Dàchéng Jiāyē shāndǐng jīng 大乘伽耶山頂經
Mahāyāna Sūtra of Mount Gayāśīrṣa translated by 菩提流志 Pútíliúzhì (Bodhiruci II, 譯)
About the work
The Dàchéng Jiāyē shāndǐng jīng (T467) is the fourth and most expansive Chinese translation of the Gayāśīrṣa-sūtra, produced by the Tang Indian translator Bodhiruci II 菩提流志 (菩提流志; ca. 572–727 CE; not to be confused with the Northern Wei Bodhiruci 菩提流支 of KR6i0066). The title’s prefix Dàchéng 大乘 (“Great Vehicle”) emphasizes the Mahāyāna provenance of the text.
Prefaces
The text opens with rúshì wǒwén. The colophon attributes translation to “大唐天竺三藏菩提流志” (Bodhiruci, Tripiṭaka master from India, of the Great Tang).
Abstract
Bodhiruci II (the Tang figure, originally named Dharmaruci) arrived at Cháng’ān around 693 CE under Empress Wǔ Zétiān and was active as a translator until his death in 727 CE. He is responsible for the massive Dà bǎojī jīng 大寶積經 (KR6h0009 = T310, the Mahāratnakūṭa-sūtra) compilation and many additional translations. This Mañjuśrī sūtra is a relatively minor entry in his corpus, though its title prefix Dàchéng indicates an editorial decision to emphasize Mahāyāna content.
The translation is the most literarily polished of the four Gayāśīrṣa versions and has been preferred in Tang and post-Tang exegesis as the textual basis. Comparative studies of the four versions (Kumārajīva’s KR6i0065, Bodhiruci I’s KR6i0066, Vinītaruci’s KR6i0067, and the present) show interesting evolution in the rendering of Madhyamaka terminology over three centuries of Chinese translation history.
The catalog meta gives the dynasty as 唐 without precise year; Bodhiruci II’s Cháng’ān translation activity is dated 693–727 CE, providing the bracket for this work.
Translations and research
- Forte, Antonino. Mingtang and Buddhist Utopias in the History of the Astronomical Clock. Roma: Istituto italiano per il Medio ed Estremo Oriente, 1988 — Bodhiruci II’s role in Wǔ Zétiān’s court.
- Forte, Antonino. A Jewel in Indra’s Net. Italian School of East Asian Studies, 2000 — Bodhiruci II’s biography.
- Tribe, Anthony. “Mañjuśrī: Origins, Role and Significance.” The Buddhist Forum II (1991): 1–25.