A Study of Various Aspects of Biography of the Buddha and Buddha’s Previous Lives: About Shakuson Eden, a Tibetan Illustrated Biography of the Buddha Śākyamuni in Tohkan TADA’s Collection

Basic Research Division
Specific Research Grants (Joint)
A Study of Various Aspects of Biography of the Buddha and Buddha’s Previous Lives:
About “Shakuson Eden”, a Tibetan Illustrated Biography of the Buddha Śākyamuni
in Tohkan TADA’s collection
FY 2024 to FY 2025

Principal Investigator

Tomoko Iwata (Professor, Ryukoku Museum)

Co-Investigators

Masaaki Nohnin (Professor, Faculty of Letters, Ryukoku University)
Kensuke Okamoto (Professor, Faculty of Letters, Ryukoku University)
Akira Miyaji (Emeritus Professor, Ryukoku University)
Shoko Nimura (Former Research Assistant, Ryukoku Museum)
Natsuko Akabane (Research Assistant, Ryukoku Museum)
Shin Amano (Part-time lecturer, Ryukoku University)

Research Type

Joint Research

Overview

This project will study the various materials already collected regarding the Tibetan Illustrated Biography of the Buddha Śākyamuni (“Shakuson Eden“), which was donated to Tada Tōkan (1890-1967), a Buddhist monk associated with Nishi Honganji in 1937, in accordance with the will of the 13th Dalai Lama. It will also collect additional related materials, conduct basic research, gather information, and study several other illustrated biographies of the Buddha with newly discovered connections to the Shakuson Eden.
Tada Tōkan was dispatched to Tibet in 1912 as a monk studying abroad, as part of the Otani Expeditions, under the order of the 22nd Head of Nishi Honganji, Kōzui Ōtani, in order to study Tibetan Buddhist culture. For about ten years, until he returned to Japan in March 1923, he studied the precepts and monastic discipline of both Early Buddhist Schools and Mahayana Buddhism, which traces back to India. He became an official Tibetan Buddhist monk and devoted himself to his studies while living in a monastery. He received direct instruction from the 13th Dalai Lama, the highest political and religious leader in Tibet. After returning to Japan, he collaborated with various academic research institutions in Japan, including our university and the Toyo Bunko, to organize and study the Tibetan Tripitaka and Buddhist art materials, and to publish the results of his research. In 1960, he was awarded the Japan Academy Prize.
Shakuson Eden (color on cotton, Hanamaki City Museum) is believed to have been produced in Tibet in the 17th century. This illustrated biography of the Buddha depicts approximately 120 scenes from the life of the Buddha, making it a huge and rare collection even by Asian standards. However, it is not well known even within Japan at present (in fact, many were amazed when this illustration was discussed at the international research conference Japanese Association for Tibetan Studies just before the COVID-19 pandemic), and research is still ongoing. This illustration is central to our study.
In addition, while continuing to collect examples of illustrated biographies of the Buddha, we have also had the opportunity to collect illustrated biographies of the Buddha’s previous lives, which depicts stories of Śākyamuni’s past lives. In this collaborative research project, we will conduct further research, including these newly discovered examples. In addition, we will continue to study and organize unsorted materials related to the Tada Tōkan materials held by Toyo Bunko (such as unpublished translation research notes).

Philological Study of Sacred Shin Buddhist Texts: Vasubandhu’s Wuliangshoujing-lun as a Model Case

Basic Research Division
Specific Research Grants (Joint)
Philological Study of Sacred Shin Buddhist Texts: Vasubandhu’s Wuliangshoujing-lun as a Model Case.
FY 2024 to FY 2025

Principal Investigator

Junshin Uchida (Associate Professor, Faculty of Letters, Ryukoku University)

Co-Investigators

Daigo Sasaki (Professor, Ryukoku University Junior College)
Yasunori Mibu (Lecturer, Faculty of Policy Science, Ryukoku University)
Ryuhei Ueno (Part-time lecturer, Ryukoku University)
Toshiro Tsujimoto (Visiting Researcher, Asia Research Institute, Osaka University of Economics and Law)
Yuki Takatsukasa (Faculty of Business Administration, Kyoto University)
Yosuke Tsugawa (Part-time Lecturer/Research Assistant, Faculty of Letters / Research Center for World Buddhist Cultures, Ryukoku University)
Yusei Kitayama (Part-time lecturer, Ryukoku University)

