Sunday, 24 February 2019

Title of Sutra One from Yì Zú Jīng

Sutra One - Jié, Greedy King


桀貪王經第一
Jié tān wáng jīng dì yī

Parallel: The Pali Sutta Nipata, Atthakavagga - Chapter 1 Kama Sutta

Discussion: The first sutra in the collection reflects the theme of the prose text by highlighting one of the characters from India, Tān Wáng or Greedy King, who through his greed inflicts suffering upon his people. It also includes the name of the notorious Chinese king Jie, who likewise had a reputation of being greedy and cruel towards his subjects. This inclusion was most likely made to give a frame of reference as to the significance of Tān Wáng for a Chinese context (see Wikipedia Jie of Xia ).

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