Sānmàntuó báduóluó púsà jīng 三曼陀跋陀羅菩薩經
Sūtra of the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra translated by 聶道真 Niè Dàozhēn (譯)
About the work
The Sānmàntuó báduóluó púsà jīng (T483) is a one-fascicle sūtra on the bodhisattva Samantabhadra (Sānmàntuó báduóluó 三曼陀跋陀羅 — phonetic transliteration of the Sanskrit name). The translator, the Western Jìn lay scholar 聶道真 Niè Dàozhēn, is the same figure responsible for the Mañjuśrī parinirvāṇa sūtra KR6i0064 (T463). The text is one of the earliest Chinese sūtras dedicated to the Samantabhadra bodhisattva.
Prefaces
The text opens directly with the canonical jīngshǒu formula. The colophon attributes the translation to Niè Dàozhēn 聶道真.
Abstract
This early Chinese Samantabhadra sūtra preserves the bodhisattva’s foundational repentance and vow-making practices that became central to East Asian Mahāyāna devotion. It is a precursor to the celebrated Pǔxián púsà xíngyuàn pǐn 普賢菩薩行願品 (Samantabhadra’s Practice and Vow chapter) of the Avataṃsaka-sūtra. The text frames Samantabhadra’s bodhisattva career around five practices: (1) repentance of past misdeeds, (2) rejoicing in others’ good deeds (anumodanā), (3) requesting the dharma-wheel be turned, (4) imploring the buddhas to remain in the world, and (5) transferring merit to all beings.
Niè Dàozhēn’s translation career is dated to ca. 280–312 CE. The text is doctrinally important as one of the earliest sources for the East Asian Samantabhadra repentance liturgy that became foundational to Tiantai xíngfǎ practice.
Translations and research
- Hamar, Imre. Reflecting Mirrors: Perspectives on Huayan Buddhism. Otto Harrassowitz, 2007 — Samantabhadra cult.
- Stevenson, Daniel B. “Buddhist Practice and the Lotus Sūtra in China.” In Readings of the Lotus Sūtra — repentance liturgy.