The Study Of Buddhist Literature In The Early Tang Dynasty(618-762)

Buddhism had a great development in Tang Dynasty,and in the early Tang Dynasty,Buddhism was particularly prosperous.At this time,the number of Buddhist documents was considerable,and the types were diverse,including various documents such as Scripture records,biographies,annotations and collections.At the same time,these Buddhist literature contain a wealth of Buddhist theories,which permeated the whole society.According to the records of Da Zheng Zang and Wan Xu Zang,the Buddhist literature in the early Tang Dynasty has a great advantage in both quantity and genre compared with other periods.These Buddhist literature contain rich historical value.On the one hand,they are special materials for the study of Buddhist history,and they are supplementary materials for the study of other special histories.In this paper,from the perspective of philology,the collation and circulation of Buddhist literature in the early Tang Dynasty,as well as the identity of the author,and the classification of literature were investigated.The main purpose of this paper is to have a more overall understanding of the Buddhist documents in the early Tang Dynasty.This paper is divided into three aspects.First of all,it combs the Buddhist literature in the early Tang Dynasty as a whole.At this time,the Buddhist literature,whether in the translation of Buddhist Scriptures or in the writings of the eastern region,has greatly improved compared with that before the Tang Dynasty.At the same time,in terms of genre,it not only inherited and developed the literature style before the Tang Dynasty,but also established the style of Buddhist Scripture writing after the Tang Dynasty.Secondly,it discusses the identity characteristics of the author of Buddhist literature in the early Tang Dynasty.which is mainly reflected in the geographical distribution,Native place of monks are mainly in the north,and in the north are mainly Changan,Taiyuan and Henan,while the overseas monks are mainly in Xinluo.In terms of identity,most of the authors of Buddhist literature in the early Tang Dynasty had diversified thoughts,either Confucianism and Buddhism,or both Confucianism and Taoism,or both Confucianism and Buddhism,but eventually tended to Buddhism.This is not only related to the mainstream of Confucianism in the feudal society,but also inseparable from the influence of Buddhism on people.Inthe purpose of writing,the fundamental purpose of most monks is to protect Buddhism and spread the Dharma,to maintain the supremacy of Buddhism over Confucianism and Taoism,and to promote sectarian consciousness.The third is to investigate the classification and characteristics of the Buddhist literature in the early Tang Dynasty.The Buddhist literature in the early Tang Dynasty can be divided into four categories as a whole: classics,annotations,historical biographies,and collections.At the same time,the author,age,edition,and description of each important book are studied.These Buddhist literature contain rich historical data value and philological value.The value of historical data is mainly manifested in supplementing the deficiency of the official history,enriching the development of Buddhist history,and the value of philology is manifested in promoting the development of collecting lost books and exegesis.