THE BUDDHIST TEXT TRANSLATION SOCIETY

When Buddhism first came to Junggwo (China) from India, one of the most important tasks required for its establishment was the translation of the Buddhist scriptures from Sanskrit into Jungwen (Chinese). This work involved a great many people, such as the renowned monk National Master Kumarajiva (5th century A.D.), who led an assembly of over 800 people who worked on the translation of the Tripitaka (Buddhist Canon) for over a decade. Because of the work of individuals such as these, nearly the entire Buddhist Tripitaka of over a thousand texts exists to the present day in Jungwen.

Now the banner of the Buddha's teachings is being firmly planted in Western soil, and the same translation work is being done from Jungwen into English. Since 1970, the Buddhist Text Translation Society (BTTS) has been making a paramount contribution toward this goal. Aware that the Buddhist Tripitaka is a work of such magnitude that its translation could never be entrusted to a single person, the BTTS, emulating the translation assemblies of ancient times, does not publish a work until it has passed through four committees for primary translation, reviewing, editing, and certification. The leaders of these committees are Bhikshus (monks) and Bhikshunis (nuns), who have devoted their entire lives to the study and practice of the Buddha's teachings. For this reason, all of the works of the BTTS put an emphasis on what the principles of the Buddha's teachings mean in terms of actual practice, rather than in terms of intellectual conjecture.

The following Eight Regulations are the guidelines established for BTTS translators:

1) A translator must free himself or herself from the motives of personal fame and reputation.

2) A translator must cultivate an attitude free from arrogance and conceit.

3) A translator must refrain from aggrandizing himself or herself and denigrating others.

4) A translator must not establish himself or herself as the standard of correctness and suppress the work of others with his or her faultfinding.

5) A translator must take the Buddha-mind as his or her own mind.

6) A translator must use the wisdom of the Selective Dharma Eye to determine true principles.

7) A translator must request the Elder Virtuous ONes of the ten directions to certify his or her translations.

8) A translator must endeavor to propagate the teachings by printing sutras, shastra texts, and vinaya texts when the translations are certified as being correct.

The parent organization of the Buddhist Text Translation Society is the Dharma Realm Buddhist Association (DRBA), formerly known as the Sino American Buddhist Association. It was formed in 1959 to bring the orthodox teachings of the Buddha to the entire world.

At all of its monasteries, the Dharma Realm Buddhist Association offers a rigorous schedule of Buddhist practice seven days a week from 4:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. The daily schedule includes approximately seven to eight hours of religious services, repentances, and group meditation, as well as lectures on the Buddhist scriptures. There are also daily courses in Buddhist and canonical language studies, week­long intensive recitation and meditation sessions every other month, a month-long Ten Thousand Buddhas Repentance Ceremony in the spring (April/May), and a three to ten week Buddha recitation and Chan meditation session in the winter (December/January). Residents gain a thorough understanding of the main teachings of all the major schools of Buddhism, develop skill in scriptural languages, and become adept at a wide variety of spiritual practices. The foundation of the practice is a high standard of ethics; all residents hold the Five Buddhist Precepts which prohibit killing of any living being (includes vegetarianism), stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and taking intoxicants, (including alcohol, drugs, and tobacco). All strive to protect the Six Great Principles, great ideals,: not contending with anyone, not being greedy, no seeking for anything, not being selfish, not wanting personal advantage, and not lying.

The activities of the Dharma Realm Buddhist Association include a federally approved four-year Sangha (monastic) and two­year Laity Training Program. The Sangha Training Program is partial fulfillment of requirements for receiving the 250 Precepts of a Bhikshu or the 348 Precepts of a Bhikshuni through traditional ordination procedures. In 1976 The Dharma Realm Buddhist Association held the first Complete Precept Platform in the United States at its headquarters, the Sagely City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. Since that time the City has sponsored the full ordination for Bhikshus and Bhikshunis every three or four years.

The Dharma Realm Buddhist Association has established various educational and social service programs to promote peace, happiness, and a high standard of ethical conduct for the world. At its headquarters, the City of 10,000 Buddhas, are housed Dharma Realm Buddhist University, Cultivating Virtue Secondary School, and Instilling Virtue Elementary School.

BTTS Translation & Publishing Headquarters:

& Mail Order Distribution (descriptive catalog available):

Sagely City of Ten Thousand Buddhas

Talmage, CA. 95481-0217 U.S.A.

Telephone (707) 462­0939

Additional Distribution:

Gold Mountain Monastery

800 Sacramento St.

San Francisco, CA. 94108 U.S.A.

Telephone (415) 421-6117

Gold Wheel Monastery

1728 West Sixth Street

Los Angeles, CA. 90017 U.S.A.

