Text: T0670; 楞伽阿跋多羅寶經

No

• T0670; 楞伽阿跋多羅寶經

Takasaki observes that the term ‘real consciousness’ 真識 appears for the first time in Guṇabhadra’s Chinese rendition of the Laṅkāvatāra sūtra (T670) and has no Sanskrit correlate. Real consciousness is the third of three general types of consciousness 三種識, including perceptual consciousness (khyātivijñāna 現識) and object-discriminating consciousness (vastuprativikalpavijñāna 分別事識), taught in Guṇabhadra’s rendition of this important Mahāyāna sūtra. The corresponding passage as rendered by Bodhiruci (T671 [XVI] 522a1-8) and Śikṣānanda (T672 [XVI] 593b16-23) includes only two general types of consciousness: namely, perceptual consciousness and object-discriminating consciousness. Because the corresponding Sanskrit passage (Vaidya 1963, 18) and its Tibetan counterpart (H110 [LI] 234a3) include only two general types of consciousness in their teachings on sensory perception and cognition, Takasaki concludes that the term ‘real consciousness’ must be an interpolation by Guṇabhadra into the original Sanskrit text of the sūtra. As such, the inclusion of three types of consciousness represents a piece of original Sinitic exegesis on the theory of consciousness taught in the sūtra. Takasaki’s findings provide a small piece of evidence in support of the view that the rendition of the sūtra by Guṇabhadra is not a ‘direct translation’.

Entry author: Billy Brewster

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No

• T0007; 大般涅槃經
• T0192; 佛所行讚
• T0268; 佛說廣博嚴淨不退轉輪經
• T0270; 大法鼓經
• T0353; 勝鬘師子吼一乘大方便方廣經
• T0360; 佛說無量壽經; Sukhāvatīvyūha-sūtra
• T0590; 佛說四天王經
• T0670; 楞伽阿跋多羅寶經
• T2058; 付法藏因緣傳
• T397(12); 無盡意品; Akṣayamati-nirdeśa
• X0015; Jing du sanmei jing 淨度三昧經; Jing du jing 淨度經; 淨度三昧經

Abstract:

"This study examines the biography of the monk Baoyun 寶雲 (376?-449) and lists all the titles of the translation projects in which Baoyun was involved. By comparing the information provided by different Buddhist catalogues, several discrepancies between the information on Baoyun provided by Buddhist bibliographer Sengyou 僧祐 (445-518) and by later accounts became evident. This study contextualizes the life of Baoyun in a broader historical perspective and presents the life of a monk who was a companion of Faxian 法顯 (336?-422) in his famous journey to the west, fluent in Indic languages, and a proficient translator."

Lettere argues that we can see a gradual process by which the true scope of Baoyun's activities as a translator, originally represented rather clearly by Sengyou and the sources he collects (CSZJJ), was already diminished or undermined by Huijiao (GSZ), Fei Zhangfang (LCSBJ), and Fajing; and also seems to have suffered from being overshadowed by the reputation and legends that accrued to the personality of Faxian. In the course of her treatment of biographical and other external sources on Baoyun (CSZJJ, GSZ, and documents like prefaces), Lettere notes evidence that Baoyun might have been the principal translator for the following works:

T192 (Lettere holds unequivocally that this work is "erroneously attributed to Dharmakṣema/Tan Wuchen 曇無讖", following Willemen 2009 [in error this reference is given as Chen Jinhua]: xiv-xvi);

a "new Sukhāvatī" 新無量壽 [sic, for *Amitāyus] [Lettere's citation of studies by Nogami 1950, Gotō 2006, 2007, and Nattier 2003 implies that she identifies this title with T360 -- MR];

with Zhiyan, according to Sengyou's CSZJJ, three titles: the Puyao jing 普耀經, the Guangbo yanjing jing 廣博嚴淨經, and the Si tianwang jing 四天王經 [cf. for the last two titles respectively Avaivartikacakra 廣博嚴淨經 T268, and Si tianwang jing 四天王經 T590 -- MR];

the Śrīmālādevīsiṃhanāda 勝鬘經 [T353];

the Za’ahan jing 雜阿含經 (*Saṃyuktāgama) and the Fagu jing 法鼓經 [Lettere again does not go into the problem of identification with extant texts, but cf. Saṃyuktāgama T99 and the *Mahābherīhāraka-sūtra T270 -- MR];

a Mahāparinirvāṇa in six fascicles 六卷泥洹 [cf. T7 -- MR].

[To this list we should add the Laṅkāvatāra T670; Lettere omits to list it, but cf. 後於丹陽郡譯出勝鬘楞伽經, GSZ T2059 (L) 344b3, which in fact comprises two titles, the Śrīmālādevī and the Laṅkāvatāra; cf. Lettere 265 n. 9 -- MR.]

Lettere also notes evidence that Baoyun may have composed a lost travelogue of his journeys, entitled Youlü waiguo 遊履外國.

In LDSBJ, two titles are added to Baoyun's credit; Fufa zang jing 付法藏經 [cf. T2058] and Jingdu sanwei jing 淨度三昧經 [cf. X15]; and an *Akṣayamatinirdeśa 無盡意菩薩 to the joint translatorship of Baoyun and Zhiyan [cf. T397(12)]. Lettere notes that the poor reputation of Fei as a cataloguer makes these ascriptions less plausible.

Entry author: Michael Radich

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• People: Baoyun, 寶雲 (translator 譯)