MAHĀPIṬAKA
Newsletter New Series No. 23

January 1, 2018

EDITORIAL COMMITTEE of
the ENGLISH TRANSLATIONof the CHINESE TRIPIṬAKA
Bukkyō Dendō Kyōkai(Society for the Promotion of Buddhism)

Editor: Kenneth K. Tanaka

Table of Contents

Publishing Schedule
Published in 2017 ................................................................................................. 1
Forthcoming titles ................................................................................................. 1
Review:
The Collection for the Propagation and Clarification of Buddhism(Translated by Harumi Hirano Ziegler)
By ITŌ Makoto ..................................................................................................... 2
Report:The 18th Biennial Conference of
the International Association of Shin Buddhist Studies,Tokyo, June 30–July 2, 2017
By Kenneth K. Tanaka ......................................................................................... 5
Obituary:
NARA Yasuaki (1929–2017)
By Kenneth K. Tanaka ......................................................................................... 6

Committee Members ........................................................................................................ 7

Publishing Schedule
Published in 2017:

1. THE COLLECTION FOR THE PROPAGATION AND CLARIFICATION OF
BUDDHISM
Volumes II(弘明集 Gumyōshū, Taishō 2102)
Translated by Harumi Hirano Ziegler

2. THE BRAHMĀ’S NET SUTRA(梵網經 Bonmōkyō, Taishō 1484)
Translated by A. Charles Muller and Kenneth K. Tanaka

3. THREE SHORT TREATISES BY VASBANDHU, SENGZHAO, AND ZONGMI
A MAHAYANA DEMONSTRATION ON THE THEME OF ACTION(大乘成業論 Daijōjōgōron, Taishō 1609)
Translated by John P. Keenan
ESSAYS OF SENGZHAO(肇論 Jōron, Taishō 1848)
Translated by Rafal Felbur
TREATISE ON THE ORIGIN OF HUMANITY(原人論 Genninron, Taishō 1886)
Translated by Jan Yün-hua

Forthcoming titles:*BODHISATTVA TEXTSTHE SCRIPTURE OF THE MERITS OF THE FORMER VOWS: MASTER OF
MEDICINE, BERYL RADIANCE TATHĀGATA
(藥師琉璃光如来本願功徳經 Yakushirurikōnyorai-hongankudokukyō, Taishō 454)
Translated by IYANAGA Nobumi
THE SUTRA OF THE GIRL CANDROTTARA(月上女經 Gatsujōnyokyō, Taishō 480)
Translated by Rolf Giebel

THE DISCOURSE TO PRINCE CANDRAPRABHA(月燈三昧經 Gattōzanmaikyō, Taishō 639)
Translated by MURAKAMI Shinkan

1Review:

THE COLLECTION FOR
THE PROPAGATION AND CLARIFICATION OF BUDDHISM
Volumes I, II
Translated by Harumi Hirano Ziegler(BDK English Tripiṭaka Series, published in 2015 and 2017)ITŌ Makoto
Toyo University
The publication of the second volume of The Collection for the Propagation and Clarification of
Buddhism (Hongmingji, 弘明集, hereafter Collection) in the BDK English Tripiṭaka Series, translated
by Dr. Harumi Hirano Ziegler, is a cause for applause. It completes the English translation of thisessential work of early Chinese Buddhism together with the first volume published in 2015. The
Hongmingji in 14 fascicles, compiled by the Vinaya master Shi Sengyou (CE 445–518), is a collectionof essays, correspondences, written appeals, decrees, etc. related to various topics of discussion on
Buddhist teachings and practices of the time. The Collection includes the first eight fascicles involume 1 and the rest in volume 2, with a Translator’s Introduction explaining the historicalbackground and characteristics of the Hongmingji, with detailed footnotes referencing works of solid
academic research such as the Gumyōshū Kenkyū by Kyoto University’s Jinbun Kagaku Kenkyūjo,
Eon Kenkyū by KIMURA Eiichi, and translations of Classic Chinese texts by James Legge, etc. (plus a
glossary, bibliography, and index). Compiling important works including Mouzi’s Elucidation ofDelusions (Lihuolun, 理惑論), Huiyuan’s Discourse on Why Śramaṇas Do Not Bow to the Sovereign(Shamen bujing wangzhelun, 沙門不敬王者論), Discourse on the Immortality of the Spirit by Zheng
Daozi and related documents (Shen bumielun, 神不滅論), and Shi Sengyou’s Afterword at the end of
the volume, the Hongmingji is widely regarded as an essential source for exploring the developmentsof early Chinese Buddhism and Daoism; hence an English translation of the entire compilation has
been much awaited.
The publication is all the more significant for two reasons; many of the documents areinterrelated and should be read in relation to each other, making a complete translation of thecollection essential to fully appreciate the significance of the topics discussed. Additionally, given thecomplexity of both the structures and content of some of the texts and the often variant usage of key
terms, the original Chinese text in the Taishō Tripiṭaka is arguably a tough read. A new, lucidly
readable English translation will no doubt be a helpful tool for exploring this complex and voluminous
work as well as offering a fascinating reading experience to a wider readership.
As Dr. Ziegler has noted in the Translator’s Introduction, the compiler Shi Sengyou lists in his
Afterword an array of doubts harbored by non-Buddhists (vol. 2: 290) including criticisms that the2

