A Study of the Jingdu-Sanmei-Jing: The Case of the Anleji and the Guannian-Famen

We can say the Jingdu-Sanmei-Jing, which is called forged sutra, was compiled or translated into Chinese by Tanyao (雲曜) in period of Bei W ei (北魏). I have confidence that it is a forged sutra. [After the prohibition of Buddhism in Bei Wei, Tanyao as a national archbishop had gone full steam ahead with the reconstruction of Buddhism, and as a part of it he had compiled this sutra.] This sutra had been often been quoted in many classical books of Buddhism, such as the Jinglu- Yixiangand the Santai-Fofa, and the people at that time had a common interest in the ideology of Buddhism as presented in this sutra. In this thesis, I have studyed the passages quoted from Jingdu-Sanmei-Jing, specially those found in the Anleji (安楽集) by Daochuo and Guannian-Famen (観念法門) by Shandao. First the term "Jingdu" in the title of the Jingdu-Sanmei-Jing in the Anleji was misunderstood by Daochuo as referring to a Bodhisattva's name. After this I prove that this sutra can not be qualified as the Wangsheng-Jing (往生経) because it does not explain the characteristic words of Pure Land Buddhism in the least. This sutra describes the state of Buddhism in Northern Dynasties, that is, the state of Buddhist associations and the requirements for joining them. Therefore, for studying the Buddhism in the period of Bei Wei, we must not disregard the Jingdu-Sanmei-Jing, although it is called a forged sutra