Towards the Russian Translation of Study of Ātman as It Appears to the Mīmāṃsakas From Tattvasaṃgraha of Śāntarakṣita

Abstract

Readers are invited to the translation of the Study of Ātman as it Appears to the Mīmāṃsakas (Mīmāṃsakaparikalpitātmaparīkṣā, section of the chapter Investigation of Ātman (Ātmaparīkṣā) of the treatise Compendium of Essential Questions (Tattvasaṃgraha)), a text written by Śāntarakṣita, an Indian Buddhist philosopher of the 8th century (with a commentary of his student Kamalaśīla (also 8th century)). The text is a refutation of the theory of ātman (self, soul) of the Mīmāṃsakas from the standpoint of Buddhism. The introductory paper contains a summary of the doctrine of ātman in the philosophy of Mīmāṃsa (based on Ślokavārttika of Kumārila Bhaṭṭa, 7th century)), gives a concise overview of the main philosophical problems raised in the text and sets out the key arguments of both polemizing parties. The author touches upon the problem of translating the text and its most important terms, dwells on the question of how the Sanskrit title of Śāntarakṣita's treatise should be understood. The translation offered tries to render the text as close as possible to the original. Unlike other translations, key-terms and terms difficult for translation into Russian are supplied in Sanskrit throughout the text in brackets (in Latin transliteration). The author used the latest translations and studies of the text.