Stefano Zacchetti 1968–2020
Open accessAbstract
When news of the sudden death of Stefano Zacchetti, Professor of Buddhist Studies at the University of Oxford, started spreading among friends, students and colleagues on the evening of 29 April 2020, there was perhaps no less room for disbelief than for utter shock.The sheer absurdity of an untimely end was taking from us, aged only 52, a magnificent scholar who had already given so much to Buddhist Studies, and who would have given so much more still.The vagaries of publishing schedules have made it so that this imperfect remembrance of him should be written when well over a year has passed since that tragic evening, and emotional tributes bearing witness to the enormous esteem and affection he enjoyed across and beyond the field have already appeared in other venues. 1 But as grief peters out in the callous distance of time for those who were privileged with his friendship and his teaching, stating the value of his scholarly life and legacy seems as important for them-for us-as for everyone else who can now only read his work.1. See the profile of Zacchetti's life and scholarship by Ester Bianchi for the AISC (Associazione Italiana Studi Cinesi) at https://aisc-org.it/stefano-zacchetti-1968-2020-contributo-agli-studi-buddhisti/ (in Italian), which also includes links to tributes and testimonies from several scholars and friends; and the intimate, moving portrait by Francesca Tarocco for the European Association of Chinese Studies at http://chinesestudies.eu/?p=4087.Both were published in May 2020, and are also available at https://glorisunglobalnetwork.org/in-memoriam-ste-fano-zacchetti/.See also the extensive discussion of Zacchetti's work in Buddhist Studies by Ji Yun 紀贇, "Zuo Guanming (Stefano Zacchetti, 1968-2020) de Hanyu Fojiao wenxianxue gongxian jianshu" 左冠明的漢語佛教文獻學貢獻簡述, Hualin guoji Foxue xuekan 華林國際佛 學學刊 3.2 (2020): 226-290 (in Chinese), at https://glorisunglobalnetwork.org/chin-hijbs/e
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- Premisecitation§ Obituary for Stefano Zacchetti 1968-2020
Zacchetti's 2005 monograph showed that the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā was a comparatively late branch of a group of 'Larger Prajñāpāramitā' texts.
“show that the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā was but a relatively late offshoot of a family of 'Larger Prajñāpāramitā' texts.”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites [2005]
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- Premisecitation§ Obituary for Stefano Zacchetti 1968-2020
Stefano Zacchetti's first article in T'oung Pao (1996a) identified a Chinese canonical version of the Diamond Sūtra that was abnormally literal and Sanskritising as an unedited draft.
“by identifying an abnormally literal, Sanskritising rendition of the sutra in the Chinese canon as what was in fact an unedited draft”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites 1996a
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- Interpretationreasoning§ Obituary for Stefano Zacchetti 1968-2020
By the completion of his doctorate, the main themes and directions of Zacchetti's research were already mostly set.
“Its main themes and directions were already largely established by the time he achieved his doctorate”
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- Classified as probably not a substantial claim. 6
- May combine two claims. 3
- The quote only partly states this claim. 1
Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).
Premisecitation§ Obituary for Stefano Zacchetti 1968-2020The Chinese translations of Buddhist texts made by An Shigao are the earliest such translations known from China.
“An Shigao's 安世高 (fl.148-170) translations of Buddhist texts, the earliest known in China (2002a, 2002b, 2002d, 2003, 2004a, 2004b, 2004c, 2004d, 2005b).”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 3 sources checked- cites 2002a
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- cites 2002b
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- cites 2002d
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S2 (checkable), S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.
Interpretationreasoning§ Obituary for Stefano Zacchetti 1968-2020Zacchetti's scholarship, viewed over time, displays a sustained vision and a consistent thread that runs through its many results.
“Zacchetti's research over the years reveals a longterm vision and a coherent thread running across its many outcomes”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimMay combine two claims. The quote only partly states this claim.
Premisecitation§ Obituary for Stefano Zacchetti 1968-2020In his posthumous 2021 monograph, Zacchetti concluded that the Da zhidu lun's glosses often anticipate readings found in later versions of the 'Larger Prajñāpāramitā'; on this basis he argued that the commentary points to lines of expansion within the scripture itself, which appears to take final shape after the transmission process.
“Zacchetti's impressively documented finding here is that in a significant number of cases, the glosses in the Da zhidu lun prefigure readings in later recensions of the”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites [2021]
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
Classified as probably not a substantial claim.
