Collection of Records from the Tripitaka (出三藏記集)

About 出三藏記集

Liang · by 僧祐撰

140,936 · about 470 min

The *Collection of Records from the Three Baskets* is the first systematic Buddhist catalogue in Chinese Buddhist history. Compiled by the eminent monk Sengyou of the Liang Dynasty during the Southern Dynasties, it was completed during the Tianjian era. Building upon Dao'an's *Comprehensive Catalogue of All Sutras*, this work expanded and refined its contents, recording the catalogues of sutras, vinaya, and śāstras translated from the Eastern Han to the Liang Dynasty. It also preserves a wealth of translation literature and biographies of eminent monks. Its contents are divided into four parts: the compilation of origins, the explanation of catalogues, the collection of sutra prefaces, and the accounts of biographies. Not only does it clarify the origins and development of Chinese-translated Buddhist scriptures, but it also includes numerous precious prefaces, postscripts, and monastic biographies. It stands as an indispensable and authoritative historical source for studying the early dissemination of Buddhism in China and the translation of its scriptures. Holding a pioneering position in the fields of Buddhist bibliography and cataloguing, it is acclaimed as the oldest extant Buddhist catalogue and has profoundly influenced the formation of later editions of the Buddhist canon.