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Sthiramati I

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Sthiramati


Sthiramati (Chn. Anhui 安慧, Jianhui 堅慧 [[[Wikipedia:Silk|Silk]], 2015, 150–151]; Tib. Blo gros brtan pa) was an Indian Buddhist scholar belonging to the Yogācāra tradition, known primarily for his extensive commentaries on some of the most fundamental treatises of this tradition. Most of the information concerning his life and works available to us today originates from Chinese and Tibetan sources, the historicity of which is uncertain.

One datable Indian reference to the name Sthiramati is found in an inscription of King Guhasena (r. ca. 553–569) from Valabhī in western India, in which is mentioned a monastery erected by an abbot bearing this name (Bühler, 1877, 9 and plate II, lines 3–4;

Silk, 2009, 384–385). Sthiramati is also stated to have founded a monastery at Valabhī in an inscription of Śīlāditya III (661/662) (Diskalkar, 1925, 37–40; Silk, 2009, 385, n. 13). In addition, the Sanskrit colophons of the Pañcaskandhakavibhāṣā (Kramer, 2014, 133), the Madhyāntavibhāgaṭīkā (Yamaguchi, 1934, 165), the Triṃśikāvijñaptibhāṣya (Buescher,

2007, 142), and the Tattvārthā Abhidharmakośaṭīkā (Matsuda, 2013, 49) name Sthiramati as the author of these commentaries, although these do not allow us clarify his date.

Based mainly on the Valabhī inscription of Guhasena and on the assumption that Sthiramati and Guhasena were contemporaries, Frauwallner (1961, 136–137) suggested the dates 510–570 for Sthiramati. However, the inscription states only that the monastery was erected by Sthiramati (and not for Sthiramati) and thus does not necessarily indicate that Sthiramati was still alive at the time of Guhasena’s donation. Moreover, according to Chinese sources, one of the commentaries attributed to Sthiramati in the colophon to its corresponding [[Tibetan

translation]], namely the Da Baoji jinglun (大寶積經論, T. 1523), corresponding to the *Kāśyapaparivartaṭīkā, was already translated into Chinese between 508 and 535 (by Bodhiruci) (Silk, 2009, 382). Therefore, some scholars have dated Sthiramati to 470–550 (Nguyen, 1990, 21). Others have suggested – more plausibly – that there was more than one author called Sthiramati, or that works actually composed by an author (or authors) bearing a different name were (wrongly) attributed to a single author Sthiramati (Silk, 2009, 385; 2015, 149; Kramer, 2016, 71).

Xuanzang (玄奘; 600/602–664) mentions Sthiramati (Jianhui [[[堅慧]]]) together with Guṇamati (Dehui [德慧]) in connection with Valabhī (T. 2087 [LI] 936c2; Beal, 1884, 268) and Nālandā (T. 2087 [LI] 924a2; Beal, 1884, 171). Furthermore, Xuanzang seems to have met two old monks, Shengjun (勝軍, reconstructed as *Jayasena) at Nālandā

(T. 2053 [L] 244a7) and Borejuduo (般若毱多, reconstructed as *Prajñagupta) from Lāḷa/Lāṭa/ Waḷā, that is, Valabhī (luoluo [羅羅]), who are reported to have studied under Sthiramati (Anhui

[[[安慧]]]) in their youth (T. 1830 [XLIII] 351a21–22; Frauwallner, 1961, 136; Sakuma, 2006, 360). According to Xuanzang’s student Kuiji (窺基; 632–682), Sthiramati was Guṇamati’s student (T. 1830 [XLIII] 231c17), an idea supported by a passage found in the beginning of the Uighur version of the Tattvārthā Abhidharmakośaṭīkā (Matsuda, 2013, 50; also

