Page 391 - The Encyclopedia of Taoism v1_A-L

THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF TAOISM A-L

Dasheng miaolin jing

Scripture of the Wondrous Forest of the Great Vehicle

The Dasheng miaolin jing (CT 1398) consists of three juan. Its date is unclear,
but it was probably compiled toward the end of the Six Dynasties. It begins
with a description of Yuanshi tianzunx ~~;R. W (Celestial Worthy of Original
Commencement; see *sanqing) sitting in the Palace of Original Yang (Yuanyang
gong Jl:~''§O in the City of the Seven Treasures (Qibao chengtllt:iJl\t) on
top of a high mountain in the paradisiacal otherworld. His divine radiance
illuminates all corners of the universe as various followers come forward and
ask him questions.
The major topics touched upon in the text are reflected in the ten section
headings: 1. Introduction ("Xu" }f); 2. Observation of the Marks of Perfection
(" Guan zhenxiang" JJi J'! m); 3. Discerning True and False ("Bian xiezheng" hl'P
5f~lE); 4. Observation of the Self CGuanshen" tfJl Q-); 5. Beginners' Questions
CTongzi wen":m~ F",~); 6. Following in Accordance ("Suishun" IIJIJlr~); 7. The
Host of Perfected Explain the Dharma CZhongzhen shuofa" ~ ~ ii)Ht~); 8.
Observation of the Nature of Dharmas CGuan faxing" 1ll.l!tE); 9. Purity and
Wisdom ("Jinghui" ?'J~); 10. Eulogium ("Zantan" illUX).
The text emphasizes the theory that the afflictions of karma (klesa) are
identical with enlightenment (bodhi, "awakening"). In structure and argumen-
tation, it is similar to an apocryphal Buddhist scripture of approximately the
same period, thejiujingdabeijing JE~-}C;1E#~ (Scripture of the Great Ultimate
Compassion; T. 2880). In both worldview and phrasing, the influence of the
Huayanrl'EftW: school of Buddhism is clearly discernible.
LiviaKOHN

m Kamata Shigeo 1966

* TAOISM AND CHINESE BUDDHISM