開元釋教錄 4

English (machine translation) 4

Language: English

4.5 — 8 parts
4.17 — 5 parts

4.1

Compiled by the śramaṇa Zhisheng of the Western Chongfu Temple in the gengwu year

4.2

General Comprehensive Catalogue of the Sūtras, Part One, Section Four

4.3

The Yao of Qin, Capital at Chang'an (also called the Later Qin)

Beginning with Yao Chang (posthumously titled Emperor Zhaowu), the first year of Baique, jiashen, and ending with Yao Hong (without posthumous title), the third year of Yonghe, dingsi, it spans three rulers and thirty-four years. There were five śramaṇas who produced scriptures, vinayas, treatises, and so forth: in total 94 works, amounting to 624 fascicles (among them, 66 works in 528 fascicles are extant, and 28 works in 96 fascicles are lost. According to the Epilogue to the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa, it states that in the third year of Hongshi, the year being xinchou—Wang Daogui says gengzi, and another edition also says the year was xinchou—Fei Changfang and Zhen Luan differed by yet another year; now, following the Epilogue as correct, they are arranged in order).

4.5.1

(Yao Qin) Śramaṇa Zhu Fonian (twelve works, seventy-four fascicles of sūtra, vinaya, and compilations)
Śramaṇa Kumārajīva (seventy-four works, three hundred eighty-four fascicles of sūtras, vinayas, śāstras, and compilations)
Śramaṇa Puṇyatāra (one work, fifty-eight fascicles of vinaya)
Śramaṇa Buddhayaśas (four works, eighty-four fascicles of sūtras and vinaya)
Śramaṇa Dharmayaśas (three works, twenty-four fascicles of sūtras and śāstras)
Shizhu duanjie jing, ten fascicles (initially called Zuishang wen pusa shizhu chugou duanjie jing, also titled Shiqian riguang sanmei ding, also called Shidi duanjie, sometimes in eleven fascicles or fourteen fascicles; second translation; seen in the Sanqin lu, Gaoseng zhuan, and Sengyou lu)
Pusa yingluo jing, twelve fascicles (also titled Xianzai bao; second translation; sometimes in thirteen fascicles, fourteen fascicles, or sixteen fascicles; produced in the seventh month of the twelfth year of Jianyuan of the Fu Qin; seen in the Erqin lu, Gaoseng zhuan, and Sengyou lu)
Pusa chutai jing, five fascicles (initially called Pusa cong doushutian jiangshen mutai shuo guangpu jing, also simply called Taijing, sometimes in four fascicles or eight fascicles; seen in the Erqin lu, Gaoseng zhuan, and Sengyou lu)
Zhongyin jing, two fascicles (seen in the Erqin lu, Gaoseng zhuan, and Sengyou lu)
Pusa yingluo benye jing, two fascicles (or simply titled Yingluo benye jing; first translation; seen in Changfang's catalogue)
Binaiye lü, ten fascicles (also titled Jie yinyuan jing, also called Binaiye jing, also called Jieguo yinyuan jing; scribed by the śramaṇa Tanjin; seen in Master Daoan's preface to the sūtra; produced on the twelfth day of the first month of the fourteenth year, renyu, of Jianyuan of the Fu Qin)
Chuyao jing, twenty fascicles (also called Chuyao lun, sometimes in nineteen fascicles; produced in the nineteenth year of Jianyuan of the Fu Qin; seen in the Erqin lu, Gaoseng zhuan, Sengyou's catalogue, Baochang's catalogue, etc.)
The above are extant. Those below are lost.
Chiren pusa jing, three fascicles (second translation; same text as Dharmarakṣa's Chiren and Kumārajīva's Chishi; seen in Changfang's catalogue)
Dafangdeng wuxiang jing, five fascicles (also titled Dayun jing, sometimes in four fascicles; same text as Dharmakṣema's Fangdeng dayun; first translation; seen in Changfang's catalogue)
Pusa puchu jing, three fascicles (seen in Changfang's catalogue)
Shisong biqiuni jie suochu benmo, one fascicle (third translation; Sengchun obtained the Sanskrit manuscript in the country of Kucha, and Fonian translated it; because the phrasing was cumbersome, Zhu Fatai later edited and corrected it; seen in Baochang's catalogue)
Wangzi Fayi huaimu yinyuan jing, one fascicle (or called Ayu wang xi huaimu yinyuan jing; third translation; seen in Sengyou's catalogue)
The above twelve works in seventy-four fascicles (from the Chuyao above, seven works in sixty-one fascicles are extant; from the Chiren below, five works in thirteen fascicles are lost).
