魏道儒

2006年底，在制订世界宗教研究所佛教研究室科研项目规划的时候，我想到国内外学术界还没有编写出一部佛教的世界通史类著作，就与几位同事商量，确定申报中国社会科学院重大课题——《世界佛教通史》。该课题于2007年8月正式立项，2012年12月结项，其后又列选为中国社会科学院创新工程项目进行修改完善。呈现在读者朋友面前的这部书，就是当年同名课题的最终成果。

在申报《世界佛教通史》课题的时候，我们按照要求规划设计了相关研究范围、指导思想、撰写原则、主要问题、研究思路、预期目标等。八年多来，我们就是按照这些既定方案开展研究工作的。

“佛教”最早被定义为释迦牟尼佛的“说教”，其内容包括被认为是属于释迦牟尼的所有理论和实践。这个古老的、来自佛教信仰群体内部的定义尽管有很大的局限性，但由于强调了佛教起源于古代印度的史实，突出了释迦牟尼作为创教者的权威地位，符合了广大信众的崇拜需求，不仅长期获得公认，而且影响到现代人们对佛教的认识和理解。我们认为，“佛教”是起源于古代印度，在不同国家和地区流行了2500多年的一种世界性宗教，包含着不同国家和地区信教群众共同创造的精神产品和物质产品。我们这样理解“佛教”既与古老的定义不矛盾，又更符合这种宗教的历史发展事实，同时，也自然确定了我们这部《世界佛教通史》的研究范围和对象。

我们的《世界佛教通史》是一部佛教的世界通史，主要论述佛教从起源到20世纪在世界范围内的兴衰演变的主要过程。我们希望以辩证唯物主义和历史唯物主义为指导，坚持历史与逻辑相统一的原则，以史学和哲学方法为主，同时借鉴考古学、文献学、宗教社会学、宗教人类学、宗教心理学、宗教比较学、文化传播学等相关学科的理论和方法，在收集、整理、辨析第一手资料（个别部分除外）的基础上，全方位、多角度对世界范围内的佛教历史进行深入研究。

在考虑具体撰写原则时，我们本着“原始察终，见盛观衰”的史学原则，对每一研究对象既进行梳理脉络的纵向贯通，又进行考察制约该对象变化的多种因素的横向贯通。我们在论述不同国家和地区的佛教时，希望始终联系制约佛教兴衰变化的政治、经济、民族、科学技术和思想文化等因素，始终将宏观把握和微观探索结合起来，系统阐述众多的佛教思潮、派系、典籍、人物、事件、制度等，并且兼及礼俗、典故、圣地、建筑、文学、艺术等。我们强调重视学术的继承和规范，并且力争在思想创新、观点创新和内容创新三方面都取得成果。我们以“叙述史实，说明原因，解决问题”为研究导向和撰写原则，对纷繁复杂的研究对象进行实事求是、客观公正的阐述和评价。

我们在确定本课题的主要研究问题时已经注意到，在不同的国家和地区，在不同的历史阶段，同是佛教，甚至同是佛教中的某一个宗派，往往具有截然不同的内在精神和外在风貌。佛教在不同国家和地区中的政治地位、经济地位、法律地位，在当地思想文化体系中的位置和发挥的作用，在社会民众心目中的形象和价值，都是千差万别的。当我们综观世界范围内的佛教时，看到的不是色调单一而是绚丽多彩，不是停滞僵化而是变动不居。我们在研究不同的国家、地区和民族中的佛教时，一定会遇到特殊的情况、独有的内容和需要侧重解决的问题。对于各卷作者在研究中捕捉到的特殊问题，建议他们独立制订解决方案，提出解决办法。从本部书各卷必定要涉及的一些共同研究内容方面考虑，我们当时要求相关各卷侧重研究如下四个方面的问题。

