prayogaH kaaya-vacasoH
shuddho bhavati te yathaa
uttaano vivRto gupto'
n-avacchidras tathaa kuru
- = = = - - - =
= = - - - = - =
= = = - - = = =
- = = = - = - -
13.11
So that use of body and voice
Becomes simple for you,
See to it that your use is expansive,
open yet guarded,
And free from disconnectedness.
COMMENT:
This and the following verse, as I read them, address precisely what FM Alexander called a person's "manner of use of the self." From 13.13 to 13.18, the Buddha addresses a person's manner of making a living as a related but separate issue.
Use of body and voice is rendered simple, Alexander observed, through proper employment of the head-neck-back relation which he termed "the primary control of the use of the self."
Every morning I sit for an hour wearing the Buddha-robe with right foot on left thigh and left foot on right. At some time during this sitting, generally (unless I forget), I make a full exhalation and sway slowly left and right a few times. I am more or less observant of all of Dogen's rules of sitting-zen. At the end of the hour I generally recite in Japanese a verse to direct outwards any merit that there was in the practice.
This fist sitting of the day, in what Shikhs today still call amRta velaa, the hour of the nectar of deathlessness, before air and other traffic begins, is my most formal and usually my best sitting of the day. My best hours, as I experience them, are the ones in which my use of body and voice is most expansive, most open (without falling into unguarded wildness or sloppiness) and, above all, most free of disconnectedness.
These qualities of expansiveness, openness, and freedom from disconnectedness are not things that one can achieve directly -- for example, by making a big effort to "keep the spine straight vertically." Rather, through the preventive work of stopping off misuse where it begins -- with an end-gaining idea -- the right thing can be allowed to do itself.
FM Alexander spoke of inhibiting interference with the correct employment of the primary control of the use of the self. That means, in other words, not stiffening the neck and making the spine into a shortened concertina by pulling the head down towards the hips.
Thus the right thing can be allowed to do itself, indirectly, by an indirect or preventive method. And when the right thing does itself, the qualities begin to emerge of expansiveness, guarded openness and freedom from disconnectedness.
The principle of indirectness is expressed in the fourth line, as I read it, by the words tathaa kuru, "see to it that.." or "act in a manner such that..." This does not mean to try to bring about a change by doing something directly, like trying to adjust or correct one's own posture. It has more to do with becoming aware of the end-gaining idea which is invariably at the root of undue muscular contraction, fixed joints, loss of conscious control, and disconnections in the flow of one's energy.
The conclusion of this comment, then, is that seeing to it that one's use of body and voice is free from disconnectedness is primarily a matter of waking up to one's end-gaining ideas. "Non-Buddhism"? "Alexander theory"? Maybe.
But here is what Master Dogen wrote in characters you can see for yourself if you wish, here on my webpage.
To sit in full lotus first put the right foot on the left thigh and put the left foot on the right thigh. To sit in half lotus, just let the left foot press down on the right thigh. Let clothes hang loose and keep them neat. Then place the right hand over the left foot, and place the left hand over the right palm, with the thumbs meeting and propping each other up. Just sit upright, not leaning left, inclining to the right, slumping forward or arching backward. It is vital to bring about an opposition between the ears and the shoulders, and an opposition between the nose and the navel. Let the tongue rest against the roof of the mouth, with the lips touching and the teeth together. Keep the eyes open as normal. Having brought the physical form to stillness, let the breathing also be regulated. When an idea arises, just wake up. Just in the waking up to it, it ceases to exist. Taking plenty of time, forget all involvements and you will spontaneously become all of a piece.
