Text: T0685; 佛說盂蘭盆經

Summary

Identifier T0685 [T]
Title 佛說盂蘭盆經 [T]
Date after E. Jin, Yao Qin [Xiong 2014]
Author Anonymous (China), 失譯, 闕譯, 未詳撰者, 未詳作者, 不載譯人 [Xiong 2014]
Unspecified Anonymous (China), 失譯, 闕譯, 未詳撰者, 未詳作者, 不載譯人 [Okabe 1963]
Translator 譯 Dharmarakṣa 竺法護, 曇摩羅察 [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).

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

[Karashima 2013]  Karashima, Seishi. “The Meaning of Yulanpen 盂蘭盆 — 'Rice Bowl' on Pravāraṇa Day.” Annual Report of The International Research Institute for Advanced Buddhology vol. 16, 288–305. 2013.

Some scholars believe that this sutra was compiled in China, but Karashima argues for Indian provenance.

Entry author: Michael Radich

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No

[Nakamura 1987]  Nakamura, Hajime. Indian Buddhism: A Survey with Bibliographical Notes. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1987. — 228

Nakamura suggests that the 盂蘭盆經 (Ullambana-sūtra) T685 contains “kernel” of original Indic material, with later additions written by Chinese scholars in order to emphasise filial piety.

Entry author: Sophie Florence

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No

[Mei 1996]  Mei Naiwen 梅廼文. “Zhu Fahu de fanyi chutan 竺法護的翻譯初探.” Chung-Hwa Buddhist Journal 中華佛學學報 9 (1996): 49-64. — 54-55 n. 27

The eighteen texts listed in this entry, Mei observes, are ascribed to Dharmarakṣa in the present Taishō, but not by CSZJJ. The majority of these texts, Mei suggests, did already exist at Sengyou's time, but Sengyou listed them as anonymous. Thus, Mei argues that further research is required to determine whether or not these texts really are by Dharmarakṣa.

Entry author: Michael Radich

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No

[CSZJJ]  Sengyou 僧祐. Chu sanzang ji ji (CSZJJ) 出三藏記集 T2145. — T2145 (LV) 28c2

In Sengyou's Chu sanzang ji ji, a title probably to be identified with T685 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):

盂蘭經一卷.

Entry author: Michael Radich

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No

[Okabe 1963]  Okabe Kazuo 岡部和雄 . “Jiku Hōgo no yakkyō ni tsuite 竺法護の訳経について.” IBK 11, no. 1 (1963): 148-149.

Okabe’s main aim is to assess the reliability of Fei Changfang’s LDSBJ, using ascriptions to Dharmarakṣa as a test case. Okabe studies 40 ascriptions to Dharmarakṣa that appear for the first time in LDSBJ [T2034 (XLIX) 61c11-64c13], and concludes that they are highly unreliable. The same texts are generally already listed in Sengyou’s CSZJJ, but there, they appear as anonymous. In addition, the majority of these texts are identified by Sengyou as sūtras excerpted from larger collections, such as the Āgamas, the 六度集經 T152, the Mahāsaṃnipāta T397, the “Sūtra of the Wise and the Foolish” 賢愚經 T202, or Dharmarakṣa’s Jātaka 生經 T154.

Okabe gives the example of the Guangshiyin jing 光世音經, which is no longer extant, but which the records of other catalogues indicate was probably the Avalokiteśvara Chapter of Dharmarakṣa’s Saddharmapuṇḍarīka T263, circulated as an independent text. [This likelihood would be corroborated by the fact that 光世音 for Avalokiteśvara is probably confined to Dharmarakṣa’s works; I am grateful to Jan Nattier for pointing out this fact --- MR.] He also shows that another text in the list, the 蜜具經, which is lost but quoted in the Jing lü yi xiang 經律異相 T2121, is an excerpt from T154, with verbatim correspondences too close for it to be considered a separate translation of the same text. A third text, the 悉鞞梨天子詣佛說偈經, is also no longer extant, but Okabe shows by comparison, again with citation in the Jing lü yi xiang, that it was an excerpt from the Saṃyuktāgama. Another six texts (離睡經 T47, 受歲經 T50, 樂想經 T56, 尊上經 T77, 意經 T82 and 應法經 T83), Okabe argues, were excerpted from the Madhayamāgama, in part following Mizuno Kōgen’s arguments about vestiges of an alternate translation of the whole MĀ collection now split up and variously attributed among our extant texts. A final example, the 身觀經 T612, Okabe says is also “absolutely identical” with a Saṃyuktāgama text [see T101(9) = T101 (II) 495b7-c23], apart from scribal errors, etc., and Okabe says that LDSBJ’s ascription to Dharmarakṣa is therefore “utter nonsense”. On the strength of these examples, Okabe argues that all forty of the texts added to Dharmarakṣa’s name by LDSBJ should be disregarded. This record lists those forty texts (names are given as in LDSBJ, and may differ slightly from Taishō titles).