第一，佛教的和平传播问题。

佛教从地方宗教发展成为亚洲宗教，再发展成为世界宗教，始终以和平的方式传播，始终与政治干预、经济掠夺和文化殖民没有直接联系，始终没有因为传教引发战争。我们可以看到，无论在古代还是在近代，无论在中国还是在外国，成功的、有影响的佛教传教者都不是以武力胁迫人们信教，都是以其道德高尚、佛学精湛、善于劝导和感化人而赢得信众。佛教的和平传播在世界宗教史上是独一无二的，可以说，这为当今世界各种文明之间建立联系提供了可资学习、借鉴的样板。关于佛教的和平传播问题，学术界虽然已经涉及，但是还没有推出结合佛教在不同国家和地区的具体情况进行集中论述的论著。我们希望本部书的相关各卷结合佛教在不同国家和地区的具体情况，比较全面系统地研究佛教和平传播的方式、过程，研究佛教传播与社会、政治、经济、文化等因素以及与自身教义之间的关联，探索佛教和平传播的内在规律。我们当时设想，如果能够对佛教和平传播问题进行更全面、更系统的考察、分析和评论，就会为学术界以后专门探讨佛教在不同文化中传播的方式、途径、过程、特点和规律建立更广泛的参照系统，提供更多的史实依据，确定更多的观察视角，列举更多的分析标本。我们认为，本部书有关各卷加强这方面的研究，对于加深认识今天全球范围内的宗教传播和文化传播具有重要现实意义。毫无疑问，这种研究也将会丰富文化传播学的内容。

第二，佛教的本土化问题。

佛教本土化是指佛教为适应所传地区的社会、民族、政治、经济和文化而发生的一切变化，既包括信仰、教义方面的变化，也包括组织、制度方面的变化。在有佛教流传的国家和地区，佛教本土化过程涉及社会的各个方面，从经济基础到上层建筑都会受到影响。从帝王到庶民的社会各阶层，包括信仰者和非信仰者、支持者和反对者、同情者和厌恶者都会不同程度地参与进来，对佛教本土化进程的深度、广度以及前进方向施加影响、发挥作用。正因为佛教本土化的出现，才使佛教在流传地有可能扎根、生长，才使当今世界各地区的佛教有了鲜明的民族特色。无论在任何国家和地区，佛教本土化的过程都是曲折反复、波谲云诡。如果只有温柔的相拥，没有无情的格斗；如果只有食洋不化的照搬照抄，没有别开生面的推陈出新，佛教要想在任何社会、民族和文化中扎根、生长都是不可想象的。学术界对佛教本土化问题虽有涉及，但研究还不够全面和深入，并且有许多研究空白。例如，对于19世纪到20世纪东方佛教的西方转型问题，就基本没有涉及。我们要求相关各卷把研究佛教的本土化问题作为一个重点，不同程度地探索各个国家和地区佛教形成本土特色的原因，描述佛教与当地社会、政治、经济和文化相互冲突、相互协调、相互适应的过程，分析导致佛教在特定区域、特定历史阶段或扎根生长、或蓬勃兴旺、或衰败落寞、或灭绝断根的诸多因素，以便准确描述佛教在世界各地呈现出的多种多样的姿态、色彩。我们相信，本书加强这方面的研究，一定会填补诸多学术空白，加深对各个国家和地区佛教的认识。

第三，佛教教义体系、礼仪制度和文化艺术的关系问题。

在世界各大宗教中，佛教以典籍最丰富、文化色彩最浓重、思想教义最庞杂著称。在以佛教典籍为载体的庞大佛教教义体系中，不胜枚举的各类系统的信仰学说、哲学思想、修行理论等，都是内容极为丰富、特点极为突出、理论极为精致、影响极为深远的。仅就佛教对生命现象的考察之系统全面，对人的精神活动分析之细致周密，为消除人生苦难设计的方案之数量众多，就是其他宗教望尘莫及的。无论在古代还是在近现代，诸如此类的佛教基本理论对不同阶层信仰者都有强大吸引力和持久影响力。各国家和地区的历代信仰者往往从佛教的教义体系中寻找到了人生智慧，汲取了精神营养，感受了心灵慰藉。相对来说，佛教的教义体系历来成为学术界关注的重点，研究得比较充分。但是，佛教是以共同信仰为纽带、遵守相同道德规范和生活制度的社会组织，所具有的并不仅仅是教义思想。除了教义体系之外，佛教赖以发挥宗教作用和社会影响的还有礼仪制度和文化艺术。相对来说，对于佛教的教义体系、礼仪制度、文化艺术三者之间的有机联系，各自具有的宗教功能和社会功能，三者在决定佛教兴衰变化中所起的不同作用等问题，学术界就涉及比较少了。我们希望本部书的相关各卷把研究佛教教义体系、礼仪制度和文化艺术三者有机结合起来，不仅重视研究三者各自具有的独特内容，而且重视研究三者之间错综复杂的相互关系，考察三者在决定佛教兴衰变化中所起的不同作用。这样一来，我们就有可能纠正只重视某一个方面而忽略其他方面的偏颇，有可能避免把丰富多彩的通史撰写成色调单一的专门史，从而使本部书对佛教的观察角度更多样，整体考察更全面，基本分析更客观。

