Since the 1950 s,great progress has been made in the study of Buddhism in the Liao dynasty.The academic circles have deepened their understanding on many issues,such as Buddhist schools,Buddhist arts,different versions and engraving eras of Qidanzang(《契丹藏》),and the internal relationship between Buddhism and the decline and collapse of the Liao dynasty.However,the study of the Liao dynasty Buddhism in the past 70 years also has a host of defects,involving the slow progress in the compilation and publication of Buddhist historical materials,the incompatibility between current achievements and the status of the Liao dynasty Buddhism,lacking of research topics,and low-gradation repetitions of research results,etc.Additionally,a couple of major topics have not yet achieved a fundamental breakthrough.In the future,the study of Buddhism in the Liao dynasty should concentrate on the collecting and systematic listing of Buddhist historical materials,the extension of research topics and perspectives,and the promotion of multidisciplinary cooperation.
