Bā fó mínghào jīng 八佛名號經
Sūtra of the Names and Titles of the Eight Buddhas by 闍那崛多 Shénàjuéduō (Jñānagupta, 譯)
About the work
The Bā fó mínghào jīng is the Suí-dynasty translation of the short “eight directional Buddhas” scripture, the last in the cluster T427–T431. The translator colophon reads: 隋天竺三藏闍那崛多譯 (“Translated by the Indian Tripiṭaka master 闍那崛多 of the Suí”). The text opens at Śrāvastī (舍衛國祇樹給孤獨園) and enumerates eight auspicious Buddhas in the eight directions, as in its parallel translations. The title mínghào 名號 (“names and titles/epithets”) emphasizes the complete honorific titles of each Buddha, a feature more elaborated in this Suí rendition than in the earlier versions.
Prefaces
No preface survives; the body begins directly: 如是我聞，一時佛在舍衛國祇樹給孤獨園… The Taishō notes this text at T14, pp. 76a–76b, cross-referenced with T427–T430.
Abstract
闍那崛多 (Jñānagupta; ca. 523–600 CE) was a Gāndhāran monk from Puruṣapura (Peshawar) who came to China in 561 CE, was active under the Northern Zhōu and Suí dynasties, and produced a large number of important translations. His Suí-period translation of this eight-Buddha text (T431) is the latest and most polished of the five parallel versions (T427–T431). His translations are known for their reliable textual basis and careful rendering; the Kāiyuán shìjiào lù 開元釋教錄 (T55.2154) records T431 among his authenticated works. The text’s close similarity to T427–T430 confirms that all five represent translations of the same Indic mūla (root text) or closely related recensions.
Translations and research
No substantial secondary literature located on this specific text.