翻譯名義集 1

English (machine translation) 1

Language: English

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Preface to the Collection of Translated Names and Meanings

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Composed by Upāsaka Weixin, Zhou Dunyi of Jingxi in the Song dynasty

When reading the Tripiṭaka, I once intended to emulate the Chongwen General Catalogue, extracting the essential meanings of the scriptures to make a general catalogue of the Buddhist canon. Seeing that Sanskrit was constantly used throughout the scriptures, I would search through the canonical teachings, set forth their translated sounds and meanings, display them, and compile a separate volume. Yet before I could finish, the elder Shen of Xianqin showed me the Collection of Translated Names and Meanings compiled by Great Master Purun, Fayun, of Jingde Monastery in Pingjiang. At first sight, I rejoiced and said: “This fulfills my own intention! In the future, when the general catalogue is completed, my separate compilation can be put aside.” Later, passing through Pingjiang, Yun came to see me and requested a preface. I remarked that this book not only renders service to those who read Buddhist scriptures, but also guards the mental faculty of those who slander the Dharma. Tripiṭaka Master Zang of the Tang discussed the five kinds of untranslated terms: first, because they are secret, like dhāraṇī; second, because they encompass multiple meanings, like Bhagavat possessing six meanings; third, because they do not exist here, like the jambu tree, for in China there is truly no such wood; fourth, in deference to antiquity, like anuttara-bodhi, which is not incapable of translation, but whose Sanskrit sound has been retained since Kāśyapa Mātaṅga; fifth, to give rise to wholesome states, like prajñā which inspires veneration, whereas [the Chinese word for] wisdom is shallow. Yet the author of the Seven Delusions argued that Śākyamuni translates as “Nengren” (capable of benevolence), and the meaning of benevolence is lower in rank than the Duke of Zhou and Confucius; that anuttara-bodhi means “correct universal knowledge,” which already existed in this land in the teachings of Laozi as the “Unsurpassed True Dao,” and is in no way different; and that bodhisattva means “sentient being with the mind of the great Dao,” a term of inferior rank; and so they were concealed and left untranslated. Regarding these venerable designations of the Three Jewels, translators merely preserved their original names, yet [critics] gave vent to slanderous words. If they are made to see this book, they will find no place to peck.

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However, since the Buddha Dharma entered China, scriptures and treatises have multiplied daily. From Dharma Master Dao'an of the Jin to Zhisheng of the Tang, who compiled catalogues and illustrated scriptures, there were over ten authorities. Even today, the scriptures of the Tripiṭaka take Master Sheng’s Kaiyuan Shijiao Lu as the standard. Later generations have merely appended the Zongjian Lu and Fayuan Zhulin outside of the Tripiṭaka. Texts like the four-fascicle Suvarṇaprabhāsa-sūtra, the Mahāyāna Treatise, and our land's Zhengdao Ge still mostly remain excluded from the canon. Our court once appointed prime ministers as Commissioners of Scripture Translation and Style Embellishment, thus disseminating the Buddha Dharma to the utmost. Could there be no one to succeed Sheng? With translations originating long ago and transmission bringing scattering and loss, the genuine and the counterfeit mingle without any criterion to rely upon. How deeply to be lamented! Although Yun is already aged, he must still exert himself!

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Prefaced on the Double Fifth Day of the dingchou year of the Shaoxing era [1157 CE].

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The Great Being of the Snow Mountains gave up his body in quest of half a verse; / The brahmacārin Dharma-Lover split his bones in veneration of four lines. / Having long sunk in the sea of suffering, we now encounter this boat of compassion. Maintaining resolve and exhausting sincerity to cull the scriptures and assemble the treatises, one should place [this work] before an image, burn incense, and prostrate; silence the worldly thoughts of defilement; roam the Dharma forest of prajñā; and upon finishing the volume and closing the scroll, gather the mind to sit quietly, illuminate the fundamental essence of primal brilliance, and return to the nature-source of eternal quiescence. Although the myriad phenomena are actively deployed, yet even the single nonexistence is also cut off.

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Respectfully urged by Wujizi Fayun.

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Record of Conduct of Great Master Purun of Jingde Monastery in Suzhou

