| Identifier | T0427 [T] |
| Title | 佛說八吉祥神呪經 [T] |
| Date | [None] |
| Author | Anonymous (China), 失譯, 闕譯, 未詳撰者, 未詳作者, 不載譯人 [Fang 2014] |
| Translator 譯 | Zhi Qian 支謙 [T] |
There may be translations for this text listed in the Bibliography of Translations from the Chinese Buddhist Canon into Western Languages. If translations are listed, this link will take you directly to them. However, if no translations are listed, the link will lead only to the head of the page.
There are resources for the study of this text in the SAT Daizōkyō Text Dabatase (Saṃgaṇikīkṛtaṃ Taiśotripiṭakaṃ).
| Preferred? | Source | Pertains to | Argument | Details |
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[T] T = CBETA [Chinese Buddhist Electronic Text Association]. Taishō shinshū daizōkyō 大正新脩大藏經. Edited by Takakusu Junjirō 高楠順次郎 and Watanabe Kaigyoku 渡邊海旭. Tokyo: Taishō shinshū daizōkyō kankōkai/Daizō shuppan, 1924-1932. CBReader v 5.0, 2014. |
Entry author: Michael Radich |
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[Nattier 2008] Nattier, Jan. A Guide to the Earliest Chinese Buddhist Translations: Texts from the Eastern Han 東漢 and Three Kingdoms 三國 Periods. Bibliotheca Philologica et Philosophica Buddhica X. Tokyo: The International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology, Soka University, 2008. |
Nattier does not regard the ascription to Zhi Qian as reliable. Entry author: Michael Radich |
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[CSZJJ] Sengyou 僧祐. Chu sanzang ji ji (CSZJJ) 出三藏記集 T2145. — T2145 (LV) 31b17 |
In Sengyou's Chu sanzang ji ji, T427 is regarded as an anonymous translation, that is to say, it is listed in the "Newly Compiled Continuation of the Assorted List of Anonymous Translations" 新集續撰失譯雜經錄 (juan 4): 八吉祥神呪一卷(古錄云[v.l. -- SYM]八吉祥經). Entry author: Michael Radich |
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[Zürcher 1959/2007] Zürcher, Erik. The Buddhist Conquest of China: The Spread and Adaptation of Buddhism in Early Medieval China. Third Edition. Leiden: Brill, 1959 (2007 reprint). — 50, 336 n. 137 |
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According to Zürcher, Sengyou attributed thirty-six texts to Zhi Qian 支謙, of which twenty-three have survived. This entry lists texts which are ascribed to Zhi Qian in the present Taishō, yet do not appear among Sengyou’s attributions. Entry author: Sophie Florence |
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[Fei 597] Fei Changfang 費長房. Lidai sanbao ji (LDSBJ) 歷代三寶紀 T2034. — T2034 (XLIX) 113a5, 58b8, 91b19-20, 98b20 |
Records in LDSBJ relating to T427 and T430 (and possibly related texts; cf. T428, T429, T431) are complex and difficult to disentangle. The title is listed as anonymous in Fascicle 13 of LDSBJ. A closely related title ascribed to Zhi Qian, referring to the Gu lu: 八吉祥經一卷(見古錄亦有呪). A supposed second translation ascribed to Guṇabhadra, citing Sengyou and Baochang (cf. CSZJJ T2145 [LV] 12c22, 68a2-8). A very similar title, 八吉祥經, is also ascribed to *Saṅghabhara (cf. T430). Entry author: Michael Radich |
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[Fajing 594] Fajing 法經. Zhongjing mulu 眾經目錄 T2146. — T2146 (LV) 121a21 |
T427 is treated as anonymous in Fajing. Entry author: Michael Radich |
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[Sakaino 1935] Sakaino Kōyō 境野黄洋. Shina Bukkyō seishi 支那佛教精史. Tokyo: Sakaino Kōyō Hakushi Ikō Kankōkai, 1935. — 141-145 |
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As many as 70 titles newly ascribed to Zhi Qian by Fei Changfang in LDSBJ are found in the catalogues of lost scriptures in CSZJJ. In particular, 56 titles of the 70 feature in the “continuation of the catalogue of anonymous translations” 續失譯經錄, which was newly compiled by Sengyou himself. This strongly suggests that Fei arbitrarily assigned ascriptions to a large portion of the scriptures ascribed to Zhi Qian by taking titles in groups from Sengyou’s list. Sakaino suggests that it is “so peculiar as to defy comprehension” (實に考えられない不思議のこと) that Sengyou’s list contains more than 860 anonymous scriptures in all, but Fei appears, apparently by sheer happenstance, to have found 14 titles translated by Zhi Qian concentrated in single stretch of only 26 titles (T2145 [LV] 28c3-28). Elsewhere (80-86), Sakaino argues further that Sengyou’s list is in fact organised by topic [it certainly could not be organised by translator, since he regards the texts it contains as anonymous], which makes this clustering of supposed Zhi Qian texts all the stranger. This is part of a broader pattern that Sakaino observes elsewhere in his book, whereby Fei repeatedly assigns new ascriptions holus-bolus, associating groups of texts from Sengyou’s list with the same purported translator. Sakaino does suggest that Fei seems to have referred occasionally to other sources in assigning some of these ascriptions to Zhi Qian, and might even have examined the content of a few texts himself. Sakaino also points out that if CSZJJ gives an alternative title, Fei uses that title, e.g., the 自守亦不自守經 in CSZJJ is listed as不自守意經 in LDSBJ (143-144). Sakaino gives further arguments about some particular scriptures. 