Research Of Chinese Manjusri Faith Forming In Medieval Times

As one of the most popular Bodhisattvas and the very first Buddha to be spread to China among China’s four Bodhisattvas, Manjusri has high prestige in Mahayana Buddhism. It is reported that Manjusri exists in Buddhist books translated in Eastern Han Dynasty. With the wide spread and deep development of Buddhism, Manjusri is accepted and respected by Chinese people, then becomes a kind of belief with Chinese characteristics. It has great influence in ancient and current China’s politics, society, religion, literature and art and so on.Chinese scholars Dou Cheng Du Dou Cheng, Cui Zheng Sen, Li Hai Bo, Sha Wu Tian and Sun Xiao Gang and Japanese scholars Onokatsutoshi, Onobanmyou, Iwasaki Hideo have been done intensive study on the issue of Manjusri development in China. Although many articles about Manjusri, still lack a comprehensive, systematic review of study, because it has a long time history and a wide area. On the basis of senior scholars and collection of related material and combination of history background in Chinese Medieval Times, the article discusses the development of Manjusri belief in Chinese Medieval Times.First of all, the article explains the background and Connotation of transcription and translation of Manjusri bodhisattva, combining the different characteristics of ancient, old and new period. It points that the discrepancies have great relationship with the translation style, Sutra edition and translator level in different period. It is not as Hsuan Tsang put that the translation before him is all corruption.Secondly, the article discusses the early spread of Manjusri, analyses books containing Manjusri name and Manjusri belief from Later Han dynasty to Three Kingdom period.Thirdly, the article studies the overall input in China from Western Jin Dynasty when Lan Fa Hu translated many classic about Manjusri to Northern and Southern Dynasty. This period, Manjusri images which represent the development level is found in Gansu, Shanxi, Henan, Hebei province. Belief based on Kegon system in this period is mainly concentrated in the upper classes and in monasteries.Fourthly, the article discusses the development and evolution of Kegon system belief and Tantra system belief from Sui Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty. It introduces belief in Wu Zetian period and explains the relationship between esotericism and Manjusri belief. As emphasis and Difficulty of the article, it involves the politics and religion relationship, the Manjusri image, the popular belief, the process of Wutai Mountain to be a holy mountain and The formation of Manjusri temples.