光世音經
蜜具經
身觀經 T612
悉鞞梨天子詣佛說偈經
離睡經 T47
受歲經 T50
樂想經 T56
尊上經 T77
意經 T82
應法經 T83
七女本經
寶女問慧經 (寶女所問經 T399)
女人慾熾荒迷經
夫那羅經
貧女為國王夫人經
寶日光菩薩問蓮華國相貌/寶日光明菩薩經
𥧝意經
彌勒菩薩為女身經
多聞經
四自在神通經
四未曾有經 T136
分別經 T738
閑居經
七寶經
盂蘭經 T685
腹使經
八陽經 T428
法社經
犯罪經
灌臘經 T391
貧窮經
四種人經
何苦經
邪見經 (cf. T93)
雜讚經
法觀經 T611
醫王經
目連?降龍經
梵王變身經
仁王般若波羅蜜經 (cf. T245)

Entry author: Michael Radich

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No

[Fajing 594]  Fajing 法經. Zhongjing mulu 眾經目錄 T2146. — T2146 (LV) 133b9

T685 is treated as anonymous by Fajing.

Entry author: Michael Radich

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No

[Fei 597]  Fei Changfang 費長房. Lidai sanbao ji (LDSBJ) 歷代三寶紀 T2034. — T2034 (XLIX) 64a27, 118c11

The ascription of T685 to Dharmarakṣa found in the present canon (the Taishō) probably dates back to LDSBJ, where the title is given as 盂蘭盆經, citing no particular source. The same title is incongruously treated as anonymous in Fascicle 14.

Entry author: Michael Radich

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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. — 177-181

Sakaino argues that a number of new ascriptions to Dharmarakṣa added in LDSBJ are incorrect. He shows that the ascriptions for these extant texts are part of a broader pattern whereby Fei Changfang, in LDSBJ, takes titles in groups from lists of anonymous scriptures in Sengyou's CSZJJ, and assigns an entire group holus-bolus to a single translator. This procedure leads to a sudden ballooning of a given translator's corpus (if not its creation ex nihilo), and other absurd consequences, like the appearance that a certain translator specialised in texts on a particular topic (because Sengyou grouped titles in his lists by topic). Sakaino also studies this pattern in application to other translators (or supposed translators) elsewhere in his work; see esp. 80-86 for a general analysis of the overall pattern. Dharmarakṣa is one of the purported "translators" to whom Fei applies this procedure. This entry lists extant texts ascribed to Dharmarakṣa to which Sakaino's criticism here applies.

Entry author: Michael Radich

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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. — 177-179

Sakaino presents a list of titles that KYL admitted to the canon as the work of Dharmarakṣa, following LDSBJ. Sakaino gives separate lists of fourteen extant titles and thirteen lost titles (177-178) (this entry is associated with extant texts affected by this problem).

Sakaino states that as many as twenty of these titles are clearly taken from Sengyou’s “new” catalogue of anonymous scriptures 新集失譯經錄 in CSZJJ. He also suggests that the legitimacy of the ascription of the other texts should also be doubted: the lost Saddharmapuṇḍarīka 薩芸芬陀利經 already appeared in Dao’an’s catalogue of anonymous scriptures 安公失譯錄 in CSZJJ; the lost Xie fa jing 邪法經 and Ku ying jing 苦應經 are likely to be mistakes for the Xie jian jing 邪見經 and the Ku yin jing 苦陰經 respectively, both of which titles appear in Sengyou’s “new” catalogue of anonymous scriptures; the *Ullambana
盂蘭盆經 [T685] is obviously the Yulan jing 盂蘭經 in Sengyou’s “new” catalogue of anonymous scriptures, and; although Zhisheng says "see Dao'an's catalogue and [Fei] Changfang's catalogue" 見道安錄及長房錄 about the lost Ciren wen bashi zhong hao jing 慈仁問八十種好經 and the Sanshi'er xiang yinyuan jing 三十二相因緣經, this line just means that Fei said (wrongly) that those titles were included in Dao’an’s catalogue, but not that Dao’an really ascribed those texts to Dharmarakṣa, since if he had, Sengyou would definitely have included them among Dharmarakṣa’s works, but in fact, he lists the two titles in his “new” catalogue of anonymous scriptures 新集失譯經錄.

