1 00:00:00,302 --> 00:00:01,016 Kumarajiva 2 00:00:01,461 --> 00:00:03,737 How does a monk who broke his vows shape reading scripture 3 00:00:04,621 --> 00:00:06,557 In the winter of AD 401 4 00:00:06,782 --> 00:00:08,436 A man arrived in Changan 5 00:00:08,662 --> 00:00:09,696 He was nearly sixty 6 00:00:10,061 --> 00:00:11,117 His hair was turning gray 7 00:00:11,262 --> 00:00:12,957 He had traveled a very long way 8 00:00:13,221 --> 00:00:14,836 He had not chosen to come 9 00:00:14,942 --> 00:00:15,577 More precisely 10 00:00:15,862 --> 00:00:17,117 He had been invited 11 00:00:17,341 --> 00:00:18,577 But look a little deeper 12 00:00:18,942 --> 00:00:20,597 He had actually been taken by force 13 00:00:20,942 --> 00:00:21,917 Seventeen years earlier 14 00:00:21,942 --> 00:00:24,797 An army of seventy thousand captured his homeland 15 00:00:24,902 --> 00:00:27,356 And carried him away like a war trophy 16 00:00:27,542 --> 00:00:29,457 Then he was detained in the northwest 17 00:00:29,702 --> 00:00:30,996 For seventeen whole years 18 00:00:31,578 --> 00:00:32,414 During those seventeen years 19 00:00:32,619 --> 00:00:33,954 He was forced to drink alcohol 20 00:00:33,979 --> 00:00:35,274 And forced to marry 21 00:00:35,579 --> 00:00:37,914 A monk ordained at seven 22 00:00:37,939 --> 00:00:39,378 Had his most fundamental vows 23 00:00:39,378 --> 00:00:41,354 Forcibly torn apart 24 00:00:41,698 --> 00:00:42,613 Yet this very man 25 00:00:42,979 --> 00:00:44,753 Over the next twelve years 26 00:00:44,818 --> 00:00:48,113 Translated some of the core texts of Chinese Buddhism 27 00:00:48,418 --> 00:00:52,274 The Diamond Lotus and Vimalakirti Sutras we read today 28 00:00:52,498 --> 00:00:53,497 Their rhythm 29 00:00:53,498 --> 00:00:54,293 Their cadence 30 00:00:54,619 --> 00:00:56,153 Were shaped by him 31 00:00:56,339 --> 00:00:57,658 Sixteen hundred years later 32 00:00:57,659 --> 00:01:00,113 His versions have hardly ever been replaced 33 00:01:00,458 --> 00:01:02,034 His name was Kumarajiva 34 00:01:03,469 --> 00:01:03,783 Hello 35 00:01:04,069 --> 00:01:04,543 Everyone 36 00:01:04,829 --> 00:01:05,843 I am Leo Wang 37 00:01:06,108 --> 00:01:07,067 At the end of our last episode 38 00:01:07,069 --> 00:01:09,627 I said Buddhism had been in China for almost three centuries 39 00:01:09,629 --> 00:01:12,323 The debate over elegance and fidelity in translation never stopped 40 00:01:12,429 --> 00:01:13,683 What was missing was one person 41 00:01:13,709 --> 00:01:16,843 Someone whose work could settle that debate 42 00:01:17,149 --> 00:01:18,867 At the end of AD 401 43 00:01:18,868 --> 00:01:20,524 That person entered Changan 44 00:01:20,748 --> 00:01:22,883 He was Kumarajiva the subject of this episode 45 00:01:23,228 --> 00:01:25,043 To understand what he later accomplished 46 00:01:25,069 --> 00:01:26,924 We need to start with his birth 47 00:01:27,149 --> 00:01:28,763 Because the course of his life 48 00:01:28,789 --> 00:01:31,043 Was set from the moment he was born 49 00:01:31,269 --> 00:01:32,424 But how that destiny would unfold 50 00:01:32,709 --> 00:01:33,804 Was something no one could guess 51 00:01:34,826 --> 00:01:37,762 Kumarajiva was born around AD 344 52 00:01:37,826 --> 00:01:39,266 His birthplace was Kucha 53 00:01:39,266 --> 00:01:40,841 Around present day Kuqa 54 00:01:41,066 --> 00:01:44,001 A vital crossroads on the Silk Road 55 00:01:44,266 --> 00:01:47,322 Merchants monks and envoys traveling east and west 56 00:01:47,426 --> 00:01:48,762 All passed through here 57 