EH Johnston:
So act that the employment of your body and speech, being purified, may be candid, open, guarded and without defect,
Linda Covill:
So that your physical and verbal acts become pure, they should be upright, open, regulated and without blemish
VOCABULARY:
prayogaH (nominative): use ; practice , experiment (opp. to , " theory ")
kaaya: body
vacasoH: genitive dual of vacas: speech , voice , word
shuddhaH (nominative): mfn. cleansed , cleared , clean , pure , clear , free from; pure i.e. simple , mere , genuine , true , unmixed
bhavati: is, becomes
te (genitive): of you
yathaa: so that, in order that
uttaanaH (nominative): mfn. stretched out , spread out , lying on the back , sleeping supinely or with the face upwards ; upright ; spreading out over the surface ; open
vivRtaH (nom.): mfn. uncovered , unconcealed , exposed , naked , bare ; unclosed , open
guptaH (nom.): mfn. protected , guarded , preserved ; hidden , concealed , kept secret , secret
n'avacchidraH = acchidraH (nom.): mfn. free from clefts or flaws , unbroken , uninterrupted , uninjured ; n. unbroken or uninjured condition , an action free from defect or flaw
tathaa (correlative of yathaa): in such a manner
kuru (imperative of kR): to do , make , perform , accomplish , cause , effect , prepare , undertake
Friday, July 17, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
SAUNDARANANDA 13.10: Starting Afresh from Here
ataH prabhRti bhuuyas tvaM
shraddh"-endriya-puraHsaraH
a-mRtasy' aaptaye saumya
vRttaM rakShitum arhasi
- = = - - = = =
= = - - - = - =
- - = = - = = -
= = = - - = - -
13.10
"Starting afresh from here, my friend,
With the power of confidence leading you forward,
In order to get to the nectar of the deathless
You should watch the manner of your action.
COMMENT:
Here the Buddha's teaching in his own words resumes with a verse that puts preventive practice here and now (the theme of this Canto), in the context of a path where confidence in higher good (Canto 12) is a forerunner, and where the nectar of deathlessness (Canto 17) is the goal.
I understand this verse not as an injunction to be more careful, but as an injunction to be more watchful in the use of oneself, to be more mindful of what goes wrong, to be more aware of what we wish to stop off at source.
This understanding I owe primarily to Alexander teachers such as Ray Evans, Ron Colyer, Nelly Ben-Or and Marjory Barlow. The fact that my energy was ever channelled into translation work in the service of buddha-ancestors, I owe primarily to Gudo Nishijima. But the understanding I now bring to this work, for better or for worse, derives primarily from FM Alexander.
The way Gudo Nishijima taught me to sit was the same way that my father taught me to swim : more or less total end-gaining, with minimal concern for what might be going wrong in process in the way of undue excitement of fear reflexes. Rather than stopping off the root cause of fear by instilling confidence in a true principle, the principle espoused with considerable self-confidence by my two opinionated fathers, biological and "Buddhist," is to overcome fear through aggressive doing in pursuit of the end. In the rugby-playing days of my youth, my biological father would call it "getting stuck in." Gudo Nishijima calls it "the philosophy of action." It was the philosphy under which I did the Nishijima-Cross Shobogenzo translation, telling myself every day: "Just fucking do it." It is the philosophy of the Buddhist punk... 1,2,3 Go!
What is being recorded here by Ashvaghosha, and what is recorded in the four books of FM Alexander, is the principle which is diametrically opposed to the principle and practice of end-gaining. Ashvagosha wrote of pravRtti and nivRtti. In these two words pra (forward) and ni (backward/non) are prefixed to the same stem vRtti (rolling, mode of action). Vrtti is from the root vRt (to turn, proceed, do), which is also the root of the vRtta (mode of action) of this verse. The opposition that Ashvaghosha expresses as pravRtti vs nivRtti, Alexander expressed by the terms end-gaining vs means-whereby, and doing vs non-doing.
I would recommend anybody who wishes to get to the bottom of Ashvaghosha's teaching to follow the example of Jordan Fountain and read this blog in conjunction with the writings of FM Alexander.
"Starting afresh from here" (ataH prabhRti bhuuyas) means from this moment, and it might mean from every moment. At the same time, it might mean not on the basis of that principle of blind end-gaining but on the basis of this preventive principle of true mindfulness.
EH Johnston:
' From now onwards, my friend, do you, fortified by the faculty of faith, take heed still further to govern your conduct so as to reach the state where death is not.
Linda Covill:
"In order to reach deathlessness, my friend, you, with the faculty of faith as your forerunner, should from now onwards increase the guard on your conduct.
