Sir William (originally Friedrich Wilhelm) Herschel (1738-1822) is one of the greatest figures in the history of astronomy. Born in Germany, he moved to England in 1757 and started his astronomical observations while working as a professional musician in Bath. With the help of his sister, Caroline, Herschel began a series of systematic reviews of the heavens to record the motion and distribution of the stars. Using massive telescopes built by himself, Herschel was able to see much futher than any previous astronomer, and he was the first to give a correct description of the form of our galaxy, The Milky Way. In 1781 he discovered the planet Uranus, and in 1782 he was appointed King's Astronomer by George III. Eventually, when The Royal Astronomical Society was founded in 1820, Herschel became its president.

This study of Tsung-mi is part of the Studies in East Asian Buddhism series. Author Peter Gregory makes extensive use of Japanese secondary sources, which complements his work on the complex Chinese materials that form the basis of the study.