Yamaguchi Susumu

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MISCELLANEOUS COMMUNICATIONS YAMAGUCHI SUSUMU 27.1.1895-21.10.1976 With the death of Yamaguchi Susumu the world of Buddhist scholarship has lost one of the most prominent scholars of recent times. Yamaguchi began his scholarly career in the early twenties and in the course of more than fifty years he published many books and articles. His aeuvre has had a decisive influence on Buddhist studies in Japan. His outstanding merit resides in the fact that early in his career he realised ciencies of the traditional Japanese methods of studying Indian Buddhist texts exclusively through their Chinese translations and commentaries. In 1918 Yamaguchi completed his course of studies at the Shinshu Otani Daigaku, the forerunner of the Otani University. During the three following years he studied in the Faculty of Letters of Kyoto University. Among his teachers he mentions especially Sumida Chiken, an authority on the doctrines of the Jodo school and author of the Jodo genryushu kaisetsu (Kyoto, 1925) and Funahashi Suisai, who has written several works on the Abhidharmakosa: Kusha tetsugaku (Tokyo, 1906) Kusharon Kogi (Tokyo, 1933), Kusharon no kyogi oyobi sono rekishi (Kyoto, 1940). Yamaguchi's Sanskrit teacher was Sasaki Ryosaburo (1872-1946), the editor of the Mahavyutpatti (Kyoto, 1916-1925). He learned Tibetan from Teramoto Enga (1872-1940). Very important was the influence of Sasaki Gessho (1875-1926). At his request Yamaguchi compared the Chinese versions of Vasubandhu's Vimsatika with the Tibetan version (2). Yamaguchi also contributed an edition of the Tibetan version of the Mahayanasamgraha to Sasaki's synoptic edition of the four Chinese translations (3). In 1924 Yamaguchi became associate professor at the Otani University, but in the beginning of 1927 he left for Paris where he remained until the autumn of 1929. Yamaguchi had been attracted to Paris by the fame of Sylvain Levi whose recently published edition of the Sanskrit text of the Vimsatika and the Trimsika (Paris, 1925) had been received with great interest in Japan. Yamaguchi enjoyed the friendship of many prominent French scholars and also entered into close relations with La Vallee Poussin. In his later life Yamaguchi wrote repeatedly with great affection and admiration of French scholars and Buddhist studies in France. In 1954 he published a collection of articles on Buddhist studies in France under the title Fifty years of Buddhist studies in France (25). In 1933 Yamaguchi ? For biographical information I have made use of the following sources: Nagao's preface to the volume published in honour of Yamaguchi in 1955; Yamaguchi's lecture, entitled "Reflections on Buddhist Studies', published in his Bukkyogaku no hanashi; his introduction to the two volumes of his collected articles. See Bibliography no. 1. The numbers quoted in round brackets refer to the numbers of the Bibliography. Indo-Iranian Journal 19 (1977) 99-103. All Rights Reserved Copyright (c) 1977 by D. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht-Holland

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100 OBITUARY became full professor in the Otani University and from 1950 to 1958 he served as president of the university. Yamaguchi's merits have been acknowledged by the many distinctions that were bestowed upon him. In 1948 he became one of the foundation members of the Japan Academy. It is not possible to enumerate the titles of all the books and articles written by Yamaguchi.? His main publications deal with the Madhyamaka and Yogacara schools of Mahayana Buddhism and the Abhidharmakosa. One of his first publications was a translation of Nagarjuna's Sunyatasaptati (4), followed by a translation of the Yuktisastika (5), a study of the Vaidalya (6), a translation of the Vigrahavyavartani which he later revised after the publication of the Sanskrit text (7), and a study of the different versions of the karikas of Nagarjuna's Mulamadhyamakasastra (8). Subsequently Yamaguchi undertook the study of the works of Aryadeva. He translated the Aksarasataka (9), analysed the first eight chapters of the Catuhsataka (10) and examined the authenticity of other Madhyamaka works attributed to him (11). He published also several articles on Candrakirti's Catuhsatakatika: a translation of its preface and a study and translation of the ninth chapter (12). In another article he examined the meaning of prajna in Candrakirti's Pancaskandhaprakarana (13). One of the major works undertaken by Yamaguchi is a complete translation of the Prasannapada. Only two volumes, comprising chapters 1-11, have been published so far (14). Perhaps the fact that chapters 12-17 were translated by Wogihara (Wogihara Unrai Bunshu, Tokyo, 1938, pp. 556-628) has prevented him from publishing his translation of the remaining chapters. Recently Yamaguchi published a Sanskrit-Tibetan and a Tibetan-Sanskrit index of the Prasannapada (14). Yamaguchi's voluminous doctoral dissertation is a study of the fifth chapter of Bhavaviveka's Madhyamakahrdaya, : entitled Yogacaratattvaniscaya, in which Bhavaviveka criticizes the doctrines of the Yogacara school (15). Walleser was the first to point out the importance of Bhavaviveka's work (Der altere Vedanta, Heidelberg, 1910) and in recent years the discovery of the Sanskrit text by Rahula Samkrtyayana has led to a renewed study of this text by Japanese scholars. According to Yamaguchi the Madhyamaratnapradipa has been wrongly attributed to Bhavaviveka (16). Not less important are Yamaguchi's studies on the philosophical texts of the Yogacara school. He translated Vasubandhu's Trisvabhavanirdesa (17), his Dharmadharmatavibhangavrtti, of which a Sanskrit fragment was published by Sylvain Levi as an appendix to his edition of the Mahayanasutralamkara (18), and his Vimsatika together with Vinitadeva's commentary (19). In recent years Yamaguchi was very much interested in Vasubandhu's Vyakhyayukti on which he ? A bibliography of his publications up to 1955 is to be found in Yamaguchi hakase kanreki kinen: Indogaku Bukkyogaku ronso (Kyoto, 1955), pp. 11-14. 3 Cf. V. V. Gokhale, 'The Vedanta-Philosophy described by Bhavya in his Madhyama kahrdaya', IIJ II, 1958, pp. 165-180.