6 scriptures which did not appear in Dao’an, but then do appear in CSZJJ with a note that they are listed in the bei lu 別錄 (首楞嚴, 龍施女, 法鏡, 鹿子, 十二門大方等, and 頼吒和羅), are probably not to be regarded as Zhi Qian’s works. The two texts extant among those six (the *Nāgadatta-sūtra 龍施女 T557, and the *Rāṣṭrapāla-sūtra 賴吒和羅 T68), as discussed earlier (128, 134-135), should therefore not be ascribed to Zhi Qian. 21 scriptures that apparently were taken from sources other than CSZJJ are probably also not Zhi Qian’s works. However, Sakaino does except the 貝多樹經 T713 (*Nidāna-sūtra, Nagaropama-sūtra), the ascription of which to Zhi Qian he says should be accepted. Entry author: Atsushi Iseki |
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[Fang 2014] Fang Guangchang 方广锠. "Yaoshi Fo tanyuan: dui 'Yaoshi Fo' Hanyi Fodian de wenxianxue kaocha 药师佛探源——对"药师佛"汉译佛典的文献学考察" Zongjiaoxue yanjiu 宗教学研究 2014, no. 4, 90-100. — 91-92 |
Fang argues against the canonical ascription of the 八吉祥神呪經 T427 to Zhi Qian. Two titles that might be identified with this text appear in CSZJJ. Sengyou treats one as anonymous, and ascribes the other to Guṇabhadra. Fajing follows Sengyou. LDSBJ lists three titles, ascribing them to Zhi Qian, Guṇabhadra, and *Saṅghabhara. Thus, the claim that Zhi Qian produced a text with this title originates with Fei Zhangfang. Yancong follows LCSBJ. Jingtai lists three such titles: anonymous, Guṇabhadra, and *Jñānagupta/Jinagupta. Daoxuan's DTNDL combines Jingtai and LDSBJ to produce (the appearance of) five versions. In KYL, Zhisheng likewise lists five versions, ascribed to Zhi Qian, Guṇabhadra, Saṅghabhara, Jñānagupta, and Dharmarakṣa(!). In other words, Zhisheng simply mechanically followed DTNDL in all details, except that he reassigned the "anonymous" version to Dharmarakṣa. However, Zhisheng provides details showing he himself actually only saw four versions (he regarded the "Guṇabhadra" version as lost). Fang tabulates the names of the eight Buddhas of the eastern direction in these texts, and shows that only T427 mentions Bhaiṣajyaguru. Fang thus argues: there is no sound basis to believe that T427 should be ascribed to Zhi Qian, or is so early; it is in any case odd that only this version of the text mentions this Buddha; the meagre details about Bhaiṣajyaguru in T445 and T427 are similar, so that they may be close in date to one another. Entry author: Michael Radich |
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[Radich 2019] Radich, Michael. “Fei Changfang’s Treatment of Sengyou’s Anonymous Texts.” Journal of the American Oriental Society 139.4 (2019): 819-841. |
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According to the abstract, Radich argues: "Fei Changfang/Zhangfang’s 費長房 Lidai sanbao ji 歷代三寶紀 T2034 (completed in 598) is a source of numerous problematic ascriptions and dates for texts in the received Chinese Buddhist canon. This paper presents new evidence of troubling patterns in the assignment of new ascriptions in Lidai sanbao ji, and aims thereby to shed new light on Fei’s working method. I show that Lidai sanbao ji consistently gives new attributions to the same translators for whole groups of texts clustering closely together in a long list of texts treated as anonymous in the earlier Chu sanzang ji ji 出三藏記集 T2145 of Sengyou 僧祐 (completed ca. 515). It is impossible that Sengyou grouped these texts together on the basis of attribution, since he did not know them. The most economical explanation for the assignment of each individual group to the same translator in Lidai sanbao ji, therefore, is that someone added the same attributions in batches to restricted chunks of Sengyou’s list. This and other evidence shows that Lidai sanbao ji is even more unreliable than previously thought, and urges even greater critical awareness in the use of received ascriptions for many of our texts." Radich argues that the patterns of unreliable information he has here uncovered cast doubt upon the ascriptions of all the texts affected. Extant texts affected are the following (from Radich's Appendix 1; listed in order of Taishō numbering; listing gives title, Taishō number, Taishō ascription, and locus in LDSBJ): 七佛父母姓字經 T4, Anon., former Wei 前魏, 60b19. This CBC@ entry is associated with all of affected extant texts. Entry author: Michael Radich |
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[Gu lu CSZJJ] Gu lu 古錄, as cited in CSZJJ 出三藏記集 T2145. — T2145 (LV) 31b17-18 |
Sengyou cites the Gu lu 古錄 as his source for information about the 八吉祥神呪, a text he includes in his catalogue of anonymous sūtras: 八吉祥神呪一卷(古錄云[- SYM]八吉祥經) Entry author: Michael Radich |
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