The Significance of the Fodi jinglun Translation in Early Tang Pure Land Buddhism

This study discusses theories about Buddha lands in the Fodi jinglun 仏地経論 （T. 1530） translated by Xuanzang 玄奘. Previous research has held that the Shelun School’s 摂論 doctrine of the “Four Pure Lands” transformed into the Weishi School’s Doctrine about Buddha lands with the appearance of the Fodi jinglun. However, in this study, we examine the Chinese and non-Chinese Buddhist elements of the Fodi jinglun, and find that it was not an opportunity for transformation, but that the text itself was a document intended to serve as a development from an old theory to a new theory.