《六祖法寶壇經》英譯策略初探：以成觀法師譯本為例

Abstract

佛教始於印度。凡所有稱得上佛經的典籍，都源自印度；《六祖法寶壇經》（733）是唯一非印度傳入華人世界的佛經。這部經典，不但是中國禪宗禪法的源頭，更是印度佛教漢化的里程碑。

1930年，黃茂林老居士首開《六祖法寶壇經》英譯先河之後，市面上就相繼出現了多達21個英譯本。2005年，成觀法師譯出了第二十個《壇經》英譯本。本論文主要探討成觀重譯《壇經》的前因後果，並根據過去十年中另外五個《壇經》英譯本為輔證，探討成觀本的眾多自創詞彙、《壇經》中幾個主要典故和文化詞，以及《壇經》中的21個異教詞彙是如何顛覆晚近佛典英譯的規範。All Buddhist sutras are records of words spoken by Buddha Gautama or his disciples, with the exception of The Altar Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch, a record of the life and discourses of the great Chinese Ch’an master Hui-Neng. This sutra is not only the source of Chinese Ch’an (Zen), but also a milestone in Chinese Buddhism. Following the first English translation of The Altar Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch, Hui-Neng by Upasaka Wong Mou-lam (1930), as many as 21 English translations have come onto the market. The Venerable Cheng Kuan's 2005 translation is the 20th English translation of Liuzu Tanjing to date. In this thesis, I will discuss Venerable Cheng Kuan’s reasons for retranslating the work. Also, with the aid of five other renditions from the past decade, this thesis will analyze three salient features of this Liuzu Tanjing translation, namely 1) the multiplicity of compounds coined by the translator; 2) classical allusions and cultural terms; and 3) the use of 21 words from the Old Testament. It will be shown how the above run contrary to transitional norms established by English renditions of Buddhist texts in the past decade.