Śramaṇa Zhu Fonian was a native of Liangzhou. He renounced household life in his youth, and his aspirations and achievements were pure and resolute. Externally gentle and internally lucid, he possessed penetrating discernment. He chanted and studied numerous sūtras and dabbled broadly in non-Buddhist texts. He was particularly proficient in the philological glosses of the Cang[jiepian] and [Er]ya. In his youth he was fond of traveling widely, thoroughly observing local customs. His family had resided for generations in Xihe, so he thoroughly comprehended regional dialects. In the sounds and meanings of both Chinese and the barbarian languages, there were none he could not interpret. Therefore, although he lacked renown for doctrinal exegesis, his reputation for erudition was extremely prominent. During the Jianyuan era of the Fu clan, Dharmadhara, Kumārabodhi, Saṅghabhūti, Devanandi, and others arrived in Chang'an. Master Daoan, Zhao Zheng, and others requested the translation of various sūtras, but among the eminent figures of that time none could interpret them. The assembly all recommended Fonian as an insightful master. Since An Shigao and Zhi Qian, none surpassed Fonian. Across the two dynasties of Fu and Yao, he was the leader of translators; hence the saṅgha of Guanzhong all praised him together. In the two dynasties of Fu and Yao, Fonian himself translated twelve works, including the Shizhu duanjie jing (in Changfang's catalogue, separately preserving a Shidi duanjie jing in ten fascicles is an error; "abode" [zhu] and "stage" [di] have no difference in meaning; I now preserve Shizhu and delete Shidi). Later he fell ill and passed away in Chang'an. Both the clergy and the laity near and far lamented and grieved without exception.
Mohe bore boluomi jing, forty fascicles (also titled Dapin bore jing; Sengyou calls it the New Large Prajñā Sūtra; third translation; same text as the Fangguang and others; sometimes in thirty fascicles, twenty-four, or twenty-seven fascicles; translation began on the twenty-third day of the fourth month in the fifth year, guimao, of Hongshi, and was completed on the twenty-third day of the fourth month of the sixth year; seen in the Erqin lu and Sengyou lu)
Xiaopin bore boluomi jing, ten fascicles (titled Mohe bore boluomi without the words "Xiaopin"; Sengyou calls it the New Small Prajñā Sūtra; same text as the Daoxing, Mingdu, etc.; seventh translation; sometimes in seven fascicles; translation began on the sixth day of the second month of the tenth year of Hongshi and was completed on the thirtieth day of the fourth month; seen in the Erqin lu and Sengyou lu)
Jingang bore boluomi jing, one fascicle (also called Jingang bore jing; the one preached by the Buddha in Śrāvastī; first translation; same text as the translation by [Bodhi]ruci of the Northern Wei and others; seen in the Erqin lu and Sengyou lu)
Renwang huguo bore boluomi jing, two fascicles (also called Renwang bore jing, or said to be in one fascicle; second translation; different translation of the same text as those translated by Dharmarakṣa of the Jin and Paramārtha of the Liang dynasty; Changfang says it is seen in the Bielu)
Mohe bore boluomi damingzhou jing, one fascicle (also called Mohe damingzhou jing; first translation; same text as the Heart Sūtra translated in the Tang, etc.; seen above the sūtra title)
Pusazang jing, three fascicles (also titled Fulouna wen jing, also titled Dabeixin jing; now compiled into the Ratnakūṭa, corresponding to the seventeenth assembly, titled the Assembly of Pūrṇa; produced in the seventh year of Hongshi, sometimes in two fascicles; second translation; same text as that translated by Dharmarakṣa; seen in the Erqin lu and Sengyou lu)
Shanbi pusa jing, two fascicles (now compiled into the Ratnakūṭa, corresponding to the twenty-sixth assembly; seen in Fashang's catalogue)
Xumoti pusa jing, one fascicle (second translation; same text as the Sumati Assembly in the Ratnakūṭa, etc.; seen in Changfang's catalogue)
Zizaiwang pusa jing, two fascicles (sometimes without the word "Bodhisattva"; first translation; same text as the Fenxunwang jing; produced in the ninth year of Hongshi at the residence of Yao Xian, Minister of the Department of State Affairs; scribed and prefaced by Sengrui; seen in the Erqin lu and Sengyou lu)
Zhuangyan putixin jing, one fascicle (fourth translation; same text as Dharmarakṣa's Pusa shidi jing and others; Changfang says it is seen in the Bielu)
Shizhu jing, four fascicles (sometimes in five fascicles; a different translation of the "Daśabhūmika" chapter of the Avataṃsaka; translated jointly by Kumārajīva and Buddhayaśas; seen in the Erqin lu and Sengyou lu)
Miaofa lianhua jing, eight fascicles (Sengyou's catalogue calls it the New Saddharmapuṇḍarīka; originally seven fascicles and twenty-seven chapters, later someone added the "Devadatta" chapter to make twenty-eight; produced in the summer of the eighth year of Hongshi at the Great Monastery; scribed and prefaced by Sengrui; fifth translation; seen in the Erqin lu and Sengyou lu)
Weimojie suoshuo jing, three fascicles (also titled Bukesiyi jietuo, or simply Weimojie jing; Sengyou's catalogue calls it the New Vimalakīrti-nirdeśa; Hong[shi]...

