Introduction

Introduction

Kumārajīva was one of the most important translators in Chinese Buddhist history and is mostly remembered for his prolific translation of Buddhist scriptures from Sanskrit into Chinese. Born in Kucha, present Xinjiang Province of China, as the son of an Indian Brahmin and a Kuchean princess, Kumārajīva received full ordination in the royal palace at age twenty and studied the Vinaya of the Sarvāstivāda school with the North Indian master Vimalākṣa. After that, he spent the next twenty years concentrating on Mahāyāna Sūtras and Śāstras.
 
Captured by the General Lu Guang, he was taken prisoner to China and his 16 years in imprisonment gave Kumārajīva the opportunity to learn Chinese. When the Later Qin regime conquered Liangzhou in 401 CE, Kumārajīva was taken to the Chinese capital of Chang’an where he was put as the head of a large translation staff.
 
Kumārajīva’s most important contribution to Chinese Buddhist history lies in the volume, variety, richness and quality of his translations. Kumārajīva and his staff translated 74 scriptures in 384 fascicles. Among the important texts translated by him are Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra (the Diamond Sūtra), Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra, Smaller Sukhāvativyūha, Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra Satyasiddhi-śāstra and Madhyamaka-śāstra. Besides this, his translations also included various types of songs, poetry, legends and stories.
 
Kumārajīva’s translations are the milestone in the whole history of Chinese Buddhist translation. Overall, his translations are clear and simple and easy to read. The meaning of the texts is explicit. His translations are famous for their florid and elegant style which clearly express the intended meaning. Compared to other translators, Kumārajīva’s translations are widely circulated and influential in Chinese Buddhist circles. Kumārajīva’s more accurate translations further stimulated the growth and popularity of Mahāyāna Buddhism. Among others, his works contributed to the development of Pure Land, Tiantai, Chan and Sanlun schools in China.
 
Kumārajīva’s translations helped shape the history of me dieval Chinese Buddhism. He taught a group of gifted students (Sengzhao, Daosheng,Sengrui, etc) who wrote texts that formed the foundation of East Asian Buddhism.
 
In summary, Kumārajīva's activities ushered in the second period of Chinese translations (fifth and sixth centuries CE) characterized by greater accuracy and widespread influence in the Chinese Buddhist community. 

 鸠摩罗什简介 

鸠摩罗什是中国佛教历史上最重要的经典翻译家，曾经把大量佛教经典从梵文翻译成中文。生于龟兹，今中国新疆省，为印度婆罗门和龟兹公主的儿子。鸠摩罗什廿岁时在宫中受具足戒，在毗摩罗叉门下学习说一切有部戒律。随后二十年则专注于学习大乘经论。
 
被吕光将军俘虏到中国和关在监狱里十六年，让他有机会学习中文。公元401年后秦政权占领凉州，鸠摩罗什被带到首都长安，在那里他带领众多学者从事译经工作。

鸠摩罗什在中国佛教史上最重要的贡献是翻译经典的数量多，以及超高的素质。共翻译经典七十四部共三百八十四卷。主要有《八千颂般若波羅蜜經》，《金剛經》, 《妙法蓮華經》,《佛说阿弥陀经》, 《維摩詰所說經》，《成實論》，《中論》等。除此之外，他的翻译也包括各种类型的歌曲，诗歌，传说和故事。

鸠摩罗什的翻译是中国佛教经典翻译史上一个新的里程碑。其翻译简单明了且易于阅读，内容明确。不但文言流畅，而且准确演述什深法义。其文采具有华丽和优雅的风格，清楚地表达佛陀原意。相对于之前的经典翻译，鸠摩罗什所翻译的经典在中国佛教界广为流传和具有很大影响力。鸠摩罗什更准确的翻译佛教经论激化了大乘佛教在中国发展和普及。他的成就后来也促成了净土，天台，三论和禅宗在中国的成长。

鸠摩罗什的翻译帮助塑造了中国中古佛教史。他门下有一群非常优秀学生（僧肇，道生，僧叡等）其著作成为东亚佛教的重要基础文献。

鸠摩罗什译经方面的功绩及其高度准确的译本对后世中国佛教影响深远.
 

The Organizers

This seminar is organized by the  Than Hsiang Temple,Penang .