2009-09-11

Mahāprajñāpāramitā Mahāvidyā Sūtra 摩訶般若婆羅蜜大明咒經 - English tr.from Kumārajīva's "Heart Sūtra"

Mahāprajñāpāramitā Mahāvidyā Sūtra - Kumārajīva translation

Also known as the Heart Sūtra (Hṛdaya)

Mahāprajñāpāramitā Mahāvidyā Sūtra - Kumārajīva translation


Most people in east asian Buddhism are familiar with Xuanzang's translation of the Heart Sutra, the one that is usually memorized, recited and everything else!  Few know, however, that well before Xuanzang's translation, there is an earlier one from Kumarajiva.


This file is basically just the Chinese of Kumarajiva's Heart Sutra on one side, and a clear and simple rendering of that into English, on the other.

~~ Huifeng

4 comments:

  1. Many Thanks for this Venerable, I' ll undoubtly reflect on it.
    Also I have downloaded sometime ago, I guess from your former page at Buddhistdoor, your translation of Master Yinshun' s "Investigation into Sunyata" (Chapters 1 & 3).
    Beautiful, extensive and unbelieveable clear! (To the pity of my Soto Zen teacher...Shhh! Let's not he be aware!) But... there is no more of it in this blog! ¿Are you working on an improved translation?
    In gassho...

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  2. Hi Mariano,
    Thanks for your interest and encouragement.
    At present, I am working with the Yin Shun Foundation on a full translation into English of the book "An Investigation into Emptiness" 空之探究. Should be out in maybe a year or so, if all goes well.
    ~~ Huifeng

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  3. Hello, this is the first entry I have seen in your blog, and it is very nice, indeed! I see that once again, it appears that Kumarajiva may be up to his tricks, adding commentary to the text (or perhaps his translation assistants may have mistakenly added his verbal instruction, thinking it was part of the translation). In any case, a very useful and eye-opening (for all of us only accustomed to seeing Hsuan-tsang's translation)! I look forward to reading more of your blog. - Edgar Cooke, Tokyo

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  4. Hello Olde Edo
    Thanks for your comments. I'm not so sure about "old tricks" for Kumarajiva. Many things he was once accused of have now found out to be mistakes of scholars, rather than anything dubious on his part.
    ~~ Huifeng

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