Sengzhao and His Place in Pre-Tang Chinese Buddhism: A Study of Huida's Preface to the Zhaolun

Abstract: Sengzhao 僧肇 (374/384–414) is regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of Chinese Buddhism, and his writings are frequently referenced in Buddhist exegetical literature throughout the Tang, Song, and Ming dynasties. However, with few exceptions, his works were largely ignored in the first two centuries after his death. Sengzhao's marginal position during this time is documented in the preface to the Zhaolun 《肇論》 by Huida 慧達 (fl. c. 557–589), which presents Sengzhao as neglected and misunderstood by the majority of Buddhist exegetes. Huida's preface, an annotated translation of which is presented here for the first time in English, also provides us with some of the earliest evidence of Sengzhao's essays being treated together as a single work. I also discuss the attribution of the earliest extant commentary on the essays of Sengzhao to Huida and conclude that it could not have been composed by the author of the preface.