Once Upon A Future Time: Studies In A Buddhist Prophecy Of Decline (nanzan Studies In Asian Religions)

An in-depth study of Buddhist theories of the decline and disappearance of their own religion. Nattier's work challenges previous assumptions on this topic and focuses on the critical study of the "Kausambi Story," a Buddhist prophecy of decline, in its Tibetan, Central Asian, and Chinese variants. Contents Acknowledgements Transliteration Conventions Special Symbols Abbreviations Map PART 1 - BUDDHIST CONCEPTS OF HISTORY AN OVERVIEW: 1 The Death of the Dharma: PreUminary Considerations 2 Frameworks of Buddhist Historical Though Cosmological Traditions Narrative Traditions The Agganna-suttanata The Cakhavatti-sihanada-suttanta The Scholastic Tradition Buddhological Traditions Seven Buddhas of the Past Twenty-five Buddhas of the Past Five Buddhas of the Bhadrakalpa One Thousand Ruddhas of the Bhadrakalpa Cosmos and liuddhology: Integrating the Systems 3 The Timetables of Decline Five Hundred Years "Five Hundred After-Years" Seven Hundred Years One Thousand Years Non-Mahayana Traditions 42 MahiySna Traditions 46 One Thousand Five Hundred Years Two Thousand Years Two Thousand Five Hundred Years Five Thousand Years Five Thousand One Hundred and Four Years Ten Thousand Years and Beyond Overview: The Evolution of Buddhist Timetables of Decline 4 The East Asian Tripartite System: Cheng-fa, Hsiang-fa and Mo-fa "The True Dharma and Its Shadow: and Saddharma-pratirupaka Sectarian Distribution Historical Range Significance of the Term Saddharmci'PTatiriipaka: Toward a Usable Translation Mo-fa: The Age of the Final Dharma Sanskrit Counterparts of Mo-fa Mo-fa and the Three-period System Mo-Shih and Mo-fa: The Emergence of the "Final Age" The "Latter Age in Indian Sources The Background ot Mo-fa Thought: The Hephthalitc Hypothesis Summary: The East Asian Origins of the Three-Period System 5 Within and Without: The Causes of Decline Internal Causes: Laxity within the Sangha External Causes Incursions from Without Type 1: Foreign Invasions The Kauiambi Story The Mihirakula Story Type 2: Excessive State Control The Humane Kings Sutra Within and Without: Patronage and its Side Effects Narrative and Prophecy: The Kau^ambl Story 6 Conclusions: Time and History in Buddhist Consciousness PART 2 - CASE STUDY THE KAU^AMBI PROPHECY: 7 Versions of the Kausambi Story The Mahdvibhasa The Asoka-avadana Group The Prophecy of Katyayana (verse) The Prophecy of Katyayana (prose) The Mahamdaya-sutra The Candragarbka-Sutra group Lace Rhotanese Adaptations Prophecy of the Arhat of Khotan Prophecy of the Arhat Sarnghavardhana The Religious Annals of Khotan Summary: Varieties of the Kausambl Prophecy 8 Origins and Transmission of the Kausambi Prophecy Constructing a Stemma: Methodology Description of the Reconstructed Archetype and Hyparchetypes From Stemma to Story: Reconstructing the Original Kausambi Tale Sources of the Story: The Historical Setting 9 The Tibetan Candragarbha-sutra: Text and Translation The Tibetan Texts The Tun-huang Manuscript The Narthang Group Other Xylograph Editions Relationship Among the Texts Editorial Emendation in the Xylograph Editions English Translation of the Tibetan Text: Methodology Translation: The Arya-Candragarbha-Pariprcch-Sutra Notes to the Translation Tibetan Text 10 Conciusions: The Fate of the Kausambi Story Appendix: Proper Names in the Kausambi Story Bibliography Index The Death Of The Dharma: Preliminary Considerations -- Frameworks Of Buddhist Historical Thought -- The Timetables Of Decline -- The East Asian Tripartite System: Cheng-fa, Hsiang-fa, And Mo-fa -- Within And Without: The Causes Of Decline -- Conclusions: Time And History In Buddhist Consciousness -- Versions Of The Kauśāmbī Story -- Origins And Transmission Of The Kauśāmbī Prophecy -- The Tibetan Candragarbha-sūtra: Text And Translation -- Conclusions: The Fate Of The Kauśāmbī Story. Jan Nattier. Revision Of The Author's Doctoral Dissertation (harvard University). Includes Bibliographical References (p. [296]-308) And Index.