studies in agama literature - Marcus Bingenheimer

358 Pages·2011·2.23 MB·English

Studies in Āgama Literature
–
With Special Reference to the
Shorter Chinese
Saṃyuktāgama
Marcus Bingenheimer

Table of Contents
Dharma Drum Buddhist College Series i
Acknowledgments iii
1 Introduction 1
1.1 The Bieyi za ahan Project 2
1.2 Dating of the text 3
1.3 Structure of the text 7
1.4 Uddānas 15
2 Attribution 23
2.1 The case for attribution to the Kāśyapīya school 23
2.1.1 The seven rebirths of the Stream-enterer 25
2.1.2 The ten directions 28
2.1.3 Potuoli the brāhmaṇa 30
2.2 The case for attribution to the Dharmaguptaka and Mahīśāsaka schools 32
2.3 The case for attribution to (Mūla)sarvāstivādin literature 40
2.4 Textual History 45
3 Studies on and translation of the Bhikkhu Saṃyutta 51
3.1 On the translation of fengxing 奉行 51
3.1.1 The case for “to remember, to bear in mind” 53
3.1.2 Conclusion 56
3.2 The Texts 56
3.3 Translation 58
3.3.1 BZA 1 – Sujāta is praised 59
3.3.2 BZA 2 – The Ugly Monk 60
3.3.3 BZA 3 – Devadatta and Ajātasattu 62
3.3.4 BZA 4 – Monk ‘Elephant-head’ 64
3.3.5 BZA 5 – Nanda 1 - Nanda is reproached 65
3.3.6 BZA 6 – Nanda 2 - Nanda is praised 67
3.3.7 BZA 7 – Tissa is reproached 70
3.3.8 BZA 8 – Visākha preaches well 71
3.3.9 BZA 9 – A young monk does his work 74
3.3.10 BZA 10 – Thera lives alone 75
3.3.11 BZA 11 – Saṅgāmaji and his former wife 76
3.3.12 BZA 12 – Ānanda and the three kinds of scent 78
3.3.13 BZA 13 – Uruvela Kassapa performs miracles 80
3.3.14 BZA 14 – Mettiya and Mettiyā slander Dabba 83
3.3.15 BZA 15 – Dabba enters Nirvāṇa 86
3.3.16 BZA 16 – The conversion of Aṅgulimāla 87
3.3.17 BZA 17 – A deva tempts a monk and is granted an interview with the
Buddha 92
3.3.18 BZA 18 – The parable of the smoking burrow 95
3.3.19 BZA 19 – The Buddha sees a distracted monk 1 99
3.3.20 BZA 20 – The Buddha sees a distracted monk 2 – The simile of the flies
100
3.3.21 BZA 21 – A forest spirit admonishes a monk – The simile of the ulcer
102
3.3.22 BZA 22 – A monk makes an untimely visit to a village – Parable of the
elephant and the lotus roots 103
4 Studies on and translation of the Māra Saṃyutta 107
4.1 The texts 107
4.2 The figure of Māra 113
4.3 Notes on the Godhika Sutta (BZA 30) 116
4.3.1 Elements of the Godhika Sutta in different versions 117
4.4 The harp 123
4.5 Names of desire – Māra’s Daughters 124
4.6 Translation 127
4.6.1 BZA 33 – Māra disturbs a teaching on impermanence 127
4.6.2 BZA 24 – Māra says life is eternal 129
4.6.3 BZA 25 – Māra disturbs the Buddha in meditation 130
4.6.4 BZA 26 – Māra disturbs the Buddha’s rest 131
4.6.5 BZA 27 – Māra throws a boulder 133
4.6.6 BZA 28 – Māra transforms himself into a snake to frighten the Buddha
134
4.6.7 BZA 29 – Māra disturbs the Buddha’s rest 136
4.6.8 BZA 30 – Māra plays the Vīṇā - Godhika 137
4.6.9 BZA 31 – The daughters of Māra 142
4.6.10 BZA 32 – Māra changes into beautiful and ugly people 149
5 Studies on and translation of the Bhikkhunī Saṃyutta 151
5.1 The neglected Saṃyutta 151
5.2 The Nuns’ Names 153
5.3 Translation 161
5.3.1 BZA 214 – Āḷavikā 162
5.3.2 BZA 215 – Somā 164
5.3.3 BZA 216 – Kisāgotamī 166
5.3.4 BZA 217 – Uppalavaṇṇā 167
5.3.5 BZA 218 – Selā 170
5.3.6 BZA 219 – Vīrā 171
5.3.7 BZA 220 – Vijayā 173
5.3.8 BZA 221 – Cālā 175
5.3.9 BZA 222 – Upacālā 177
5.3.10 BZA 223 – Sīsupacālā 179
6 Studies on and translation of the Sakka Saṃyutta 183
6.1 The content of the Sakka Saṃyutta 184
6.2 The Names of Sakka 188
6.3 Translation 197
6.3.1 BZA 33 – Seven Practices 197
6.3.2 BZA 34 – Mahāli doubts 198
6.3.3 BZA 35 – The Names of Sakka 200
6.3.4 BZA 36 – A Yakkha on Sakka’s Throne 202
6.3.5 BZA 37 – Two monks argue. The Buddha reminds them of how Sakka
deals with anger 204
6.3.6 BZA 38 – Sakka debates with Vepacitti 207
6.3.7 BZA 39 – Sakka is patient in the face of insult 209
6.3.8 BZA 40 – Sakka pays obeisance to the Buddha 1 (Buddha) 213
6.3.9 BZA 41 – Sakka pays obeisance to the Buddha 2 (Dhamma) 214
6.3.10 BZA 42 – Sakka pays obeisance to the Buddha 3 (Saṅgha) 216
6.3.11 BZA 43 – Suvīra 218