00:01:49,186 --> 00:01:51,522 Kucha was more than a place to pass through 58 00:01:51,667 --> 00:01:55,882 It was a major Buddhist center of the Western Regions 59 00:01:56,106 --> 00:01:57,341 Temples filled the city 60 00:01:57,587 --> 00:01:58,762 Eminent monks gathered there 61 00:01:58,986 --> 00:02:00,682 Growing up in that environment 62 00:02:00,706 --> 00:02:03,665 Buddhism was no foreign subject to him 63 00:02:03,667 --> 00:02:05,735 It was as ordinary as the air he breathed 64 00:02:06,161 --> 00:02:07,595 His father was Kumarayana 65 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:09,295 He came from India 66 00:02:09,480 --> 00:02:11,855 Kumarayana was born into an aristocratic Indian family 67 00:02:12,121 --> 00:02:14,335 He was meant to inherit the position of chief minister 68 00:02:14,401 --> 00:02:14,996 But he turned it down 69 00:02:15,360 --> 00:02:16,496 And became a monk 70 00:02:16,640 --> 00:02:17,596 Then traveled east 71 00:02:17,960 --> 00:02:19,096 Until he reached Kucha 72 00:02:19,601 --> 00:02:21,575 The king of Kucha held him in great esteem 73 00:02:21,640 --> 00:02:23,335 And gave him his younger sister in marriage 74 00:02:23,680 --> 00:02:25,376 The princess was named Jiva 75 00:02:25,520 --> 00:02:27,256 She was the mother of Kumarajiva 76 00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:29,615 Jiva herself was exceptionally intelligent 77 00:02:30,001 --> 00:02:31,036 She later became a nun 78 00:02:31,520 --> 00:02:33,536 And reportedly practiced with great dedication 79 00:02:34,121 --> 00:02:36,096 Imagine the starting point of this child 80 00:02:36,520 --> 00:02:38,455 His father was an eminent monk from India 81 00:02:38,760 --> 00:02:41,376 Sanskrit and Buddhism were in his bones 82 00:02:41,841 --> 00:02:43,395 His mother came from the royal family of Kucha 83 00:02:43,841 --> 00:02:44,276 Intelligent 84 00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:45,376 And decisive 85 00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:48,135 When these two strands came together 86 00:02:48,281 --> 00:02:50,536 What kind of person would they produce 87 00:02:51,328 --> 00:02:53,863 Kumarajiva was ordained with his mother at seven 88 00:02:54,315 --> 00:02:55,115 Seven years old 89 00:02:55,728 --> 00:02:57,483 What was I doing at seven 90 00:02:58,048 --> 00:02:59,344 Probably chasing dragonflies 91 00:02:59,849 --> 00:03:01,703 He was already memorizing sutras 92 00:03:02,048 --> 00:03:04,304 And he was not merely bright in the ordinary sense 93 00:03:04,649 --> 00:03:07,911 His intelligence astonished his teachers 94 00:03:08,256 --> 00:03:11,152 As a boy he studied under renowned masters in different places 95 00:03:11,256 --> 00:03:12,391 First studying Hinayana 96 00:03:12,416 --> 00:03:13,752 Then turning to Mahayana 97 00:03:13,897 --> 00:03:14,411 According to the records 98 00:03:14,617 --> 00:03:16,671 He could memorize over a thousand verses a day 99 00:03:16,696 --> 00:03:19,231 And grasped scripture far faster than most people 100 00:03:19,416 --> 00:03:20,496 Before he was twenty 101 00:03:20,497 --> 00:03:23,351 He was recognized as a Buddhist prodigy across the Western Regions 102 00:03:23,617 --> 00:03:25,216 Kings in different countries 103 00:03:25,217 --> 00:03:26,951 Treated him as their teacher 104 00:03:27,136 --> 00:03:29,016 His reputation traveled like the wind 105 00:03:29,016 --> 00:03:31,312 From the Western Regions into central China 106 00:03:31,457 --> 00:03:34,433 And reached the ears of a very