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YAMAGUCHI SUSUMU (27.1.1895 - 21.10.1976) 101 published two articles (20). When I visited him in 1973 he told me that he hoped to prepare other studies on this text with the help of a younger scholar. In 1929 Yamaguchi published a French translation of Dignaga's Alambanaparikna and a translation of both the text and Vinitadeva's commentary appeared in 1953 (21). One of the most difficult texts studied by Yamaguchi is Sthiramati's Madhyantavibhagatika. In 1928 Sylvain Levi had obtained a copy of an incomplete Sanskrit manuscript in Nepal and on his return from Nepal he confided the difficult task of editing this text to Yamaguchi. Yamaguchi carefully corrected the scribal errors and translated the missing parts from the Tibetan version into Sanskrit. His edition was followed by a translation and a synoptic edition of the Tibetan and Chinese translations of Vasubandhu's bhasya, the text commented upon by Sthiramati (22). Although the Sanskrit text of the bhasya has since been discovered and meticulously edited by Nagao (Tokyo, 1964), Yamaguchi's edition of the tika has preserved its value. A recent Indian edition of Maitreya's karikas, Vasubandhu's bhasya and Sthiramati's tika is of little importance because the author has failed to take into account the Tibetan translation of the tika." The third field of study to which Yamaguchi has made important contributions is the literature connected with Vasubandhu's Abhidharmakosa. Together with Wogihara he translated the second chapter of the Abhidharmakosavyakhya and together with Funahashi Issai the third chapter of the Abhidharmakosabhasya and the Abhidharmakosavyakhya (23). To the same Vasubandhu belongs probably also the Karmasiddhi prakarana. Yamaguchi translated both the text and Sumatasila's commentary (24). The above mentioned publications, voluminous though they are, constitute only a part of Yamaguchi's aeuvre. In the last thirty years Yamaguchi has published a series of small books in which he studied different aspects of Buddhist philosophy and of Buddhism in general. His World of Emptiness examines the religious character of the Mahayana texts. An enlarged edition contains also two other studies on the practice and ethics of Buddhism (26). The second part was published in an English translation by Watanabe Shoko (28). In another small volume Yamaguchi studied the history of the Prajna philosophy (27). An important text of the Jodo school is Vasubandhu's Sukhavativyuhopadesa (Taisho no. 1524) which Yamaguchi examined in Vasubandhu's Treatise on the Pure Land (29). In collaboration with Ocho Enichi, Ando Toshio and Funahashi Issai, Yamaguchi compiled an introduction to Buddhist studies which ought to be translated into English (30). Since his retirement from the Otani University Yamaguchi has delivered many lectures which have been published in several volumes. Their interest resides in the more personal tone in which he gives his opinion on Buddhism and its relation to contemporary problems. Yamaguchi's studies of the basic texts of the philosophical schools of Mahayana Buddhism and of the Abhidharmakosa literature constitute a triumph of a strict philological method based upon a comparative study of all available versions in 4 Cf. my 'Notes on the second chapter of the Madhyantavibhagatika', Central Asiatic Journal 21 (1977).

