Reopening the Maitreya-files – Two almost identical early Maitreya sūtra translations in the Chinese Canon: Wrong attributions and text-historical entanglements
Appendix I The Chinese sūtra translations on Maitreya’s
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| Appendix I
The Chinese sūtra translations on Maitreya’s fu ture buddhahood In the table the translators’ attributions are given as indicated in the Taishō edition. #43# No. Title Attributed translator and date ※ 43 Beginning narration of the scripture 453 (T14) “Sūtra on Mai- tre ya’s coming down to birth” Mile xia sheng jing 彌勒下生經 (also called Mile chengfo jing 彌 勒成佛經) Dharma- rakṣa (Zhu Fahu 竺法護) – end of the 3 rd , be ginn- ing of the 4 th century 3506 The scripture starts like an Āgama sūtra with the fa- mous formula: “Thus have I heard …” The narration is located at Śrāvastī in the Jeta vana Anāthapiṇḍi- kā rā ma. Ānanda inquires about Maitreya, the future Bud dha. 454 (T14) “Sūtra on Mai- tre ya’s coming down to birth and buddha- hood” Mile xia sheng cheng fo jing 彌 勒下生成佛經 (also called Guan Mi shou- jue jing 觀彌受 決經 and Mile danglai cheng fo jing 彌勒當來成 佛經) Kumārajīva (Jiumo- luoshi 鳩摩 羅什) – fi rst decade of the 5 th cen- tury 3301 The text starts with a praise directed towards Śāriputra: He is great and wise, is able to follow the Buddha, and turn the wheel of the dhar ma. He is a great leader in matters of the Buddhist teach ings, and it is due to his kind- ness towards all the liv- ing beings and for their sake that he addresses and questions the Buddha. His questions immediately re- fer to the future arrival of the Buddha Maitreya. 455 (T14) “Sūtra on Mai- tre ya’s coming down to birth Yi Jing (義 淨) – fi rst decade of 2258 The sūtra begins like this: “Thus have I heard …” It is set on the Gṛdhrakūṭa 43 Number of characters including dots. Reopening the Maitreya-fi les 269 #44##45##46# and buddha- hood” Mile xia sheng cheng fo jing 彌 勒下生成佛經 the 8 th cen- tury near Rājagṛha. After a brief intro duction to the setting, Śāriputra is intro- duc ed as the foremost among the leaders of the dharma. He then speaks to the Buddha in verses and immediately addresses the subject of the future Bud- dha. 44 456 (T14) “Sūtra on Mai- treya’s great buddhahood” Mile da cheng fo jing 彌勒大 成佛經 (also called Mile chengfo jing 彌勒成佛 經) Kumārajīva – fi rst dec- ade of the 5 th century 8383 At the beginning we fi nd the formula “Thus have I heard …” The Buddha is staying in Magadha on a mountain, the place where all the Buddhas of the past have sub- dued Māra. 45 Śāri putra is among those spend ing the summer retreat to gether with the Buddha on top of the mountain. 46 In this ver sion the prolego me non is longer than in the oth- ers. Śāriputra requests the Bud dha to talk about the future Buddha Maitreya. 457 “Sūtra on the time of Mai- treya’s arrival” Anonymous (317–420) 1238 Without any indication on the location the text starts by saying that Śāriputra is the Buddha’s foremost 44 Although this sūtra has the transcription for Maitreya (Mile 彌勒) in its title, the scripture itself does not contain this transcription for Maitreya but only the transla tion Cishi 慈氏. 45 Māra is the lord of the world of desire kāmadhātu, the highest of the six heav ens. To conquer Māra (xiang Mo 降魔) means to subdue passions and de- sires. 46 The mountain name is spelled Bosha- shan 波沙山. The text of the Taishō edition adds within brackets the translation of the Indian name and says: “This is the ‘Mountain of the solitary end’” (Gujue- shan ye 孤絶山也). I thank Max Deeg for the suggestion that the Chinese transcriptions Bosha 波沙and Boshana 波沙那 might refer to the Indraśāila moun tain. |