Fóshuō jiànwáng jīng 佛說諫王經
Sūtra of Admonishing the King translated by 沮渠京聲 Jǔqú Jīngshēng (譯)
About the work
The Fóshuō jiànwáng jīng (T514) is a one-fascicle short sūtra by 沮渠京聲 Jǔqú Jīngshēng. The text contains the Buddha’s jiàn (admonition) to a king on the proper conduct of royal authority — a kind of Buddhist mirror-of-princes literature.
Prefaces
The text opens with the canonical formula.
Abstract
A short avadāna-style narrative on royal ethics, paralleling the South Asian rājadharma tradition. The text was particularly influential in medieval East Asian discussions of the proper relationship between Buddhist Saṅgha and the secular king. Translation dated to Jǔqú Jīngshēng’s productive period (455–464 CE).
Translations and research
- Zimmermann, Michael. Buddhism and the Conception of Buddhist Kingship. Tokyo: Soka University, 2006.