Text: T0125; Ekottarikāgama; 增壹阿含經

No

• T0125; Ekottarikāgama; 增壹阿含經

Fei Zhangfang includes the *Ekottarikāgama in a group of five texts that he ascribes to *Dharmanandin. In an interlinear note citing the Er Qin lu and the Baochang lu, he says that the amanuenses for the translation were Huisong 慧嵩, Zhu Fonian 竺佛念, "et al." 等; and he gives a date of 384 建元二十年. In his note pertaining to the entire group of texts, he also says that when *Dharmanandin recited "the four Āgamas" (sic, the list features only two), Zhu Fonian took down the Indic text 寫為梵文.

增一阿含經五十卷(建元二十年四月一日。為秦武威太守趙文業出。是第一譯。沙門慧嵩竺佛念等筆受。見僧叡二秦錄僧祐及寶唱[+錄SYMP]並載).

....晉孝武帝世。兜佉勒國三藏法師曇摩難提。秦言法喜。以建元初至長安。誦四阿含梵本口授。竺佛念寫為梵文...

Entry author: Michael Radich

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• People: Zhu Fonian 竺佛念 (amanuensis 筆受); *Dharmanandi(n) 曇摩難提, Dharmananda? (translator 譯); Zhisong 智嵩 /Huisong 慧嵩 (amanuensis 筆受); Zhu Fonian 竺佛念 (寫為梵文 copy/write down the Indic text)
• Date: 384

No

• T0125; Ekottarikāgama; 增壹阿含經

In an article surveying scholarship on questions of attribution in the Chinese canon published in the last decade, Fang and Lu state that Lin Jia’an argues that the translation of some of the terms in the *Ekottarikāgama 増一阿含 T125 is closer to that in Zhu Fonian’s translations [that to that of Saṅghadeva]. They refer to

Lin Jia’an 林家安. “Xiancun Han yi Zengyi ahan jing zhi yizhe kao” 現存漢譯《增一阿含經》之譯者考. MA thesis, Yuanguang foxue yanjiu suo 圓光佛學研究所 (2009).

Entry author: Mengji Huang

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• People: Zhu Fonian 竺佛念 (translator 譯)

No

• T0125; Ekottarikāgama; 增壹阿含經

On the basis of a large set of diverse stylistic markers, Radich argues that the Ekottarikāgama T125 was translated by Zhu Fonian, and not by Saṃghadeva, as the received ascription would have it. He also considers implications of his findings for the broader corpus of texts ascribed to Zhu Fonian. Radich presents a total of 137 markers which never appear in the Madhyamāgama T26, the benchmark text for Saṃghadeva, but occur a total of over 6,200 times in the Ekottarikāgama, and approx. 15,520 times further in the core Zhu Fonian corpus (DĀ T1, T212, T656, T1428 and T1464). In combination with the external evidence, Radich claims, this internal evidence provides extremely strong support for Zhu Fonian’s translatorship (or perhaps partial authorship) of the text. Radich's study is intended to work in concert with Radich and Anālayo (2017), which presents further evidence in support of the same reascription.

Entry author: Michael Radich

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• People: Zhu Fonian 竺佛念 (translator 譯)

No

• T0125; Ekottarikāgama; 增壹阿含經

Based on a complex examination of a host of external evidence (including catalogue entries and Dao’an’s prefaces) and intertextual relations with the Fenbie gong de lun 分別功德論 T1507 [for which he prefers the title Zengyi ahan jing shu 增一阿含經疏, as given in CSZJJ] and other texts, Palumbo proposes the following timeline for the production of various versions of the *Ekottarikāgama 增壹阿含經 (EĀ), eventually resulting in the extant T125. Palumbo argues that our evidence indicates the one-time existence of four redactions in total (summaries at Palumbo 48, 94, 271-272):

