Chips from a German Workshop, Volume 5 / Miscellaneous Later Essays

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

27810

Title

Chips from a German Workshop, Volume 5 / Miscellaneous Later Essays

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

In this volume of miscellaneous essays, F. Max Müller explores the history of Sanskrit texts in China and Japan, arguing against the popular Japanese devotion to the Amitâbha cult. He urges a return to original Buddhist doctrine and advocates for the discovery of ancient Sanskrit manuscripts to purify Eastern religion.

Summary up to 500 words

In Volume V of *Chips from a German Workshop*, F. Max Müller presents a comprehensive historical and philological examination of Sanskrit texts discovered in Japan and China. The volume opens with a detailed overview of the transmission of Buddhist literature from India to China, beginning with Emperor Ming-ti in the first century A.D. Müller highlights the pivotal role of scholars like Stanislas Julien and H. H. Wilson, who utilized the travels of Hiouen-thsang to locate original Sanskrit manuscripts within Chinese monasteries. While many translations survive, Müller notes that the original Sanskrit sources are often lost or corrupted in the process of translation. The core of the volume is an essay on Sanskrit texts found in Japan, where Müller critically analyzes the dominant Mahāyāna doctrine of Amitābha. He argues that the belief in salvation achieved merely through the repetition of the Buddha's name is a significant corruption of the original teachings of karma and good works. Müller condemns the practice of priests secluding themselves to endlessly repeat the Buddha's name, suggesting it leads to intellectual stagnation rather than spiritual purification. He urges Japanese Buddhists to abandon these later developments and return to the simple, pure doctrine preserved in the ancient Sūtras. Müller provides a rigorous philological analysis of the *Sūtra of the Forty-Two Sections*, correcting errors in existing Japanese and Chinese translations by comparing Sanskrit, Pāli, and Chinese versions. He demonstrates how linguistic evolution and the influence of Pāli have altered original Sanskrit terms. The text concludes with postscripts reporting the successful recovery of Sanskrit palm leaves from a temple in Kyoto. This discovery fulfills Müller's hope that ancient texts would return to the West, aiding scholars in distinguishing between the simple teaching of Buddha and the later, degenerated forms of Buddhism prevalent in the East. Through this work, Müller advocates for a return to the authentic roots of Buddhist philosophy.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

Download URL

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/27810.epub.noimages

Local file path

data/epubs/pg27810.epub

Download EPUB

Downloaded at

2026-07-04 18:20 UTC

Categories

• Folklore
• Religion
• Mythology
• Essays
• Comparative Linguistics