2011 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

Exploring the process of the formation of East Asian Buddhist Culture : With special reference to two Tantric scriptures and their transformation

Research Project

Project/Area Number	22820074
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Research Field	Indian philosophy/Buddhist studies
Research Institution	Tsurumi University
Principal Investigator	CHI Limei 鶴見大学, 仏教文化研究所, 准教授 (50449360)
Project Period (FY)	2010 – 2011
Keywords	仏教学 / 東アジア仏教 / 仏教文化 / 密教 / 疑偽経典 / 中国道教
Research Abstract	This project, by comparing the texts of two Tantric scriptures both in medieval Japanese manuscript collections of Buddhist scripture with those found in Dunhuang manuscripts and the texts in woodblock printing collections, demonstrates the dangers of relying too much on printed editions of texts. This suggests both the importance of a relatively strict revision of Chinese translations of Buddhist scriptures based on the discovery and application of medieval Japanese scripture manuscripts, as well as the possibility of grasping more correctly the historical process of change of textual content, via the work of revision. It also attempts to help promote the potential for a relatively flexible understanding of the reception and transformation of Buddhist scriptures in East Asia.