Sutra of Forty-two Chapters
Encyclopedia
The Sutra of Forty-two Chapters (also called the Sutra of Forty-two Sections, Chinese: 四十二章經) is the earliest surviving Buddhist
sutra
translated into Chinese
. It was translated by two ordained Yuezhi
monks, Kasyapa-Matanga (迦葉摩騰) and Dharmaraksha
(also called Gobharana, 竺法蘭), in 67 CE. Because of its early date, it is regarded as "the First Sutra" or first formula, and is accorded a very significant status. But maybe it is only a Chinese Buddhist text, disguised as Indian and souped-up by Zen master
s.
history, Emperor Ming of Han
was said to have dreamed of a "golden man," which his advisors connected with the Buddha
. Because of his dream and a thousand-year-old prediction from the Book of Zhou
, the emperor ordered a delegation to go west looking for the Buddha's teachings, which encountered Kasyapa-Matanga and Dharmaraksha in ancient Bharatam India
, who they brought back to China as well as many sutras and relics from the Buddha, reportedly on the back of a white horse. When they reached the Chinese capital of Luoyang
, the emperor had the White Horse Temple
built for them.
They translated six texts, the Sutra of Dharmic-Sea Repertory (法海藏經), Sutra of the Buddha's Deeds in His Reincarnations (佛本行經), Sutra of Terminating Knots in the Ten Holy Terras (十地斷結經), Sutra of the Buddha's Reincarnated Manifestations (佛本生經), Compilation of the Divergent Versions of the Two Hundred and Sixty Precepts (二百六十戒合異), and the Sutra of Forty-two Chapters. Only the last one has survived.
s), composed largely of quotations from the Buddha. Most chapters begin "The Buddha said..." (佛言...), but several provide the context of a situation or a question asked of the Buddha.
It is unclear whether the sutra existed in Sanskrit
in this form, or was a compilation of a series of passages extracted from other canonical works in the manner of the Analects of Confucius
. This latter hypothesis also explains the similarity of the repeated "The Buddha said..." and "The Master said," familiar from Confucian texts, and may have been the most natural inclination of the Buddhist translators in the Confucian environment, and more likely to be accepted than a lengthy treatise. Among those who consider it based on a corresponding Sanskrit work, it is in style considered to be older than other Mahayana Sutras
, because of its simplicity of style and naturalness of method.
The similarity of the Buddha described in the text with the Eight Immortals
of Chinese legend, in terms of longevity and supernatural abilities, is perhaps to make the religion more familiar to Taoists
.
, the Sutra of Forty-two Chapters is the key to the Manchu's treasures. The Shunzhi Emperor
, who is unwilling to let out the secret, spread rumours about it being the source of life of the invading Manchus. The novel's main protagonist, Wei Xiaobao
, manages to get hold of all the eight books at the end of the novel.
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
sutra
Sutra
Sūtra is an aphorism or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. Literally it means a thread or line that holds things together and is derived from the verbal root siv-, meaning to sew , as does the medical term...
translated into Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
. It was translated by two ordained Yuezhi
Yuezhi
The Yuezhi, or Rouzhi , also known as the Da Yuezhi or Da Rouzhi , were an ancient Central Asian people....
monks, Kasyapa-Matanga (迦葉摩騰) and Dharmaraksha
Dharmaraksa
' was one a translators of Mahayana Buddhist scriptures into Chinese. Scriptural catalogues describe him as of Yuezhi origin. His family lived at Dunhuang, where he was born around 230 CE...
(also called Gobharana, 竺法蘭), in 67 CE. Because of its early date, it is regarded as "the First Sutra" or first formula, and is accorded a very significant status. But maybe it is only a Chinese Buddhist text, disguised as Indian and souped-up by Zen master
Zen master
Zen master is an umbrella title sometimes used to refer to an individual who has been recognized by an authorized Zen lineage holder and teacher as having met his or her own teacher's standards of realization or insight. These standards vary widely in different traditions, and may vary among...
s.
Story of translation
In the Book of Later HanBook of Later Han
The Book of the Later Han or the History of the Later Han is one of the official Chinese historical works which was compiled by Fan Ye in the 5th century, using a number of earlier histories and documents as sources...
history, Emperor Ming of Han
Emperor Ming of Han
Emperor Ming of Han, , was second emperor of the Chinese Eastern Han Dynasty.He was the second son of Emperor Guangwu. It was during Emperor Ming's reign that Buddhism began to spread into China. One night, he is said to have dreamed of a golden man or golden men...
was said to have dreamed of a "golden man," which his advisors connected with the Buddha
Gautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
. Because of his dream and a thousand-year-old prediction from the Book of Zhou
Book of Zhou
The Book of Zhou was the official history of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Zhou, and it ranks among the official Twenty-Four Histories of imperial China. It was compiled by the Tang Dynasty historian Linghu Defen and was completed in 636...
