Fóshuō Císhì púsà shìyuàn tuóluóní jīng 佛說慈氏菩薩誓願陀羅尼經
Sūtra of the Vow-Dhāraṇī of the Bodhisattva Maitreya Spoken by the Buddha by 法賢 (Fǎxián, 譯)
About the work
A one-fascicle Sòng dhāraṇī sūtra translated by Făxián (法賢, d. 1001). Colophon: 西天譯經三藏朝散大夫試光祿卿明教大師臣法賢奉詔譯. The text gives the dhāraṇī a brief sūtra-frame, distinguishing it from the bare-formula KR6j0359 (T1142). The Taishō uses the Korean-canon (高麗臧) base text per CANWWW.
Abstract
The Buddha addresses Maitreya (慈氏菩薩) and announces a dhāraṇī of great spiritual power and supreme merit, capable of liberating beings from evil destinies (惡趣) and enabling them to receive marvellous bliss in the next life (轉身當得受勝妙樂). At Maitreya’s request the Buddha then expounds the formula: it opens with namo bhagavate Śākyamunaye tathāgatāya arhate samyak-saṃbuddhāya tadyathā ajite ajitañjaye bhara bhara maitreya-avalokite kara kara mahā-samaya-siddhe… — combining homage to Śākyamuni with invocation of Maitreya and his future-Buddhahood vow (誓願). The dhāraṇī thus serves the dual function of present-life protection and rebirth-merit transfer, the latter aligning with the soteriological core of the Maitreya-cult: rebirth at Maitreya’s Tuṣita assembly to await his future descent. The text belongs with KR6j0359 in the Northern-Sòng output of short Maitreya dhāraṇī productions at the Imperial Translation Bureau.
Translations and research
- Sen, Tansen. Buddhism, Diplomacy, and Trade. Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press, 2003.
- No dedicated Western-language study located.
Links
- CBETA T20n1143
- Kanseki DB
- 法賢 DILA
- Dazangthings date evidence (1001) — T = CBETA [Chinese Buddhist Electronic Text Association]. Taishō shinshū daizōkyō 大正新脩大藏經. Edited by Takakusu Junjirō 高楠順次郎 and Watanabe Kaigyoku 渡邊海旭. Tokyo: Taishō shinshū daizōkyō kankōkai/Daizō shuppan, 1924-1932. CBReader v 5.0, 2014.