Interpretationreasoning§ Obituary for Stefano Zacchetti 1968-2020Zacchetti recognized early that Chinese translation practice could recreate the process by which the Buddha's word was made into an inherently open text, thereby illuminating basic processes of Buddhist scriptural formation.
“Zacchetti had thus seen early on the extent to which this practice could rather reproduce on Chinese soil the very making of the Buddha's word as a constitutively open text, and therefore shed light on fundamental processes of scriptural formation in Buddhism.”
Quote in the paperSubstantial claimProbably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.
Premisecitation§ Obituary for Stefano Zacchetti 1968-2020The Da zhidu lun is a large commentary, likely originating in Northwest India, on a 'Larger Prajñāpāramitā' that became highly authoritative in East Asia after Kumārajīva translated it in the early fifth century.
“the Da zhidu lun, a massive commentary, of probably Northwest Indian origins, of a”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites Lamotte, 1944-1970
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Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).
Interpretationreasoning§ Obituary for Stefano Zacchetti 1968-2020Zacchetti consistently attended to the fluid boundary separating text and commentary.
“the porous boundary between text and commentary had been a constant focus for him”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claimProbably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).
Premisecitation§ Obituary for Stefano Zacchetti 1968-2020Zacchetti's 2007 work characterized An Shigao's obscure renditions of Buddhist texts into Chinese as 'a largely invented artificial idiom'.
“his skilful unravelling of An Shigao's obscure renditions of Buddhist texts into”
Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked- cites [2007]
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.
An Shigao publication list includes an article on a different text
MinorThe obituary lists the 2002b article among studies of An Shigao's translations, but the bibliography identifies it as an article on chapter 25 of the Zhong lun.
“The Japanese years also yielded an impressive series of studies in another of Zacchetti's areas of specialization: An Shigao's 安世高 (fl.148-170) translations of Buddhist texts, the earliest known in China (2002a, 2002b, 2002d, 2003, 2004a, 2004b, 2004c, 2004d, 2005b).”
“2002b "Il Capitolo 25 dal Zhong lun. Esaminare il nirvāṇa." Annali di Ca' Foscari (Serie orientale 33) 41.3: 151-173.”
Cites
Brill's Encyclopedia of Buddhism: Vol. I: Languages and Literature
Eltschinger, V., Silk, J. A., & Oskar, V. (2015) · HAL (Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe) · Cited by 53 · see citing works
3. Notions and Visions of the Canon in Early Chinese Buddhism
Zacchetti, S. (2015) · Columbia University Press eBooks · doi:10.7312/wu--17160-007 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
(1996) · ARCA (Università Ca' Foscari Venezia) · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Il Buddhismo cinese dalle origini al 581
(2010) · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Blind Spots and One-Way Tracks in Chinese Buddhist Historiography
Zacchetti†, S., & Palumbo, A. (2022) · Chinese Buddhism and the Scholarship of Erik Zürcher · doi:10.1163/9789004522152_011 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Self-citationIl Buddhismo cinese tra Han Posteriori e Tang (II-X sec. d.C.)
(2008) · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 9
- 2014b "Note lessicali sino-buddhiste." In Il liuto e i libri. Studi in onore di Mario Sabattini, edited by Magda Abbiati and Federico Greselin, 897-906. Venezia: Edizioni Ca' Foscari. 2013a "Perfection of Wisdom" (online). In Oxford Bibliographies in Buddhism, edited by Richard K. Payne. New York: Oxford University Press. Added on 22 April 2013. 2012 "La costruzione pretransitiva nelle traduzioni buddhiste di epoca Han." In Cina. La centralità ritrovata. Atti del XII Convegno dell'Associazione Italiana Studi Cinesi (AISC), Cagliari, 17-18 settembre 2009, edited by Francesca Congiu, Barbara Onnis, Cristina Pinna, 281-291. AIPSA Edizioni: Cagliari. 2011 "What can we learn from variant readings? New light on the history of the Jin Canon 金藏 from the textual study of the Guang zan jing 光讚經." In The First International Conference of Buddhist Tripitaka Studies (2010 Foxue yanjiu lunwen ji: diyi jie guoji Fojiao dazangjing xueshu yantaohui 2010 佛學研究論文集: 第一屆國際佛教大藏經學術研 討會), 307-323. Gaoxiong: Foguangshan wenjiao jijinhui 佛光山文教基金會.