Buddhist teaching is only a recent creation or that the ideas in the sacred texts are preposterous andunverifiable, and most of the texts in the Hongmingji try to provide answers from the Buddhist
perspective (others are texts from anti-Buddhist camps essential in understanding the points ofcontention). Among the topics, two seem to have especially captured the attention of contemporary
Chinese and hence that of Shi Sengyou, namely the question of whether the spirit transmigrates in thethree periods of birth and death and the debate concerning the relationship between the monastic
community and the state. Although they are both summed up in Huiyuan’s critical essay, the Discourse
on Why Śramaṇas Do Not Bow to the Sovereign (which has been translated into English and includedin the Sources of Chinese Tradition, vol. 1, ed. W. T. De Bary, for example), Huiyuan’s arguments are
results of extensive earlier debate as discussed in various other texts in the Hongmingji and should beunderstood from a comprehensive perspective.
As stated in one of the footnotes (no. 367) in Huiyuan’s above essay, Huiyuan’s argument is a
response to two earlier texts: Report to the Throne Regarding the Issue that Śramaṇas Should Not Bow[to the King], and the Imperial Decree on Behalf of Emperor Cheng of the Jin Dynasty (vol.2: 193,
194). Thanks to a detailed table of contents (in contrast to the somewhat perfunctory one in the
Kokuyaku issaikyō, for example), the development of the debate after Huiyuan’s essay can be closely
followed in the exchange of rebuttals between the short-lived dictator Huan Xuan (reigned CE
403-404) and his Secretariat Director Wang Mi in nine intriguing correspondences (vol. 2: 201-216),
in which we see Director Wang presenting a more comprehensive view of the lofty aims and theChinese acceptance of the Indian religion, as opposed to the dictator’s strongly traditional
China-centric views. Following three letters between Huiyuan and Huan Xuan, the debate culminatesin the dictator’s bold Imperial Decree to Allow Buddhist Monks Not to Bow [to the King] (vol. 2:
217-223). However, despite the triumph of Huiyuan and his Buddhist ideals documented so vividly,
we find immediately afterwards Huan Xuan’s decree to tighten regulations on the monastic
community as, contrary to the Buddha’s “cordial intention” of “cutting off desire,” a considerable
number of monks had “fallen into decadence,” “having an extravagant life,” resulting in the loss of thetenets of “wuwei, or nirvana” (vol. 2: 227). The brilliant editor Shi Sengyou invites the readers to a
cynical chuckle or two (or an exasperated sigh) reminding them of the more “human” natures of themonastic community. In view of this, it is interesting to see that monks’ conduct ranging from tablemanners to monastic attire were also objects of curiosity and doubt in the early days of Buddhist
transmission1 and the texts in the Collection discussing the topic (vol. 1: 190-196; vol. 2: 188-193)
will easily attract the interests of modern readers.
The handling by Shi Sengyou of the second major topic, transmigration of the spirit, is somewhat
more confused. In addition to Huiyuan’s and Zheng Daozi’s essays mentioned earlier, other important
documents can be found such as Discourse to Clarify Buddhism (Mingfolun, 明佛論, vol 1: 49-89) andDiscourse on the Extinction of the Spirit with exchanges of criticism and rebuttals (Shenmielun, 神滅論,
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vol. 2: 48-77) among others. We also find Huiyuan’s Discourse on the Clarification of Reward andRetribution (Ming baoyunglun, 明 報 応 論 ) and Discourse on Three Periods of Reward andRetribution (Sanbaolun, 三 報 論 , vol. 1: 196-202, 202-206) following his Discourse on WhyŚramaṇas Do Not Bow to the Sovereign and another text on monastic attire. Among these, theMingfolun by Zong Bin was authored after and under the influence of Huiyuan’s discussions of thetransmigration of the spirit, and Huiyuan’s own three works were created in the order of Sanbaolun,
Ming baoyunglun, and lastly, the discourse on the monks’ refusal of bowing to the Emperor (contrary
to the order in the Hongmingji)2. This is bound to confuse the readers if they hoped to follow thedevelopment of the discussion on the topic through the above texts.
The Hongmingji was originally a ten-fascicle compilation which was later edited to form 14
fascicles with additional documents and some changes in the order of the texts, but Huiyuan’s three
related works were compiled in the present order from the beginning. To take full advantage of being
able to read the translation of these texts together in the Collection, footnotes pointing the readers to
related texts in appropriate order (especially in the case of Huiyuan’s three texts) would have been
helpful. Additionally, documents in the Hongmingji that discuss the transmigration of spirits are
sometimes difficult to comprehend as we find variant usage of similar key terms such as ‘spirit of thedead’ (hunpo, 魂魄), ‘spiritual being’ (guishen, 鬼神), and ‘spirit’ (hunshen, 魂神, gui, 鬼). In thecase of Elucidation of Delusions (Lihuolun), all these terms appear on one page (vol. 1: 17. The
Chinese characters are not given in the translation). Here, too, additional footnotes on etymological orcontextual meaning of these terms could have facilitated the modern readers’ understanding andoffered seeds for thought to expand upon. Other terms translated as ‘change/mutation’ (hua, 化,
equated with the spirit’s transmigration of birth and death) and ‘vapor’ (qi, 気) , fascinating as they
may be, are no doubt sources of headaches both for the readers and the translator.
The Buddha is said to have expounded his teachings through dialogues with interlocutors bothmonastic and lay, Buddhists and non-Buddhists. Similarly, the Hongmingji is a compilation of a richvariety of documents in dialogue with each other (literally and contextually) and Shi Sengyou’s
interests are by no means restricted to the topics and works the present review has focused on. The
Collection offers an accessible way for a wide range of modern readers to engage in dialogue withintriguing ancient texts that not only illuminate the early days of Buddhism in China but also present
topics relevant to us today.
1

