Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c5.s2.t3.1

v1.c5.s2.t3.1

Asoka is a kind of tree belonging to the Caesalpiniaceae family. Its scientific name is *Saraca Asoca*, originally grown in India, Indo-China and the southwestern region of China. It is one of the Buddhist holy trees. ‘无忧’ (*wu you*) is the name of the Asoka in Chinese and its transliteration is *a shu jia* written with different characters (‘阿输迦’, ‘阿输柯’, ‘阿叔迦’ , ‘阿菽迦’, etc). *Juan* 09 of Baochang’s work, the *Sanskrit-Chinese Lexicon*, says that A shu jia shu 阿菽迦树 (Asoka tree) must be pronounced as A shu jia 阿输迦, and must be translated as *wu you* 无忧 (meaning, one without sorrow). *Juan* 10 of the same work has Asoka 阿输迦 referred to as *wu you hua shu* 无忧华树 (Asoka flower tree). *Juan* 26 of Huilin’s *Sound and Meaning of All Sutras* refers to A shu jia shu 阿叔迦树 (Asoka tree) as *wu you shu*无忧树. *Juan* 03 in *Collection of Terms in Translation* has A shu jia阿输迦 pronounced as ‘A shu ke’ 阿输柯 (Asoka). *The Great Treatise on the Perfection of Wisdom* also translates it as *wu you hua shu* 无忧华树.