- Antonello Palumbo 2010a "Some Remarks on the Authorship and Chronology of the Yin chi ru jing zhu 陰 持入經註: The Second Phase in the Development of Chinese Buddhist Exegetical Literature." In Buddhist Asia 2: Papers from the Second Conference of Buddhist Studies Held in Naples in June 2004 (Università degli Studi di Napoli "L'Orientale" -Centro di Studi sul Buddhismo), edited by Giacomella Orofino and Silvio Vita, 141-198. Kyoto: Italian School of East Asian Studies. 2010b "A 'new' early Chinese Buddhist commentary: The nature of the Da anban shouyi jing 大安般守意經 T 602 reconsidered." Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies 31(1-2) (2008 [2010]): 421-484.
- 2010c "Defining An Shigao's 安世高 Translation Corpus: The State of the Art in Relevant Research." In Xiyu lishi yuyan yanjiu jikan 西域历史语言研究集刊 (Historical and Philological Studies of China's Western Regions), vol. 3, edited by Shen Weirong 沈衛榮, 249-270. Beijing: Kexue chubanshe 科學出版社 .
- 2004a "The Scripture on the Twelve Gates Preached by the Buddha (Kongō-ji Ms A 金剛 寺本─甲本, ll. 282-364)." In Kongōji issaikyō no kisoteki kenkyū to shinshutsu butten no kenkyū 金剛寺一切経の基礎的研究と新出仏典の研究, edited by Ochiai Toshinori 落合俊典, pp. 240-231 (reverse pagination). Tokyo: Kokusai Bukkyōgaku daigakuin daigaku 国際仏教学大学院大学.
- 2004d "An Shigao's Texts Preserved in the Newly Discovered Kongō-ji Manuscript and Their Significance for the Study of Early Chinese Buddhism." Indogaku Bukkyōgaku Kenkyū 印度學仏教學研究 (Journal of Indian and Buddhist Studies) 52.2: 57-60. 2003 "The Rediscovery of Three Early Buddhist Scriptures on Meditation: A Preliminary Analysis of the Fo shuo shi'er men jing, the Fo shuo jie shi'er men jing Translated by An Shigao and Their Commentary Preserved in the Newly Found Kongō-ji Manuscript." Annual Report of the International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhist Studies at Soka University 6: 251-299. Chinese translation: Zuo Guanming 左冠明 (Stefano Zacchetti), trans. Ji Yun 紀贇. "Sanbu zaoqi chanding Fojiao jingdian de chongxin faxian: xin faxian Jin'gangsi An Shigao yi Foshuo shi'ermen jing, Foshuo jie shi'ermen jing yiji zhushi de chubu yanjiu" 三 部早期禪定佛教經典的重新發現--新發現金剛寺安世高譯 《佛說十二門經》 、《佛說解十二門經》 以及注釋的初步研究. Fojiao wenhua yanjiu 佛教文化研究 (Studies of Buddhist Culture) 6 (2018): 102-181.
- 2002a "An early Chinese translation corresponding to Chapter 6 of the Peṭakopadesa. An Shigao's Yin chi ru jing T 603 and its Indian original: a preliminary survey." Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies 65(1): 74-98. 2002b "Il Capitolo 25 dal Zhong lun. Esaminare il nirvāṇa." Annali di Ca' Foscari (Serie orientale 33) 41.3: 151-173.
- 1996a "Dharmagupta's Unfinished Translation of the Diamond-Cleaver (Vajracchedikā- Prajñāpāramitā-sūtra)." T'oung Pao 82(1-3): 137-152.
- Tesi di dottorato (Ph.D. dissertation) 1999 La più antica versione cinese della Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā. Tesi di dottorato, Università Ca' Foscari, Venezia, defended on 5 March 1999.
- Tesi di laurea (undergraduate/graduate dissertation) 1994 Le versioni cinesi del Sutra del Diamante (Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā). Uno studio com- parativo con una traduzione della versione di Kumārajīva. Tesi di laurea, Università Ca' Foscari, Venezia, defended on 4 March 1994.
- Authors
- Palumbo, A.
- Corresponding author
- Palumbo, Antonello
- Venue
- Buddhist Studies Review
- Publisher
- Equinox Publishing
- Published
- 2021-11-25
- Volume
- 38
- Issue
- 2
- ISSN
- 0265-2897 (ISSN-L)
- 1747-9681
- OpenAlex
- W3216039005
- Semantic Scholar
- 856f1fcf920e3134489eed1a4c7d46309501f596
- Cited by
- 0
- References
- 9
- FWCI
- 0.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Buddhist Studies Review (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Religious studies › Indian and Buddhist Studies
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Chinese history and philosophy
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Keywords
- Buddhist studies, Chinese Buddhist texts, Chinese Buddhist literature, academic legacy, memorial tribute, University of Oxford
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