Kumārajīva’s Buddhist Translation and Its Impact on Chinese Buddhism

Abstract

This study examines (1) the linguistic and terminological contributions of Kumārajīva’s Buddhist translations, (2) their influence on major Chinese Buddhist schools, and (3) their role in the cultural adaptation of Mahāyāna Buddhism within the Chinese intellectual context. Using qualitative historical, textual, and comparative analysis, the study focuses on selected translations associated with Kumārajīva, including the Diamond Sūtra, the Lotus Sūtra, the Amitābha Sūtra, and Madhyamaka-related texts, together with relevant historical and modern scholarship.

The findings indicate that Kumārajīva’s translation activities significantly shaped the linguistic, doctrinal, and cultural development of Chinese Buddhism. His meaning-oriented approach emphasized readability, conceptual intelligibility, and doctrinal coherence, contributing to the stabilization of Chinese Buddhist terminology and to the reception of Mahāyāna thought. His translations became important textual resources for the later development of Tiantai, Sanlun, Chan, and Pure Land traditions. The study further proposes a Four-Layered Translation Model comprising textual fidelity, linguistic naturalization, doctrinal clarification, and cultural adaptation. The model conceptualizes Buddhist translation as a process that mediates not only between languages but also between philosophical systems and religious cultures.

This study further proposes a “Four-Layered Translation Model” integrating textual fidelity, cultural adaptation, linguistic naturalization, and doctrinal clarification, providing a transferable analytical framework for cross-cultural religious translation studies. This research contributes to Buddhist translation studies and the intellectual history of Chinese Buddhism.