the Han emperors Huan and Ling (r. 147–189). The entrance of this major element of a foreign civilization was destined to change the entire course of future Chinese intellectual history. 1 Liang Qichao, “Fojiao zhi chu shuru,” fulu 2, in Foxue yanjiu shiba pian, date, 25; Paul Pelliot’s “Mouzi kao” is translated in Feng Chengjun, Xiyu nanhai shidi kaozheng yicong, 1995 reprint chapter 5, 161. 2 Legend has it that the Tokharian Sramanas (monks) Kasyapa-Matanga and Gobharana (or Dharmaratna) brought Buddhist sûtras on a white horse to Luoyang, the White Horse Temple was built and they started translating sûtras. © koninklijke brill nv, leiden, ���4 | doi ��.��63/9789�474�5�76_��8 318 chapter 6 1.1 Sometime between 147 and 167, An Shigao (?–168) and Lokaksema (147/167– 186) arrived in Luoyang and began the translation of Buddhist sûtras. Following the work of many translators, including Zhu Foshuo (Shuofo, fl. 4th century), Anxuan, Zhiyao, Kang Mengxiang (fl. 4th century), Zhi Qian (fl. 222–252) and Kang Senghui (?–280), in the hundred years up to the begin- ning of the Western Jin some 265 Buddhist sûtras in 411 juan had been trans- lated into Chinese.3 Among them the most influential in later times were the Pratyutpannasamâdhi-sûtra (Banzhou sanmei jing), the Questions on the Situation in Hell (Wen diyu shi jing); scriptures containing important stories about the life of the Buddha, such as the Scripture of the Former Rise of the Crown Prince’s Auspicious Omens (Taizi rui ying ben qi jing); the Mahayana Perfection of Wisdom Sûtra (Prajñapâramitâ-sûtra, Boruo jing, or The Heart of Prajñapâramitâ-sûtra), the Hinayana Chan (Zen) school Ânâpânasmrti-sûtra (Anban shouyi jing) and so on. In discussing the eastern transmission of Buddhism we need to keep in mind that Buddhism did not exert a genuine influence on the knowledge, thought and belief worlds of the Chinese elite strata at the very beginning. Before at least the year 290, the main transmitters, translators and explicators of the Buddhist scriptures were foreigners from the Western Regions. All the way down to the period between the Western and Eastern Jin, native Chinese knowledge and thought still dominated the mainstream intellectual horizon. The Chinese intellectual class still had little interest in or understanding of this foreign religion. In the daily lives of the masses, however, Buddhist stories, rituals and ceremonies and ideas were penetrating people’s lives with some worldly images and through some worldly channels. Many scholars have pointed out that in the first one or two centuries of Buddhist transmission into China, it was regarded in the popular mind as a religion similar to the Daoist religion. For example, Master Mou’s Treatise on the Removal of Doubt regarded the Buddha as an immortal who possessed great magical powers. He wanted to save all sentient beings and so he pointed out the way to emancipation. This was probably more or less the idea of Buddhism held by contemporary believers, and this sort of impression of Buddhism did not give rise to any changes in the Chinese intellectual world for quite a long time. Nevertheless, Buddhism was after all a foreign religion and its under- standing and explanation of and ways of dealing with the universe, society and human life ultimately varied greatly from Chinese views. For Chinese believers 3 It is estimated that some 138 juan of these translated sûtras still exist today. For the figures in the text, see the chart in chapter 2 of Wang Wenyan’s Fodian hanyi zhi yanjiu, 1984, 95–97..
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