A browse thro the bookshelves found these two books – spanning a period of 21 years odd.
The one in English - Buddhism in China – A Historical Study – by Kenneth Ch’en - bought in July 1988, not long after coming to work in Singapore at the Pearl Center next to Outram Park MRT Station.
The second book –written in Chinese by Ji Xianlin (1911.8.6-2009.7.11) – 季羡林自选集：佛 - Ji Xianlin Collection: Buddha - was a recent purchased in Nov 2009 at a Buddhist artifacts cum bookstore in Geylang East.
Among the number of books on Buddhism, and the many aspects of Buddhism – and being one interested in things historical – thro these readings – it has allowed me to gain a little insight into the spread of the religion from its cradle somewhere in Nepal to India and the rest of Asia.
Initial books were in English, and thro the years, thro self-study driven by an urge to understand one’s ‘mother tongue’ as well as to have a first hand knowledge of one/s ‘mother culture’ – it has gradually enabled me to read books in Chinese directly.
(If not directly – many of the web dictionary could help to translate the more difficult words)
The recent read by Professor Ji has an interesting article on how the Chinese word for Buddha - 佛 – fo - came about.
This single syllable word did not get into China directly from India but thro the translation of translated works of Tocharian - 吐火罗 - tuhuoluo - a defunct ancient tribe found in the Kushan Empire in NW India around 1st - 2nd CE.
Directly from India, Buddha was translated as - 浮屠 – futu – a two letter word – which is closer to its Sanskrit - 梵语- fanyu - origin. In early Chinese classics prior to adoption of the word 佛 by the literati, 浮屠 was commonly used.
Perhaps then,
释迦牟尼佛 - Shìjiāmóunífó - Sakyamuni Buddha – could be written as 释迦牟尼浮屠. –Shijiamounifutu .
And his teachings the Buddhist Dharma - 佛法 - fofa - would be written as - 浮屠法 –futu fa.
Well, with - 佛 – written as 屠法 – in this new ancient context it sounds and looks - 糊涂 – hutu - indeed!
(If you do not know Chinese - you can copy this word- 糊涂 - and paste it to the web dictionary in Reference - Mother tongue is fun! )
When Buddhism spread from across the mainland from China thro Korea tto Japan, the Japanese came up with a variant for writing 佛.
Perhaps the Japanese famous for their haiku –俳句 - short stanza poems and – and a knack on minimalism – ( they being the progenitor of using simplified Chinese characters ) simplified 佛 – to -仏 - and pronounced as – butsu - ぶつ - ( on reading) . or hotoke- ほとけ (kun reading ) .
Well, the Buddhist Dharma in Japanese is written as - 仏法. How then would you pronounce it : ぶつほう？butsu ho? No, it is - ぶっぽう - buttpo .
What a cupful indeed – from 浮屠 to 佛 to 仏 .. or was it just an empty half cup.
The one in English - Buddhism in China – A Historical Study – by Kenneth Ch’en - bought in July 1988, not long after coming to work in Singapore at the Pearl Center next to Outram Park MRT Station.
The second book –written in Chinese by Ji Xianlin (1911.8.6-2009.7.11) – 季羡林自选集：佛 - Ji Xianlin Collection: Buddha - was a recent purchased in Nov 2009 at a Buddhist artifacts cum bookstore in Geylang East.
Among the number of books on Buddhism, and the many aspects of Buddhism – and being one interested in things historical – thro these readings – it has allowed me to gain a little insight into the spread of the religion from its cradle somewhere in Nepal to India and the rest of Asia.
Initial books were in English, and thro the years, thro self-study driven by an urge to understand one’s ‘mother tongue’ as well as to have a first hand knowledge of one/s ‘mother culture’ – it has gradually enabled me to read books in Chinese directly.
(If not directly – many of the web dictionary could help to translate the more difficult words)
The recent read by Professor Ji has an interesting article on how the Chinese word for Buddha - 佛 – fo - came about.
This single syllable word did not get into China directly from India but thro the translation of translated works of Tocharian - 吐火罗 - tuhuoluo - a defunct ancient tribe found in the Kushan Empire in NW India around 1st - 2nd CE.
Directly from India, Buddha was translated as - 浮屠 – futu – a two letter word – which is closer to its Sanskrit - 梵语- fanyu - origin. In early Chinese classics prior to adoption of the word 佛 by the literati, 浮屠 was commonly used.
Perhaps then,
释迦牟尼佛 - Shìjiāmóunífó - Sakyamuni Buddha – could be written as 释迦牟尼浮屠. –Shijiamounifutu .
And his teachings the Buddhist Dharma - 佛法 - fofa - would be written as - 浮屠法 –futu fa.
Well, with - 佛 – written as 屠法 – in this new ancient context it sounds and looks - 糊涂 – hutu - indeed!
(If you do not know Chinese - you can copy this word- 糊涂 - and paste it to the web dictionary in Reference - Mother tongue is fun! )
When Buddhism spread from across the mainland from China thro Korea tto Japan, the Japanese came up with a variant for writing 佛.
Perhaps the Japanese famous for their haiku –俳句 - short stanza poems and – and a knack on minimalism – ( they being the progenitor of using simplified Chinese characters ) simplified 佛 – to -仏 - and pronounced as – butsu - ぶつ - ( on reading) . or hotoke- ほとけ (kun reading ) .
Well, the Buddhist Dharma in Japanese is written as - 仏法. How then would you pronounce it : ぶつほう？butsu ho? No, it is - ぶっぽう - buttpo .
What a cupful indeed – from 浮屠 to 佛 to 仏 .. or was it just an empty half cup.
Reference:
1. Ji Xianlin - 季羡林
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ji_Xianlin
http://baike.baidu.com/view/17941.htm
2. 浮屠 to 佛
http://www.china84000.com/Article/club/fxrs/200907/12481.html
http://book.ifeng.com/lianzai/detail_2009_08/03/291932_12.shtml
根据上面的论述，对于"佛"与"浮屠"这两个词，我们可以作以下的推测："浮屠"这名称从印度译过来以后，大概就为一般人所采用。当时中国史家记载多半都用"浮屠"。其后西域高僧到中国来译经，才把"佛"这个名词带进来。范蔚宗搜集的史料内所以没有"佛"字，就因为这些史料都是外书。"佛"这名词在那时候还只限于由吐火罗文译过来的经典中。以后才渐渐传播开来，为一般佛徒，或与佛教接近的学者所采用。最后终于因为它本身有优越的条件，战胜了"浮屠"，并取而代之。
- 1947年10月9日
3. Tocharian
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tocharian_languages
4. Kushan Empire
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kushans
5. Chinese-English Dictionary
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