第四，中国佛教在世界佛教中的地位问题。

中国人对佛教文化的贡献是长期的、巨大的和不可替代的。归纳起来，主要体现在三个方面。其一，中国人保存了佛教资料。从汉代到北宋末年，中国的佛经翻译事业持续了将近一千年，其间参与人数之多、延续时间之长、译出典籍之丰富、产生影响之巨大，在整个人类文化交流史上都是空前的、独一无二的。汉文译籍和中国人写的各类佛教著作保存了大量佛教历史信息。如果没有这些汗牛充栋的汉文资料，从公元前后大乘佛教兴起到公元13世纪古印度佛教湮灭的历史就根本无法复原，就会留下很多空白。其二，中国人弘扬了佛教。佛教起源于古印度，而传遍亚洲，走向世界，其策源地则是中国。中国人弘扬佛教的工作包括求法取经和弘法传经两个方面。所谓“求法取经”，指的是中国人把域外佛教文化传到中国。从三国的朱士行到明朝的官僧，中国人的求法取经历史延续了一千多年。历代西行者出于求取真经、解决佛学疑难问题、促进本国佛教健康发展、瞻仰圣地等不同目的，或者自发结伴，或者受官方派遣，怀着虔诚的宗教感情，勇敢踏上九死一生的险途，把域外佛教传播到中国。所谓“弘法传经”，指的是中国人把具有中国特色的佛教文化传到其他国家。从隋唐到明清的千余年间，中国人持续把佛教从中国传播到了日本、韩国、东南亚等地；近代以来，中国人又把佛教弘扬到亚洲之外的各大洲许多国家。中国人向国外弘法传经延续时间之长、参与人数之多、事迹之感人、成效之巨大，几乎可以与西行求法运动相提并论。中国人的弘法传经与求法取经一样，是整个世界佛教文化交流史上光辉灿烂的阶段，可以作为人类文明交流互鉴取得伟大成就的一个典范。其三，中国人直接参与佛教文化的丰富和发展进程。在两千多年的历史中，中国历代信众直接参与佛教思想文化建设，包括提出新思想、倡导新教义、撰写新典籍、建立新宗派、创造新艺术。可以说，没有中国固有文化对佛教文化的熏陶、滋养和丰富，当今世界佛教就不具备现在这样的风貌和精神。本部书旨在加强研究促成中国在唐宋时期成为世界佛教中心的历史背景、社会阶层、科技状况、国际局势等方面的问题，加强研究中国在促成佛教成为一种世界宗教过程中的作用和地位，加强研究中国在保存、丰富和发展佛教文化方面不可替代的作用。我们应该用世界的眼光审视中国佛教，从中国的立场考察世界佛教，对中国佛教在世界佛教中的地位、作用、价值有更全面、更深刻的认识。我们认为，加强这方面的研究，有利于为中国新文化走向世界提供重要的历史借鉴和思路，有利于我们树立对本民族文化的自觉、自信和自尊，有利于深刻认识佛教在当前中国对内构建和谐社会，对外构建和谐世界方面的重要性。

在收集、筛选、整理、辨析和运用史料方面，我们当时计划整部书切实做到把资料的权威性、可靠性和多样性结合起来，统一起来，从而为叙述、说明、分析和评论提供坚实的资料基础；计划整部书的所有叙述、所有议论以及所有观点都建立在经过考证、辨析可靠资料的基础上。对于能够运用什么样的第一手资料，我们根据当时课题组成员的研究方向、专业特长和发展潜力，确定本部书所采用的资料文本主要来自汉文、梵文、巴利文、藏文、西夏文、傣文、日文、英文、法文、越南文等语种，同时，也希望有些分卷在运用田野调查资料、实物资料方面做比较多的工作。

