Buddhist Meditation in Central Asia

Dear Colleagues,

The importance of Central Asia (for the purpose of this Special Issue, I refer to the area corresponding to the present-day Xinjiang) in Buddhist transmission has often been indicated. This area was also significant for the transmission and development of Buddhist meditation and visualization. One of the key texts in this context is the so-called Yogalehrbuch, a Sanskrit visualization text whose manuscripts were found in Qizil and elsewhere in Central Asia. The fragmentary manuscripts were reassembled, edited, and translated into German by Dieter Schlingloff in 1964. This is a curious text that includes many peculiar images. It is also crucial as an anchor for assessing the textual nature of several Chinese meditation texts, including the Guanfo sanmei hai jing (Sūtra on the Ocean-Like Samādhi of the Visualization of the Buddha), whose geographical origin is often unclear.

Despite its textual and possibly art-historical significance, however, the “Yogalehrbuch” has not been utilized widely in the academic community, perhaps because its full translation is available only in German. Nevertheless, recently there has been renewed interest in this and other cognate texts among young scholars. In this Special Issue, I would like to welcome the submission of papers from scholars working in the field that shed new light on the meditative practice in Central Asia. The scope of this Special Issue includes, but is not limited to, the following:

Comparative studies of the Sanskrit and Chinese meditation texts;

Doctrinal background of the meditation texts;

The relationship between the Śrāvakayāna and the Bodhisattvayāna in meditative contexts;

Textual history of the relevant meditation texts;

Meditative practice observable in local language texts;

Visionary images depicted in texts and art;

Inscriptions and manuscripts relevant to meditation;

Rock-cut and surface monasteries as the location for meditation.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200-300 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the Guest Editors, Prof. Dr. Nobuyoshi Yamabe ([email protected]), Dr. Henry Albery ([email protected]), or to the Assistant Editor of Religions, Ms. Margaret Liu ([email protected]). Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the special issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Nobuyoshi Yamabe
Dr. Henry Albery
Guest Editors

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