Tag: Translator

Why Kumarajiva Swallowed Needles

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Great Master Kumarajiva

Once, I had the privilege of listening to a pre-recorded dharma discourse by the esteemed H.H.  Dorje Chang Buddha III. During this enlightening session, His Holiness shared a captivating story that left a profound impact on my mind. It was the tale of Kumarajiva, a legendary figure who demonstrated his profound inner realization by consuming needles. Intrigued by this extraordinary account, I felt compelled to delve further into the remarkable life of Kumarajiva.

Kumārajīva was a Buddhist monk, scholar, missionary and translator from the Kingdom of Kucha (present-day Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang, China). Kumārajīva is seen as one of the greatest translators of Chinese Buddhism. According to Lu Cheng, Kumarajiva’s translations are “unparalleled either in terms of translation technique or degree of fidelity”.

Kumārajīva settled in Chang’an during the Sixteen Kingdoms era. He is mostly remembered for the prolific translation of Buddhist texts written in Sanskrit to Chinese he carried out during his later life.

At Chang’an, Kumārajīva was immediately introduced to the emperor Yao Xing, the court, and the Buddhist leaders. He was hailed as a great master from the Western regions, and immediately took up a very high position in Chinese Buddhist circles of the time, being given the title of National Teacher. Yao Xing looked upon him as his own teacher, and many young and old Chinese Buddhists flocked to him, learning both from his direct teachings and through his translation bureau activities.

Kumārajīva appeared to have a major influence on Emperor Yao Xing’s actions later on, as he avoided actions that may lead to many deaths, while trying to act gently toward his enemies. At his request, Kumārajīva translated many sutras into Chinese. Yao Xing also built many towers and temples. 

Yao Hsing was so impressed with Kumarajiva’s political acumen, intellectual talent and spiritual depth that he was impelled to try a eugenic experiment. He insisted that Kumarajiva move out of the monastic community into a private house staffed by female attendants. Yao Hsing believed that the offspring of Kumarajiva and carefully selected maidens would be as brilliant and talented as their father. Although Kumarajiva was repelled by the experiment, he refused to jeopardize the welfare of the translation centre by refusing to obey his emperor. He complied with Yao Hsing’s orders but was concerned about the effect his actions might have on the monastic community. He likened himself to a lotus growing out of the mud and enjoined the monks to attend to the lotus and ignore the mud.

However, it is widely understood that monks are expected to adhere strictly to the rules and precepts, diligently purifying their bodies and minds while maintaining purity in their six senses. Deviating from these principles, particularly by engaging closely with women and disregarding the precepts, can hinder the attainment of positive outcomes. Consequently, doubts began to arise among the Sangha regarding Kumarajiva’s integrity, leading to a decline in the commitment of some disciples to uphold the essential Buddhist rules.

When Kumarajiva became aware of the troubling trend spreading among the monks, he could not afford to be complacent. In response, he summoned all his disciples to gather before him, determined to address the issue head-on.

Before the perplexed audience, Kumarajiva unveiled a bowl filled with silver needles, their sharpness and gleaming appearance catching everyone’s attention. The monks were left wondering about the purpose behind Kumarajiva’s display.

In a solemn tone, Kumarajiva addressed his disciples, saying, “Not every monk is qualified to enter into worldly attachments and establish households. If you can swallow these silver needles as I do, then I will consider granting you permission to marry and have children. However, if you are unable to do so, you must never attempt to follow in my footsteps.”

Having spoken these words, Kumarajiva proceeded to place each silver needle into his mouth, consuming the entire bowl with a composed ease. The supernatural power exhibited by Kumarajiva left the assembled monks awe-struck, their eyes widened in astonishment. In the end, they were all convinced by Kumarajiva’s demonstration, believing him to be the true successor endorsed by the Buddha.

With this act, Kumarajiva showcased the potency of the correct Buddha Dharma. Consequently, no one dared to criticize him from that point forward. Instead, they committed themselves to diligent practice, upholding the precepts, engaging in self-cultivation, and abandoning any fantasies of pursuing worldly desires.

The community perceived Kumarajiva’s actions as an exemplification of self-sacrifice in the pursuit of the Bodhisattva Ideal, despite the disappointment he experienced due to the children of Yao Hsing’s experiment falling short of his grand expectations.

