The Fozu tongji by Zhipan (ca. 1220-1275) is a key text of Chinese Buddhist historiography. The core of the work is formed by the “Fayun tongsai zhi,” an annalistic history of Buddhism in China, which extends through Fozu tongji, juan 34-48. Thomas Jülch now presents a translation of the “Fayun tongsai zhi” in three volumes. This second volume covers the annalistic display from the Sui dynasty to the end of the Wudai period. Offering elaborate annotations, Jülch succeeds in clarifying the backgrounds to the historiographic contents, which Zhipan presents in highly essentialized style. Jülch identifies the sources for the historical traditions Zhipan refers to, and when accounts presented by Zhipan are inaccurate or imprecise, he points out how the relevant matter is depicted in the sources Zhipan relies on. Consistently employing these means in reliable style Jülch defines a new standard for translations of medieval Chinese historiographic texts.
Thomas Jülch, Ph.D. 2011, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, was research fellow at Ghent University until 2019. He has widely published in the field of medieval Chinese Buddhism and Daoism. His works include: Bodhisattva der Apologetik: die Mission des buddhistischen Tang-Mönchs Falin (Munich: Utz, 2014), 3 vols; The Zhenzheng lun by Xuanyi: A Buddhist Apologetic Scripture of Tang China (New York: Routledge, 2019), and he is editor of The Middle Kingdom and the Dharma Wheel: Aspects of the Relationship Between the Buddhist Samgha and the State in Chinese History (Leiden: Brill, 2016).
"Small details aside, this most recent translation of the Fozu Tongji is a treasure trove of information for students and researchers of Chinese religion as well as, more generally, the history of religion. This three- volume translation is a significant and long- overdue piece of scholarship in the fields of Chinese history and Buddhist studies. - Nelson Landry, University of Oxford, Religious Studies Review 47/3 (2021).
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1 The Buddhist-Confucian Confrontation and the Buddhist-Daoist Confrontation in the “Fayun tongsai zhi”
2 The Representation of Chan- and Tiantai-Buddhism in the “Fayun tongsai zhi”
3 The Place of the Fozu tongji in Chinese Buddhist Historiography
4 Sources the “Fayun tongsai zhi” Relies On
Preliminary Remarks
Translation
Fayun tongsai zhi, Juan 6 Supplements for Fayun tongsai zhi, Juan 6
Fayun tongsai zhi, Juan 7 Supplements for Fayun tongsai zhi, Juan 7
Fayun tongsai zhi, Juan 8
Fayun tongsai zhi, Juan 9 Supplements for Fayun tongsai zhi, Juan 9
Glossary of Sanskrit Terms Bibliography Indices
All interested in medieval Chinese Buddhism, or sinologists with a wider interest, as Zhipan’s historiography also refers to Daoism and Confucianism.