A comparative study of the 'Pancavimsatisahasrika Prajnaparamita'
Shogo Watanabe
The Journal of the American Oriental Society
Vol.114 No.3 (July-Sep 1994)
pp.386-396
COPYRIGHT American Oriental Society 1994
It is a well-known fact that manuscripts of the
Pancavimsatisahasrika Prajnaparamita (PV) exist in both a revised
and unrevised form. The former are those of the revised text that
has been divided on the basis of Maitreya's Abhisamayalamkara (AA)
and Haribhadra's Abhisamayalamkaraloka (AAA),(1) while the latter
correspond to the original text of the PV, which is no longer extant
in its complete form. Our manuscript from Central Asia is of the
unrevised text of the PV.
The purpose of the following comparative study of the revised and
unrevised PV is to elucidate the manner in which the original PV
underwent changes - that is to say, the policies adopted and process
undergone in revising the text. Furthermore, by examining this
manuscript and clarifying its relation to other texts, we shall be
able to ascertain an aspect of the style of the original PV that has
been regarded as lost.
It is common knowledge that the PV is quoted in Indian
Buddhist texts, as well as in their Tibetan translations, simply as
the [Maha-]prajnaparamita.(2) In addition, we do not find quotations
deriving from the Astadasasahasrika (AD) and PV in the same text,
and it is not in fact possible to distinguish clearly manuscripts of
the unrevised PV from those of the AD. We may conclude from these
facts that the PV did not develop from the AD, and that both the AD
and PV are variant texts deriving from the same source. We could,
therefore, assume the existence of an Urtext of both the AD and the
PV.
First, in order to facilitate our comparative study of the Sanskrit,
Tibetan and Chinese versions, we shall list all the texts of the
"AD-PV line,"(3) which represent variants deriving from the same
source, and indicate the page or folio numbers and lines relevant to
our Central Asian fragment.
1) AD: Astadasasahasrika Prajnaparamita, chapters 70 to 82,
corresponding to the 6th, 7th and 8th Abhisamayas. Ed. E. Conze,
Serie Orientale Roma 46 (Roma: IsMEO, 1974), p. 5, 1. 33-p. 8, 1.
22.
2) PV: Aryapancavimsatisahasrikayam Bhagavatyam Prajnaparamitayam
Abhisamayalamkara-nusarena samsodhitayam,
Anupurvabhisamaya-dhikara.h. Ed. Sh. Watanabe, Toyo Daigaku
Diagakuin Kiyo, no. 25 (Tokyo, 1989), p. 167, 1. 1-p. 172, 1. 21.
3) Ta: 'Phags pa shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa khri brgyad stong
pa. Tibetan Tripitaka (Peking Edition), vol. 20, no. 732, ch. 70;
Phi ff. 50a8-53b1.
4) Tk: Shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa stong nyi su lnga pa. Ibid.,
vol. 19, no. 731, ch. 59; Di ff. 75b3-80a8.
5) Tt: Shes rab kyi pha rol tu phyin pa stong nyi su lnga pa. Ibid.,
vol. 89, no. 5188, ch. 63; Ca ff. 224a5-229a3.
6) T220(2): Ta pan-jo po-lo-mi-to ching. Taisho Shinshu Daizokyo,
vol. 7, no. 220-2, ch. 73; pp. 35665-358b15.
7) T220(3): Ta pan-jo po-lo-mi-to ching. Ibid., vol. 7, no. 220-3,
ch. 28; pp. 710624-712a13.
8) T221: Fang-kuang pan-jo ching. Ibid., vol. 8, no. 221, ch. 76; p.
121a11-c2.
9) T222: Kuang-tsan ching. Ibid., vol. 8, no. 222; omits this
chapter.
10) T223: Mo-ho pan-jo po-lo-mi ching. Ibid., vol. 8, no. 223, chs.
75-76; pp. 385c5-386b6.
Eight of the texts in the above list have affiliations with the
unrevised PV, namely, the Sanskrit text of the AD (no. 1), the two
Tibetan versions Ta and Tk (nos. 3 and 4), and the five Chinese
versions (nos. 6-10). The remaining two texts - namely, the Sanskrit
text of the PV (no. 2) and the Tibetan Tt found in the Tanjur (no.
5) - are of the same type as the revised PV.
Our fragment corresponds to part of chapter six of the revised PV.
We shall, accordingly, first survey the structure of this chapter on
the basis of the classification added in the revised PV itself and
deriving from the AA and AAA.
Chapter Six: Anupurvabhisamaya (Gradual Intuition)
O. samanyenanupurvabhisamaya (Gradual Intuition in General)
The Six Perfections
1. danaparamita (The Perfection of Giving)
2. silaparamita (The Perfection of Morality)
3. ksantiparamita (The Recollection of Patience)
4. viryaparamita (The Perfection of Energy)
5. dhyanaparamita (The Perfection of Meditation)
6. prajnaparamita (The Perfection of Wisdom)
The Six Recollections
7. buddhanusmrti (The Recollection of the Buddha)
8. dharmanusmrti (The Recollection of the Dharma)
9. sanghanusmrti (The Recollection of the Samgha)
10. silanusmrti (The Recollection of Morality)
11. tyaganusmrti (The Recollection of Renunciation)
12. devatanusmrti (The Recollection of Deities)
13. sarvadharmabhavasvabhava (The Nonexistence of Own-being in
Dharmas)
This chapter may be said to first explain the nonexistence of all
beings, after which it goes on to describe the six perfections, the
recollections (anusmrti), and progressive understanding by means of
the knowledge that all beings have nonexistence as their own-being.
