Thus have I heard

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Translations of
Thus have I heard
Tibetan
འདི་སྐད་བདག་གིས་ཐོས་པ་དུས་གཅིག་ན
('di skad bdag gis thos pa dus gcig na)
TagalogGanito ang narinig ko
Vietnamesenhư thị ngã văn / ta nghe như vầy
Taiwaneselemangeda aken a maitucu
Glossary of Buddhism

Thus have I heard (

Sanskrit: Evaṃ mayā śrūtam) is the common translation of the first line of the standard introduction (Pāli and Sanskrit: nidāna) of Buddhist discourses. This phrase serves to confirm that the discourse is coming from the Buddha himself, as a "seal of authenticity".[1][2] Buddhist tradition maintains that the disciple Ānanda used the formula for the first time, as a form of personal testimony, but this is disputed by some scholars. It is also disputed how the phrase relates to the words that follow, and several theories have been developed with regard to how the text was originally intended to be read. The formula has also been used in later Mahāyāna and Vajrayāna
discourses.

History and function

Colored limestone sculpture of monk holding unidentified object
8th-century Chinese limestone sculpture of Ānanda

According to Buddhist tradition—based on the

Buddhist Canon was established,[4] and Ānanda was given the role of rapporteur (Sanskrit: saṃgītakāra) of the Buddha's teachings, being the personal attendant of the Buddha.[5]

The formula is usually followed by the place where the discourse is given, as well as the names and numbers of those it is given to.

Early Buddhist Texts, other similar constructions are used, such as 'This was said by the Blessed One' (Pali: Vutaṃ hetaṃ bhagavatā) in the Itivuttaka.[8][9]

Interpretation and translation

The formula is glossed by the 5th-century Indian commentator

Jain texts, Sanskrit scholar John Brough (1917–84) concluded the formula indicates personal testimony as opposed to hearsay.[2][12]

Indologist

Buddha's word, but not because the discourse has been heard from the Buddha's own lips by the speaker. He does admit that the early Sanskrit texts contain a later interpretation of the formula, which does refer to personal experience.[16]

Indologist Étienne Lamotte (1903–83) argued it was the Buddha who had the formula placed at the beginning of the Buddhist discourses, conveying this through Ānanda.[17]

In addition, the formula may have been used by editors to standardize the discourses, as it is even used in discourses given by Ānanda himself.[11]

Punctuation

There has been considerable debate as to how the first sentences of the preface of Buddhist discourses should be translated, especially with regard to punctuation. There are three main opinions.

homoioteleuton; evaṃ, suttaṃ, ekaṃ and samayaṃ).[21][22] These rhyme patterns show that the two phrases, the first phrase starting with 'thus' (evaṃ me suttaṃ) and the second phrase, ekaṃ samayaṃ (Pāli; Sanskrit: ekasmin samaye), 'at one time', were seen as two separate units.[22] On a similar note, the first phrase has a vedha type metrical pattern, which is repeated by the second phrase, ekaṃ samayaṃ, 'at one time'.[23] Buddhist studies scholars Fernando Tola and Carmen Dragonetti have also argued for this translation with a three-word pre-amble (the three words being evaṃ me suttaṃ), on the grounds that it gives the best meaning to the context.[24]

However, numerous scholars read the words 'at one time' (Pali: ekaṃ samayaṃ; Sanskrit: ekasmin samaye) as combined with the first phrase, making for a five-word preamble. In their opinion, the first lines should be translated to Thus have i heard at one time. The Blessed One was staying at ... in ...[19][18] This translation is often attributed to Brough, but was first proposed by Orientalist Alexander von Staël-Holstein (1877–1937).[25] Von Staël-Holstein preferred this translation, basing himself on Indian commentaries,[26] and Brough based himself on Tibetan translations, common usage in Avadānas and Early Buddhist Texts, as well as Pāli and Sanskrit commentators.[27][28] Indologist Oskar von Hinüber rejects Von Staël-Holstein's and Brough's interpretation, however. He argues that although in Sanskrit it may be possible to connect the two phrases in one sentence, in Pāli this is highly unusual. Von Hinüber further states that in the early Pāli texts, as well as the Pāli commentaries, separating the two phrases is actually quite common.[29] Konrad Klaus agrees with von Hinüber's arguments.[30] Buddhist studies scholar Brian Galloway further states that many Tibetan and Indian commentators such as Vimalamitra (8th century) did not support a five-word but rather a three-word pre-amble, reading at one time with the text following it.[31][32] Religious Studies scholar Mark Tatz disagrees with Galloway's interpretation, however, providing several reasons.[33] In response, Galloway rejects most of Tatz' arguments.[34]