4.5.2

[Translated in] the eighth year of Hongshi at the Great Temple; transcribed by Sengzhao, with a preface composed by Sengrui; sixth translation; appears in the Er Qin lu and Sengyou lu.)

*Da shu jinnuoluo wang suowen jing* (Druma-kinnara-rāja-paripṛcchā-sūtra), four fascicles (also called *Shuo bukesiyi pin*, or simply *Da shu jinnuoluo jing*; second translation; same text as Lokakṣema's *Dunzhentuoluo jing*; appears in Changfang's catalogue).

*Ji yiqie fude sanmei jing* (Sarva-puṇya-samuccaya-samādhi-sūtra), three fascicles (same text as Dharmarakṣa and others' *Ji zhongde jing*, but a different translation; third translation; appears in the Zhenji Temple Catalogue).

*Siyi fantian suowen jing* (Viśeṣacintā-brahma-paripṛcchā-sūtra), four fascicles (or simply *Siyi jing*; the Sengyou lu calls it *Siyi yi jing*; translated on the first day of the twelfth month in the fourth year of Hongshi in Xiaoyao Garden; second translation; same text as Dharmarakṣa's *Chixin* and [Bodhiruci's] *Sheng siwei*; appears in the Er Qin lu and Sengyou lu).

*Chishi jing* (Lokadhara-sūtra), four fascicles (also called *Fayin jing*, or in three fascicles; third translation; same text as Dharmarakṣa's *Chiren jing*; appears in the Er Qin lu and Sengyou lu).

*Zhu fa wuxing jing* (Sarvadharma-pravṛtti-nirdeśa), two fascicles (or in one fascicle; same text as Jñānagupta's *Zhu fa benwu jing* under the Sui; first translation; appears in the Er Qin lu and Sengyou lu).

*Amituo jing* (Sukhāvatīvyūha-sūtra), one fascicle (also called *Wuliangshou jing*; translated on the eighth day of the second month in the fourth year of Hongshi; first translation; same text as the Tang translation *Chengzan jingtu jing*; appears in the Er Qin lu and Sengyou lu).

*Mile chengfo jing* (Maitreya-vyākaraṇa), one fascicle (second translation; same text as Dharmarakṣa's *Mile chengfo jing*; produced in the fourth year of Hongshi; appears in the Er Qin lu and Sengyou lu).

*Mile xiasheng jing*, one fascicle (also called *Mile shoujue jing*; the beginning states: "Śāriputra of Great Wisdom..."; same text as *Mile lai shi jing*; fourth translation; also called *Mile chengfo jing*, *Xiasheng chengfo*, or *Dang xiasheng chengfo*; appears in the Er Qin lu and Sengyou lu).

*Wenshushili wen puti jing* (Gayāśīrṣa-sūtra), one fascicle (also simply called *Puti jing*; also called *Gaya shan ding jing*, or *Puti wuxing jing*; first translation; same text as *Gaya shan ding jing* and *Xiangtou jingshe jing*; appears in the Sengyou lu; that the *Jingtu* lists separately a *Puti jing* in one fascicle is an error).

*Kongque wang zhou jing* (Mahāmāyūrī-vidyārājñī), one fascicle (fourth translation; also called *Da jinse kongque wang jing*; produced in Xiaoyao Garden, fully equipped with the method for establishing the ritual boundary; Fei Changfang says it appears in the Bie lu).

*Shouleng'yan sanmei jing* (Śūraṅgama-samādhi-sūtra), three fascicles (or in two fascicles; also simply called *Shouleng'yan jing*; the Sengyou lu calls it *Xin shouleng'yan jing*; ninth translation; same text as *Fangdeng shouleng'yan yongfu ding jing* and others; appears in the Sengyou lu).

*Bukesiyi guang pusa suowen jing* (Acintyaprabhāsa-nirdeśa), one fascicle (also called *Bukesiyi guang pusa suoshuo jing*, or *Wusiyi guang haitong pusa jing*; second translation; same text as Dharmarakṣa's *Wusiyi haitong jing*; appears in Changfang's catalogue).

*Huashou jing* (Kuśalamūla-saṃparigraha-sūtra), thirteen fascicles (or written as *Huashou* [with head]; also called *She zhu shangen jing*, or *She zhu fude jing*; or in ten, eleven, or twelve fascicles; translated in the eighth year of Hongshi; appears in the Er Qin lu and Sengyou lu).

