Grammatical analysis for clarifying the history of the formation and transmission of the Sanskrit 'Lotus Sutra'

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K00067
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 01020:Chinese philosophy, Indian philosophy and Buddhist philosophy-related
• Research Institution: Sendai National College of Technology
• Principal Investigator: Kasamatsu Sunao 仙台高等専門学校, 総合工学科, 准教授 (40510558)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 梵文『法華経』 / 仏教混交梵語 / サンスクリット文法研究 / 古インド語動詞研究 / 現在語幹の活用 / 禁止法 / カシュガル写本 / ギルギット写本

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this research project, eight conference presentations were made during the three-year research period and eight papers (including two in English) were published. In addition, two papers have been accepted or are in print.
By examining the verb forms attested in the major manuscripts, I have clarified the transition from the Middle Indic forms (which tends to take the active voice and thematic stem) of the Kashgar and Gilgit manuscripts to the Classical Sanskrit forms (which presents the middle voice and athematic stem) of the Nepalese manuscripts. And it has been shown that the original Lotus Sutra has a strong Middle Indic character. By tracing the transition of verb forms from Middle Indic to Classical forms, or the 'proofreading' to Classical forms, the papers show the potential of this method for clarifying manuscript lineages.

Free Research Field

インド学・仏教史学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は梵文『法華経』に現れる諸語形を精査し、ヴェーダ・パーリ文献から古典期までのサンスクリット言語史・文献史に位置づけた。禁止法について、アオリスト語幹による構文は新層ネパール写本の改変によると論証。現在語幹の活用の推移を論じ、古層写本では能動態乃至thematic語幹が卓越するが、新層写本では順次古典梵語的な中動態乃至athematic語幹に移行する次第を解明した。一部写本は「校正」を貫徹せず、希求法・命令法等にthematic活用を残す。ギルギット伝承の文法的知識については再検討を要する。
以上、動詞語形を精査し、原典の言語状況と写本伝承の実情を解明する手法を斯界に提供したと評価されよう。