Translation Note
This English translation is based on the sermons given by
three different Buddhist Masters (Master Lian-Sen, Master
Dao-Yuan and Master Zhi-Ding) on the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva
Sutra.
The Chinese language has some unique structures and
expressions which are not always translatable into
English. Where necessary, some
comments had been inserted in brackets and the original Chinese
sentence structures was altered to make it easier to read in
English. The goal is to achieve readability and ease of
understanding.
This Sutra was originally translated from Sanskrit into Chinese by
Tripitaka Master Siksananda. Unless it was indicated in the
Chinese Sutra text that the measurement units were those used in India,
it is
assumed
the measurement unit had been converted into that of the Chinese.
When the
Chinese text says the wall of hell is ten thousands "li" high, it is
not ten thousands miles as translated by some text. "Li" is a
Chinese measurement unit for distance which is approximately 0.3
miles or
0.33 miles. Also, "ten thousands" [wan] is a Chinese
expression which might literally means ten thousands or a metaphor for
an enormous number.
This English translation is also partially based on "The Sutra of
Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha's Fundamental Vows
Second Edition" translated by Upasaka Tao-tis Shih and edited by Dr.
Frank G.
French (Sutra Translation Committee of the U.S. and Canada). Many
of Sanskrit
terminology in this translation were directly borrowed from their
version
unless I found their choice to be less than optimal. I also
reviewed the "Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva"
produced by The Buddhist Text Translation Society (2000), "The
Bodhisattva Kishitigarbha Vow Sutra published by Yih-mei Guo (1997),
and "Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra" translated by Pitt Chin Hui (1959).
jyu
10/20/2005
