Fúyín jīng 伏婬經

Sūtra on the Subduing of Lust (parallel to Madhyama-āgama sūtra 126, the Xíngyù jīng 行欲經) by 法炬 (Fǎjù, 譯)

About the work

The Fúyín jīng is a single-fascicle Western Jìn 西晉 translation of a discourse on the ten kinds of person who pursue sense-pleasures, ranked by whether their pursuit is morally upright or corrupt and by the ends to which it is put. The Chinese parallel is T26[126] (the Xíngyù jīng 行欲經 of the Madhyama-āgama).

The text opens at the Jetavana monastery in Śrāvasti, with the Buddha addressing the monks. The body of the discourse is the systematic moral analysis of the householder’s life and its proper conduct.

Prefaces

The text bears no preface or postface. The only paratext is the Western-Jìn translator’s signature at the head: 「西晉沙門法炬譯」.

Abstract

T65 was produced during Fǎjù’s Western Jìn translation period (290–311 CE), recorded in the frontmatter. The Indic source is presumed lost. The text is one of the foundational early-Buddhist treatments of the moral life of the laity.

Translations and research

  • Anālayo, Bhikkhu. A Comparative Study of the Majjhima-nikāya, vol. 2. Taipei: Dharma Drum, 2011.