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頻婆娑羅王經

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Text ID
KR6a0041
Date
987–1000
Dynasty
劉宋

Pínpósuōluó wáng jīng 頻婆娑羅王經

Sūtra of King Bimbisāra (parallel to Madhyama-āgama sūtra 62, the Pínpísuōluówáng yíngfó jīng 頻鞞娑羅王迎佛經) by 法賢 (Fǎxián, 譯)

About the work

The Pínpósuōluó wáng jīng is a single-fascicle Northern-Sòng translation of the canonical narrative of King Bimbisāra of Magadha’s first meeting with the Buddha at Rājagṛha, his conversion, and his support for the establishment of the Buddhist saṅgha. The Pāli parallel is found in the Mahāvagga of the Vinaya-piṭaka (Vin. I. 35–39) and in MN 35; the Chinese parallel is T26[62] (the Pínpí-suōluó-wáng yíngfó jīng 頻鞞娑羅王迎佛經 of the Madhyama-āgama).

(Note: the catalog meta records the dynasty as 劉宋 (LiúSòng), but the byline uses 法賢’s post-987 name and 明教大師 title and is therefore a Northern Sòng (SòngTàizōng) translation of c. 987–1000 — consistent with KR6a0009, KR6a0015, etc. The catalog’s 劉宋 is presumably a transcriptional slip for 趙宋 / 北宋 = Northern Sòng. The bracket recorded in the frontmatter is the late-Tàizōng / early-Zhēnzōng window 987–1000.)

The text opens at the Yaṣṭivana (杖林) outside Rājagṛha. The Buddha and his thousand recently-converted Jaṭila fire-ascetics arrive at the city; King Bimbisāra and his retinue come out to greet them, are awestruck by the Buddha and Kāśyapa, hear the Dharma, and convert. The narrative concludes with King Bimbisāra’s donation of the Veṇuvana (“Bamboo Grove”) to the saṅgha, the foundation of the first Buddhist monastery.

Prefaces

The text bears no preface or postface. The only paratext is the Sòng-court translator’s signature at the head: 「西天譯經三藏朝奉大夫試光祿卿明教大師臣法賢奉詔譯」.

Abstract

T41 was produced during Fǎxián’s post-987 Sòng-Institute career; the defensible bracket 987–1000 is recorded in the frontmatter. The Indic source is presumed lost.

The principal scholarly interest of T41 lies in its preservation of one of the foundational legendary narratives of early Buddhism — the conversion of Bimbisāra and the donation of the Veṇuvana — in a fresh Sòng translation. The text is one of the principal Buddhist sources for the early relationship between the new community of śramaṇas and the established political authority of Magadha.

Translations and research

  • Bareau, André. Recherches sur la biographie du Buddha dans les Sūtrapiṭaka et les Vinayapiṭaka anciens. 3 vols. Paris: EFEO, 1963–1995. — Treats the Bimbisāra-conversion narrative comparatively, including T41.
  • Anālayo, Bhikkhu. A Comparative Study of the Majjhima-nikāya. Taipei: Dharma Drum, 2011.
  • No dedicated study of T41 specifically has been located.

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