Yōubālí wèn fó jīng 優波離問佛經
The Sūtra of Upāli’s Inquiry of the Buddha by 求那跋摩 (Guṇavarman, 譯)
About the work
A one-fascicle Q&A sūtra — Upāli 優波離 (the Buddha’s principal Vinaya disciple, Skt. Upāli) inquires of the Buddha about points of Vinaya practice — translated by Guṇavarman (求那跋摩) at Jiànkāng in 431 CE.
Prefaces
Translator’s colophon: 宋罽賓沙門求那跋摩譯.
Abstract
The Yōubālí wèn fó jīng belongs to the Vinaya-paripṛcchā genre — Q&A sūtras on points of monastic discipline, framed as Upāli’s catechetical inquiry. Such texts supplement the formal Vinaya by discussing ambiguous or borderline cases. The Indian original has not been preserved; the Chinese translation is the only witness. The text is procedurally important for its discussion of the adhikaraṇa-śamatha-procedures (the seven means of resolving disputes within the saṅgha).
Translations and research
- Hirakawa Akira 平川彰. Ritsuzō no kenkyū. Tokyo: Sankibō, 1960.