Conflation and Misattribution in the Transmission of Zhongjing mulu: Evidence from Phonetic Glosses in the Pilu Canon

This study investigates instances of conflation and misattribution in the transmission of three Chinese Buddhist catalogues that share the title Zhongjing mulu 眾經目錄 (Catalogue of Various Scriptures), attributed, respectively, to Fajing 法經, Yancong 彥琮, and Jingtai 靜泰 during the Sui and Tang dynasties. Although these catalogues differ in structure, doctrinal classification, and historical context, their identical titles and overlapping content may have led to instances of conflation in the editorial processes of later Buddhist canons. This phenomenon is revealed and analyzed in the present study. Drawing primarily on the phonetic glosses appended to fascicles (suihan yinshi 隨函音釋) in the Pilu Canon 毗盧藏 and examining the bibliographic entries and marginal annotations referencing these catalogues in other editions, the study conducts a philological comparison with sources such as the Qisha 磧砂, Sixi 思溪, and Hongwu Southern Canons 洪武南藏. It identifies specific cases of misattribution, annotation displacement, and the merging of catalogue content without clear attribution. The findings suggest that ambiguity in catalogue entries and textual transmission resulted in instances where the three Zhongjing mulu catalogues were not clearly distinguished in later canons and modern databases. The article contributes to a clearer understanding of the editorial history and philological challenges involved in the formation of the Chinese Buddhist canon.