The shorter Chinese Samyukta Āgama preliminary findings and translation of fascicle 1.pdf

Buddhist Studies Review 23(1) 2006, 21–60

ISSN (print): 0256-2897

ISSN (online): 1747-9681

The Shorter Chinese Saṃyukta Āgama :

Preliminary Findings and Translation of Fascicle

1 of the Bieyi za ahan jing 別譯雜阿含經 (T.100)

MARCUS BINGENHEIMER

Chung-hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies, Taiwan

m.bingenheimer@gmail.com

ABSTRACT: This study provides an overview of what is known about the shorter Chi-

nese Saṃyukta Āgama and also an annotated translation of its ﬁ rst 22 sutta s, which

corresponds to the Pali Bhikkhu Saṃyutta . Recent research suggests that T.100 belongs

to the corpus of Sarvāstivāda Literature. The annotations resolve some unique

expressions, correct some mistakes found in the textus receptus , and point out signi ﬁ -

cant diﬀ erences between the versions of the sutta s. The text base for Chinese is the

CBETA/Taishō edition, for Pāli the Chaṭṭa Saṅgāyana edition published by the Vipas-

sana Research Institute, if not indicated otherwise (but with volume and page refer-

ences to the Pali Text Society editions). The paper is a ﬁ rst result of the Bieyi za ahan

jing -Project 1 at the Chung-hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies, Taiwan, which aims at a

digital edition and translation of the complete work.

There are three translations of Saṃyukta Āgama s in Chinese. By far the largest is

the Za ahan jing 雜阿含經 (T.99) (ZA) in 50 fascicles. It was translated between 435

and 443 by Guṇabhadra (394–468) working in Chang’an. The ZA contains 1362 sut-

ta s, according to the division in the Taishō edition. 2 Next to that we have the Bieyi

za ahan jing 別譯雜阿含經 (T.100) (BZA) in 16 fascicles, the ﬁ rst fascicle of which

is translated below. The BZA, by an unknown translator (-team), is convincingly

dated 385–431 3 and contains 364 short sutta s. Finally, there is an even earlier par-

tial translation of a Saṃyukta Āgama in one fascicle, again called Za ahan jing 雜

1. The project is funded by the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation 蔣經國基金會 . The support of the

foundation is gratefully acknowledged. I also thank Shi Zhanghui and Jung Hsi-chin for their

unfailing and patient support of the project. Shi Zhanghui especially has oﬀ ered numerous

suggestions for this translation.

2. The (confused) order in which the ZA sutta s are presented in the printed canon editions has

been restored by Shi Yinshun (1983), based on discoveries by Lü Cheng (1923). Another impor-

tant contribution is Enomoto (1994), who has identi ﬁ ed and edited available Sanskrit parallels

for many ZA gāthā s, some of which also have a parallel in the BZA. Other studies focus on the

attribution and transmission of the ZA (Bando, 1982; Mizuno, 1988; Enomoto, 2001).

3. See Mizuno (1970: 486).

BUDDHIST STUDIES REVIEW

阿含經 (T.101), that contains 27 short sutta s. 4 As is the case with the other three

Chinese Āgama s, there exist a number of independent translations of single sut-

ta s. In the Taishō edition these are assigned the nos. 102–24.

ATTRIBUTION

During the last hundred years, the BZA has been attributed to the Kāśyapiya, 5

Dharmagupta or Mahīśāsaka, 6 and Mūlasarvāstivāda 7 schools. While the Kāśyapiya

thesis has never actually been disproved – this is diﬃ cult since there are no sur-

viving texts of this school to compare with – the evidence for the association of

the BZA with the Kāśyapiyas is not very strong. To our mind, none of the tenents

of the Kāśyapiyas as listed by Bareau (1955: 201) is proved by the three links cited

by Akanuma.

Regarding the Dharmagupta and Mahīśāsaka thesis, Enomoto has oﬀ ered evi-

dence that the wording of the BZA gāthā s does not match with the parallels found

in the respective Vinaya s of these schools. 8 For the time being, an attribution of

the BZA to the Mūlasarvāstivādins, mainly based on the wording of some gāthā s

and comparison of content with the respective Vinaya s, seems to be the most plau-

sible solution. Moreover, in light of the fact that there probably never was a real

diﬀ erence between the Mūlasarvāstivāda and Sarvāstivāda, 9 it is for now best to

regard the BZA and the ZA as two diﬀ erent Saṃyukta collection from this school.