关于《世界佛教通史》的章节卷册结构，开始考虑并不成熟，仓促确定了一些基本原则。随着研究工作的深入，中间经过几次变动，最后确定本部书由十四卷十五册构成。第一卷和第二卷叙述佛教在印度的起源、发展、兴盛、衰亡乃至在近现代复兴的全过程。第三卷到第八卷是对中国汉传、藏传和南传佛教的全面论述，其中，作为中国佛教主体部分的汉传佛教分为四卷，藏传佛教为一卷两册，南传佛教独立成卷。第九卷到第十一卷依次是日本、韩国和越南的佛教通史。第十二卷是对斯里兰卡和东南亚佛教分国别阐述。第十三卷是对亚洲之外佛教，包括欧洲、北美洲、南美洲、大洋洲、非洲等五大洲主要国家佛教的全景式描述。第十四卷是世界佛教大事年表。对于各卷册的字数规模、所能达到的质量标准等，预先并没有具体规定，只是根据学术界的研究状况和我们课题组成员的具体情况确定了大致原则。当时我们清醒地认识到：本部书涉及范围广、时间跨度大，一方面，国内外学术界在研究不同时段、不同国家和地区佛教方面投入的力量、所取得的成果有很大差异，极不平衡。在这种情况下，有些部分的撰写者由于凭靠的学术研究基础比较薄弱，他们的最终成果难免受到这样或那样的制约和影响。另一方面，课题组主要成员对所负责部分的研究程度不同，有些成员已经在所负责方面出版多部专著，称得上是行家里手；有些成员则对所负责部分刚刚接触，可以说是初来乍到者。对于属于前者的作者，我们当然希望他们致力于捕捉新问题、提出新观点，得出新结论，拿出百尺竿头更进一步的著作；对于属于后者的年轻同事，自然希望他们经过刻苦努力，能够在某些方面有闪光突破，获得具有后来居上性质的成果。鉴于我们的研究工作是在继承、吸收、借鉴以往重要的、高质量的、有代表性的成果的基础上展开的，所以我们既要重视填补学术空白，重视充实薄弱环节，也要强调在重要的内容、问题方面有新发现和新突破。因此，我们要求各卷撰写者在不违背通史体例的情况下，对自己研究深入的内容适当多写一些，对自己研究不够、但作为史书又不能空缺的内容适当少写一些。总之，我们根据学术界的研究状况和课题组成员的能力，尽量争取做到整个《世界佛教通史》的各部分内容比例大体协调、详略基本得当。这里需要说明一下，本书各卷的定名并非完全意义上的现代国家概念，而是根据学术界的惯例来处理的。

当初在考虑《世界佛教通史》的学术价值、理论意义与现实意义方面，我们关注了社会需要、时代需要、理论发展需要、学科发展需要、培养人才需要等方面的问题，并且逐一按要求进行了论证。除此之外，我们也要求各位撰写者叙述尽量客观通俗，注意在可读性方面下些功夫，务使本部书让信教的和不信教的、专业的和非专业的绝大多数读者朋友都能接受，都能获益。

八年多来，课题组每一位成员都认真刻苦工作，为达到预期目标而不懈努力。可以说，每一位撰写者都尽了心、出了力、流了汗、吃了苦。但是，由于我们水平所限，时间所限，《世界佛教通史》不可避免地存在一些缺点、不足和错误，敬请读者朋友批评指正。我们将认真倾听、收集各方面的善意批评和纠错高见，争取本部书再版本错谬减少一些，质量提高一些。

