The Sutra of Contemplation of the Dharma Practice of Universal Sage Bodhisattva (Reeves) and The Sutra of Meditation on the Bodhistattva Universal Virtue (Threefold Lotus Sutra) and The Sutra Expounded by the Buddha on Practice of the Way through Contemplation of the Bodhisattva All-embracing Goodness (BDK English Tripitaka) all offer English translations of the ancient Chinese translation of this sutra, which is considered the closing sutra of the Lotus Sutra.

Before this three-week stay-cation retreat I didn’t fully appreciate the difficulty in creating these English versions of a sutra. It is not a simple task of finding the English word for the Chinese word. There’s a lot more required and a good example is this quote from the Reeves translation (Page 416):

“Where can I practice the teaching of repentance?”

The voice in the sky will then say: “Shakyamuni Buddha is called Vairocana, the Omnipresent. His dwelling place is called Always Tranquil Light, a place that is taken up by constant practice, a place that is made stable by self-practice, a place where the characteristics of existence are extinguished by pure practice, a place where body and mind cannot live in comfortable practice, a place where the character of existing or non-existing cannot be seen in anything, and a place of tranquil liberation, which is the practice of wisdom. Because these forms are the ever-present Dharma, you should now meditate on the buddhas in the ten directions.”

I could follow most of this illustration of the Buddha’s teaching of emptiness, but I stumbled over “where body and mind cannot live in comfortable practice.” So I went to the other translations that I have.

Here’s what the Threefold Lotus Sutra (Page 363-363) offers:

“At what place may I practice the law of repentance?”

Thereupon the voice in the sky will speak thus, saying: “Śākyamuni Buddha is called Vairocana Who Pervades All Places, and his dwelling place is called Eternally Tranquil Light, the place which is composed of permanency-pāramitā, and stabilized by self-pāramitā, the place where purity-pāramitā extinguishes the aspect of existence, where bliss-pāramitā does not abide in the aspect of one’s body and mind, and where the aspects of all the laws cannot be seen as either existing or non-existing, the place of tranquil emancipation or prajn͂āpāramitā. Because these forms are based on permanent law, thus you must now meditate on the buddhas in all directions.

For me, this was incomprehensible and another reason why I’ve shunned this translation of the entire threefold sutra.

Which brings us to the BDK translation (Page 69):

At what place may I now practice the way of self-amendment?

The ethereal voice will then immediately reply, saying:

Śākyamuni Buddha is Vairocana – the One Who Is Present in All Places. Where this buddha abides is called Perpetual Tranquil Light – where perpetuity is perfectly achieved, where the perfect truth of self is constituted, where perfect purity casts off the aspects of existence, where perfect happiness is no longer a characteristic that occupies body and mind, where phenomena are no longer perceived as having or not having aspects, where likewise there is serene liberation as well as perfect wisdom. As these are features of the ever-abiding Dharma, you must accordingly contemplate the buddhas of the ten directions!

Already understanding the concept of emptiness of self – there is no fixed, enduring thing that is myself; what we perceive is provisional existence that arises from causes and conditions; and the Middle Way encompasses all of this – the BDK translation left far fewer questions. It also gave me a much better appreciation of the task of translating Buddhist texts into English.