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Buddhist Text Translation — Terminology

Terms encountered in Chinese-English translation of Dharma study materials. These may vary by translator/context; document actual usage per-project.

Section headers (common triad)

Chinese English options seen Notes
法义 Understanding, Dharma Teachings
思考 Contemplation, Reflection Consistency within a document matters more than which word
练习 Practice, Application, Exercises "Application" seen as section header; "Practice"/"Exercise" in running text

Key Buddhist terms

Chinese English Pitfalls
慈经 Metta Sutta (Karaniya Metta Sutta) NOT "Mettavihari Sutta"
回向 Dedication (of merit)
因缘之网 Web of Causes and Conditions Also "Network of Causes and Conditions"
感恩 Gratitude
众生 sentient beings Consistent throughout
使人内心调柔 makes one's heart gentle 使人 = makes ONE(self), never "makes others"
利益思维 benefit-oriented thinking NOT "mindset of benefiting others" — it's about considering benefits TO oneself
恩田 field of gratitude / gratitude as a field of merit
观照 attend to the mind / mindful observation Contemplative practice, not intellectual study. NOT "observe" (passive) or "study" (analytical).
闻思修 hearing, contemplating, cultivating 修 = broad cultivation/practice, not specifically 禅 (meditation). Distinct from 禅修 (meditative cultivation).
八步三禅 Eight Steps and Three Meditations Community-specific structured contemplative method
传帮带 transmit, help, guide (three-part mentoring) Core community methodology
分灯 lamp-dividing (decentralization) Deliberate decentralization of authority across nodes
自觉 self-awareness, voluntary commitment First of the "Three Spirits"
法治 rule-based governance Second of the "Three Spirits"
无我利他 selfless service to others Third of the "Three Spirits"
凡夫心 ordinary mind Mind governed by afflictions, contrasted with awakened mind
贪嗔痴 greed, anger, ignorance (三毒) The three root poisons: rāga, dveṣa, moha
愿心 mind of vows, bodhicitta aspiration Plural "vows" in English
重要感、优越感、主宰欲 sense of importance, superiority, desire to control Three ego-driven motivations

Structural patterns

  • Section numbering: Chinese uses 一、二、三... English should pick one style (Part One/Two, First/Second, I/II) and stick with it.
  • Poetry/prayer blocks: Chinese uses parallel structures (感恩... 感恩...; 愿... 愿...). English must match the parallelism.
  • 愿 (yuàn) at sentence start = optative "May..." — not "we hope that", not "we should".

Formatting artifacts

  • Stray spaces between Chinese characters (eg. 感 恩 研 究) are justified-text paste artifacts from the source document — remove them.
  • <!-- === Progress : Below are unprocessed === --> is a processing marker — remove from final file.