important man 107 00:03:34,618 --> 00:03:35,952 That man was Fu Jian 108 00:03:36,498 --> 00:03:37,536 Emperor of Former Qin 109 00:03:37,537 --> 00:03:40,993 Fu Jian had unified much of northern China 110 00:03:41,058 --> 00:03:43,593 He was one of the most powerful men of his age 111 00:03:43,857 --> 00:03:45,773 He had a real interest in Buddhism 112 00:03:46,018 --> 00:03:47,153 It was no mere show 113 00:03:47,377 --> 00:03:48,472 He heard people say 114 00:03:48,658 --> 00:03:51,713 A young monk named Kumarajiva lived in the Western Regions 115 00:03:51,817 --> 00:03:53,053 He understood Mahayana Buddhism deeply 116 00:03:53,417 --> 00:03:54,976 And his learning was unrivaled 117 00:03:54,977 --> 00:03:56,833 Fu Jian had an idea 118 00:03:57,018 --> 00:03:58,496 Whatever it took 119 00:03:58,498 --> 00:04:00,909 He wanted this man brought to Changan 120 00:04:01,254 --> 00:04:02,990 Around AD 382 121 00:04:03,055 --> 00:04:05,189 Fu Jian did something extraordinary 122 00:04:05,615 --> 00:04:09,349 He sent General Lu Guang west with seventy thousand soldiers 123 00:04:09,775 --> 00:04:11,670 Officially to expand his territory 124 00:04:11,854 --> 00:04:14,029 But privately Fu Jian gave him one instruction 125 00:04:14,215 --> 00:04:15,430 When you reach Kucha 126 00:04:15,495 --> 00:04:17,670 Bring Kumarajiva back to me 127 00:04:18,094 --> 00:04:19,790 Think carefully about this 128 00:04:20,134 --> 00:04:20,930 An emperor 129 00:04:21,254 --> 00:04:22,709 Mobilized seventy thousand soldiers 130 00:04:22,735 --> 00:04:23,970 And one of their key missions 131 00:04:24,214 --> 00:04:25,749 Was to seize a monk 132 00:04:26,374 --> 00:04:27,413 In Chinese history 133 00:04:27,415 --> 00:04:29,973 An army sent out to obtain a single monk 134 00:04:29,975 --> 00:04:31,681 I cannot think of another example 135 00:04:32,027 --> 00:04:33,222 In AD 384 136 00:04:33,667 --> 00:04:35,321 Lu Guang captured Kucha 137 00:04:35,707 --> 00:04:37,561 Kumarajiva became a war trophy 138 00:04:37,907 --> 00:04:38,982 But what happened next 139 00:04:39,547 --> 00:04:41,042 Was something no one had foreseen 140 00:04:41,626 --> 00:04:43,962 Lu Guang took Kumarajiva east 141 00:04:44,347 --> 00:04:45,022 Halfway along the journey 142 00:04:45,426 --> 00:04:46,482 News arrived 143 00:04:46,707 --> 00:04:49,001 Fu Jian had suffered a crushing defeat at the Fei River 144 00:04:49,227 --> 00:04:51,482 Former Qin was falling apart 145 00:04:51,907 --> 00:04:52,501 Not long afterward 146 00:04:52,707 --> 00:04:54,522 Fu Jian himself died 147 00:04:54,906 --> 00:04:56,322 Lu Guang stopped 148 00:04:56,786 --> 00:04:57,982 He could no longer return to Changan 149 00:04:58,667 --> 00:05:00,601 There was no one there to receive him 150 00:05:00,987 --> 00:05:03,482 So he declared himself king in Liangzhou 151 00:05:03,706 --> 00:05:06,042 And founded a small state called Later Liang 152 00:05:06,507 --> 00:05:09,442 Liangzhou was around modern Wuwei in Gansu 153 00:05:09,867 --> 00:05:12,641 And so Kumarajiva was left in Liangzhou 154 00:05:13,226 --> 00:05:14,781 He had been heading to Changan 155 00:05:15,187 --> 00:05:16,841 But got stuck halfway there 156 00:05:17,226 --> 00:05:17,781 And that delay 157 00:05:18,067 --> 00:05:20,588 Lasted seventeen whole years 158 00:05:20,893 --> 00:05:23,088 What happened during those seventeen years 159 00:05:23,612 --> 00:05:24,947 Detailed records are scarce 160 00:05:24,973 --> 00:05:26,908 But a few things are firmly documented 161 00:05:27,213 --> 00:05:28,747 Lu Guang