Sources
Studies & Reference
Related Topics
Sources
GENERAL
Gardiner, Eileen, ed. Buddhist Hell: Visions, Tours and Decsriptions of the Infernal Otherworld. New York: Italica Press, 2012. Contains English texts of the hell segments of The Great Story, The Middle-Length Discourses of the Buddha The Friendly Epistle, The Sutra on the Eighteen Hells, The Sutra Spoken by the Buddha on the Retribution of Sinful Karma and the Education and Transformation in the Hells, Avalokiteswara’s Descent into Hell Avichi, The Systematic Philosophy, Mu-Lien Rescues His mother, T‘ ai Tsung in Hell, The Essentials of Pure Land Rebirth, The Precious Record Transmitted to Men to Move them, Miao-shen Visits Hell, Nangsa Obum, The Numbered Discourses of the Buddha, The Tibetan Book of the Dead, The Treatise of the Exalted One on Response and Retribution, Governor Kwoh Visits Hell, The Voyage to the Western Sea of the Chief Eunuch San-Pao, Strange Stories from the Liaozhai Studio, T’ ang-chek’ounn Taken to Hell, Wang Hsui’s Voyage to Hell and A Thai Near Death Experience. This volume also include an introduction, notes, a bibliography and a glossary. Illustrated.
INDIVIDUAL
Avalokiteswara’s Descent into the Hell Avîchi. Abhidharma kosabhasyam
Cowell, Edward B. “The Northern Buddhist Legend of Avalokiteswara’s Descent into the Hell Avîchi.” The Indian Antiquary 8 (1879):250–52.
Book of Prha Malai
Brereton, Bonnie Pacala. Thai Tellings of Phra Malai: Texts and Rituals Concerning a Popular Buddhist Saint. Tempe: Arizona State University, Program for Southeast Asian Studies, 1995.
The Essentials of Pure Land Rebirth (Ojo Yoshu)
Reischauer, A.K. “Genshin’s Ojo Yoshu: Collected Essays on Birth into Paradise.” Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan 7 (1930):27–46.
The Friendly Epistle (Suhrllekha)
Nagarjuna’s Letter to King Gautamiputra. Lozang Jamspal, Ngawang Samten Chophel, and Peter della Santina, trans. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1978, pp. 44–47.
Governor Kwoh Visits Hell
Doré, Henry. Researches into Chinese Superstitions. M. Kennelly, trans. Shanghai: T‘usewei Printing Press, 1920, 7:254–56.
The Great Story (Mahavastu)
The Mahavastu
. J. J. Jones, trans. London: Pali Text Society, 1949; rpt. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 1973, 1: 6–21.
The Journey to Realms beyond Death
Dolma, Delog Dawa. Delog: Journey to Realms beyond Death. Junction City, CA: Padma Publishing, 1995, pp. 41–99.
Miao-shen Visits Hell
Doré, Henry. Researches into Chinese Superstitions. M. Kennelly, trans. Shanghai: T‘usewei Printing Press, 1920: 6:160–62.
The Middle-Length Discourses of the Buddha (Majjhima Nikaya)
The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha: A New Translation of the Majjhima Nikaya. Bhikkhu Nanamoli, orig. translation from the Pali. Ed. and rev. by Bhikkhu Bodhi. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 1995, pp. 1018–19, 1032–35.
Mu-Lien Rescues His Mother
Waley, Arthur. Ballads and Stories from Tun-Huang: An Anthology. London: George Allen and Unwin Ltd., 1960, pp. 217–31.
Nangsa Obum
Nangsa Obum. Dorjey Tseten with Dominic Wynniatt-Husey, trans. Philippa Russell, ed. Choyang Magazine, n.d., Year of Tibet issue.
The Numbered Discourses of the Buddha (Anguttara Nikaya)
The Book of the Gradual Sayings (Anguttara-Nikaya) or More-Numbered Suttas. F. L. Woodward, trans. Pali Text Society Translations Series 22. London: Pali Text Society, 1932; rpt. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1:124-25, 5:116.
The Precious Record Transmitted to Men to Move Them (Yü Li Ch‘ao Chuan)
Giles, Herbert A. Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio [Liao Chai Chih I]. Shanghai: Kelly & Walsh, Ltd., 1916, pp. 469–85. Also Henry Doré. Researches into Chinese Superstitions. M. Kennelly, trans. Shanghai: T‘usewei Printing Press, 1922: 7:262–302.
Strange Stories from a Liaozhai Studio (Liao-chai chih-i)
Pu, Songling. Strange Stories from a Liaozhai Studio. Zhang Qingnian, Zhang Ciyun, and Yang Yi, trans. Martha Graham, ed. Beijing: People’s China Publishing House, 1997.
Pu, Songling. Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio. John Mitford, ed. London: Penguin Classics, 2006.
