Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.42

v1.c7.42

With the support of the Imperial court, Xuanzang, Bukong, Yijing and others established translation bureaus for Chinese Buddhism during the Tang period. Once organised, the translation system was complete. Most scriptural texts of Indian Buddhism were translated by Chinese Buddhists. The amount of translated volumes reached more than 5,000. From the Song period onward, Chinese translations of Indian Buddhist scriptural texts gradually decreased but, on the other hand the work of Tibetan translations entered its peak. Large quantities of Indian esoteric scriptures were translated. This work continued up to the end of the Ming. After that, translation activities in both Han and Tibetan Buddhism basically stopped. The translation of the Indian Buddhist texts not only accelerated the spread of the doctrines and theories of Indian Buddhism in China but also produced a long lasting influence on the Chinese language and its characters and on thought and culture. It facilitated the introduction of Indian religion and thought to the Chinese people. On the basis of translated Indian texts, Chinese Buddhists arranged the framework of the Three Storehouses (Tripiṭaka) of Buddhism. They brought out Chinese and Tibetan editions to organise the scriptural texts in the great Tripiṭaka. At the same time, they also transmitted Chinese traditional scriptures to India. For example, responding to the request of the Indian king Jieri (Śīlāditya) during the Tang, Chinese Buddhists translated the scriptural text of Daoism, the *Dao de jing*’ (*Classic of the Way and its Power*) to Sanskrit.