Chapter 13 3. Translation and writing of Buddhist and Taoist classics

Buddhism originated in ancient India and was introduced to my country around the turn of the Han Dynasty.Taoism originated in mainland China and was founded by Zhang Daoling in the Eastern Han Dynasty. It evolved from ancient witchcraft and fairy alchemy. According to the records of "Wei Lue Xirong Biography" by Yu Huan of the Three Kingdoms, it was a Buddhist scripture "Buddha Sutra" in the first year of Yuanshou (the first 2 years) of Emperor Ai of the Western Han Dynasty that was first introduced into my country.A large number of translations of Buddhist scriptures began in the second year of Jianhe (148) of Emperor Huan of the Eastern Han Dynasty.Anqing, the crown prince of the Anxi Kingdom, whose courtesy name is Shigao, came to Luoyang to translate about thirty-five Buddhist scriptures, forty-one volumes.In the last years of Emperor Huan, Zhiren Zhizhen also came to China and translated twenty-three volumes and seventy-six volumes including "Prajna Dao Xingjing".

During the period of the Three Kingdoms period, Zhiqian, the reincarnated disciple of Zhizheng, translated eighty-eight volumes including the Vimalakirti Sutra and one hundred and eighteen volumes in Wu.This is the earliest translation of Jiangnan. During the Western Jin Dynasty, Zhu Fahu successively engaged in translation in Dunhuang, Chang'an, and Luoyang. He translated 175 volumes of 354 volumes, including "Guangzan Prajna Paramita Sutra" and "Zhengfahua Sutra". After the Eastern Jin Dynasty, due to the official attention paid to the translation of Buddhist scriptures, individual private translations were transferred to collective official translations, and translation field organizations emerged.The Prajna Terrace on Lushan Mountain in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the Jianye Daochang Temple, the Xiaoyao Garden in Chang'an in Yao and Qin Dynasties, the Yongning Temple in Luoyang in the Northern Wei Dynasty, the Tianping Temple in Yedu in the Northern Qi Dynasty, Zang Xianyu Palace in Northern Lianggu, the Zhihuan Temple in the Liu Song Dynasty, and the Hualin Garden in Xiaoliang, etc. are all famous translation venues.In the former Qin Dynasty, Shi Dao'an was the host of the translation field. Under his supervision, he translated "Si Ahan" and "Apitan".He also collated the previous translations and compiled the "Comprehensive Catalog of Classics".In the third year of Emperor Hongshi of the later Qin Dynasty (401), Emperor Wenhuan Yao Xing welcomed Master Kumarajiva of Tianzhu to translate scriptures in "Ximing Pavilion" and "Xiaoyao Garden" and other places, and called Seng Zhao, Seng Rui, Dao Sheng, Dao Rong and other famous monks to assist in the translation. After more than three hundred books.The translated "Dapin Prajna", "Fahua", "Vimalakirti", "Shoushurangama" and other scriptures are all important Mahayana classics.At the same time, there are also 117 volumes of scriptures translated by Buddha Tuobaduoluo in Jiankang in the eleventh year of Yixi in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (415), among which "Dafang Guangfo Huayan Sutra" is the most influential. .During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Faxian (about 337~442) went to India to seek scriptures, lived in India for fifteen years, and traveled to more than thirty countries.After returning to China, he translated the scriptures, laws, and treatises with 24 volumes in six volumes together with Buddha Tuobadaluo. At the same time, he wrote the book "Buddhist Kingdom Records", which described in detail what he saw and heard when he went back and forth, and became an important historical material of ancient Buddhism. And Chinese and foreign transportation historical materials.There is no prophecy in the sky, a monk from Tianzhu, who has translated many scriptures such as "Mahaparinirvana Sutra", among which "Praise Sutra of Buddha's Actions" was written by the great Buddhist poet Ma Ming. mean.Korana, that is, the truth, is a native of Uzenni in ancient India.Invited by Emperor Wu of Liang to come to China, he lived in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi and other places, and later went to Guangdong. He translated forty-nine scriptures and one hundred and forty-two volumes. larger.According to Tang Shizhisheng's "Kaiyuan Shijiaolu", by the end of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, there were 1913 translated scriptures in my country, with 4575 volumes.

With the increase of translated scriptures and the wide spread of Buddhism, there began to be Buddhist treatises in China.The surviving Mou Rong's "Li Huo Lun" in the late Eastern Han Dynasty may be the earliest treatise on promoting Buddhism."Hongming Collection" edited by Liang Shisengyou is the earliest collection of Chinese Buddhist treatises.In addition, various prefaces, catalogs, and historical biographies appeared one after another. "Chu San Zang Ji Ji" is a catalog of Buddhist scriptures compiled by Liang Shisengyou with reference to Shi Dao'an's "Comprehensive Management of Sutras". It has many references to the source of the scriptures, the time, place, and characters of the translation of the scriptures.There are many catalogs of Buddhist scriptures. According to Yao Mingda's "History of Chinese Bibliographies", there are as many as 38 kinds of Buddhist scriptures listed before the Sui Dynasty.Liang Shihuijiao's "Biography of Eminent Monks" is the earliest biography of monks. It records the historical events of 257 eminent monks from the later Han Dynasty to the early Liang Dynasty, and more than 200 people have attached them.

In the Eastern Han Dynasty, Taoism was founded in my country. It was created by Zhang Daoling in the first year of Han'an (142), Emperor Shun of the Eastern Han Dynasty. The otherworldly thought and mystical thought. , "Taipingdong Jijing", "Zhengyijing" are its main classics.The "Baopuzi" written by Ge Hong in the first year of Jianwu in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317) organized and systematically expounded Taoist theories, laying the foundation for Taoist theories.In order to compete with Buddhism, Taoist books have gradually increased since the Eastern Jin Dynasty. "Baopuzi Ya Lan Pian" contains 1,298 volumes of Taoist scriptures, which are divided into Taoist scriptures, Ji, pictures, and symbols. .Liu Song Lu Xiujing compiled Taoist scriptures in Jiankang in the third year of Taishi (467), and collected 1,228 volumes of scriptures, prescriptions, and symbols, which were divided into three caves, laying the foundation for Taoism.The "Catalogue of Three Caves" compiled by him is the earliest catalog of Taoism in my country.