Nguyen, 1990, 16f.). Kuiji also states that Sthiramati was from the state of Lāḷa and was a contemporary of Dharmapāla (Hufa [[[護法]]]; T. 1830 [XLIII] 231c21). Moreover, if the passage has been understood correctly, he is said to have compiled the Abhidharmasamuccayavyākhyā (糅雜集), examined the Abhidharmakośa (救倶舍論), and refuted the logicians (破正理師) (T. 1830 [XLIII] 231c20–21; Nguyen, 1990, 15–16; Sakuma, 2006, 359). The

author Anhui appears in the Chinese colophons of the Pañcaskandhakavibhāṣā (T. 1613 [XXXI] 850c16), a text which seems to be a summary of the Sanskrit original, and the Dasheng zhongguan shilun (大乘中觀釋論, T. 1567 [XXX] 136a7). At the beginning of the Abhidharmasamuccayavyākhyā (T. 1606 [XXXI] 694b16), Anhui is named as the person who compiled the text. An Abhidharmakośa commentary preserved in Chinese bearing the title Jushelun shiyishu (俱舍論實義疏, T. 1561 [XXIX] 325a10) is attributed in its colophon to an author whose name is transcribed, not translated, *Sthiramati (xidiluomodi [悉地羅末底]) (Silk, 2015, 150).

The Tibetan historian Bu ston (1290–1364) states that Sthiramati was born in a place called Mtha’ ’khob ’dra ma into a śūdra family, and that he studied under Vasubandhu. Sthiramati is also said in Bu ston’s account to have made offerings to a Tārā statue at Nālandā and to have composed commentaries


on the Ratnakūṭasūtra, the Abhidharmakośa, the Abhidharmasamuccaya, and the “eight treatises” (of Vasubandhu) (Lokesh Chandra, 1971, 107a6–108a3; 21b7–22a3; Obermiller, 1932, 147–149; 1931, 56–57). Bu ston also mentions that Sthiramati had a disciple called Gang ba spel. The Tibetan scholar Tāranātha (1575–1634) mentions Daṇḍakāraṇya (Schiefner, 1868, 101:4) as Sthiramati’s place of birth, and states that

Sthiramati was the son of a merchant. He also notes that Sthiramati composed a commentary on the Mūlamadhyamaka[[[kārikās]]] and defeated a non-Buddhist called Biṣṭapāla (*Veṣṭapāla) in debate. While Tāranātha agrees with Bu ston that Sthiramati has commented on a number of commentaries attributed to Vasubandhu, he is doubtful about the authorship of the Abhidharmakośa commentary (Schiefner, 1868, 101–102; Chimpa & Chattopadhyaya, 1970, 179–181).

In total, 17 works are ascribed to (some author named) Sthiramati in Indian, Tibetan, Chinese, or modern Western sources. Being preserved in Sanskrit, Tibetan, Chinese, Uighur, and Mongolian, these cover a wide range of topics, and the ten commentaries among them refer to Yogācāra as well as non-Yogācāra root texts. These commentaries comprise the Abhidharmasamuccayavyākhyā (available in

Sanskrit, Tibetan, and Chinese), the Tattvārthā Abhidharmakośaṭīkā (Sanskrit [[[chapter]] 3 and parts of chapters 2 and 4 m issing], Tibetan, Chinese [fragments], Uighur [fragments], Mongolian), the Pañca skandhakavibhāṣā (Sanskrit, Tibetan), the Triṃśi kāvijñaptibhāṣya (Sanskrit, Tibetan), the Madhyā ntavibhāgaṭīkā (Sanskrit, Tibetan), the *Sūtrālaṃkāravṛttibhāṣya (Tibetan), the *Kāśya

paparivartaṭīkā (Tibetan, Chinese, perhaps more correctly *Ratnakūṭasūtraṭīkā?), the Dasheng zhongguan shilun (Chinese), the *Akṣayamatinirdeśaṭīkā (Tibetan; Braarvig, 1993, cxxviii– cxxx), as well as a Pramanasamuccaya commentary (lost; Matsuda, 2013, 52). The remaining seven works associated with the name Sthiramati seem to belong to the tantric genre and are only mentioned in Tibetan sources