[Thus, Sakaino leaves just a few titles in the twenty-seven titles which he does not explicitly reject as Dharmarakṣa’s work. However, his tone is fairly negative all the way through the discussion, and it would be much reasonable to assume that he would reject the ascription of those few to Dharmarakṣa as well --- AI.]

Entry author: Atsushi Iseki

Edit

No

[Radich 2019]  Radich, Michael. “Fei Changfang’s Treatment of Sengyou’s Anonymous Texts.” Journal of the American Oriental Society 139.4 (2019): 819-841.

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.
尸迦羅越六方禮經 T16, An Shigao 安世高, 52a15.
善生子經 T17, Zhi Fadu 支法度, 68a17-18.
開解梵志阿颰經 T20, Zhi Qian 支謙, 57c22.
寂志果經 T22, Tanwulan 曇無蘭, 69c5.
頂生王故事經 T39, Faju 法炬, 67a19.
鐵城泥犁經 T42, Tanwulan, 70a14.
閻羅王五天使者經 T43, Huijian 慧簡, 93b10.
離睡經 T47, Dharmarakṣa 竺法護, 64b21.
求欲經 T49, Faju, 67a2.
受歲經 T50, Dharmarakṣa, 64a23.
苦陰經 T53, Anon., E. Han 東漢, 55a25.
苦陰因事經 T55, Faju, 67c18.
樂想經 T56, Dharmarakṣa, 64b25.
阿耨風經 T58, Tanwulan, 69c9.
瞿曇彌記果經 T60, Huijian, 93b19.
瞻婆比丘經 T64, Faju, 67b16.
伏婬經 T65, Faju, 66c26.
魔嬈亂經 T66, Anon., E. Han, 55a2.
弊魔試目連經/魔嬈亂經 T67, Zhi Qian, 58b23.
數經 T70, Faju, 66c20.
尊上經 T77, Dharmarakṣa, 64b25.
鸚鵡經 T79, Guṇabhadra 求那跋陀羅, 91c13.
意經 T82, Dharmarakṣa, 64a21.
應法經 T83, Dharmarakṣa, 64a22.
泥犁經 T86, Tanwulan, 70a15.
八關齋經 T89, Juqu Jingsheng 沮渠京聲, 92c23.
鞞摩肅經 T90, Guṇabhadra, 91c13.
婆羅門子命終愛念不離經 T91, An Shigao, 51b19.
十支居士八城人經 T92, An Shigao, 50c19.
相應相可經 T111, Faju, 67c15.
難提釋經 T113, Faju, 67c3.
波斯匿王太后崩塵土坌身經 T122, Faju, 67b2.
放牛經 = T123, Kumārajīva 鳩摩羅什, 78c5.
四人出現世間經 T127, Guṇabhadra, 91c7.
婆羅門避死經 T131, An Shigao, 51b24.
頻毘[v.l. 婆 SY]娑羅王詣佛供養經 T133, Faju, 67a26.
長者子六過出家經 T134, Huijian, 93b23.
四未曾有法經 T136, Dharmarakṣa, 64b3.
四泥犁經 T139, Tanwulan, 70a8.
阿那邠邸化七子經 T140, An Shigao, 50c18.
佛母般泥洹經 T145, Huijian, 93b22.
阿難同學經 T149, An Shigao, 52a12.
阿含正行經 T151, An Shigao, 52a24.
大方便佛報恩經 T156, Anon., E. Han, 54b18.
大意經 T177, Guṇabhadra, 91c18.
前世三轉經 T178, Faju, 67c16.
異出菩薩本起經 T188, Nie Daozhen 聶道真, 66a20.
十二遊經 T195, *Kālodaka 迦留陀伽, 70b27-c2.
興起行經 T197, Kang Mengxiang 康孟詳, 54b2.
雜譬喻經 T205, Anon., E. Han, 54b25.
猘狗經 T214, Zhi Qian, 58c7.
群牛譬經 T215, Faju, 67a6.
大魚事經 T216, Tanwulan, 69c5.
仁王般若波羅蜜經 T245, Kumārajīva, 78a23-24.
法華三昧經 T269, Zhiyan 智嚴, 112c27.
諸菩薩求佛本業經 T282, Nie Daozhen, 65c19.