*Fo chui ban niepan lüeshuo jiaojie jing* (Buddha-paścimāvavāda-sūtra), one fascicle (also called *Fo lin ban*; also known as *Yijiao jing*; appears in the Sengyou lu).

*Qianfo yinyuan jing*, one fascicle (appears in Fashang's catalogue).

*Fanwang jing* (Brahmajāla-sūtra), two fascicles (second translation; in the eighth year of Hongshi, at Caotang Temple, [before] three thousand scholars, this single chapter was translated last; the Sanskrit text had sixty-one chapters; when the translation was completed, three hundred people including Daorong and Sengying simultaneously received the ten bodhisattva precepts; Sengzhao received [them too]; see the preface preceding the sūtra).

*Fozang jing* (Buddhapiṭaka-duḥśīla-nigraha-sūtra), four fascicles (also called *Xuanze zhu fa jing*; or in three fascicles, or two fascicles; translated on the twelfth day of the sixth month in the seventh year of Hongshi; appears in the Er Qin lu and Sengyou lu).

*Qingjing bini fangguang jing* (Upāliparipṛcchā), one fascicle (same text as *Wenshu jing lü jing*; third translation; appears in Fashang's catalogue).

*Da zhidu lun* (Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa), one hundred fascicles (also called *Da zhidu jing lun*, or *Mohe bore shi lun*; or in seventy fascicles, or one hundred and ten fascicles; translated in Xiaoyao Garden in the summer of the fourth year of Hongshi, and completed on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month in the seventh year; appears in the Er Qin lu and Sengyou lu).

*Zhong lun* (Mūlamadhyamakakārikā), four fascicles (also called *Zhongguan lun*; or in eight fascicles; translated in the eleventh year of Hongshi at the Great Temple; Sengrui composed the preface; appears in the Er Qin lu and Sengyou lu; this together with the preceding *Zhidu lun* were composed by the Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna).

*Shi'ermen lun* (Dvādaśamukha-śāstra), one fascicle (composed by the Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna; translated in the tenth year of Hongshi at the Great Temple; Sengrui composed the preface; appears in the Sengyou lu and Baochang lu).

*Bai lun* (Śata-śāstra), two fascicles (composed by the Bodhisattva Āryadeva; translated in the sixth year of Hongshi; Sengzhao composed the preface; appears in the Er Qin lu and Sengyou lu).

*Shizhu piposha lun* (Daśabhūmika-vibhāṣā), fourteen fascicles (or without the word *lun*; composed by the Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna; or in twelve or fifteen fascicles; appears in Changfang's catalogue).

*Da zhuangyan jing lun* (Kalpanāmaṇḍitikā / Mahālaṃkāra-śāstra), fifteen fascicles (or without the word *jing*; composed by the Bodhisattva Aśvaghoṣa; or in ten fascicles; appears in Changfang's catalogue).

*Fa putixin lun*, two fascicles (also called *Fa putixin jing*, or *Jing lun*; appears in Li Kuo's catalogue).

*Fangniu jing*, one fascicle (also called *Muniu jing*; an alternate translation from the forty-sixth fascicle of the *Ekottarika-āgama*; Fei Changfang says it appears in the Bie lu).

*Hai bade jing*, one fascicle (third translation; same text as *Fahai jing*; appears in Fashang's catalogue).

*Chan miyao jing*, three fascicles (also called *Chan miyao fa* without the word *jing*; or in four fascicles; same text as that produced by Zhi Qian and others; second translation; Fei Changfang says it appears in the Bie lu).

*Dengzhi yinyuan jing*, one fascicle (appears in Li Kuo's catalogue).

*Shisong biqiu jieben* (Sarvāstivāda-bhikṣu-prātimokṣa), one fascicle (also called *Shisong boluodimuxa jie*; third translation; same text as that produced by Dharmamati and others; appears in the Sengyou lu).

*Chengshi lun* (Tattvasiddhi-śāstra), twenty fascicles (or twenty-four, sixteen, or fourteen fascicles; on the eighth day of the ninth month in the thirteenth year of Hongshi, Yao Xian, Director of the Department of State Affairs, requested its translation, which was completed on the fifteenth day of the ninth month in the fourteenth year; transcribed by Tan'gui; composed nine hundred years after the Buddha's parinirvāṇa by Harivarman; appears in the Sengyou lu).

*Zuochan sanmei jing*, three fascicles (also called *Pusa chanfa jing*, first translation; or simply *Chan jing*, or *Chanfa yao*, or *Alanruo xi chan fa*; these three titles are all the same text; produced on the fifth day of the first month in the fourth year of Hongshi, and re-collated in the intercalary fifth month of the ninth year; appears in the three catalogues of Er Qin, Sengyou, and Baochang).

*Pusa he seyu fa*, one fascicle (also called *Pusa he seyu jing*, or simply *Pusa he seyu*; first translation; appears in the Sengyou lu).

*Chanfa yaojie*, two fascicles (also called *Chan yao jing*; first translation; appears in the Sengyou lu).

*Siwei yaolüe fa*, one fascicle (also called *Siwei yaolüe fa jing*, or simply *Siwei jing*; second translation; appears in Changfang's catalogue).

*Za piyu jing*, one fascicle (translated in the tenth month of the seventh year of Hongshi; compiled by Daolüe).

*Maming pusa zhuan* (Biography of Bodhisattva Aśvaghoṣa), one fascicle (appears in Changfang's catalogue).

*Longshu pusa zhuan* (Biography of Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna), one fascicle (appears in Changfang's catalogue).

