Bhikkhu ordination cermony in european language in 1776

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Aemilius
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Bhikkhu ordination cermony in european language in 1776

Post by Aemilius »

"The Admission and Ordination Ceremonies.
Upasampadā-Kammavācā or book setting forth the form and manner of ordering of priests and deacons, This manual was translated into Italian in 1776, by Padre Maria Percoto (missionary in Ava and Pegu), under the title of "Kammuva, ossia trattato della ordinazione dei Talapoini del secondo ordine detti Pinzi," and a portion of it was edited in 1841, in Pāli and Latin, by Professor Spiegel. Clough translated it in 1834, and Hardy has given an interesting summary of it in his Eastern Monachism;", writes Henry Clarke Warren.

Henry Clarke Warren witnessed the ordination ceremony in Kandy, Sri Lanka, May 1872. He published his own translation of the Upasampada-Kammavaca in 1873,

a piece from the translation of Clarke Warren:

"The Ordination Service
Praise be to the Blessed One, the Holy One, to him who has arrived at the knowledge of all Truth.
[The candidate, accompanied by his Tutor, in the dress of a layman, but having the yellow robes of a priest in his arms, makes the usual obeisance and offering to the President of the chapter, and standing says,]

"Grant me leave to speak. Lord, graciously grant me admission to deacon's orders. Kneels down. Lord, I pray for admission as a deacon. Again, lord, I pray for admission as a deacon. A third time, lord, I pray for admission as a deacon. In compassion for me, lord, take these yellow robes, and let me be ordained, in order to the destruction of all sorrow, and in order to the attainment of Nirvāna. To be repeated three times. [The President takes the bundle of robes.] In compassion for me, lord, give me those yellow robes, and let me be ordained, in order to the destruction of all sorrow, and in order to the attainment of Nirvāna. To be repeated three times. [And the President then gives the bundle of robes, the yellow band of which he ties round the neck of the candidate, reciting the while the tacapañcakam, or formula of meditation on the perishable nature of the human body, as follows: kesā lomā nakhā dantā taco -- taco dantā nakhā lomā kesā. Hair of the head, hair of the body, nails, teeth, skin -- skin, teeth, nails, hair of the body, hair of the head. The candidate then rises up, and retires to throw off the dress of a layman, and to put on his yellow robes. While changing his dress he recites the following: In wisdom I put on the robes, as a protection against cold, as a protection against heat, as a protection against gadflies and mosquitoes, wind and sun, and the touch of serpents, and to cover nakedness, i.e. I wear them in all humility, for use only, and not for ornament or show. Having put on the yellow robes, he returns to the side of his tutor, and says,] Grant me leave to speak. I make obeisance to my lord. Lord, forgive me all my faults. Let the merit that I have gained be shared by my lord. It is fitting to give me to share in the merit gained by my lord. It is good, it is good. I share in it. Grant me leave to speak. Graciously give me, lord, the three refuges and the precepts. [He kneels down.] Lord, I pray for the refuges and the precepts.

"[The tutor gives the three refuges and the ten precepts as follows, the candidate still kneeling, and repeating them after him sentence by sentence.]"


Buddhism in Translations
Passages Selected from the Buddhist Sacred Books
and Translated from the Original Pāli into English

by Henry Clarke Warren
Originally Published by Harvard University Press 1896
svaha
"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Sarvē mānavāḥ svatantrāḥ samutpannāḥ vartantē api ca, gauravadr̥śā adhikāradr̥śā ca samānāḥ ēva vartantē. Ētē sarvē cētanā-tarka-śaktibhyāṁ susampannāḥ santi. Api ca, sarvē’pi bandhutva-bhāvanayā parasparaṁ vyavaharantu."
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1. (in english and sanskrit)
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FiveSkandhas
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Re: Bhikkhu ordination cermony in european language in 1776

Post by FiveSkandhas »

Fascinating. I didn't realize there had been any such attempt to translate Buddhist materials into a western language as early as the 18th century.

I think I remember reading there was an attempt at an English version of the Lotus Sutra (or a part thereof) in the early 1800s but the details escape me. Might have been related to the Transcendentalist movement in New England, USA. (??)

Thanks for posting that.
"One should cultivate contemplation in one’s foibles. The foibles are like fish, and contemplation is like fishing hooks. If there are no fish, then the fishing hooks have no use. The bigger the fish is, the better the result we will get. As long as the fishing hooks keep at it, all foibles will eventually be contained and controlled at will." -Zhiyi

"Just be kind." -Atisha
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Zhen Li
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Re: Bhikkhu ordination cermony in european language in 1776

Post by Zhen Li »

This is probably related to the colonization and conversion efforts at the time. Kammavācā manuscripts are in every vihāra, and would probably be considered necessary to understand the local religion. I could not find out which order Maria Percoto belonged to, but there are many surprising early translations into Italian and Latin from South Asia and Tibet from the 17th century onwards. That translation by Clarke Warren, besides the vocabulary choices which are entirely Christianised, looks like pretty fair translation.

The Transcendentalist translation of the Lotus Sutra is from French to English, from Burnouf's translation from 1839. Burnouf probably translated dozens of other sutras which never saw the light of day. He mentions many passages in his History and one note says that he had translated the Aṣṭasāhasrikā into French. Hesitancy holds back knowledge not only of oneself but of the public—in his case (and Western Buddhism) for a century... Sometimes it's better to publish something imperfect than nothing at all.
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Aemilius
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Re: Bhikkhu ordination cermony in european language in 1776

Post by Aemilius »

You can't expect that for example the words "bhikkhu" or "acariya and upadhyaya/upajjhaya" could be translated otherwise in 1800's ? "Priests and deacons" are understandable words, and they sound quite nice after a while.
svaha
"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Sarvē mānavāḥ svatantrāḥ samutpannāḥ vartantē api ca, gauravadr̥śā adhikāradr̥śā ca samānāḥ ēva vartantē. Ētē sarvē cētanā-tarka-śaktibhyāṁ susampannāḥ santi. Api ca, sarvē’pi bandhutva-bhāvanayā parasparaṁ vyavaharantu."
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1. (in english and sanskrit)
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