Book Title: Reviews Of Different Books
Author(s): J W De Jong
Publisher: J W De Jong

Previous | Next

Page 14
________________ 310 REVIEWS incorrect readings which ought to have been checked against the Tibetan translation. However, I have not the slightest doubt that wherever Wayman's readings agree with the Tibetan version the manuscript has been correctly deciphered by him. The conclusion forces itself upon the reader that Shukla's edition is without any value for the following reasons: 1) It does not adequately reproduce the readings of his manuscript. 2) It is not based on a systematic and careful comparison with the Tibetan version. For the edition of a Sanskrit Buddhist text the Tibetan version is of the greatest importance. This is a fact well-known to every serious student of Buddhism. However, Chinese versions cannot be entirely overlooked, even if, in general, they are much less literal. Hsüan-tsang, the translator of the Śrāvakabhūmi, had an excellent knowledge of Sanskrit and his interpretation, even if it does not adhere literally to the original text, can be quite helpful in understanding a difficult passage. An interesting example is to be found on p. 144.1-5 of Wayman's book where we read: tvag-māmsa-sonitam asmākam anuprayacchanti / yad utānukampās upādāya viseṣaphalarthinaḥ tasyāsmākam tatha pratilabdhasya pinḍapātasyāyam evamrūpa ta rūpaḥ paribhogaḥ syad yad aham tatha paribhūtam ātmānam / sthāpayitvā paribhumjīya yathā teṣām kārāḥ kṛtā... Wayman italicizes the words ayam evamrupa... paribhumjiya and adds in a note that this phrase is an intrusion. Wayman finds this phrase further on in the Tibetan version: de-ltar bdag-ñid bźag-ste / yons-su lons-spyod-par byed-na / de-ltar yons-su lons-spyod-par byed-pa de ni/bdag-gi tshul dan mthun-pa yin-te. However, Wayman's hypothesis is proved wrong by the Chinese version which contains a passage corresponding to the phrase italicized by Wayman: (409a25-27) "After having obtained this food I must enjoy it in the following way (by making use of) an expedient (upāya). I must put myself in the proper way, enjoy it not wrongly and recompense the kindness of the giver so that he reaps a very excellent and great fruit...." The Tibetan version agrees both with the Sanskrit text and the Chinese version but the Tibetan translator has put the phrase, mentioned above, at the very end of the entire passage (Wayman's edition p. 144.5-20 T. 39a3-3963). For utānukampas read utanukampām, for ta rupaḥ read 'nurupaḥ (cf. Shukla p. 82.14 and 16), for paribhūtam paribhuñjānam, and add a danda after viseṣaphalarthinaḥ. A photocopy of the manuscript is available in Göttingen and we can only hope that a German scholar will prepare a proper edition of this important text. The Australian National University J. W. DE JONG Robert Shafer, Introduction to Sino-Tibetan, Part 3. Wiesbaden, Otto Harrassowitz, 1968. pp. 217-312; Part 4, 1970, pp. 313-408; Part 5, 1974, pp. XVI + 409-525. DM 48.-, 64.-, 112.-. The first two parts of Shafer's Introduction to Sino-Tibetan were published in 1966 and 1967 (see IIJ, XI, 1969, pp. 310-311). Parts three and four were published in 1968 and 1970. With the publication of part five the work is now completed. It contains a table of contents and reproduces on pp. IX-XVI a preface, a list of abbreviations, a list of symbols and a rough sketch of Sino-Tibetan, all of which had already been published in part one, pp. I-VII. Part five contains moreover a foreword by Helmut Hoffmann who has seen Shafer's work through the press beginning with the second half of the second part. This must not have been an easy task due to the 'extraordinarily desolate state of the original manuscript' mentioned by Hoffmann. A severe accident made it impossible for Hoffmann to see part five through the press. This has been done by Kamil Sedláček. The author, who died in 1969, was not to see the completion of his work, but he would certainly have been highly satisfied with the care bestowed upon his work by Hoffmann and Sedláček.

Loading...

Page Navigation
1 ... 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32