Reading Chinese Master Hsuan Hua’s 14-volume commentary of the Lotus Sutra, I’ve discovered another interesting twist in the interpretation of Kumārajīva’s Chinese translation of the Lotus Sutra. This comes in Volume 11 of Hsuan Hua’s commentary during the discussion of the practice of Bodhisattva Never Slighting in Chapter 20.
This bhikșu Never Slighting not only read and recited sūtras, but he also walked the Bodhisattva Path and made obeisance, to the extent that as soon as he saw members of the fourfold assembly from afar, he would deliberately approach them, bow, and praise them, saying, “I dare not slight you, for you shall all become Buddhas.” Bodhisattva practice like this isn’t easy to do. Could any of you do it? He bowed to both monastics and laypeople. He cultivated what others couldn’t cultivate.
Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary, v11, ch20, p180
When I read this I immediately recognized a discrepancy with Senchu Murano’s translation, which says:
“He did not read or recite sūtras. He only bowed to the four kinds of devotees. When he saw them in the distance, he went to them on purpose, bowed to them, and praised them, saying, ‘I do not despise you because you can become Buddhas.’ “
Never-Despising Bodhisattva’s lack of sutra reading is often emphasized in Nichiren Buddhism when discussing this chapter. For Hsuan Hua, however, the full Bodhisattva practice is an essential element of his Five Schools Buddhism. It is, therefore, essential that “Never Slighting not only read and recited sūtras, but he also walked the Bodhisattva Path.”
I checked the other English translations I have of Kumārajīva’s Chinese translation of the Lotus Sutra.
The BDK English Tripitaka Series offers:
“Furthermore, this monk did not concentrate himself on reciting the sutras but only paid homage such that, even when he saw the fourfold assembly from afar, he would go up to them, praise, and pay homage to them, saying:
I dare not belittle you, because you will all become buddhas.
Burton Watson’s 2009 Soka Gakkai translation offers:
“This monk did not devote his time to reading or reciting the scriptures, but simply went about bowing to people. And if he hap-pened to see any of the four kinds of believers far off in the distance, he would purposely go to where they were, bow to them and speak words of praise, saying, ‘I would never dare disparage you, because you are all certain to attain Buddhahood!’
Rissho Kosei-Kai’s The Threefold Lotus Sutra, A Modern Translation for Contemporary Readers offers:
“That monk did not apply himself to reading and reciting the sutras. Instead, he merely practiced bowing respectfully to people. Even when he saw one of the four groups in the distance, he would make a point of going up to them in order to bow respectfully and praise them, saying, ‘I could never find you unworthy of respect. All of you will become buddhas.’ “
Rissho Kosei-Kai’s 1975 edition offers:
And that bhikshu did not devote himself to reading and reciting the sutras but only to paying respect, so that when he saw afar off [a member of the] four groups, he would specially go and pay respect to them, commending them, saying: ‘I dare not slight you, because you are all to become buddhas.’
After using Hsuan Hua’s translation of the Lotus Sutra as part of my daily practice earlier this year, I wrote about discrepancies I had noticed. (See this post.) I did not notice the discrepancy in Chapter 20 at that time, but I did note a significant change in Chapter 4 when the rich man dons work clothes and visits with his poor son. Murano and all other English translators of Kumārajīva’s Chinese translation say the rich man looked “fearful” or “frightening.” Hsuan Hua’s translation, instead, had him “frightened.” In my post, I described this as an error in translation. It was later, when reading Hsuan Hua’s commentary, that I realized that this was not an error, per se, but a difference in interpretation. (See this post.)
In the case of Never-Despising Bodhisattva’s practice, the difference can again be seen as a difference of interpretation. But on this particular point Hsuan Hua has one supporter among the English translators.
While Leon Hurvitz’s 2009 translation had the rich man in Chapter 4 “frightful in appearance,” on the topic of Never-Despising Bodhisattva’s practice Hurvitz agrees with Hsuan Hua:
So this bhikşu did not simply read and recite the scriptural canon, but rather did obeisance, too, to the point that, when he saw the fourfold multitude from afar, he would make a special point of going to them, doing obeisance, and uttering praise, saying, ‘I dare not hold you all in contempt, since you are all to become buddhas!’
Hurvitz’s translation is unique in that he attempted to translate both Kumārajīva’s Chinese translation and the existing Sanscrit translations. Is that why he disagrees with all the other English translators? There’s no footnote at this point in his translation to explain his reasoning. In any event, the support of Hsuan Hua’s interpretation is thought provoking. This journey has been very rewarding.