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102 OBITUARY Sanskrit, Chinese and Tibetan. Yamaguchi is undoubtedly the first Japanese scholar to have shown by his work the great importance of the Tibetan versions for the understanding of those Indian Buddhist texts of which the Sanskrit text is imperfectly transmitted or not available. In this way he has made it abundantly clear to the Japanese scholarly world that Indian Buddhism cannot be understood on the basis of Chinese translations as traditionally studied and explained in China and Japan. Yamaguchi was not only a great scholar but also a most kind and genial person whose memory will be cherished by all those who had the privilege of coming into contact with him. May he rest in peace, Ketam karaniyam. Australian National University J. W. DE JONG BIBLIOGRAPHY Abbreviations: Ronko = Chugan bukkyo ronko. Kyoto, 1944. Sec. ed., Tokyo, 1965. Bibl. b. XXI-XXIII, no. 1068. Bunshu = Yamaguchi Susumu Bukkyogaku bunshu, I-II. Tokyo, 1972-3. Bibl. b. = Bibliographie bouddhique. 1. Nagao Gajin M., Preface to Yamaguchi hakase kanreki kinen: Indoga ku Bukkyogaku ronso (Studies in Indology and Buddhology). Kyoto, 1955, pp. 7-10. Yamaguchi Susumu, Bukkyogaku no hanashi. Kyoto, 1965, pp. 1-21. Yamaguchi Susumu, Bunshu, I, pp. 1-4. 2. Sasaki Gessho, Yuishiki nijuron no taiyaku kenkyu. Kyoto, 1923. 3. Sasaki Gessho, Kanyaku shihon taisho Shodaijoron fu Chibetto-yaku Shodaijoron. Tokyo, 1931. Bibl. b. IV, no. 83. 4. Bukkyo kenkyu, V-VI, 1924-5; Bunshu, 1, pp. 5-118. 5. Bukkyo kenkyu, VII, 1926; Ronko, pp. 29-109. 6. Shukyo kenkyu, IV, 1927; Ronko, pp. 111-166. 7. Journal asiatique, 1929, II, pp. 1-86, Bunshu, I, appendix, pp. 1-86. Mikkyo bunka, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 1949-1950; Introduction, Bunshu, II, pp. 5-33. 8. Seigo kenkyu, I, 1933; Ronko, pp. 1-28. 9. Otani ga kuho, XI, 1930, pp. 191-285. 10. Nihon bukkyogaku kyokai nenpo, X, 1938; Ronko, pp. 197-258. 11. Otani gakuho, XVIII-XIX, 1937-8; Ronko, pp. 259--351. 12. Bukkyo kenkyu, I, 1937; Ronko, pp. 167-196. Otani daigaku kenkyu nenpo, XIV, 1962; Bunshu, II, pp. 259-299. Suzuki ga kujutsu zaidan Kenkyu nenpo, I, 1964; Bunshu, II, pp. 349-403. 13. Kanakura Ensho ha kase koki kinen: Indogaku Bukkyogaku ronso, 1966; Bunshu, II, pp. 437-464. 14. Gessho-zo bonbun Churonshaku, I, Tokyo, 1947; II, Tokyo, 1949. Index to the Prasanna pada Madhyama ka-vrtti. Part one, Sanskrit-Tibetan; Part two, Tibetan-Sanskrit. Kyoto, 1974. 15. Bukkyo ni okeru mu to u no tairon. Kyoto, 1941. Sec. ed., Tokyo, 1964. Bibl. b. XXI-XXIII, no. 1077. 16. Otani daiga ku kenkyu nenpo, II, 1943; Bunshu, I, pp. 249-318.

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YAMAGUCHI SUSUMU (27.1.1895-21.10.1976) 103 17. Shukyo kenkyu, VIII, 1931; Bunshu, I, pp. 119-162. 18. Tokiwa hakase kanreki kinen: Bukkyogaku ronso, 1933; Bunshu, I, pp. 163-200. Otani gakuho, XVII, 1936; Bunshu, I, pp. 201-211. Cf. Nozawa Josho, 'The Dharmadharmatavibhanga and the Dharmadharmata-vibhanga-vrtti, Tibetan Texts, Edited and Collated, Based upon the Peking and Derge Editions', Yamaguchi hakase kanreki kinen: Indogaku Bukkyoga ku ronso, Kyoto, 1955, pp. 9-49. 19. Yamaguchi Susumu and Nozawa Josho, Seshin yuishiki no genten kaimei. Kyoto, 1953. Bibl. b. XXIV-XXVII, no. 280.. 20. Nihon bukkyo gakkai nenpo, XXV, 1959; Bunshu, II, pp. 151-188. Toho gak kai soritsu jugo shunen: Tohogaku ronshu, 1962; Bunshu, II, pp. 299-320. 21. Journal asiatique, 1929, 1, pp. 1-65. Yamaguchi Susumu and Nozawa Josho, Seshin yuishiki no genten kaimei. Kyoto, 1953. 22. Sthiramati, Madhyanta vibhagatika. Nagoya, 1934. Chuhenfunbet suron shakusho. Nagoya, 1935. Kanzo taisho Benchubenron. Nagoya, 1937. Bibl. b. XXI-XXIII, No. 156. All three volumes reprinted Tokyo, 1966. 23. Wogihara Unrai and Yamaguchi Susumu yakuchu, Wayaku Shoyu Kusharonsho, II, III. Tokyo, 1934-9. Yamaguchi Susumu and Funahashi Issai, Kusharon no genten kaimei. Kyoto, 1955. Bibl. b. XXVIII-XXXI, no. 720. 24. Seshin no jogoron. Kyoto, 1951. Bibl. b. XXIV-XXVII, no. 279. 25. Furansu bukkyogaku no gojunen. Kyoto, 1954. 26. Ku no sekai. Tokyo, 1948. Sec. enlarged ed. Tokyo, 1967. 27. Hannya shiso shi. Kyoto, 1951. 28. Dynamic Buddha and Static Buddha. Tokyo, 1958. 29. Seshin no jodoron. Kyoto, 1963. 30. Bukkyoga ku josetsu. Kyoto, 1961.