During the first period of Warring States in Chinese history, in the late Chou Dynasty, philosophical schools flourished in response to the needs of the time so that one can call it a golden age of Chinese civilization. The second period of Warring States, the Northern and Southern Dynasties, became in turn a glorious time for Chinese Buddhism when its art and philosophy were highly developed. This is readily recognized and much attention has been paid to it. It was a period in which Buddhism was widespread, many new monasteries were built, the sangha was strong, and learned and realized monks and nuns appeared in great numbers. During the Southern Ch'i and Liang Dynasties, Pao-ch'ang, the disciple of Vinaya Master Seng-you from the Chien-ch'u Monastery, was ordered to compose the Bhikshuni Biographies. He did this in four fascicles, selecting those nuns who"had set their minds on ascetic practices and meditational achievements, who were pure and strong and known far and wide." The biographies he wrote deal with the later nuns and those from the South in greater detail. He relied on both, oral and written sources, and even included differing traditions seriously trying to cover as much material as possible. Bhikshuni Biographies is the first book in the history of Chinese Buddhism which deals exclusively with Chinese women who practised Buddhism. It has its historical value and helps us reconstruct the development of the female sangha in China. Regarding the spread of the bhikshuni vinaya in China, for example, we learn how difficult it was to become ordained in the early days of the community. In the beginning, equal emphasis was placed on the practice of meditation and ethics, and there were numerous nuns who achieved proficiency in meditative absorption. Many of the nuns in the south were highly qualified and had close connections with the court. They preached to the imperial household and the nobility, and exerted enormous influence on the society. The political, social, and cultural activities are also touched upon. These are valuable historical data found in the Bhikshuni Biographies. They help us not only to understand the actual development of Buddhism during the period between both Chin Dynasties and the Northen and Southern Dynasties, but also enrich our knowledge of the political, economic, social, and cultural situation at the time.
