Dharma Wheel

New Year’s Kalavinka Press Announcement


Three First-Ever[1] Translations by Bhikshu Dharmamitra

Completed on Lunar New Year’s Day, 2014:



The Greatly Expansive Buddha’s Floral Adornment Sutra

Mahāvaipulya Buddha Avataṃsaka Sūtra (Śikṣānanda’s 699 ce. edition).

T279 - 大方廣佛華嚴經 - 實叉難陀譯

(39 chapters in 80 fascicles – 3000 pages)



The Ten Grounds Sutra

Daśabhūmika Sūtra (Kumārajīva’s circa 400 ce edition.)

T286 -十住經 - 鳩摩羅什譯

(Ten Chapters in 4 fascicles – 275 pages)



Nagarjuna’s Commentarial Treatise on the Ten Grounds Sutra

Daśabhūmika Vibhāṣā Śāstra

T1521 - 十住毘婆沙論 -鳩摩羅什譯

(35 chapters in 17 fascicles – 700 pages.)


The Avatamsaka Sutra translation was finished at 12:01 am, January 31st, Lunar New Year’s Day, 2014, at West Seattle’s Kalavinka Translation Aranya,
by Bhikshu Dharmamitra, a.k.a. Bhikshu Heng Shou (釋恆授).


Kalavinka Press is planning to publish all 3 of these texts in the Fall, 2014.
(BDK-Numata will also issue an edition of Dharmamitra’s translation of the Avataṃsaka Sutra.)


Although this three-text project was begun in 2004 at Turtle Mountain’s Prajna Translation Aranya, it was interrupted by publication of ten other books, a liver cancer operation, a liver transplant, etc., only to be begun again, 6 months post-transplant, in late 2010.

Bhikshu Dharmamitra is one of very first American disciples of the late Ven. Master Hsuan Hua (since 1968).

He was also one of the group of three American monks who were the very first Americans to ever take full bhikshu ordination in the Chinese Buddhist tradition (Hai Hui Monastery, Chilung, Taiwan, Nov., 1969). He is the author of approximately 25 translations of Chinese Buddhist Canonical Texts, most of which originated from Sanskrit.


[1] Although Thomas Cleary claims to have translated the Avatamsaka Sutra, he did not in fact do so.(For immense parts of the text, Cleary cuts out the Avataṃsaka text, grafts in other texts, and and otherwise violates in a host of ways the sanctity of the Śikṣānanda translation from Sanskrit.)

Thanks Will. (I also just received this notification.)

This is really amazing, an incredible contribution to the Mahayana Dharma in the English language.

~~Huifeng

Dharmamitra:

For immense parts of the text, Cleary cuts out the Avataṃsaka text, grafts in other texts, and and otherwise violates in a host of ways the sanctity of the Śikṣānanda translation from Sanskrit.

Did no reviewer notice this infidelity to Śikṣānanda back when Cleary first published this text?

Some may think the Ten Grounds Sutra translation of Dharmamitra is not the first, because Rulu & BTTS have done them. Dharmamitra uses Kumarajiva's version, not Śikṣānanda's which Rulu used. BTTS only published the first 3 or 4 grounds, so it was incomplete.

Will wrote:Dharmamitra:

For immense parts of the text, Cleary cuts out the Avataṃsaka text, grafts in other texts, and and otherwise violates in a host of ways the sanctity of the Śikṣānanda translation from Sanskrit.

Did no reviewer notice this infidelity to Śikṣānanda back when Cleary first published this text?

Some may think the Ten Grounds Sutra translation of Dharmamitra is not the first, because Rulu & BTTS have done them. Dharmamitra uses Kumarajiva's version, not Śikṣānanda's which Rulu used. BTTS only published the first 3 or 4 grounds, so it was incomplete.

Who would be the reviewer with enough time to go through the whole "translation", comparing it to the Chinese? The few times I've had people quote the English looking for the Chinese, I had serious difficulties finding the Chinese (and usually this sort of "find the Chinese sutra from English translation" game is something I can do without too much difficulty). Sometimes, the differences were very stark and surprising. Then I gave up using the English...

Before such a translation, the only people familiar enough with such a text would know Chinese, and so not need the English. And anyone who needs the English probably can't read the Chinese.

~~Huifeng

First Venerable, the entire sutra need not have been read; secondly, what sort of a 'review' of a translation would it be, if the reviewers knew only one of the languages? Surely some scholar who knew both languages would have dipped into a chapter or two and noticed oddities.