VOCABULARY:
atas: ind. (ablative of the pronom. base a) , from this
prabhRti: ind. (after an abl. adv.) beginning from
bhuuyas: ind. more , most , very much , exceedingly; still more ; once more , again , anew
tvam (nominal): you
shraddhaa: confidence
indriya: n. power , force , the quality which belongs especially to the mighty indra ; n. bodily power , power of the senses
puraHsaraH (nominal): mf(I)n. going before or in advance; m. a forerunner , precursor , harbinger
amRtasya = genitive of amRta: the nectar of immortality
aaptaye = dative of aapta: mfn. reached , overtaken , met ; received , got , gained , obtained
saumya: my friend
vRttam (accusative): n. procedure , practice , action , mode of life , conduct , behaviour (esp. virtuous conduct , good behaviour)
rakShitum = infinitive of rakSh: to guard , watch , take care of , protect ,
arhasi: you should
shraddh"-endriya-puraHsaraH
a-mRtasy' aaptaye saumya
vRttaM rakShitum arhasi
- = = - - = = =
= = - - - = - =
- - = = - = = -
= = = - - = - -
13.10
"Starting afresh from here, my friend,
With the power of confidence leading you forward,
In order to get to the nectar of the deathless
You should watch the manner of your action.
COMMENT:
Here the Buddha's teaching in his own words resumes with a verse that puts preventive practice here and now (the theme of this Canto), in the context of a path where confidence in higher good (Canto 12) is a forerunner, and where the nectar of deathlessness (Canto 17) is the goal.
I understand this verse not as an injunction to be more careful, but as an injunction to be more watchful in the use of oneself, to be more mindful of what goes wrong, to be more aware of what we wish to stop off at source.
This understanding I owe primarily to Alexander teachers such as Ray Evans, Ron Colyer, Nelly Ben-Or and Marjory Barlow. The fact that my energy was ever channelled into translation work in the service of buddha-ancestors, I owe primarily to Gudo Nishijima. But the understanding I now bring to this work, for better or for worse, derives primarily from FM Alexander.
The way Gudo Nishijima taught me to sit was the same way that my father taught me to swim : more or less total end-gaining, with minimal concern for what might be going wrong in process in the way of undue excitement of fear reflexes. Rather than stopping off the root cause of fear by instilling confidence in a true principle, the principle espoused with considerable self-confidence by my two opinionated fathers, biological and "Buddhist," is to overcome fear through aggressive doing in pursuit of the end. In the rugby-playing days of my youth, my biological father would call it "getting stuck in." Gudo Nishijima calls it "the philosophy of action." It was the philosphy under which I did the Nishijima-Cross Shobogenzo translation, telling myself every day: "Just fucking do it." It is the philosophy of the Buddhist punk... 1,2,3 Go!
What is being recorded here by Ashvaghosha, and what is recorded in the four books of FM Alexander, is the principle which is diametrically opposed to the principle and practice of end-gaining. Ashvagosha wrote of pravRtti and nivRtti. In these two words pra (forward) and ni (backward/non) are prefixed to the same stem vRtti (rolling, mode of action). Vrtti is from the root vRt (to turn, proceed, do), which is also the root of the vRtta (mode of action) of this verse. The opposition that Ashvaghosha expresses as pravRtti vs nivRtti, Alexander expressed by the terms end-gaining vs means-whereby, and doing vs non-doing.
I would recommend anybody who wishes to get to the bottom of Ashvaghosha's teaching to follow the example of Jordan Fountain and read this blog in conjunction with the writings of FM Alexander.
"Starting afresh from here" (ataH prabhRti bhuuyas) means from this moment, and it might mean from every moment. At the same time, it might mean not on the basis of that principle of blind end-gaining but on the basis of this preventive principle of true mindfulness.
EH Johnston:
' From now onwards, my friend, do you, fortified by the faculty of faith, take heed still further to govern your conduct so as to reach the state where death is not.
Linda Covill:
"In order to reach deathlessness, my friend, you, with the faculty of faith as your forerunner, should from now onwards increase the guard on your conduct.