was a military man 162 00:05:29,132 --> 00:05:30,088 He was good at fighting 163 00:05:30,293 --> 00:05:31,588 But knew nothing of Buddhism 164 00:05:31,612 --> 00:05:33,348 And cared nothing about it 165 00:05:33,773 --> 00:05:35,492 In his eyes Kumarajiva 166 00:05:35,492 --> 00:05:38,108 Was merely a valuable bargaining piece 167 00:05:38,492 --> 00:05:38,887 Keep him around 168 00:05:39,293 --> 00:05:41,187 And someday he might be worth something 169 00:05:41,653 --> 00:05:42,828 Worse still 170 00:05:42,932 --> 00:05:46,148 Lu Guang deliberately humiliated his monastic identity 171 00:05:46,612 --> 00:05:47,788 According to historical records 172 00:05:47,853 --> 00:05:50,668 He forced Kumarajiva to marry a princess of Kucha 173 00:05:50,733 --> 00:05:51,747 And made him drink alcohol 174 00:05:51,812 --> 00:05:54,148 Forcing him into acts a monk should not perform 175 00:05:54,612 --> 00:05:57,387 The vows he had kept since he was seven 176 00:05:57,453 --> 00:05:59,851 Were torn apart by someone 177 00:05:59,853 --> 00:06:01,404 Who did not care what they meant 178 00:06:01,550 --> 00:06:03,604 You may have experienced something like that 179 00:06:03,909 --> 00:06:05,805 Perhaps not in such extreme circumstances 180 00:06:06,149 --> 00:06:08,565 But something precious in your life 181 00:06:08,789 --> 00:06:11,365 Was destroyed with ease 182 00:06:11,430 --> 00:06:13,404 By someone who could not understand its value 183 00:06:13,709 --> 00:06:14,305 You could not stop it 184 00:06:14,709 --> 00:06:15,844 And could not explain it 185 00:06:16,349 --> 00:06:17,104 That sense of helplessness 186 00:06:17,589 --> 00:06:18,644 Runs very deep 187 00:06:18,909 --> 00:06:20,825 Kumarajiva lived in those circumstances 188 00:06:21,070 --> 00:06:22,245 For seventeen years 189 00:06:22,709 --> 00:06:23,904 What do seventeen years mean 190 00:06:24,469 --> 00:06:27,125 Living from twenty to thirty seven 191 00:06:27,310 --> 00:06:29,844 Or from thirty to forty seven 192 00:06:30,110 --> 00:06:31,704 The years when you have the most energy 193 00:06:31,950 --> 00:06:33,805 When you should be doing your best work 194 00:06:33,950 --> 00:06:38,425 He spent them all in a small northwestern city where no one came for him 195 00:06:38,649 --> 00:06:39,745 But he did not collapse 196 00:06:39,930 --> 00:06:40,945 Far from it 197 00:06:41,010 --> 00:06:44,209 In the years everyone thought were wasted 198 00:06:44,209 --> 00:06:45,825 He quietly did something 199 00:06:46,209 --> 00:06:47,545 He learned Chinese 200 00:06:47,849 --> 00:06:49,865 Not just enough for everyday conversation 201 00:06:50,050 --> 00:06:53,865 He learned to distinguish the weight of Chinese words 202 00:06:53,889 --> 00:06:55,568 Their rhythm and their flavor 203 00:06:55,570 --> 00:06:56,164 For seventeen years 204 00:06:56,490 --> 00:06:58,904 He listened to people in Liangzhou day after day 205 00:06:58,930 --> 00:07:00,784 Read books arriving from central China 206 00:07:00,849 --> 00:07:03,464 And explored the texture of Chinese word by word 207 00:07:03,769 --> 00:07:05,104 In modern terms 208 00:07:05,209 --> 00:07:08,425 He immersed his entire self in the Chinese language 209 00:07:08,450 --> 00:07:10,185 For seventeen whole years 210 00:07:10,729 --> 00:07:11,604 The significance of that 211 00:07:11,889 --> 00:07:13,688 Only became clear when he started translating 212 00:07:13,690 --> 00:07:15,144 And people finally understood 213 00:07:15,779 --> 00:07:16,753 Before him 214 00:07:16,818 --> 00:07:19,953 Everyone