Fó shuō ā shé shì wáng nǚ ā shù dá pútísà jīng 佛說阿闍貰王女阿術達菩薩經

The Sūtra Spoken by the Buddha on the Bodhisattva-Girl Aśokadattā, Daughter of King Ajātaśatru by 竺法護 (Zhú Fǎhù / Dharmarakṣa, 譯)

About the work

This 1-fascicle text by 竺法護 Zhú Fǎhù is the Aśokadattā-vyākaraṇa — the Mahāyāna sūtra featuring the bodhisattva-girl Āshùdá 阿術達 (Aśokadattā), daughter of King Ajātaśatru of Magadha. Like the Sumati sūtra and other female-protagonist Mahāyāna sūtras, it is an important source for early Mahāyāna doctrinal-literary engagement with female religious subjectivity.

Prefaces

No formal preface.

Abstract

The translation belongs to 竺法護 Zhú Fǎhù’s Cháng’ān period (266 – 313 CE).

The Taishō text (T0337) is established on the standard apparatus.

Translations and research

  • Paul, Diana Y. Women in Buddhism (1979) — substantial discussion.