The Chinese Saṃyukta Āgama (SĀ) presents a unique challenge to producing an English translation. The version of the collection that was preserved in the Taisho Daizokyo is in disarray. The collection lacked any divisions or sutra numbers, so it apparently came to pass after it was translated that its fascicles were shuffled, and a couple were lost. The two lost fascicles were replaced by some helpful soul with Avadāna translations by Guṇabhadra to make 50 again. The text then fell into obscurity and didn’t receive much attention in the Chinese Buddhist community.
Japanese scholars realized the situation in the early 20th century and began the detective work of reconstructing the original order of the SĀ, and a Chinese bhikṣu scholar Yinshun finished the work with a detailed analysis of the Pali parallels. He discovered several passages in the Sarvâstivāda Vinaya and the Yogâcārabhūmi that shed light on the structure the collection likely had before it was scrambled.
Below is a table showing the basic relationship between the Pali Saṃyutta Nikāya (SN) and the Chinese SĀ. Yinshun identified 51 saṃyuktas in the text, which have clear thematic groupings. Many of them exist in the Pali but not always on a clear one-to-one relationship.
Typically, the two collections share common sutras in different orders. In many cases, the Chinese saṃyuktas do not exist in Pali as saṃyuttas, but rather they have parallels scattered in other Nikāyas, mainly the Aṅguttara. In these cases, I’ve marked the Pali parallel as “n/a”. In two cases, SA 11 and SA 48, the Pali has a saṃyutta of the same name, but the contents have no parallels. On the other hand, SN 55 appears to be a collection that was split between several saṃyuktas in SĀ.
Further reading about Yinshun’s method of reconstructing SĀ can be found in this article by Choong Mun-keat: “Problems and Prospects of the Chinese Saṃyukta Āgama”.
Chinese readers who’d like to read the Yinshun version of the SĀ can find it at Mahabodhi.org. [Edit: Here’s a much better CBETA edition.]
[Edit: The spreadsheet that I had initially created and posted has been replaced by a MediaWiki site that will be interlinked with translations found at Dharma Pearls and SuttaCentral.]
Yinshun Varga | Yinshun Saṃyukta | Pali Saṃyutta |
---|---|---|
I. The Five Aggregates | 1. Skandha | 22. Khandha |
II. The Six Sense Bases | 2. Āyatana | 35. Saḷāyatana |
III. Causation | 3. Nidāna | 12. Nidāna |
4. Satya | 56. Sacca | |
5. Dhātu | 14. Dhātu | |
6. Vedanā | 36. Vedanā | |
IV. The Path | 7. Smṛtyupasthāna | 47. Satipaṭṭhāna |
8. Samyakprahāṇa (lost) | 49. Sammappadhāna | |
9. Ṛddhipāda (lost) | 51. Iddhipāda | |
10. Indriya | 48. Indriya | |
11. Bala | n/a | |
12. Bodhyaṅga | 46. Bojjhaṅga | |
13. Āryamārgâṅga | 45. Magga | |
14. Ānâpānasmṛti | 54. Ānāpāna | |
15. Śaikṣa | n/a | |
16. Avetyaprasāda | 55. Sotāpatti | |
V. Eight Assemblies | 17. Bhikṣu | 21. Bhikkhu |
18. Māra | 4. Māra | |
19. Śakra | 11. Sakka | |
20. Kṣatriya | 3. Kosala | |
21. Brāhmaṇa | 7. Brāhmaṇa | |
22. Brahma | 6. Brahma | |
23. Bhikṣuṇī | 5. Bhikkhuṇī | |
24. Vaṇgīsa | 8. Vaṇgīsa | |
25. Devatā | 1. Devatā | |
26. Yakṣa | 10. Yakkha | |
27. Vāna | 9. Vana | |
VI. Teachings of Disciples | 28. Śāriputra | 38. Jambukhādaka / 39. Sāmaṇḍaka |
29. Maudgalyāyana | 19. Lakkhaṇa | |
30. Aniruddha | 52. Anuruddha | |
31. Mahākātyāyana | n/a | |
32. Ānanda | n/a | |
33. Citrā | 41. Citta | |
VII. Teachings of the Tathāgata | 34. Radha | 23. Rādha |
35. Dṛṣṭi | 24. Diṭṭhi | |
36. Prahana | n/a | |
37. Divya | n/a | |
38. Samudāgama | 13. Abhisamaya / 43. Asaṅkhata | |
39. Āyatana Dhātu Skandha | 18. Rāhula / 25. Okkanta / 26. Uppāda / 27. Kilesa | |
40. Avetyaprasāda (2) | 55. Sotāpatti | |
41. Mahākāśyapa | 16. Kassapa | |
42. Grāmaṇī | 42. Gāmani | |
43. Aśva | n/a | |
44. Mahānāman | 55. Sotāpatti | |
45. Anāditva | 15. Anamatagga | |
46. Vatsagotra | 44. Avyākata | |
47. Tīrthika Parivrājaka | n/a | |
48. Saṃkleśa | n/a | |
49. Upamā | 20. Opamma | |
50. Gilāna | n/a | |
51. Karmaphala | n/a |