Xīnbiān zhūzōng jiàozàng zǒnglù 新編諸宗教藏總錄
The Newly Compiled General Catalog of the Various Schools’ Teaching-Treasury by 義天 (錄), = Uichon 義天 (1055–1101)
About the work
A three-juan Goryeo-Korean Buddhist canonical-bibliographic catalog, the foundational document of the Goryeo continuation supplement (續藏 xùzàng) project, compiled by Uichon 義天 (Korean Uichon = Korean transcription of 義天 Yìtiān; 1055–1101), the famous Goryeo prince-monk and Buddhist scholar. Compiled in 1090 CE. Preserved at T55 no. 2184. notBefore = 1090, notAfter = 1090. Catalog dynasty 高麗 (Goryeo).
The work is the principal documentary witness to Uichon’s massive cross-East-Asian Buddhist textual-collection project: he traveled to Sòng China in 1085–1086 and gathered Buddhist textual materials from across East Asia (Sòng, Liáo, Japanese, Korean sources), then compiled the present catalog as the framework for the Goryeo continuation canon project (Goryeo Xùzàng 續藏) that he subsequently sponsored. The Goryeo continuation canon — printed at the Hǎiyìnsì 海印寺 between 1091 and 1101 — was a major preservation effort that incorporated many texts (commentaries, sectarian writings, less-canonical materials) that had not been included in the standard canonical-roster of the Tang and Sòng catalogs.
The 3-juan structure organizes the materials by school and genre, providing what is essentially an East-Asia-wide commentarial-tradition catalog of late-11th-century Buddhist scholarly output. The work is one of the principal documents of Goryeo Buddhism’s leading role in pre-modern Korean intellectual culture — Uichon being himself the fourth son of Goryeo Mun-jong 文宗 (Wáng Hwi 王徽).
Translations and research
- Robert E. Buswell, Jr., The Formation of Ch’an Ideology in China and Korea: The Vajrasamadhi-Sutra, a Buddhist Apocryphon (Princeton, 1989) — context for Goryeo Buddhism.
- Sem Vermeersch, The Power of the Buddhas: The Politics of Buddhism during the Koryŏ Dynasty (918-1392) (Harvard, 2008) — comprehensive treatment of Goryeo Buddhism including Uichon.
- Hée-Sung Keel, Chinul: The Founder of the Korean Sŏn Tradition (Berkeley, 1984) — context for Korean Buddhism.
Links
- DILA authority: (Uichon may have a separate Korean Buddhist authority entry; not in the Chinese DILA)
- CBETA: T55n2184
- Author: Uichon 義天 (1055–1101), Goryeo prince-monk and Buddhist scholar
- Project: Goryeo continuation canon 續藏 (printed at Hǎiyìnsì 海印寺, 1091–1101)
- Imperial sponsor: Goryeo Mun-jong 文宗 (Uichon’s father, r. 1046–1083)