Zhōng yīn jīng 中陰經
The Sūtra on the Intermediate State (Antarābhava) by 竺佛念 (Zhú Fóniàn, 譯)
About the work
This 2-fascicle text by 竺佛念 Zhú Fóniàn treats the Buddhist doctrine of the zhōng yīn 中陰 (Skt. antarābhava) — the intermediate state between death and rebirth, a controversial topic in Indian Buddhist abhidharma. The Mahāyāna Zhōng yīn jīng presents the bodhisattva-perspective on this transitional state.
Abstract
The translation belongs to Zhú Fóniàn’s Yáo-Qín period (365–411 CE).
Translations and research
- Cuevas, Bryan J. The Hidden History of the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Oxford University Press, 2003 — for the broader antarābhava tradition.