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Great Master Purun was named Fayun, courtesy name Tianrui, and styled himself Wujizi. His family name was Ge, and they lived for generations in Caiyunli of Changzhou. His parents prayed to the Buddha, dreaming of an Indian monk who said: “I wish to lodge my spirit here.” When he was born, his face matched the dream, and his auspicious marks were extraordinary. In infancy, whenever he saw a monk, he would joyfully rush toward him as if obtaining a precious treasure. At five, he took leave of his parents and bowed to the Venerable Cixing Pang as his master. Beginning with domestic instruction, his divine blade emerged from the whetstone. The following year, he recited all seven fascicles of the Lotus Sūtra from memory. At age nine he had his head shaved, and at ten he received full ordination. Based on the Dharma he received, he promptly mounted the locust-wood seat and expounded the precepts to the assembly. In the fourth year of the Shaosheng era, he set out to travel and study. He first visited Dharma Master Tongzhao to study the great teaching of Tiantai. Next, he came to the desk of Dharma Master Min of Tianzhu, faithfully receiving the profound discourse. Finally, pecking from within and without simultaneously, he obtained the Dharma from the Great Dharma Master Qingbian of Nanping; holding the ruyi sceptre on his behalf, he expounded [the Dharma] to the assembly. Soon his virtuous renown swept across the four directions, and his fragrant reputation flew far and wide. In the seventh year of the Zhenghe era, the prefect Ying Andao, Academician of the Huiyou Hall and Grand Master for Thorough Counsel, ceremoniously invited him to serve as abbot of Dajue Jiao Monastery in Songjiang, and recommended the grant of his current title, where scholars converged like rivers flowing east. Over the course of eight years, he lectured continuously on the Lotus, the Suvarṇaprabhāsa, the Nirvāṇa, and the Vimalakīrti, in large and small volumes, continuing by lamp into dawn, his compassionate rain pouring forth abundantly. Subsequently, because his loving mother had grown old and he wished to repay his filial debt to his parent, he declined his duties and returned home, dwelling at his ancestral cemetery, naming it Cangyun (Hidden Cloud). Though his dwelling was humble, those who arrived wearing straw sandals were exceedingly numerous, and those asking for guidance filled the doorway. He also created images of the Three Western Sages to broadly transform people. Later, when his mother suffered a slight illness, the Master went to her bedside at night, lectured on the Heart Sūtra, and recited the name of Amitābha Buddha. The Buddha emitted golden light, which his mother and those on all sides witnessed without exception. With this extraordinary auspicious omen manifested, she passed away peacefully at her end; the śarīra left after cremation were as bright as round pearls. After a few days, two lotus footprints appeared; the place of her rebirth could thus be known. Comparing this with that, his stepping onto the ferry of great righteousness might seem like taking an alternate path to the Dao. Yet when the perfected person accords with principle, where can he go that does not conform? Thus our World-Honoured One ascended to the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven to preach the Dharma to repay his mother's kindness, and the bhikṣu Aṅgulimāla took filial conduct even further. In the jiazi year of the Shaoxing era, the monks of the monastery led the assembly to the Cloud Hermitage to invite the Master back to the monastery to serve as their refuge. After he accepted, the following year he and his disciples escorted the image into the monastery, opened the Huage pavilion to house it, greatly flourished the sublime assemblies of the Lotus Society, and gathered a thousand people to recite the Contemplation Sūtra and recite the name of the Buddha of one's own nature and mind-only. He also established eight-precept retreat assemblies, as well as assemblies for the Suvarṇaprabhāsa, the Lotus, the Great Compassion, the Perfect Enlightenment, and the Diamond Sūtra, all as provisions for the Western Land. Literati, eminent scholars, and faithful members of the fourfold assembly drank in the Master's lofty character, and those who came crowded the roads; those who vied to advance toward him ultimately achieved transcendence. People like the Jinshi Wang Ling of Jinjiang, the Gongyuan Zhang Qi of Wulin, the Guolu Wu Yanying of Sanqu, the Dianshi Jin Tinggui of Jiayao, and Lady Qian of Wuhui, all were reborn in the Pure Land.

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The Dharma Master was broadly versed in the scriptures and histories, encompassing ancient and modern times; he possessed the talents of the eight provisions and harbored the ten items of virtue and goodness. He compiled the Collection of Translated Names and Meanings, annotated the Diamond Sūtra and the Heart Sūtra Commentary and Notes, and composed the Xiyin Ji, all of which circulated in the world. There were none that did not model the sacred transformation and promote the Tiantai school; his tasks of practicing for himself and transforming others were fully accomplished. One day, he asked to bathe, changed his clothes, sat upright facing west, and summoned his disciples, saying: “Each of you should contemplate that the fire of impermanence burns the entire world; seek early to deliver yourselves, and take care not to be indolent.” He also wrote a gāthā: “The jeweled tree towers into the clouds; / The purple-golden dais rises even higher. / Non-arising is born in that land, / Without moving a single thread. / Take this together with my testamentary letter to the virtuous spiritual friends; my final request is to ask the Abbot of Dinghui Hall and the Dharma Master of Baotong to lift my casket and ignite the fire according to this. There are no other matters.” Having spoken, he silently shed his mortal form. That night, the sound of the monastery bell carried far, and a wondrous fragrance filled the room. After the curtain of the casket was drawn, the assembly could still hear the Master reciting the Buddha's name clearly in their ears. It was the twenty-first day of the ninth month of the twenty-eighth year of the Shaoxing era [1158 CE]; he had lived in the world for seventy-one years and had been a monk for sixty-one rains-retreats. Beside the fragrant firewood, endless śarīra appeared.

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Alas! Without the Bohai Sea, there would be no space to contain waves that churn the sky; without the vast wilderness, there would be no room to spread wings that drape from heaven. Now the Dharma Master displayed the mark of the broad and long tongue, soared with whirlwinds into the heaven of supreme truth within the ocean of sarvajñā; even the ancient eminent monks could hardly surpass him. Recently, while repairing the Dharma Master's sculpted image, his disciple Great Master Wenbian was found to have recorded his conduct inside the image's repository. Incompetent and unworthy as I am, I have presumed to edit and polish it as a commemoration, wishing only to extol the virtues and goodness of our ancestral master so that future generations may know and transmit them.

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Recorded on the ninth day of the ninth month in the xinchou year, the fifth year of the Dade era [1301 CE], by the Dharma Heir and Abbot of Yongding Jiao Monastery, Great Master of Auspicious and Heroic Eloquence, Puqia.

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This record is placed before the Collection of Translated Names and Meanings so that readers may know the excellence of its author.

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Compiled by Great Master Purun, Fayun, of Jingde Monastery in Gusu