translating Buddhist scripture faced the same dilemma 215 00:07:20,258 --> 00:07:22,554 The debate we discussed in the last episode 216 00:07:22,979 --> 00:07:23,373 Translate literally 217 00:07:23,739 --> 00:07:25,354 And Chinese readers found it incomprehensible 218 00:07:25,898 --> 00:07:26,333 Translate freely 219 00:07:26,698 --> 00:07:29,034 And the precise meaning slipped away 220 00:07:29,539 --> 00:07:30,833 For nearly two hundred years 221 00:07:30,898 --> 00:07:33,914 No one found a solution that satisfied both sides 222 00:07:34,625 --> 00:07:39,159 Kumarajiva was the only one standing inside both languages 223 00:07:39,385 --> 00:07:41,440 His Sanskrit was at a native level 224 00:07:41,544 --> 00:07:43,400 He had grown up surrounded by scripture 225 00:07:43,784 --> 00:07:44,784 His Chinese 226 00:07:44,784 --> 00:07:48,039 Came from seventeen years immersed in life in China 227 00:07:48,224 --> 00:07:51,080 He was not building a bridge from one side to the other 228 00:07:51,224 --> 00:07:54,400 He had a foot rooted in the soil of each bank 229 00:07:54,585 --> 00:07:56,520 That intimate understanding of both 230 00:07:56,544 --> 00:07:59,749 Was something no earlier translator had achieved 231 00:08:00,054 --> 00:08:00,369 You see 232 00:08:00,894 --> 00:08:02,749 Fate is a strange thing 233 00:08:03,093 --> 00:08:07,189 Those humiliating years of apparently worthless captivity 234 00:08:07,254 --> 00:08:09,629 Gave him his most important preparation 235 00:08:10,054 --> 00:08:11,208 If Fu Jian had not died 236 00:08:11,614 --> 00:08:13,413 If he had reached Changan smoothly 237 00:08:13,413 --> 00:08:15,869 He might have started translating around forty 238 00:08:15,973 --> 00:08:18,348 Before his Chinese was ready 239 00:08:18,733 --> 00:08:20,453 Those seventeen years of delay 240 00:08:20,454 --> 00:08:23,808 Honed him into a blade no one else could forge 241 00:08:24,313 --> 00:08:25,633 In AD 401 242 00:08:25,633 --> 00:08:28,089 Yao Xing the emperor of Later Qin defeated Later Liang 243 00:08:28,354 --> 00:08:29,268 Yao Xing also revered Buddhism 244 00:08:29,553 --> 00:08:31,289 Even more devoutly than Fu Jian 245 00:08:31,553 --> 00:08:34,272 He formally welcomed Kumarajiva to Changan 246 00:08:34,274 --> 00:08:35,888 And honored him as a national teacher 247 00:08:36,154 --> 00:08:36,628 That year 248 00:08:36,873 --> 00:08:38,928 Kumarajiva was about fifty eight 249 00:08:39,274 --> 00:08:42,728 He finally reached the city he should have arrived in long before 250 00:08:42,953 --> 00:08:44,688 Almost twenty years late 251 00:08:45,274 --> 00:08:47,433 But perhaps that very delay 252 00:08:47,433 --> 00:08:49,184 Had made him ready 253 00:08:49,529 --> 00:08:52,904 Yao Xing established a translation center for him in Xiaoyao Garden 254 00:08:53,370 --> 00:08:55,985 This was no workshop with a few people behind closed doors 255 00:08:56,330 --> 00:08:58,144 It was a state level undertaking 256 00:08:58,529 --> 00:08:59,385 According to the records 257 00:08:59,449 --> 00:09:02,585 Over eight hundred monks and scholars participated 258 00:09:02,929 --> 00:09:04,324 Kumarajiva sat at the center 259 00:09:04,689 --> 00:09:06,184 Reading the Sanskrit original aloud 260 00:09:06,289 --> 00:09:07,745 And explaining it line by line 261 00:09:07,929 --> 00:09:10,465 Chinese monks beside him discussed the wording with him 262 00:09:10,610 --> 00:09:14,594 How to express it in the most accurate and natural Chinese 263 00:09:14,939 --> 00:09:16,299 In that translation center 