4.5.3

Biography of Bodhisattva Deva, in one fascicle (recorded in Changfang's catalogue).
Sūtra on the Dharmadhātu's Intrinsic Nature Free from Conceptual Discrimination, in two fascicles (same text as the Assembly on the Intrinsic Nature of the Dharmadhātu in the Ratnakūṭa; first translation; recorded in Fashang's catalogue).
From here down, lost texts:
Sūtra of Great Skill-in-Means, in two fascicles (same text as the Upāyakauśalya Assembly of the Ratnakūṭa; fourth translation; recorded in Li Kuo's catalogue).
Mahāvaipulya Mahāsaṃnipāta Sūtra, in thirty fascicles (sometimes with "New" added, or in twenty-four fascicles; same text as those produced by Lokakṣema and Dharmakṣema; recorded in the Two Qin Catalogues and Li Kuo's catalogue).
Mahāvaipulya Mūrdharāja Sūtra, in one fascicle (same text as that produced by Dharmarakṣa and others; second translation; recorded in Changfang's catalogue).
Ajātaśatru Sūtra, in two fascicles (same text as that produced by Lokakṣema and others; fifth translation; Changfang notes it is found in the Classified Catalogue).
Sūtra on the Past Life of Śyāma, in one fascicle (also simply called the Śyāma Sūtra; extracted from the Saṭpāramitā-sūtra as a variant translation; third translation; recorded in Li Kuo's catalogue).
Sūtra on Invoking Avalokiteśvara, in one fascicle (first translation; same text as that produced by Zhu Nandi; recorded in Li Kuo's catalogue).
Ratnajāla Sūtra, in one fascicle (second translation; same text as that produced by Dharmarakṣa; recorded in Li Kuo's catalogue).
Sūtra Praising the Virtues of the Buddhas, in three fascicles (also called the Collection of Flowers Sūtra; first translation; translated in the seventh year of Hongshi; recorded in the Two Qin Catalogues and Sengyou's catalogue).
Sūtra on the Contemplation of Bodhisattva Samantabhadra, in one fascicle (second translation; recorded in Li Kuo's catalogue).
Sūtra on Unprecedented Karmic Nidānas, in two fascicles (first translation; recorded in Fashang's catalogue).
Bhadrakalpika Sūtra, in seven fascicles (second translation; produced on the fifth day of the third month of the fourth year of Hongshi; same text as that translated by Dharmarakṣa; scribe was Sengong; recorded in the Two Qin Catalogues and Sengyou's catalogue; also named Bhadrakalpa Samādhi Sūtra, and Bhadrakalpa Fixed Concentration Sūtra, altogether three titles; Sengyou's catalogue calls it the New Bhadrakalpika Sūtra).
Mahādhāraṇī Sūtra of Wholesome Faith, in two fascicles (recorded in Li Kuo's catalogue).
Dhāraṇībhūmi Sūtra, in one fascicle (recorded in Changfang's catalogue).
Sūtra on the Contemplation of the Buddha Samādhi, in one fascicle (recorded in Li Kuo's catalogue).
Bodhisattva Prātimokṣa, in one fascicle (first translation; recorded in Changfang's catalogue; it is now suspected that this Bodhisattva Prātimokṣa is the lower fascicle of the Brahmā Net).
Mañjuśrī's Confession Sūtra, in one fascicle (second translation; recorded in Changfang's catalogue).
Śāriputra's Confession Sūtra, in one fascicle (third translation; recorded in Fashang's catalogue).
Daśabhūmika Śāstra, in ten fascicles (composed by Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna; translated in the Hongshi reign era, unfinished; the end of the eighth fascicle resembles the Ṣaṭpāramitā Collection; recorded in the Two Qin Catalogues and Sengyou's catalogue; it is now suspected that this Daśabhūmika Śāstra is the Daśabhūmika-vibhāṣā).
Sūtra on Examining Sins and Blessings, in ten fascicles (Changfang notes it is found in the Classified Catalogue).
Sūtra on the Contemplation of the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination, in one fascicle (recorded in Changfang's catalogue).
Biography of Vasubandhu, in one fascicle (first translation; recorded in the Translation Illustrated Catalogue).
The above are seventy-four works in 384 fascicles (from the Biography of Bodhisattva Deva and above, fifty-two works in 302 fascicles are extant; from the Sūtra on the Dharmadhātu's Intrinsic Nature and below, twenty-two works in eighty-two fascicles are lost texts).
Śramaṇa Kumārajīva, translated in Qin as Tongshou ("Youth of Long Life"; also named Kumārajīva; names in foreign countries are mostly based on those of the parents; Jīva's father was Kumārāyana and his mother was named Jīvā, hence he combined both to form his name).
He was a man of Tianzhu. For generations his family had been state ministers. Jīva's grandfather, Datta, was distinguished and extraordinary, widely celebrated throughout the state. His father, Kumārāyana, was intelligent and of noble character; when on the verge of succeeding to the prime minister's office, he resigned, renounced worldly life, and crossed the Congling mountains eastward. The King of Kucha, hearing that he had abandoned glory and renounced mundane life, deeply revered and admired him. He personally went out to the outskirts to welcome him and invited him to be the State Preceptor. The king had a younger sister who was just twenty years old. Highly gifted and keen of intellect, whatever caught her eye she instantly mastered, and upon hearing something once she could recite it. Moreover, she had a red mole on her body, which was an auspicious mark indicating she would give birth to a wise son. When envoys from various states came to seek her hand, she refused them all; yet upon seeing [Kumār]āyana, her heart wished to marry him. Hearing this, the king was overjoyed and compelled [Kumārāyana] to take her as his wife. She subsequently gave birth to Jīva. While Jīva was in the womb, his mother's wisdom and understanding doubled beyond the ordinary. Going to the Quele Great Monastery to listen to the sūtras, she suddenly became fluent in the Indic tongue on her own, and in debates and questioning her words thoroughly penetrated profound depths. Everyone marveled at this in admiration. An arhat named Dharmaghoṣa said: "She must be carrying a wise son," and recounted for them the signs of Śāriputra while in the womb. Soon after, she gave birth to Jīva, who was extraordinarily intelligent, like a spirit. After Jīva was born, she forgot the Indic tongue as before. Shortly thereafter, his mother renounced worldly life to cultivate the Path, studied, and attained the first fruit [of stream-entry]. When Jīva was seven years old, he also renounced worldly life alongside her. Following his master to receive the scriptures, he recited one thousand gāthās a day. Each gāthā had thirty-two syllables, totaling thirty-two thousand words. Having recited the Abhidharma, as soon as his master gave the transmission, he understood its principles on his own without any obscurity left unclarified. At that time, the people of Kucha gave abundant offerings because his mother was a royal princess; she therefore took Jīva away to avoid this. When Jīva was nine years old, he proceeded to Jibin, where he met the renowned and virtuous Dharma master Bandhudatta, who was the paternal cousin of the King of Jibin. Deeply refined and endowed with great capacity, there were none among the three baskets and nine divisions of texts that he had not mastered in full detail; he also recited one thousand gāthās a day, his fame spreading across all states. Upon arriving, Jīva became his disciple, subsequently reciting the Saṃyukta- and Dīrgha-āgamas from the Miscellaneous Basket, totaling four million words. Whenever Bandhudatta debated with Jīva, he profoundly deferred to him. Word of this reached the king, who immediately summoned Jīva to court and assembled non-Buddhist debaters to cross-examine him. As their debate commenced, the non-Buddhists belittled his youth and spoke rather disrespectfully. Jīva exploited their flaws and subdued them; humiliated and regretful, the non-Buddhists were struck speechless. The king respected and marveled at him all the more, granting him a daily provision of a pair of cured geese, three dou each of non-glutinous rice and flour, and six sheng of ghee—the highest level of offerings in foreign lands. The monks of the temple where he stayed assigned five fully ordained monks and ten novices to attend to and sweep for him just like disciples; such was the veneration he received. By the age of twelve, his mother took him back to Kucha. Arriving at the northern mountains of the Yuezhi, an arhat saw him and was astonished, telling his mother: "You must guard him diligently. If this novice monk does not break the precepts before the age of thirty-five, he will greatly propagate the Buddha-Dharma and save countless people, no different from Upagupta. If his precepts are not kept whole, he will achieve nothing significant, but merely be an exceptionally talented and brilliant Dharma master." Jīva proceeded to Kashgar, where he placed the Buddha's bowl upon his head. He thought to himself: "The bowl is very large; why is it so light?" Immediately it became too heavy to bear, and crying out, he set it down. His mother asked the reason, and he replied: "It is only because my mind gave rise to conceptual differentiation that the bowl became light or heavy." In the state of Kashgar, Jīva recited the Abhidharma, the various treatises of the Six Feet (Ṣaṭpādābhidharma), and the Ekottara-āgama. When he returned to Kucha, his fame surpassed all the kingdoms. At that time, the sangha of Kucha numbered over ten thousand monks; suspecting he was no ordinary mortal, they all deferred to and respected him, none daring to take a seat above him. For this reason, he did not take part in the order of burning incense. Subsequently, he extensively studied the four Vedas, the treatises on the five sciences, and non-Buddhist scriptures. In yin-yang and astrological divination, there was nothing he did not fathom; he miraculously grasped good and bad fortune, his prognostications matching like tallies. Being frank and easygoing by nature, he did not strictly constrain himself with petty observances, and practitioners criticized him somewhat. Jīva, confident in his own mind, never took it to heart. Later, he studied the Daśādhyāya-vinaya under Vimalākṣa, and also studied under Sūrya…

