Sutra of the Nine-Colored Deer 九色鹿經

Translated by Zhi Qian in 1 scroll

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Colophon

九色鹿經 吳 支謙譯 共 1 卷 Sutra of the Nine-Colored Deer; Translated by Zhi Qian in 1 scroll in the Wu

Notes

Date 220-280 from Lancaster (Lancaster 2004, 'K 211'). English title from Hsing Yun and Miao Guang (trans.) 2016, p. 373.

English Translations

None

Summary

A long time ago, a Bodhisattva was reborn as a nine-colored deer with beautiful multicolored fur and white antlers. One day, the deer rescued a drowning man and told him not to reveal its location, as humans coveted its hide and antlers. However, when the queen of the kingdom dreamed of the deer and desired its fur and antlers, the man betrayed the deer’s trust, revealing its whereabouts to the king in exchange for riches. When the king led his army to capture the deer, the deer reminded him of its past kindness, shaming the king, who then protected the deer and its kind.

Primary Source

Zhi Qian, trans., 《九色鹿經》 'Jiu Se Lu Jing,' in Taishō shinshū Daizōkyō 《大正新脩大藏經》, in Takakusu Junjiro, ed., (Tokyo: Taishō Shinshū Daizōkyō Kankōkai, 1988), Vol. 3, No. 181a, Accessed 2016-07-05, http://tripitaka.cbeta.org/T03n0181a.

References

1. Lancaster, L.R. 2004 The Korean Buddhist Canon: A Descriptive Catalogue, http://www.acmuller.net/descriptive_catalogue.

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