The translation of the 'Dazhidulun': Buddhist evolution in China in the early fifth century

This study deals with a crucial intellectual transition of Chinese Buddhism in the early fifth century by investigating (1) Kumārajīva's translation of the Dazhidulun (the Mahāprajñāpāramitodeśa ), the commentary on the Larger Version of the Prajñāpāramitā Sutra, in 405 CE, and (2) how the translation rectified earlier Chinese Buddhist misperception of Mahāyāna Buddhism resulted from the practice of geyi (concept-matching). The study first demonstrates how Chinese Buddhist elite devised geyi in the Neo-Daoist discourse, their realization of geyi's interpretive fault and their intellectual anxiety for correct comprehension of the Buddhist truth. Propelled by the combined Chinese (represented by Sengrui), nomadic barbarian (represented by Yao Xing), and Central Asian (represented by Kumārajīva) intellectual forces and religious piety, the completion of this translation set Chinese Buddhism free from geyi. Moreover, through textual comparison of Kumārajīva's and Moks&dotbelow;ala's translations of the Larger Version of the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, this study suggests that the Dazhidulun is an edited record of Kumārajīva's translation and explanation of a Sanskrit commentary on the Sūtra. The editor was Sengrui, Kumārajīva's amanuensis. Furthermore, this study discovers that the Lotus Sūtra in the Dazhidulun played an important role in unfolding the Buddhist truth in the Madhyāmika philosophical discourse. The integration of the Lotus Sūtra with Madhyāmika philosophy laid down the foundation for Chinese Buddhism, and set up a departure point where the subsequent Buddhist evolution in China differed from its counterpart in India.