Telephone (213) 483­7497

Golden Buddha Monastery

301 East Hastings Street

Vancouver, B.C.

V6A 1P3, CANADA

Telephone (604) 684­3754

Avatamsaka Monastery

1152 10th Street S.E.

Calgary, AB T2G 3E4

Canada

Telephone (403) 269-2960

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF BTTS PUBLICATIONS IN ENGLISH

Buddha Speaks the Brahma Net Sutra. Talmage, 1982.

Cherishing Life, 2 vols. Talmage, 1983.

City of 10,000 Buddhas Daily Recitation Handbook. 2nd printing: Talmage, 1982.

Filiality: The Human Source, 2 vols. Talmage, 1983.

Heng Ju and Heng Yo (Bhikshus). Three Steps One Bow.

Heng Sure and Heng Ch'au (Bhikshus). News From True Cultivators, 2 vols. Talmage, 1983.

__________. With One Heart Bowing to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, 9 vols. San Francisco and Talmage, 1979-1983.

Hsu Fa (Dharma Master), comm. / Hua (Tripitaka Master), verses & subcomm. Shurangama Mantra, 5 vols. Talmage, 1981-1985.

[Hsuan] Hua (Ch'an/Tripitaka Master). Buddha Root Farm. San Francisco, 1976.

__________, comm. Dharani Sutra: the Sutra of the Vast, Great, Full, Unimpeded Great Compassion Heart Dharani of the Thousand-Handed, Thousand-Eyed Bodhisattva Who Regards the World's Sounds. San Francisco, 1976.

__________, comm. A General Explanation of the Buddha Speaks of Amitabha Sutra. San Francisco, 1974.

__________, comm. A General Explanation of the Buddha Speaks the Sutra in Forty-Two Sections. San Francisco, 1977.

__________, comm. A General Explanation of the Vajra Prajna Paramita Sutra. San Francisco, 1974.

__________. Great Compassion Dharma Transmission Verses of the Forty-Two Hands and Eyes. Talmage, 1983.

__________, comm. Great Means Expansive Buddha Flower Adornment Sutra, 28 vols. Talmage, 1981-1984.

__________, comm. The Heart of Prajna Paramita with Verses Without a Stand and Prose Commentary. San Francisco, 1980.

__________. Herein Lies the Treasure Trove, vol. 1. Talmage, 1983.

__________. Listen to Yourself; Think Everything Over, 2 vols. Talmage, 1978, 1983.

__________. A Pictorial Biography of the Venerable Master Hsu Yun, 2 vols. Talmage, 1983, 1985.

__________. Pure Land and Ch'an Dharma Talks. San Francisco, 1974.

__________. Records of High Sanghans, vol. 1. Talmage, 1983.

Hui Seng (Elder Master)., comm. The Buddha Speaks the Brahma Net Sutra. 2 Pts. Talmage, 1981.

__________, comm. Shurangama Sutra, 7 vols. Talmage, 1977-1981.

__________, comm. The Sixth Patriarch's Dharma Jewel Platform Sutra. San Francisco, 1977.

__________. Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva: The Collected Lectures of Tripitaka Master Hsuan Hua. NY, 1974.

__________. The Ten Dharma Realms Are Not Beyond a Single Thought. San Francisco, 1976.

__________. Water Mirror Reflecting Heaven. Talmage, 1982.

__________, comm. The Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra, 10 vols. San Francisco, 1977-1982.

Human Roots: Buddhist Stories for Young Readers, 2 vols. Talmage, 1982, 1983.

Lien-ch'ih Chu-hung (High Master) / Hua (Tripitaka Master), comm. A General Explanation of 'The Essentials of the Sramanera Vinaya' and 'Rules of Deportment'. San Francisco, 1975.

Open Your Eyes Take a Look at the World: Journals of the Sino-American Buddhist Association Dharma Realm Buddhist University Delegation to Asia. San Francisco, 1979.

Records of the Life of the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua, vol. 1. San Francisco, 1973; rpt. Talmage, 1981.

Records of the Life of Ch'an Master Hsuan Hua, Pt. II. San Francisco, 1975.

Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva. Talmage, 1982.

Vajra Bodhi Sea: a Monthly Journal of Orthodox Buddhism. San Francisco, 1970-present.

Vasubandhu (Bodhisattva) / Hua (Tripitaka Master), comm. Shastra on the Door to Understanding the Hundred Dharmas. Talmage, 1983.

World Peace Gathering. San Francisco, 1975.

Yung Chia (Great Master) / Hua (Tripitaka Master), comm. Song of Enlightenment. Talmage, 1983.

Note: Books without listed authors are either Sutras without commentaries or books authored or compiled and edited by BTTS. Most of the multivolumed Sutra commentaries have not yet been completed. The number of volumes listed indicates the number published to date.