A Catena of Buddhist Scriptures from the Chinese

The book is organized into five major parts. The opening section introduces the role of Chinese Buddhist scriptures and their relevance for understanding Buddhist transmission, textual preservation, and doctrinal development. Part I, “Legends and Myths,” surveys Buddhist cosmology, including the origin of the world, the inhabited world, heavenly realms, hells, kalpas, world-systems, and legendary accounts of Śākya Buddha. Part II, “Buddhism as a Religion,” discusses Buddhism’s religious character through themes such as worship, meditation, Nirvāṇa, moral discipline, monastic rules, daily practice, and the Tien Tai school. Part III, “Scholastic Period,” focuses on doctrinal analysis, especially Prajñā Pāramitā literature, conditions of existence, translations of sūtras, and philosophical arguments concerning illusion, non-self, perception, and ultimate truth. Part IV, “Mystic Period,” examines devotional and mystical developments, including Amitābha, Sukhāvatī, Kwanyin, dhāraṇī practice, ritual formulae, and related translations. Part V, “Decline and Fall,” addresses later ritual and Tantric tendencies, including dhāraṇī texts, superstitious practices, and concluding materials on Buddhist ritual transformation. Keywords: Chinese Buddhism; Buddhist Scriptures; Samuel Beal; Buddhist Cosmology; Nirvāṇa; Prajñā Pāramitā; Amitābha Buddhism.