[INDOLOGY] Date of Candranandana

[Matthew Kapstein]

Dear Jim,

According to the catalogues of the Tibetan canon, the translation was done by Rin-chen-bzang-po (955-1054), and, because he also translated the root text, this seems likely to be correct.

Although Vairocana of Pa-gor seems to have been a real 8th c. individual, it is very difficult to disentangle whatever is factual from the enormous body of legend that grew up around him. Because the Tibetan medical tantra, the Rgyud-bzhi (Four Tantras), is an apocryphon that claims its authority with reference to the period of the 8th c. monarch Khri srong lde'u btsan, it is not surprising that the "historical" tradition that developed around it would have wanted to appropriate other authorities as well.

best,
Matthew

Matthew Kapstein
Directeur d'études,
Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes

Numata Visiting Professor of Buddhist Studies,
The University of Chicago
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From: INDOLOGY <indology-bounces at list.indology.info> on behalf of James Hartzell via INDOLOGY <indology at list.indology.info>
Sent: Sunday, October 6, 2019 5:57 AM
To: Indology <indology at list.indology.info>
Subject: [INDOLOGY] Date of Candranandana

Hi

Does anyone have a definitive date for Candranandana, author of the commentary Amṛtahṛdaya Aśṭāṅga Guhyopadeśatantra on Vāgbhaṭa´s Aṣṭāṅgahṛdaya (or Aṣṭhāṅgasaṃhitā)?  According to the Tibetan medical history tradition, as reported in "The Origin of the rGyud bzhi: A Tibetan Medical Tantra” by Todd Fenner (https://www.thlib.org/encyclopedias/literary/genres/genres-book.php#!book=/studies-in-genres/b27/dn3/), Vairocana studied with him in Kashmir, and translated this text into Tibetan, and presented it to King Trisong Detsen (Tibetan: ཁྲི་སྲོང་ལྡེ་བཙན), who ruled (according to Wikipedia) 755 CE until 797 or 804 CE.

Dr. Fenner´s history would place Candranandana in the late 8th century CE.  Has this account been further confirmed?

Cheers
James


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