, the emperor ordered a delegation to go west looking for the Buddha's teachings, which encountered Kasyapa-Matanga and Dharmaraksha in ancient Bharatam India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, who they brought back to China as well as many sutras and relics from the Buddha, reportedly on the back of a white horse. When they reached the Chinese capital of Luoyang
Luoyang
Luoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast.Situated on the central plain of...
, the emperor had the White Horse Temple
White Horse Temple
White Horse Temple is, according to tradition, the first Buddhist temple in China, established in 68 AD under the patronage of Emperor Ming in the Eastern Han capital Luoyang. Today the site is located just outside the walls of the ancient Eastern Han capital, some east of Luoyang in Henan...
built for them.
They translated six texts, the Sutra of Dharmic-Sea Repertory (法海藏經), Sutra of the Buddha's Deeds in His Reincarnations (佛本行經), Sutra of Terminating Knots in the Ten Holy Terras (十地斷結經), Sutra of the Buddha's Reincarnated Manifestations (佛本生經), Compilation of the Divergent Versions of the Two Hundred and Sixty Precepts (二百六十戒合異), and the Sutra of Forty-two Chapters. Only the last one has survived.
Structure and comparison with other works
The Sutra of Forty-two Chapters consists of a brief prologue and 42 short chapters (mostly under 100 Chinese characterChinese character
Chinese characters are logograms used in the writing of Chinese and Japanese , less frequently Korean , formerly Vietnamese , or other languages...
s), composed largely of quotations from the Buddha. Most chapters begin "The Buddha said..." (佛言...), but several provide the context of a situation or a question asked of the Buddha.
It is unclear whether the sutra existed in Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
in this form, or was a compilation of a series of passages extracted from other canonical works in the manner of the Analects of Confucius
Confucius
Confucius , literally "Master Kong", was a Chinese thinker and social philosopher of the Spring and Autumn Period....
. This latter hypothesis also explains the similarity of the repeated "The Buddha said..." and "The Master said," familiar from Confucian texts, and may have been the most natural inclination of the Buddhist translators in the Confucian environment, and more likely to be accepted than a lengthy treatise. Among those who consider it based on a corresponding Sanskrit work, it is in style considered to be older than other Mahayana Sutras
Mahayana sutras
Mahāyāna sutras are a broad genre of Buddhist scriptures that are accepted as canonical by the various traditions of Mahāyāna Buddhism. These are largely preserved in the Chinese Buddhist canon, the Tibetan Buddhist canon, and in extant Sanskrit manuscripts...
, because of its simplicity of style and naturalness of method.
The similarity of the Buddha described in the text with the Eight Immortals
Eight Immortals
The Eight Immortals are a group of legendary xian in Chinese mythology. Each Immortal's power can be transferred to a power tool that can give life or destroy evil. Together, these eight tools are called "Covert Eight Immortals" . Most of them are said to have been born in the Tang Dynasty or...
of Chinese legend, in terms of longevity and supernatural abilities, is perhaps to make the religion more familiar to Taoists
Taoism
Taoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists...
.
Popular Fiction
In Jin Yong's The Deer and the CauldronThe Deer and the Cauldron
The Deer and the Cauldron, also known as The Duke of Mount Deer, is a novel by Jin Yong, and was the last of Jin Yong's works. The novel was initially published as a serial, and ran between October 24, 1969 to September 23, 1972 in Ming Pao.Although the book is often termed as a wuxia novel, it is...
, the Sutra of Forty-two Chapters is the key to the Manchu's treasures. The Shunzhi Emperor
Shunzhi Emperor
The Shunzhi Emperor was the third emperor of the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, and the first Qing emperor to rule over China, which he did from 1644 to 1661. "Shunzhi" was the name of his reign period...
, who is unwilling to let out the secret, spread rumours about it being the source of life of the invading Manchus. The novel's main protagonist, Wei Xiaobao
Wei Xiaobao
Wei Xiaobao is the fictional protagonist of Jin Yong's wuxia novel The Deer and the Cauldron . He is a witty, sly and illiterate teenager, born to a prostitute from a brothel in Yangzhou during the Qing Dynasty. He bumbles his way into the Forbidden City and has a fateful encounter with the young...
, manages to get hold of all the eight books at the end of the novel.
Source text
English
- D.T. Suzuki
- John Blofeld
- The BTTS with commentaries by Ven. Master Hsuan Hua
- Kasyapa Matanga and Gobharana
- Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society
- Chung Tai Translation Committee
German
- Karl Bernhard Seidenstücker (based on D.T. Suzuki's translation)
- Die 42 Analekta des Buddha; in: Zeitschrift für Buddhismus (Schriftleitung: Dr.Wolfgang Bohn), Jg. 1 (1913/14), pp. 11-22; München: Schloß-Verlag, 1928 (revised edition)