Faxian’s purpose in going to India in search of the Dharma was to bring back the material missing from the Vinaya canon. He brought back three Vinaya texts to China in total, namely, the Mohe sengqi lü 摩訶僧祇律 [Mahāsāṃghika Vinaya] (hereafter abbreviated to Sengqi lü), the Sapoduozhong lü chao 薩婆多眾律抄 [Annotation to the Sarvāstivādin Vinaya] and the Mishasai wufen lü 彌沙塞五分律 [Five-Part Vinaya of the Mahīśāsaka School] (hereafter abbreviated as Wufen lü), respectively. Why did he choose to translate the Sengqi lü? Did it have something to do with the features of Sectarian Buddhist thought? Was it related to Buddhist thought of the time? This article raises and attempts tentative answers to these questions.
目次
Introduction 303 1. The most complete: Faxian’s reasons for translating theSengqi lü 306 2. The Five Vinaya Texts: The Relationship between the Four Vinaya Texts and the Sects 309 3. Teaching according to Circumstances: The Transmission and Practice of Chinese Monastic Precepts and Discipline 314 Conclusion 319
