Abstract

This paper discusses the development of ideas of the ultimate in the thought of Chinese Buddhism in the Northern and Southern Dynasties. The concept of ultimate truth is, along with that of conventional truth, a core concept in Mahāyāna Buddhism. During the Sui Dynasty, Chinese Buddhism developed the unique perspective of the Three Truths, the foundation for which was formed during the Southern and Northern Dynasties. This begins with Jie jie Jing 解節經 (in full, Foshuo Jiejie Jing 佛說解節經) by Paramārtha (499–569), which is a partial translation of Saṃdhinirmocanasūtra and presents the theory of ultimate truth (paramārtha) to Chinese Buddhists. Through a comparison of Jiejie Jing with other Chinese and Tibetan translations of Saṃdhinirmocana-sūtra, we establish Paramārtha’s thoughts on the ultimate. The relationship between Paramārtha’s thought on the ultimate and the development of the Three Truths is evaluated in a comparison of Paramārtha’s thoughts on ultimate truth with the thinking of nearly contemporary Chinese monks.

Highlights

  • The ultimate (Skt. paramārtha, Tib. don dam pa) is a core concept in Mahāyāna Buddhism

  • We summarize Paramārtha’s thoughts on the ultimate based on the statistics of the translation terms in Jie jie and compare them to Paramārtha’s other works

  • Paramārtha believes that the ultimate is the aboriginally pure mind covered by lust and ignorance

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Summary

Introduction

The ultimate (Skt. paramārtha, Tib. don dam pa) is a core concept in Mahāyāna Buddhism. In Jie jie, Paramārtha chose a method quite distinct from that of Xuanzang (玄奘, 600/602–64) and Bodhiruci (菩提流支, 道晞or道希, ?–527), which used several synonyms to translate the word “paramārtha (the ultimate)”, such as zhenshi 真實 and zhenru 真如. This may reflect Paramārtha’s unique view of the ultimate. This paper analyzes the text of Jie jie to identify Paramārtha’s thinking on the ultimate and compare it with the thoughts of Chinese monks at the same time so as to investigate the foundation of the Three Truths in the Southern Dynasty and the relationship between.

The Overview on the Text of Jie jie
Analysis on the Title of Jie Jie
Different verses in Chapter 4 of Jie Jie
Paramārtha’s Thoughts on Ultimate Truth
Paramārtha’s Thought on the Ultimate Truth in Jie Jie
Comparison with the Thoughts of Nearly Contemporary Chinese Monks
Paramārtha and the Development of the Ultimate in China
Concluding Remarks
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