Channa Li

Austrian Academy of Sciences, IKGA (Institute for the Cultural and Intellectual History of Asia), Post-Doc

Leiden University, LIAS, PhD

University of Vienna, Department of South Asian, Tibetan and Buddhist Studies, Lecturer

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Supervisors: Prof. J. A. Silk, Prof. John Strong, and Prof. Birgit Kellner

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Papers by Channa Li

Reconstructing the Basic Structure of the Tibetan Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinayavastu in Dunhuang

Old Tibetan Studies in Honor of Tsuguhito Takeuchi and Helga Uebach: Proceedings of the panel Old Tibetan Studies VII, Prague, 2022., 2026

This paper attempts to reconstruct the structure of the Tibetan version of the MSV Vinayasutra ci... more This paper attempts to reconstruct the structure of the Tibetan version of the MSV Vinayasutra circulated in Dunhuang (8-10th century), based on a Vinayavastu inventory found in Pelliot tibétain 895 and numerous summaries of Vinayavastu stories found in other manuscripts. This paper is also dedicated to honoring the enduring scholarly legacy of Tsuguhito Takeuchi and Helga Uebach, whose significant contributions have profoundly shaped the field of Old Tibetan studies.

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(Preview) Tankuang and His Work in Tibetan Translation: Revisiting iol Tib J 26 and the Mahādeva Narrative

T’oung Pao 110 (2024) 384–433, 2024

The Tibetan manuscript IOL Tib J 26 claims to contain a version of the Mahādeva narrative based o... more The Tibetan manuscript IOL Tib J 26 claims to contain a version of the Mahādeva narrative based on a Chinese source. In this paper, I identify this Chinese source as the Dasheng baifa mingmen lun kaizong yijue 大乘百法明門論開宗義決 (“Resolution [on How to] Clarify the Tenets of the Mahāyānaśatadharmaprakāśamukhaśāstra,” T. 2812), an exegetical work on the *Mahāyānaśatadharmaprakāśamukhaśāstra, composed by the famous Dunhuang-based Chinese monk Tankuang 曇曠. The Resolution borrows a full version of the Mahādeva narrative from the Mahāvibhāṣā 阿毘達磨大毘婆沙論, casting it as the trigger of the first schism. I offer close readings and English translations of the relevant content of IOL Tib J 26 and the Resolution, not only to substantiate my identification, but also to offer an example of how native Chinese Buddhist texts were conveyed in Tibetan compositions.

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A Paradigm for Schism in the Vinayas: The Devadatta Narrative Complex in its Historical Context

Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, 2023

In this paper, I argue that the core, and probably also the earliest layer, of Devadatta’s image ... more In this paper, I argue that the core, and probably also the earliest layer, of Devadatta’s image depicts him not as an evildoer, but as the first schismatic monk to appear during the Buddha’s lifetime. Many elements of his schismatic narrative, some of which appear disjointed or contradictory, reflect particular Vinaya discussions of schism. Particularly, the narrative of Devadatta’s early monastic life should be understood as a literary device that shows him as fulfilling the prerequisites for being a schismatic. Other details of the Devadatta narrative, such as the number of Devadatta’s supporters, the actual activities that Devadatta engaged in to create a division, and locations associated with these activities, align with and reflect the different interpretations and emphases placed on the criteria for schism within each Vinaya tradition.

keywords: Devadatta, Vinaya, saṅghabheda, saṅgharāja, nānāsaṃvāsa, Buddhist Sects, Mohe sengqi lü