Why Kumarajiva Swallowed Needles

Link: https://peacelilysite.com/2023/05/11/why-kumarajiva-swallowed-needles/

#DorjeChangBuddhaIII#HHDorjeChangBuddhaIII #Kumarajiva #Buddhist #BuddhaDharma #SwallowNeedles #ChangAnChina #YaoxingEmperor #KuchaKingdom #InnerRealization #BuddhistPower #Monk

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kum%C4%81raj%C4%ABva, https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/great-lamas-masters/kumarajiva-the-great-translator-from-kucha.html, https://khyentsefoundation.org/the-life-and-legacy-of-kumarajiva/, https://japanesemythology.wordpress.com/study-notes-the-influence-of-kumaraju-kumarajiva-upon-japan/

Westerners Admire H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III

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Westerners Admire H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III

Examples of Inner Realization Vidya of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III .

Venerable Bodi Wentu Rinpoche is a Caucasian westerner and the first person to hold the position of translation teacher at Hua Zang Si. Rinpoche has read many sutra teachings. He strictly abides by the principles of cause and effect and strictly observes the precepts. He is a straightforward and honest person who devotes himself to cultivation and study and who does not shirk hard work. The Rinpoche’s main work involves translating material on the dharma. He has translated sutras and recorded discourses of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III . He also has translated the books of the Great Vajravarahi (Ah Wang Nuo Bu Pa Mu). He has deep merit from helping westerners learn the dharma. He ever told us stories about his personal experience and examples that reflects the greatest inner realization vidya of H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III .

Venerable Bodi Wentu Rinpoche

At the end of 1995, Bodi Wentu Rinpoche became a disciple of H.H.  Dorje Chang Buddha III  in Sichuan, China. After he returned to the United States from Sichuan, he began to translate the ten Dharma recorded discourses taught by H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III  from Chinese to English. Another Buddhist brother assisted him in this translation.

One day in 1998, when H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III  was visiting the United States, Bodi Wentu Rinpoche went to visit H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III  with an other Buddhist Losang Gyatso Rinpoche. The purpose was to present the translation of those discourses to the Buddha for review. The translations were placed in sealed envelopes. Right after they prostrated to the Buddha, the Buddha said, “You have earned great merit and made a great contribution to living beings. Although the translation you brought today contains some minor mistakes, it will still be of great benefit to westerners.” They were very surprised. Even before they reported the situation, the Buddha had already known what they were going to report.  This moved Bodi Wentu Rinpoche very much because it was incredible.

The second case occurred in 1999, in Missouri, where the Buddha received an honorary doctorate from the American Association of Colleges and Universities as an expression of their respect for the Buddha. After the presentation ceremony, all the people had dinner together. The president of a religious college asked if they could ask questions. The Buddha replied, “Ask whatever questions you would like to ask. All of my answers will satisfy you.”

During the question period, the Buddha answered all the questions easily, which evoked great admiration. The president of a religious college asked the most difficult question, but the Buddha answered with total ease. The Buddha’s perfect answer made the president blush with embarrassment. “I have lived in darkness all these years, and the master’s answer today really opened my eyes.” The chairman of the alliance of 83 colleges and universities slapped himself with excitement and regret. All around him the presidents and professors from the colleges and universities looked at him dumbfounded and didn’t know what to do.

Bodi Wentu Rinpoche has steadfastly followed the Buddha to practice true dharma. Rinpoche has now realized the status of a sage at the Golden Button Grade II, which  is amazing!

Westerners Admire Dorje Chang Buddha III

Link: https://peacelilysite.com/2022/04/22/westerners-admire-dorje-chang-buddha-iii/

#Dorje Chang Buddha III #H.H.Dorje Chang Buddha III #BuddhaDharma#BodiWentuRinpoche #AmericanAssociationofCollegesandUniversities#HonoraryDoctorate

To Live, To Dance, To Translate

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CAFA Lecture Bill Porter: To Live, To Dance, To Translate

TEXT：Sue Wang    DATE：2014.6.19

Bill Porter assumes the pen name Red Pine for his translation work. He was born in Los Angeles in 1943, grew up in the Idaho Panhandle, served a tour of duty in the US Army, graduated from the University of California with a degree in anthropology, and attended graduate school at Columbia University. Uninspired by the prospect of an academic career, he dropped out of Columbia and moved to a Buddhist monastery in Taiwan. After four years with the monks and nuns, he struck out on his own and eventually found work at English-language radio stations in Taiwan and Hong Kong, where he interviewed local dignitaries and produced more than a thousand programs about his travels in China. His translations have been honored with a number of awards, including two NEA translation fellowships, a PEN Translation Prize, and the inaugural Asian Literature Award of the American Literary Translators Association. He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship to support work on a book based on a pilgrimage to the graves and homes of China’s greatest poets of the past, which was published under the title Finding Them Gone in January of 2016. More recently, Porter received the 2018 Thornton Wilder Prize for Translation bestowed by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He lives in Port Townsend, Washington.