Our manuscript corresponds to the latter half of the chapter, from
section 7, buddhanusmrti to section 13, sarvadharmabhavasvabhava.(4)
An examination of this part of the revised Sanskrit text and the
manuscript of the original PV, etc., enables us to point out the
following techniques employed in revising the text.
1) The insertion of a set interrogative phrase calling for a reason
- i.e., tat kasya hetoh (and why?) - and the addition of explanatory
sentences before and/or after this phrase.
2) The expansion of the list of dharmas.
3) Additions and omissions. We find the addition of divisional
indicators, based on the AA and AAA, only in the text of the revised
PV; revisions of the PV may have occurred when it was recast in
order that it might accord with the divisions of the AA.(5)
4) Formal adjustments to set phrases relating to the categorized
dharmas.
We may, accordingly, cite the following passages as exemplifying the
above techniques used in revising the text.
1.1 The set phrase on nonexistence (abhava)
tha hi tesa dharmanam svabhavo nasti yasya svabhavo nasti so abhavo
*asmrti ama- (PV MS, recto 1. 8)
[ta]tha hi team dharmanam svabhavo nasti yasya sva-bhavo nasti. sah
abhavah.* a[bhava]smrty ama[- nasikaro hi dharmanusmrti.] (AD, p. 6,
11. 18-20)
[ta]tha hi tesam dharmanam svabhavo nasti yesam sva-bhavo nasti te
'bhavah / tat kasya hetor asmrtir ama[- nasikara dharmanusmrtih/]
(PV, p. 12, 11. 16-17)
'di ltar chos de dag la ngo bo nyid med de / gang la ngo bo nyid med
pa de ni dngos po reed pa'i phyir ro //* [de bas na chos rjes su
dran pa ni] dran par bya ba ma yin shing yid la bya ba ma yin no /
(Ta, Phi 51a3)
de ni 'di ltar chos de dag la ngo bo nyid med do / gang la ngo bo
nyid med pa de ni dngos po med pa'o / dngos po med pas ni dngos po
med pa dran par mi nus te [ de ci'i phyir zhe ha/de ni 'di ltar dran
pa med cing yid la bya ba reed pa [ni chos rjes su dran pa'o] (Tk,
Di 76b1-2)
de ni 'di ltar chos de nag la ngo bo nyid med do / gang la ngo bo
nyid med pa de ni dngos po med pa'o / dngos po med pas ni dngos po
med pa dran par mi nus te / de ci'i phyir zhe na / de ni 'di ltar
dran pa reed cing rjes su dran pa reed pa [ni chos rjes su dran
pa'o] (Tt, Ca 225a4-5)
In reply to Subhuti's question on how the bodhisattva-mahasattva
should develop the "recollection of dharmas (dharmanusmrti),"
Sakyamuni expounds the concept of the non-own-beingness of dharmas
from the standpoint of the recollection of dharmas. This is a
passage typical of the PV line of texts.(6)
In both the AD and the PV MS the exposition consists of three
stages: [1] [Because] these dharmas have no own-being. [2] What has
no own-being is nonexistent. [3) Because the recollection of dharmas
is a nonrecollection [and nonattention]. In neither case is there,
however, the phrase tat kasya hetoh, asking the reason for the
nonexistence (abhava) of that which is without own-being. The
Tibetan Ta is identical to the AD and PV MS except for the addition
of the word "therefore (de bas na)" (= tasmat) between [2] and [3].
By way of contrast, the revised PV contains the set phrase tat kasya
hetoh, while the two Tibetan versions Tk and Tt insert the following
explanatory comment before this phrase: "It is impossible to
recollect the nonexistent by means of the nonexistent. And why? In
this manner.... (dngos po med pas ni dngos po med pa dran par mi nus
te/ de ci' i phyir zhe ha/de ni 'di ltar)." (It will also be noted
that in [3] the Tt has rjes su dran pa reed pa [ananusmrti] instead
of yid la bya ba med pa [amanasikara].)
Ordinarily speaking, to recollect dharmas means to be attentive to
and recall dharmas. But the later compilers of the
Prajnaparamita-sutra feared that the paradoxical expression "the
recollection of dharmas is a nonrecollection and nonattention
(asmrty-amanasikaro hi dharmanusrmrti[h])" would be misunderstood,
and they accordingly added the above explanatory comment in
accordance with their own understanding of this passage. This
passage may be assumed to have evolved in this manner.
The corresponding passages in the Chinese translations are as
follows:
[UNKNOWN TEXT OMITTED]
A glance at the above translations reveals that the more recent the
date of translation, the longer the translation becomes. Firstly,
apart from some differences in terminology, T221, the oldest
translation, and T223, the second-oldest, basically consist of three
stages and tally with the PV MS and AD, which omit the interrogative
phrase tat kasya hetoh. A variant reading of T223, however, contains
the corresponding phrase, namely, ho wei ku, thus evidencing a
closer resemblance to the PV. The T220(3) differs from the T220(2)
in that it adds the words marked with a double underline in stage
[2], and its exposition consists in fact of four stages. In
addition, the T220(2) and T220(3) also contain the words
"nonrecollection and nonattention (pu-k'o-nien pu-k'o-ssu-wei)"
(underscored with a wavy line), corresponding to the explanatory
comment added to the Tibetan versions Tk and Tt. In conclusion it
may be said that the T220(3) represents the most developed version
of the AD-PV line of texts.
