Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c6.18

v1.c6.18

In Chinese translation of Buddhist classics, it is worth paying attention to the rendering of the Indian constellation system, the problem of the beginning constellation/*nakshatra*, its total sum of as well as the size, the number of stars and the shape of each of the constellations. Before the spread of the Indian constellation system, China had a set of its own indigenously developed similar system. Chinese translation of names of the Indian constellation evinces three characteristics: i) A large part has been translated into known constellation names in Chinese ii) another large part is the transliteration of Sanskrit pronunciation of names into Chinese iii) translation of literal meaning of names in Sanskrit into Chinese. However, only one such case is found in *sutras* translated into Chinese (henceforth, referred to as translated *sutras*). The *Citra* in Indian constellation system is different from that of ancient China. In the Chinese translation of Buddhist classics, *Jiao xiu* (Spica) is considered as *Citra*, but there are also cases of conflating *Kṛttika* and *Aśini* with it. Obviously, using Spica as Citrā is to keep consistency with ancient Chinese constellation system. Recognition of *Kṛttikā* as the *Citra* was the characteristic of the ancient Indian system which reflected astronomical adjustment for precession of equinoxes and is a later addition to the translated *sutra*. Two constellation numbers, ie 27 and 28 appear in the Chinese translation of Buddhist classics. The system of 28 constellations is consistent with those of ancient China while the system of 27 constellations excluding *Abhijit* (*niu xiu*) is the result of adjustment to match the Indian local constellation system with that of foreign zodiacal signs. The most complete description of 27 constellations is seen in *Xiuyaojing* (*Book on the Nakshtras and the Luminaries*) written and translated in Chinese by Monk Amoghvajra (Bu Kong) during the Tang dynasty. In the translated *sutras*, the size of the constellations have a kind of uneven division but its random nature is not similar to the 28 constellations of ancient China where the size of each is irregular and all of which could be divided into three types – ie wide, narrower and the narrowest. In the Buddhist classics such as *Xiuyaojing* (*Book on the Nakshtras and the Luminaries*), there is also a tendency to make uniform the size of each constellation which is the result of the influence of the entry and spread of the western astronomical system based on 12 equatorial constellations or signs of the zodiac in India. Further, the number of stars in the constellation systems in *sutras* greatly differs from that of ancient China, with only five constellations having completely the same number of stars. Astronomical instruments to gaze at constellation configurations and its product names also have special Indian characteristics.