Toru Funayama, "How the Buddhist Scriptures Were Translated into Chinese: When the Sutra Became a Sutra" Summary and Comments - A stimulating reference book that is also recommended for considering what a sutra is!
This time we would like to introduce "How the Buddhist Scriptures Were Translated into Chinese: When the Sutras Became Scriptures" by Toru Funayama, published by Iwanami Shoten in 2013.
Let's take a quick look at the book.
Buddhist scriptures, which were originally written in Sanskrit and other Indian languages, became the cultural foundation of East Asia when they were translated and transmitted into Chinese script and language. What was the theory of translation of the high priests such as Hatimarashi and Xuanzang? Under what system and at what speed were they carried out? How did they translate concepts that did not exist in China? And what about the "fake sutras" created in China? This is the first book to explain the grand intellectual achievement of translating Buddhist scriptures into Chinese in a way that is easy to understand even for non-specialists.
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This book is a work that lets us know how "sutras," which are very familiar to us Japanese, have been created. Although we have an image of "sutras" as Chinese texts, they originally originated as Buddhist scriptures created in India. The "sutras" that we monks recite are the Chinese translations of these sutras.
The existence of Indian Sanskrit scriptures is now widely known in Japan, thanks to many Buddhist scholars, including Dr. Gen Nakamura, who has been introduced in this blog.
However, it is surprisingly little known how the sutras created in India were translated and delivered to us in China. I myself knew very little about how the scriptures were translated from the Indian originals.
When we think of famous Chinese monks in translation, Hatomarashi and Xuanzang immediately come to mind.
But these monks did not work alone, translating sutras silently. They led a large team of translators.
In this book, you will learn about the finer points of such translation work.
How were sutras composed in ancient Indian languages converted into Chinese?
In the first place, the fact that the languages are different is not a problem that can be managed by simply translating directly at the word level.
The Japanese have developed a method of reading Chinese texts in written form, but it is usually not so easy.
Even if we translate English directly, word order and nuance remain a major problem. In some cases, the translator may not have the equivalent of a certain word. How do translators solve such problems? This book will help you understand the work and difficulties involved in translation.
We have already received the completed Chinese translations of sutras and take them for granted. This is why we feel nothing strange about the fact that the sutras are written in Chinese, but it can be said that the translation process from India is characteristic of Chinese and Japanese Buddhism. By learning about this translation process, the "sutras" that we come into contact with every day can be seen in a different light.
It is not easy to think about the "process of Chinese translation," but when you look at the actual situation, it is very interesting! It is amazing to see how the sutras were created! That's how sutras were created? This is exciting.
This book is also a work that offers great insights into Chinese and Japanese Buddhism.
Why not pick one up?
This is "Toru Funayama, "How the Buddhist Scriptures Were Translated into Chinese: When the Sutra Becomes a Sutra" - A stimulating reference book that is also recommended for considering what a sutra is! That was "How the Buddhist Scriptures are Translated into Chinese?
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