In the above we have been able to shed light on the process whereby
the original text was gradually augmented with the addition of an
interrogative phrase of reason and explanatory comments. Another
example of the absence of the phrase tat kasya hetoh is found in the
PV MS, recto 1.2.
1.2 Repeated revisions
samgho anusmartavya yava sarvvakaramjnata anupra-punisyati anusmrti
amanasikarena (PV MS, recto 1. 11)
samghanusmrtih. (xxx)srapnoty[?] asmrty-amanasika-rena. (AD, p. 6,
11. 29-30)
samgho 'bhavasvabhavato 'nusmartavyo yo so bhaga-vatah
sravakasamghas catvarah purusayugah / astau mahapurusapudgalas tat
kasya hetos tatha hi tesam svabhavo nasti yesam svabhavo nasti te
'bhava abhavasvabhavapratibhavitas caivocyante catvarah purusayuga
astau mahapurusapudgalah / tat kasya hetoh / asmrtir amanasikara
samghanusmrtih sa iha samghanusmrtyam siksitvabhavasvabhavayogena
ya-vat sarvakarajnatam anuprapsyati (PV, p. 12, 1. 24-p. 13, 1.2)
dge 'dun rjes su dran par bya ste / bcom ldan 'das nyan thos kyi dge
'dun skyes bu zung bshi dang / skyes bu gang zag brgyad pa gang yin
pa de dag gi ngo bo nyid reed de / skyes bu zung bshi dang / skyes
bu gang zag brgyad po de dag ni ngo bo nyid med cing dngos po med
pa'i ngo bo nyid kyis phye ba yin te / de ni dngos po med pa nyid du
yid la byas te / rnam pa thams cad mkhyen pa nyid thob pa nas (Ta,
Phi 51a7-8)
dge 'dun rjes su dran pa sgom ste / bcom ldan 'das kyi nyan thos kyi
dge 'dun / tshul khrims dang /ting nge 'dzin dang / shes rab dang /
rnam par grol ba dang / rnam par grol ba'i ye shes mthong ba phun
sum tshogs pa'i skyes zung bshi dang / skyes bu gang zag brgyad po
de dag dngos po med pa'i ngo bo nyid du yid la byed do // de ci'i
phyir zhe na / ... / de ci'i phyir zhe na / de ni 'di ltar dran pa
med cing yid la bya ba med pa ni dge 'dun rjes su dran pa'o // rab
'byor de ltar byang chub sems dpa' sems dpa' chen po dge 'dun rjes
su dran med pa de la bslabs sing / dngos po med pa'i ngo bo nyid kyi
tshul gyis rnam pa thams cad mkhyen pa nyid kyi bar du yongs su
rdzogs par byed do / (Tk, Di 76b6-77a2) (Tt, Ca 225b 1-4)
This passage constitutes part of the section on the "recollection of
the sangha (samghdnusmrti)," among the six recollections. In the
preceding line of the PV MS (1. 10) Sakyamuni asks, "Subhuti, how
should the bodhisattva[-mahasattva develop the recollection of the
sangha]?" and this is followed by an explanation of the method for
practicing the recollection of the sangha. According to the PV MS,
"the sangha is to be recollected [as being nonexistent], and by
neither recollecting nor being attentive to the sangha one will
attain to 'knowledge of all forms (sarvakarajnata)'." Among the
AD-PV line of texts, this corresponds most closely to the AD.
The PV, on the other hand, is marked by considerable accretions.
Following the statement that "the sangha has nonexistence as its
own-being," it goes on to explain that the sangha of the Blessed
One's disciples consists of the so-called "four pairs and eight
categories of men," all of whom are without own-being, and that "the
recollection of the sangha is to be learnt by the method of having
nonexistence as own-being" (italicized passages). This exposition
contains two interrogative phrases of reason, and in the case of the
first, in particular, it is preceded by an explanatory comment on
the sangha and then followed by a stereo-typed explication of
non-own-beingness typical of the pV.(7)
Among the Tibetan versions, the Ta is in this instance closer in
content to the PV than to the AD, stating as it does that the sangha
of the disciples of the Blessed One consisting of the four pairs and
eight categories of men is without own-being and has nonexistence as
its own-being. The Tk and Tt, on the other hand, both affiliated to
the PV, are virtually identical and have, in addition to the
elaboration found in the Ta and PV, the additional comment that "the
disciples of the Blessed One are endowed with [the five aggregates
of the Dharma consisting of] morality, meditation, wisdom,
liberation, and the knowledge-and-vision of liberation" (marked with
underlined italics), thereby raising the status of the disciples on
the basis of Abhidharma doctrine and suggesting repeated revisions
of the text in later times.
The corresponding Chinese translations are as follows:
[UNKNOWN TEXT OMITTED]
Apart from the phrase "from the initial generation of the intent
(ts'ung ch'u fa i)" not found in any of the other translations, T221
is the most succinct in its treatment of the recollection of the
sangha and contains no accretions. T223, on the other hand, adds a
short phrase corresponding to the reference to the four pairs and
eight categories of men in the PV (fen-pieh yu fo ti-tzu chung), but
there is as yet no evidence of the exposition of non-own-beingness
corresponding to the underlined section in the PV.