VOCABULARY:
atas: ind. (ablative of the pronom. base a) , from this
prabhRti: ind. (after an abl. adv.) beginning from
bhuuyas: ind. more , most , very much , exceedingly; still more ; once more , again , anew
tvam (nominal): you
shraddhaa: confidence
indriya: n. power , force , the quality which belongs especially to the mighty indra ; n. bodily power , power of the senses
puraHsaraH (nominal): mf(I)n. going before or in advance; m. a forerunner , precursor , harbinger
amRtasya = genitive of amRta: the nectar of immortality
aaptaye = dative of aapta: mfn. reached , overtaken , met ; received , got , gained , obtained
saumya: my friend
vRttam (accusative): n. procedure , practice , action , mode of life , conduct , behaviour (esp. virtuous conduct , good behaviour)
rakShitum = infinitive of rakSh: to guard , watch , take care of , protect ,
arhasi: you should
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
SAUNDARANANDA 13.9: The Best of Speakers Spoke, of a Process
atha saMharShaNaan nandaM
viditvaa bhaajanii-kRtam
abraviid bruvataaM shreShThaH
krama-jNaH shreyasaaM kramam
- - = = - = = -
- = = = - = - -
= - = - - = = =
- = = = - = - -
13.9
And so now seeing that, by boosting Nanda,
He had made a receptacle,
The best of speakers spoke:
The process-knower spoke of the process
in all forms of higher good.
COMMENT:
Boosting Nanda meant stimulating the growth of his confidence in higher good; that is to say, in good higher even than living a life of royal privilege in a beautiful house in a beautiful city with a sexy and beautiful wife.
A receptacle means a human being who can become a vessel for the teaching and the practice of higher good. That teaching, as I understand it, centres on the principle of non-doing, and that practice involves the eradication of faults or defects via an indirect, inhibitory process.
The best of speakers was the best of listeners -- one person, one psycho-physical unity, one audio-vocal loop. Not two processes. One process.
A process, in other words, is a means-whereby. Knowing a means-whereby, whether it be for lighting a fire, or using one's voice well, or swimming without stress, or sitting easily, instils confidence -- as opposed to fearful end-gaining.
I would point out that whenever a person sets out to achieve a particular "end" (whether this "end" is the development of potentialities or the eradication of defects, peculiarities, or misuse) his procedure will be based on one of two principles which I have called the "end-gaining" and the "means-whereby" principles. The "end-gaining" principle involves a direct procedure on the part of the person endeavouring to gain the desired "end." This direct procedure is associated with dependence upon subconscious guidance and control, leading, in cases where a condition of mal-co-ordination is present, to an unsatisfactory use of the mechanisms and to an increase in the defects and peculiarities already existing. The "means-whereby" principle, on the other hand, involves a reasoning consideration of the causes of the conditions present, and an indirect instead of a direct procedure on the part of the person endeavouring to gain the desired "end."
FM Alexander; Constructive, Conscious Control of the Individual.
All kinds of practice of higher good (shreyash), as I understand the term, depend by definition on knowing a process.
EH Johnston:
Then the best of Speakers Who knew the course of things, recognising that Nanda had become a vessel fit for salvation through His exhortation, explained the process of the highest good :--
Linda Covill:
Now, aware that by gladdening him he had made Nanda a fitting receptacle for instruction, the best of speakers, knower of the gradual path, explained the steps to Excellence.
VOCABULARY:
atha: then, now
saMharShaNaat = ablative of saMharShaNa (from sam-√hRSh): causing (the hair of the body) to stand erect; gladdening , delighting (with gen.)
hRSh: to thrill with rapture , rejoice , exult , be glad or pleased ; to become sexually excited ; to become erect or stiff or rigid ; to rejoice , be glad ; to cause to bristle
nandaM (accusative): Nanda
viditvaa = absolutive of vid: to know, see, recognise, be aware
bhaajanii = accusative, plural of (??) bhaajana: n. " partaker of " , a recipient , receptacle , (esp.) a vessel
kRtam (accusative): made
abraviid (imperfect of brU): spoke, say, tell
bruvataam (genitive plural of bruvat, speaking): of speakers
shreShThaH (nominal, singular): the best
krama: m. a step ; course, way, method ; " progressing step by step " , a peculiar manner or method of reading and writing Vedic texts
jNaH (nominative, singular): knower
shreyasaaM = genitive plural of shreyas: n. (as) the better state , the better fortune or condition ; m. good (as opp. to " evil ") , welfare , bliss , fortune , happiness
kramam (accusative): step, process
viditvaa bhaajanii-kRtam
abraviid bruvataaM shreShThaH
krama-jNaH shreyasaaM kramam
- - = = - = = -
- = = = - = - -
= - = - - = = =
- = = = - = - -
13.9
And so now seeing that, by boosting Nanda,
He had made a receptacle,
The best of speakers spoke:
The process-knower spoke of the process
in all forms of higher good.
