“正法”与“异言”之博弈:汉传佛教译经史上的“正名”问题讨论

A Study of the Rectification of Names in Chinese Translation of Buddhist Sutras

“正名”不仅是中国思想史内部的重要问题,也是汉传佛教译经史上的重大问题。佛经翻译中的“正名”,以出世救赎为主旨,主要包括经目名称的翻译以及经文名义的统一两方面,涉及如何理解佛典之正法、佛弟子声闻所听闻之法、译人所悟之法、译主个人语言习惯以及译场众僧文义之勘定等诸多问题,大致可从经名译名、翻译名义及其所涉佛法智慧和名相等不同层面进行论述。经名译名的确立,旨在明确新出经文在内容上的完备性,以儒家思想中的“名实相当”为原则去强调“正法”是有本可依的佛祖圣言。翻译名义的斟酌包括创造新的指称或故意隐去译经僧不想彰显的内容,旨在消除“异言”,在汉地重新建构佛典原文的“正法”。佛经翻译中的“正名”问题,表面上是因梵、胡、汉不同语言差异引起的翻译策略论争,实则是译经僧在译经过程中寻求和建构“正法”的历史。在佛经汉译过程中,“正法”和“异言”之间存在博弈,这一方面昭示了佛学作为一种全新的信仰和知识体系在汉地发生和发展过程,另一方面揭示了儒、释、道等不同思想在汉地经由语言转换实现的会通和调和。

Zhengming,or the Rectification of Names,a concept from Confucian philosophy,is a significant issue in the history of Buddhist scripture translation from about 148 AD to 1111 AD.Different from a political practice,which aims at engaging with the world and advocates proper naming and categorization of things in a way that reflects their moral prescriptivist impact,the Rectification of Names in translating the Buddhist scriptures is an inter-lingual practice,which is specifically associated with the construction of the“Authentic Dharma”in China by translating accurately and appropriately.In terms of the content,the issue of the Rectification of the Names in Buddhist scriptures can be reviewed from various aspects,including the translation of the sutra names and re-interpretation of the Buddhism thoughts implied in the scriptures.The former,focused on the establishment of the sutra names in Chinese,intends to ensure the completeness of the content of newly translated scriptures and emphasizes that the “Authentic Dharma”is based only on the words of the Buddha.The latter,including creating the new signified or intentionally omitting content that the Buddhist scholars do not wish to highlight,intends to eliminate inauthentic Buddhist thoughts,and reestablish the “Authentic Dharma ”of the Buddhist scriptures in China.Thus the Rectification of Names in Buddhist scriptures involves issues of understanding the meaning at different levels,such as the “Dharma”between the lines of the Buddhist scriptures,the re-narrated Dharma preached by Buddha's disciples,and the insights of the translators.It also deals with balancing the personal language habits of the principal foreign translators and the normative procedures of the translation in the ancient translation workshops.In this sense,translation is no longer a meaning transference but an integration of interpretations and adjustments.Buddhist scholars,who are responsible for translations,need to accurately understand and interpret the Buddhist philosophy,while adapting to different thoughts and doctrines,such as Confucianism,Daoism,and other schools,to make Buddhism more acceptable to Buddhist believers in ancient China.In this process,the Rectification of Names going beyond the pure linguistic enterprises intermingled with Chinese,Sanskrit,and some ethnic languages highlights the legitimacy and authenticity of Chinese Buddhism.Based on an exhaustive exploration of the intellectual history of Chinese Buddhism,this article revisits the issue of the Rectification of Names in the translation of Buddhist scriptures by analyzing important problems such as the correspondence between names and reality in sutra names,the selections and meanings in names,and the interpretation of names and their relative characteristics.It further examines the disputes between the“Authentic Dharma”and“Inauthentic Dharma”in the translation of Buddhist scriptures and reveals the efforts of translators in labeling Chinese-translated Buddhist scriptures as the authentic Dharma and being accepted by Chinese audiences.Exploring the complexity of the Rectification of Names in Buddhist scriptures translation can not only illustrate how Buddhism,as a new belief and knowledge system,was introduced from South-East Asia and evolved in China,but also reveal the convergence and reconciliation of different thoughts such as Confucianism,Buddhism,and Daoism in the process of translation.