歷代三寶紀 8.41

8.41

The above three works in sixty fascicles: Tripiṭaka Dharma Master Saṅghadeva of Kashmir—also called Tihe, which is merely a regional variation in Sanskrit pronunciation—translated into Qin as Zhongtian. During the reign of Emperor Jianwen of the Jin, in the Jianyuan era of the Fu house, he entered Chang'an to propagate and spread the teaching of the Dharma. Earlier, when Saṅghabhadra produced the Vasumitra and Dharmanandin translated the Madhyamāgama, Ekottarikāgama, Tridharmaka, and others, it was during a time of barbarian conflict, so the translations were not detailed or complete. Dao'an departed this world before they could be revised. Later, when the region east of the mountains was pacified, Saṅghadeva, together with Dao'an's fellow student Shi Fahe, went to Luoyang. Over four or five years they studied and lectured on the former scriptures. Living in China longer, his understanding of the Qin language deepened, and only then did he realize that the earlier productions contained many errors. Fahe, lamenting that this rarely encountered Dharma had been produced without perfection, then once again prevailed upon Saṅghadeva to retranslate the previous scriptures. Shortly after this, Buddhist affairs under Yao Xing of the Later Qin flourished greatly; Fahe returned to the west, and Saṅghadeva crossed south. Therefore, the earlier and later texts differ slightly.