AN OVERVIEW OF THE BUDDHIST SCRIPTURES 313B. The Chinese Canon: The Ta-ts'ang-ching ("Great Scripture-Store")
The first printed edition, produced in Szechuan in 972-983 C.E.,
consisted of 1, 07 6 texts in 480 cases. The standard modern edition is the
Taisho Shinshu Daizokyo (Ta-ts'ang-ching newly edited in the Taisho reign-
period). It was published in Tokyo, 1924-1929, and consists of 55 West-
ern-style volumes containing 2,184 texts. A supplement consists of 45
volumes. The following analysis is of the Taisho edition.
I. Agama Section, vol. 1-2, 151 texts. Contains the Long, Medium,
Mixed (== Connected) and Item-more Agamas (Nikayas), plus some
individual texts corresponding to parts of the Pali Khuddaka.
II. Story Section, vol. 3-4, 68 texts.]iitakas, lives of various Buddhas,
fables, and parables.
III. Prajfia-piframitif Section, vol. 5-8, 42 texts.
IV Saddharma-put:t4arika Section, vol. 9, 16 texts. Three complete ver-
sions of the Lotus Sutra, plus some doctrinally cognate Sutras.
V Avata1]1saka Section, vol. 9-10, 31 texts.
VI. Ratnakuta Section, vol. 11-12, 64 texts. A set of 49 Mahayana
Sutras, some in more than one translation.
VII. Mahaparinirvift:ta Section, vol. 12, 23 texts. The Mahayana account
of Sakyamuni's last days and words.
VIII. Great Assembly Section, vol. 13, 28 texts. A collection beginning
with the Great Assembly Sutra, which is itself a suite of Mahayana
Sutras.
IX. Sutra-collection Section, vol. 14-17, 423 texts. A miscellany of
Sutras, mostly Mahayana.
X. Tantra Section, vol. 18-21, 572 texts. Vajrayana Sutras, Tantras,
ritual manuals, and spells.
XI. Vinaya Section, vol. 22-24, 86 texts. Vinayas of the Mahisasakas,
Mahasanghikas, Dharmaguptakas, Sarvastivadins, and MUla-
sarvastivadins. Also some texts on the Bodhisattva discipline.
XII. Commentaries on Sutras, vol. 24-26, 31 texts on Agamas and on
Mahayana Sutras, by Indian authors.
XIII. Abhidharma Section, vol. 26-29, 28 texts. Scholastic treatises of
the Sarvastivadins, Dharmaguptakas, and Sautrantikas.
XIV Madhyamika Section, vol. 30, 15 texts.
XV Yogacara Section, vol. 30-31, 49 texts.
XVI. Collection of Treatises, vol. 32, 65 texts. Works on logic, antholo-
gies from the Sutras, and sundry treatises.
XVII. Commentaries on the Sutras, vol. 33-39, by Chinese authors.
XVIII. Commentaries on the Vinaya, vol. 40, by Chinese authors.
XIX. Commentaries on the Sastras, vol. 40-44, by Chinese authors.
XX. Chinese Sectarian Writings, vol. 44-48.
XXI. History and Biography, vol. 49-52, 95 texts.
XXII. Encyclopedias and Dictionaries, vol. 53-54, 16 texts.
XXIII. Non-Buddhist Doctrines, vol. 54, 8 texts. Sarpkhya, Vaise~ika,
Manichean, and Nestorian Christian writings.