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As for “translation,” it refers to translating the speech of the Brahma Heavens and converting it into the language of the Han land. Although the sounds seem distinct, the meanings are largely identical. The Song Biographies of Eminent Monks states: “It is like turning over embroidered brocade: both the front and back display patterns, yet left and right are reversed.” “Translation” (yi) means exchange (yi); it refers to exchanging what is present for what is absent. Therefore, using the scriptures of this land, one reveals the Dharma of that land. The Rites of Zhou specifies that the officials in charge of the languages of the four quarters each had their own titles: those of the east were called ji, those of the south were called xiang, those of the west were called didi, and those of the north were called yi. The reason why all Western languages are now comprehensively referred to as “translation” (yi) is that during the Han dynasty, affairs were largely concerned with the north, and the northern translation officials were concurrently skilled in the Western languages. Thus, when Kāśyapa Mātaṅga first arrived and translated the Sūtra of Forty-Two Chapters, it came to be called “translation” (yi). As for “names and meanings,” that which can express is called the “name,” while that which is expressed is the “meaning.” As for names that can express, Hu and Sanskrit sounds differ; from the Han through the Sui, the Western Regions were uniformly regarded as Hu states. In the Tang, Dharma Master Yancong was the only one to distinguish Hu from Sanskrit: everything west of the Congling Mountains belongs to the Sanskrit stock, while everything to the left of the Iron Gate is called Hu territory. As for the Sanskrit sound: at the beginning of the kalpa, in the vast expanse, deities from the Ābhāsvara Heaven descended to become the ancestors of humanity, propagating the Sanskrit sounds. Therefore, the Records of the Western Regions states: “Examining their script, it was formulated by the god Brahmā, establishing the initial rules with forty-seven phonemes. Combining them to designate things, they adapt and function according to circumstances; their lineages branch out, and their source has gradually expanded. Varying slightly according to locality and people, their general outline has not diverged from the original source. Central India is particularly detailed and standard; its phrasing and intonation are harmonious and elegant, identical to divine sounds, and its clear, bright resonance serves as a model for men.”

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Someone asked: “Tripiṭaka Master Xuanzang and Dharma Master Yijing traveled west to the Sanskrit lands and translated into Chinese in the east, pointing out ancient translations and proving them to be old errors. How could it be that Nāgārjuna of the first bhūmi discussed Sanskrit sounds without direct familiarity (as in calling Gṛdhrakūṭa ‘Vulture Peak,’ where kūṭa is ‘head’; Xuanzang said this was an error, and now it is given as jili-luoju-zha), and Kumārajīva of the three stages of sagehood translated into Qin speech without accuracy (Kumārajīva translated Rāhula as ‘Obstruction,’ while Xuanzang translated it as ‘Seizing the Sun’)? If both are erroneous, how could they evoke resonant communion, shed grace across ancient and modern times, and bestow blessings upon the unseen and visible realms?”

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Now I shall attempt to explain: between the states of Qin and Chu, the words for 'writing-brush' differed; in the times of the Yin and the Xia, literary embellishment and plain substance had different styles. How much more so is this the case when the Five Indias are distinct and a thousand years have rolled by! As times shift and customs change, speech alters and names move, so that the new transmissions of the Liang and Tang dynasties indeed differ from the old translations of the Qin and Jin dynasties. If one can grasp the meaning, why must one cling to the words? Though the fish-traps set are different, how does the fish caught differ? At the age of ten I, Fayun, was ignorant, yet presumptuously donned the three robes; later, when studying the sacred teachings, I was utterly ignorant of the Sanskrit language. Therefore, contemplating their meanings and considering their categories, I recorded them as I encountered them. However, since the passages in the sūtras and treatises were scattered, and the meanings in the commentaries and subcommentaries were vast, my additions and deletions across time took nearly two decades, finally compiled into seven fascicles and sixty-four chapters. The ten epithets and the three bodies are clearly arrayed in order; the four continents and the seven destinies are set forth as plainly as if in the palm of one's hand, sparing the toil of searching and providing the beauty of reliable testimony. Yet I feel ashamed that the heaven of meaning is so vast that my narrow tube-view cannot encompass it, and the ocean of teaching is so profound that measuring it with a snail shell cannot plumb its depths. For its various deficiencies and doubtful points, I earnestly await the broadly learned. Written in the Great Song dynasty, the thirteenth year of the Shaoxing reign era, the year guihai, on the final day of the second month of autumn, while residing at the Amitābha Cloister, supported through illness.

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First: The Ten Common Epithets
Second: Distinct Names of the Buddhas
Third: Common and Distinct Three Bodies
Fourth: Distinct Names of the World-Honoured One Śākya
Fifth: Common Epithets of the Three Vehicles
Sixth: Distinct Names of the Bodhisattvas
Seventh: Deliverance of the Five Bhikṣus
Eighth: The Ten Great Disciples
Ninth: General Group of the Śrāvakas
Tenth: Masters of Exegetical Treatises
Eleventh: Masters of Translation
Twelfth: Disciples of the Seven Assemblies
Thirteenth: Names of the Saṅgha Assembly

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First: The Ten Common Epithets

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The Futian lun sets forth the Three Jewels, saying: 'Accomplishing wondrous wisdom, whose practice reaches complete enlightenment, is the Buddha. The profound, subtle ultimate principle and the pure, earnest correct teaching are the Dharma. Observing the pure prohibitions, keeping to the true, and having a deportment that transcends the worldly is the Saṅgha. All are leaders of the four kinds of birth and a vessel for the six destinies; hence they are called Jewels.' The Master Wuji asked: 'As the Nirvāṇa [Sūtra] says: "That which is the teacher of all buddhas is the Dharma." Then in establishing the teaching one should take the Dharma as the first; for what reason did the bequeathed instructions place the Buddha first?' It is explained: Man can enlarge the Way; the Way does not enlarge man. The Buddha has the power to expound, whereas the Dharma has no power to reveal itself, just as a hidden treasure requires someone to point it out; therefore, the Buddha is named first, and only then is the Dharma shown. The Buddha has immeasurable virtues and also immeasurable names; therefore, in this collection we first list the ten epithets. As for the ten epithets: 1. the epithet of emulating prior footprints; 2. the epithet of being worthy of being a field of merit; 3. the epithet of universally knowing the dharmadhātu; 4. the epithet of the fruit manifesting the causal virtue; 5. the epithet of wondrously proceeding to bodhi; 6. the epithet of penetrating the false and reaching the true; 7. the epithet of gathering and transforming [beings] to follow the Way; 8. the epithet of conferring the Dharma according to capacity; 9. the epithet of awakening and returning to truth; 10. the epithet of being uniquely revered in the three realms.