Considering the geographic spread of the Sarvāstivādin/Mūlasarvāstivādins and

their long in ﬂ uence on the history of Buddhist thought, diﬀ erent lines of textual

transmissions within this school are plausible, even probable.

PARALLEL VERSIONS

The most challenging aspect of editing and translating Āgama literature is that

basically all texts exist in several versions. What we have are not individual texts

but more or less complicated text-clusters consisting of parallel versions of the

same text. I do not believe that it is necessary to assume an Ur-text for a cluster,

but that diﬀ erent versions of the same story or teaching existed from the very

beginning of transmission. 10 The web of text-clusters is extremely diﬃ cult both

4. See Harrison (2002).

5. Akanuma (1939: 49). Based on doctrinal points. Shi Yinshun follows Akanuma (Yinshun, 1971:

696).

6. Mizuno (1970) argues for these schools on formal, structural grounds.

7. Enomoto (1980, 1984a,b); Hiraoka (2000).

8. Enomoto (1980, 1984b).

9. Enomoto(2000).

10. This does not mean that eﬀ orts to distinguish between diﬀ erent layers in the texts are bound to

fail. On the contrary, as K. Meisig (1987, 1988) has shown, the tools for text criticism developed

BINGENHEIMER THE SHORTER CHINESE SAṂYUKTA ĀGAMA

to disentangle and to represent. The most widely used comparative tables were

published back in 1929. 11 We are in the process of creating a new comparative

catalog for the BZA. Based on Akanuma Chizen 赤沼智善 and Anesaki Masaharu’s

姉崎正治 12 early catalogs, the tables included in the Foguang edition of the four

major Ahan sutta s, and, especially helpful, still unpublished material kindly pro-

vided by Roderick Bucknell, we con ﬁ rm that all entries are indeed related and

add our own ﬁ ndings to produce a de ﬁ nitive comparative catalog for the 364

BZA sutta s. Here is the result for the ﬁ rst fascicle, entries marked with a ‘*’ are

our own additions.

Bieyi za ahan

(T.100)

Za ahan

(T.99)

Other Chinese

Pāli

Sanskrit/ Tibetan

BZA001

Sujāta is praised

善生二種端嚴

ZA1062

SN II 278-9 ( Sujāto )

BZA002

The Ugly Monk

憔悴的阿羅漢

ZA1063

SN II 279 ( Bhaddi )

BZA003

Devadatta and

Ajātasattu

提婆達多貪利養

ZA1064 T.02.0125.0570b 20

T.02.0125.0614a 18

T.04.0203.0465b 20*

SN II 241 ( Pakkanta )

SN II 242 ( Ratha )

SN I 154

( Devadatta )( gāthā )

AN II 73 ( Devadatta )

Vin II 187 (Cv.VII.2.5)

Enomoto, 1994,

no.1064*

BZA004

Monk ‘Elephant-head’

象首比丘墮地獄

ZA1065

SN I 70 ( Puriso )( gāthā )

SN I 98 ( Loko )( gāthā )

Waldschmidt,

1968a: 23–6*

BZA005

Nanda 1 - Nanda is

reproached

難陀著鮮淨衣

ZA1067* T.02.0125.0591a 8* SN II 281 ( Nando )

BZA006

Nanda 2 - Nanda is

praised

難陀諸善功德

ZA0275*

AN IV 166-8 ( Nando )

within biblical scholarship can be used with great success to stratify Buddhist sutta s with the

help of comparative analysis.

11. Akanuma (1929). Akanuma’s tables still work well, but, apart from a number of minor mis-

takes, important material like the Sanskrit fragments published during the last 75 years is not

included. We believe that these kind of work is better presented digitally. Roderick Bucknell,

Venerable Analayo and Venerable Sujato are currently working on an online database, provi-

sionally called ‘suttacentral’, that will provide updated and accessible tables.

