Title: The <i>Sutra of Druma, King of the Kinnara</i> and the Buddhist Philosophy of Music
Abstract:This chapter discusses a little-known Buddhist scripture, the Sutra of the Questions by Druma, King of the Kinnara ( Daiju kinnara-ō shomon-gyō ), translated into Chinese by Kumārajīva in the early fi...This chapter discusses a little-known Buddhist scripture, the Sutra of the Questions by Druma, King of the Kinnara ( Daiju kinnara-ō shomon-gyō ), translated into Chinese by Kumārajīva in the early fifth century. This sutra is unique in that it proposes a powerful, and sympathetic, philosophy of music rooted in the Mahayana doctrines of emptiness; it also offers a template for Buddhist rituals involving music and dance that have been performed in Japan since the eighth century as part of the Gagaku and Bugaku repertory.Read More