번역과 독창적 사유 -동아시아불교의 정체성과 관련하여

Abstract

Produced within the framework of a systematic state enterprise with its own translation theories and manuals, Buddhist texts in Classical Chinese have been considered as one of the model cases of translation in terms of readability and accuracy. Concomitantly, it is generally assumed that the successful indigenization of the Indian tradition in East Asia was possible primarily through the readable and accurate translations of Indic texts into Classical Chinese. The unique characteristics of East Asian Buddhism was, therefore, a result of a series of a long process including ‘understanding and acceptance’ owing to accurate translation, ‘assimilation into local tradition,’ and finally, ‘forming their own unique identity.’ However, upon careful examination of the Buddhist terms in Classical Chinese, we find that this was not always the case. From the lens of modern Buddhist scholarship, where research is often carried out through comparative studies of Buddhist texts such as Sanskrit, Pali, Classical Chinese, and Tibetan texts, we find that some of the Indic Buddhist terms are inadequately and erroneously translated into Classical Chinese. This paper argues that accurate translations were not essential nor a prerequisite condition for the successful formation of an East Asian Buddhist tradition. Rather East Asian Buddhism, in a sense, began from misunderstanding generated by inaccurate translations. The most significant factor for making East Asian Buddhism unique, as we will see, was due to the continuing circulation of texts in translation, accurate or not, without referring to the original Indic texts. Moreover, this is a remarkable inspiration to Humanities in Korea, where scholars tend to refer to original texts--not to Korean translations--in scholarly discussions and for teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels.