A study of lost early Buddhist bibliographic catalogues

Abstract The Buddhist sutras catalogues are the basis for the study of Buddhist history and literature, but most of the early Buddhist catalogues have vanished, and there were also many discrepancies in the records of later generations. Based on previous scholarship, this article offers a detailed study of the eleven sutras catalogues that were lost before the Tang Dynasty. The authenticity, authorship, dates of compilation, contents, and characteristics of these sutras catalogues are examined in order to present an overall picture of pre-Tang Buddhist sutras catalogues.