Fóshuō Ānán fēnbié jīng 佛說阿難分別經
Sūtra of Ānanda’s Discrimination translated by 法堅 Fǎjiān (譯)
About the work
The Fóshuō Ānán fēnbié jīng (T495) is a one-fascicle short sūtra translated by the Qǐfú-Qín 乞伏秦 (Western Qín) monk 法堅 Fǎjiān in the late fourth or early fifth century. The Western Qín was a small dynastic state in the Gānsù–Qīnghǎi region (385–431 CE) under the Qǐfú clan. Fǎjiān was active there as a translator.
Prefaces
The text opens directly with the canonical jīngshǒu formula. The colophon attributes the translation to “乞伏秦沙門釋法堅譯” (the śramaṇa Shì Fǎjiān of the Qǐfú-Qín).
Abstract
The text concerns Ānanda’s discrimination (分別 fēnbié; Sanskrit vibhāga) of various aspects of Buddhist practice and doctrine. Fǎjiān’s translations are otherwise rare; only a handful of short sūtras are attributed to him. The Western Qín period (385–431) provides the bracket; the Lìdài sānbǎo jì gives no precise year for this text. Most Western Qín translations are placed approximately 381–412 CE.
Translations and research
- No substantial secondary literature located.