Étienne Lamotte
Encyclopedia
Étienne Paul Marie Lamotte (1903–1983) was a Belgian
priest
and Professor of Greek
at the Catholic University of Louvain, but was better known as an Indologist and the greatest authority on Buddhism
in the West in his time. He studied under his pioneering compatriot Louis de La Vallée-Poussin
and was one of the few scholars familiar with all the main Buddhist languages: Pali
, Sanskrit
, Chinese
and Tibetan
. In 1953, he was awarded the Francqui Prize
in Human Science
. He is the great-uncle of Aymeric de Lamotte.
. Lamotte felt that the text was most likely composed by an Indian bhikkhu
from the Sarvastivada
tradition, who later became a convert
to Mahayana
Buddhism
. Lamotte's translation was published in five volumes but unfortunately remains incomplete, since his death put an end to his efforts.
sutra
s, including the Suramgamasamadhi sutra
, and the Vimalakirti sutra
.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
and Professor of Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
at the Catholic University of Louvain, but was better known as an Indologist and the greatest authority on Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
in the West in his time. He studied under his pioneering compatriot Louis de La Vallée-Poussin
Louis de La Vallée-Poussin
Louis de La Vallée Poussin — Birth full name Louis Étienne Joseph Marie de La Vallée-Poussin — was a Belgian Indologist and scholar of Buddhist Studies.-Education:...
and was one of the few scholars familiar with all the main Buddhist languages: Pali
Páli
- External links :* *...
, Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
, Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
and Tibetan
Tibetan language
The Tibetan languages are a cluster of mutually-unintelligible Tibeto-Burman languages spoken primarily by Tibetan peoples who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering the Indian subcontinent, including the Tibetan Plateau and the northern Indian subcontinent in Baltistan, Ladakh,...
. In 1953, he was awarded the Francqui Prize
Francqui Prize
The Francqui Prize is a prestigious Belgian scholarly and scientific prize, awarded each year since 1933 by the Francqui Foundation in recognition of the achievements of a young Belgian scholar or scientist...
in Human Science
Human Science
Human science refers to the investigation of human life and activities via a phenomenological methodology that acknowledges the validity of both sensory and psychological experience...
. He is the great-uncle of Aymeric de Lamotte.
The Translation of Da zhi du lun
He is also known for his French translation of the Da zhi du lun , a text attributed to NāgārjunaNagarjuna
Nāgārjuna was an important Buddhist teacher and philosopher. Along with his disciple Āryadeva, he is credited with founding the Mādhyamaka school of Mahāyāna Buddhism...
. Lamotte felt that the text was most likely composed by an Indian bhikkhu
Bhikkhu
A Bhikkhu or Bhikṣu is an ordained male Buddhist monastic. A female monastic is called a Bhikkhuni Nepali: ). The life of Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis is governed by a set of rules called the patimokkha within the vinaya's framework of monastic discipline...
from the Sarvastivada
Sarvastivada
The Sarvāstivāda were an early school of Buddhism that held to 'the existence of all dharmas in the past, present and future, the 'three times'. Vasubandhu's states:-Name:...
tradition, who later became a convert
Religious conversion
Religious conversion is the adoption of a new religion that differs from the convert's previous religion. Changing from one denomination to another within the same religion is usually described as reaffiliation rather than conversion.People convert to a different religion for various reasons,...
to Mahayana
Mahayana
Mahāyāna is one of the two main existing branches of Buddhism and a term for classification of Buddhist philosophies and practice...
Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
. Lamotte's translation was published in five volumes but unfortunately remains incomplete, since his death put an end to his efforts.
Other works
In addition to the Da zhi du lun, Lamotte also composed several other important translations from MahayanaMahayana
Mahāyāna is one of the two main existing branches of Buddhism and a term for classification of Buddhist philosophies and practice...
sutra
Sutra
Sūtra is an aphorism or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. Literally it means a thread or line that holds things together and is derived from the verbal root siv-, meaning to sew , as does the medical term...
s, including the Suramgamasamadhi sutra
Suramgamasamadhi sutra
The Śūraṅgama Samādhi Sūtra is an early Mahayana sutra of Indian origin which focuses on the transcendental nature, supernatural powers, and transformational feats bestowed upon the meditation practitioner by the state of meditation called the Śūraṅgama Samādhi or the "Samādhi of the Heroic...
, and the Vimalakirti sutra
Sutra
Sūtra is an aphorism or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. Literally it means a thread or line that holds things together and is derived from the verbal root siv-, meaning to sew , as does the medical term...
.
Publications
- Le traité de la grande vertu de sagesse de Nāgārjuna (Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra) vol. 1 (1944)
- Le traité de la grande vertu de sagesse de Nāgārjuna (Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra) vol. 2 (1949)
- Histoire du bouddhisme indien (1958) trans. into English as The History of Indian Buddhism 1988.
- The Spirit of Ancient Buddhism (1961)
- The Teaching of Vimalakirti (Vimalakīrtinirdeśa) (1962) (Pali Text Soc. trans. 1986)
- Le traité de la grande vertu de sagesse de Nāgārjuna (Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra) vol. 3 (1970)
- Le traité de la grande vertu de sagesse de Nāgārjuna (Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra) vol. 4 (1976)
- Le traité de la grande vertu de sagesse de Nāgārjuna (Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra) vol. 5 (1980)
- Karmasiddhi Prakarana, English trans. Leo M. Pruden 1988.
- Suramgamasamadhisutra, the Concentration of Heroic Progress Curzon Press 1998