Once we come to T220(3), translated by Hsuan-tsang, however, there
are signs of excessive elaboration. In particular, the latter half
of the passage in question (enclosed in square brackets) may be
considered to have been added at the time of the compilation of
T220(3): that is, as follows. The bodhisattva-mahasattva, who
courses in perfect wisdom, trains the recollection of the sangha
just as the nonexistence. The bodhisattva-mahasattva, who just
trains the recollection of the sangha, will understand gradual
activity, training and progress. The bodhisattva-mahasattva, who
just thus understands gradual activity, training and profess,
fulfills the progressive stages from beginning with the four fields
of mindfulness (catvari smrtyupasthanani) to the knowledge of all
forms (sarvakarajnata). And according to the fulfillment, the
bodhisattva-mahasattva is fully awake to the 'knowledge of the
all-knowing one (sarvajnajnana)'.
The term 'knowledge of the all-knowing one (i-ch'ieh-chih-chih)' is
based on the doctrine of the three kinds of knowledge that developed
in the T221 (the sra-vaka's 'knowledge of everything
[i-ch'ieh-chih],' the bodhisattva's 'knowledge of the aspect of the
path [tao-hsiang-chih],' and the Buddha's 'knowledge of all forms
[i-ch'ieh-hsiang-chih]').(8) Although the T223 contains no reference
to this knowledge, the T221 mentions 'sa-yun-jo' (sarvajnata =
i-ch'ieh-chih). Hsuan-tsang's translation, on the other hand, has
i-ch'ieh-hsiang-chih, corresponding to sarvakarajnata / rnam pa
thams cad mkhyen pa nyid in the PV MS and the three Tibetan
translations, and it further adds the still more developed term
i-ch'ieh-chih-chih (sarvajnajnana). Generally speaking, the T220(3)
resembles the PV in content, but in this instance it is even more
detailed than the PV. But its elaboration is of the same stereotyped
content as that found in its sections on the other recollections,
and it is possible that in this case the accretion is merely the
result of a "formal adjustment."
The text with the most marked additions is T220(2), again
translated by Hsuan-tsang. For example, where T220(3) has "the
assembly of the Buddha's disciples is endowed with various merits,"
T220(2) adds that the Buddha's disciples are endowed with morality
and the other five aggregates of the Dharma. This tallies with the
aforementioned Tibetan translations of the PV (Tk and Tt), and
represents an example of composite textual revision. In this manner,
with the passage of time, considerable use was made of the
interrogative phrase of reason tat kasya hetoh, preceded or followed
by various explanatory comments.
2. Et cetera (pyalam)
smrtyupasthanesu siksitavya pyalam yava mahakarunayam siksitavya so
bodhimarga ... (PV MS, verso, 1. 7) x x x mahakaru)nayam
siksitavyam. sa ca bodhimarge
[siksamana] (AD, p. 7, II. 30-31)
smytyupasthanasamyakprahanarddhipadendriyabalabo-dhyangmargesu
siksitavyam /
aryasatyapramana-dhyanarapyavimoksasamadhisamapattidharanimu-khesu
siksitavyam / s
u siksitavyam / abhavasvabhavayogena / dasasu paramaitasu dasasu
bodhisattvabhumisu siksitavyam / mahakarunayam siksitavyam / sa evam
bodhimarge [siksamano] (PV, p. 14, II. 14-19)
dran pa nye bar gzhag pa bshi la bslab par bya'o // de bzhin du
sbyar te / snying rje chen po'i bar la bslab par bya'o // de de ltar
byang chub kyi lain la [slob na] (Ta, Phi 52b1-2)
dran pa nye bar gzhag pa rnams la bslab par bya'o / /yang dag par
spong ba dang//rdsu 'phrul gyi rkang pa dang / dbang po dang / stobs
dang / byang chub kyi yan lag dang / lam la bslab par bya'o //
'phags pa'i bden pa dang / bsam gtan dang / tshad med pa dang /
gzugs med pa'i snyoms par 'jugs pa dang / rnam par thar pa brgyad
dang / mthar gyis gnas pa'i snyoms par 'jug pa dgu dang / stong pa
nyid dang / mishan mamed pa dang / smon pa reed pa'i ting nge 'dzin
dang / mngon par shes pa dang / ling nge 'dzin dang / gzungs kyi sgo
dang / de bzhin gshegs pa'i stobs bcu dang / mi 'jigs pa dang / so
so yang dag par rig pa dang / byams pa chen po dang / shying rje
chen po dang (Tk, Di 78b1-4)
dran pa nye bar gzhag pa rnams la bslab par bya'o // yang dag par
spong ba dang / ... / ting nge 'dzin la snyoms par 'jug pa dang /
gzungs kyi sgo rnams la bslab par bya'o // stong pa nyid dang /
mtshan ma med pa dang / smon pa reed pa'i ting nge 'dzin dang /
dngos po med pa'i ngo bo nyid kyi tshul gyis de bzhin gshegs pa'i
stobs dang / rai 'jigs pa dang / so so yang dag par rig pa dang /
sangs rgyas kyi chos ma 'dres pa bcu brgyad la bslab par bya' o //
pha rol tu phyin pa bcu po rnams la bslab par bya'o // shying rje
chen po la bslab par bya'o (Tt, Ca 227a5-227b1)
This line of the PV MS may be interpreted as follows: "The fields of
mindfulness should be learnt, and as far as great compassion should
be learnt. He who [learns] the path to enlightenment [in this
manner] ..." Unfortunately, the corresponding expanded portion of
doctrinal categories in the AD is damaged (x x x), but it is to be
surmised that it did not differ greatly from the PV MA. The Tibetan
translation of the AD (Ta) tallies so closely with the PV MS that it
could be almost described as a translation of it. But it is
difficult to find correspondences in the remaining texts affiliated
to the PV, and, judging from the context, it is to be assumed that
the lists of doctrinal categories found in the PV and its Tibetan
translations (italicized passages) correspond to the abbreviated
expression pyalam yava of the PV MS (corresponding to de bzhin du
sbyar te in the Tibetan Ta).
