A Study On The Nāga In The Chinese Buddhist Scripture

The Nāga(Indian dragon)which in the Chinese Buddhist scripture plays a special role in the Chinese dragon mythology and dragon belief ’s construction.Along with the path of Buddhism spreading in China,the Nāga penetrated into Chinese religion,folk beliefs,literature,drama,and daily customs.It even gradually breaks away from Buddhism and its Indian cultural matrix,fully grows in Chinese traditional culture,and becomes a cultural element with self-generating ability.This paper intends to make a comprehensive search,collation and textual research on the Nāga literature in Chinese Buddhist scriptures,trying to outline its’ complete form and story type.This paper will sort out the characteristics of the Nāga in different eras,according to the time sequence of the emergence and translation of Buddhist scriptures.Furthermore,we can see the trace of the development of Buddhism in the evolution path of Indian dragon myth from the characteristics of dragons in different times.In addition to the introduction and the conclusion,this paper is divided into nine parts:Chapter 1st,The Shape and Characteristics of the Nāga,it mainly analyze the source,shape,and habits of the Nāga in the Chinese translation of Buddhist scriptures.Chapter 2ed,The Identity and Role of the Nāga in Buddhism,it mainly analyzes the history of the Nāga as the lord of Mobo and as the Buddhism protector and their relationship,at the same time,in response to the different opinions on the question of the Faxing Nāgarāja? in the Chinese translation of the Buddhist scriptures,such as Dīrghāgama Sutra·Shiji Sutra,Dīrghāgama Sutra·Dahui Sutra,Building Charcoal Sutra·Combat Pin,the fact that the Nāgarāja? and his subordinates is determined by the Western King of the Eyes.Chapter 3rd,The Nāgarāja? and His Family Members,it mainly capture the historical materials about the Nāgarāja?(Dragon King)and its Wife(Dragon Concubine),Son,and Nāgī(Dragon Girl)in the Chinese translation of Buddhist scriptures,and make a complete discussion of the Nāgarāja? and his "family".Chapter 4th,The Nāga’s Palace and the Treasure,it is systematicly inspect the legend of the "Nāga’s Palace Treasure" in the Chinese translation of Buddhist scriptures,focusing on the analysis of the types of Dragon Palace treasures and the inner connection within the stories of "scooping sea water with a scoop" of the Bu pai’s Buddhist literature.Chapter 5th,The Nāga and Buddhism-related Object Worship,it mainly analyzes the relationship between the worship of objects and the Nāga,which is generally produced by Buddhist believers due to Buddha’s nirvana,it focuses on the role of the Nāga in the formation of the worship of Buddhist relic and the Buddhist bowl.Chapter 6th,The story of the Buddha and his Disciples Subduing the Nāga,it studies and summarizes the story of the Buddha and his disciples subduing the Nāga which widely exists in the Chinese translation of Buddhist scriptures.Chapter 7th,A Brief Study on the Deeds of the Nāga and the Garu?a(golden-winged bird),It mainly focuses on the textual research on the Nāga and the Garu?a in the Chinese translation of the Buddhist scriptures,including the cause of the opposition between of them and the relationship between the Nāga and the Garu?a’s truce with a??ā?ga-samanvāgatopavāsa.Chapter 8th,The Nāga in the Tantric Buddhist Scriptures in Chinese Translation,it mainly discusses the combination of the Nāga and the new beliefs in the Tantric Buddhist scriptures in the Chinese-translated,including the Nāga’s role and characteristics in activities such as praying for rain,stopping rain,healing diseases,praying for blessings,alleviating disasters,and seeking money.Chapter 9th,The Nāga in the Chinese Translation of Buddhist Scriptures and the Chinese Dragon Mythology,it mainly discusses the morphological comparison of traditional Chinese dragon mythology after the introduction of the Nāga mythology in Buddhist Scriptures in Chinese Translation,and analyzes the influence of the Nāga mythology on Chinese dragon mythology.Through the discussion of this topic,it provides a reference for the research on the formation of Chinese dragon myth and belief.