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Sanskrit *tathāgata*, also called *dātājiājié*, was translated in the Later Qin as 'Thus-Come' (如來, Tathāgata). The Diamond Sūtra says: 'Coming from nowhere and going nowhere, hence he is called the Tathāgata.' This explains it in terms of the dharmakāya. The Turning of the Dharma Wheel Treatise says: 'The supreme truth is called "Thus" (*tathā*), and right enlightenment is called "Come" (*āgata*).' This explains it in terms of the saṃbhogakāya. The Tattvasiddhi-śāstra says: 'Riding the path of reality (*tathatā*) to come and attain right enlightenment, hence he is called the Tathāgata.' This explains it in terms of the nirmāṇakāya.

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*Arha*: the Qin rendered it as 'Worthy of Offerings' (應供, arhat). The Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says: 'He should receive the offerings of all heaven, earth, and living beings.' It is also translated as 'Slayer of Thieves' and also translated as 'Unborn'. The Guan wuliangshou jing shu says: 'In India there are three similar names: *arha*, translated as Worthy of Offerings; *arhat*, translated as Unborn; and *aruhāt*, translated as Slayer of Thieves.'

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*Samyaksambuddha*, also called *sānyēsānpú*, is in Qin words 'Correct and Complete Knower' (正遍知). The Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says: 'These words mean correctly and completely knowing all dharmas. Master [Kumāra]jīva said it means Correct and Complete Awakened One. Because dharmas are without error, he says "correct"; because wisdom is all-pervading, he says "complete"; because he awakens from the dream of birth and death, he says "awakened".' The Miaozong [zhang] says: 'These three epithets evoke the three virtues. Now, looking at what is contemplated, their meaning corresponds to the three truths: Correct and Complete Knower is prajñā, the truth of emptiness; Worthy of Offerings is liberation, the conventional truth; Thus-Come is the dharmakāya, the truth of the middle. Therefore the Vimalakīrti [Sūtra] says: "Ānanda! If I were to explain the meaning of these three phrases at length, you could not fully receive it even in a kalpa's lifetime."'

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*Vidyācaraṇasaṃpanna*: the Qin called it 'Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct' (明行足). The Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says: 'Knowledge of past lives, the divine eye, and the exhaustion of defilements are called the three knowledges. Although the three vehicles attain the three knowledges, their knowledges are not perfected; the Buddha alone is completely perfected in them. This is the difference.'

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*Sugata*: the Qin called it 'Well-Gone' (好去). The Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says: 'He departs into various deep samādhis and immeasurable wisdom.' It is also called *xiūjiādù*, translated here as 'Well-Gone' (善逝). The Bodhisattvabhūmi-sūtra says: 'He ascends to the supreme and never again returns, hence he is called the Well-Gone.'

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*Lokavid*: The Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says: 'This is named Knower of the World. He knows two kinds of worlds: first, living beings; second, non-living beings; as well as the true mark: he knows the worldly fruit, the worldly cause, the supramundane cessation, and the supramundane path.' The Bodhisattvabhūmi-sūtra says: 'Knowing all the afflictions and purities in the realm of worldly beings is called Knower of the World.'

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*Anuttara*: the Qin rendered it as 'Unsurpassed' (無上). The Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says: 'Just as among all dharmas nirvāṇa is unsurpassed, so among living beings the Buddha is also unsurpassed.' The Bodhisattvabhūmi-sūtra says: 'He alone is the supreme hero, hence named the Unsurpassed Person.' The Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra says: 'One who still has something to sever is called a surpassed person; one who has nothing left to sever is called an unsurpassed person.'

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*Puruṣadamyasārathi*: the Qin called it 'Tamer and Guide of Transformable Heroes' (可化丈夫調御師). The Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says: 'Because the Buddha has great compassion and great wisdom, he sometimes uses soft and gentle words, sometimes bitter and sharp words, and sometimes mixed words, so that beings do not stray from the Path. If one were to say the Buddha is a tamer of women, it would not be respectful; if one says heroes, all beings are subsumed.'

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*Śāstā devamanuṣyāṇām*: translated here as 'Teacher of Gods and Humans' (天人教師). The Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says: 'The Buddha instructs and guides: this should be done, this should not be done; this is good, this is not good; and people practice according to his teaching.' It also says: 'Few beings in the other destinies are delivered; many beings among gods and humans are delivered.'

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*Buddha*: The Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says: 'The Qin called it Knower (知者). Knowing all dharmas of past, future, and present, whether included among sentient or non-sentient beings, permanent or impermanent, etc., beneath the Bodhi tree, clearly and fully perceiving and awakening to them, he is therefore named Buddha.' The Hou Han shu's Treatise on Suburban Sacrifices says: 'In the Han language it means Awakened One.' Awakening possesses three meanings: first, self-awakening, realizing the true and permanent nature and comprehending delusions as empty and false; second, awakening others, exercising causeless compassion to deliver the realm of sentient beings; third, the perfection of awakening and practice, plumbing the source to its depths, with practice fulfilled and the fruit perfected. Hence the Avataṃsaka Sūtra says: 'The nature of all dharmas is unborn and unceasing; how marvelous is the Great Guide, who, awakened himself, can awaken others!' Master Sengzhao said: 'In the long slumber of birth and death, none can awaken themselves; the one who awakens himself and awakens others is none other than the Buddha.' The Miaole ji says: 'Translated here as Knower and Awakened One: relative to delusion he is called Knower; relative to foolishness he is called Awakened.' The Buddhabhūmi-śāstra says: 'Endowed with sarvajñā (all-knowledge) and sarvākārajñatā (knowledge of all aspects), free from the affliction obstacle and the cognitive obstacle. Regarding all dharmas and all aspects, he can awaken himself and also awaken all sentient beings. Like awakening from a dream, like a lotus blossoming, he is therefore named Buddha.'

