Tao Sheng's Commentary on the Lotus Sutra : A Study and Translation

Contents: Preface. I. Introduction: 1. Tao-Sheng’s prehistory: the state of Buddhist studies in China. 2. Tao-Sheng’s biography. 3. Tao-Sheng’s works. 4. Tao-Sheng’s doctrines. 5. Tao-Sheng’s influence and the impact of his doctrines. II. A critical study of Tao-Sheng’s commentary on the Lotus Sutra: 6. Tao-sheng and the Saddharmapundarika. 7. Literary aspects. 8. Central ideas. 9. Traces of Tao-Sheng’s doctrines. 10. Conclusions. III. Translation. Bibliography. Index.

"(Chu) Tao Sheng stands out in history as a unique and preeminent thinker whose paradigmatic, original ideas paved the way for the advent of Chinese Buddhism, The Universality of Buddha nature, which Tao-Sheng Championed at the cost of excommunication, was to become a cornerstone of the Chinese Buddhist ideology. This book presents a comprehensive study of the only complete document by Tao-Sheng still in existence. The work was composed toward the end of Tao-Sheng’s life (in 432), a product of his mature scholarship, presumably incorporating the doctrines pronounced earlier. The aim of this study are twofold: (1) to prepare a faithfull, undistorted translation of the commentary in its entirety, in order to provide a basis and vantage point for further study and understanding of Tao-Sheng; and (2) to attempt to illuminate Tao-Sheng’s system of religious knowledge by examining the commentary in conjunction with other doctrines and writings, and thus to evaluate Tao-Sheng’s contribution to implanting (or transplanting) the alien religious system in Chinese soil. Of course, the two objectives are not to be seen as separate tasks; they are closely bound up with one another." (jacket)