COMMENT:
Boosting Nanda meant stimulating the growth of his confidence in higher good; that is to say, in good higher even than living a life of royal privilege in a beautiful house in a beautiful city with a sexy and beautiful wife.
A receptacle means a human being who can become a vessel for the teaching and the practice of higher good. That teaching, as I understand it, centres on the principle of non-doing, and that practice involves the eradication of faults or defects via an indirect, inhibitory process.
The best of speakers was the best of listeners -- one person, one psycho-physical unity, one audio-vocal loop. Not two processes. One process.
A process, in other words, is a means-whereby. Knowing a means-whereby, whether it be for lighting a fire, or using one's voice well, or swimming without stress, or sitting easily, instils confidence -- as opposed to fearful end-gaining.
I would point out that whenever a person sets out to achieve a particular "end" (whether this "end" is the development of potentialities or the eradication of defects, peculiarities, or misuse) his procedure will be based on one of two principles which I have called the "end-gaining" and the "means-whereby" principles. The "end-gaining" principle involves a direct procedure on the part of the person endeavouring to gain the desired "end." This direct procedure is associated with dependence upon subconscious guidance and control, leading, in cases where a condition of mal-co-ordination is present, to an unsatisfactory use of the mechanisms and to an increase in the defects and peculiarities already existing. The "means-whereby" principle, on the other hand, involves a reasoning consideration of the causes of the conditions present, and an indirect instead of a direct procedure on the part of the person endeavouring to gain the desired "end."
FM Alexander; Constructive, Conscious Control of the Individual.
All kinds of practice of higher good (shreyash), as I understand the term, depend by definition on knowing a process.
EH Johnston:
Then the best of Speakers Who knew the course of things, recognising that Nanda had become a vessel fit for salvation through His exhortation, explained the process of the highest good :--
Linda Covill:
Now, aware that by gladdening him he had made Nanda a fitting receptacle for instruction, the best of speakers, knower of the gradual path, explained the steps to Excellence.
VOCABULARY:
atha: then, now
saMharShaNaat = ablative of saMharShaNa (from sam-√hRSh): causing (the hair of the body) to stand erect; gladdening , delighting (with gen.)
hRSh: to thrill with rapture , rejoice , exult , be glad or pleased ; to become sexually excited ; to become erect or stiff or rigid ; to rejoice , be glad ; to cause to bristle
nandaM (accusative): Nanda
viditvaa = absolutive of vid: to know, see, recognise, be aware
bhaajanii = accusative, plural of (??) bhaajana: n. " partaker of " , a recipient , receptacle , (esp.) a vessel
kRtam (accusative): made
abraviid (imperfect of brU): spoke, say, tell
bruvataam (genitive plural of bruvat, speaking): of speakers
shreShThaH (nominal, singular): the best
krama: m. a step ; course, way, method ; " progressing step by step " , a peculiar manner or method of reading and writing Vedic texts
jNaH (nominative, singular): knower
shreyasaaM = genitive plural of shreyas: n. (as) the better state , the better fortune or condition ; m. good (as opp. to " evil ") , welfare , bliss , fortune , happiness
kramam (accusative): step, process
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
SAUNDARANANDA 13.8: Versatility, Fellow-Feeling, & Indirect Means of Healing
atash ca saMdadhe kaayaM
mahaa-karuNayaa tayaa
mocayeyaM kathaM duHkhaat
sattvaan' ity anukampakaH
- = - = - = = =
- = - - - = - =
= - = = - = = =
= = - - - = - =
13.8
Thus did the benevolent one take on,
Out of that great compassion,
A form by which he might release from suffering
Fellow living beings.