WEN Jinyu, in MATSUMOTO Hideshi, “Ganmonsō Eon oyobi sono hōgaishisō,” Higashi-ajia Bukkyō Kenkyū 13 (2015):
32–36.

2

FURUTA Kazuhiro, “Hō-ōron to Shinfumetsuron,” Ōtanidaigaku Kenkyū-nenpō 31 (1979): 138, 103.

3

ŌTA Teizō, in the explanatory notes to the translation of Hongmingji in the Kokuyaku issaikyō, Wa-kan senjutsu bu,
Gokyōbu 1 (1936): 3–5.

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Report:

The 18th Biennial Conference of the International Association of Shin Buddhist Studies,Tokyo, June 30 – July 2, 2017
Theme: “Self-Benefit and Benefit for Others in Pure Land Buddhism”
Kenneth K. Tanaka
Musashino Univ. & for President of Int. Assoc. of Shin Buddhist Studies
After the opening remarks by Dr. Teruma Nishimoto, the President of Musashino University, andmyself as the President of the Int. Association of Shin Buddhist Studies, the conference began with asymposium panel entitled “The Future of IASBS.” The panelists included some of the senior membersof the Steering Committee of IASBS as well as younger members representing the European District,
the North American District and the Japan District.
Among the numerous comments and proposals for expanding the association was that ofholding a future conference in a new location. This would end up materializing as the association
voted at the end of the conference to hold the next conference in Taiwan. (May 24 (Fri), 25th and 26th,
2019 at Dharma Drum Institute of Liberal Arts. Non-members are also welcomed to attend. Please
visit the IASBS website: http://www.iasbs.org/about/)
Prof. Fumihiko Sueki (Prof. Emeritus, U. of Tokyo and Int. Research Center of JapaneseStudies) delivered the Keynote, entitled, “Self-power and Other-powerr in Shinra.” And during the restof the conference, a total of 35 members presented papers over the nine sessions. Of these, three of thesessions were pre-organized panels, 1) “Who Benefits Whom? The Tathagata and Sentient Beings in
Benefitting Others in Shin Buddhist Thought,” 2) “Aspects of Self-Benefit and Benefit for Others in
the Pure Land Buddhism, and 3) “’Benefitting Others’ in Modern Shin Buddhist Doctrinal Studies of
the Otani-ha.” To provide a glimpse into the type of papers presented, allow me to mention the four
presenters and their paper titles of the first panel mentioned above: Robert F. Rhodes (Professor, Otani
Univ.) “Hearing to the Dharma: Finding Yourself in the Pure Land Narrative”; Jun Fujii (Associate
Professor, Komazawa Univ.) “Regarding the Authenticity of Shinran’s Letters that Include the Term
‘Prayer’”; James C. Dobbins (Professor, Oberlin College) “D.T. Suzuki, Amida’s Benefit to Others,
and the Problem of Karma”; Michael Conway (Lecturer, Otani Univ.) “Soga Ryojin’s Understandingof the Returning Aspect of Merit Transference.”
There was ample opportunity for the participants to socialize as dinner receptions were provided
on both Friday and Saturday. At the general meeting, Prof. Mitsuya Dake (Ryukoku Univ.) was elected
the 5th president of IASBS.
On a personal note, this was the second such conference held at Musashino University in Tokyo.
The last one was in 2005. That was the conference at which I was elected President of this association.
So, it was a fitting time and place for me to step down after serving in that capacity for 12 years sincethat 2005 conference. I will continue to be active in the association as the Head of the Japan District. I
invite all who are interested in Pure Land Buddhism to join our association.