264 00:09:16,299 --> 00:09:19,395 He translated the Diamond Sutra the Lotus Sutra and the Middle Treatise 265 00:09:19,420 --> 00:09:23,074 Along with the Vimalakirti Sutra and dozens of other core texts 266 00:09:23,459 --> 00:09:26,515 Later counts put the total at over three hundred scrolls 267 00:09:26,859 --> 00:09:29,054 Do you remember Dharmaraksha from the previous episode 268 00:09:29,500 --> 00:09:32,218 He translated about a hundred and sixty scriptures in his lifetime 269 00:09:32,219 --> 00:09:33,674 Already a remarkable achievement 270 00:09:33,979 --> 00:09:36,474 Kumarajiva was no less prolific 271 00:09:36,660 --> 00:09:38,194 But quality mattered even more 272 00:09:38,500 --> 00:09:41,194 Dharmaraksha translated the Lotus Sutra as Zheng Fahua Jing 273 00:09:41,339 --> 00:09:43,554 Kumarajiva later translated it again 274 00:09:43,579 --> 00:09:46,314 As the Miaofa Lianhua Jing we read today 275 00:09:46,699 --> 00:09:47,415 The same scripture 276 00:09:47,699 --> 00:09:48,674 Two translations 277 00:09:48,819 --> 00:09:51,795 Later readers almost always chose the version by Kumarajiva 278 00:09:52,620 --> 00:09:54,795 Not because Dharmaraksha had failed to work hard 279 00:09:54,859 --> 00:09:57,995 But because the depth of their understanding of both languages 280 00:09:58,020 --> 00:09:59,362 Was on a different level 281 00:09:59,627 --> 00:10:01,183 How important were these translations 282 00:10:01,747 --> 00:10:04,242 Let me offer a perhaps imperfect comparison 283 00:10:04,668 --> 00:10:05,382 Before him 284 00:10:05,828 --> 00:10:07,282 Reading Buddhist scripture in Chinese 285 00:10:07,468 --> 00:10:10,043 Was like reading a foreign poem through translation software 286 00:10:10,428 --> 00:10:12,203 The literal meaning roughly matched 287 00:10:12,267 --> 00:10:14,443 But you always felt something stood between you and the text 288 00:10:14,867 --> 00:10:15,583 After him 289 00:10:16,027 --> 00:10:17,762 Chinese readers picked up Buddhist scripture 290 00:10:17,867 --> 00:10:20,723 And suddenly felt it had been written in Chinese 291 00:10:20,747 --> 00:10:22,343 That clarity and fluency 292 00:10:22,627 --> 00:10:24,282 Without losing the original meaning 293 00:10:24,308 --> 00:10:26,101 Was something he first achieved 294 00:10:26,326 --> 00:10:28,062 More than sixteen hundred years have passed 295 00:10:28,446 --> 00:10:30,741 Walk into any temple today 296 00:10:31,047 --> 00:10:32,381 And listen to monks reciting scripture 297 00:10:32,927 --> 00:10:35,821 Or open the Diamond Sutra on your phone 298 00:10:36,206 --> 00:10:38,501 The rhythm and flavor of those sentences 299 00:10:38,606 --> 00:10:40,701 Still come from Kumarajiva 300 00:10:41,167 --> 00:10:43,422 As for what the Diamond Sutra actually teaches 301 00:10:43,527 --> 00:10:46,821 We already explored that in our Buddhist interpretation series 302 00:10:46,927 --> 00:10:48,341 So I will not go into it here 303 00:10:48,606 --> 00:10:50,701 Today I want to talk about the man 304 00:10:51,290 --> 00:10:53,986 One issue followed Kumarajiva throughout his life 305 00:10:54,131 --> 00:10:55,146 The monastic precepts 306 00:10:55,450 --> 00:10:56,425 He had broken them 307 00:10:56,851 --> 00:10:59,026 People discussed it in his own time 308 00:10:59,210 --> 00:11:01,945 And still raise it more than a thousand years later 309 00:11:02,210 --> 00:11:03,526 Can the scriptures translated by a monk who broke his vows 310 00:11:03,810 --> 00:11:05,246 Be trusted 311 00:11:05,731 --> 00:11:07,646 Does he