Translation Projection
“This Dharma that I have found is profound, hard to see, hard to understand; it is peaceful, sublime, beyond the sphere of mere reasoning, subtle, to be experienced by the wise . . .” ”
After his spiritual awakening, the Buddha attracted a band of followers and instituted a monastic order (sangha). As an itinerant teacher, he taught all he encountered: spiritual seekers, ordinary people, officials, kings, young and old, men and women — each specifically according to their conditions and capacities. His teaching, most succinctly put, exhorted his followers at all times and in every situation:
The Dharma: The teachings and practices that develop our inherent wisdom and lead to the end of suffering. It means both the natural order of the universe, and the totality of the Buddha’s teachings. The second jewel of the Triple Jewel, the Dharma, is passed along from generation to generation. Translation of the canonical teachings from Indian languages into the various tongues of Asia was a massive undertaking. Its translation into the languages of the West is an even more daunting task.
With the idea of eventually translating the entire Buddhist Canon into English and other Western languages, the Master established the Buddhist Text Translation Society, in 1970. Although he understood English and spoke it when it was necessary, Master Hua always lectured in Chinese. His aim was to encourage Westerners to learn Chinese, so that they could become translators, not merely of his lectures, but of the major scriptural texts of the Buddhist Mahayana. His intent was realized. So far, the Buddhist Text Translation Society has issued over 130 volumes of translation of the major Sutras (Buddhist sacred texts), together with a similar number of commentaries, instructions, and stories from the Master's teaching.
“This Dharma that I have found is profound, hard to see, hard to understand; it is peaceful, sublime, beyond the sphere of mere reasoning, subtle, to be experienced by the wise . . .” ”
After his spiritual awakening, the Buddha attracted a band of followers and instituted a monastic order (sangha). As an itinerant teacher, he taught all he encountered: spiritual seekers, ordinary people, officials, kings, young and old, men and women — each specifically according to their conditions and capacities. His teaching, most succinctly put, exhorted his followers at all times and in every situation:
The Dharma: The teachings and practices that develop our inherent wisdom and lead to the end of suffering. It means both the natural order of the universe, and the totality of the Buddha’s teachings. The second jewel of the Triple Jewel, the Dharma, is passed along from generation to generation. Translation of the canonical teachings from Indian languages into the various tongues of Asia was a massive undertaking. Its translation into the languages of the West is an even more daunting task.
With the idea of eventually translating the entire Buddhist Canon into English and other Western languages, the Master established the Buddhist Text Translation Society, in 1970. Although he understood English and spoke it when it was necessary, Master Hua always lectured in Chinese. His aim was to encourage Westerners to learn Chinese, so that they could become translators, not merely of his lectures, but of the major scriptural texts of the Buddhist Mahayana. His intent was realized. So far, the Buddhist Text Translation Society has issued over 130 volumes of translation of the major Sutras (Buddhist sacred texts), together with a similar number of commentaries, instructions, and stories from the Master's teaching.
