Bhikshu Dharmamitra's Plans

Discuss and learn about the traditional Mahayana scriptures, without assuming that any one school ‘owns’ the only correct interpretation.
Post Reply
Nicholas Weeks
Posts: 4209
Joined: Mon Apr 06, 2009 4:21 am
Location: California

Bhikshu Dharmamitra's Plans

Post by Nicholas Weeks »

His health is almost good and here he mentions some of his translation plans:

This is my current regimen: On the weekends, I go fulltime on a triplet of texts consisting of:

1) Hanshan Deqing's (One of the three great monks of the Ming Dynasty with Zibo and Zhuhong) commentary on the Diamond Sutra. Hanshan's work is so beautiful and powerful at the same time that it is so subtle, it must, must, must be out for the English reading Dharma audience.

2) Vasubandhu's commentary on the Diamond Sutra. Hanshan said that, as of the Ming Dynasty, of all of the spectacularly numerous commentaries on the Diamond Sutra in the Indian and Chinese traditions, only Vasubandhu got this right, so given such a high and definitively authoritative recommendation, how could I not translate this?

3) And, of course, the Diamond Sutra itself, this via Kumarajiva's translation.

Then, during the week, my full-on Monday-Friday "day job" is the backlog of nearly a dozen manuscripts. The order I've decided to take up on these is:

1 and 2) Ten Grounds Sutra & Ten Grounds Chapter of the Huayen - I'm already very far along with these.

3) Nagarjuna's Dasabhumika Vibhasa (commentary on the ten bodhisattva grounds)
4) "The Avatamsaka Gandavyuha"
5) The Huayen itself.
6) The Conduct and Vows of Samantabhadra
7-9) The three diamond sutra works mentioned above.

Then a large cluster of works sitting on my hard drive:
10) Hanshan Deqing's "Direct Explanation of the Heart Sutra"
11) The Bodhisattva Precepts of the Brahmajala Sutra via Kumarajiva, and add comments from the commentary of Fazang and perhaps also No-yi.
12) The Amitabha Sutra
13) The Pumen Pin
14) Yong-jia's Song of Enlightenment
15) The Lotus Sutra

Then, for the weekends, after the diamond sutra related triplet, I've got my eye on another triplet:

16) Vasubandhu's treatise on the Amitabha Sutra,
17) The Sukhavativyuha, and
18) The Amitabha Contemplation Sutra.
May all seek, find & follow the Path of Buddhas.
Admin_PC
Former staff member
Posts: 4860
Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2012 11:17 pm

Re: Bhikshu Dharmamitra's Plans

Post by Admin_PC »

Ven Dharmamitra's output puts mine to shame on all levels.
I really can't wait to check out some of the new stuff.
Saoshun
Posts: 638
Joined: Sun Nov 30, 2014 11:16 pm

Re: Bhikshu Dharmamitra's Plans

Post by Saoshun »

I enjoy translation very well, have couple it's funny because I wanted post it also as I spoke to him about new translations :namaste:
User avatar
Leo Rivers
Posts: 498
Joined: Sun Jul 17, 2011 4:52 am
Contact:

Re: Bhikshu Dharmamitra's Plans

Post by Leo Rivers »

Do you know if anything will emerge on Kalavinka in the near future?

Also, in that there are many fine translators here.... In the topic of the 2 verses 1 Vasubandhu, don't proficient readers get a mental ear sense saying "yup, this is my guy"?, I mean by style rather than arguments about content. :reading:
Nicholas Weeks
Posts: 4209
Joined: Mon Apr 06, 2009 4:21 am
Location: California

Re: Bhikshu Dharmamitra's Avatamsaka

Post by Nicholas Weeks »

A few more details about his Avatamsaka Sutra translations:

The Kalavinka Press version will have at least light annotation as well as outlining subtitles throughout. It will also have careful recording of textual emendations based on variant readings in alternative editions and he plans to publish it in two versions: English only on the one hand and his typical approach of facing page Chinese source text on the other. It may be out in 2018.

The BDK edition will not have any annotation and will not have any outlining, so the Kalavinka edition will have a very extensive table of contents reflecting his outlining whereas BDK will only have a very minimal table of contents listing the 40 chapters titles. It will come out later than 2018.
May all seek, find & follow the Path of Buddhas.
Nicholas Weeks
Posts: 4209
Joined: Mon Apr 06, 2009 4:21 am
Location: California

Re: Bhikshu Dharmamitra's Plans

Post by Nicholas Weeks »

After wading through, successfully, the red tape in mainland China, Bhikshu Dharmamitra's ten bi-lingual books are appearing. First digitally, on the three WeChat venues of Master Hua, then eventually the paper books will be available!

