[Buddha-l] Perfection of Sanskrit

[Dan Lusthaus]

> Jan Nattier points out in her article on the Heart Sutra that
> "niṣṭhānirvāṇaprāptaḥ" as a translation of 究竟涅槃 is a bit like the 
> English
> phrase: "long time no see"

> So I'm wondering what a better translation of
>
> 究竟涅槃 in Sanskrit might be? Especially taking into account that the
> statement "na prāpti" earlier in the text.

> By being aprātitva (in a state of non-attaining) the bodhisattva...
> "[something] nirvāṇa​".

> JayaravaQuickly --

The Skt line is:

cittāvaraṇanāstitvādatrasto viparyāsātikrānto niṣṭhanirvāṇaḥ

The corresponding Chinese is:

心無罣礙，無罣礙故無有恐怖，遠離一切顛倒夢想，究竟涅槃。

which could be translated:
"[the bodhisattva, relying on Prajñā-pāramitā,] is without mental 
obstructions; because there are no obstructions, there is no fear. 
Completely detached from all conceptually-perverted dream thoughts, [this 
is] ultimate Nirvana."

I suppose one could translate niṣṭha-nirvāṇaḥ as "being fixed in nirvana" or 
"stable nirvana."

Dan