梵本=the Sanskrit manuscript; 維摩詰經=Vimalakīrtinirdeśasūtra; 天女品=the “Chapter on the Goddess”; 觀眾生品=the “Chapter on Observing Sentient Beings”; 梵本語言現象=the language of the Sanskrit manuscript
Vimalakīrtinirdeśasūtra, as one of the most influential Mahāyāna sutra, advocates some Mahāyāna Buddhist concepts such as the Pure Land philosophy. These concepts shape the Chinese Buddhist thoughts so much that even the Chinese Chan School and Pure Land School all honor this sutra as the main source of their principle doctrine. Before 1999, due to the absence of the complete Sanskrit manuscript of this sutra, the scholarship cannot but rely their research only on the Chinese and Tibetan translations and the Chinese commentaries. However, in 1999, the Sanskrit manuscript of the sutra was found in the Potala Palace. Afterwards, the Sanskrit text was published in 2004 by the Study Group on Buddhist Sanskrit Literature from the Institute for Comprehensive Studies of Buddhism of Taisho University. And in 2006 its critical edition was published. Since there is significant difference between the newly found Sanskrit manuscript and the three extant Chinese translations, it is necessary to re-do the Chinese translation based on the newly found Sanskrit version. The reason to choose the “Chapter on the Goddess” for the re-doing of the Chinese translation in this research is that in this chapter is the most influential section where the Goddess spreads the heavenly flowers. Moreover, before this chapter, the sutra only puts emphasis on the inconceivable miracles shown in the Buddha land and by the Bodhisattvas. It is from this chapter the focus shifts into the ways of how Bodhisattvas should practice. Hence, this research aims at re-doing the Chinese translation based on the newly found Sanskrit manuscript. Besides, some language characteristics of the Sanskrit manuscript will be dealt with. Finally, the study will also present the possible relationship between the Sanskrit version and the extant three Chinese translations.
