Looking for Bhairava - The Institute of Buddhist Studies

Orzech: Looking for Bhairava 141the Kaibao canon (first edition, Chengdu, 983) after the reign period inwhich it appeared, it comprised some 130,000 woodblocks. 10Although translation by committee was common in Chinese Buddhisthistory, 11 the circumstances of translation in the Yijing yuan wereremarkable:In the Eastern Hall facing West, powder is used to set out an altarto the sages with openings [consisting of] four gates, each with anIndian monk presiding over it and reciting esoteric spells for sevendays and nights. Then, a wooden altar is set up and surmounted witha circle having the syllables of the sages and worthies. [This is] calledthe Mahādharma Mandala ( 大 法 曼 茶 羅 ). The sages and worthies areinvoked and ablutions are performed using the agha [vessel]. Incense,flowers, lamps, water, and fruits are presented as offerings. Bowingand circumambulating [take place]. Prayers for protection from evilare offered in order to extirpate demons and obstructions. 12The process of translation itself was highly structured and proceededin nine stages:First, the yizhu ( 譯 主 , Chief Translator), [sitting] on the headseatand facing outwards, expounds the Sanskrit text.Second, the zhengyi ( 證 譯 , Philological Assistant), sitting onthe left of the head-seat, reviews and evaluates the Sanskrittext with the Chief Translator.Third, the zhengwen ( 證 文 , Text Appraiser), sitting on the rightof the head-seat, listens to the oral reading of the Sanskrittext by the Chief Translator in order to check for defects anderrors.Fourth, the shuzi fanxueseng ( 書 字 梵 學 僧 , Transcriber-monkstudentof Sanskrit) listens to the Sanskrit text [recited by theChief Translator] and transcribes it into Chinese characters.This is a transliteration.Fifth, the bishou ( 筆 受 , Translator Scribe) translates Sanskritsounds into Chinese language.Sixth, the zhuiwen ( 綴 文 , Text Composer) links up the charactersand turns them into meaningful sentences.