Chinese Interpretations of Indian Buddhism: From the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Upadeśa’s “Three Samādhis” to Zhiyi’s “Threefold Contemplation”

• Main Authors: Rachel Peit Ling Leong, 梁佩玲 (釋有在)
• Other Authors: Shi Huifeng
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2014
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/8qnv89

碩士 === 佛光大學 === 佛教學系 === 102 === This study examines the early Mahāyāna commentary, the Upadeśa through the doctrinal and practical aspects of the three samādhis and how it has influenced the thoughts and practices of Zhiyi’s threefold contemplation. The approach on examining Zhiyi’s relation to the Upadeśa through our position in the historical and textual context of the Upadeśa and of Zhiyi has opened up to a strong implication and verification of their connection. In addition, our brief study on the citation of the Upadeśa in Zhiyi’s extant textual exegeses indicated his frequent usages of the commentary both in his early and later works. Above all, Zhiyi’s development of his threefold contemplation connects to the concept of three samādhis through the continual application of his theoretical taxonomy, where he uses the six gates to the sublime to relate to the three samādhis and to the threefold contemplation in his early works. Likewise, his usage of the fourfold teachings in relation to both the meditative absorptions (three samādhis and threefold contemplation) in his later works. This has developed and expanded further to Zhiyi’s application of his threefold pattern and framework onto existing concepts and his development of the contemplation on the three insights in one thought and the three aspects of knowledge in one mind.