Book Reviews

Author(s): J W De Jong
Publisher: J W De Jong

Page 29

REVIEWS
255
Ōshika's edition. References to Nagao's translation are to the edition published in 1973. As to Lamotte's translation, references are to the French version because it contains Lamotte's own words but, in each case, the English version has also been consulted.
Chapter five describes how through the miraculous power of Vimalakirti thirty-two thousand thrones were placed in Vimalakirti's house. The Tibetan text has: sen-ge'i khri snatshogs sum-khri nis-ston ma 'dom par son ste. The Derge edition has 'dom, the Narthang zlos (not zlogs) as stated in the English translation of Lamotte p. 140, n. 10) and the Peking 'ons. Lamotte reads ma zlogs par soms te and translates: "Ces trente-deux centaines de milliers de trônes se rangèrent sans se gêner (avivaryam prajñaptāny abhuvan)." The English translation omits 'milliers': "These thirty-two hundreds of thrones set themselves down without hindering each other." Thurman follows Lamotte's French translation: "The thirty-two hundred thousand thrones arranged themselves without crowding" (p. 51). Nagao's translation, which is based upon the Derge edition, has: "All those various thirty-two thousand thrones had plenty of space (jubun no yoyu o mochi)" (p. 83). Nagao's translation is rather free but correct. The meaning of son-ba is 'to go in, to have room in' (cf. Jäschke, p. 563b) and there is no justification for reading soms. It is also not necessary to change zlos to zlogs. Zla-ba means 'to pass, get beyond' (Jäschke, p. 491b) 'passer, passer outre' (Desgodins, p. 879b). According to the Narthang edition the thirty-two thousand thrones found place in the room without going beyond it. The meaning of 'dom-pa is 'to meet, come together'. Probably the Derge text means that the thirty-thousand thrones found place without touching each other. It is interesting to note that only Nagao correctly translated sum-khri ñis-ston with 'thirty-two thousand'.
Another instance of an unjustified change in the Tibetan reading by Lamotte is to be found on p. 134, n. 25. The Tibetan text has: lus 'di ni rtag-tu bsku-ba dan mñe-ba dan 'jig-pa dan 'gyes-pa'i chos-can te. Lamotte changes bsku-ba to 'khru-ba and translates: "Ce corps a pour loi d'être toujours baigné et massé, mais néanmoins il se brise et se détruit." Nagao (p. 27) follows Lamotte (araiotoshitari kosuttari shite mo), but Thurman translates bsku-ba correctly by 'being anointed' (p. 22). Tibetan bsku-ba (cf. skud-pa) corresponds exactly to Pali and Sanskrit ucchadana. Lamotte remarks that all modern translators have misunderstood this expression which, in its Pāli form, is anicc'ucchadanaparimaddanabhedanaviddhamsanadhammo. However, the correct explanation was alreay given in 1932 in the Critical Pali Dictionary, cf. p. 172a: "subject to impermanence, inunction and rubbing off, dissolution and annihilation" [cf. also CPD II, 8 (1973), p. 350a s.v. ucchādana].
In some passages Lamotte does not translate the Tibetan text but the Chinese text. In chapter III the Tibetan text has: dal-ba 'byor-ba yan rñed-par dka'o /mir gyur-pa yan rhed-par dka'o "To attain a favourable condition (kṣaṇasampad) is also difficult; a human destiny is also difficult to obtain." Lamotte translates: "échapper aux conditions inopportunes est difficile, acquérir une destinée humaine est difficile" (p. 182). The Tibetan translation of kṣana by dal-ba has misled Thurman who translates: "Human life endowed with leisure and opportunity is very hard to obtain. To be a human being is very precious" (p. 32). Sanskrit kṣana 'favourable condition' was translated both in Tibetan and in Chinese by 'leisure' (Ch. hsia; Jap. itoma), one of the meanings of kṣaṇa. The original Sanskrit text read probably: kṣanasampad api durlabha. Nagao (p. 47) maintains the character hsia (Jap. itoma) in his translation, but this can hardly mean 'favourable condition' to present-day Japanese readers.
In the final chapter of the Vimalakirtinirdeśa Sakyamuni tells Sakra that prince Candracchattra left his home during the life of the Tathāgata Bhaiṣajyarāja: lha'i dban-po, de-nas rgyal-bu Zla-gdugs de de-bżin gśegs-pa de bźugs-btin-du dad-pas khyim-nas khyim medpar rab-tu byun-ste "O Devendra, then prince Candracchattra left home out of faith in order to enter the homeless life of a monk while the Tathāgata was alive." A few lines later the Parinirvana of the Tathāgata Bhaiṣajyarāja is mentioned. Both Lamotte and Thurman omit the words bźugs bźin-du. Lamotte translates: "Alors, ô Devendra, le prince Candracchattra quitta la maison dans l'excès de sa foi afin d'entrer dans la vie religieuse" (pp. 383-4). Thurman has: "Then, prince of gods, the prince Candracchattra, out of his great faith in the Tathāgata, left