Study on Translation and Study of Chinese Buddhist Works in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society in the 19th Century

Abstract

In the 19th century, Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society published a wealth of articles on Chinese Buddhism, serving as a recorder and witness to the study of Chinese Buddhism in the UK. Historical research on this journal has found that the journal leveraged the efforts of Westerners residing in China to conduct surveys of Buddhist works in China, obtaining important bibliographies of Chinese Buddhist works. Secondly, the journal placed great emphasis on the translation of Chinese Buddhist works, gathering and nurturing a group of British scholars in the translation of Chinese Buddhist works, and the most representative among them was the missionary Samuel Beal, the journal became the first publication site for many important English translations of Chinese Buddhist works. More importantly, the journal also valued the comparative study of Chinese Buddhist works and Sanskrit Buddhist works, promoting the study of Chinese Buddhist works from a comparative perspective. It can be said that the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society holds an important position in the history of Chinese Buddhist studies in the UK during the 19th century.