The Buddhist translation histories of ancient China (c. 150–1276) and Tibet (c. 617–1750): a comparative study

Abstract

Despite the parallels between the Buddhist translation histories of ancient China and Tibet – where Buddhism was introduced, translated into the local languages and then proceeded to follow widely divergent paths – no study comparing the two traditions has been published. In both regions, thousands of Buddhist texts were translated but into markedly different languages and in different historical and cultural contexts. What strategies did the translators of ancient China and Tibet use and how did they carry out their translations? Who were the translators, and what commonalities and differences can be found between the two traditions in terms of translation experience? This study aims to answer these and other questions by employing Wakabayashi’s model of comparative translation historiography. Since Wakabayashi’s work was published, no scholar of Translation Studies has utilized or advanced the methodology that she put forth. It is hoped that this study will help to fill this gap, that progress may be made toward advancing this methodology within the discipline of Translation Studies, and that a contribution will be made to historical studies of these regions. Data gathered in the study will be presented and analyzed, and the difficulties in carrying out this type of comparative research will be discussed.