Buddhist sutra - I don't understand it at all.

As a vice chairperson of our neighborhood association,I often have to serve as chief of the funeral care-takers. By the way, whenever I attend a Buddhist funeral,I wonder what the Buddhist sutra is. Because almost no one except the monk who is chanting it understands what it means. The atmosphere of the ceremony is very solemn,but even in the solemn atmosphere,the people attending it must always put up with listening to it without understanding the meaning. Once I have heard that the language in Buddhist sutras,or scriptures is old Indian language,Sanskrit. In the long history of Buddhism in Japan,why didn't anybody translate it into Japanese? If the sutras or scriptures were understandable for common people,more people would believe Buddhism even today. It is said that Japanese people nowadays are not as religious as Christian people or Muslims. Some people even say Buddhism in Japan exists only for performing funeral rites. Not only in Buddhism but in any other religion,the most important theme is "salvation". In these difficult times, many people are thirsting for salvation,aren't they?











deng