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Today being Wesak Day, in order to commemorate the birth, enlightenment and Mahaparinirvana of the Buddha, I will do a comparison between the traditional Lotus Sutra translation against the Sanskrit translation. I believe the common version is the one translated into Chinese by Kumarajiva. Then others use his version and translated into English. The names of chapters below that I am using for comparison is the one used in Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai (2007 – publication by BDK English Tripitaka).
The common Lotus Sutra
version
Chapter 1. Introduction
Chapter 2. Skillful Means
Chapter 3. A Parable
Chapter 4. Willing Acceptance
Chapter 5. Herbs
Chapter 6. Prediction
Chapter 7. The Apparitional City
Chapter 8. The Five Hundred
Disciples Receive Their Predictions
Chapter 9. The Predictions for
Those Who Still Have More to Learn and for Those Who Do Not
Chapter 10. The Expounder of the
Dharma
Chapter 11. The Appearance of a
Jewelled Stupa
Chapter 12. Devadatta
Chapter 13. Perseverance
Chapter 14. Ease in Practice
Chapter 15. Bodhisattvas Emerging
from the Earth
Chapter 16. The Lifespan of the
Tathāgata
Chapter 17. Description of Merits
Chapter 18. The Merits of Joyful
Acceptance
Chapter 19. The Benefits Obtained
by an Expounder of the Dharma
Chapter 20. Bodhisattva
Sadāparibhūta
Chapter 21. The Transcendent
Powers of the Tathāgata
Chapter 22. Entrustment
Chapter 23. Ancient Accounts of
Bodhisattva Bhaiṣajyarāja
Chapter 24. Bodhisattva
Gadgadasvara
Chapter 25. The Gateway to Every
Direction [Manifested by Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara]
Chapter 26. Dhāraṇī
Chapter 27. Ancient Accounts of
King Śubhavyūha
Chapter 28. Encouragement of
Bodhisattva Samantabhadra
This is the more common text used in most Mahayana temples.
The Sanskrit version of the
Lotus Sutra
Chapter 1. Introductory
Chapter 2. Skillfulness
Chapter 3. A Parable
Chapter 4. Disposition
Chapter 5. On Plants
Chapter 6. Announcement of Future
Destiny
Chapter 7. Ancient Devotion
Chapter 8. Announcement of Future
Destiny of the Five Hundred Monks
Chapter 9. Announcement of Future
Destiny of Ananda, Rahula, and the Two Thousand Monks
Chapter 10. The Preacher
Chapter 11. Part 1 - Apparition of
a Stupa
Part 2 - Devadatta
Chapter 12. Exertion
Chapter 13. Peaceful Life
Chapter 14. Issuing of
Bodhisattvas from the Gaps of the Earth
Chapter 15. Duration of Life of
the Tathagata
Chapter 16. Of Piety
Chapter 17. Indication of the
Meritoriousness of Joyful Acceptance
Chapter 18. The Advantages of a
Religious Preacher
Chapter 19. Sadaparibhuta
Chapter 20. Conception of the Transcendent
Power of the Tathagatas
Chapter 21. Spells
Chapter 22. Ancient Devotion of
Bhaisajyaraga
Chapter 23. Gadgadasvara
Chapter 24. Chapter Called That of
the All-Sided One, Containing a Description of the
Transformations
of Avalokiteshvara
Chapter 25. Ancient Devotion
Chapter 26. Encouragement of
Samantabhadra
Chapter 27. The Period
The Sanskrit version is translated
by Hendrik Kern. The above chapters are extracted from his version. Note that
Chapter 11 is split into 2, otherwise there would be 28 chapters altogether,
same as the common translation version. The arrangements of the chapters are
somewhat different for a few chapters. For example, the chapter on “Dharani” is
usually chapter 26, but in the Sanskrit version, it is Chapter 21.
#TheLotusSutra #Wesak #ComparativeStudy
HAPPY WESAK
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