Bǎoshòu púsà pútí xíng jīng 寶授菩薩菩提行經
Sūtra of the Bodhisattva Treasure-Conferral’s Bodhisattva Practice translated by 法賢 Fǎxián / Dharmabhadra (譯)
About the work
The Bǎoshòu púsà pútí xíng jīng (T488) is a one-fascicle late Mahāyāna sūtra translated by 法賢 Fǎxián (the Sòng imperial-renamed 天息災 Tiānxīzāi, d. 1000 CE) at the Sòng Yìjīng yuàn 譯經院. The protagonist Bǎoshòu 寶授 (“Treasure-Conferral”; Sanskrit Ratnadatta) is the bodhisattva interlocutor.
Prefaces
The text opens with rúshì wǒwén. The colophon attributes the translation to Fǎxián of the Sòng.
Abstract
This is a brief Sòng-period Mahāyāna text on the bodhisattva’s practice (bodhicaryā). Fǎxián’s translation activity post-987 CE (after his name change) is dated 989–1000 CE. The text is structured as a dialogue between the bodhisattva Ratnadatta and the Buddha on the proper conduct of the bodhisattva path.
Translations and research
- Sen, Tansen. Buddhism, Diplomacy, and Trade. Honolulu, 2003.