A Sanskrit fragment of the text was found at Bāmiyān (LÉVI, 1932:2) corresponding to pp. 420c-421b of the Chinese text (YAMADA, 1959:110). Some parts are also preserved in the form of Sanskrit quotations in the later Abhidharma-literature (cf. PĀSĀDIKA, 1989). The text has not been translated into Tibetan. The *Mahāvibhāṣāśāstra(阿毘達磨大毘婆沙論, T 1550) quotes Saṃgītiparyāya 40 times (cf. WATANABE, 1954:45ff, 83ff).

the Saṃgītiparyāya is a commentary to the Saṃgītisūtra (人仙經, T 1.1.49b-52c being the Dharmaguptaka recension, and 大集法門經, T 12.1.226c7ff), which belongs to the sutra-collection called Dīrghâgama (長阿含經). The Sarvâstivādin recension in Sanskrit from Turfan was published by STACHE-ROSEN 1968. The Theravāda recension in Pāli is sūtra no. 33 of Dīghanikāya (for further parallels, see TRIPATHI 1985 and 1989). A Japanese translation of the sutra and its commentary, Saṃgītiparyāya, was published by B. Watanabe (1929) and a German translation was published by STACHE-ROSEN (1968) providing detailed annotations as well as references to the Pāli-canon and Abhidharmakośa with its Sanskrit commentaries. A description of the text has been given by FRAUWALLNER (1964:71–73 in German; 1995: 14–15 in English translation) and by WILLEMEN, DESSEIN and COX (1998:177–181).

Although not expressed explicitly, the sutra actually constitutes a mnemonic register of terms (母經, Skt. mātṛka). A part of this register (the group of twos) is repeated with some insignificant variants in the first register (members no. 109–142, pp. 15–17) of the Theravāda Abhidhamma-text Dhammasaṅgaṇi in Pāli. At first the Saṃgītiparyāya was probably transmitted as an oral commentary to this register, which later was committed to writing by the Sarvâstivādins. According to the Chinese tradition (T1821.41.8b26; T 2154.55.557a11–12 and 620b8–9), it was first recited by Śāriputra 舍利子 during the lifetime of Buddha in order to establish the Buddhist terminology (for a study of this story, see WALDSCHMIDT, 1955). According to Abhidharmakośavyākhyā by Yaśomitra 稱友 (WOGIHARA, 1932–36: 11, line 29) and subsequently also according to the Tibetan tradition, the text was not recited by Śāriputra but by Mahākauṣṭhila 拘絺羅.

The commentary serves to clarify the terms listed by the sutra. The sutra and its commentary are laid out as an enumeration of groups of phenomena (dharma, 法) having one member, two members, three members, etc. up to ten members. In this regard it is similar to chapter six and eight of Prakaraṇapāda (衆事分阿毘曇論, T 1541, and 阿毘達磨品類足論, T 1542) and to the Theravāda Abhidhamma text Puggalapaññatti. The lists of terms are interspersed by the commentary with short explanations and quotations from the sutras. The groups, which in total enumerate and explain 205 categories of terms, are as follows:

• 1 member, 3 categories (T 1536. 26.367b26–369b9)
• 2 members, 27 categories (369b10–376a28)
• 3 members, 50 categories (376a29–391b10)
• 4 members, 50 categories (391b11–411c11)
• 5 members, 24 categories (411c19–428b28)
• 6 members, 24 categories (428c22–435a3)
• 7 members, 13 categories (435a4–440c21)
• 8 members, 10 categories (440c27–446a18)
• 9 members, 2 categories (446a19–447a17)
• 10 members, 2 categories (447a18–453b5)

[Bibliographical References]

• FRAUWALLNER, Erich (1964). “Abhidharma-Studien: II. Die kanonischen Abhidharma-Werke [der Sarvâstivādī].” In Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde Süd- und Ostasiens und Archiv für Indische Philosophie für das Indologische Institut der Universität Wien, vol. VIII 1964, eds. E. FRAUWALLNER and G. OBERHAMMER, Köln: Kommissionsverlag E.J. Brill and Wien: Kommissionsverlag Gerold and Co. pp. 59–99.
• ----(1995). Studies in Abhidharma Literature and the Origins of Buddhist Philosophical Systems, ed. Ernst STEINKELLNER, transl. Sophie Francis KIDD, New York: State University of New York Press, 247 p.
• LÉVI, M. Sylvain (1932). “Note sur des manuscrits sanscrits provenant de Bamiyan (Afghanistan), et de Gilgit (Chachemire)” in Journal Asiatique, Janvier-Mars 1932, vol. ccxx, pp. 1–45.
• PĀSĀDIKA, Bhikkhu (1989). Kanonische Zitate im Abhidharmakośabhāṣya des Vasubandhu, Sanskrit-Wörterbuch der buddhistischen Texte aus den Turfan-Funden, Beiheft 1, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck and Ruprecht.
• SALOMON, R. (1997). “A Preliminary Survey of Some Early Buddhist Manuscripts Recently Acquired by the British Library” in Journal of the American Oriental Society vol. 117, pp. 353–358.
• STACHE-ROSEN, V. (1968). Dogmatische Begriffsreihen im älteren Buddhismus II - Das Saṃgītisūtra und sein Kommentar Saṃgītiparyāya, vol. 1–2, Berlin: Akademie-Verlag.
• TRIPATHI, Ch. (1985). “Saṅgīti-sūtra, Nipāta II, und Ekôttarâgama Parallelen” in Zur Schulgehörigkeit von Werken der Hīnayāna-Literatur, ed. Heinz BECHERT, Symposien zur Buddhismusforschung III, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck and Ruprecht, pp. 191–199.
• ---- (1989). “Saṅgītisūtra, Nipāta II, and Parallel Passages in the Ekôttarâgama ” in Amalā Prajñā: Aspects of Buddhist Studies, ed. N. H. SAMTANI, Delhi: India Books Centre, pp. 87–95.
• WALDSCHMIDT, E. (1955). “Die Einleitung des Saṅgītisūtra” in Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft, vol. 105, pp. 298–318. Reprint in Von Sri Lanka bis Turfan: Schriften zur Geschichte, Literatur, Religion und Kunst des indischen Kulturraumes, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck and Ruprecht, pp. 258–278.
• WATANABE, B (1929). Abidatsamahōunsokuron, KIK, vol. 1–2, Bidonbu.
• WATANABE, B (1954). Ubu Abidatsumaron no Kenkyū, Tōkyō: Heibonsha.
• WILLEMEN, Charles, Bart DESSEIN and Collett COX (1998). Sarvâstivāda Buddhist Scholasticism, Handbuch der Orientalistik, Zweite Abteilung: Indien, ed. J. BRONKHORST, elfter Band, Leiden: Brill, 341 p.
• WOGIHARA, Unrai (ed.) (1932–1937). Sphuṭārthā Abhidharmakośavyākhyā. The Work of Yaśomitra, Tokyo: The Publishing Association of Abhidharma-kośa-vyākhyā.
• YAMADA, Ryūjō (1959). Bongo no shobunken, Kyōto: Heirakuji Shoten.

[Chinese Buddhist Canonical Attributions Database]

[European Language Translations]