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*Lokānātha*: The Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says: 'Translated as World-Honoured One (世尊, Bhagavat).' The Tattvasiddhi-śāstra says: 'Possessing the nine epithets above, he is revered and honored by all beings; hence he is called World-Honoured One, because he is universally revered in heaven and the human world.' If the meanings of these ten epithets are summarized briefly: having no falsehood is called Thus-Come; being a good field of merit is called Worthy of Offerings; knowing the dharmadhātu is called Correct and Complete Knower; possessing the three knowledges is called Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct; not returning is called Well-Gone; knowing the lands of living beings is called Knower of the World; having no equal is called Unsurpassed Person; taming the minds of others is called Taming Hero; being the eye of living beings is called Teacher of Gods and Humans; knowing the three aggregates is called Buddha; possessing these ten virtues is called Honoured One of the World. The Nirvāṇa Commentary says: 'The Āgamas and the Tattvasiddhi-śāstra combine Unsurpassed Person and Taming Hero into a single epithet, so that the count of ten is reached only with World-Honoured One. The Nirvāṇa Sūtra and the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa open Unsurpassed Person and Taming Hero into two epithets.' However, the Fuxing says: 'The Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa combines Unsurpassed Person and Taming Hero into one phrase.' This text is mistaken, as students should note.

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*Bhagavat* (婆伽婆): Master Huilin says: 'Bhagavat is the supreme name encompassing all virtues.' The Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says: 'First, it means having virtue; second, it means skillfully distinguishing all dharmas; third, it means having great fame, such that none has attained fame like the Buddha; fourth, it means being able to destroy lust, anger, and delusion.' The newer rendering says Bhagavat (薄伽梵), a name possessing six meanings. The Buddhabhūmi-śāstra says: 'The term Bhagavat operates according to six meanings: 1. sovereignty, 2. blazing brilliance, 3. majesty, 4. fame, 5. auspiciousness, and 6. honor. The verse says: "Sovereignty, blazing brilliance, and majesty, / Fame, auspiciousness, and honor; / Such six virtues having their meanings perfected, / Hence the name Bhagavat is proclaimed." What does this mean? Because the Tathāgata is never bound to any afflictions, he possesses the meaning of sovereignty. Because he is refined and tempered by the blazing fire of wisdom, he possesses the meaning of blazing brilliance. Because he is adorned with the wondrous thirty-two marks of a great being and the like, he possesses the meaning of majesty. Because he is perfected in all superior virtues and there is nothing he does not know, he possesses the meaning of fame. Because all worldly beings draw near, make offerings, and universally praise him, he possesses the meaning of auspiciousness. Because he possesses all virtues and constantly initiates skillful means to benefit and bring peace to all sentient beings without remiss or neglect, he possesses the meaning of honor.' Master Xuanzang of the Tang dynasty explained the five kinds of untranslated terms: 1. untranslated because of secrecy, such as dhāraṇīs; 2. untranslated because of manifold meanings, such as Bhagavat containing six meanings; 3. untranslated because the thing is absent here, such as the jambu tree; 4. untranslated to accord with antiquity, such as anuttara-bodhi, which could actually be translated, but since Kāśyapa Mātanga's time the Sanskrit sound has been retained; 5. untranslated to give rise to wholesome reverence, such as prajñā being profound and reverent, whereas "wisdom" is light and shallow; to make people give rise to respect, it is therefore not translated.

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Second: Distinct Names of the Buddhas

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Looking up, there is the true Dharma; looking down, conventional appellations are established. Though the names differ individually, their meanings also interpenetrate. Thus the Fayuan [zhulin] says: 'For instance, Śākya is translated as "Capable of Benevolence"; is there any buddha who is not capable of benevolence? Amitābha is called "Immeasurable Life"; is there any buddha who is not long-lived? It is only to suit capacities and establish conversion that names are set up in accordance with the world.' When titles are given, their functions differ, yet when meanings are revealed, their powers and applications are equal. Only then does one know that the immeasurable names throughout the three periods of time fully manifest the immeasurable virtues of all buddhas.

1.35

[Śākyamuni]: The Commentary on the Vimalakīrti says: "In the language of India, śākya means 'capable' (neng), and muni means 'benevolent' (ru); thus its meaning is 'capable of benevolence'." The Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says: "In a past life, Śākyamuni Buddha was a potter named Mahāprabhāsa. At that time there was a Buddha named Śākyamuni, whose disciples were named Śāriputra, Maudgalyāyana, and Ānanda. The Buddha and his disciples all went to the potter's dwelling for an overnight stay. At that time, the potter made an offering of grass mats, oil lamps, and molasses syrup, and made this aspiration: 'May I, in the future, become a Buddha whose name will be like this Buddha's, and whose disciples' names will also be like this Buddha's.'" The Upāsakaśīla-sūtra says: "I first aroused the aspiration under Śākyamuni, and under Kāśyapa Buddha completed the three asaṃkhyeyas. One should know that the three asaṃkhyeyas were properly completed under Vipaśyin. Saying 'Kāśyapa' now is because it includes the hundred kalpas." The Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says: "During the first asaṃkhyeya, the mind does not know for itself whether 'I shall become a Buddha' or 'not become a Buddha'. During the second asaṃkhyeya, although the mind is able to know that 'I must become a Buddha', the mouth does not proclaim that 'I shall become a Buddha'. During the third asaṃkhyeya, one clearly knows that one will attain buddhahood and speaks aloud without fear or hesitation: 'In a future life I shall attain buddhahood.' From the past Śākyamuni Buddha to Ratnaśikhin Buddha is the first asaṃkhyeya, during which the bodhisattva forever abandons a female body. From Ratnaśikhin Buddha to Dīpaṃkara Buddha is the second asaṃkhyeya; at this time, the bodhisattva made an offering of seven blue lotus blossoms to Dīpaṃkara Buddha, spread out his deer-skin garment, and laid down his hair to cover the mud, whereupon he received the prophecy: 'You shall become a Buddha, named Śākyamuni.' From Dīpaṃkara Buddha to Vipaśyin is the third asaṃkhyeya. Having surpassed the three asaṃkhyeyas, one plants the karmic causes for the thirty-two marks."

