Sān Mílè jīng shū 三彌勒經疏
Commentary on the Three Maitreya Sūtras by 憬興 Jǐngxīng (Gyeonghŭng, 撰)
About the work
The Sān Mílè jīng shū is a single-fascicle commentary by the Silla Korean scholar-monk 憬興 (fl. late 7th–early 8th century CE) that explicitly treats the three Maitreya sūtras (sān Mílè jīng 三彌勒經) as a canonical unit: T452 (Shàngshēng 上生, “ascent”), T454 (Mílè xiàshēng chéngfó jīng, “descent and Buddhahood”), and T456 (Mílè dà chéngfó jīng, “great Buddhahood”) — corresponding to KR6i0031, KR6i0033, and KR6i0035. The title Sān Mílè jīng shū directly mirrors this tripartite structure, confirming that the “three Maitreya sūtras” grouping (T452 + T454 + T456) was canonical in East Asian Buddhist scholarship. The commentary is organized with sections on the Shàngshēng sūtra first (頭 = 彌勒上生經料簡記), followed by treatment of the two descent sūtras.
Prefaces
No separate preface; the text is attributed at its end to 興撰 (composed by 憬興). The source text has numerous lacunae (damaged characters indicated by □□), suggesting transmission damage.
Abstract
憬興 (Korean: Gyeonghŭng) was a prolific Silla scholar in the generation after 元曉 Wŏnhyo, known primarily for commentaries on major Mahāyāna sūtras and the Yogācārabhūmiśāstra. His extant works in the Taishō and supplementary canons include commentaries on the Nirvāṇa Sūtra, the Lotus Sūtra, the Sukhāvatīvyūha, and the Golden Light Sūtra. The Sān Mílè jīng shū is his contribution to the Maitreya exegetical literature, and its explicit tripartite structure is an important witness to the canonical grouping of T452 + T454 + T456 as a unit in 7th–8th century East Asian Buddhist practice. The commentary employs Yogācāra doctrinal vocabulary while drawing on a range of Chinese and Korean sources; its partial lacunae limit its accessibility but do not obscure the main argument.
Translations and research
- Sponberg and Hardacre (eds.). Maitreya, the Future Buddha. CUP, 1988. — Lewis Lancaster’s chapter on Korean Maitreya devotion provides context.