WE ALL HAVE different reasons and motivations that fueled our search for “something else,” leading us to look outside the familiar. But as Western practitioners of the buddhadharma, most of us probably found our way to Buddhism in a similar manner: through a book. Perhaps that book was recommended by a friend, a teacher, or even a stranger; maybe it was assigned in a college class, or it caught our attention at the library. For me, that first book was the Dhammapada. As a college freshman, I was determined to learn anything I could about Buddhism. However, my small college did not offer any Buddhist studies classes. I had to convince the philosophy professor to offer a class in Eastern philosophy, and then I had to collect signatures convincing classmates to enroll in the class. I remember reading each verse of the Dhammapada, analyzing it, wanting to know more. I found different translations of the text and compared them to see if a different translation, the use of different words, different ways of expressing the same idea, would lead me to a deeper understanding of each verse. I even read Spanish translations, hoping they might provide new insight.
For most practitioners in the West, every traditional text we’ve ever read is a translation. But how much thought do we give to the translator—their training, their view, their process? What follows are two pieces that explore these questions, providing us with an opportunity to reflect on how the role of the translator, both historically and in contemporary times, is not only central to the establishment of the tradition in a new context, but also plays a vital role in the development of the tradition.
The buddhadharma is a living tradition, one that, while rooted in the Buddha’s teachings, has
