Sìfēn lǜ bǐqiū hánzhù jièběn 四分律比丘含注戒本
The Bhikṣu Prātimokṣa with Embedded Annotations by 道宣 (Dàoxuān, 述)
About the work
A three-fascicle bhikṣu-prātimokṣa with embedded interlinear annotations by Dàoxuān 道宣 (道宣). 含注 hánzhù “embedded annotations” indicates the format — the parent prātimokṣa text is presented in full with explanatory notes inserted directly within the rule-text rather than as separate commentary.
Prefaces
Author’s preface explains the editorial method and the pedagogical purpose: to provide the prātimokṣa text in a form that teaches itself through embedded gloss.
Abstract
The Hánzhù jièběn is the third of the Three Great Works of the Nánshān school (along with KR6k0046 Suíjī jiémó and KR6k0128 Xíngshì chāo). After the imperial canonisation of the Sìfēn lǜ in 709 CE, this work became the universal Sìfēn prātimokṣa recitation-text with commentary for monastic instruction throughout East Asian Buddhism. Its embedded-gloss format proved especially effective for teaching new monks the practical meaning and application of each rule — making it the standard pedagogical text for the Sìfēn tradition.
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.