As for the four Chinese translations, if we focus on the abbreviated
expression pyalam yava of the PV MS, we find that T221, although
employing a different expression, summarizes the various doctrinal
categories with the statement that "one should learn the
thirty-seven factors [of enlightenment] and great compassion and
great pity" [UNKNOWN TEXT OMITTED] (121b16). There is, however, no
corresponding passage in T223 (386a20) [UNKNOWN TEXT OMITTED]. The
corresponding passage in T220(3) [UNKNOWN TEXT OMITTED]. (711c19-21)
is considerably shorter than that of T220(2) [UNKNOWN TEXT OMITTED]
(357c25-358a4) and is close to that of the PV MS, while T220(2)
gives the most detailed list of doctrinal categories, and these find
correspondences only in the PV.
It may be noted here that there are numerous instances in which
the abbreviated expression yava sarvvakaramjnata of the PV MS is
expressly expanded.(9) Hsuan-tsang's translations, in particular,
show evidence of having added for stylistic reasons categories that
were originally missing and of having listed all the dharmas of a
particular category when they had been abbreviated, although it is
not clear whether these features were characteristics of the
Sanskrit text employed by Hstian-tsang or whether they are the
results of Hsuan-tsang's own embellishments. Be that as it may, a
distinctive feature of Hsuan-tsang's translations is that among the
various versions of the Prajnaparamita-sutra, with its many
repetitions, they preserve a reasonably consistent style.
3.1 The recollection of dharmas (dharmanusmrti)
tavya yatra anopi smrti nasti ka pu[na]rvvadam. smrtikarmo? *katham
ca Subhuti bodhisa ... (PV MS, recto, 1. 10) *kathan ca Subhu)te
bodhisattvena (AD, p. 6, 1. 24)
(bhavayi)tavya yatranv api smrtikarma nasti kah punar-vadah
smrtivigamah // iti dharmanusmrtih // *katham ca Subhute
bodhisa(ttvena) (PV, p. 12, 11. 21-23)
[bsgom par ]bya ste / de la ni dran pa'i chos phra rab tsam yang med
na / dran pa dang bral ba lta ci smos / *rab 'byor byang chub [sems
dpa'... ] ji ltar [bsgom zhe na] (Ta, 51a5-6)
dran pa'i las rdul tsam yang yod pa'am / dran pa dang bral bar 'gyur
ba lta ci zhig smos / *rab 'byor ji ltar na byang chub (Tk, 7664-5)
dran pa'i ias rdul tsam yang yod pa'am / dran pa dang bral bar 'gyur
ba lta ci zhig smos zhes bya ba ni chos rjes su dran pa yin no / */
rab 'byor ji ltar na byang chub (Tt, 225a7-8)
This passage coincides with a division in the text, with the first
half belonging to the section on the recollection of dharmas and the
second half belonging to the section on the recollection of the
sangha. The second half, from katham (marked with an asterisk)
onwards, represents the opening words of the section on the
recollection of the sangha, and it poses no particular problems
since it is found in all versions of the text. Here we shall
consider the pveceding first half of this passage, representing the
conclusion to the section on the recollection of dharmas, for it
merits our attention, in that it clearly demonstrates the process of
elaboration undergone in the PV line of texts. We shall first
translate the different versions of the passage linking the two
sections on the recollection of dharmas and the recollection of the
sangha.
AD "[... is to be cultivated.] *Subhuti, how [should] a
bodhisattva[-mahasattva cultivate the recollection of the samgha?]"
PV MS "[... is to be....] There is no mindfulness there whatsoever,
let alone any act of mindfulness. *Subhuti, how [should] a
bodhisattva[-mahasattva cultivate the recollection of the samgha?]"
PV "[... is to be cultivated]. There is no act of mindfulness
[there] whatsoever, let alone any cessation of mindfulness. The
above is the recollection of dharmas. *Subhuti, how [should] a
bodhisattva[-mahasattva cultivate the recollection of the samgha?]"
Ta "[... is to be cultivated]. There is no dharma of recollection
there whatsoever, let alone any cessation of mindfulness. *Subhuti,
how [should] a bodhisattva[-mahasattva cultivate the recollection of
the samgha?]"
Tk "[There is no thought of existence there, nor even any thought of
nonexistence.] There is no act of mindfulness whatsoever, let alone
any cessation of mindfulness. *Subhuti, how [should] a
bodhisattva[-mahasattva cultivate the recollection of the samgha?]"
Tt "[There is no thought of existence there, nor even any thought of
nonexistence.] There is no act of mindfulness whatsoever, let alone
any cessation of mindfulness. The above is the recollection of
dharmas. *Subhuti, how [should] a bodhisattva[-mahasattva cultivate
the recollection of the samgha?]"
