Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c15.s2.t13: Zhou Shujia
Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c15.s2.t13
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Zhou Shujia
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Zhou Shujia (1899-1970) was a Chinese Buddhist expert. He was originally named Ming Kui, styled Zhi He and assumed Yun Yin, Yan Ji or Cang Yan. He was born in Zhide County (now Dongzhi County), Anhui Province.
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He was born into a family of courtiers. His grandfather Zhou Fu used to be Governor of the Jiangnan Province (Jiangsu and Anhui today) and Jiangxi Province in the Qing Dynasty. His father Zhou Xuexi used to serve as the Financial Chief of Beiyang Government. In 1918, he began to study at Tongji Medical School (Tongji University today) and later, studied the Buddhism. In 1930, he arrived in Peiping (now Beijing) and successively taught Buddhism in Peking University, Tsinghua University, China University, Zhongfa University, Fu Jen University and Minguo University. In 1932, he took part in sorting out the transcribing Buddhism scriptures of Dunhuang reserved in Peiping Library and examined and corrected the name of volumes. In 1933, he took charge of the scripture engraving department to collate and engrave *Collection of Biographies of Eminent Monks* and *Xingxiang Jingyao*. In 1936, the Bodhi Society of Beijing was founded and he became an Executive Director. In the same year, he, together with other figures from the Buddhist community, edited and published the monthly magazine *Weimiaosheng*. Also in 1936, he began to serve as the Director General of North China Buddhist Lodge. In 1940, he founded the Lodge Library and Chinese Buddhist College in Ruiying Temple. In 1941, he founded the Buddhist Painting Research Institute and gave lectures in person in a bid to cultivate research talents in Buddhist art. In the same year, he also founded the Buddhist Institute and compiled numerous manuscripts. In 1953, he founded the Buddhist Association of China and served as the Deputy Director, during which he led the compilation of the *Encyclopedia of Buddhism*, the rubbing of Fangshan Buddhist classics and the investigation of grotto across the nation. After the Buddhist Association of China established the Buddhist Academy of China in Fayuan Temple in 1956, he became the President and concurrent academic dean of the Buddhist Academy of China. In the same year, he was accepted as a life member of Maha Bodhi Society.
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Zhou Shujia
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His works include *Fragments of Writings by Mouzi* (1930), *Fa Hua Jing An Le Xing Yi Ji* (1931), *Commentaries on Image of Abhisheka Sutra* (1931), *Commentaries on the Vaiduryaprabharaj Sutra* (1933), *Studies on Vijnaptimatrata* (1934), *Collection of Bodhisattva Precepts* (1935) and *New Examples of Hetuvidya* (1936). Thanks to the textual research of *Fragments of Writings by Mouzi*, *Lihuolun* by Mouzi was confirmed to be written by Mou Rong, hermit in the Han Dynasty under the rule of Emperor Xian and reflected the situation when Buddhism was introduced into China in late Eastern Han Dynasty, which is of great significance to studying the development history of Buddhism in early stages. He also had other 50-plus treatises that were included in *Weimiaosheng*, *The Buddhism*, *Modern Buddhism*, among other publications. He made great contributions to China’s Buddhist studies, Buddhist education and the inheritance and development of Buddhist culture. In 2006, Zhonghua Book Company published his *Complete Buddhism Works of Zhou Shujia*.
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(Zhang Ran)