1.36

[Ratnaśikhin]: The name appears in the Abhidharmakośa. In the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa it is named Ratnaśikhin; here translated as Jewel Topknot (Baoji), or Jewel Summit (Baoding). When our Buddha, the Bhagavat, completed his first asaṃkhyeya, he encountered this Buddha. It is separated from the second Śikhin among the seven Buddhas by two asaṃkhyeyas. Previous masters took them to be the same, and therefore the difference is now clarified.

1.37

[Dīpaṃkara]: Also called Dīpaṃkara; here translated as Burning Lamp (Randeng). The Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says: "When the prince was born, the light around his entire body was like a lamp, so he was called Burning Lamp; even up until he attained buddhahood, he was also named Burning Lamp." The character deng in the Shuowen is written with the metal radical. Xu Xuan says: "Placing a candle in a ding vessel is therefore called deng." The Shenglei says: "One with feet is called ding; one without feet is called deng." Therefore, the Ruiying jing translates it as Dingguang (Lamp Light). The Zhihua says: "Ding is pronounced ding; it is of the genus of lamps. In ancient translations, the phonetic rendering differed; some said Randeng, others Dingguang. The words differ, but the meaning is the same; thus it should follow the metal radical." When Śākyamuni was practicing under the name Mānavaka, at the completion of his second asaṃkhyeya, he encountered Dīpaṃkara Buddha and received his prophecy.

1.38

[Vipaśyin]: Also named Weiwei; here translated as Supreme Contemplation (Shengguan). The Abhidharmakośa says: "When the three incalculable kalpas were completed, in reverse order he encountered Shengguan, Dīpaṃkara, and Ratnaśikhin Buddha, and the initial Śākyamuni." This is because the World-Honoured Śākya first planted the marks and signs under Vipaśyin Buddha; thus Vipaśyin is the head of the seven Buddhas. By virtue of his vigorous praise of Puṣya, he surpassed nine great kalpas; therefore, up to the present, ninety-one great kalpas have passed.

1.39

[Śikhin]: Also named Shiqi. The Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa translates it as Fire (Huo). According to the Foming jing, thirty kalpas have passed.

1.40

[Viśvabhū]: Translated as Everywhere Sovereign (Bian Yiqie Zizai). The Medicine King and Medicine Superior Sūtra says: "He was the final Buddha of the Alaṃkārakalpa."

1.41

[Krakucchanda]: Here translated as That Which Should Be Cut Off (Suo Ying Duan); also translated as Action Adornment (Zuoyong Zhuangyan). In the Bhadrakalpa, during the ninth decrease when the human lifespan was sixty thousand years, he appeared and accomplished the Buddha Way, serving as the head of the thousand Buddhas.

1.42

[Kanakamuni]: Here translated as Golden Sage (Jinji). In the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa he is called Kanakamuni. In the language of Qin, Golden Ṛṣi (Jinxianren). When the lifespan was forty thousand years, he appeared in Jambudvīpa.

1.43

[Kāśyapa]: Here translated as Light Drinker (Yinguang). When the lifespan was twenty thousand years, he appeared and accomplished right awakening. When the lifespan reached one hundred years, Śākyamuni dwelt in Tuṣita Heaven and observed the world in four ways. Thus the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says: "First, he observed the time: human lifespan being one hundred years, the time for a Buddha to appear had arrived. Second, he observed the land and its states: [a Buddha] is always born in the central country. Third, he observed the clan and caste: the kṣatriya caste has great authority, while the brāhmaṇa caste has great wisdom; whichever was honoured by the world at the time, the Buddha was born among them. Fourth, he observed his place of birth: what woman would be capable of conceiving a bodhisattva with the strength of Nārāyaṇa while also being able to preserve her own pure precepts? Having observed thus, only the queen of King Śuddhodana in Kapilavastu in the central country was capable of conceiving the bodhisattva. Having reflected thus, he descended from Tuṣita Heaven, and without losing right wisdom, entered the maternal womb."

1.44

[Maitreya]: The Xiyu ji says: "Meililiye in Tang is rendered Cishi (Benevolent Clan); that is the clan name. The old form Mile was an error." Kumārajīva said: "It is a clan name. Ajita is the personal name. He was the son of a South Indian brāhmaṇa." The Commentary on the Vimalakīrti says: "Some say it is named after the clan, but we now consider it not to be a clan, but rather a personal name. Why? Maitreya is here translated as Cishi. In the past, he was a king named Dharmaruci who benevolently nurtured the people of his country; from then until now, he has always been named Cishi. His clan is Ajita, which is translated here as Invincible (Wunengsheng). Some say Ajita is a personal name, but not having personally seen an authentic text, one cannot hold to this definitively." The Guan xiasheng jing says: "At that time Brahmāyu gave his son a personal name, calling him Maitreya."

1.45

[Bahuratna]: In Chinese, Great Jewel (Dabao), namely Prabhūtaratna Buddha; it appears in the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra.

1.46

[Puṣya]: The correct name is Puṣya. Master Qingliang says: "Also called Bosha; here translated as Increasing Abundance (Zengsheng), because he clearly penetrated supreme meaning." Also called Tiṣya, and also Tiṣya; here translated as Bright (Ming). It is also called Preaching Deliverance (Shuodu), because he preached the Dharma to deliver people. Master Kumārajīva explained Puṣya Bodhisattva, saying: "Among the twenty-eight lunar mansions, it is the name of the Gui (Ghost) constellation. He was born corresponding to the constellation Puṣya, and was named after it. It is also called the Feixing, or the Bo constellation."