1. Work on some version of EĀ began early in 384. Palumbo refers to Dao'an's Preface to the "Sūtra of Saṅgharakṣa" 僧伽羅剎經 T194 for information about a preliminary translation of EĀ in 46 juan, produced alongside a version of the Madhyamāgama, and complete by December 28 384 (the day on which T194 was completed) (Palumbo 45-46, 54) (十一月三十日乃了也。此年出中阿含六十卷。增一阿含四十六卷。伐鼓擊析[柝SYM]之中而出斯百五卷, CSZJJ T2145 [LV] 71b20-22). This is the version that Palumbo counts as the first redaction. Palumbo identifies this recension with Mizuno's "alternate" translation of EĀ (https://dazangthings.nz/cbc/source/4/), especially the Gopālaka-sūtra 放牛經 T123 (Palumbo explicitly cautions that "we cannot be entirely sure whether all the 20 parallels located by Mizuno were indeed part of" this EĀ recension).

2. According to Dao'an's preface to T125 itself (discussed by Palumbo 36-49, with a full translation 39-44), work on (that version of) the text began in summer 384 (May to August), with the original text recited by *Dharmananda 曇摩難提/曇摩難陀 [scholarship to date has usually reconstructed this name as Dharmanandin; Palumbo gives his rationale for this different reconstruction at 5 n. 12---SC], Zhu Fonian as the translator, and Tansong 曇嵩 as the amanuensis. Dao'an states that this version of the text was in 41 juan (divided into two parts of 26 and 15 juan respectively), with a total of 472 sūtras. This version was complete by February 385 (以秦建元二十年來詣長安...至來年春乃訖。為四十一卷。分為上下部。上部二十六卷, CDZJJ T2145 [LV] 64b8-12). According to Palumbo's reconstruction, the result of this work was a second redaction.

3. With Senglüe 僧略 and Sengmao’s 僧茂 assistance in proofreading, Dao’an and Fahe 法和 further revised the text for a period of 40 days, which Palumbo places in March/April 385. This word resulted in Palumbo's third redaction, also in 41 juan and 472 sūtras, but now with one additional scroll of summaries compiled by Dao'an and Fahe (this reported additional fascicle has not been transmitted).

4. Later, Saṅghadeva and Fahe, discontent with the accuracy of this work, extensively revised or retranslated EĀ again (Palumbo 66-82, esp. 70, 75-76), as part of a larger project in which they aimed to rework all the products of Dao'an's group, and reportedly achieved their aim for quite a number of texts. Palumbo's principal primary source for this development is Daoci's Preface to the Madhyamāgama (which he translates, 68-70). Daoci lists the texts produced by Dao'an's team, and then says that Saṅghadeva and Fahe issued anew the "Abhidharma" and the *Vibhāṣā 廣說, and "all those sūtras and Vinaya [texts]" produced by the Dao'an group, excepting only the Madhyamāgama itself (which was to follow), T194, T1547 and the *Prātimokṣa (即從提和更出阿毘曇及廣說也。自是之後。此諸經律漸皆譯正。唯中阿鋡僧伽羅叉婆須蜜從解脫緣。未更出耳, CSZJJ T2145 [LV] 64a2-5). This statement clearly implies that the pair produced a new version of EĀ. Palumbo argues that this work was most probably done in Luoyang between 390 and early 391 (76). Palumbo believes that most probably, no new Indic Vorlage was available for this work, so that it would have been largely of the nature of a revision of the Chang'an text.

On the basis of far-ranging and highly complex arguments, Palumbo further argues that his hypothetical Recensions 1 and 3, in particular, differed somewhat in content. In part, his argument to this effect rests upon further arguments that associate Recension 1 with the Zhuanji sanzang ji zazang zhuan 撰集三藏及雜藏傳 T2026, and the production of Recension 3 with T1507. As already mentioned, Palumbo believes that internal evidence associates T2026 with a scattered collection of texts identified by Mizuno as vestiges of a one-time alternative translation of EĀ, and with the *Gopālaka-sūtra T123 in particular. On this basis, he argues that Mizuno's "alternate EĀ" in fact represents surviving fragments of Recension 1. He believes, then, that T2026 was produced alongside Recension 1, and complete by July 384.