COMMENT:
In six verses from 13.3 to 13.8 Ashvaghosha in his indirect way has taken us on a diversion from the main narrative in order to tell us what qualities the Buddha exemplified as a teacher. This verse, as I read it, is the concluding verse in that series of six.
A more literal translation of the verse is:
Thus did he gird together a body,
Out of that great compassion,
"By which means I might release from suffering
Living beings:" so [reasoned] he of fellow-feeling.
What the verse is describing, as I read it, is nothing too mystical or miraculous: just the kind of versatility and fellow-feeling that is exhibited by many good teachers of the present day -- in Alexander work and in other fields.
An example that springs to mind of taking on a form, or girding a body, with a view to releasing others from suffering, is that of FM Alexander: he of Tasmanian bushman's eyes and Edwardian gent's suit. Again, to engage in play an infant suffering from developmental delay, the only place to be is down on the floor.
"That great compassion" in mahaa-karuNayaa tayaa refers I think specifically to cikits'-aartham in the previous verse, i.e, the intention, through the use of various indirect means, to heal.
The truest manifestation of the Buddha's fellow-feeling, it seems to me, was that he gave to others the indirect means to help themselves. A healer is not much use to anybody if he temporarily releases his patient from the symptoms of suffering without addressing the root cause. Speaking for myself, I only really began to get this point under the influence of the teaching of -- you guessed it -- FM Alexander.
EH Johnston:
And so out of the greatness of His compassion He had put on a mortal body in His sympathy that He might release all beings from suffering.
Linda Covill:
In his sympathy discerning how he might free sentient beings from suffering, with great compassion he had taken on a bodily form.
VOCABULARY:
atash: from this, hence
ca: and
saMdadhe = 3rd person singular, perfect of saMdhaa: to place or hold or put or draw or join or fasten or fix or sew together , unite, (with manas , " to compose the mind "); make use of
kaayam (accusative): body
mahaa: (f.) great
karuNayaa = instrumental of karuNaa: f. pity , compassion
tayaa = instrumental of saa: (f.) that
muc: to release, set free, liberate, let loose
mocayeyam (1st person singular, present causative, optative of muc): I might release, set free, liberate, let loose
katham: how
duHkhaat (ablative): from suffering
sattvaani (accusative, plural): being, living or sentient being
iti: " "
anukampakaH (nominative, singular): the compassionate one, the sympathizer, he of fellow-feeling
mahaa-karuNayaa tayaa
mocayeyaM kathaM duHkhaat
sattvaan' ity anukampakaH
- = - = - = = =
- = - - - = - =
= - = = - = = =
= = - - - = - =
13.8
Thus did the benevolent one take on,
Out of that great compassion,
A form by which he might release from suffering
Fellow living beings.
COMMENT:
In six verses from 13.3 to 13.8 Ashvaghosha in his indirect way has taken us on a diversion from the main narrative in order to tell us what qualities the Buddha exemplified as a teacher. This verse, as I read it, is the concluding verse in that series of six.
A more literal translation of the verse is:
Thus did he gird together a body,
Out of that great compassion,
"By which means I might release from suffering
Living beings:" so [reasoned] he of fellow-feeling.
What the verse is describing, as I read it, is nothing too mystical or miraculous: just the kind of versatility and fellow-feeling that is exhibited by many good teachers of the present day -- in Alexander work and in other fields.
An example that springs to mind of taking on a form, or girding a body, with a view to releasing others from suffering, is that of FM Alexander: he of Tasmanian bushman's eyes and Edwardian gent's suit. Again, to engage in play an infant suffering from developmental delay, the only place to be is down on the floor.
"That great compassion" in mahaa-karuNayaa tayaa refers I think specifically to cikits'-aartham in the previous verse, i.e, the intention, through the use of various indirect means, to heal.
The truest manifestation of the Buddha's fellow-feeling, it seems to me, was that he gave to others the indirect means to help themselves. A healer is not much use to anybody if he temporarily releases his patient from the symptoms of suffering without addressing the root cause. Speaking for myself, I only really began to get this point under the influence of the teaching of -- you guessed it -- FM Alexander.
