古今譯經圖紀 4.34

4.34

Śramaṇa Jñānagupta, here translated as Zhide (Virtuous Intention), was a native of the country of Gandhāra in Northern India, of kṣatriya lineage. From his youth he harboured an expansive capacity, and into his maturity he preserved pure standards. Travelling to convert others, he came and arrived in this region. At first, during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Zhou, he translated: the Sūtra of the Inquiries of the Golden Sage (2 fascicles); the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra Samantamukha Repeated Verses (1 fascicle); the Sūtra of Various Miscellaneous Spells (1 fascicle); and the Sūtra of the Words of the Buddha (1 fascicle). In total, there were four works in five fascicles. The śramaṇa Yuanming served as scribe. Then, from the seventh year of Kaihuang of Emperor Wen of the Sui, the cyclical year Dingwei, to the fifteenth year, by imperial decree, he translated at Daxingshan Monastery: the Abhiniṣkramaṇa Sūtra (60 fascicles); the Dharma-torch Dhāraṇī Sūtra (20 fascicles); the Mahātejas Dhāraṇī Sūtra (20 fascicles); the Sūtra on the Protection and Mindfulness of All Buddhas (10 fascicles); the Sūtra of the Names of Five Thousand Five Hundred Buddhas (8 fascicles); the Mahāsaṃnipāta Bhadrapāla Bodhisattva Sūtra (6 fascicles); the Sūtra of the Questions of the Devaputra Ārya-susthita (4 fascicles); the Sūtra on Observing the Practice of All Dharmas (4 fascicles); the Sūtra of the Four Youths (3 fascicles); the Sūtra on the Fundamental Non-existence of All Dharmas (3 fascicles); the Gaganagarbha Bodhisattva Sūtra (2 fascicles); the Candrottarādārikā Sūtra (2 fascicles); the Sumati-dāraka Sūtra (2 fascicles); the Sūtra on the Transference of Consciousness (2 fascicles); the Sūtra of the King of Parables (2 fascicles); the Sūtra on Arousing the Pure Mind (2 fascicles); the Sūtra on Bodhisattvas of Sole Delivery (1 fascicle); the Sūtra of the Inquiries and Doubts of the Sage of Great Awful Lamp Light (1 fascicle); the Sūtra on the Practice of Mañjuśrī (1 fascicle); the Sūtra of the Names of the Eight Buddhas (1 fascicle); the Sūtra on the Comparative Merit of Rarity (1 fascicle); the Sūtra on Respecting the Master (1 fascicle); the Sūtra of the Tathāgata's Skillful Spell (1 fascicle); the Amoghapāśa Avalokiteśvara Heart-Spell Sūtra (1 fascicle); the Sūtra of the Divine Spells of the Twelve Buddha Names for Comparing Merits, Eradicating Obstacles, and Eliminating Sins (1 fascicle); the Vajramaṇḍa Dhāraṇī Sūtra (1 fascicle); the Sūtra of the Supreme King of All Dharmas (1 fascicle); the Sūtra on Entering the Essential Nature of the Dharmadhātu (1 fascicle); the Sūtra of the Questions of the Devaputra Śreṣṭhī (1 fascicle); the Sūtra on the Generation of the Bodhicitta (1 fascicle); and the Suvarṇaprabhāsa Sūtra, Entrustment Chapter (1 fascicle). In total, there were thirty-three works in one hundred and fifty fascicles. The śramaṇas Sengtan, Daosui, Sengkun, Mingfen, and Daomi, and the scholars Fei Changfang, Liu Ping, and others served as scribes. He was well versed in foreign languages and understood the profound, esoteric tenets. For all that he translated, he had no need for interpreters: understanding the principles and doctrinal gates, his spoken words perfected the linguistic forms.