The Inscription of the Devatāsūtra at Pota 繁塔

Abstract

Document II-16-C-1374 in the Tōyō bunko 東洋文庫 contains two texts, the Summary of the *Daśakuśalakarmapathasūtra 十善業道經要略 written by Peixiu 裴休, and the Devatāsūtra 天請問經 recorded as being translated by Kumārajīva 羅什, both of which were inscribed at the Pota 繁塔 pagoda in Kaifeng 開封, the old capital of the Northern Song dynasty 北宋. Both the Taishō Canon and the Dunhuang manuscripts ascribe the translation of the Devatāsūtra to Xuanzang 玄奘. By examining Chinese translations of such Sanskrit words as Bhagavat, Śrāvastī, Jetavana, Anāthapiṇḍadasyārāma, we can determine that the translator is indeed Xuanzang and not Kumārajīva, as attributed by the Pota inscription.The inscription is also important for understanding the teachings of Master Zhiyun 志蘊, who resided at the Tianqing temple 天清寺 and studied the Vijñaptimātratā system during the Song dynasty. It can also shed light on the relations between the Buddhism practiced in the central regions of China and Dunhuang Buddhism.