deserve to be called an eminent monk 312 00:11:08,259 --> 00:11:10,174 How did Kumarajiva see this himself 313 00:11:10,820 --> 00:11:12,754 One account is widely told 314 00:11:13,100 --> 00:11:15,434 He offered his disciples a metaphor 315 00:11:15,860 --> 00:11:16,254 He said 316 00:11:16,779 --> 00:11:19,595 I am like a lotus growing in mud 317 00:11:20,059 --> 00:11:21,455 Take the lotus 318 00:11:21,740 --> 00:11:22,955 Do not concern yourselves with the mud 319 00:11:23,259 --> 00:11:24,818 Learn the Dharma I translate 320 00:11:24,820 --> 00:11:26,595 Do not imitate my personal conduct 321 00:11:27,059 --> 00:11:29,115 You can hear this as humility 322 00:11:29,499 --> 00:11:32,235 But I think it touches a deeper question 323 00:11:32,835 --> 00:11:34,769 Whether a scripture is translated accurately 324 00:11:34,794 --> 00:11:38,009 Depends on whether the translator truly understands both languages 325 00:11:38,154 --> 00:11:40,689 And truly grasps what the scripture says 326 00:11:40,955 --> 00:11:43,394 Whether his own life has flaws 327 00:11:43,394 --> 00:11:44,409 Is a separate matter 328 00:11:44,794 --> 00:11:46,409 Kumarajiva broke his vows 329 00:11:46,674 --> 00:11:47,909 But his command of Sanskrit 330 00:11:48,154 --> 00:11:49,394 His feeling for Chinese 331 00:11:49,394 --> 00:11:50,429 And his understanding of Buddhist thought 332 00:11:50,715 --> 00:11:52,049 Were not diminished 333 00:11:52,554 --> 00:11:55,809 This connects with a thread we have followed throughout this series 334 00:11:56,034 --> 00:11:57,669 As Buddhism traveled from India to China 335 00:11:57,955 --> 00:11:58,929 Along its entire journey 336 00:11:59,034 --> 00:12:00,889 A tension was always present 337 00:12:00,914 --> 00:12:04,250 Between the Dharma itself and the vehicle that carries it 338 00:12:04,634 --> 00:12:06,130 The teaching is one thing 339 00:12:06,514 --> 00:12:09,450 The people organizations and forms that transmit it 340 00:12:09,475 --> 00:12:10,803 Are another 341 00:12:11,028 --> 00:12:13,962 The life of Kumarajiva pushed that tension to its limit 342 00:12:14,227 --> 00:12:16,482 His observance of the precepts was incomplete 343 00:12:16,587 --> 00:12:17,866 Yet the translations he left behind 344 00:12:17,867 --> 00:12:20,362 Have remained almost irreplaceable for sixteen hundred years 345 00:12:20,827 --> 00:12:23,403 Xuanzang later translated the Diamond Sutra too 346 00:12:23,627 --> 00:12:25,323 With greater scholarly rigor 347 00:12:25,587 --> 00:12:26,783 Yet what temples recite 348 00:12:27,028 --> 00:12:28,063 What calligraphers copy 349 00:12:28,308 --> 00:12:29,626 And what ordinary people know 350 00:12:29,627 --> 00:12:32,202 Is still the version by Kumarajiva 351 00:12:32,788 --> 00:12:33,842 Sometimes I think 352 00:12:34,028 --> 00:12:36,923 Perhaps this is a test left for later generations 353 00:12:37,268 --> 00:12:38,923 Not a test of Kumarajiva 354 00:12:39,068 --> 00:12:40,882 But of everyone who reads scripture 355 00:12:41,268 --> 00:12:42,342 Are you looking at the man 356 00:12:42,627 --> 00:12:43,423 Or at the scripture 357 00:12:44,308 --> 00:12:46,523 Do you care about the mud on the finger 358 00:12:46,627 --> 00:12:48,382 Or the moon it points toward 359 00:12:49,892 --> 00:12:50,527 According to legend 360 00:12:50,892 --> 00:12:52,867 Before Kumarajiva died 361 00:12:52,931 --> 00:12:54,666 He made a vow in public 362 00:12:54,898 --> 00:12:55,699 He said 363 00:12:55,732 --> 00:12:58,666 If the scriptures he had translated contained no errors 