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Obituary:

NARA Yasuaki (1929–2017)
Kenneth K. Tanaka
Musashino University

We are deeply saddened to report the passing of Prof. NARA Yasuaki, Professor Emeritus ofKomazawa University, who passed away due to liver cancer on December 10, 2017.
Prof. NARA was intimately involved with the Bukkyō Dendōo Kyōkai (BDK) English Tripiṭaka
Translation Project, serving on its Board from its inception in 1982. He also served as a member of theBoard of Directors of BDK (from 1996 to his passing) and also as its Consultant (from 2001 to his
passing).
In 2009, Prof. NARA became the recipient of the 43rd Culture Award (A) of the Bukkyō Dendōo
Kyōkai. The award was in recognition for his distinguished contributions to the study in the field ofCultural History of Indian Religions.
Born in Chiba Prefecture in 1929, he graduated from the Department of Indian Philosophy, theUniversity of Tokyo, in 1953, received his Masters from the same department in 1956, and completed
the Doctorate program in the Department of Comparative Languages at Calcutta University, India.
Upon returning to Japan, he was conferred a Doctorate of Literature (D. Litt.) degree from the
University of Tokyo in 1973 (main adviser being Prof. NAKAMURA Hajime), based on his dissertationthat can be best rendered in English as “Religious Surface and Foundation in Ancient Indian
Buddhism.”
He was a priest belonging the Soto School and since 2012 served as a high-ranking teacher at
prestigious Soto School temples, including Eihei-ji. Professor NARA became professor at Komazawa
University in 1961, President in 1994 and Chancellor in 2005.
Those of us involved with the BDK English Tripitaka Translation Project will miss Professor
NARA’s presence at its board meetings, whose wise counsel, gentle smile and magnanimous heart
oversaw its policies for 35 years from its inauguration in 1982. We wish to express our heartfelt
appreciation to the years of unstinting support and leadership in the area of Buddhist research,
management and propagation, including most of all in relation to our translation project.

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Committee Members
Editorial Committee, Tokyo:
Kenneth K. Tanaka (Chairperson), Musashino University
ICHISHIMA Shōshin, Professor Emeritus, Taisho University
ISHIGAMI Zennō, Professor Emeritus, Taisho University
KATSURA Shōryū, Professor Emeritus, Hiroshima University
MAYEDA Sengaku, Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo
MINOWA Kenryō, The University of Tokyo (Newly appointed on December 14th)
SAITŌ Akira, International College for Postgraduate Buddhist Studies
SHIMODA Masahiro, The University of TokyoWATANABE Shōgo, Toyo University
YONEZAWA Yoshiyasu, Taisho University
Publication Committee, Berkeley:
A. Charles Muller (Chairperson), The University of Tokyo
Carl W. Bielefeldt, Professor Emeritus, Stanford University
Marianne Dresser, BDK America
Hudaya Kandahjaya, BDK America
Brian Kensho Nagata, BDK America
Robert H. Sharf, University of California, BerkeleyMAHĀPIṬAKA
Newsletter New Series No.23
EDITORIAL COMMITTEE of
the ENGLISH TRANSLATION of the CHINESE TRIPIṬAKA
c/o Bukkyō Dendō Kyōkai (Society for the Promotion of Buddhism)
4-3-14 Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-0014, JAPAN
Tel: +81-3-3455-5851
Fax: +81-3-3798-2758
E-Mail:bdk@bdk.or.jp
URL: http://www.bdk.or.jp

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