A third group of scholars believe that the details of the place should also be mentioned within the same sentence, with no punctuation: Thus have I heard at the one time when the Blessed one was staying at ... in ... This type of translation, called the "double-jointed construction", has been proposed by Religious Studies scholar Paul Harrison and Buddhologist Tilmann Vetter [nl].[35][20] Harrison bases himself on Tibetan translations and discussion in Sanskrit commentaries.[36]

Usage in Buddhist history

Kumārajīva in front of the Kizil Caves, Xinjiang
, China

Prior to the 5th century, Chinese translations of Buddhist texts would often translate the standard formula as Heard like this (

Kumārajīva (344–413 CE) started rendering the formula as Rushi wowen (Chinese: 如是我聞; lit. 'Like this I hear'), which became the standard Chinese translation, despite its unnatural construction.[37][note 1]

Mañjuśrī.[19] Modern scholarship has drawn into question the historical value of most of these introductions of Mahāyāna discourses, though some scholars do not exclude the possibility that some of the content of the discourses themselves goes back to the Buddha.[41]

Notes

  1. ^ The word order does not follow Chinese, but rather Indian syntax.[38]

Citations

  1. ^ Tola & Dragonetti 1999, p. 54.
  2. ^ a b Brough 1950, p. 424.
  3. ^ Nanayakkara 1990, p. 174.
  4. ^ a b Powers 2013, Evaṃ mayā śrutaṃ ekasmin samaye.
  5. ^ Buswell & Lopez 2013, Saṃgītakāra.
  6. ^ Keown 2004, p. 89.
  7. ^ Buswell & Lopez 2013, Er xu.
  8. ^ Buswell & Lopez 2013, Itivuttaka.
  9. ^ Analayo 2007, p. 19.
  10. ^ a b Przyluski 1940, p. 247, note 2.
  11. ^ a b Nanayakkara 1990, pp. 174–5.
  12. ^ Klaus 2007, p. 316.
  13. ^ a b Brough 1950, p. 425.
  14. ^ Klaus 2007, p. 319, "... durch Mitteilung durch Andere erworbenen wurde."
  15. ^ Klaus 2007, pp. 319–20.
  16. ^ Klaus 2007, p. 320–1.
  17. ^ Lamotte 2005, p. 190.
  18. ^ a b c Nattier 2014, p. 39.
  19. ^ a b c Buswell & Lopez 2013, Evaṃ mayā śrutaṃ.
  20. ^ a b Tola & Dragonetti 1999, p. 53.
  21. ^ Analayo 2007, pp. 5–6.
  22. ^ a b Allon 1997, p. 195.
  23. ^ Allon 1997, pp. 195, 246.
  24. ^ Tola & Dragonetti 1999, pp. 54–5.
  25. ^ Nattier 2014, p. 39 note 4.
  26. ^ Chen & Montoneri 2011, pp. 286–7.
  27. ^ Brough 1950, pp. 418, 423.
  28. ^ Klaus 2007, pp. 310–1.
  29. ^ Klaus 2007, pp. 311–2.
  30. ^ Klaus 2007, pp. 311–6.
  31. ^ Galloway 1991, p. 101.
  32. ^ Galloway 1997, p. 367.
  33. ^ Tatz 1993, pp. 335–6.
  34. ^ Galloway 1997, passim.
  35. ^ Nattier 2014, p. 39, note 5.
  36. ^ Klaus 2007, pp. 314–5.
  37. ^ Nattier 2014, pp. 40–1, 53–4.
  38. ^ Nattier 2014, p. 41.
  39. ^ Skilton 2004, pp. 745–6.
  40. ^ Walser 2005, p. 154.
  41. ^ Williams 2009, p. 39.

References

External links

  • Thus have I heard, overview of the punctuation debate as of 1994, by translator Maurice Walshe, archived from the original on 10 February 2006
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