4.5.4

[Sūryasoma] consulted and received instruction in the Mahāyāna, whereupon [Kumārajīva] sighed and said: "Formerly, when I studied the Hīnayāna, I was like a person who did not recognize gold and took brass to be exquisite!" Thereupon he broadly sought out the essential meanings, reciting the Madhyamaka-śāstra, Śata-śāstra, and Dvādaśanikāya-śāstra. Shortly thereafter, Kumārajīva's mother took her leave to go to Tianzhu. She said to Bai Chun, King of Kucha: "Your kingdom will soon decline; I am going." Arriving in Tianzhu, she advanced and attained the third fruit [of ananāgāmin]. Before departing, Kumārajīva's mother said to Kumārajīva: "The profound teachings of the Vaipulya should be broadly proclaimed in China. Transmitting them to the Eastern Land relies solely on your efforts. Yet for your own person there will be no benefit; what can be done?" Kumārajīva said: "The path of a great being is to benefit others and sacrifice oneself. If only the great transformation can be made to spread and wash away the ignorance of the worldly, even if my body should suffer the torments of the furnace and cauldron, I shall have no regrets." Thereupon he remained in Kucha, staying at the King's New Monastery, where he obtained the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra. When he began to unroll and read it, Māra came and obscured the text, so that he saw only blank tablets. Kumārajīva knew this was Māra's doing, and his vow became ever firmer. When Māra departed, the characters reappeared, and he continued to recite and practice it. Later, while reading Mahāyāna sūtras at the Queli Great Monastery, he suddenly heard a voice in the air say: "You are a man of wisdom; why do you read this?" Kumārajīva said: "You are a minor demon; you should depart at once! My mind is like the earth and cannot be moved." He remained there for two years, extensively reciting Mahāyāna sūtras and treatises and penetrating their secret depths. The King of Kucha made a golden lion throne for him, spread it with Da Qin brocade cushions, and had Kumārajīva ascend it to preach the Dharma. Later, he went to Jibin, where he fully explained the wondrous meaning of the One Vehicle to his teacher Bandhudatta. His teacher was moved to comprehension and was convinced in his heart; he bowed to Kumārajīva as his teacher, saying: "I was the Upādhyāya's Hīnayāna teacher, but the Upādhyāya is my Mahāyāna teacher." The various kingdoms of the Western Regions admired Kumārajīva's divine talent and all revered him together. Whenever he came to preach, the kings would kneel beside the throne and ask Kumārajīva to step on them to mount it. Such was the honor he received. Kumārajīva's way shook the Western Regions, and his fame reached the Eastern Land. In the first month of the thirteenth year of the Jianyuan era of the Fu clan (a dingchou year), the Grand Astrologer memorialized that a star had appeared in the division of foreign lands, indicating that a person of great virtue and wisdom would enter to assist the Central Kingdom. Fu Jian had long heard of Kumārajīva's name and realized: "I have heard that in the Western Regions there is Kumārajīva; could it be him?" In the nineteenth year, Fu Jian dispatched General of Valiant Cavalry Lü Guang and others leading an army of seventy thousand to march west and conquer Kucha and Karasahr. Upon their departure, he told Guang: "I have heard that they have Kumārajīva, who deeply understands the characteristics of dharmas and is well-versed in yin and yang, being the master of their learning. I long for him deeply. If you conquer Kucha, immediately dispatch a post relay to send Kumārajīva." Before Guang's army arrived, Kumārajīva said to King Bai Chun: "The state's fortune is declining; there will be a formidable enemy. Men from beneath the sun will come from the east; you should respectfully submit to them and not oppose their spearhead." Chun did not comply and fought; Guang then defeated Kucha, killed Chun, and captured Kumārajīva. Guang was negligent and haughty by nature, and did not fathom the measure of Kumārajīva's wisdom. Seeing that he was still young, he treated him with the jests of an ordinary man. Kumārajīva was forced to the extreme and thus compromised his discipline. Guang also ordered him to ride cows and vicious horses, intending to make him fall off. Kumārajīva constantly harbored forbearance and never showed any sign of distress. Guang was ashamed and stopped. On Guang's return, half-way on the journey, he encamped the army at the foot of a mountain. When the officers and soldiers were already resting, Kumārajīva said: "We must not stay here; we will certainly meet with disaster. The army should be moved up onto the ridge." Guang did not heed him. When night came, heavy rain indeed fell and a torrent suddenly arose, several fathoms deep, drowning several thousand people. Guang then began to revere him with wonder. Kumārajīva told Guang: "This is an ominous place of doom; you should not linger. Calculating the signs and assessing destiny, you should quickly return. Midway there must be an auspicious land where you can dwell." Guang complied. Upon reaching Liangzhou, he heard that Fu Jian had already died, whereupon he carved out Liang territory and held power over a corner [of the empire]. Kumārajīva remained in Liang for many years. Frequently his predictions seemed unfulfilled at first, but later all proved as he had said. Because Lü Guang and his sons did not promote the Way, his sūtras and teachings remained concealed with nowhere to propagate. Fu Jian had already perished, so in the end they never met. When Yao Chang heard of his high reputation, he humbly invited him; but the Lüs, believing Kumārajīva possessed abundant wisdom and stratagems, feared he would plot for Yao and did not permit him to go east. When Chang died, his son Xing (posthumously titled Emperor Wenzu) succeeded to the throne and repeatedly sent earnest invitations. In the third year of the Hongshi era (a xinchou year), in the third month, trees with entwined branches grew in the ancestral temple courtyard, and the scallions in Xiaoyao Garden turned into angelica. These were considered auspicious omens indicating that a wise man was about to enter. On the twentieth day of the twelfth month of that year, Kumārajīva arrived in Chang'an. Yao Xing treated him with the etiquette due to a National Preceptor and showered him with great favor. When converse resonated between them, they would linger together all day; delving into subtleties and fathoming the profound, whole years passed without weariness. Ever since the Great Dharma was brought east starting under Emperor Ming of the Han, through the Wei and Jin dynasties the sūtras and treatises gradually increased; however, what was produced by Zhi and Zhu mostly clung to the words and used conceptual matching (geyi). When Yao Xing was young, he revered the Three Jewels and was keenly bent on preaching and assembling texts. Once Kumārajīva had arrived, he invited him to the Ximing Pavilion and Xiaoyao Garden to translate various sūtras. Kumārajīva could recite most of them from memory, understanding all thoroughly; translating into the Qin language, his spoken translations were fluent. Having surveyed the older sūtras, he found their meanings full of errors, all caused by earlier translators missing the purport and failing to correspond with the Sanskrit originals. Yao Xing ordered more than eight hundred śramaṇas—including Sengzhao, Sengqie, Sengmiao, and Sengrui—to consult and receive Kumārajīva's explanations, and had the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā re-translated. Kumārajīva held the Sanskrit original while Yao Xing held the older translation to collate and compare them. Where the new text differed from the old, the meaning was in every case fully resolved and coherent. The assembly was thoroughly persuaded and pleased, and none did not rejoice and praise it. Yao Xing, considering the Buddhist Way to be profound and fathomless, its practice exclusively virtuous, and faith to be an excellent ford for escaping suffering and a grand principle for governing the world, therefore lodged his intention in the nine classes of scriptures and roamed his mind in the twelve divisions. He composed the Treatise on Penetrating the Three Times to encourage and demonstrate cause and effect. From the princes and dukes on down, all admired and praised his standard. Of Xing's imperial clan, the Duke of Changshan, Xian, and the Marquis of Ancheng, Song, both had firm faith in conditions and karma, and repeatedly invited Kumārajīva to lecture on the new sūtras at the Great Monastery of Chang'an. From the fourth year (renyin) to the fourteenth year (renzi) of the Hongshi era, Kumārajīva translated seventy-four works in over three hundred and eighty fascicles, including the Large and Small Prajñāpāramitā and the Vajracchedikā. All clearly unfolded the divine source and brought to light the abstruse purport. At that time, śramaṇas studying doctrinal tenets came from the four quarters, not regarding ten thousand li as distant. Those of outstanding fame and virtue—the two masters Daochang and Sengbiao, down to Daohang, Sengbiao, Huirui, Sengdun, Sengbi, Sengzhao, and more than thirty other monks—consulted him and conducted refined investigations, striving to fathom the hidden meanings. Huiyuan of Mount Lu, whose practice of the Way was vast and pure, sent messengers to convey inquiries. Daosheng of Longguang, whose insightful understanding penetrated subtleties, also entered the passes to inquire and receive instruction. This magnificent achievement has endured long and is revered as a model down to the present. Formerly, the śramaṇa Huirui was of lofty intelligence and discernment, and constantly accompanied Kumārajīva to copy the translations. Kumārajīva frequently discussed the literary styles of the Western Regions with Huirui, assessing similarities and differences: "The customs of the kingdom of Tianzhu place great value on literary embellishment. For their tones and rhymes, suitability for stringed instruments is deemed finest. Whenever one has an audience with a king, there must be praises of his virtue; the etiquette for seeing the Buddha takes singing and chanting in praise as most venerable. The verses (gāthās) in the sūtras all follow this form. But changing Sanskrit into Chinese loses [their beauty]."

