Editor’s Preface
As is well known, the Xixia state was established in 1032 in China’s northwesternregion—a region that occupied an important position on the eastern end of the SilkRoad—and flourished as a Buddhist state for about 200 years, until 1227. In 1908, aRussian expedition led by Col. P.K. Kozlov (1863-1935) excavated a great volume ofcultural relics at the ruins of the ancient Xixia city of Khara-Khoto. Khara-Khoto issituated approximately 350 kilometers east of Dunhuang, which is famous for its
ancient Buddhist grottoes and their relics. Studies by various scholars of documents
found in 1900 at cave no. 17 of the Mogao Grottoes, Cangjing-dong 藏經洞 (theLibrary Cave), helped establish the discipline of Dunhuang studies or Dunhuangology(敦煌學). In the 100 years since that time, the discipline has developed from what wasessentially treasure hunting to what is now an integrated discipline that encompasses
various fields of Dunhuang research. In 2000, a variety of events, including conferences,
took place, memorably celebrating the centennial of the discovery of the Dunhuang
library cave.
Although studies of Xixia relics began considerably later than Dunhuang studies,at some time or other the discipline came to be termed Xixia-Tangutology (西夏學). In
recent years, the number of scholars and students of Xixia studies has increased
considerably, so that the discipline is now thriving and yielding conspicuousachievements. Nevertheless, the discipline is still in its infancy and it will require time
before the studies are satisfactorily developed into an integrated system.
The relics excavated in Khara-Khoto, including the Stein collection, are of such
quantity and quality that they may be said to represent the Xixia culture in themselves.
The discovery of the great number of documents in Xixia script made a great impact on
the public. From their general shape and the composition of radicals on the left, rightand top, etc., these ideograms appeared to be a simple imitation of Chinese characters.
The Xixia characters, however, are the product of tremendous ingenuity and creativity
and are, in my view, superior to their Chinese counterparts in terms of construction andfunction.
It should be understood that the promulgation of Xixia characters in 1036 was inactuality an enterprise to create a new written (national) language, one that had been
specifically devised for the full expression of the Xixia language. The creation of anational language to replace Chinese and Tibetan was an extraordinary feat, deservingof high praise.
This new written language was formulated from the dialects of groups such as theMi and Minyak (in the Pingxia region 平夏部, Dongshan region 東山部, etc.), theethnic groups that composed the Xixia state. I would like to term these dialects, whichmust have belonged to the Tibeto-Burman languages, the Dang-xiang (党項) language.
Xixia has the basic linguistic structure common to the Tibeto-Burman languages. The
grammatical construction of the recorded language, however, does not seem to beconsistent. It has the quality of a hybrid language that integrates various ethnic dialects.
Xixia characters were devised to effectively express these various ethnic speech forms.
The translation of Buddhist scriptures and Chinese classics began during the periodof Li Yuanhao 李元昊 (1003-1048), the first emperor of the Xixia state, who reigned
from 1032-1048. Through this translation process, written Xixia gradually improved
and developed into a language of rich expression. The Lotus Sutra was translated at alate stage of this development process and the Xixia Lotus Sutra should be considered afirst-rate text for Xixia studies. Through my study of the Xixia Lotus Sutra I have beenable to learn a great deal concerning the Xixia grammar and its ideograms. Nevertheless,there is a vast wealth of undiscovered treasure in this material.
The Xixia state was a meeting point of Tibetan and Chinese Buddhism. There is arecord of a Xixia sutra being recited together with Tibetan and Chinese versions atBuddhist services. Though Tibetan Buddhism is considered to have been establishedand organized after the Yuan dynasty (1260-1368), I assume that high-ranking priests
who had earlier fled from Tufan 吐蕃 (a medieval Chinese name for Tibet) constructeda firm basis for their faith in the Xixia state, as the extant Xixia canons appear to containthe main sutras representing all of the Tibetan Buddhist schools.
It is quite by chance that this year, 2004, marks the l00th anniversary of thepublication of Contribution préliminaire à l’étude de l’écriture et de la langue Si-hia byM.G. Morisse, which became the starting point of Xixia studies. The publication of thisvolume is thus both highly significant and marvelously coincidental. It is my sincere
hope that it might appreciably contribute to the promotion of further Xixia studies.
In closing, I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to the successive
directors of the St. Petersburg Branch of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian
Academy of Sciences, Dr. Yuri A. Petrosyan, Dr. Evgenij I. Kychanov and Dr. Irina F.
Popova; to Mr. Daisaku Ikeda, honorary president of the Soka Gakkai; Mr. EinosukeAkiya, president of the Soka Gakkai; Mr. Yasuo Morita, chairman of the board oftrustees of the Institute of Oriental Philosophy (IOP); and Dr. Yoichi Kawada, directorof the IOP. I am also indebted to Mr. Yoshinori Miyagawa, Mr. Noriyoshi Mizufune,
Mr. Haruaki Kotsuki and Mr. Yoichi Ichikura of the IOP for their kind cooperation andassistance over many years. I would like to acknowledge and thank Mr. ShoichiMatsuoka, photographer for the Seikyo Press, for his superb photographs of the Xixia
sutra. Last but not least, I am grateful to Mr. Anthony George, who was kindly involvedin editing and proofreading the English translation.
Tatsuo Nishida
August 2004