Chindian Myth of Mulian Rescuing His Mother – On Indic Origins of the Yulanpen Sūtra: Debate and Discussion

This book addresses the thorny issue regarding the authenticity of the Yulanpen Stra with a view to clearing up the centuries-long confusion and controversy surrounding its translation and transmission in China. The main objective of this study is thus to check and confirm the authenticity of the Yulanpen Stra, which features Mulian adventuring into the Preta realm to rescue his mother. Traditionally attributed to the Indo-scythian Dharmaraka (Ch. Zhu Fahu, ca. 266-308) as the translator, the stra is now widely believed to have been created by Chinese Buddhists to foster sinicisation and transformation of Indian Buddhism on the grounds that there is no extant Yulanpen Stra in Indic sources and that the stra stresses 'Confucian' filial piety and ancestor worship, amongst others. Through a critical review of the major arguments prevailing in modern scholarship against its authenticity and a close examination of textual and contextual evidence concerning the Yulanpen Stra, this book shall demonstrate that filial piety and ancestor worship are also deeply rooted in ancient Indian culture and that the Mulian myth reflects the recurring motif of 'rescuing the hungry ghost of a sinful mother' in Indian mythology and religious literature. In so doing, this book shall shed new light on the Indic origins of the Yulanpen Stra and the Ghost Festival in general and of the Mulian myth and the Mulian drama - the oldest Chinese ritual drama that has been alive onstage for nearly one thousand years - in particular.

Table of Contents:
List of Figures; Preface; Author’s Notes; Introduction; 1. Yulanpen Sūtra and Maudgalyāyana; 2. Etymologies of Yulan, Pen and Yulanpen; 3. Yulanpen Sūtra in Chinese Buddhist Catalogues; 4. Yulanpen Sūtra: Apocryphal or Authentic?; Conclusion; Glossary; Bibliography; Index

About the Author :
Xiaohuan Zhao is an Associate Professor of Chinese Literary and Theatre Studies at the University of Sydney.

Review :
The eminent Chinese scholar of Buddhism, Xiaohuan Zhao, once again shows his mastery of the Buddhist canon by tracing the complex movements of this important sutra from India to China. This work provides an important addition for our current understandings of traditional Buddhist religion, literature, art, and history— Thomas Michael, Beijing Normal University, China. This is a most comprehensive attempt at solving the origin of the Yulanpen Sutra. Zhao Xiaohuan had offered us a detailed examination from every angle of this long-lasted controversy and provided a very plausible view of the Indic origin of the Yulanpen Sutra. No future study of this sutra could be done without consulting this book— Mu-chou Poo Visiting Professor Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Adjunct Professor Department of History The Chinese University of Hong Kong Website: http://muchoupoo.wixsite.com/home