Chindian Myth of Mulian Rescuing His Mother - On Indic Origins of the Yulanpen SÅ«tra

Debate and Discussion

By: Xiaohuan Zhao

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Paperback | 5 September 2023

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122 Pages

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22.86 x 15.24 x 0.74

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This book addresses the thorny issue regarding the authenticity of the Yulanpen SÅ«tra with a view to clearing up the centuries-long confusion and controversy surrounding its translation and transmission in China. The main objective of this study is thus to check and confirm the authenticity of the Yulanpen SÅ«tra, which features Mulian adventuring into the Preta realm to rescue his mother.

Traditionally attributed to the Indo-scythian Dharmaraka¹£a (Ch. Zhu Fahu, ca. 266-308) as the translator, the sÅ«tra is now widely believed to have been created by Chinese Buddhists to foster sinicisation and transformation of Indian Buddhism on the grounds that there is no extant Yulanpen SÅ«tra in Indic sources and that the sÅ«tra stresses 'Confucian' filial piety and ancestor worship, amongst others. Through a critical review of the major arguments prevailing in modern scholarship against its authenticity and a close examination of textual and contextual evidence concerning the Yulanpen SÅ«tra, this book shall demonstrate that filial piety and ancestor worship are also deeply rooted in ancient Indian culture and that the Mulian myth reflects the recurring motif of 'rescuing the hungry ghost of a sinful mother' in Indian mythology and religious literature.

In so doing, this book shall shed new light on the Indic origins of the Yulanpen SÅ«tra and the Ghost Festival in general and of the Mulian myth and the Mulian drama - the oldest Chinese ritual drama that has been alive onstage for nearly one thousand years - in particular.

Industry Reviews

The eminent Chinese scholar of Buddhism, Xiaohuan Zhao, once again shows his mastery of the Buddhist canon by tracing the complex movements of this important sutra from India to China. This work provides an important addition for our current understandings of traditional Buddhist religion, literature, art, and history- Thomas Michael, Beijing Normal University, China.

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