無垢施菩薩應辯會 T310(33), Nie Daozhen, 66a2.
菩薩修行經 T330, Bo Fazu 白法祖, 66b4.
優填王經 T332, Faju, 67b3.
大乘方等要慧經 T348, An Shigao, 52b17.
寶積三昧文殊師利菩薩問法身經 T356, An Shigao, 52b10-11.
出阿彌陀佛偈 T373, Anon., E. Han, 55b24-25.
般泥洹後灌臘經 T391, Dharmarakṣa, 64a24.
迦葉赴佛般涅槃經 T393, Tanwulan, 70a19.
八吉祥神呪經 T427, Zhi Qian, 58b8.
八陽神呪經 T428, Dharmarakṣa, 64b4.
文殊師利般涅槃經 T463, Nie Daozhen, 65c7.
三曼陀跋陀羅菩薩經 T483, Nie Daozhen, 66a1.
六菩薩亦當誦持經 T491, Anon., E. Han, 54c19.
阿難問事佛吉凶經 T492, An Shigao, 51c22.
摩訶迦葉度貧母經 T497, Guṇabhadra, 91c26.
羅云忍辱經 T500, Faju, 66c22.
沙曷比丘功德經 T501, Faju, 67c13.
佛為年少比丘說正事經 T502, Faju, 67b24.
比丘避女惡名欲自殺經 T503, Faju, 67c10.
犍陀國王經 T506, An Shigao, 52b5.
阿闍世王問五逆經 T508, Faju, 67a24.
阿闍世王授決經 T509, Faju, 67a2.
採花違王上佛授決號妙花經 T510, Tanwulan, 69c12.
長者子懊惱三處經 T525, An Shigao, 50c13.
越難經 T537, Nie Chengyuan 聶承遠, 65b21.
樹提伽經 T540a/b, Guṇabhadra, 91c17.
摩鄧女經 T551, An Shigao, 52a6.
內身觀章句經 T610, Anon., E. Han, 55b4.
法觀經 T611, Dharmarakṣa, 64a21.
身觀經 T612, Dharmarakṣa, 64a20.
佛印三昧經 T621, An Shigao, 52b15.
自誓三昧經 T622, An Shigao, 51b5.
父母恩難報經 T684, An Shigao, 51a13.
盂蘭盆經 T685, Dharmarakṣa, 64a27.
未曾有經 T688, Anon., E. Han, 55a28.
作佛形像經 T692, Anon., E. Han, 54c2.
摩訶剎頭經 T696, Shengjian 聖堅, 83c9.
罪業應報教化地獄經 T724, An Shigao, 51c18.
分別善惡所起經 T729, An Shigao, 51a23.
處處經 T730, An Shigao, 51b9.
十八泥犁經 T731, An Shigao, 51c16.
罵意經 T732, An Shigao, 51b8.
堅意經 T733, An Shigao, 52a2.
鬼問目連經 T734, An Shigao, 51c15.
分別經 T738, Dharmarakṣa, 64a28.
慢法經 T739, Faju, 66c20.
忠心經 T743, Tanwulan, 70a6.
罪福報應經 T747b, Guṇabhadra, 91c5.
十二品生死經 T753, Guṇabhadra, 91c4.
四輩經 T769, Dharmarakṣa, 64a24.
四品學法經 T771, Guṇabhadra, 91c8.
賢者五福德經 T777, Bo Fazu, 66b14.
十二頭陀經 T783, Guṇabhadra, 91b25.
出家緣經 T791, An Shigao, 51a8.
貧窮老公經 T797a/b, Huijian, 93b14.
弟子死復生經 T826, Juqu Jingsheng, 93a3.
懈怠耕者經 T827, Huijian, 93b12.
阿難陀目佉尼呵離陀經 T1013, Guṇabhadra, 92a8.
呪齒經 T1327, Tanwulan, 70b11.
華積陀羅尼神呪經 T1356, Zhi Qian, 58b7.
玄師颰陀所說神呪經 T1378b, Tanwulan, 70b9.
檀特羅麻油述經 T1391, Tanwulan, 70b3-70b4.
摩尼羅亶經 T1393, Tanwulan, 70a24, 70b1.
犯戒罪報輕重經 T1467, An Shigao, 51b1.
大比丘三千威儀 T1470, An Shigao, 50a23-24.
沙彌尼戒經 T1474, Anon., E. Han, 54c27.
戒消災經 T1477, Zhi Qian, 58a11.
菩薩受齋經 T1502, Nie Daozhen, 65c18.
分別功德論 T1507, Anon., E. Han, 54b19.
阿毘曇甘露味論 T1553, Anon., Cao Wei 曹魏, 60b18.
請賓頭盧法 T1689, Huijian, 93b17.
迦葉結經 T2027, An Shigao, 52b16.

