The Date of the Fahua zhuanji 法華伝記 and the Significance of the Biography of Shi Zhiyuan 釋志遠

Abstract

The Fahua zhuanji 法華伝記, arguably regarded as having been written in the Tang dynasty, contains biographies of monks and secular people who experienced miracles related to the Lotus Sūtra. Since this work deals with miracle tales, in studying the history of ideas, researchers have not yet paid serious attention to its significance as an important source.

In this paper, I examine various hypotheses concerning the date of the Fahua zhuanji, and the related significance of the biography of Shi Zhiyuan 釋志遠. It has been thought by many that the Fahua zhuanji was written in the middle of the Tang dynasty. However, I argue that it is more valid to think that it was actually composed during the latter half of the Tang period.