EH Johnston:
And so out of the greatness of His compassion He had put on a mortal body in His sympathy that He might release all beings from suffering.
Linda Covill:
In his sympathy discerning how he might free sentient beings from suffering, with great compassion he had taken on a bodily form.
VOCABULARY:
atash: from this, hence
ca: and
saMdadhe = 3rd person singular, perfect of saMdhaa: to place or hold or put or draw or join or fasten or fix or sew together , unite, (with manas , " to compose the mind "); make use of
kaayam (accusative): body
mahaa: (f.) great
karuNayaa = instrumental of karuNaa: f. pity , compassion
tayaa = instrumental of saa: (f.) that
muc: to release, set free, liberate, let loose
mocayeyam (1st person singular, present causative, optative of muc): I might release, set free, liberate, let loose
katham: how
duHkhaat (ablative): from suffering
sattvaani (accusative, plural): being, living or sentient being
iti: " "
anukampakaH (nominative, singular): the compassionate one, the sympathizer, he of fellow-feeling
Monday, July 13, 2009
SAUNDARANANDA 13.7: Not for Personal Gain
shleSham tyaagaM priyaM ruukShaM
kathaaM ca dhyaanam eva ca
mantu-kaale cikits'-aarthaM
cakre n' aatm'-aanuvRttaye
= = = = - = = =
- = = = - = - -
= - = = - = = =
= = = = - = - =
13.7
Joining and leaving, love and toughness,
Talking, as well as actual realisation,
He used during instruction for the purpose of healing,
Not to win a following for himself.
COMMENT:
I changed the translation of the 3rd line of the previous verse to:
"Because of complete and stainless integrity".
The point of this and the previous verse, it seems to me as I read this one now, is that in the matter of a teacher's primary motivation for teaching, nothing else but complete and stainless integrity will do.
In holding up the positive mirror of the Buddha's complete integrity, I suppose, Ashvaghosha is not asking us to have faith in a state of exalted perfection that might ultimately be beyond us: he is rather describing an integrity which has been and which continues to be essential to our own lowly practice.
It might not be reasonable to expect complete absence of faults in ourselves as teachers or in others as teachers: a teacher who lapses into imbalanced states like anger, depression, or pride is not automatically disqualified by those states from being a teacher. Turning to help from alcohol, as seemed to be Chogyam Trungpa's case, or being addicted as certain French teachers apparently are to strong black coffee and cigarettes, might harm a teacher's liver and lungs and stain his teeth, but those vices do not necessarily stain the integrity that I think is being described here.
What stains the integrity that I think is being described here is purporting to tell the truth not for the sake of the truth itself, but for the sake of one's own fame and profit. Master Dogen wrote that his greatest fear was losing the will to the truth, the bodhi-citta. This fear was fully reflected in the negative mirror of Shobogenzo chapter 73, Sanju-shichi-bon-bodai-bunbo, The 37 Elements of Bodhi. In this chapter, Master Dogen tears into charlatans in China who twisted the traditional teaching of the importance of leaving home, so as to win a following for themselves among lay people. Dogen compared those so-called monks to dogs eager to feast on the shit and piss of lay people.
Based on personal experience, I feel a similar negativity toward the kind of dentist who is primarily in it for the money. And the dentist analogy may be apt here, as the 3rd line of this verse returns to the medical metaphor: In administering the good medicine which is the Dharma, Ashvaghosha is telling us, the Buddha's aim was to heal; and at times of working towards this aim, just this aim and not personal gain was his aim.
This attitude is not a remote ideal that I might realise one day if I were to become as perfect as the sage Gautama (pigs might fly): it is how I must be, here and now, notwithstanding myriad faults, in this very task of translation. It is how I must be, at 11.00 am, when my friend arrives for an Alexander lesson.
The closing words of the verse n' aatm'-aanuvRttaye "not-self-[for obedience/compliance], are without doubt pointing away from selfishness. What kind of selfishness they are pointing away from is somewhat open to interpretation: alternative translations that might be valid are "not to suit himself," as in EHJ's interepretation; and "not to win a following for himself," as in LC's.