6.3.12 BZA 44 – Sakka and Vepacitti meet a group of Sages 221
6.3.13 BZA 45 – Sakka visits by night 224
6.3.14 BZA 46 – The four guardian kings 226
6.3.15 BZA 47 – Vepacitti is ill 228
6.3.16 BZA 48 – Vepacitti is forced to make an oath 230
6.3.17 BZA 49 – Nestlings 232
6.3.18 BZA 50 – Sakka and Verocana 234
6.3.19 BZA 51 – A pauper is reborn in Tāvatiṃsa 235
6.3.20 BZA 52 – Non-Buddhist teachers 237
Appendix 1: Comparative catalog 245
Appendix 2: Simple quantitative comparisons of the ZA and the
BZA 303
Abbreviations 309
Bibliography 313
Indexes 333
Person and Place Names 333
Terms 338
Texts 343
DHARMA DRUM BUDDHIST COLLEGE SERIES
In 1994, Master Sheng Yen (1931–2009), the founder of Dharma
Drum Buddhist College, began publishing the “Series of the
Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies”. The purposes of
publishing this series were: to provide a venue for academic
research in Buddhist Studies supported by scholarships from the
Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies; to encourage top-
quality Buddhist research; and to cultivate an interest in
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Moreover, by encouraging cooperation with international
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of the academic study of Buddhism.
In keeping with Master Sheng Yen’s vision, in order to promote
different aspects of exchange in academic research, we at
Dharma Drum Buddhist College have begun to publish three
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• Dharma Drum Buddhist College Research Series (DDBC-RS)
• Dharma Drum Buddhist College Translation Series (DDBC-TS)
• Dharma Drum Buddhist College Special Series (DDBC-SS)
The Research Series (DDBC-RS) is primarily intended as a venue
for academic research in the field of Buddhist Studies in general
and of Chinese Buddhism in particular. The Translation Series
(DDBC-TS) will present English renditions of Chinese canonical
works as well as other important works, or else Chinese
ii • Studies in Āgama Literature
translations of academic publications on Buddhism that have
appeared in European languages or Japanese etc. The Special
Series (DDBC-SS) will accommodate works on other topics and
which require special publication formats.
Among our future goals is the extensive development of
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interactive and hyper-connective environment of the Web 2.0
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Huimin Bhikshu, President
Dharma Drum Buddhist College
July 26, 2010
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Work on this book has proceeded on and off since 2005. During
that time I have enjoyed the support of generous institutions
and received a lot of help and constructive criticism from my
friends. I am glad to have an opportunity to express my
gratitude.
As is explained in greater detail in the introduction, this book is
one result of a larger project that started with a three year grant
that I received from the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for
International Scholarly Exchange in the years 2005-2008. In this
regard I have to thank John Kieschnick, who encouraged me to
stay on course in the difficult period between degree and job.
Most of the material presented here has been published before
in articles in the Buddhist Studies Review. I am extremely grateful
to Peter Harvey, who has been an extremely helpful editor, and
went patiently and meticulously through all drafts. Equinox
Publishing deserves credit for a liberal publication policy that
allows me not only to republish the articles in the present form,
but also to include the translation parts in the online database
that was another component of the project.
During the time of the project several people helped with
establishing the digital text in Chinese, Pāli, Sanskrit, Tibetan
and English, as well as with the programming. Jung Hsi-chin was
the main research assistant and patiently handled the project
and me when deadlines loomed. She was responsible for