The Sutra on the Eighteen Hells (Shih-pa Ni-li Ching)
Goodrich, Anne Swann. Chinese Hells: The Peking Temple of Eighteen Hells and Chinese Conceptions of Hell. Caroline Chin-i Young, trans. St. Augustin: Monumenta Serica (1981): 128–34; Tripitaka, Taisho ed., 17:528–30.
The Sutra Spoken by the Buddha on the Retribution of Sinful Karma and the Education and Transformation in the Hells (Fo-shuo tsui-yeh ying-pao chiao-hua ti-yü ching)
Duyvendak, J. J. L. “A Chinese Divine Comedy.” T’oung Pao 41:4–5 (1952):281–83, where the original text is summarized in English; Tripitaka, Taisho ed., 17:450–52.
Systematic Philosophy (Abhidharma kosabhasyam)
Vasubandhu. Abhidharmakosabhasyam [systematic philosophy]. Louis de La Vallè Poussin, French translation. Leo M. Pruden, English trans. from French. Berkeley: Asian Humanities Press, 1988, 2:456–60.
T‘ai Tsung in Hell
Waley, Arthur. Ballads and Stories from Tun-Huang: An Anthology. London: George Allen and Unwin Ltd., 1960, pp. 217–31.
T’ang-cheuk’ounn Taken to Hell
Wieger, Léon. Folk-Lore Chinois Moderne. Paris: Librarie Orientale & Americaine, 1909, pp. 287–90.
A Thai Near-Death Experience
Murphy, Todd. “Near-Death Experiences in Thailand.” Journal of Near-Death Studies 19 (3, Spring 2001):173.
The Tibetan Book of the Dead (Bardo Thodol)
The Tibetan Book of the Dead. Robert A. F. Thurman, trans. Intro. by Huston Smith. New York: Bantam Books, c1994, p. 189.
Treatise of the Exalted One on Response and Retribution (T’ai-Shang Kan-Ying P’ien)
T‘ai-shang kan-ying p‘ien; Treatise of the Exalted One on Response and Retribution. Teitaro Suzuki and Paul Carus, trans. Paul Carus, ed. Keichyu Yamada, illust. Chicago: The Open Court Publishing Co.; London: K. Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., Ltd., 1906, pp. 95–100, 103–5.
The Voyage to the Western Sea of the Chief Eunuch San-Pao (San-pao t’ai-chien hsia hsi-yang chi
Duyvendak, J. J. L. “A Chinese Divine Comedy.” T’oung Pao 41: 4–5 (1952): 263–311, where the original text is summarized in English.
Dreyer, Edward L. Zheng He: China and the Oceans in the Early Ming Dynasty, 1405–1433 (New York: Pearson Longman, 2007). The actual sea voyages on which this tale is based.
Wang Hsiu’s Voyage to Hell
Wieger, Léon. Folk-Lore Chinois Moderne. Paris: Librarie Orientale & Americaine, 1909, pp. 26–30.
Studies & Reference
Asia for Educators, Columbia University. “The Ten Magistrates of the Underworld Realm,” Living in the Chinese Cosmos, Popular Religion and Beliefs. http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/cosmos/prb/underworld.htm
Bailey, Lee W. “A ‘Little Death’: The Near-Death Experience and Tibetan Delogs. ” Journal of Near-Death Studies 19.3 (Sept. 2001): 139–59.
Bernstein, Alan E., and Paul Katz. “The Rise of Postmortem Retribution in China and the West.” Medieval History Journal 13.2 (2010): 199–257.
Blacker, Carmen. “Other World Journeys in Japan.” In The Journey to the Other World. H. R. Ellis Davidson, ed. Folklore Society 2:42–72. Cambridge: D. S. Brewer, 1975.
Cuevas, Bryan J. Travels in the Netherworld: Buddhist Popular Narratives of Death and the Afterlife in Tibet.
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008.
Provides a detailed analysis of four vivid delog, or return-from-death tales, including the stories of a Tibetan housewife, a lama, a young noble woman, and a Buddhist monk.
Gardiner, Buddhist Hell. Contains an introduction, notes, bibliography and glossary, as well as 22 texts in English translation.
Linroth, Rob and Jeff Watt. Demonic Divine: Himalayan Art and Beyond. New York: Rubin Museum of Art; Chicago: Serindia Publications, 2004.
Matsunaga, Daigan and Alicia. The Buddhist Concept of Hell. New York: Philosophical Library, 1972.
Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Rene de. Oracles and Demons of Tibet: The Cult and Iconography of the Tibetan Protective Dieties. The Hague: Mouton & Co., 1956.
Pommaret, Françoise. Les revenants de l’au-delà dans le monde tibétain: sources littéraires et tradition vivante. Paris: Editions du Centre national de la recherche scientifique, 1989.
Shahar, Meir and Robert P. Weller. Unruly Gods: Divinity and Society in China. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press: 1996.
Waddell, L. Austine. The Buddhism of Tibet or Lamaism. London: Luzac & Co., 1899; rpt. Chestnut Hill, MA: Adamant Media Corporation, 2001.
