The Significance of the Dunhuang Jiangjing Wen for Chinese Literary History
The Significance of the Dunhuang Jiangjing Wen for Chinese Literary History

Author(s): Věnceslava Hrdličková
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies, Sociology of the arts, business, education, Sociology of Literature
Published by: Univerzita Palackého v Olomouci
Keywords: Chinese Buddhist literature; Dunhuang texts; jiangjing wen; Weimojie jiangjing wen; Vimalakirti Sutra;
Summary/Abstract: The jiangjing wen, i.e., explanations of the sutras, are considered transitional texts that, within Chinese literary history, represent the link between the religious and the secular spheres on the one hand and the oral storytelling with written prose and verse on the other. They are closely connected with the Tang dynasty’s sujiang, i.e. popular preaching, which evolved from religious sermons to more secular, entertaining forms, especially after the persecution of Buddhists in 845. This transition is evident in the lively and colorful descriptions within the jiangjing wen, which is rich in narrative detail and poetic metaphors. Moreover, these texts incorporate elements of everyday life and typical Chinese cultural features into the religious narrative and, thus, create an atmosphere that makes the story more relatable to the audience. This paper illustrates the transformation of Indian religious texts into epic narratives by analyzing fragments from the Weimojie jiangjing wen, whose skeleton is formed by quotations from Vimalakirti Sutra.

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