In a thorough, in-depth, and well-organized presentation of new scholarship, the third section expands the isolated issue of provenance to the much broader topic of its “historical and intellectual contexts.” Following this discussion of contexts, the introduction turns its attention to the treatise itself in section 4, focusing on its theories of the basic human problem (ignorance) and the proposed solution (practice).
It continues naturally from the title to the author in the second section, but the discussion transitions quickly from the author to the question of provenance. The translation is a relatively small book of 162 pages, consisting of a substantial introduction in seven sections (55 pages), a richly annotated translation (83 pages), and a number of supplementary materials for the translation. The introduction opens with a detailed discussion of the title of the treatise in its several components, which, in itself, may also serve as a brief thematic analysis.
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The translation is the product of a long process of concerted effort, starting as a workshop exercise in 2012, growing over the years to incorporate researches from various perspectives, and eventually appearing in 2019 as the second of the Oxford Chinese Thought series, a series aimed to introduce the riches of Chinese thought to the West. This new translation is the work of four leading scholars in the field-John Jorgensen, Dan Lusthaus, John Makeham, and Mark Strange-who have been writing prolifically on Buddhist and East Asian philosophy and are thus ideal translators for the treatise. The best Western translation to date is actually in French (Frédéric Girard, 2004), and the most well-known and most widely used English translation (Yoshito Hakeda 羽毛田義人, 1967) is not only dated, but also filled with numerous translational infelicities. Other English translations thereafter are generally not adequate introductions to the treatise. There has thus long been a call for a new English translation, a call that recently received an excellent response in an Oxford Chinese Thought project under the title of Treatise on Awakening Mahāyāna Faith, which is the object of the current review. Apart from the high-profile debates over the provenance of the treatise, Western scholars have also been drawn to various other topics about or related to the treatise, such as the sinification of Buddhism in Chinese Huayan, the practical soteriology in Korean Hwaeom, the transformation of medieval Japanese Buddhism, and the debates over the nature and identity of Buddha-nature thought in the modern intellectual movement called “Critical Buddhism,” to name just a few examples.ĭespite such scholarly attention, however, there has not yet appeared a definitive English translation of the treatise. The treatise was first introduced to the West, as is well known, through Suzuki Daisetsu’s 鈴木大拙 English translation in 1900. It was looked upon as a representative work of the Eastern thought, and has since remained a well-known subject in the Western study of Buddhist and East Asian philosophy. It appears in the treatise as the doctrine of “inherent awakening” ( benjue 本覺) and, in that form, contributes to the adaptation of the originally Indian Buddhism to the religious, philosophical, and cultural milieu in East Asia. This doctrine asserts the innate purity of mind and, on that basis, promises enlightenment or “salvation” indiscriminately to all sentient beings. The Treatise on Awakening Mahāyāna Faith ( dasheng qixin lun 大乘起信論) represents a classical example in the formulation of the distinctly East Asian Buddhist doctrine of Buddha-nature.
Reviewed by Tao Jin (Illinois Wesleyan University)Ĭommissioned by Jessica Zu (USC Dornsife, School of Religion) Finalist in the South African Entrepreneur of the Year Awards.John Jorgensen, Dan Lusthaus, John Makeham, Mark Strange, ed.I’ve been honoured to be recognized as the recipient of several awards, including: Partners for Change Holdings: Managing Director.Integrated Global Trade: Founding Director.Groupon South Africa: Founding Director and CEO.I have year of experience staring and running businesses in emerging markets, specifically in Africa, as well as across seven Eastern Europe countries.
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