Transliterating Sanskrit with Chinese characters is pretty interesting. Here I’ll look at one significant example: how to write “Homage to Amita Buddha” in Traditional Chinese characters. First up is “homage”, which can also be translated as “bow to” or “take refuge in”. The Sanskrit for this is नमः (namaḥ) or नमो (namo). This is transliterated […]
Category: zen
An inside joke
Once upon a time, Shakyamuni Buddha stood before a large group of people who had gathered at Vulture Peak to hear him teach. But the Buddha remained silent. Instead of saying anything, he only held up a single flower. At this, the Buddha’s disciple Mahakasyapa broke into a smile. When the Buddha saw Mahakasyapa’s smile, […]