It is pointed out that in the history of Buddhist studies in Europe and America, Russia's contributions, especially Vasilyev's achievements in the study of Sino Tibetan Buddhism, are often overlooked. Vasilyev's research did not rely on Sanskrit literature, but focused on the introduction, translation, and study of Chinese, Tibetan, and Mongolian Buddhist literature, correctly understanding the relationship between Chinese Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhism, and Indian Buddhism. His academic perspective and research height were leading in Europe at that time. Although Vasilyev continued to study Chinese Buddhism, some of his achievements were not published due to the fire and limitations of the academic environment in Russia, becoming underutilized academic resources.

1、 Vasilyev's academic background and research history

Vasilyev's research on Chinese Buddhism can be divided into three stages: academic accumulation, recording of Chinese observations and data collection, and formation of academic ideas. I studied Mongolian, Tatar, and Tibetan at Kazan University, researched Buddhist literature, and obtained a master's degree in Mongolian language studies. In 1839, as a member of a missionary group, he went to Beijing to learn various languages such as Manchu, Han, Sanskrit, and Turkic, and extensively studied Buddhist scriptures and materials from various ethnic groups in Central Asia. After returning to Russia in 1850, Vasilyev published "Buddhism and Its Teachings: History and Documents", which was translated into German and French and received attention from the European academic community. In his later years, his main work included revising "Research on Buddhist Doctrine," translating "History of Indian Buddhism," and writing "Eastern Religions: Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism," among others. Vasilyev also wrote a series of Buddhist research papers summarizing his earlier studies. He translated Xuanzang's "Records of the Western Regions of the Great Tang Dynasty", but it was not published. Although Vasilyev occasionally involved Buddhism in his teaching, at that time there were no specialized courses related to Chinese Buddhism offered in Russian university curricula.

2、 Vasilyev's Research Method on Chinese Buddhism: Based on the Perspectives of Literature, History, and Sociology

Vasilyev's research methods on Chinese Buddhism integrate perspectives from philology, history, and sociology. He has a profound understanding of Eastern languages, especially by compiling the "Dictionary of Buddhist Terminology" to accurately comprehend Buddhist concepts, emphasizing the importance of multilingual comparison. Vasilyev explored the mutual influence between languages in "The Relationship between Chinese and Central Asian Languages", emphasizing the importance of proficiency in Chinese for Buddhist studies, and emphasizing precise word choice in translation and research. One of his research features is the use of Chinese Tibetan bilingual materials, such as the textual research on Chinese and Mongolian Buddhist documents in the History of Xizang Buddhism. Vasilyev proposed a framework for writing the history of Buddhist development based on Chinese Han Tibetan Buddhist literature in "Buddhism and Its Teachings: History and Documents", starting from the early Buddhist doctrine of Hinayana Buddhism, then to the origin and spread of Mahayana Buddhism, and finally turning to the mysticism of Esoteric Buddhism. This framework still dominates the writing of Indian Buddhist history to this day. Based on his correct understanding of sectarian Buddhism, he translated Mahayana scriptures into Chinese, paid attention to the origin of Mahayana Buddhism, and explored the relationship between Mahayana Buddhism and Hinayana Buddhism. Vasilyev also introduced the history of Chinese Buddhism, including the introduction of Buddhism to China, the debates between Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism in Buddhist history, and paid attention to Buddhist scriptures. He raised an important question in the history of Chinese Buddhism, which is why Buddhism was able to make significant breakthroughs in China, and provided explanations in two directions: practical reasons and internal strength. Vasilyev also observed the organization of Buddhist monastic communities in China from a sociological perspective, paying attention to Buddhist precepts and rituals, studying the actual operation of monastic systems in India and China, as well as the process of compiling scriptures. He went beyond the traditional method of using language and writing to study Buddhist scriptures and turned to a deeper examination based on sociology and history.

3、 The limitations of Vasilyev's understanding of Chinese Buddhism

Explored the limitations of Vasilyev's understanding of Chinese Buddhism. Vasilyev compared the religious traditions of the East and the West from a Western perspective, believing that the Chinese people do not have strict restrictions on their religious beliefs and exhibit "conformity", which is fundamentally different from Western religious fanaticism. He pointed out that Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism all have a certain degree of "illusory nature" and are difficult to truly go global like Christianity and Islam. Vasilyev also argued for the institutional similarities between Christianity and Buddhism, believing that the spread and development of Buddhism were indirectly influenced by Christianity. He regarded the spread of Buddhism in the East as a result of the superiority of Western spiritual power. Vasilyev's research consciousness is influenced by the Western value system, leading to undeniable "bias" and attempting to prove to readers the superiority and influence of the West over the East. Even when observing Chinese society and religion up close, he inevitably set himself a necessary argument beforehand, that is, the West is necessarily superior to the East.

4、 Conclusion

Emphasis was placed on the influence of Buddhist literature discovered in the Dunhuang Caves on the academic community, pointing out the shortcomings of Chinese Buddhism research overseas before the 20th century. European and American scholars were unable to conduct in-depth research on Buddhism due to language barriers and missionaries' neglect of it. Vasilyev, as the first Western scholar to systematically study Chinese Buddhism in the 19th century, had a significant impact on the fields of Russian Sinology and Western Buddhist studies. His research methods and achievements were inherited and developed by students Minaev and Scherbatsky, forming an academic style that emphasizes the comparative study of original texts and multilingual literature. However, the development of Indian and Tibetan studies in Russia in the early 19th century led to a neglect of the traditional style of Chinese language research. After the 1970s, Russian scholars began to pay more attention to Chinese Buddhism itself. Vasilyev's research is forward-looking and pioneering, enabling the Western academic community to gain a deeper understanding of the development and thought of Chinese Buddhism. His work is still recognized and remembered today.