Reception And Dissemination Of The Diamond Sutra Translated By Kumarajiva In The Tang Dynasty

The dissertation focuses on the reception and dissemination of The Diamond Sutra(《金刚经》)in the Tang Dynasty. As the first translation of The Diamond Sutra from later Qin Dynasty, the meaning of the version translated by Kumarajiva(鸠摩罗什)is Pudgalasunyata and Dharma-Sunyata to serve for the Three Treatises School. During the Tang Dynasty, The Diamond Sutra translated by Kumarajiva kept its dissemination through gaining increasing attention from all ranks of society. After Kumarajiva, there were other versions of the sutra translated by Bodhiruci(菩提流支)Paramartha(真谛),Xuanzang(玄奘)and Yijing(义净),which led the changing of the Buddhist doctrine against the first version. Therefore, these versions are encompassed to observe the characteristics of the first translation from the part of comparative perspective.The dissertation has five chapters except introduction and conclusion.The first section is introduction which has four parts. The first part declares the significance of the dissertation, the second part makes a literature review, the third part explains the research content, emphasis and difficulties, the last part states the research thoughts, methods and innovation.Chapter One begins with the analysis of the Buddhist Sutra catalogue, Chinese Tripitaka, Fang-shan Stone Sutra and Dunhuang Manuscripts in all ages to conclude the translations of Kumarajiva. It is because the circulation of the translations of Kumarajiva has much connection with the Buddhist tendency in different ages, the Buddhist Sutra catalogues and Chinese Tripitaka of different period recorded different amounts of the translations by Kumarajiva for some reasons. As the one of the representative translations among those sutras translated by Kumarajiva, the number of The Diamond Sutra overwhelmed the other versions in Dunhuang manuscripts. The writing patterns of the manuscripts are prefix, translation and postfix. As for the individual hand-copy, the pattern is the random assortment of the three factors. Besides, the prefix contains the vowing articles, supplications and the drawings of inviting Buddha’s warrior attendants hich listed before the translation. The postfix includes the Buddhist paternosters, postscripts, and mantras which listed after the translation. After careful analysis, the writing pattern of The Diamond Sutra in Dunhuang Manuscripts has fixed format which should be formed during the period of the writing.Chapter Two pays attention to the subjective selectivity from the different translators about the Buddhist doctrine of The Diamond Sutra. It is ascertainable that five translations of The Diamond Sutra translated by Kumarajiva, Xuanzang, Yijing, Paramartha and Bodhiruci had disseminated in the Tang Dynasty. It’s because the version translated by Dharmagupta(达摩笈多)could be found till now that it is discussed. Differ from the thoughts of Kumarajiva who emphasized the thoughts of Prajaparamitauny(空宗), the Buddhist doctrine of the other translations made their theoretical changing to Yogacara(有宗)Besides, the chapter underlines the differences of the versions from Kumarajiva and Xuanzang since they had great effects in the Tang Dynasty.Chapter Three makes a research on the commentaries of The Diamond Sutra in the Tang Dynasty. The commentaries were mostly made based on the translation of Kumaraji va from which expressed its importance. Though analyzing the tendency of the Buddihist doctrine of the 20 commentaries in the Tang Dynasty, it is evident to find the reception and employment of the sutra changed against the Buddhist doctrine of Prajaparamitauny.Chapter Four studies the inheritance and development of the thoughts of The Diamond Sutra by Huineng, the sixth patriarch of Chinese Zen, from the parts of the thoughts of the two commentaries named as Huineng and The Sixth Patriarch’s Platform Sutra(《六祖坛经》)from The Diamond Sutra. In its main text, The Sixth Patriarch’s Platform Sutra expressed how The Diamond Sutra had an effect on its Buddhist doctrine. Besides, The Sixth Patriarch’s Platform Sutra not only harvested theory resources but also altered the thoughts of Prajaparamitauny from The Diamond Sutra. The former improved the doctrine of the latter which created the mind-nature theory using the method of the mid-way thought. The Zen rubbed up the traditional Chinese thoughts and Buddhist doctrine to mix the idea of returning to the nature of mind which made The Diamond Sutra a sutra with updated doctrine to help its dissemination.Chapter Five makes a research on the influence of The Diamond Sutra from records of spiritual beings of The Diamond Sutra(《金刚经》灵验记)illustrations(变相)and Bianwen(变文)(a popular form of narrative literature flourishing in the Tang Dynasty, which alternate prose and rhymed parts for recitation and singing) through which delivered the belief of the society on Buddhist themes in the Tang Dynasty. It is evident to find the Buddhist thoughts of the literati and officials and the Buddhist policies made an effect on the records. Therefore, the contents had the tendency of secularization and utilitarian. For example, the records of early Tang Dynasty contains the stories with the topics of public services and facilities, as well as private invoking. But as the secularization deepened, the topics searching for public services and facilities could not be found any more. Besides, the wide dissemination of The Diamond Sutra could also be found from the worship expressed by the illustrations and Bianwen of The Diamond Sutra.Conclusion holds the opinion that the dissemination of The Diamond Sutra translated by Kumarajiva gained wide reception from the scholars, literati and populace by adapting to the main thoughts in the Tang Dynasty through the literature about it from Buddhist Scriptures catalogues, Chinese Tripitaka, Fang-shan Stone Sutra and Dunhuang Manuscripts. Therefore, the dissemination of The Diamond Sutra benefited from its theoretical transformation of the Buddhist doctrine in the Tang society.