Chindian Myth of Mulian Rescuing His Mother On Indic Origins of the Yulanpen Stra: Debate and Discussion

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This book addresses the thorny issue regarding the authenticity of the Yulanpen Stra with a view to clearing up the centuries-long confusion and controversy surrounding its translation and transmission in China. The main objective of this study is thus to check and confirm the authenticity of the Yulanpen Stra, which features Mulian adventuring into the Preta realm to rescue his mother.

Traditionally attributed to the Indo-scythian Dharmaraka (Ch. Zhu Fahu, ca. 266-308) as the translator, the stra is now widely believed to have been created by Chinese Buddhists to foster sinicisation and transformation of Indian Buddhism on the grounds that there is no extant Yulanpen Stra in Indic sources and that the stra stresses Confucian filial piety and ancestor worship, amongst others. Through a critical review of the major arguments prevailing in modern scholarship against its authenticity and a close examination of textual and contextual evidence concerning the Yulanpen Stra, this book shall demonstrate that filial piety and ancestor worship are also deeply rooted in ancient Indian culture and that the Mulian myth reflects the recurring motif of rescuing the hungry ghost of a sinful mother in Indian mythology and religious literature.

In so doing, this book shall shed new light on the Indic origins of the Yulanpen Stra and the Ghost Festival in general and of the Mulian myth and the Mulian drama the oldest Chinese ritual drama that has been alive onstage for nearly one thousand years in particular.

Author Bio

Xiaohuan Zhao is an Associate Professor of Chinese Literary and Theatre Studies at the University of Sydney.