The Chinese Buddhist Canon

The Chinese Buddhist canon is an organized collection of Buddhist texts translated or written in Chinese. Its main contents center on translated Buddhist works brought into China from Indian and Central Asian regions and are supplemented with numerous texts written in Chinese. The Chinese Buddhist canon exists in three forms: manuscript editions, stone canon, and printed editions. The early editions of the Chinese Buddhist canon were handwritten and copied by scribes. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, different versions of the canon were available through hand-copying and were stored in royal palaces and Buddhist monasteries. The formation of the Chinese Buddhist canon involved a complicated religious, social, and textual practice, which deserves careful study. The Chinese Buddhist canon is still an important part of a living tradition, and nowadays some of its followers are quickly embracing the digital revolution.