Reconsideration of the Yuktiṣaṣṭikākārikā

Abstract

Previous research on and editions of the works of Candrakīrti did not notice the manuscripts stored in ʼBras spungs monastery. In the Catalogue of Ancient Books in the ’Bras spungs Monastery （’Bras sprungs dgon du bzhugs su gsol ba’i dpe rnying dkar chag）, information on six manuscripts related to the Yuktiṣaṣṭikākārikā （YṢ） and Yuktiṣaṣṭikāvṛtti can be found. One of the Tibetan translations of YṢ within them is now open to access, a version different from those of the canonical texts in the bsTan ’gyur and rather important for a critical edition of YṢ. A previous study compared the version from Dunhuang and the canonical texts, and pointed out that the revision made in the Later Dissemination can be precisely traced, while the intention of many revisions remains uncertain. However, it is difficult to know how far the extant texts reflect the revision of Pa tshab Nyi ma grags. Therefore, by comparing the different contents between the translations of the Earlier and the Later Disseminations with the recovered Sanskrit texts, the present paper focuses on the topic of the intention for those revised parts. The analysis of relevant materials shows that the intention to revise the translation of YṢ may possibly be classified in five domains.