In the passage in question, our Central Asian fragment begins
with the statement that "[the recollection of dharmas is to be
cultivated.] There is no mindfulness (smrti) there whatsoever, let
alone any act of mindfulness (smrti-karma)." In the AD this portion
is completely missing, and this would suggest that the PV MS added a
concluding statement to the text of the AD. But in the Ta, which
ought to represent a translation of the AD, not only do we find
words corresponding to the first half of the passage in question in
the PV MS, but the form they take - namely, "there is no dharma of
mindfulness (dran pa'i chos) there whatsoever, let alone any
cessation of mindfulness" - bears a resemblance rather to the PV or
PV MS.
The PV itself, with its statement that "there is no act of
mindfulness there whatsoever, let alone any cessalion of mindfulness
(smrti-vigama)," adopts an emphatic negative to negate
'mindfulness,' thus differing somewhat from the PV MS with its
negation of 'mindfulness' and the 'act of mindfulness,' but this
does not alter the fact that it is still 'mindfulness' that is being
negated. But in the context of the extant PV there does not appear
to be any impelling need to refer to the 'cessation of mindfulness,'
and it may be regarded as a purely formal adjustment. In addition,
the PV inserts the divisional indicator "the above is the
recollection of dharmas," thus providing further evidence of later
revision of the text.
Among the Tibetan translations, the Tt tallies completely with the
PV except for the initial sentence enclosed in square brackets,
while the Tk lacks the divisional indicator of the Tt and preserves
a slightly older form than that of the PV and Tt.
The corresponding passages in the Chinese translations are as
follows:
[UNKNOWN TEXT OMITTED]
Among the Chinese translations, T221 lacks the first half of this
passage, while T223 tallies with the PV MS with the difference that
the former has "recollection of dharmas (nien-fa [dharmanusmrti])"
where the latter has "act of mindfulness (smrti-karma)," As for
T220(2) and T220(3), the former introduces the concept of
non-own-beingness as constituting the basis of nonrecognition, and
whereas the concept mediating between non-own-beingness and the
negation of the recollection of dharmas is smrti in T223, in T220(2)
and T220(3) it is dharma. It is maintained, in other words, that
"(if everything is without own-being) dharmas (/mindfulness) cannot
be recognized, let alone the recollection of dharmas," and hence the
import of the argument of T220(2) and T220(3) is identical to that
of T223. A clear distinction should perhaps, however, be made
between these Chinese translations and the Tibetan Ta and Tk, with
their reference to the "cessation of mindfulness." Furthermore, in
view of the fact that a divisional indicator has been inserted only
in the PV and Tt, these two texts may be regarded as representing
the final stage of development. Hence, on the basis of a textual
comparison of this section alone, it is possible to postulate the
following sequence of textual revision: AD, T221 [right arrow] PV
MS, T223, T220(3), T220(2) [right arrow] Ta, Tk [right arrow] PV,
Tt.
3.2 The recollection of the samgha (samghdnusmrti) karmo nasti
katham ca Subhuti bodhisatvena maha-satvena silanusmrti
manasikarttavya iha [[center dot]]u... (PV MS, recto, 1. 12)
kathan ca Subhute bodhisattvena mahasattvena sila)-nusmrtir
bhavayitavya? iha Subhute (AD, p. 6, 11. 32-33)
[yatranv api smrti]karma nasti kah punarvadah smr-tivigamah // iti
samghanusmrtih // katham ca Subhute bodhisattvena mahasattvena
silanusmrtir bhavayitavya / iha Subhute (PV, p. 13, 11. 4-7)
[de la ni dran pa'i chos phra rub tsam yang] med do // rub 'byor
byang chub sems dpa' sems dpa' chen pos tshul khrims rjes su dran pa
ji ltar bsgom zhe na / rub ['byor] (Ta, 51b1-2)
[dran pa'i] las rdul tsam yang yod pa 'am / dran pa dang bral bar
'gyur ba lta ci zhig smos / rub 'byor ji ltar na byang chub sems
dpa' sems dpa' chen po tshul khrims rjes su dran pa sgom pa yin zhe
na / rub ['byor] (Tk, 77a3-4)
[dran pa'i] las rdul tsam yang yod pa'am / dran pa dang bral bar
'gyur ba lta ci zhig smos / rub 'byor ji ltar na byang chub sems
dpa' sems dpa' chen po tshul khrims rjes su dran pa sgom pa yin zhe
na / rub ['byor] (Tk, 77a3-4)
[dran pa'i] las rdul tsam yang yod pa'am / dran pa dane bral bar
'gyur ba lta ci zhig smos zhes bya ba ni dge 'dun rjes su dran pa
yin no // rab 'byor ji ltar na byang chub sems dpa' sems dpa' then
po tshul khrims rjes su dran pa sgom pa yin zhe na / rub ['byor]
(Tt, 22565-6)
This passage corresponds to the concluding portion of the section on
the "recollection of the sangha (samghanusrmrti)" quoted in 1.2
above and to the opening portion of the following section on the
"recollection of morality (silanusmrti)." The first half of the PV -
namely, "there is no act [of mindfulness (smrti-karma) there
whatsoever], let alone any cessation of mindfulness (smrti-vigama)"
- is, however, missing from the AD, while if we compare the PV and
PV MS, we find that the divisional indicator and the immediately
preceding words of the PV - namely, "... let alone any cessation of
mindfulness. The above is the recollection of the sangha" (marked
with underlined italics) - is not found in the PV MS. (The Tk and
Tt, the two Tibetan translations corresponding to the PV, tally with
the PV except for the omission of the divisional indicator in the
Tk.)
