Documents: Annotated Translations

Abstract

This section features nine annotated translations of classical Chinese (kanbun) and classical Japanese sources significant to this study and to the Saidaiji order Manjuśrī cult. The translations are intended to complement the historical narrative of the preceding main chapters, which are informed throughout by the texts. Encompassing a variety of genres, the majority of the texts have not been translated into modern languages by previous scholars. Even filtered through the lens of translation, the language and narrative flow of such primary texts gives fuller life to the voices of Nara Buddhist monastics and the broader exoteric-esoteric imaginaire informing those voices. The translations and annotations should thus enrich our understanding of the literature for the Saidaiji order and the Manjuśrī cult.