According to one scholar, "it is generally believed that the sutra was compiled during 350-400 CE," although

"many who have studied the sutra are of opinion that the introductory chapter and [2] the last two chapters were added to the book at a later period." A number of ancient translations of the Lakvatra Stra were made from Sanskrit into the Chinese language, as [3] early as the 3rd century CE with a translation by the Indian monk Dharmaraka. Of these, only three are now extant. The first extant Chinese translation is Taisho Tripitaka 670 (). This is the earliest edition which was translated by Guabhadra in 443 CE, and divided into four [4] fascicles. This edition by Guabhadra is said to be the one handed down from the founder of [5][6] Chinese Zen, Bodhidharma, to the Second Patriarch, Huike, saying: I have here the Lakvatra in four fascicles which I now pass to you. It contains the essential teaching concerning the mind-ground of the Tathagata, by means of which you lead all sentient beings to the truth of Buddhism. The second extant Chinese translation is Taisho Tripitaka 671 (). This second edition was translated by Bodhiruci in 513 CE, and divided into ten fascicles. This edition is criticized in the imperial preface to the later translation, which says that it contains extra words [9] and sentences mixed in that detract from the original meaning. The third extant Chinese translation is Taisho Tripitaka 672 (). This third edition was translated by iknanda in 700-704 CE, and divided into seven fascicles. This final translation was made at the behest of Empress Wu Zetian, after iknanda had completed his [11] 80-fascicle translation of the Avatasaka Stra. This translation is said to have employed five [12] separate Sanskrit editions for accuracy. Before the final edits to this version had been made, iknanda returned to India, and another Indian monk came to China who had studied the Buddhist sutras for 25 years in India, and who knew the Lakvatra Stra. He was then given [13] the task of revising the translation made by iknanda. In addition to these Chinese translations, an extant Sanskrit edition of the Lakvatra Stra is available, as well as a Tibetan edition.
[10] [7] [8]

English translations [edit]

The late Sanskrit edition of the Lakvatra Stra was translated into Japanese and English by D.T. Suzuki. This was published in 1932 as The Lankavatara Sutra: A Mahayana Text. Red Pine has translated the earliest extant edition of the Lakvatra Stra, the Guabhadra edition in four fascicles. This translation was published in 2012 as The Lankavatara Sutra: Translation and Commentary.