At the end of 2006, when Wei Daoru was formulating the scientific research project plan of the Buddhist Research Office of the Institute of World Religions, I thought that the academic circles at home and abroad had not yet compiled a general history of Buddhism in the world, so I discussed with several colleagues and decided to apply for the major topic of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, "The General History of World Buddhism". The project was officially established in August 2007 and completed in December 2012, and was later selected as an innovative project of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences for revision and improvement. The book presented to readers and friends is the final result of the project of the same name that year. When applying for the topic of "General History of World Buddhism", we planned and designed the relevant research scope, guiding ideology, writing principles, main issues, research ideas, and expected goals according to the requirements. For more than eight years, we have been carrying out our research work in accordance with these established programmes. "Buddhism" was first defined as the "teachings" of Shakyamuni Buddha, and its content included all the theories and practices that were considered to belong to Shakyamuni. Although this ancient definition from within the Buddhist belief group has great limitations, it has not only been recognized for a long time, but also influenced modern people's knowledge and understanding of Buddhism because it emphasizes the historical fact that Buddhism originated in ancient India, highlights the authoritative position of Shakyamuni as the founder, meets the worship needs of the vast number of believers. We believe that "Buddhism" is a world religion that originated in ancient India and has been popular in different countries and regions for more than 2,500 years, containing spiritual and material products jointly created by religious believers in different countries and regions. Our understanding of "Buddhism" in this way not only does not contradict the ancient definition, but is more in line with the historical development of this religion, and at the same time, it naturally determines the scope and object of our study of this "General History of World Buddhism". Our General History of Buddhism in the World is a general history of Buddhism in the world, focusing on the main processes of Buddhism's rise and fall from its origins to the rise and fall of Buddhism in the world in the 20th century. We hope to take dialectical materialism and historical materialism as the guide, adhere to the principle of the unity of history and logic, focus on historical and philosophical methods, and draw on the theories and methods of archaeology, philology, sociology of religion, anthropology of religion, psychology of religion, comparative studies of religion, cultural communication and other related disciplines, on the basis of collecting, collating and discriminating first-hand information (except for some parts), and conduct in-depth research on the history of Buddhism in all directions and from multiple angles. When considering the specific writing principles, we adhere to the historiographic principle of "the original examines the end, sees the prosperity and decline", and examines the vertical connection of each research object and the horizontal penetration of various factors that restrict the change of the object. When we discuss Buddhism in different countries and regions, we hope to always link the political, economic, ethnic, scientific, technological, ideological and cultural factors that restrict the rise and fall of Buddhism, always combine macro grasp with micro exploration, and systematically expound many Buddhist trends, factions, texts, characters, events, systems, etc., as well as rituals, allusions, sacred places, architecture, literature, art, etc. We emphasize the inheritance and standardization of scholarship, and strive to achieve results in three aspects: ideological innovation, viewpoint innovation and content innovation. We take "narrating historical facts, explaining reasons, and solving problems" as the research orientation and writing principle, and expound and evaluate the complex research objects in a realistic, objective and fair manner. When we determine the main research questions of this topic, we have noticed that in different countries and regions and at different historical stages, the same Buddhism, or even the same sect of Buddhism, often has completely different inner spirits and outward outlooks. The political, economic, and legal status of Buddhism in different countries and regions, its position and role in the local ideological and cultural system, and its image and value in the minds of the people are all very different. When we look at Buddhism around the world, we see not monotony but colorful, not stagnant but changeable. When we study Buddhism in different countries, regions, and peoples, we are bound to encounter special situations, unique contents, and problems that need to be addressed. For the particular problems identified by the authors of each volume in their research, it is recommended that they independently develop solutions and propose solutions. In view of some common research that must be covered in the various volumes of this book, we asked the relevant volumes to focus on the following four aspects. First, the issue of the peaceful spread of Buddhism. Buddhism developed from a local religion to an Asian religion and then to a world religion, always spreading peacefully, never directly linked to political intervention, economic plunder, and cultural colonization, and never causing war because of proselytizing. We can see that in ancient times and in modern times, whether