But perhaps when the first of the three volumes came out there was no one competent or interested enough to check.

Will wrote:Dharmamitra:

For immense parts of the text, Cleary cuts out the Avataṃsaka text, grafts in other texts, and and otherwise violates in a host of ways the sanctity of the Śikṣānanda translation from Sanskrit.

Did no reviewer notice this infidelity to Śikṣānanda back when Cleary first published this text?

Some may think the Ten Grounds Sutra translation of Dharmamitra is not the first, because Rulu & BTTS have done them. Dharmamitra uses Kumarajiva's version, not Śikṣānanda's which Rulu used. BTTS only published the first 3 or 4 grounds, so it was incomplete.

I usually read 2 different english translations of a sutra to make sure the content and meaning is essentially the same......
..I bought clearys translation now I feel like I got ripped off.

This is fantastic news, thanks OP! Looking forward to the new Avataṃsaka material in particular.

What JOY this is in this world of dust!

May the merit of this grant the Dharma translator Bhikshu Heng Shou 釋恆授 wellbeing and a long life.
May many sentient beings be liberated by this!

Will wrote:Although Thomas Cleary claims to have translated the Avatamsaka Sutra, he did not in fact do so.(For immense parts of the text, Cleary cuts out the Avataṃsaka text, grafts in other texts, and and otherwise violates in a host of ways the sanctity of the Śikṣānanda translation from Sanskrit.)

Why would Cleary have done that?

dzogchungpa wrote:

Will wrote:Although Thomas Cleary claims to have translated the Avatamsaka Sutra, he did not in fact do so.(For immense parts of the text, Cleary cuts out the Avataṃsaka text, grafts in other texts, and and otherwise violates in a host of ways the sanctity of the Śikṣānanda translation from Sanskrit.)

Why would Cleary have done that?

Alex Wayman & his wife blended differing translations of the Srimala Sutra, but they at least told the reader. So it is not uncommon to mix different translations, but it is at least sloppy scholarship to have no notes or preface explaining that fact.

dzogchungpa wrote:

Will wrote:Although Thomas Cleary claims to have translated the Avatamsaka Sutra, he did not in fact do so.(For immense parts of the text, Cleary cuts out the Avataṃsaka text, grafts in other texts, and and otherwise violates in a host of ways the sanctity of the Śikṣānanda translation from Sanskrit.)

Why would Cleary have done that?

The Chinese Avatamsaka Sutra is a giant compendium of numerous sutras that circulated independently. And it was translated, as a whole text, twice. And the Dharmadhatu chapter (actually, the Gandhavyuha-sutra) was translated a third time. So, all of this material matches up fairly closely, but there are variations based on the Chinese translators' choices and the evolution of the original texts over time. I am guessing what he was doing was choosing to translate sections based on his preferences. I know that when I check his translation of the Gandhavyuha, I noticed he was actually translating Prajna's translation. And, yes, to do this without making the methodology explicit is not good practice. It is not unprecedented to do this. Conze did something very similar to produce his English text of the Large Prajnaparamita Sutra.

Huifeng wrote:Thanks Will. (I also just received this notification.)

This is really amazing, an incredible contribution to the Mahayana Dharma in the English language.

~~Huifeng

It really is amazing work.

Now all we need are Mahayana Buddhists to read it.

Does anyone have information about the future availability of the Avatamsaka translation for purchase?

ETA "Avatamsaka" -- CA

Pedestrian wrote:Does anyone have information about the future availability of the Avatamsaka translation for purchase?

ETA "Avatamsaka" -- CA

Nothing very precise yet; perhaps late this year or next.

Pedestrian wrote:Does anyone have information about the future availability of the Avatamsaka translation for purchase?

ETA "Avatamsaka" -- CA

You could try contacting bhikshu dharmamitra. I think i have his email somewhere. pm me if you like.

Bhikshu Dharmamitra is at [email protected] says his Kalavinka Press website

Even though the draft of the Avatamsaka Sutra is done, but much more work needs to be done, for both the BDK and Kalavinka Press versions; not to mention the other future translations.

Thus the request for help from an Adobe Indesign person - also money is needed. To contact Ven Dharmamitra use [email protected]

Is this still on track? Any updates?

Caodemarte wrote:Is this still on track? Any updates?

See this new thread:

http://www.dharmawheel.net/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=19242