ABSTRACT
A Tang Dynasty monk and an authority on the vinaya, Dao Xuan was the founder of the Nanshan sect and a historian of Buddhism. He held the position of head monk in Ximing Monastery in Chang'an. He also worked on polishing translations of Buddhist sutras in Xuan Zang's Translation Assembly. Although Dao Xuan stressed the importance of style and the need for a 'truly inspiring' use of language, it is clear that he was extremely wary of translators who imposed their own personal style and asserted their own 'authorship' in sutra translation. To him, only those who are singularly gifted should attempt to match substance with style. Dao Xuan's view of translation, like that of Yan Cong, was extremely ambivalent. Both considered translation to be indispensable to the propagation of the Buddha's teachings, and yet both wished that it could be dispensed with.
