Zhipan's Account of the History of Buddhism in China: Fozu Tongji, Juan 39-42: From the Sui Dynasty to the Wudai Era

The Fozu tongji by Zhipan (ca. 1220-1275) is a key text of Chinese Buddhist historiography. The core of the work is formed by the "Fayun tongsai zhi," an annalistic history of Buddhism in China, which extends through Fozu tongji , juan 34-48. Thomas Jülch now presents a translation of the "Fayun tongsai zhi" in three volumes. This second volume covers the annalistic display from the Sui dynasty to the end of the Wudai period. Offering elaborate annotations, Jülch succeeds in clarifying the backgrounds to the historiographic contents, which Zhipan presents in highly essentialized style. Jülch identifies the sources for the historical traditions Zhipan refers to, and when accounts presented by Zhipan are inaccurate or imprecise, he points out how the relevant matter is depicted in the sources Zhipan relies on. Consistently employing these means in reliable style Jülch defines a new standard for translations of medieval Chinese historiographic texts.