佛典汉译“出经”及其概念功能

“Chujing”:A Concept of the Collaborative Buddhist Sutra Translation Practice in Ancient China

从中国东方学史的跨学科综合研究角度考察汉译佛经史,就会发现魏晋南北朝时期相关文献中频频使用的“出经”一词,不同于后来所说的“译经”或“翻经”,具有很强的概念功能。“出经”不仅包含“檀越请出→执梵本者口翻→译者口传→笔受→理味→校定→合本”这样复杂的程序环节,还需要“讲经”(宣讲)那样的特定场所的仪式活动,以使在场僧众成为“出经”的参与者、见证者,而这些都不是单纯的翻译活动。早期“出经”的主体多是“执梵本”的外僧,本土“译”(传译)者仅仅助其传达,因而“出经”一般不称“译经”,出经场所也不称“译场”。到了佛典汉译后期,玄奘对以往的“出经”方式做了彻底的简化改革,使其成为单纯的翻译活动,并且将“翻”与“译”合二为一,针对“五翻”而提出“五不翻”,以此终结了“出经”时代,进入了中国人自主翻译的“新译”时代。

“Chujing”(出经),a term used frequently in the initial stages of Buddhist sutra translation,was a distinct con⁃cept indicating the foreign monk-led collaborative translation practice at the time.During the Jin Dynasty and the Northern and Southern Dynasties(c.265-589),Buddhist sutra translation was practiced in a way different from how it is practiced today,which had been called“Chujing”,literally meaning bringing forth the Chinese version of Buddhist sutras.“Chujing”often in⁃volves all or most of the seven steps:(1)commission,(2)oral explication,(3)interpreting,(4)recording,(5)compilation,(6)checking and(7)editing.Some steps usually took place in Translation Forums(Yichan,译场),a kind of intensive semi⁃nar,where the foreign monk explained or propagated the Buddha teachings to a group of disciples who listened and took notes;al⁃so,rather than the Interpreter or the Recorder,it was the foreign monk,despite his lack of knowledge of the target language,who was billed as the Chief.This form of undertaking,which is different from modern practice which is solitary and almost exclusively written,may explain why it was called“chu”(出),meaning“bringing forth”,instead of“yi”(译),meaning“translating”.However,in the later phase of sutra translation,as the increased linguistic and theoretical expertise of Chinese monks rendered it unnecessary to depend on the explication and proclaiming of a foreign monk,the process was much simplified.Xuan Zang(602-664 CE),a famous monk conversant with Sanskrit,integrated the step of explication into translation and proposed Five Guide⁃lines for Not-translating a Term(五不翻),thereby ending the time of“Chujing”and ushering in a new era of Buddhist sutra translation.