Vidasaka's Ears

Summary

This concise communication provides a series of textual corrections concerning certain Sanskrit and Tibetan readings relating to Buddhist doctrinal terms. The title “Vidasaka’s Ears” alludes to the need for careful hearing and reading when dealing with complex manuscripts. The author lists several cases where misprints or erroneous transliterations have led to incorrect interpretations. For instance, the Tibetan term corresponding to the Sanskrit vikalpitah (“conceptually constructed”) was misread as something else; the correct reading is ckikalpitah. Similar corrections are offered for nirvṛtā, nirudhyate and svacittam. The author emphasises that such errors, though seemingly minor, can significantly alter the meaning of philosophical passages. He notes that during the preparation of these corrections, he discovered that a treatise called Lakṣaṇavimukta‑bodhicittahrdaya‑śāstra, sometimes described as an independent work, is actually a prose version of the Bodhicittavivarana No. 2, which is attributed to Nāgārjuna. This observation aligns with comments in Suzuki’s “Outlines of Mahāyāna Buddhism” that certain prose texts are expansions of verse works. The note encourages editors and translators to cross‑check Tibetan and Sanskrit sources and to consult multiple recensions when preparing critical editions. Although brief, the communication contributes to the accurate transmission of Mahāyāna literature by drawing attention to specific places where textual accuracy matters. It also illustrates the collaborative nature of scholarship, as the author acknowledges noticing the errors while the previous article was going through press and taking the opportunity to publicise the corrections for the benefit of future researchers.