This CBC@ entry is associated with all of affected extant texts.

Entry author: Michael Radich

Edit

No

[Xiong 2014]  Xiong Juan 熊娟. "Yulanpen de yuyuan yuyi kaocha: jian ji Yulanpen jing de xingzhi" 盂蘭盆”的語源語義考查——兼及《盂蘭盆經》的性質. Hanyu shi xuebao 漢語史學報 (2014): 1:85–104.

1. Xiong argues that the Yulanpen jing 盂蘭盆經 T685 is an apocryphal text, on the basis of two terms that are typical of traditional Chinese thought and could not have occurred in translations from Indic:

(1) 三公: ancient titles of high officials. The term otherwise only occurs in Buddhist texts composed in China.

(2) 歡喜日, 自恣日: No Buddhist text composed in India mentions the designation of July 15th as a 歡喜日 or 自恣日. The only two occurrences of these terms in translated texts, 大智度論 T1509 and 根本說一切有部毘奈耶破僧事 T1450, associate Ānanda's birthday with the day of Buddha's awakening 得道, which, according to the tradition, is Feb. 8th, Apr. 8th, Mar. 8th, Mar. 15th, or Dec. 8th not including July 15th.

2. Xiong also argues that T685 was produced after the Eastern Jin and the Yao Qin (東晉姚秦), based on a set of terms that only occur after this period:

(1) 耶魔/邪魔: [NOTE: in T, T685 actually features 邪: 邪魔、外道、道士、四天王神; but Xiong transcribes 耶 --- MR.] The only two occurrences of 耶魔/邪魔 before the Yao Qin are in the Pusa yingluo benyi jing 菩薩瓔珞本業經 T1485, and the Pusa nei jie jing 菩薩內戒經 T1487. The authenticity of both has been disputed. T1485 is an apocryphon (Lü Cheng 呂瀓 1980:91; Lan Jifu 藍吉富 1997:278; Mochiyuki Shink Mochiyuki Shinkō 望月信亨 1946:471-484); and T1487 was falsely attributed to Guṇavarman求那跋摩 (Lü Cheng 呂瀓 1980:60). All the other occurrences of 耶魔 postdate Northern and Southern Dynasties 南北朝 and the Sui 隋.

(2) 自恣日, 自恣僧: Both phrases occur only after Eastern Jin. This also fits the historical context: the varṣa 夏安居 (rains retreat) was first practised from the time of the Yao Qin, and the ritual of 自恣 took place at the end of the varṣa.

(3) 四道果: All occurrences are after the Yao Qin.

(4) 年年: The earliest occurrence is in Zhang Hua's 張華 Bowuzhi 博物志 during the W. Jin 西晉, but it is possible that the 博物志 that we know is a compilation with additions by a later hand. All the other occurrences are after the Yao Qin.

(5) 盆器: In Buddhist texts, 盆器 occurs only after the Eastern Jin. 盆器 occurs in non-Buddhist texts only from the Tang 唐 onwards.

(6) 床敷: The earliest occurrence of 床敷 (臥具) is in Dharmarakṣa's Daśabhūmika 漸備一切智德經 T285, but there the reading is not secure. MSS also read 床臥具 or 床臥坐具. All the other occurrences are after the Eastern Jin.

Entry author: Chia-wei Lin

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No

[Fang and Lu 2023]  Fang Yixin 方一新 and Lu Lu 盧鹭. “Jin shiyu nian cong yuyan jiaodu kaobian keyi Fojing chengguo de huigu yu zhanwang” 近十余年從語言角度考辨可疑佛經成果的回顧與展望.” Journal of Zhejiang University (Humanities and Social Sciences Online Edition), Jan. 2023: 1–24. — 11

In an article surveying scholarship on questions of attribution in the Chinese canon published in the last decade, Fang and Lu state that Xiong Juan argues that the Yulanpen jing 盂蘭盆經 T685 was probably produced in the first half of the fifth century, since some of the words in it only appeared texts after the Eastern Jin Dynasty and the Later Qin Dynasty. They refer to

Xiong Juan 熊娟. Hanwen Fodian yiwei jing yanjiu 漢文佛典疑偽經研究. Shanghai: Shanghai guji chubanshe, 2015: 247–289.

Entry author: Mengji Huang

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