Fóshuō fómíng jīng 佛說佛名經
Sūtra of Buddha-Names by 菩提流支 Pútíliúzhī (Bodhiruci, 譯)
About the work
The Fóshuō fómíng jīng (T14n0440) is a twelve-fascicle Buddha-name sūtra (fómíng jīng 佛名經) in which the Buddha systematically enumerates the names of vast numbers of Buddhas across the ten directions and three times, together with explanations of the merit accruing to those who hear, recite, and revere these names. The translator colophon reads: 三藏菩提流支在胡相國秦太上文宣公第譯 (“Translated by the Tripiṭaka master 菩提流支 at the residence of the Northern Qí Grand Mentor and State Tutor of Wén-xuān Gōng”). This situates the translation at the Northern Wèi court and is a key witness to the prominence of 菩提流支’s work under imperial patronage. It should be noted that there are two prominent translators named Bodhiruci: the early-6th-century Northern Wèi Bodhiruci (T14n0440’s translator) and a 7th-century Táng Bodhiruci (菩提流志). This text is the work of the Northern Wèi Bodhiruci (fl. 508–537 CE).
Prefaces
No separate preface survives. The body begins: 如是我聞，一時佛在舍婆提城祇樹給孤獨園… The colophon collocates the translation at a high official’s private residence, rather than an imperially-established translation office.
Abstract
The 12-fascicle Fómíng jīng (T14n0440) is one of the most important Northern Wèi contributions to the Chinese Buddha-name literature. 菩提流支 (fl. 508–537 CE) was a major Yogācāra translator who came to the Northern Wèi capital Luòyáng ca. 508 CE and worked there for nearly three decades. He is most famous for translating the Shídì jīng lùn 十地經論 (Daśabhūmika-sūtra-śāstra) and the Wúliàngshòu jīng yōupotíshě yuàn shēng jì 無量壽經優波提舍願生偈 (Vasubandhu’s Sukhāvatīvyūhopadeśa), which became foundational for the Dìlùn 地論 (Earth Treasury) school and significantly influenced Chinese Pure Land Buddhism.
In the present text, the twelve fascicles enumerate the names of thousands of Buddhas with their associated merits, organized by directions (east, south, west, north, four intercardinals, zenith and nadir). The text belongs to the same fómíng tradition as the 30-fascicle companion text T14n0441 (KR6i0017); the latter is an expanded and supplemented recension. Both texts were enormously popular as liturgical manuals for confession (chànhuǐ 懺悔) rituals involving the recitation of Buddha-names. Related also are the comprehensive lists in T14n0442–T14n0448 (KR6i0018–KR6i0027).
Translations and research
- Yoshimura Makoto 吉村誠. “Bodairusshi no yakukyō ni tsuite” 菩提流支の訳経について. Nanto bukkyō 南都仏教 91 (2008): 1–51. — Survey of 菩提流支’s Northern Wèi translation corpus.
Other points of interest
The 12-fascicle version (T14n0440) and the 30-fascicle version (T14n0441 = KR6i0017) share the same canonical title and are stored sequentially in the Taishō; their relationship requires further philological investigation. T14n0441 has no identified translator.