Mílè xiàshēng jīng shùzàn 彌勒下生經述贊
Narrated Eulogy on the Maitreya Descent Sūtra Author unknown
About the work
The Mílè xiàshēng jīng shùzàn is the companion commentary to KR6i0041 (X21n0388), treating T453 (Fóshuō Mílè xiàshēng jīng = KR6i0032) in the shùzàn 述贊 format. The text opens with a reflective preface contrasting the choice between Pure Land rebirth (Amitābha) and Tuṣita heaven (Maitreya), concluding in favor of Tuṣita as the superior path for serious practitioners, then provides a commentary on T453 organized in three sections: (1) purpose of the teaching; (2) explication of the title; (3) textual commentary. The doctrinal categories and vocabulary parallel those of the Shàngshēng jīng shùzàn companion. The sole canon witness is 【大→麗】 (Korean canon).
Prefaces
The text opens with a brief comparative meditation on Pure Land vs. Tuṣita aspiration before proceeding to commentary.
Abstract
The anonymous Mílè xiàshēng jīng shùzàn is the descent-sūtra counterpart to the Shàngshēng jīng shùzàn (KR6i0041). Together they form a pair probably produced by the same anonymous author (possibly in the Táng or early post-Táng period) for a circle of Maitreya devotees who needed accessible commentary on both the ascent and descent aspects of the Maitreya cycle. The preface’s framing of the debate between Amitābha Pure Land and Tuṣita rebirth is significant: by the Táng, this was a major practical question for Buddhist devotees, especially within the Yogācāra tradition which maintained strong Maitreya affiliation (cf. 窺基 Kuījī’s aspiration to Tuṣita). The commentary prioritizes Tuṣita, suggesting a Maitreya-devotional rather than Pure Land Amitābha context for its composition.
Translations and research
No substantial secondary literature located.