Zhòngshìfēn Āpítán Lùn 眾事分阿毘曇論
Bahudhātuka-abhidharma-vibhāṣā: Abhidharma Commentary on the Various Matters by 世友 (造), 求那跋陀羅 (譯), 菩提耶舍 (譯)
About the work
The Zhòngshìfēn Āpítán Lùn 眾事分阿毘曇論 (CBETA T26n1541) is a Liu Song dynasty Chinese translation of a Sarvāstivāda Abhidharma text attributed to Vasumitra 尊者世友 (世友), 12 juan. It was jointly translated by Guṇabhadra 求那跋陀羅 (求那跋陀羅, c. 394–468) and Bodhiyaśas 菩提耶舍 (菩提耶舍) during the Liu Song dynasty (420–479 CE). The text covers major Abhidharma topics including the five aggregates, the twelve sense-bases, dependent origination, and the path to liberation — essentially a systematic Abhidharma manual.
Prefaces
No independent preface survives in the received text.
Abstract
The Zhòngshìfēn Āpítán lùn is a Chinese rendering of an Indian Abhidharma text whose Sanskrit title is uncertain. It is sometimes identified with the Prakaraṇa-pāda (KR6l0007, also attributed to Vasumitra) or with an early version of that text, but the content and structure differ sufficiently that they are treated as separate works in both the Taisho and in modern scholarship. Unlike the precise Xuánzàng translation of the Prakaraṇa-pāda, this earlier version by Guṇabhadra and Bodhiyaśas is somewhat freer and shorter.
The translator Guṇabhadra 求那跋陀羅 (394–468 CE) was one of the most prolific and influential translators of the Liu Song period, active at the Qí-huán-sì 祇洹寺 in Jiànkāng. He is best known for his translation of the Lèngqié ábáduōluó bǎo jīng 楞伽阿跋多羅寶經 (KR6i0327, T16n0670, Laṅkāvatāra-sūtra) and the Zá ā-hán jīng 雜阿含經 (KR6a0099, T02n0099, Saṃyuktāgama). Bodhiyaśas 菩提耶舍 is a less well-documented figure who collaborated on several Liu Song translations.
Translations and research
- Willemen, Dessein, and Cox. Sarvāstivāda Buddhist Scholasticism. Leiden: Brill, 1998.
- No substantial secondary literature on this specific translation located.
Links
- CBETA Online
- Taisho Vol. 26, No. 1541
- Kanseki DB