法華玄論 1.41

1.41

此經凡有二本：一正法華經，晉長安竺曇摩羅剎，此言法護，之所譯出。二妙法蓮華經，晉鳩摩羅什，此云童壽，於偽秦弘始五年四月二十三日，於長安逍遙園譯出《大品》，後於草堂寺譯出此經二十七品。此二本有今古、文質、廣略之異，而大意同矣。復有《大悲蓮華經》，廣明慈悲之德，異上二經，是曇無讖所出。其中復有《華首》《華嚴》諸華經不一也。然晉有前後，昔在江右名為西晉，得五十二年，此經猶在外國。自元王渡江左稱為東晉，至晉安帝義熙中，此經始度。然宋得六十年，齊得二十三年，梁得四十四年，合二百二十九年，從梁至今五十年，將三百年矣。

This sūtra has two versions in total: First, the Zheng fahua jing, translated by Zhu Dharmarakṣa—rendered here as Fahu—of the Jin at Chang'an. Second, the Miaofa lianhua jing, translated by Kumārajīva—rendered here as Tongsou—of the Jin, who, under the illegitimate Qin on the twenty-third day of the fourth month in the fifth year of Hongshi, translated the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā at the Xiaoyao Garden in Chang'an, and later translated this sūtra in twenty-seven chapters at Caotang Monastery. These two versions have differences of modern and ancient, ornate and unadorned, broad and brief, yet their general purport is identical. Furthermore, there is the Mahākaruṇāpuṇḍarīka-sūtra, which broadly illuminates the virtues of loving-kindness and compassion; differing from the above two sūtras, it was produced by Dharmakṣema. Among them there are also various lotus sūtras, such as the Huashou [Karuṇāpuṇḍarīka] and Huayan, which are not just one. However, the Jin had an earlier and later period: formerly west of the river it was called the Western Jin, lasting fifty-two years, during which this sūtra was still in foreign lands. From King Yuan's crossing east of the river it was called the Eastern Jin, and up to the Yixi reign era of Emperor An of the Jin, this sūtra was first brought across. Then the Song lasted sixty years, the Qi lasted twenty-three years, and the Liang lasted forty-four years, totaling two hundred and twenty-nine years; from the Liang until now is fifty years, approaching three hundred years.