in China or abroad, successful and influential Buddhist missionaries did not coerce people to believe in religion by force, but won followers because of their high morality, mastery of Buddhism, and good at persuading and influencing people. The peaceful spread of Buddhism is unique in the history of world religions, and it can be said that it provides a model for learning and drawing on the links between civilizations in the world today. Although the issue of the peaceful spread of Buddhism has been covered by the academic community, it has not yet produced a treatise that focuses on the specific conditions of Buddhism in different countries and regions. We hope that the relevant volumes of this book will comprehensively and systematically study the methods and processes of the peaceful spread of Buddhism in light of the specific conditions of Buddhism in different countries and regions, study the social, political, economic, cultural and other factors of the spread of Buddhism and the relationship between their own teachings, and explore the internal laws of the peaceful spread of Buddhism. At that time, we imagined that if we could conduct a more comprehensive and systematic investigation, analysis and commentary on the peaceful spread of Buddhism, we would establish a broader reference system for the academic community to specifically explore the ways, pathways, processes, characteristics and laws of Buddhism in different cultures, provide more historical evidence, determine more observation perspectives, and list more analytical specimens. We believe that strengthening the study of this area in the relevant volumes of this book is of great practical significance for deepening the understanding of religious and cultural transmission on a global scale today. There is no doubt that this kind of research will also enrich the content of cultural communication. Second, the localization of Buddhism. The localization of Buddhism refers to all changes that have taken place in Buddhism to adapt to the social, ethnic, political, economic, and cultural aspects of the region in which it is transmitted, including changes in beliefs and doctrines, as well as changes in organization and system. In countries and regions where Buddhism is circulating, the process of localizing Buddhism involves all aspects of society, from the economic base to the superstructure. All social strata, from the emperor to the common people, including believers and non-believers, supporters and opponents, sympathizers and disgustants, will participate to varying degrees, influencing and playing a role in the depth, breadth, and direction of the process of Buddhism's indigenization. It is precisely because of the emergence of Buddhism localization that it is possible for Buddhism to take root and grow in the places where it spreads, and that Buddhism in various regions of the world today has distinct national characteristics. No matter in any country or region, the process of localization of Buddhism is tortuous and turbulent. If there is only gentle embrace, there is no merciless fighting; If there is only copying and copying from the West, and there is no unique innovation, it is inconceivable for Buddhism to take root and grow in any society, nation and culture. Although the issue of the localization of Buddhism has been covered by academic circles, the research is not comprehensive and in-depth, and there are many research gaps. For example, the question of the Western transformation of Eastern Buddhism in the 19th and 20th centuries is largely absent. We ask that the relevant volumes focus on the study of the localization of Buddhism, explore to varying degrees the reasons for the formation of local characteristics of Buddhism in various countries and regions, describe the process of conflict, coordination and mutual adaptation between Buddhism and local society, politics, economy and culture, and analyze the many factors that led Buddhism to take root and grow, or flourish, decline and decline, or become extinct in a specific region and specific historical stage, so as to accurately describe the various postures and colors of Buddhism in various parts of the world. We believe that by strengthening this research, this book will certainly fill many academic gaps and deepen the understanding of Buddhism in various countries and regions. Third, the relationship between the Buddhist doctrinal system, the etiquette system, and culture and art. Among the world's major religions, Buddhism is known for having the richest texts, the strongest cultural color, and the most complex ideological teachings. In the huge Buddhist doctrine system with Buddhist texts as the carrier, there are countless various systematic belief doctrines, philosophical thoughts, and practice theories, all of which are extremely rich in content, extremely prominent in characteristics, extremely refined in theory, and extremely far-reaching in influence. The systematic and comprehensive Buddhist investigation of life phenomena, the meticulous analysis of human spiritual activity, and the number of programs designed to eliminate human suffering are unmatched by other religions. Both in ancient and modern times, basic theories such as these have had a strong appeal and lasting influence on people of all walks of life. Generations of believers in various countries and regions often find wisdom in life, absorb spiritual nourishment, and feel spiritual comfort from the Buddhist teaching system. Relatively speaking, the Buddhist doctrinal system has always been the focus of academic attention and has been well studied. However, Buddhism is a social organization bound by common beliefs and obeying the same moral norms and living systems, and it has more than just doctrinal ideas. In addition