Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c7.s4.t2.38

v1.c7.s4.t2.38

Translation Style and Later Evaluation As a prominent scholar studying both *Mahayana* and *Theravada*, Kumārajīva went east to Chang’an and “carried forward the ultimate doctrines, and publishing excellent classics”, in order to clarify the ambiguous border of *Mahayana* and *Theravada* in China and actively expand *Mahayana* Buddhism he believed as his own duty. His translation was extremely serious. Sengzhao’s preface to a 100 Treatises called him “brief and concise, dedicated to keep the essential points”. Sengrui’s preface to the *Treatise on the Perfection of Wisdom* called him “vulgar and dedicated, repeating a sentence three times, striving to be perfect, dedicated to keep the essential points”. His arduous work was conceivable from these descriptions. In his late years when translating *Daśabhūmika-sūtra*, as there were some difficulties unsolved, though he had the original text in hand, he delayed for more than a month until his teacher, Buddhayaśas, came to Chang’an from Kophen. He didn’t start to write until consulting his teacher. His serious attitude towards translation could be seen from this example. As for his translation style, it is generally believed that he tended to paraphrase, focussing on meaning rather than form. *Collection of Translation Records* said that he “was unique and highly unmatched, so his translation emphasised comprehension first to convey the Buddhism meaning”. It’s obvious that his primary purpose was to deeply transfer the thoughts of the original canon. Though he prioritised on conveying the meaning as opposed to precise literal rendering, as he knew well about Sanskrit and Chinese, *Theravada* and *Mahayana*, he was fully capable of modifying, adding or deleting his translation for convenience. In fact, he did realise “adaptation to local dialect, fun without distorting the original text” and “although the article is variant, it does not go against the central meaning”.