貞元新定釋教目錄 20.15

20.15

(Upon consulting the various older catalogues, all place single translations first. Now, in this catalogue, repeated translations are placed at the head. Why is this so? Because for the various sūtras with repeated translations, their text and meaning are fully complete and their terminology and doctrinal marks are precisely determined; hence they are placed at the beginning. Furthermore, in older catalogues they were simply called 'repeated translations'. The reason it has now been changed to 'combined repeated and single translations' is that nine assemblies of the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-sūtra are single translations, while seven assemblies are repeated translations; twenty assemblies of the Mahāratnakūṭa-sūtra are single translations, while twenty-nine assemblies are repeated translations. Simply saying 'repeated translations' does not comprehensively encompass the meaning; the remaining sūtras are treated likewise. Therefore, they are called 'combined repeated and single translations'. Moreover, ancient translations lacked the translator's era, year, and month at the head of the sūtra; as time grew distant, investigation could not discover them. The phrase 'lost translator' truly originates from this. Now, having consulted the various older catalogues and examined and determined the true and false, the eras and translators are fully noted at the heads of the sūtras. Those whose translators are lost are recorded within the catalogue. The bequeathed teachings of the Śākya Sage will thus endure for sixty thousand long years).