Abstract
Fajie anli tu (An Illustrated [Guide] to the Established Order of the Dharmadhatu 法界安立圖, X 972) is an orderly account of Buddhist cosmology composed by the monk Renchao 仁潮 in Hangzhou. This book reflects the most detailed account late imperial Chinese Buddhists had of Buddhist cosmology and the physical world around them. It was well received in China since its first publication in 1607 and had a far-reaching influence during its transmission to other parts of the world, especially Japan and Britain. However, this book has not been given the attention it merits in contemporary studies of Buddhist history. In this essay, I introduce its authorship, analyze its content and writing skills, as well as examine its reception among disparate groups of readers in China and abroad using a methodology developed in the field of book history. Through a close reading of texts from the work and its history of circulation, this essay demonstrates how Buddhist cosmological discourses evolved within the Chinese context from detailed descriptions of the physical cosmos to philosophical explanations of the universe emphasizing the supremacy of the “mind” (xin 心).
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