Fóshuō Mílè xiàshēng chéngfó jīng 佛說彌勒下生成佛經
Sūtra Spoken by the Buddha on the Descent and Attainment of Buddhahood of Maitreya (Yìjìng translation) by 義淨 Yìjìng (譯)
About the work
The Mílè xiàshēng chéngfó jīng (T455) is the Táng-dynasty rendering of the same Maitreyavyākaraṇa that underlies T453 (KR6i0032) and T454 (KR6i0033). It represents the third and final Chinese translation of this text, produced by 義淨 (635–713 CE). He worked at the Fóguāng nèi-sì 佛光內寺 in Luòyáng during 703 CE (Shénlóng 神龍 3), where he also produced his translation of the seven-Medicine-Buddha sūtra (KR6i0049). He was one of the most important Táng translators, famous for his journey to India and Southeast Asia (671–695) and for his translations of Vinaya texts and Āgamas.
Prefaces
No preface; the translator heading gives the date and location implicitly through his standard colophon.
Abstract
義淨’s T455 is generally considered a more precise rendering of the Maitreyavyākaraṇa than either T453 or T454, reflecting his careful philological training at Nālandā and his skill in producing accurate Chinese from Sanskrit originals. The Taishō groups T455 with T453 and T454 as parallel translations. In the broader Maitreya devotional tradition of East Asia, T454 (the “鳩摩羅什” version) remained dominant for liturgical use; T455 served primarily as a scholarly and philological reference. His personal Maitreya devotion is attested in his vow to be reborn in Tuṣita, reflecting the Yogācāra-Maitreya connection: Yogācāra (Wéishí 唯識) tradition claimed Maitreya as Asaṅga’s teacher in the Tuṣita Inner Court.
Translations and research
- Sponberg and Hardacre (eds.). Maitreya, the Future Buddha. CUP, 1988.
- Legittimo, Elsa I. “Reopening the Maitreya-files.” JIABS 31/1–2 (2008 [2010]).