By contrast, the association of the extant T125 with T1507 is rather obvious, since T1507 comments on the first three and a half chapters of EĀ (in a manner that shows it knows a text very close to the extant T125). Palumbo argues, on the basis of fine-grained examination of internal evidence, that T1507 was compiled by the original team that translated EĀ, including Dao'an, Dharmanandin, Zhu Fonian, and possibly Zhao Zheng 趙整 (see separate CBC@ entry at https://dazangthings.nz/cbc/text/2155/). He believes that T1507 was probably in its present form by Dao'an's death (which he places a few months later than the traditional date, in summer 385). He also believes that the authors of T1507 knew a version of the collection very close to the extant T125, not just for the chapters they comment upon, but for the remainder of the collection as well (see esp. 274 w. nn. 6-13, where he aims to demonstrate "references" in T1507 to EĀ 24.5, 29.6, 29.9, 30.3, 32.5, 26.5, 42.3, and 50.4). He therefore believes that T125 was also complete, at least in content, by Dao'an's death, though he shows, on the basis of ample evidence, that the sequence and structure of the collection (or collections) referred to as Zengyi ahan jing was quite volatile at least down to the early sixth century (129-144).

Entry author: Sharon Chi

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• People: Dao'an 道安 (revised); Zhu Fonian 竺佛念 (translator 譯); Fahe 法和 (revised); Sengmao 僧茂 (revised); Senglüe 僧略 (revised); Zhao Zheng 趙整 (polished)
• Date: 385

No

• T0125; Ekottarikāgama; 增壹阿含經

Summarising earlier work in 2006, Legittimo argues that the Ekottarikāgama 增壹阿含經 T125 is in fact the translation by Zhu Fonian 竺佛念. She states that her hypothesis is based mainly on translation terminology, and notes (256 n. 24) that Nattier independently arrived at a similar judgement, also on the basis of terminology. Legittimo argues that her study of the translation terminology of the 彌勒下生經 T453 ascribed to Dharmarakṣa 竺法護, which is virtually identical to EĀ 48.3 (T125:787c2 ff.), also adds further evidence in support of this ascription of T125 to Zhu Fonian.

Entry author: Michael Radich

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• People: Zhu Fonian 竺佛念 (translator 譯)

No

• T0125; Ekottarikāgama; 增壹阿含經

According to Anālayo the Chinese parallel to the Saccavibhaṅga-sutta in the Ekottarika-āgama was “probably translated by Zhu Fo-nian (竺佛念)” and “based on a text recited from memory by Dharmanandī.” He adds that it is not entirely clear if “the translation now extant in Chinese has only been revised by Gautama Saṅghadeva, or whether it is an actual retranslation undertaken by him, which then replaced the earlier translation by Dharmanandī and Zhu Fo-nian.” Anālayo cites evidence which attributes the Ekottarika-āgama translation to Dharmanandī and Zhu Fo-nian: “T 2145 at T LV 71b29; T 2146 at T LV 127c29; T 2153 at T LV 422b6; and T 2154 at T LV 511b15.” He also acknowledges arguments that Gautama Saṅghadeva retranslated the Ekottarika-āgama: “T 2034 at T XLIX 70c; cf. also Bagchi (1927: 159, 337); Enomoto (1986: 19); Lamotte (1967: 105); Lü (1963: 242); Mayeda (1985: 102); Waldschmidt (1980: 169 n. 168); and Yin-shun (1983: 91).”

However, Anālayo writes that despite the latter claims it is not clear to him on what manuscript Saṅghadeva would have based such a retranslation, “since whereas in the case of the Madhyama-āgama his translation was based on a written original read out to him by Sangharakṣa … Zhu Fo-nian translated the Ekottarika-āgama based on an original Dharmanandī had memorized … and there is no indication that Gautama Saṅghadeva had also memorized this collection.” Furthermore, Anālayo considers a retranslation “unlikely” because the Madhyama-āgama and the Ekottarika-āgama collections “differ considerably from each other in their translation terminology.” For examples of these differences Anālayo cites the way that the texts express proper names such as Jeta’s Grove and Sāriputta , and “the way they translate a standard expression like ‘right intention’ (sammā saṅkappa).” He writes that these differences “are not isolated cases,” but “are common between these two collections.” Such differences appear to be more than the usual variation in terminology of a particular translator “during successive stages of his translation activities” thus Anālayo concludes that “it would be more natural to attribute the translation of these two collections to different translators.”

