Kern, d1b, Blog

What’s Up, Doc?

This is the first in a series of weekly blog posts comparing and contrasting the Sanskrit and Chinese Lotus Sutra translations.

Definition of Rabbit Hole

Last week I mentioned that I’ve decided to compare and contrast H. Kern’s 1884 English translation of the Lotus Sutra with Senchu Murano’s 1974 translation.

Today I find myself engrossed in exploring one rabbit hole after another. Take for an example what happened when I attempted to compare the Bodhisattvas named in the first chapter of the Lotus Sutra.

Murano names 18 of the eighty thousand Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas present in the congregation:

  1. Manjushri Bodhisattva
  2. Regarder of the Cries of the World Bodhisattva
  3. Great Strength Bodhisattva
  4. Constant Effort Bodhisattva
  5. Never Resting Bodhisattva
  6. Jeweled Palm Bodhisattva
  7. Medicine King Bodhisattva
  8. Bold Almsgiver Bodhisattva
  9. Jeweled Moon Bodhisattva
  10. Moon Light Bodhisattva
  11. Full Moon Bodhisattva
  12. Great Power Bodhisattva
  13. Immeasurable Power Bodhisattva
  14. Above the Threefold World Bodhisattva
  15. Bhadrapala Bodhisattva
  16. Maitreya Bodhisattva
  17. Accumulated Jewels Bodhisattva
  18. Guidance Bodhisattva

Kern names 23 Bodhisattvas and adds an additional sixteen virtuous men.

page from Kern's translationBodhisattvas:

  1. the Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Mañjuśrī, as prince royal
  2. the Bodhisattva Mahāsattvas Avalokiteśvara
  3. Mahāsthāmaprāpta
  4. Sarvārthanāman
  5. Nityodyukta
  6. Anikśhiptadhura
  7. Ratnapāni
  8. Bhaiṣajyarāja
  9. Pradānaśūra
  10. Ratnacandra
  11. Ratnaprabha
  12. Pūrṇacandra
  13. Mahāvikrāmin
  14. Trailokavikrāmin
  15. Anantavikrāmin
  16. Mahāpratibhāna
  17. Satatasamitābhiyukta
  18. Dhārāṇidhara
  19. Akshayamati
  20. Padmasrī
  21. Nakshatrarāja
  22. the Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Maitreya,
  23. the Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Simha.

Virtuous men:

  1. Bhadrapāla
  2. Ratnākara
  3. Susārthavāha
  4. Naradatta
  5. Guhagupta
  6. Varunadatta
  7. Indradatta
  8. Uttaramati
  9. Viseshamati
  10. Vardhamānamati
  11. Amoghadarsin
  12. Susamsthita
  13. Suvikrāntavikrāmin
  14. Anupamamati
  15. Sūryagarbha
  16. Dhārāṇidhara

Now Mañjuśrī for Manjushri  is easy enough, and I already know that World Voice Perceiver’s Sanskrit name is Avalokiteśvara and Medicine King is Bhaiṣajyarāja. But what about the others?

In considering how to compare the two lists it occurred to me that in  Gene Reeves’ translation of the threefold Lotus Sutra he has a glossary of proper names. This lists the Name in English; the Category (Buddha, Bodhisattva, Buddha land, king, shravaka, etc.); Sutra (Lotus Sutra, Innumerable Meanings, Universal Sage); Sanskrit word; and the Chinese, Pinyin and Japanese characters.

Here are Reeves’ 18 names in English and Sanskrit:

  1. Manjushri Bodhisattva [Mañjuśrī],
  2. Regarder of the Cries of the World Bodhisattva [Avalokiteśvara],
  3. Great Strength Bodhisattva [Mahāsthāmaprāpta],
  4. Constant Effort Bodhisattva [Nityodyukta],
  5. Never Resting Bodhisattva [Anikśhiptadhura],
  6. Jeweled Palm Bodhisattva [Ratnacandra],
  7. Medicine King Bodhisattva [Bhaiṣajyarāja],
  8. Bold Almsgiver Bodhisattva [Pradānaśūra],
  9. Jeweled Moon Bodhisattva [Ratnatejobhyudgatarāja],
  10. Moon Light Bodhisattva [Ratnaprabha],
  11. Full Moon Bodhisattva [Pūrṇacandra],
  12. Great Power Bodhisattva [Mahāvikrāmin],
  13. Immeasurable Power Bodhisattva [Anantavikrāmin],
  14. Above the Threefold World Bodhisattva [Trailokavikrāmin],
  15. Bhadrapala Bodhisattva,
  16. Maitreya Bodhisattva,
  17. Accumulated Jewels Bodhisattva [Ratnākara],
  18. Guidance Bodhisattva [Susārthavāha].

But when I try comparing Reeves’ Sanskrit names to Kern’s I find I can’t match Jeweled Moon Bodhisattva, which Reeves lists as Ratnatejobhyudgatarāja.

Now I’m no Sanskrit scholar but even I know rāja is king. For example, Medicine King – Bhaiṣajyarāja.

When I Googled Ratnatejobhyudgatarāja I discovered that this is the Sanskrit name for Treasure-Power­-Virtue-Superior-King, the Buddha with whom Universal Sage is living when he hears the Lotus Sutra expounded in this Sahā World in Chapter 28.

At this point it occurred to be that the BDK Tripiṭaka translation of the Lotus Sutra uses only Sanskrit names in its translation of Kumārajīva’s Chinese translation.

The BDK Tripiṭaka names:

  1. Mañjuśrī
  2. Avalokiteśvara
  3. Mahāsthāmaprāpta
  4. Nityodyukta
  5. Anikṣiptadhura
  6. Ratnapāni
  7. Bhaiṣajyarāja
  8. Pradānaśūra
  9. Ratnacandra
  10. Candraprabha
  11. Pūrṇacandra
  12. Mahāvikramin
  13. Anantavikramin
  14. Trailokyavikrama
  15. Bhadrapāla
  16. Maitreya
  17. Ratnākara
  18. Susāthavāha

Now this compares well with Kern’s list with the exception of Candraprabha, who is Moon Light Bodhisattva.  Both Kern and Reeves use Ratnaprabha, but my limited Sanskrit tells me ratna means jewel. For example, Many Treasures Buddha is Prabhūtaratna. How could Kern and Reeves agree and also be  wrong?

So, sticking my head up from the rabbit hole, I look around and wonder just how this compare and contrast thing is going to work.

NEXT: The Arhats Present at the Beginning