Research Type

Joint Research

Overview

This research aims to achieve a more rigorous understanding of essential documents in the doctrinal history of Jōdo Shinshū, with particular attention to The Pure Land Writings of the Seven Patriarchs. To do so, we will conduct a detailed critique of the text, introducing the historical context in which the documents were created. To this end, we plan to focus on Vasubandhu’s Wuliangshoujing-lun, and make a critically edited text and a translation with commentary based on it. This will provide the basic materials for elucidating the Pure Land Buddhist thought found in Vasubandhu’s Wuliangshoujing-lun, Tanluan’s Ōjōronchū (Commentary on the Treatise on Rebirth in the Pure Land), which was based on it, and Shinran’s works, including Kyōgyōshinshō (The True Teaching, Practice, Faith, and Realization).

Reflections on the State of Mind in Mahayana Buddhism and Islam: Between Earthly Desires and Love

Basic Research Division
Specific Research Grants (Joint)
Reflections on the State of Mind in Mahayana Buddhism and Islam: Between Earthly Desires and Love.
FY 2025 to FY 2026

Principal Investigator

Tosei Sano (Professor, Faculty of International Studies, Ryukoku University)

Co-Investigators

Mitsuya Dake (Professor, Faculty of International Studies, Ryukoku University)
Takeshi Yokoyama (Assistant Professor, University of Tsukuba)
Sepideh Afrashteh (PD, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science)

Research Type

Joint Research

Overview

This comparative study will examine the states of mind regarding enlightenment and salvation to explore points of contact between Buddhism and Islam. In Buddhism, it was believed that during the formative process that gave rise to Mahayana Buddhism, mental aspects known as earthly desires had to be overcome in order to attain enlightenment. In Islam, some of these desires were not initially viewed negatively as human desires. In Islamic mysticism, however, they came to be viewed negatively from an ascetic standpoint. On the other hand, love as a state of mind leading to enlightenment is perceived positively in Mahayana Buddhism as the compassion of Amida Buddha through the chanting of the Nembutsu and our feeling of love for Buddha, and in Islam as mutual love between self and God through mystical prayer. This study will explore the common ground between the two religions in terms of salvation through the compassion of God and Buddha for humanity, which finds itself caught between earthly desires and love. It will also provide clues for the coexistence of these religions.

The Research on the Bibliograph of Dasheng da yizhang (大乗大義章)

Basic Research Division
Specific Research Grants (Individual)
The Research on the Bibliograph of “Dasheng da yizhang ”大乗大義章“
FY 2025

Principal Investigator

Yosuke Tsugawa (Part-time lecturer, Ryukoku University)

Research Type

Individual Research

Overview

This research focuses on the ideological debates between Buddhist monks and Chinese intellectuals in early Chinese Buddhism in the 4th and 5th centuries. The aim is to analyze the understanding of Buddhism underlying the rhetoric and logic that support arguments advocating Buddhism. As part of this project, my goal is to collect ancient manuscripts of Master Kumārajīva’s Treatise on the Essentials of Mahāyāna (also known as the Dasheng da yizhang), a collection of dialogs between Huiyuan of Mount Lu and Kumārajīva, who were active in China in the 4th and 5th centuries. The aim is also to compile basic bibliographic information and create an edited text.

A Fundamental Study of the Concept of Wisdom in the Mendicant Orders of the 13th Century

Basic Research Division
Specific Research Grants (Individual)
A Fundamental Study of the Concept of Wisdom in the Mendicant Orders of the 13th Century
FY 2025

Principal Investigator

Masahiro Yamaguchi (Associate Professor, Faculty of Letters, Ryukoku University)

Research Type

Individual Research

Overview

The modern era demands the coexistence of multiple cultures and religions. When the global development of Buddhism is considered in this context, comparative studies with Christianity provide an essential foundation for deepening mutual understanding and dialogue between the two religions. In particular, in the field of Western medieval thought, comparative research has been conducted in various ways. However, there are still topics that need to be addressed.
As one of these unexamined themes, this research focuses on the 13th-century Western mendicant orders, particularly the Franciscan thinker Bonaventure, and elucidates the characteristics of the concept of wisdom (sapientia). This project aims to reflect recent research findings on ontology and epistemology in this work, thereby deepening our understanding. In addition, by comparing this concept of wisdom with that of Buddhist thought, the project aims to provide a new basis for exploring the relationship between Buddhism and Christianity as world religions.