Text: T0026; 中阿含經; Madhyama-āgama

Summary

Identifier T0026 [T]
Title 中阿含經; Madhyama-āgama [T]
Date 401 [Ono and Maruyama 1933-1936]
Head of translation 譯主 Saṅgharakṣa, 僧伽羅叉, 衆護 [Sakaino 1935]
Translator 譯 *Saṃghadeva, *Gautama Saṃghadeva, 僧迦提婆, 瞿曇僧伽提婆 [T]
[orally] "translate/interpret" 傳語, 口宣[...言], 傳譯, 度語 *Saṃghadeva, *Gautama Saṃghadeva, 僧迦提婆, 瞿曇僧伽提婆 [Sakaino 1935]

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).

Assertions

Preferred? Source Pertains to Argument Details

No

[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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No

[Ono and Maruyama 1933-1936]  Ono Genmyō 小野玄妙, Maruyama Takao 丸山孝雄, eds. Bussho kaisetsu daijiten 佛書解說大辭典. Tokyo: Daitō shuppan, 1933-1936 [縮刷版 1999]. — s.v., Vol.8, 20-23 (Tachibana Shundō 立花俊道)

Tachibana Shundō 立花俊道 explains that there were two translations of the Madhyamāgama (MĀ) 中阿含經, one of which is lost.

The lost version is recorded in juan 巻 13 of CSZJJ 出三藏記集 as translated by Dhammandi 曇摩難堤 as part of the translation project of SĀ and MĀ from 384-391. Juan 3 of CSZJJ says that Dhammandi recited the original text and Zhu Fonian 竺佛念 translated it. GSZ 高僧傳 records that Dhammandi did not manage to complete the whole of MĀ. Little is known about the content of this text since it has been lost.

The extant version was translated by Saṅghadeva 僧伽提婆. He was supported by and worked together with Dao’an. However, since Dao’an died in 385 CE, the translated text remained unchecked. Saṅghadeva completed the process in 398. The biographies of Saṅghadeva in CSZJJ, GSZ and KYL 開元錄, and the preface to MĀ by Daoci 道慈 outline the translation process also as follows: Saṅgharakṣa 僧伽羅叉 (var. 衆護) recited the original text, Saṅghadeva translated it, with Daoci 道慈 acting as amanuensis, and the text was then hand-copied 書 by Li Bao 李寶 and Tang Hua 唐化 (or Kang Hua 康化). The entire process including proofreading and circulating was completed in as late as 401 CE, due to the social instability caused by war.

Although there are hardly any substantial issues or disagreements regarding the facts in the translation process of MĀ, Tachibana argues that it is not completely accurate to list Saṅghadeva as the translator, as most catalogues do. In the translation process of the text, Saṅgharakṣa dealt with the Sanskrit text and Saṅghadeva translated it. This being so, according to Tachibana, Saṅgharakṣa should be ascribed the role of chief translator 譯主 or "text-holder" 執本, while Saṅghadeva’s role should be described as "translator"/"interpreter" 譯語, 傳語. Thus, it is Saṅgharakṣa who should be recorded as the translator. Tachibana speculates that the reason that Saṅghadeva was named as "translator" was that Saṅghadeva was well-known through a detailed biography, while Saṅgharakṣa was not, and thus Saṅghadeva alone was considered important due to the amount of information available.

Entry author: Atsushi Iseki

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No

[Sakaino 1935]  Sakaino Kōyō 境野黄洋. Shina Bukkyō seishi 支那佛教精史. Tokyo: Sakaino Kōyō Hakushi Ikō Kankōkai, 1935. — 224-228

The *Madhyamāgama 中阿含 T26 and the *Ekottarikāgama 増一阿含 T125:

Sakaino argues that the ascription of the *Madhyamāgama 中阿含 T26 and the *Ekottarikāgama 増一阿含 T125 to *Saṅghadeva 僧伽提婆 is incorrect. The situation of the translation of these texts that Sakaino extracts from the records can be summarized as follows:

The translation of the *Madhyamāgama and the *Ekottarikāgama was initially done by *Dharmanandi(n) 曇摩難提. Zhu Fonian 竺佛念 worked as the “interpreter/oral translator” 傳語, and Dao’an 道安 and Fahe 法和 also helped the project. The translations contained numerous mistakes, because of the war that raged at that time. Later, Fahe and Saṅghadeva went to Luoyang 洛陽 and the *Ekottarikāgama was there revised by Saṁghadeva. T26 was retranslated from a different original text when Saṅghadeva went to south. This version is the *Madhyamāgama 中阿含 T26 extant today. The chief translator 譯主 was *Saṅgharakṣa 僧伽羅叉, and *Saṅghadeva worked as the interpreter/oral translator 傳語. Little is known about this Saṅgharakṣa.

KYL is incorrect in recording that Saṅghadeva retranslated the*Ekottarikāgama as well as the Madhyamāgama. The *Ekottarikāgama was probably revised without discarding the initial translation of *Dharmanandi(n). Thus, the extant T125 should be ascribed to *Dharmanandi(n).

Entry author: Atsushi Iseki

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No

[Mizuno 1989]  Mizuno Kōgen 水野弘元. "Kan'yaku Chū agon kyō to Zōichi agon kyō 漢訳『中阿含経』と『増一阿含経』." Bukkyō kenkyū 仏教研究 18 (1989): 1-42[L]. Chinese translation: "Hanyi Zhong ahan jing yu Zengyi ahan jing 漢譯《中阿含經》與《増一阿含經》," in Shuiye Hongyuan [=Mizuno Kōgen ], Fojiao wenxian yanjiu: Shuiye Hongyuan zhuzuo xuanji (1) 佛教文獻研究‧水 野 弘 元 著 作 選 集( 一), translated by Xu Yangzhu 許洋主, 509-579. Taipei: Fagu wenhua, 2003.

External evidence suggests that both EĀ and MĀ were translated twice each, once by “Dharmanandi” [= Zhu Fonian --- SC] and once by Saṅghadeva. Mizuno reports that both the external records and the extant T26 align, and on that basis, confirms that T26 is the second translation of MĀ by Saṅghadeva. Mizuno then attempts to find vestiges of the "lost" second translation for each collection, and determine their relation with the extant, transmitted, intact full collections (see separate CBC@ entries).

Entry author: Sharon Chi

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