Translation is one of the fundamental resources and conditions for religious propagation. As it relates so closely to the spread of Buddhist teachings, we may see translation as a specific manifestation of the Bodhisattva Way. Thus, we intend to propose the idea of the bodhisattva-translator as a self-chosen way of life, a subjectivity and a habitus which are constructed in the context of Buddhist practice, whose roots may be traced down to the Lotus Sutra’s Bodhisattvas of the Earth. Kumārajīva (344-413), the eminent Dharma Master who translated Buddhism to Chinese and thus enabled the worldwide dissemination of Buddhist teachings, may offer a bright, unparalleled example of the bodhisattva-translator and help us outline new approaches to contemporary Buddhist translation

The aims of the current research are as follows: first, review the challenges of rendering Buddhist texts into Chinese and English through the study of the passage “the dharma of emancipation of the exhaustible and inexhaustible”, as articulated in the Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra; and second, discuss the scholarly argument by which these Chinese and English translations could have originated from different Sanskrit or Tibetan editions. This study tabulates the three full classical Chinese translations and five English editions, among which are included in the Chinese renditions the works of Zhi Qian (the third century A.D.), Kumārajīva (the fifth century A.D.), and Xuan Zang (the seventh century A.D.); and the English versions translated by Luk, Watson, McRae, Lamotte/Boin, and Thurman between the 1970s and the 2000s. The former three English translations were mainly based on Kumārajīva’s edition and the latter two on the Tibetan copy, illustrating a three-tier translation hierarchy in which the Chinese translations represent the first-tier, being directly translated from the Sanskrit original(s); the English renditions represent the second-tier, stemming from either Kumārajīva’s or the Tibetan edition; and with the third-tier represented by Boin’s translation of Lamotte’s French copy into English. By comparing their chaptering, chapter titles, transliteration of Buddhist terminology, translation of the passage, punctuation, linguistic expressions, and missing parts in each edition, this analysis unveils the intra- and inter-differences between the Chinese and English renditions. Prior research results suggest that it is difficult to evaluate the credibility and validity of the translations because of the uncertainties related to the origin of the text. They have also addressed the fact that the translation discrepancies in Buddhist terminology in English might create a risk of misinterpretation of Buddhist Two Sanskrit Issues p. 3 teachings. Conclusively, this research first substantiates recent discussion on directly using Sanskrit terminology, instead of the English terms, in modern English Buddhist publications; and second agrees that the renditions probably came from different Sanskrit or Tibetan originals. Importantly, it equally values the academic contributions of individual Chinese and English renditions and translators; thus proposing cross-reference among various renditions as a means to inspire researchers with insight from different translations.

This paper is part of a larger research project that attempts to apply historical social network analysis to the study of Chinese Buddhist history. The underlying research questions are whether social network analysis (SNA) metrics can be gainfully applied to Buddhist history, and whether network visualizations can enable us to better understand historical constellations and discover new patterns. Fundamental to this effort is a dataset of Buddhist

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Translation is one of the fundamental resources and conditions for religious propagation. As it relates so closely to the spread of Buddhist teachings, we may see translation as a specific manifestation of the Bodhisattva Way. Thus, we intend to propose the idea of the bodhisattva-translator as a self-chosen way of life, a subjectivity and a habitus which are constructed in the context of Buddhist practice, whose roots may be traced down to the Lotus Sutra’s Bodhisattvas of the Earth. Kumārajīva (344-413), the eminent Dharma Master who translated Buddhism to Chinese and thus enabled the worldwide dissemination of Buddhist teachings, may offer a bright, unparalleled example of the bodhisattva-translator and help us outline new approaches to contemporary Buddhist translation

Although not functionally multilingual or a translator himself, Daisaku Ikeda has been deeply involved in translation processes, both as a reader and as someone who has produced texts for translation into various languages. This article examines two sources of influence shaping Ikeda's attitude toward translation culture: the flourishing culture of translation that prevailed in the Japan of his childhood and youth and the example of the 5th century C.E. Buddhist translations of Kumarajiva. These two sources are seen as fostering an attitude toward translation as a vehicle for cross-cultural communication rooted in a faith in a universal humanity.

This essay is an offspring of a graduate thesis in progress in Translation Studies about the life and activities of Dharma Master Kumarajiva (344-413), one of the most remarkable translators in history. Based on significant biographical markers, we suggest eight relevant areas of contemporary research focused in Global Issues, Cognitive Psychology, Politics, Sociology, Translation Studies, Translation Teaching, Ethics, and Philosophy, which may contribute to further interdisciplinary studies. We also introduce two proposals: one is the creation of an international study group about Kumarajiva in the field of Translation Studies, and the other is an action-research project to explore the possibilities and conditions of a contemporary specialized translation school based in Kumarajiva’ approach and in his methodology of work.