The Linguistic and Textual Antecedents of The Sutra of the
Wise and the Foolish (Hsien-yü ching)
with an appended translation of "Sudatta Raises a Monestary"
by Victor H. Mair
Abstract
The bibliographical comments on The Sutra of the Wise and the Foolish in the Ch'u san-tsang chi chi [Collected Notes on the Making of the Tripitaka] (compiled by Seng-yu [445-518] between about 505 and 515) provide tantalizingly specific, but not altogether conclusive, information concerning the linguistic antecedents of this translated collection of edifying Buddhist tales. The initial impression one gains is that the text was translated into Chinese not from Sanskrit or another Indian language, but rather ostensibly from Khotanese. Since The Sutra of the Wise and the Foolish was rendered into Chinese at a quite early date (445 CE), it offers great potential for making more precise our understanding of the transmission of Buddhist literature from India to China, in particular the role of Central Asian vernaculars.
The aim of this paper is to examine carefully the available evidence from the sutra itself, from parallel translations in other languages, and from additional historical data in an attempt to determine the immediate source of the Chinese translation. Naturally, it has been necessary to focus on the phonology of proper names and transcriptions of technical terms, but other types of data have been taken into consideration. It would appear that, while the sutra has a solid background in Indian language, literature, and lore, its transmission through Central Asia gave it a distinct coloring that sets it apart from purely Indian texts. The fact that The Sutra of the Wise and the Foolish was translated, compiled, and entitled by Chinese monks working in Central Asia and in China adds still another layer of complexity to the text. The relationships among the Indian, the Central Asian, and the Chinese aspects of this sutra are extremely subtle and reflect well the nature of the complicated process whereby Buddhism spread from its homeland to different countries.