How Buddhism Acquired a Soul on the Way to China - Jungnok Park †

How Buddhism Acquired a Soul on the Way to China - Jungnok Park †

7. Non-self but an Imperishable Soul in Chinese Buddhist Translations

How Buddhism Acquired a Soul on the Way to China - Jungnok Park †

Jungnok Park † [+-]
Oxford University
Jungnok Park, 1971-2008, was a Korean student of outstanding intelligence and originality. He began his university education only after spending 10 years (1989-1999) as a Buddhist monk. He had a brilliant career in the Dept. of Philosophy at Seoul National University; his MA thesis was on Nirvana and Buddhist Ethics. In 2003 he came to Wolfson College, Oxford, on a scholarship from the Korea Foundation. Already proficient in Classical Chinese and fluent in reading Japanese, he soon learnt enough Sanskrit and Pali to use them for his research. This book is based on his Oxford D.Phil. thesis, which he completed early in 2008.

Description

In Part I, introducing the translation procedure and analysing the cultural characteristics of Chinese Buddhist translation, I illustrated the cultural atmosphere that allowed the Buddhist translators arbitrarily to insert their opinions in the body of canonical translations. The use of Chinese terms indicating an imperishable soul, such as hunpo 魂魄, shenshi 神識 and jingshen 精神, in Buddhist translations affords a typical example of arbitrary interpolations or adaptations. In this chapter, I aim to demonstrate how the indigenous Chinese ways of thinking influenced Buddhist translation in China, by exploring and analysing the adaptations and interpolations that reflect the idea of an imperishable soul.

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Citation

Park, Jungnok. 7. Non-self but an Imperishable Soul in Chinese Buddhist Translations. How Buddhism Acquired a Soul on the Way to China. Equinox eBooks Publishing, United Kingdom. p. 177 - 195 Apr 2012. ISBN 9781845539979. https://www.equinoxpub.com/home/view-chapter/?id=19540. Date accessed: 21 Nov 2024 doi: 10.1558/equinox.19540. Apr 2012

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