[UNKNOWN TEXT OMITTED]
The Tibetan Ta, on the other hand, omits the phrase "let alone any
cessation of mindfulness" found in the previous example and adopts
an intermediate form, namely, "there is no dharma of mindfulness
(smrti-dharma) there whatsoever." It is to be surmised that the
"dharma of mindfulness" of the Ta changed to the "act of
mindfulness" in the PV MS and further separated into the "act of
mindfulness" and "cessation of mindfulness" in the PV. This would
suggest a four-stage process of textual revision and elaboration,
namely, from the AD to the Ta, from the Ta to the PV MS, and from
the PV MS to the PV. Let us now translate the four different
conclusions to the section on the recollection of the sangha.
AD "Subhuti, in this manner the bodhisattva-mahasattva should
cultivate the recollection of the samgha."
Ta "Subhuti, in this manner the bodhisattva-mahasattva should
cultivate the recollection of the samgha. There is no dharma of
mindfulness there whatsoever."
PV MS "Subhuti, in this manner the bodhisattva-mahasattva should
attend to the recollection of the samgha. There is no act of
mindfulness there whatsoever."
PV "Subhuti, in this manner the bodhisattva-mahasattva should
cultivate the recollection of the samgha. There is no act of
mindfulness there whatsoever, let alone any cessation of
mindfulness."
This format will lead to more or less the same result as in our
first example. The corresponding Chinese translations adopt the same
form as the conclusion to the foregoing recollection of dharmas.
T221 thus tallies with the AD, while T223, T220(2) and T220(3)
resemble one another. Although there is a difference as to whether
it is 'mindfulness' (T223) or 'sangha' (T220[2], T220[3]) that is
first negated, in both cases this is followed by "let alone any
recollection of the sangha," and the final result is the same
negation of the recollection of the sangha. Although their context
differs somewhat, they may be said to be close to the PV MS.
Next, as regards the mode of expression, there are minor differences
between these three Chinese translations and the PV MS and Ta, but
since this emphatic form of negation also appears in the PV, Tk and
Tt, these texts may be said to represent a similar stage of textual
revision. But as regards the object of this negation, one may
perceive a similarity between Ta (smrti-dharma) and T223 (nien).
This accords approximately with our previous conclusion.
It is also possible to draw a similar conclusion from the passage
bridging the concluding portion of the section on the "recollection
of abandonment (tyaga-nusmrti)" and the opening portion of the
section on the "recollection of the gods (devatanusmrti)."(10)
1 See Sh. Watanabe, "Pancavimsatisahasrika Prajnaparamita, VII:
Ekaksanabhisamayadhikarah (1)," Toyo Daigaku Daigakuin Kiyo 27
(1991), esp. pp. 131-36.
2 We consider that both the AD and the PV were originally subsumed
under the title Prajnaparamita. As the number of Prajnaparamita
texts multiplied in India, it became necessary to give them separate
designations for the sake of identification. This was accomplished
at a later date by naming them according to the number of lines that
they contained, and so we have rather mundane titles such as
Satasahasrika (100,000), Pancavimsatisahasrika (25,000) and
Astadasasahasrika (18,000). But this method of designation was not
employed in China. For example, one Chinese version of the PV,
translated by Moksala, was entitled the Fang-kuang (T221) on the
basis of the title of its first chapter, while another version was
called the Kuang-tsan (T222), on the same principle, as was also the
Tao-hsing (T224), a translation of the AD. The appellations Ta-p'in
(T223) and Hsiao-p'in (T227) for Kumarajiva's translations are
designations merely for the sake of distinction, and the proper
title of both is Maha-prajna-paramita (-sutra).
3 Japanese scholars have generally regarded the AD and PV as
belonging to the same line of texts, which they have referred to as
the "Fang-kuang line" or "Ta-p'in line" after the Chinese titles.
Since the Sanskrit texts and Tibetan translations of the AD and PV
belong to the same category, we consider this classification to be
very appropriate. But being based on the Chinese versions
corresponding to the PV, the terms "Fang-kuang line" and "Ta-p'in
line" may give the misleading impression that this grouping excludes
the AD and its Tibetan and Chinese translations. In the present
case, we therefore advocate the use of the designation "AD-PV line"
for this group.
4 See Sh. Watanabe, "Pancavimsatisahasrika Prajnaparamita,
VI:Anupurvabhisamayadhikarah," Toyo Daigaku Daigakuin Kiyo 25
(1989): 180-81.
5 See Nancy R. Lethcoe, "Some Notes on the Relationship between the
Abhisamayalamkara, the Revised Pancavimsatisahasrika, and the
Chinese Translations of the Unrevised Pancavimsatisahasrika," JAOS
96 (1976): 511.
6 We have discussed the subject matter of this passage typical of
the theory of non-own-beingness in our paper "'Hannya-kyo' ni okeru
abhava no yoho abhava (Abhava in the Prajnaparamita Sutras),"
Indogaku Bukkyogaku Kenkyu 37.2 (1989): 121-25.
