Lurching towards a canon: Mahāyāna Sūtras in Khotanese garb
The concept of canon centers around authority. Assertions about canonicity both reflect and reshape the structure and the source of authority. In a Buddhist context, processes of canonization are highly fluid and complex, shedding light on the socio-religious landscapes of different Buddhist culture...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Article (Journal) |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2021
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| In: |
Entangled Religions
Year: 2020, Volume: 11, Issue: 6 |
| ISSN: | 2363-6696 |
| DOI: | 10.46586/er.11.2020.8774 |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Resolving-System, kostenfrei, Volltext: https://doi.org/10.46586/er.11.2020.8774 Verlag, kostenfrei, Volltext: https://er.ceres.rub.de/index.php/ER/article/view/8774 
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| Author Notes: | Ruixuan Chen, Heidelberg University, Germany |
| Summary: | The concept of canon centers around authority. Assertions about canonicity both reflect and reshape the structure and the source of authority. In a Buddhist context, processes of canonization are highly fluid and complex, shedding light on the socio-religious landscapes of different Buddhist cultures. The present essay explores the complexities of canonization by focusing on a specific Buddhist culture on the ancient Silk Routes, where Mahāyāna sūtras, a collection of Buddhist literature of disputed authenticity in India, were accepted as scriptural and canonized in a remarkable manner. Through the lens of an indigenous Buddhist poem, the author argues that the reception and canonization of Mahāyāna sūtras give illuminating clues about a pivotal transition in the history of this Buddhist kingdom named Khotan, where both the removal and the bestowal of authority took place. |
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| Physical Description: | Online Resource |
| ISSN: | 2363-6696 |
| DOI: | 10.46586/er.11.2020.8774 |