1.47

[Lokeśvararāja]: Translated as King of Worldly Abundance (Shiraowang) in the Sūtra of Purity and Impartial Awakening, and as Sovereign King of the World (Shizizaiwang) in the Larger Sukhāvatīvyūha-sūtra.

1.48

[Dharmākara]: Here translated as Bhikṣu Dharmākara (Fazang); it was the name of the Buddha of Immeasurable Life when he was practicing on the causal stage.

1.49

[Amitābha]: Translated as Buddha of Immeasurable Purity (Wuliang Qingjing Fo) in the Sūtra of Purity and Impartial Awakening, and as Buddha of Immeasurable Life (Wuliangshou Fo) in the Larger Sukhāvatīvyūha-sūtra. The Sūtra in Praise of the Pure Land says: "The Bhagavat therein is named Immeasurable Life and Immeasurable Light."

1.50

[Akṣobhya]: The Vimalakīrti-sūtra says: "There is a land named Abhirati, whose Buddha is called Immovable (Wudong)." The Commentary says: "A means 'without', and kṣobhya means 'movement'."

1.51

[Ratnākara]: Here translated as Jewel Store (Baoji). Because it is an accumulation of dharma-jewels such as the undefiled faculties, powers, factors of awakening, and path, he is called Jewel Store. Question: "If so, should not all Buddhas be called Jewel Store?" Answer: "Only this Buddha is named after this jewel."

1.52

[Rucika]: Here translated as Weeping (Tiqi); also named Luca, and also Ruci, which is translated here as Delight (Aile).

1.53

[Viśvabhū]: The Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa says: "In the language of Qin, All-Surpassing (Yiqiesheng)."

1.54

[Devarāja]: In the language of Jin, King of Gods and Men (Tianrenwang). It is the title of buddhahood conferred by the Buddha upon Devadatta.

1.55

[Suśānta]: Also called Suśāntu; here translated as Extremely Pure (Shenjing). When his disciples were not yet mature, he entered nirvāṇa, leaving an emanation Buddha for one kalpa.

1.56

General and Specific Three Bodies: The Third (Specifically labeling Śākyamuni, generally applying to all Buddhas)

1.57

The myriad beings are submerged in delusion, dwelling in the three paths and transmigrating; the Ten Powers transcend to awakening, realizing the three bodies as perfect interpenetration. Therefore, the three truths in one sphere are jointly called the dharmakāya; this demonstrates the single nature. The three wisdoms in one mind are jointly called the saṃbhogakāya, and the three liberations in one essence are jointly called the nirmāṇakāya; these demonstrate the two cultivations. By means of this mutual adornment of concentration and wisdom, the dharmakāya is caused to be perfectly manifested; sphere and wisdom merge in identity, manifesting forms in response to beings—thus the three bodies are made clear.

1.58

[Vairocana]: The Fuxing says: "Here translated as Pervading All Places (Bian Yiqie Chu). The substance of the afflictions is pure, the myriad virtues are fully provided, body and land match each other, and he pervades all places." The Vijñaptimātratāsiddhi says: "First is the svabhāvakāya, referring to the pure, true dharmadhātu of all Tathāgatas, which is the equal basis of enjoyment and transformation, quiescent and free from marks, cutting off all conceptual proliferation, and possessing boundless true virtues; it is the equal real nature of all phenomena. This very self-nature is also called the dharmakāya." The Xuan of the Golden Light Sūtra says: "Dharma means that which can serve as a model; all Buddhas model themselves on it and attain buddhahood. Therefore the sūtra says: 'That which all Buddhas take as their teacher is what is called the Dharma.'" The Mahāyāna Treatise says: "Examining its dharmakāya, its real substance is profoundly tranquil beyond discursive thoughts; being quiescent, it is named extinction, and is able to serve as the support for physical forms. Now we ask: 'If being quiescent is named extinction, how can it be called the dharmakāya?' Answer: 'The Dharma is in truth without names; to expound and differentiate it for the sake of capacities, we designate the quiescent substance and arbitrarily term it the dharmakāya.' Question: 'Should the tranquil substance be the same as empty space?' Answer: 'All marks whatsoever are non-marks. One recognizes the five musical sounds to be like echoes in a valley, knowing that they have no real sound; one understands the myriad things to be like forms in a dream, seeing that all are non-matter. Emptiness and existence are non-dual, and the Middle Way is luminous; one must not, upon hearing of non-existence, consider emptiness to be total annihilation.'"

1.59

[Rocana]: The Xianshou Commentary on the Brahmajāla says: "The Sanskrit text has Rocana, which is translated here as Radiant Light Pervading and Shining (Guangming Bianzhao). Shining has two meanings: first, internally using the light of wisdom to illuminate the true dharmadhātu, which pertains to the meaning of self-enjoyment; second, externally using the light of the body to shine upon and respond to great capacities, which pertains to the meaning of other-enjoyment." Jingjue's Zabiān says: "Rocana is translated in the Ratnakāraṇḍa-sūtra as Pure and Complete (Jingman). Because all evils are utterly exhausted, it is called pure; because the myriad virtues are fully rounded, it is called complete. This is mostly named from the perspective of the reward of self-enjoyment. Or it is translated as Radiant Light Pervading and Shining, which is mostly designated from the perspective of the reward of other-enjoyment. If one discusses matter and mind both attaining purity and completeness, and body and wisdom both possessing radiant light, then both names apply to both self-enjoyment and other-enjoyment." The Vijñaptimātratāsiddhi says: "Second is the saṃbhogakāya, which has two kinds: first, the svasaṃbhogakāya, referring to all Tathāgatas who, through three incalculable kalpas of cultivating boundless provisions of merit, give rise to boundless real virtues; moreover, it is an extremely round and pure, eternal and all-pervading form body, continuously tranquil until the end of the future, constantly self-enjoying the vast joy of the Dharma. Second, the parasaṃbhogakāya, which, by virtue of the wisdom of equality, manifests an exquisitely pure body of virtues, dwelling in a purely pure land for the sake of bodhisattvas dwelling in the ten stages, manifesting great spiritual powers, turning the wheel of the true Dharma, severing the nets of doubts of beings, and causing them to enjoy the Mahāyāna Dharma joy. Combining these two bodies, it is called the reward body (saṃbhogakāya). The Mahāyāna Treatise says: 'What is called the reward body possesses supreme and wondrous causes and receives the fruit of ultimate bliss. Spontaneous and sovereign, definitively peaceful and joyful, and far removed from marks of suffering, it is therefore called the reward.'"