7. See n. 6.
8 See Kajiyoshi Koun, Daijo Bukkyo no seiritsu-shiteki kenkyu (A
study of the history of the development of Mahayana Buddhism)
(Tokyo: Sankibo Busshorin, 1980), 635-51.
9 Cf. PV MS, recto 1. 11; PV, p. 12, 1. 25-p. 13, 1. 1; T221, p.
121a27 (simpler than the AD and PV MS); T223, p. 386a1 (also simpler
than the AD and PV MS); T220(2), p. 357a9-20 (close to the PV).
10 Cf. PV MS, verso 1. 1; AD, p. 7, 11. 12-13; PV, p. 13, 11. 26-27;
Tk, Di f. 7768; Tt, Ca f. 226b3; Ta, Phi f. 52a1-2; T221, p. 121b7;
T223, p. 386a12-13; T220(2), p. 357c1-2; T220(3), p. 711b23-25.
CONCLUSIONS
Manuscripts of the PV line
The first mention of the unrevised PV in Chinese records is the
reference to Chu Shih-hsing [UNKNOWN TEXT OMITTED] having obtained
the Sanskrit manuscript of T221 in Khotan in A.D. 260.(11)
Approximately four hundred years then elapse until Hsuan-tsang's
translation of the T220 in 660-63, and there is evidence of notable
developments and modifications in texts affiliated to the PV during
this period. Our manuscript (PV MS) is a manuscript of an old type
belonging to the line of the unrevised PV, and it preserves a
slightly more developed form than the T221, also originating from
Khotan. As has been pointed out on more than one occasion in the
above, it bears a closer resemblance to the Tibetan translation of
the AD (Ta) than to the Tibetan translation of the unrevised PV
(Tk), while, among the Chinese translations, it is closest to the
T223 and closer to the T220(3) than to the T220(2). Hence, although
our manuscript is closely related to the AD line, it clearly differs
from the AD originating from Gilgit, and in view of the existence of
passages tallying with the PV, we have identified it as an old
manuscript of the PV. It is likely that several versions of the
Prajnaparamita-sutra similar to this type of old manuscript were
circulating at the time in Khotan.
Modes of Textual Revision
Following a comparison of our manuscript with the various texts of
the AD-PV line, it has been possible to shed light on the process
whereby the texts affiliated to the PV underwent revision. The modes
of textual revision adopted were as follows:
1) The adjustment of format on the basis of traditional doctrinal
categories. In other words, the phrase "all dharmas" is replaced by
detailed lists of various categories of dharmas, giving the
impression that the Prajnaparamita-sutra wished to present itself as
an exposition of Mahayana Abhidharma.
2) The explanatory elaboration of earlier texts. The phrase "and
why?" is added to a statement in the original text, and by
explaining the reason in reply to this interpolated question the
surrounding context is consequently coordinated and expanded.
3) Standardization and formal adjustments towards this end within
each text. The various texts of the AD-PV line represent different
stages of textual development. As the Prajnaparamita-sutra with its
many repetitions evolved, there arose various irregularities, and
the compiler(s) or translator(s) of each text made internal
adjustments so as to remove these irregularities, resulting in
repetitions of similar patterns.
4) The insertion of divisional indicators in the revised PV. This is
a modification found only in the revised PV, in which divisional
indicators are added to the unrevised PV and the surrounding context
is coordinated.
In our foregoing discussions we have been able to gain a glimpse of
these four modes of textual revision, and as a result we have come
to hold the following views in regard to the Urtext of the PV.
Conclusion Based on the Differences between the Various AD-PV Texts
To date, comparative studies of texts affiliated to the PV have
presupposed the existence of a stereotypical PV. But the
discrepancies between these texts as discussed in our present study
are sufficiently diverse to cause one to abandon this assumption,
and these discrepancies are so great that the texts in question
cannot be regarded as different translations of a single base text.
Furthermore, it is impossible to differentiate clearly between texts
affiliated to the PV and those affiliated to the AD. We have
accordingly proposed that all these texts be referred to
collectively as the AD-PV line, and we have examined them on the
basis of this line of thinking.
The conclusion that we have reached is that there exists no standard
text of the AD or PV and that these texts ought to be regarded as "a
group of affiliated sutras that developed independently of one
another." They do, of course, have points in common in regard to the
content of the thought to which they give expression, and
recognizing common points in this respect, we have suggested the
need for constructing an Urtext.
Therefore, this Urtext is not a text existent in the normal meaning;
it represents nothing more than a provisional concept to assist,
when considering the evolution of the many texts of the
Prajnaparamita-sutra presently extant, in clarifying the current of
development and elucidating the process of historical inevitability
that produced the extant texts. By postulating a single source, it
becomes possible to explain systematically the variations in the
philosophical development of Prajnaparamita literature as a whole.
Our Urtext is a factitious and hypothetical text born of such
requirements.
This means, in particular, that, in this sense, the extant AD and
the unrevised PV have a common Urtext. This Urtext evolved into what
came to be historically known as the Prajnaparamita, which was then
quoted in various treatises. The extant texts of the AD-PV line
represent variations born of this Urtext, and the old manuscript
examined in the above and regarded as being affiliated to the PV is
one such early example.
11 "Fang-kuang ching hou-chi (Postscript to the Fang-kuang ching),"
Ch'u san-tsang chi chi (Collection of notes concerning the
translation of the Tripitaka), Taisho Shinshu Daizokyo, vol. 55, p.
47a.