4.5.5

their elegance. Though they convey the general meaning, they are quite removed from the literary style. It is like chewing rice to feed to someone: not only is the flavor lost, it even makes them vomit." Kumārajīva once composed a hymn presented to the śramaṇa Fahe, saying: "The mountain of the mind nurtures the fragrance of virtue, / its scent wafting across ten thousand yojanas. / The sorrowful luan-bird calls on an isolated wutong tree, / its clear note reaching the nine heavens." He composed ten gāthās in all, and their diction and metaphors were all of this kind. Kumārajīva was deeply fond of the Mahāyāna and his aspiration lay in its propagation. He once sighed and said: "Were I to put brush to paper and compose a Mahāyāna abhidharma, Kātyāyanīputra would be no match for me. Now that I am in the Qin land, those of profound discernment are few. With my wings clipped here, what is there to expound?" And so he desisted in sorrow. He only composed the two-fascicle Treatise on the True Nature of Reality (Shixiang lun) for Yao Xing. His words became literature as soon as uttered, with nothing deleted or altered; its phrasing and metaphors were delicate and concise, and none were not profound and abstruse. In person, Kumārajīva possessed a radiant and penetrating spirit, lofty and surpassing the crowd. His intuitive grasp of circumstances had few rivals. Moreover, he was earnest and kind by nature, taking universal love as his mind; humble and skilled at guiding others, he never tired all day long. At that time there was the śramaṇa Sengrui, whom [Yao] Xing greatly praised. Sengrui assisted in revising all the sūtras translated by Kumārajīva. Formerly, when Dharmarakṣa translated the chapter on Receiving Predictions in the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra, it read: "Gods see humans; humans see gods." When Kumārajīva reached this point in translating the sūtra, he said: "This phrase agrees in meaning with the Sanskrit text, but in phrasing it is overly plain." Sengrui immediately responded: "Could it be, 'Humans and gods mingle together, and both behold one another'?" Kumārajīva was overjoyed and said: "Indeed it is so!" Sengrui's mutual enlightenment with Kumārajīva was invariably of this kind. Once, listening to the Qin monk Daorong lecture on the new Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra, Kumārajīva sighed and said: "The revival of the Buddha's teaching lies in this man!" Shortly thereafter, there was a brāhmaṇa in the Lion Country (Siṃhala) who was clever, eloquent, and erudite; there were few worldly texts of the Western Lands that he had not read, and he was the leader of the non-Buddhists in that country. Hearing that Kumārajīva was extensively promoting the Buddha's teaching in Guanzhong, he indignantly said to his disciples: "How can we allow the tradition of the Śākyan only to spread in China, while the scriptures of our own correct teachings do not reach the Eastern Lands?" Thereupon, mounting a camel and bearing his texts, he traveled afar to enter Chang'an. Yao Xing, seeing his glib speech and lively gaze, was also somewhat swayed by him. The brāhmaṇa then addressed Yao Xing, saying: "The ultimate Way is limitless, each honoring its own practice. Now I have come from afar, requesting to contest debating power with the Qin monks. Whichever is superior, their teaching shall be transmitted." Yao Xing granted this. At that time, the monastic assembly from the four directions in Guanzhong looked at each other in bewilderment, none daring to face him. Kumārajīva said to [Dao]rong: "This non-Buddhist's intelligence is extraordinary; in a contest of words he is certain to triumph. How can we let the unsurpassed great Way bend before him on account of our fellows? This would be truly lamentable! If this non-Buddhist is allowed to have his way, the axle of our wheel of Dharma will be broken. How could we let this happen? As I see it, the task rests on you alone." Daorong considered his own talent and strength to be no less, but he had not thoroughly read the scriptures and texts of those Western non-Buddhists. He secretly sent someone to copy the catalogue of scriptures read by the brāhmaṇa, and memorized them as soon as he opened them. Later, when the appointed day for the debate arrived, Yao Xing attended in person, and the high officials all assembled; the monastic assembly of Guanzhong and from the four quarters gathered completely. At that time, Daorong prepared to confront the brāhmaṇa: his sharp eloquence and flying profundity were beyond what the other could match. Though the brāhmaṇa realized that his reasoning and phrasing were already bested, he still took pride in his extensive reading. Daorong then listed the texts he had read, and furthermore comprehensively discussed the titles of the classics and histories of the Qin land, which were three times greater in fascicles and works. Kumārajīva took advantage of the momentum to mock him, saying: "Have you not heard of the extensive learning of the Great Qin? Why have you come from afar so rashly?" The brāhmaṇa was filled with shame and bowed down to Daorong's feet; within ten days he left without doing anything more. That the image-teaching was manifested anew was due to the efforts of Kumārajīva and Daorong. Furthermore, when the monk Beidu was in Pengcheng, hearing that Kumārajīva was in Chang'an, he sighed and said: "It has been over three hundred years since I parted in jest with this fellow. The time has grown remote without an appointed meeting; I can only look forward to meeting him in a future life." When Kumārajīva was near death, he struggled against his illness to bid farewell to the assembly of monks, saying: "Meeting through the Dharma, my heart's wishes have not yet been fully realized. As I am about to pass to another world, what words can express my grief? Deeming myself ignorant, I have erroneously served as a translator. If what I transmitted is without error, let my tongue not be burned and decayed after my body is cremated." He died during the Hongshi era of the Qin. In the Xiaoyao Garden, his corpse was cremated according to foreign custom; when the firewood was consumed and his form transformed, only his tongue remained unchanged. Truly, this was a sign of his propagation of the Dharma! (The various records concerning the time of master Kumārajīva's death are inconsistent. The Gaoseng zhuan states: "He died in Chang'an on the twentieth day of the eighth month of the eleventh year of Hongshi." Others say the seventh year, or the eighth year; the biography takes the eleventh year as correct. This is not so. According to the postscript to the Satyasiddhi-śāstra: "On the eighth day of the ninth month of the thirteenth year of Hongshi of the Great Qin, the year being Shiwei, the Minister of the Department of State Affairs Yao Xian requested the translation of this treatise, which was completed on the fifteenth day of the ninth month of the following year." According to this, Kumārajīva had still not passed away at the end of the fourteenth year. Furthermore, according to Sengzhao's memorial presenting the Treatise on the Namelessness of Nirvāṇa to the Qin ruler Yao Xing: "Sengzhao has studied under master Kumārajīva for more than ten years." If Kumārajīva began translating sūtras in the fourth year and died in the eleventh year, it would only have been eight years, less than ten years; how then could he say "more than ten years"? Therefore, we know only that he died during the Hongshi era, and the year and month cannot be definitively fixed.) However, regarding the number of works and fascicles of sūtras translated by Kumārajīva, various accounts differ in number; in Changfang's catalogue the figure is even larger. Having closely checked and verified them now, many are extracts from texts, or multiple titles for a single work, or erroneous inclusions by cataloguers. These are detailed as follows, and are now all deleted: / The Ten Recitation Vinaya (Sarvāstivāda-vinaya), sixty-one fascicles (Sengyou's catalogue says this was translated by Kumārajīva. Now, since the first fifty-eight fascicles were Kumārajīva's oral rendering rather than his formal translation, and the remaining three fascicles were continued by Vimalākṣa, they are placed later and are already fully accounted for in other catalogues; they are not retained here). / Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra (Fangguang bore boluomi jing), twenty fascicles (Fang says it is a second translation, seen in the Bielu. Now, as the Sanskrit text of the Fangguang is identical to that of the Dapin: when translating the Dapin, [Yao] Xing held the old sūtra while Kumārajīva produced the new text. If it is said that the Fangguang was Kumārajīva's translation, which one would the old sūtra be? Therefore, we know that the Dapin is the new and the Fangguang is the old; to list two texts redundantly is a great error). / Compilation of Prajñā Sūtras and Treatises (Bore jinglun ji), twenty fascicles (Fang says it is seen in the Wu lu. We now consider that this compilation was made by Master [Hui]yuan of Mount Lu because the phrasing of the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa was voluminous and difficult for beginners to navigate; he therefore pruned the redundancies and clarified the confusions to give substance and style to the text, compiling it into twenty fascicles, also called Summarised Essentials of the Dazhidu lun or Selected Extracts of the Commentary. This was Master Yuan's condensation of the earlier treatise, not an independent translation by Kumārajīva). / Essentials of Dhyāna Methods (Chanfa yao), three fascicles (A lower note says: "Previously translated; re-collated in the first year of Hongshi, with a preface composed by [Seng]rui." Since it says "previously translated and re-collated," it is improper to retain both titles. According to Sengrui's preface to the sūtra, this is identical to the Zuochan sanmei jing). / Sūtra on the Method of Practicing Dhyāna in an Āraṇya (Aranruo xichan fa jing), two fascicles (Fang says it is seen in the Bielu; some lack the character jing; it is a different translation of the same text as the Zuochan sanmei. We now consider this not to be so