364 00:12:58,772 --> 00:12:59,966 Then when his body was cremated 365 00:13:00,372 --> 00:13:01,867 His tongue would not burn 366 00:13:02,291 --> 00:13:03,887 The legend says that after his cremation 367 00:13:04,211 --> 00:13:05,786 His whole body turned to ash 368 00:13:05,852 --> 00:13:07,987 But his tongue remained intact 369 00:13:08,411 --> 00:13:10,227 Whether this story is fact 370 00:13:10,291 --> 00:13:11,987 I cannot verify for you 371 00:13:12,252 --> 00:13:14,666 Historical sources do contain this account 372 00:13:14,811 --> 00:13:17,387 But the distance between legend and historical fact 373 00:13:17,411 --> 00:13:18,946 Is clear to both of us 374 00:13:19,291 --> 00:13:22,227 Still its survival for more than sixteen hundred years 375 00:13:22,252 --> 00:13:24,227 Must reflect some need it met 376 00:13:24,612 --> 00:13:26,186 People needed a symbol 377 00:13:26,971 --> 00:13:28,131 They needed evidence 378 00:13:28,132 --> 00:13:30,186 Even if only symbolic evidence 379 00:13:30,252 --> 00:13:31,931 That the value of some words 380 00:13:31,931 --> 00:13:34,107 Is not reduced by the flaws 381 00:13:34,171 --> 00:13:35,346 Of the person who speaks them 382 00:13:35,852 --> 00:13:36,607 The tongue remaining intact 383 00:13:36,931 --> 00:13:38,371 Means the Dharma remains intact 384 00:13:38,677 --> 00:13:39,032 All right 385 00:13:39,356 --> 00:13:41,331 That brings our story of Kumarajiva to a close 386 00:13:41,517 --> 00:13:43,491 But the story of Buddhism entering China 387 00:13:43,637 --> 00:13:44,731 Is far from finished 388 00:13:44,923 --> 00:13:45,724 Think about it 389 00:13:45,877 --> 00:13:49,371 Kumarajiva brought a whole body of excellent translations 390 00:13:49,757 --> 00:13:51,156 But having those translations 391 00:13:51,157 --> 00:13:53,432 Did not mean Chinese people had truly absorbed them 392 00:13:54,076 --> 00:13:56,331 The scriptures now had lucid Chinese versions 393 00:13:56,517 --> 00:13:58,432 But how would Chinese people understand them for themselves 394 00:13:58,917 --> 00:14:00,792 How would they connect them with Laozi and Zhuangzi 395 00:14:01,196 --> 00:14:02,231 With the ancestors they revered 396 00:14:02,517 --> 00:14:04,191 And with their everyday lives 397 00:14:04,757 --> 00:14:07,172 How would they move from translators to creators 398 00:14:07,236 --> 00:14:10,512 And forge a Buddhist path of their own 399 00:14:11,351 --> 00:14:13,005 After Kumarajiva 400 00:14:13,231 --> 00:14:15,685 Chinese people no longer merely translated Buddhist scripture 401 00:14:15,910 --> 00:14:17,846 They began writing their own commentaries 402 00:14:17,951 --> 00:14:19,246 Founding their own schools 403 00:14:19,471 --> 00:14:22,885 Even creating traditions that had never existed in Indian Buddhism 404 00:14:23,270 --> 00:14:24,265 How did that happen 405 00:14:24,790 --> 00:14:25,986 Who took the first step 406 00:14:26,550 --> 00:14:26,905 We will leave those questions 407 00:14:27,310 --> 00:14:29,267 For the next episode 408 00:14:29,984 --> 00:14:32,167 What do you think of Kumarajiva 409 00:14:32,778 --> 00:14:34,413 Must someone who transmits truth 410 00:14:34,519 --> 00:14:36,743 Be perfect himself 411 00:14:37,233 --> 00:14:37,755 Or perhaps 412 00:14:38,083 --> 00:14:40,043 It is precisely his imperfection 413 00:14:40,067 --> 00:14:41,479 That makes him more moving 414 00:14:42,052 --> 00:14:43,889 Share your thoughts in the comments 415 00:14:44,157 --> 00:14:44,881 I am Leo Wang 416 00:14:45,211 --> 00:14:46,050 See you next time