The Coexistence of Purity and Impurity in Buddha-lands in Jizang’s 吉蔵 Writings

Abstract

In this paper, I consider the coexistence of both purity and impurity in Buddha-lands in Jizang’s 吉蔵 writings. In the literature of Chinese Buddhism from the Eastern Jin東晋until the Northern and Southern dynasties period, we find an important question why purity and impurity could co-exist in Buddha-lands, based on the theory of the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka法華経 and the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa 維摩経.This issue was already being actively discussed at the time of Jizang’s composition of the Fahua xuanlun 法華玄論.There was a common understanding that this issue was very difficult to understand. In response, Jizang wrote the Huayan youyi 華厳遊意,and deepened the thinking about this question.