Entry author: Sophie Florence

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No

• T0125; Ekottarikāgama; 增壹阿含經

Mizuno studies external evidence suggesting that both EĀ and MĀ were translated twice each, once by “Dharmanandi” [= Zhu Fonian --- SC] and once by Saṅghadeva, He then attempts to identify vestiges of the lost second translation of each text in the transmitted canon, and discover evidence supporting the ascription of those (now fragmentary) alternate translations to "Dharmanandi"/Zhu Fonian. On this basis, Mizuno affirms the traditional ascription of EĀ T125 to Saṅghadeva.

Records attesting to a possible second EĀ translation (hereafter "EĀ-alt") are quite messy. In CSZJJ and Fajing’s ZJML, only “Dharmanandi’s” [Zhu Fonian's] version is attested. LDSBJ is the first extant record we have that mentions the second translation by Saṅghadeva. In the next two catalogues, DTNDL and DYKYM, both versions are recorded, while in KYL, Zhisheng identified the version he had access to as Saṅghadeva’s. Thereafter, the Korean edition inherits the attribution of T125 to Saṅghadeva, while the SYM editions attribute it to “Dharmanandi” [Zhu Fonian]. However, the two lines of transmission in fact preserve the same text.

Mizuno's argument about the ascription of the extant EĀ T125 is based upon a contrast with another set of sūtras, which Mizuno regards as vestiges of the otherwise lost second translation. Mizuno proposes that the texts in this second group share a uniform style, which he regards as characteristic of "Dharmanandi" [Zhu Fonian]. He also holds, further, that the same style characterises a further group of scattered sūtras which he thinks survived from a similarly lost MĀ. These texts are as follows (see separate entries for further details): "EĀ-alt": T29, T39, T89, T106, T119, T122, T123, T127, T131, T133, T134, T136, T138, T139, T140, T149, T215, T216, T508, T684; "MĀ-alt": T47, T49, T50, T51, T53, T55, T56, T58, T60, T64, T65, T66, T70, T73, T75, T77, T79, T82, T83, T90, T91, T92, T93, T94.

On the basis of the contrast with these texts, Mizuno argues that like the extant T26, the extant EĀ T125 should be considered as Saṅghadeva’s translation, as the tradition (eventually) affirms.

[Note, however, that this argument does not cover EĀ 50.4; see separate CBC@ entry.]

Entry author: Sharon Chi

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• People: *Saṃghadeva, *Gautama Saṃghadeva, 僧迦提婆, 瞿曇僧伽提婆 (translator 譯)

No

• T0125; Ekottarikāgama; 增壹阿含經

Mizuno Kōgen had argued that a number of individual Āgama discourses scattered through the canon are vestiges of second translations of the Ekottarikāgama and Madhyamāgama [Mizuno also ascribed both of these otherwise lost collections to Zhu Fonian, while supporting the traditional ascriptions of the extant full collections T125 and T26 respectively to Saṅghadeva --- though Unebe does not address this aspect of Mizuno's argument directly].

Unebe notes that in fact, prefaces credit Zhu Fonian as the actual translator of EĀ (like a range of other texts), and also document other collaborations with *Dharmanandin (the reported "translator" of the supposedly lost "second EĀ"). On this basis, Unebe explores the hypothesis that in fact, the extant EĀ T125 was translated by Zhu Fonian. He bases his argument primarily on internal evidence, viz., the close study of a limited set of interrelated stylistic markers, though he also pays ample attention to external evidence (in the biographies, catalogues, and primary documents of CSZJJ, etc.). In fact, Unebe also presents his study in part as a methodological model and overt manifesto for better attention to internal evidence in attribution studies.

Unebe first surveys external evidence to identify all the works that are ascribed to ZFn as the real translator in one source or another: T1, T125, T194, T212, T309, T384, T385, T656, T1505, T1543, T1549, and T2045. He then explains his method for the treatment of internal evidence using the example of translations of samyaksaṃbuddha, on which he had already published previously.

