越文《般若波羅蜜多心經》譯本之研究 --- 依唐三藏法師玄奘譯本為主=A Comparative Study of Different Vietnamese Translations of the Heart Sūtra – Based on the Translation by the Tripitaka Master Xuan Zang of the Tang Dynasty
At the morning and evening chanting sessions as well as Buddhist ceremonies in Buddhist establishments in Vietnam, the Heart Sūtra is generally included. Although many Buddhists there chant the sūtra, they are only chanting a transliteration of the Chinese version of the Sūtra. As this chanting is generally considered a tradition, practicing may have no way to understand and appreciate its full meaning. Following the introduction of the Romanized vernacular Vietnamese (writing), that is, the modern (written) language of Vietnam in the 19th Century, there appeared various translations of the Heart Sūtra. The differences in interpretation of the Buddhist ideas as embodied in the various translations are worth comparison and study. The results of such comparison and study will give Vietnamese of modern time a clear idea of the Heart Sūtra when it is chanted in Vietnamese. Therefore the main theme of this study is to compare the Chinese translation of the Heart Sūtra with its Vietnamese counterparts. This study initially scrutinized over 10 Vietnamese translations of the Heart Sūtra, all of them based on Xuan Zang’s original rendering. While all use Xuan Zang’s translation as the source, there appeared many differences in expression and interpretation. This was due to the diverse backgrounds of various schools Buddhist study which thus resulted in the discrepancies in the use of language, choice of words and styles of presentation. Nowadays, the more popular versions of the Heart Sūtra in Vietnam are those translated by the Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh and Ven. Thich Thanh Tu, both are eminent members of the Buddhist clergy, very learned and well-versed in translation. This thesis focuses on the comparison of the Chinese translation of the Heart Sūtra by Xuan Zang and those prepared by the two Vietnamese Chan masters. The thesis covers the 4 major items of study: 1. The Heart Sūtra research; 2. the lives of the two Vietnamese translators; 3. the comparison and study of the different (translations of) the Heart Sūtra; 4. the practical value of the two versions of the Heart Sūtra.