1.60

[Śākyamuni] The Zhihua says: "This translates as 'Capable of Benevolence and Silent.' Being silent, he does not abide in saṃsāra; being capable of benevolence, he does not abide in nirvāṇa. Because he exercises both compassion and wisdom, this fine appellation was established." The Fazhen says: "The Benqi jing translates Śākya as 'Capable of Benevolence.' The Benxing jing translates Muni as 'Silent.' 'Capable of Benevolence' is the family name, and 'Silent' is the personal name. The family name is taken from compassionately benefiting beings; the personal name is taken from wisdom implicitly matching the principle. Because he benefits beings, he does not abide in nirvāṇa. Because he matches the principle, he does not abide in saṃsāra." Changshui says: "'Silent' means that in manifesting forms there are no forms. 'Still' means that in presenting teaching there is no preaching. This, then, is the response that is identical with the real. Regarding 'Capable of Benevolence' as the family name, the Dīrgha-āgama says: 'Long ago there was a wheel-turning king of the Ikṣvāku clan. Listening to the slander of his secondary consort, he banished his four princes to the north of the Snowy Mountains. They founded a city of their own to dwell in, and through virtue people gathered to them; within a few years, it grew vigorously into a powerful state. The father king felt regret and remembered them, sending envoys to summon them back. The four sons declined because of their fault and did not return. The father king sighed three times: "My sons are Śākyas [capable]!" From this, the clan was named.' It also says: 'They lived in a grove of straight trees (śāka) and were also called Śākya; having established their state in the grove, they took the grove as their family name. This translates Śākya as straight grove.' Regarding 'Silent' as the personal name, the Benxing jing says: 'Moreover, the people of the Śākya clan were arrogant by nature and fond of much talk; but when they saw the prince, they all fell silent. The king said, "He should be styled Muni."' The Chengzan jingtu jing names him Śākya-Silent. Furthermore, Śākyamuni is translated as 'Crossing the Scorched Rock.' As listed in the old Avataṃsaka's 'Chapter on Names' and the Daśabhūmika-vibhāṣā: in the great ocean there is a rock named Scorched; myriad streams pour upon it, and upon reaching the rock they all dry up, which is why the water of the great ocean does not increase. Sentient beings transmigrating are like the scorched rock: the five desires pour upon them without ever satisfying them. Only the Buddha can ferry them across; hence this was made a name." Śākyamuni belongs to the response body (nirmāṇakāya). The Mahāyāna says: "What is called 'response' means according with faculties and conditions without contradiction, appearing in response to time, place, and destiny; because it is not the aspect of supreme bliss, it is called response. Moreover, upon the thousand petals surrounding this response body, a thousand Śākyas are further manifested. Each petal has ten billion lands, and each land has one Śākya. Therefore Śākyamuni is called the hundred thousand kotis of transformation bodies." The Vijñaptimātratāsiddhi-śāstra says: "The third is the transformation body (nirmāṇakāya). This means that through the wisdom of accomplishing actions, the Tathāgatas transform and manifest measureless bodies adapting to each class, residing in pure and impure lands, manifesting supernormal powers and preaching the Dharma to suit the capacities of bodhisattvas who have not yet ascended the stages, as well as those of the two vehicles and ordinary beings." If we divide the transformation body out from the response body, four bodies are formed: manifesting identity from beginning to end is called response; appearing suddenly from non-existence is called transformation. However, with this doctrine of the three bodies, if one clings to the meaning of identity, one loses the three bodies; if one clings to the meaning of separation, they conflict with the single substance. Now we may distinguish them thoroughly through three meanings. The first is essence and function. When wisdom unites with essence, it can give rise to great function. The self-enjoyment [body], subtly uniting above with the dharmatā, is the essence and is named the real body. The other-enjoyment [body], responding below to conditions and capacities, is the function and is named the response body. Therefore the Suvarṇaprabhāsa says: "The Buddha's true dharmakāya is like empty space; responding to things, it manifests forms like the moon in the water." That Avalokiteśvara manifests through the universal gate so that boundless people obtain both subtle and manifest benefits is due to these two bodies. The second is the provisional and the real. "Provisional" means temporary, and "real" means actual truth. Because it sets forth the provisional, arising from the superior to the inferior, the three Buddhas are distinguished separately; to reveal the real, proceeding from the inferior to the superior, it is simply one body. Therefore it is said: "My present body is precisely the dharmakāya." It also says: "The subtle and pure dharmakāya is endowed with the thirty-two marks." From this we know that according with capacities, three bodies are provisionally established, but with respect to the response, there is actually only one Buddha. The third is phenomenon and principle. The Guan jing shu says: "The Buddha originally has no body and no lifespan, nor does he have any measure; it is in accordance with the world that the three bodies are discussed." Thus, looking upward at the ultimate principle, it originally has no form; looking downward to accord with the capacities of things, traces descend to effect transformations. Like a bright mirror, the substance of the reflection is fundamentally empty; like the moon in water, the image was never real. If one should give rise to rigid grasping regarding traces and phenomena, one is no different from the foolish monkey falling into the well to its death. Those who study the world-transcending Dharma should indeed take warning from this!

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翻譯名義集 — 法雲, Classical Chinese