Xīn shāndìng sìfēn sēngjièběn 新刪定四分僧戒本
The Newly Edited Sìfēn Saṅgha Prātimokṣa by 道宣 (Dàoxuān, 刪定)
About the work
A one-fascicle revised recension of the Sìfēn bhikṣu-prātimokṣa edited by Dàoxuān 道宣 (道宣) for the practical use of the Nánshān Vinaya school. 刪定 shān-dìng “edited and fixed” indicates the editorial method: Dàoxuān reviewed the existing transmission of the Dharmaguptaka prātimokṣa (KR6k0010, KR6k0011) and produced a new recension correcting transmissional errors and standardising the rule-formulations.
Prefaces
Author’s preface explains the editorial method: comparison of multiple manuscript witnesses, harmonisation with the parent Sìfēn lǜ, and standardisation of the rule-numbering.
Abstract
The Xīn shāndìng recension is a key witness to Dàoxuān’s project of constructing a standardised, authoritative prātimokṣa edition for the canonical Sìfēn Vinaya tradition in early-Tang China. The work supplemented the older Buddhayaśas-period prātimokṣa extracts (KR6k0010, KR6k0011) and provided the basis for Dàoxuān’s own Sìfēn lǜ bǐqiū hánzhù jièběn (KR6k0131) — the comprehensive prātimokṣa-with-commentary that became the universal Sìfēn recitation-text of East Asian Buddhism.
Translations and research
- Wáng Jiànguāng 王建光. Zhōngguó lǜ-zōng tōng-shǐ. Nanjing, 2008.
- Wèi Dào-rǔ 魏道儒. Zhōngguó fójiào lǜ-zōng. Beijing, 1995.