Dharma Drum Journal of Buddhist Studies

       The exposition of śāstra continues to exist as a living tradition within contemporary Chinese Buddhism, playing an essential religious role characterized by its intellectual, philosophical, and normative dimensions. Regardless of the various methodological approaches adopted in Buddhist studies, śāstra remains a primary subject of research and has achieved more sophisticated results than in the past. However, the study of śāstra as a category or genre of religion and culture is rare, a situation that began to change paradigmatically due to Sheldon Pollock’s excavation of the Indian Sanskrit tradition of śāstras. Previously, much research had not clearly articulated the roles played by śāstras within their respective traditions or cultures, how they functioned, how they were read, and more importantly, how they were utilized. In light of these concerns, this special issue originally aimed to systematically explore several questions: What constitutes a śāstra as a religious genre in Indian and Chinese Buddhist traditions? How are śāstras composed? How do śāstras gain transmission through commentaries and sub-commentaries? How are they expounded upon in actual religious contexts? What is the relationship between exposition and practical application? Whether in India, China, Tibet, Korea, Japan, or Vietnam, what is the production and circulation of śāstras and their commentaries (such as Dunhuang manuscripts, Japanese Buddhist manuscripts in the ancient and Edo periods, and the Korean and Vietnamese prints or manuscripts)? How are śāstras related to rituals (especially in Esoteric Buddhism and Shingon Buddhism)? What are the local characteristics of lecturing activities? How are communities of śāstra lecturing formed? How do different communities of lecturers compete with each other? What is the relationship between lecturing and debating? How does traditional śāstra lecturing relate to the formation of modern "Buddhist philosophy"? During the transmission process, especially from India to East Asia, what changes have occurred in the form of śāstras? How are śāstras translated and related to local languages and literary traditions? What role do śāstras play in scholastic education? Due to the vast and complex nature of these questions, they cannot be fully addressed in a single special issue, let alone in an introduction. Therefore, this introduction merely touches upon the nature of Indian śāstras, from which Buddhist śāstras are derived, and their cultural functions, and outlines the fundamental purpose of this special issue based on existing relevant research. Comprehensive and systematic research in these areas will require ongoing exploration in the future.

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