從《嘉興藏》的海內外流通再思考明清佛教的歷史地位=Reconsidering the Historical Status of Ming and Qing Buddhism from the Domestic and Oversea Circulation of "Jiaxing Zang" Sutra.
Ming and Qing Buddhism was regarded as the minor and declined stream of Chinese Buddhism; however, around the 1980s, the revitalization of the social economy in the late Ming Dynasty attracted the attention of Chinese and Western researchers. At the same time, the revival of Buddhism led by the four masters of the late Ming Dynasty also aroused a lot of interest in the academic circles. Until now, Ming and Qing Buddhism, especially the researches related to late Ming and early Qing has accumulated to certain level. During this period, one of the four masters, Zibai Daguan (1543-1603), in order to facilitate the study and circulation of Buddhism, advocated the use of words as the mediator by promoting the private engraving of the sutras, namely the “Jingshan Zang”, “Fāngcè zang” or “Jiaxing Zang.” is a major Buddhist cultural publishing business, engaged in innovative publishing of Buddhist scriptures. The publication and circulation of "Jiaxing zang" lasted for two centuries with countless manpower, financial and material resources, which is far beyond of beyond the original imagination of Zibai Daguan. In the Ming/Qing China and the contemporary East Asia including Japan, Korea, Vietnam, or later from the 19th century to even the early 20th century, the circulation and commercialization of Buddhist books in "Jiaxing zang" version were very popular as it met the demands of the local Buddhism in East Asian countries for the absorption and transmission of the religious information and knowledge. Before modern Western thought spread to East Asia and impacted Chinese Buddhism in East Asia, the publication and circulation of “Jiaxing Zang” in Ming and Qing Dynasties is actually the latest pioneering acts with a wide and profound impact on East Asian Buddhism after Sui and Tang Buddhism.
