Cosmology in Chinese Abhidharma Literature and the <i>Xiuyao jing</i>

DOI

Bibliographic Information

Other Title
  • 漢訳アビダルマにおける宇宙論と『宿曜経』

Abstract

Chinese Buddhists adopted Indian cosmology based on Mount Sumeru and the Four Continents, which differed from native Chinese models. The four continents (Jambūdvīpa, Pūrvavideha, Avaragodānīya, and Uttarakuru) are positioned on a flat disc-shaped world. This was a type of flat earth cosmology that was documented in Abhidharma literature. The Buddhist canon does not mention a spherical earth, but Chinese monks were actually aware of an alternative cosmological model based on a spherical earth framework through the Jiuzhi li 九執曆 , a manual of Indian astronomy which was translated by Gautama Siddha in 718. This text introduced into Chinese the first instance of the concept of latitude (Skt. sva-deśa-akṣa). This sort of scientific theory based on a spherical earth model was already known by the mid-Tang. The Xiuyao jing 宿曜經 , compiled by Amoghavajra (705–774) in 759 with a subsequent revision in 764, not only adopts the cosmology outlined in Abhidharma texts, but also cites the Jiuzhi li. The issue at hand is why Amoghavajra and also the astronomer Yixing (673–727) never adopted cosmology based on a spherical earth. The present study will address these points.

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Details 詳細情報について

  • CRID
    1390851862123360384
  • NII Article ID
    130008070814
  • DOI
    10.34501/abhidharmastudies.2.0_101
  • ISSN
    24355682
    24355674
  • Text Lang
    ja
  • Data Source
    • JaLC
    • CiNii Articles
  • Abstract License Flag
    Disallowed

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