4.5.6

This is another name for the *Zuòchán sānmèi*; examining its phrasing from beginning to end, it is largely identical, and is the first translated version, not the revised one.)
*Yue yingluo zhuangyan jing*, one fascicle (Fei Changfang states that it appears in Li Kuo's catalogue; now, according to the postscript of the sūtra, it was translated by Dharmayaśas and was not rendered by Kumārajīva; it is now moved and appended to that catalogue).
*Shixiang lun*, one fascicle (The *Gaoseng zhuan* states two fascicles; it was composed by Kumārajīva for Yao Xing and does not originate from an Indian text, hence it is omitted from the transmission [of translations]).
*Wanggu xinghe foguo yuanxing fadian jing* (Also called *Shenghe*; extracted from the *Mañjuśrī-buddhakṣetra-pariśuddhi-sūtra*).
*Fo hehake che shifang jing*
*Fo qihua chu pusa jing*
*Moye jing*
*Guoqu wubian guangjing fotu jing*
*Xukongzang pusa wenchi jing*
*Deji gongde jing* (Also called *Deji fu jing*)
*Guo mofajie jing*
*Taibai mowang jianxin jing*
*Fo dizi hua mozi jisong jing*
*Kaihua mo jing*
*Mowang bianshen jing*
(The ten sūtras from the *Fo hehake* downward are all extracted from the *Mahāsaṃnipāta*.)
*Guanshiyin jing* (Extracted from the *Lotus Sūtra*).
*Tuoluoni famen liuzhong dong jing*
*Mile pusa benyuan daishi chengfo jing*
*Fo bianshi huishi jing*
*Dongfang shanhua shijie fozuo zhendong jing*
(The four sūtras including the *Tuoluoni* are all extracted from the *Karuṇāpuṇḍarīka-sūtra*.)
*Que wang jing*
*Fo xi wei luwang jing*
*Pusa shen wei gewang jing* (The three sūtras including the *Que wang* are all extracted from the *Ṣaṭpāramitā-saṃgraha*.)
*Wuliangle fotu jing* (Also called *Guotu*; extracted from the *Aṅgulimālīya-sūtra*).
*Fo wen axulun dahai youjian jing* (Extracted from the *Madhyama Āgama*).
*Foji jian qianfulun xiang jing* (Extracted from the *Saṃyukta Āgama*).
*Foxin zongchi jing*
*Shuiniu wang jing*
*Tu wang jing* (The three sūtras including the *Foxin* are all extracted from the *Jātaka-nidāna*).
*Mihou yu bi gongxi zhibian jing*
*Wanghou wei qianglang jing* (The two sūtras including the *Mihou* are all extracted from the *Saṃyukta-avadāna*).
*Biqiu yinggong faxing jing* (Sengyou noted this as a doubtful sūtra; it is now also placed in the catalogue of doubtful texts).
In all, the above comprise thirty-five works in 136 fascicles.
*Daśādhyāya-vinaya*, fifty-eight fascicles (Produced on the seventeenth day of the tenth month of the sixth year of Hongshi at Zhong Temple; see the *Er Qin lu*).
The above work in fifty-eight fascicles is extant.
Śramaṇa Puṇyatāra, translated in the Qin as Gongdehua ("Flower of Merit"), was a native of Jibin. He left household life at an early age and was renowned for his strict adherence to the precepts. He was thoroughly versed in the Tripiṭaka, specializing particularly in the *Daśādhyāya-vinaya*, and was an authoritative master in foreign realms. People of the time all considered him to have already attained the holy fruit. In the tenth year of Hongshi, he shook his mendicant staff and entered the Pass. Yao Xing, the ruler of Qin, treated him with the courtesy accorded to a guest of the highest honour. Kumārajīva also admired his disciplined observance of precepts and deeply venerated him. Previously, although sūtra teachings had circulated, the Vinayapiṭaka had not yet been widely propagated. Hearing that Puṇyatāra was skilled in this division, all longed for it. On the seventeenth day of the tenth month of the sixth year of Hongshi, cyclical year jiachen, more than six hundred śramaṇas devoted to doctrinal studies gathered at Zhong Temple in Chang'an and invited Puṇyatāra to recite the Sanskrit text of the *Daśādhyāya-vinaya*. Kumārajīva translated it into the language of Qin. When two-thirds of the translation was complete, Puṇyatāra fell ill and suddenly passed away. The assembly grieved profoundly over the great enterprise remaining unfinished and the artisan having died, their sorrow far exceeding ordinary pain. Next, there was the Western Region śramaṇa Dharmaruci (translated in the Qin as Fale), who had renounced household life to enter the Way and was particularly renowned for upholding the Vinayapiṭaka. In the autumn of the seventh year of Hongshi, he arrived in the Pass. When Shi Huiyuan of Mount Lu heard that Dharmaruci was skilled in the Vinaya, hoping to see the vinaya texts brought to completion, he sent a letter of greeting saying: "The rise of the Buddha's teachings began in your superior realm. Over the four hundred years since their transmission here, that which is lacking regarding the virtuous rules for śramaṇas has been exceptionally great. Recently, the Western Region master of the Way, Puṇyatāra, a native of Jibin, recited the Sanskrit text of the *Daśādhyāya-vinaya*, and Dharma Master Kumārajīva, with his comprehensive talent and extensive erudition, translated it. The text of the *Daśādhyāya-vinaya* was just past halfway when Puṇyatāra passed away early, and the work halted mid-course. That the great undertaking could not be completed is a cause for profound lamentation. We have heard through report that you, benevolent master, have brought this text with you; we rejoice greatly in this encounter. How could the workings of unseen destiny be a matter of human affairs alone? We imagine that in propagating the Way for the sake of living beings, you act in resonance with the times; when someone earnestly appeals, your mind surely holds nothing back. If you can complete this scriptural text for the followers of Vinaya studies, disclose the brahma-practice, and wash clean their ears and eyes, you will prevent novices from losing the supreme crossing, and those who cultivate noble enterprises will find their understanding grow ever more luminous. Then your deep kindness and vast virtue will move humans and spirits alike. We humbly hope you will bestow your compassionate regard and not disregard our intended purpose." Having received Huiyuan's letter and Yao Xing's earnest invitation, Dharmaruci translated the *Daśādhyāya-vinaya* to completion together with Kumārajīva, examining and verifying the articles and settling them with care. Kumārajīva, however, still regretted that the wording was overly verbose and not yet refined, yet soon passed away and was unable to edit it. Dharmaruci stayed at Da Temple in Chang'an. Huiguan wished to invite him to go to Yangdu, but Dharmaruci said: "That land already has people and has the Dharma, which are sufficient to benefit the world. I shall journey further to places where there are no Vinaya teachings." Thereupon he traveled to transform other regions, and none knew where he went.
*Ākāśagarbha-bodhisattva-sūtra*, one fascicle (First translation; in some catalogues without the word 'Bodhisattva'; of the same original text as the *Xukongyun jing*; an independent section of the *Mahāsaṃnipāta*; after returning to foreign lands, the Tripiṭaka master obtained this sūtra in Jibin and entrusted merchants to deliver it to Liangzhou; see Daohui's *Song Qi lu* and Sengyou's catalogue).
*Dīrgha Āgama*, twenty-two fascicles (Translated from the fourteenth year of Hongshi and completed in the fifteenth year; translated by the Liangzhou śramaṇa Zhu Fonian and transcribed by the Qin śramaṇa Daohan; see Sengrui's *Er Qin lu*, Sengyou's catalogue, the *Gaoseng zhuan*, etc.).
*Dharmaguptaka-vinaya*, sixty fascicles (Also called *Dharmagupta-vinaya*; originally translated in forty-five fascicles, or said to be forty fascicles or forty-four fascicles, and now also existing in seventy fascicles; translated in the tenth year of Hongshi at the temple by Huibian; see the *Jinshi zalu*, Sengyou's catalogue, the *Gaoseng zhuan*, etc.).
*Dharmaguptaka Bhikṣu Prātimokṣa*, one fascicle (In some catalogues without the word 'Bhikṣu'; also called *Dharmagupta-prātimokṣa*; see the *Jinshi zalu* and Sengyou's catalogue).
The above four works in eighty-four fascicles are all extant.
Śramaṇa Buddhayaśas, translated in the Qin as Jueming ("Awakened Fame"), or called Juecheng (Yaśas means fame or reputation; in the *Gaoseng zhuan* it is translated as Jueming [Awakened Brightness], which deviates slightly in meaning).
A native of Jibin, he belonged to a Brahman lineage that had served non-Buddhist traditions for generations. When a śramaṇa begged alms at his home, his father flew into a rage and ordered someone to beat him. The father's hands and feet consequently became crippled and paralyzed so that he could not walk. He consulted a diviner, who replied: "Because you offended a worthy man, the ghosts and spirits have caused this." He immediately invited this śramaṇa and repented with utmost sincerity; after a few days he recovered. Consequently, he allowed Buddhayaśas to leave household life and become that śramaṇa's disciple, at the age of thirteen. He once accompanied his master traveling far through the wilderness and encountered a tiger. The master wished to flee, but Buddhayaśas said: "This tiger is already full; it will certainly not harm anyone." Shortly after, the tiger left. Walking forward, they indeed found leftover meat. The master

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開元釋教錄 — 智昇, Classical Chinese