At 6:30 pm on June 12, 2014, the American writer, translator and Sinologist Bill Porter gave a lecture entitled “To Live, To Dance, To Translate” at the Auditorium of the CAFA (Central Academe of Fine Art) Art Museum. The lecture was jointly organized by the School of Humanities, CAFA, and CAFA Art Museum, the poet Xichuan presided over the lecture, and honoured guests included Xu Bing, Vice President of CAFA, Yu Fan, Jiang Jie, teachers of the Department of Sculpture, and poets Zhai Yongming, Ouyang Jianghe, etc., were also presentat the lecture.

Host Xichuan initially told the audience of his experience of his meeting with Bill Porter, whose pen name was Red Pine, his publications of the Chinese edition included “Road to Heaven”, “Zen Baggage”, “The Tour of Yellow River”, “Reading the Heart Sutra”, “Finding Tao in China”, “Silk Road”, etc.; his English translations include “Tao Te Ching”, “One Thousand Poems”, “Cold Mountain Poems”, “In Such Hard Times: The Poetry of Wei Ying-wu”, etc. Xichuan said Bill Poter’s translation was distinctive and creative which also made a contribution to English poetry itself, and he called Bill Porter immortal.

Bill Porter gave a lecture starting from his childhood experiences. He was born into a rich family, but he felt rich people had a deceptive smiling face, so they weren’t “real people”. Instead, he thought the “real people” were the servants of his family. At the age of 15, his parents divorced, and his father soon became bankrupt which made him relaxed and happy. It also made him clear that money was not the target he pursued in his life.

In 1972 Porter went to the Fo Kwang Shan Buddhist monastery in Taiwan, to concentrate on studying Zen. During this period of practice, Bill learned and translated Chinese, and he thought through translating, he would be able to learn another foreign language. In addition, this experience brought him freedom which was the biggest harvest for him, because he found that, although he could learn a lot of knowledge at Columbia University, it seemed like“delusions”, his thinking was controlled by the system. But the practice in the temple helped him depose the “delusion”, and obtain freedom.

In 1989, funded by Wang Wenyang, the son of a rich man in Taiwan, Bill was able to travel in China, and he started an historical record looking for hermits in the Zhongnan Mountains, combining the experience and the historical anecdotes, he wrote a book Road to Heaven. In 2012, at 69, Bill began the last trip – “finding them gone”. This time, along the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, he followed the footprints of 36 poets including Chen Zi-ang, Cao Zhi, Ruan Ji, Ouyang Xiu, Su Dongpo, Li Qingzhao, Bai Juyi and was able to have a dialogue with them across time and space.

In the lecture, Bill Porter wittily told the story of his learning Chinese and practicing in the mountains, engaging in translation for almost 40 years, his discovery that translating was the best way to understand a culture. For Bill, translation was a kind of “dance”, and moreover, the dance relied on Chinese culture. He took the translating process as the metaphor of the story Jiang Ziya Fishing, sometimes he spends a lot of time on the translation, waiting for inspiration through meditation, and with the help of others’ strength.

In the following Q & A, Bill Porter shared the harvest on the road of translation, the feeling of China, and the understanding of Zen. Bill said there wasn’t any correct or wrong translation, as there wasn’t any perfect “dance”, but one needed to see the inner heart, because translation was a performing art which allowed the pursuit of your own happiness. Bill was like a practicing person, he thought Zen had no thought, and the so-called“enlightenment” was also a kind of delusion.

After the end of the lecture, Xichuan gave some small gifts to Bill on behalf of CAFAM, and he himself gave a set of ancient coins of the Tang Dynasty to Bill Porter.

Text: Ye Yuanfeng, translated by Chen Peihua and edited by Sue/CAFA ART INFO

Photo: Hu Zhiheng, Quan Jing/CAFA ART INFO

CAFA Lecture Bill Porter: To Live, To Dance, To Translate

Link:https://peacelilysite.com/2022/04/02/to-live-to-dance-to-translate/

Source: https://cafa.com.cn/en/news/details/8322914

#CAFA#Translater#Sinologist#BillPorter#CultureExchange#China