12. Anesaki (1908).

BUDDHIST STUDIES REVIEW

Bieyi za ahan

(T.100)

Za ahan

(T.99)

Other Chinese

Pāli

Sanskrit/ Tibetan

BZA007

Tissa is reproached

窒師恒懷瞋慢

ZA1068

SN II 281-2

( Tisso )

BZA008

Visākha preaches well

毘舍佉善說法要

ZA1069

SN II 280

Visākho )

AN II 51

( Visākho )

Enomoto, 1994,

no.1069*

BZA009

A young monk does

his work

年少比丘壞魔軍

ZA1070

SN II 277-8

( Navo )

BZA010

Thera lives alone

盡諸愛結名獨住

ZA1071

SN II 282-4

( Theranāmo )

Enomoto, 1994,

no.1071*

BZA011

Saṅgāmaji and his

former wife

僧鉗不顧本二

ZA1072

Ud 5-6

( Saṅgāmaji )

Enomoto, 1994,

no.1072*

BZA012

Ānanda and the three

kinds of scent

諸香不如戒香

ZA1073 T.02.0116.0507b 14

T.02.0117.0508a 10

T.02.0125.0613b 10

AN I 225-6

( Gandho )

Waldschmidt,

1968a:16-23

Enomoto, 1994,

no.1073*

BZA013

Uruvela Kassapa

performs miracles

迦葉得遇大龍

ZA1074 T.01.0026.0497b 4*

T.01.0041.0825a 23*

T.03.0187.0612c 6*

T.03.0191.0962c 16 *

T.04.0192.0032a 14*

T.14.0498.0766c 25*

T.22.1428.0797b 3*

Vin I 35 (Mv.I.22)

Enomoto, 1994,

no.1074*

BZA014

Mettiya and Mettiyā

slander Dabba

彌多求誣謗陀驃

ZA1075 T.04.0203.0457a 6*

T.22.1421.0015a 3*

T.22.1425.0280a 19*

T.22.1428.0587a 25*

T.23.1435.0022a 8*

T.24.1464.0867b 9*

Vin II 74 (Cv.IV.4)

Vin III 158

( Amūlaka-saṅghādiseso )*

Enomoto, 1994,

no.1075*

BZA015

Dabba enters Nirvāṇa

陀驃欲入涅槃

ZA1076

Ud 92-3

( Dabba -1)*

Ud 93

( Dabba -2)

Enomoto, 1994,

no.1076*

BINGENHEIMER THE SHORTER CHINESE SAṂYUKTA ĀGAMA

Bieyi za ahan

(T.100)

Za ahan

(T.99)

Other Chinese

Pāli

Sanskrit/ Tibetan

BZA016

The conversion of

Aṅgulimāla

鴦掘魔羅歸命佛

ZA1077 T.02.0118.0508b 20

T.02.0119.0510b 17

T.02.0120.0512b 8

T.02.0125.0719b 20

T.04.0202.0423b 6

T.04.0212.0703a 23

MN II 97-105

(86 Aṅgulimāla )

Dhp 26 ( Loka-vagga 173)*

Dhp-a III 169

( Aṅgulimālattheravatthu )*

Th 80

( Aṅgulimālattheragāthā )*

Enomoto,

1994, no.1077*

Hartmann, 1998

(Tibetan:

Peking 879)

BZA017

A deva tempts a monk

and is granted an

interview with the

Buddha

五欲是時佛法非時

ZA1078

SN I 8-12

( Samiddhi )

Enomoto, 1994,

no.1078*

BZA018

The parable of the

smoking den

巢窟喻

ZA1079 T.01.0095.0918b 25

T.02.0125.0733b 12

MN I 142-5

(23. Vammīka )

Enomoto, 1994,

no.1079*

BZA019

The Buddha sees a

distracted monk 1

心意不定

ZA1080

BZA020

The Buddha sees a

distracted monk 2

– The ﬂ y simile

苦子喻

ZA1081

AN I 279-81

( Kaṭuviya )

BZA021

A forest spirit

admonishes a monk

– The ulcer simile

以念覺覆瘡疣

ZA1082

BZA022

A monk visits the

village untimely

– Parable of the

elephant and the lotus

roots

小象食藕後轉羸瘦

ZA1083 T.22.1428.0910b 28*

T.22.1428.0867c 11*

SN II 268-70

( Nāgo )

As we see, all BZA sutta s of this ﬁ rst fascicle have a parallel in the ZA. Of these

BZA/ZA clusters, only two (BZA 19 and BZA 21) have no parallel in Pāli. The

most ‘popular’ sutta s, those with the most parallels, are BZA 13 (Uruvela Kassapa

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