(Cordier, 1909, 138f., 151, 158; Kramer, 2016, 49): Rgyan dam pa sna tshogs rim par phye ba bkod pa (*Paramālaṃkāraviśvapaṭalavyūha), Skabs ’grel bye brag rnam par bshad pa (*Prakaraṇaṭīkāviśeṣavyākhyā), Byang chub sems kyi ljon shing (* Bodhicittadruma), Dam tshig nyi shu rtsa brgyad pa rtsa 'grel (*Samayāṣṭaviṃśamūlavṛtti), Dam tshig rin chen gter (*Samayaratnanidhi), Mdo'i dka' gcod (*Sūtrapañjikā), and Theg pa gsal byed sgron ma (*Yānoddyotanapradīpa).


Bibliography


Beal, S., 1884. Si-yu-ki: Buddhist Records of the Western World, vol. II. London: Trübner & Co. Braarvig, J., 1993. Akṣayamatinirdeśasūtra, vol. II, Oslo: Solum.

Buescher, H., 2007. Sthiramati’s Triṃśikāvijñaptibhāṣya, Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften. Bühler, G., 1877. “Further Valabhî Grants,” IA 6, 9–21.

Chimpa, Lama, & Alaka Chattopadhyaya, 1970. Tāranātha’s History of Buddhism in India, Shimla: Indian Institute of Advanced Study. Cordier, P., 1909. Catalogue du fonds tibétain de la Bibliothèque Nationale. Deuxième partie: Index du Bstanḥgyur (tibétain 108–179), Paris: Imprimerie Nationale.

Diskalkar, D.B., 1925. “Some Unpublished Copper-Plates of the Rulers of Valabhī,” JBBRASNS 1, 13–64. Frauwallner, E., 1961. “Landmarks in the History of Indian Logic,” WZKSO 5, 125–148.

Kramer, J., 2016. “Some Remarks on Sthiramati and his Putative Authorship of the Madhyāntavibhāgaṭīkā, the *Sūtrālaṃkāravṛttibhāṣya and the Triṃśikāvijñaptibhāṣya,” BSR 33, 47–63.

Kramer, J., 2014. Sthiramati’s Pañcaskandhakavibhāṣā, Beijing/Vienna: China Tibetology Publishing House/ Austrian Academy of Sciences Press.

Lokesh Chandra, 1971. The Collected Works of Bu-ston. Part 24 (ya). Śata-Piṭaka Series 64, New Delhi: International Academy of Indian Culture.

Matsuda, Kazunobu, 2013. “Sanskrit Manuscript of Sthiramati’s Commentary to the Abhidharmakośbhāṣya,” China Tibetology 20/1, 48–52. Nguyen, Cuong Tu, 1990. “Sthiramati’s Interpretation of Buddhology and Soteriology,” diss., Harvard University.

Obermiller, E., 1932. History of Buddhism by Bu-ston (II. Part: The History of Buddhism in India and Tibet), Heidelberg: Harrassowitz. Obermiller, E., 1931. History of Buddhism by Bu-ston (I. Part: The Jewelry of Scripture), Heidelberg: Harrassowitz.

Sakuma, Hidenori, 2006. “On Doctrinal Similarities between Sthiramati and Xuanzang,” JIABS 29/ 2, 357–382. Schiefner, A., 1868. Tāranāthae de Doctrinae Buddhicae in India Propagatione Narratio, St. Petersburg: Academia Scientiarum Petropolitana.

Silk, J. A., 2015. Buddhist Cosmic Unity: An Edition, Translation and Study of the Anūnatvāpūrṇatvanirdeśaparivarta, Hamburg: Hamburg University Press.

Silk, J. A., 2009. “Remarks on the Kāśyapaparivarta Commentary,” in: M. Straube et al., eds., Pāsādikadānaṃ: Festschrift für Bhikkhu Pāsādika, Marburg: Indica et Tibetica, 381–397.

Yamaguchi, Susumu, 1934. Madhyāntavibhāgaṭīkā, Nagoya: Librairie Hajinkaku. Jowita Kramer



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