to the doctrinal system, Buddhism also exerts its religious role and social influence on the liturgical system and culture and art. Relatively speaking, the academic community has relatively little involvement in the organic connection between the Buddhist doctrinal system, the etiquette system, and the culture and art, the religious and social functions of each of them, and the different roles played by the three in determining the rise and fall of Buddhism. We hope that the relevant volumes of this book will organically combine the study of the Buddhist doctrinal system, the liturgical system, and culture and art, and attach importance not only to the study of their unique contents, but also to the study of the intricate interrelationships between the three, and to examine the different roles of the three in determining the rise and fall of Buddhism. In this way, it is possible to correct the bias of focusing only on one aspect and ignoring others, and it is possible to avoid writing a rich and varied general history into a single-tone special history, so that this book can observe Buddhism from a more varied perspective, a more comprehensive overall investigation, and a more objective basic analysis. Fourth, the status of Chinese Buddhism in world Buddhism. Chinese contribution to Buddhist culture is long-lasting, huge and irreplaceable. To sum up, it is mainly reflected in three aspects. First, Buddhist materials Chinese preserved. From the Han Dynasty to the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, the translation of Buddhist scriptures in China lasted for nearly a thousand years, during which the number of participants, the length of time, the richness of translated texts, and the huge impact were unprecedented and unique in the entire history of human cultural exchanges. Chinese translations and various Buddhist works written by Chinese preserve a wealth of information on Buddhist history. Without these hard-working Chinese materials, the history from the rise of Mahayana Buddhism after BC to the annihilation of Buddhism in ancient India in the 13th century AD cannot be recovered at all, leaving many gaps. Second, Chinese promoted Buddhism. Buddhism originated in ancient India and spread throughout Asia to the world, and its origins were China. Chinese work of promoting Buddhism includes two aspects: seeking the Dharma and acquiring sutras and propagating the Dharma sutras. The so-called "seeking the Dharma and learning the scriptures" refers to Chinese spreading Buddhist culture from outside the region to China. From Zhu Shixing of the Three Kingdoms to the official monks of the Ming Dynasty, the history of Chinese's quest for the Dharma has lasted for more than a thousand years. For different purposes, such as seeking true scriptures, solving difficult problems in Buddhist studies, promoting the healthy development of Buddhism in their own countries, and visiting holy places, successive generations of westward travelers have either spontaneously partnered or been sent by the authorities, and with devout religious feelings, bravely embarked on the dangerous journey of nine deaths and spread Buddhism outside the region to China. The so-called "propagation of the Dharma sutra" refers to the Chinese to spread Buddhist culture with Chinese characteristics to other countries. For more than a thousand years from the Sui and Tang dynasties to the Ming and Qing dynasties, Chinese continued to spread Buddhism from China to Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia and other places; In modern times, Chinese has spread Buddhism to many countries on all continents outside Asia. The long duration of Chinese propagation of the Dharma teachings abroad, the large number of participants, the touching deeds, and the tremendous results can almost be compared with the Westward Movement to seek the Dharma. Chinese propagation of the Dharma is a glorious stage in the history of Buddhist cultural exchanges in the whole world, and can be used as a model for the great achievements of human civilization exchanges and mutual learning. Third, Chinese directly participate in the process of enriching and developing Buddhist culture. In the history of more than 2,000 years, Chinese believers have directly participated in the construction of Buddhist ideology and culture, including putting forward new ideas, advocating new doctrines, writing new texts, establishing new sects, and creating new art. It can be said that without the edification, nourishment and enrichment of Buddhist culture by China's inherent culture, Buddhism in the world today would not have the style and spirit it has now. The purpose of this book is to strengthen the study of the historical background, social class, scientific and technological situation, international situation and other issues that contributed to China's emergence as the center of Buddhism in the world during the Tang and Song Dynasties, strengthen the study of China's role and status in the process of promoting Buddhism as a world religion, and strengthen the study of China's irreplaceable role in the preservation, enrichment and development of Buddhist culture. We should examine Chinese Buddhism from a global perspective, examine world Buddhism from China's standpoint, and have a more comprehensive and profound understanding of the status, role and value of Chinese Buddhism in world Buddhism. We believe that strengthening research in this area is conducive to providing important historical references and ideas for China's new culture to go global, to building our consciousness, self-confidence and self-respect of our own national culture, and to deeply understanding the importance of Buddhism in building a harmonious society at home and a harmonious world externally in China. In terms