The core of Unebe's argument about Zhu Fonian's works centers on terms for the members of the eightfold path of the noble ones (*āryāṣṭāṅgamārga). Unebe compares translations of these terms in translators from An Shigao down to Zhu Fonian, Saṅghadeva and Kumārajīva (results tabulated, 26-27). From the ZFn corpus, Unebe examines translations of individual members of this eightfold set in T1, T125, T194, T309, T1505, T1543, T1549. He finds that generally speaking, Zhu Fonian consistently renders samyak- (in saṃyagdr̥ṣṭi, saṃyaksaṃkalpa, etc.) as deng 等: e.g. 等見、等治、等語、等業/等行、等命、等方便、等念、等定/等三昧 (with some interesting variation in both order and two individual terms, 等行 vs. 等業 and 等定 vs. 等三昧; 11). This is in striking contrast to the usual practice of all other translators in the same period, who use zheng 正. The terms with deng- therefore constitute a strong marker of Zhu Fonian's style and corpus.

Unebe finds two exceptions to this pattern in Zhu Fonian's corpus. First, the Dīrghāgama T1 never uses terms with deng-, but always uses zheng-. Second, the pattern in EĀ T125 is even more peculiar. There, we find two groups: both deng- and zheng-. Renditions with deng-, moreover, are only found in six times, in a small group of EĀ discourses: 10.2, 19.2, 23.9 (twice), 24.5, 42.3 (see p. 11). Unebe deduces that the zheng-type renderings point to revision of EĀ at some time after it was originally produced. Since the deng-type renderings are more typical of Zhu Fonian, Unebe proposes that they preserve traces of the original “Dharmanandin translation”, for which Zhu Fonian served as the actual translator, and which has generally been considered lost.

Unebe argues that this evidence allows us to draw several inferences about our extant EĀ T125 (28-29). First, it shows clearly that Zhu Fonian was involved in the production of the text in some form, at some stage of its history. Second, it shows that the text includes a layer reflecting revision. Third, it allows Unebe to nuance the very notion of ascription and translatorship for this case. Against the traditional notion of two (independent) translations (and against Mizuno, who accepts this notion), Unebe proposes that it is more reasonable to think in terms of an initial translation, and then a subsequent revision of that translation (he extends this argument to the Madhyamāgama as well). For Unebe, the texts regarded by Mizuno as the "alternative" translations of EĀ and MĀ (which Mizuno believes were due to Zhu Fonian) were probably the pre-revision (actual) translations, produced in both cases by Zhu Fonian. In support of this hypothesis, Unebe cites four texts from Mizuno's "alternate MĀ", and two from his "alternate EĀ", which feature (some of) the same terms with deng- that are typical of Zhu Fonian: respectively, T66, T70, T75, and T83 (MĀ); and T127 and T140 (EĀ). This inference implies that Saṅghadeva is the most likely candidate for the layer of revision preserved in the extant EA T125—but Unebe notes that this is only a possibility, and the reviser need not have been Saṅghadeva.

Entry author: Sharon Chi

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• People: Zhu Fonian 竺佛念 (translator 譯); *Dharmanandi(n) 曇摩難提, Dharmananda? (reciter 誦出); *Saṃghadeva, *Gautama Saṃghadeva, 僧迦提婆, 瞿曇僧伽提婆 (revised)

No

• T0125; Ekottarikāgama; 增壹阿含經

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 Saṅghadeva. 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).

*Dharmanandi(n) 曇摩難提 probably also recited the text of the *Ekottarikāgama 増一阿含T125, judging from the fact that the first part 上部, comprising 26 juan, does not include any omissions or slips of memory 遺忘, and that, according to Dao’an, the verses are lost in the second part 下部 15 juan (230).

Entry author: Atsushi Iseki

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• People: *Dharmanandi(n) 曇摩難提, Dharmananda? (unspecified); Zhu Fonian 竺佛念 ([orally] "translate/interpret" 傳語, 口宣[...言], 傳譯, 度語); Dao'an 道安 (unspecified); Fahe 法和 (unspecified); *Saṃghadeva, *Gautama Saṃghadeva, 僧迦提婆, 瞿曇僧伽提婆 (revised)