Quite a breakthrough for those bodhisattva teachings in English & Chinese!
May all seek, find & follow the Path of Buddhas.
Admin_PC
Former staff member
Posts: 4860
Joined: Wed Sep 19, 2012 11:17 pm

Re: Bhikshu Dharmamitra's Plans

Post by Admin_PC »

Nicholas Weeks wrote:After wading through, successfully, the red tape in mainland China, Bhikshu Dharmamitra's ten bi-lingual books are appearing. First digitally, on the three WeChat venues of Master Hua, then eventually the paper books will be available!

Quite a breakthrough for those bodhisattva teachings in English & Chinese!
Awesome news! :twothumbsup:
:anjali:
Nicholas Weeks
Posts: 4209
Joined: Mon Apr 06, 2009 4:21 am
Location: California

Re: Bhikshu Dharmamitra's Plans

Post by Nicholas Weeks »

Latest report from the Bhikshu:
I am hung up trying to finalize minor annotation details in the 10 grounds Sutra, the 10 grounds chapter of the Avatamsaka, and my 750 page translation of Nagarjuna’s commentarial treatise on the 10 grounds sutra and a few other related books. If only I didn’t have to hassle with laying them out in indesign and POD publishing them before I can even get back to the revision editing and annotation of the Avatamsaka, hopefully by spring 2018. After which it will take me three years to finish that biggest and most beautiful project. Things go slow when you have to do everything yourself.
May all seek, find & follow the Path of Buddhas.
User avatar
ThreeVows
Posts: 942
Joined: Mon May 08, 2017 5:54 pm

Re: Bhikshu Dharmamitra's Plans

Post by ThreeVows »

Nicholas Weeks wrote: Tue Oct 24, 2017 2:57 pm Latest report from the Bhikshu:
I am hung up trying to finalize minor annotation details in the 10 grounds Sutra, the 10 grounds chapter of the Avatamsaka, and my 750 page translation of Nagarjuna’s commentarial treatise on the 10 grounds sutra and a few other related books. If only I didn’t have to hassle with laying them out in indesign and POD publishing them before I can even get back to the revision editing and annotation of the Avatamsaka, hopefully by spring 2018. After which it will take me three years to finish that biggest and most beautiful project. Things go slow when you have to do everything yourself.
I'm confused, is he saying hopefully by spring 2018 or 3 years from then?
“Whoever wants to find the wisdom beyond intellect without praying to his guru is like someone waiting for the sun to shine in a cave facing the north. He will never realize appearances and his mind to be one.”
Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Nicholas Weeks
Posts: 4209
Joined: Mon Apr 06, 2009 4:21 am
Location: California

Re: Bhikshu Dharmamitra's Plans

Post by Nicholas Weeks »

Seeker12 wrote: Tue Oct 24, 2017 6:44 pm
Nicholas Weeks wrote: Tue Oct 24, 2017 2:57 pm Latest report from the Bhikshu:
I am hung up trying to finalize minor annotation details in the 10 grounds Sutra, the 10 grounds chapter of the Avatamsaka, and my 750 page translation of Nagarjuna’s commentarial treatise on the 10 grounds sutra and a few other related books. If only I didn’t have to hassle with laying them out in indesign and POD publishing them before I can even get back to the revision editing and annotation of the Avatamsaka, hopefully by spring 2018. After which it will take me three years to finish that biggest and most beautiful project. Things go slow when you have to do everything yourself.
I'm confused, is he saying hopefully by spring 2018 or 3 years from then?
By Spring 2018 he will be free of his annotations on other translations, plus his publishing related work using InDesign etc. Then back to editing & annotating just the Avatamsaka, which hopes to finish in 3 more years.
May all seek, find & follow the Path of Buddhas.
User avatar
ThreeVows
Posts: 942
Joined: Mon May 08, 2017 5:54 pm

Re: Bhikshu Dharmamitra's Plans

Post by ThreeVows »

Nicholas Weeks wrote: Tue Oct 24, 2017 7:08 pm By Spring 2018 he will be free of his annotations on other translations, plus his publishing related work using InDesign etc. Then back to editing & annotating just the Avatamsaka, which hopes to finish in 3 more years.
Thank you for clarifying.

I guess a bit of a wait then. Oh well. I wish him the best in his efforts - I certainly plan on buying a copy of it whenever it's available. It is quite an undertaking.
“Whoever wants to find the wisdom beyond intellect without praying to his guru is like someone waiting for the sun to shine in a cave facing the north. He will never realize appearances and his mind to be one.”
Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Post Reply

Return to “Sūtra Studies”