On the Jingjiao Text Zhixuan anle jing

Abstract

This article investigates the Jingjiao text Zhixuan anle jing, composed by Jingjing (fl. late 8th to early 9th century) under the Tang dynasty. Focusing on the contact between Jingjing and his contemporary Prajña (fl. late 8th to early 9th century), a Buddhist translator, it compares the Zhixuan anle jing and Prajña’s Dasheng bensheng xindi guan jing in terms of their shared imagery, suggesting that Jingjing’s text may have been composed after the production of the Dasheng bensheng xindi guan jing in 811 CE, yet before the suppression of Buddhism started in 843. This article also provides a transcription of the Zhixuan anle jing based on photographs of the manuscripts and the author’s punctuated version. In this way, it offers a new understanding of Jingjing’s obscure life and his contact with Buddhism.