of collecting, screening, sorting, analyzing and using historical materials, we planned to effectively combine and unify the authority, reliability and diversity of the entire book, so as to provide a solid data foundation for narration, explanation, analysis and commentary; It is planned that all descriptions, all arguments, and all opinions throughout the book are based on proven, discerning and reliable sources. As for what kind of first-hand information can be used, we determined that the data texts used in this book are mainly from Chinese, Sanskrit, Pali, Tibetan, Western Xia, Dai, Japanese, English, French, Vietnamese and other languages according to the research direction, professional expertise and development potential of the members of the research group at that time. With regard to the chapter structure of the General History of Buddhism in the World, it was premature to think about it at first, and some basic principles were hastily defined. As the research deepened, and after several changes in between, it was finally determined that the book consisted of fourteen volumes and fifteen volumes. Volumes 1 and 2 describe the origin, development, prosperity, decline and revival of Buddhism in India. Volumes 3 to 8 are a comprehensive discussion of Chinese Han, Tibetan and Southern Buddhism, of which Han Buddhism, which is the main part of Chinese Buddhism, is divided into four volumes, Tibetan Buddhism is one volume and two volumes, and Southern Buddhism is a separate volume. Volumes IX through XI are the general histories of Buddhism in Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. Volume 12 is a country-by-country account of Buddhism in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia. Volume 13 is a panoramic description of Buddhism outside Asia, including major countries on five continents: Europe, North America, South America, Oceania, and Africa. Volume 14 is a timeline of world Buddhist events. There are no specific regulations in advance on the number of words in each volume, the quality standards that can be achieved, etc., but the general principles are determined according to the research status of the academic community and the specific conditions of our research team members. At that time, we were soberly aware that this book covers a wide scope and spans a large period of time, and on the one hand, the efforts and results achieved by domestic and foreign academic circles in the study of Buddhism in different countries and regions are very different and extremely unbalanced. In this case, some writers are bound to be constrained and influenced by their final results in one way or another because of their weak academic research foundation. On the other hand, the main members of the research group have different degrees of research on the parts they are responsible for, and some members have published a number of monographs in the areas they are responsible for, which can be called experts; Some members are new to the part of their responsibility and can be said to be newcomers. For authors belonging to the former, we certainly hope that they will be committed to capturing new issues, putting forward new ideas, drawing new conclusions, and coming up with further works; For the younger colleagues belonging to the latter, it is natural to hope that after hard work, they can make brilliant breakthroughs in some aspects and obtain results with the nature of being later. In view of the fact that our research work is carried out on the basis of inheriting, absorbing and drawing on the important, high-quality and representative results of the past, we should not only pay attention to filling academic gaps, but also pay attention to enriching weak links, and also emphasize new discoveries and breakthroughs in important content and problems. Therefore, we ask the writers of each volume to write appropriately more about the content of their own in-depth research without violating the general historical style, and appropriately write less about the content that they have not studied enough, but cannot be left blank as a history book. In short, according to the research situation of the academic community and the ability of the members of the research group, we try to achieve that the proportions of the various parts of the entire "General History of World Buddhism" are generally coordinated, and the details are basically appropriate. It should be noted here that the titles of the volumes of this book are not entirely modern concepts of the state, but are handled in accordance with the practice of academia. At the beginning, in considering the academic value, theoretical significance and practical significance of the General History of World Buddhism, we paid attention to the needs of society, the times, the theoretical development, the disciplines, and the cultivation of talents, and demonstrated them one by one according to the requirements. In addition, we also ask that the writers try to be as objective and popular as possible, and pay attention to making some efforts in readability, so that this book can be accepted and benefited by the vast majority of readers and friends who believe in religion and non-believe, professional and non-professional. Over the past eight years, every member of the research group has worked hard and made unremitting efforts to achieve the expected goals. It can be said that every writer has done their best, contributed, sweated, and endured. However, due to the limitations of our level and time, the General History of World Buddhism inevitably has some shortcomings, deficiencies and errors. We will listen carefully and collect good-faith criticism and correct mistakes from all sides, and strive to reduce errors and improve the quality of the reprint of this book.（AI翻译）