In the end, I have provisionally decided on the latter interpretation and translation, because I think that doing things to suit oneself, at one's own whim, like smoking or drinking or driving fast cars or chasing fast women is a much less serious sin than twisting the true Dharma in order to win a following as a teacher. The Buddha may have been totally unstained by the former kind of sin. I don't know if he was or not. Is it necessary for me to take a leap of faith and believe that the Buddha was perfect in every way? Again, I don't know. But it seems to me that any question that introduces a conflict of doubting vs believing, tends to be confidence sapping.
Where confidence lies, in contrast, is in the certain knowledge that all the true teachers I have known in my life, and I have been fortunate to know quite a few, were motivated primarily by love of what they were teaching, and not by the desire for self-promotion. Marjory Barlow, to name one such teacher, was not spotlessly free of sin. But in administering the good medicine of the teaching of her uncle, FM Alexander, Marjory demonstrated complete and stainless integrity.
EH Johnston:
At the time of giving counsel He made use of now joining, now separation, now pleasant methods, now harsh ones, now fables and now mystic meditation, for the sake of healing, not at His own whim.
Linda Covill:
During times of counselling he stayed close or kept away, was kind or severe, and used stories or meditation not to win obedience to himself, but to promote healing.
VOCABULARY:
shleSham (accusative): connection , junction , union ; embracing , an embrace
tyaagam (accusative): leaving , abandoning , forsaking
priyam (accusative): n. love , kindness , favour
ruukSha (accusative): m. hardness , harshness
kathaam (accusative): conversation , speech , talking together ; story , tale , fable
ca: and
dhyaanam (accusative): realisation, [sitting-]dhyana
eva: emphatic
ca: and
mantu: m. an adviser , manager , disposer , ruler , arbiter RV ; (also as f.) advice , counsel
kaale (locative): in time
cikitsa: f. medical attendance , practice or science of medicine (esp. therapeutics , one of the six sections of med.)
artham (accusative): purpose (ifc. " for the sake of , on account of , in behalf of , for ")
cakre (perfect of kR): to do , make , perform , accomplish , cause , effect
na: not
aatma = aatman: self
anuvRttaye = dative of anuvRtta: mfn. following , obeying , complying; n. obedience , conformity , compliance
kathaaM ca dhyaanam eva ca
mantu-kaale cikits'-aarthaM
cakre n' aatm'-aanuvRttaye
= = = = - = = =
- = = = - = - -
= - = = - = = =
= = = = - = - =
13.7
Joining and leaving, love and toughness,
Talking, as well as actual realisation,
He used during instruction for the purpose of healing,
Not to win a following for himself.
COMMENT:
I changed the translation of the 3rd line of the previous verse to:
"Because of complete and stainless integrity".
The point of this and the previous verse, it seems to me as I read this one now, is that in the matter of a teacher's primary motivation for teaching, nothing else but complete and stainless integrity will do.
In holding up the positive mirror of the Buddha's complete integrity, I suppose, Ashvaghosha is not asking us to have faith in a state of exalted perfection that might ultimately be beyond us: he is rather describing an integrity which has been and which continues to be essential to our own lowly practice.
It might not be reasonable to expect complete absence of faults in ourselves as teachers or in others as teachers: a teacher who lapses into imbalanced states like anger, depression, or pride is not automatically disqualified by those states from being a teacher. Turning to help from alcohol, as seemed to be Chogyam Trungpa's case, or being addicted as certain French teachers apparently are to strong black coffee and cigarettes, might harm a teacher's liver and lungs and stain his teeth, but those vices do not necessarily stain the integrity that I think is being described here.
What stains the integrity that I think is being described here is purporting to tell the truth not for the sake of the truth itself, but for the sake of one's own fame and profit. Master Dogen wrote that his greatest fear was losing the will to the truth, the bodhi-citta. This fear was fully reflected in the negative mirror of Shobogenzo chapter 73, Sanju-shichi-bon-bodai-bunbo, The 37 Elements of Bodhi. In this chapter, Master Dogen tears into charlatans in China who twisted the traditional teaching of the importance of leaving home, so as to win a following for themselves among lay people. Dogen compared those so-called monks to dogs eager to feast on the shit and piss of lay people.
Based on personal experience, I feel a similar negativity toward the kind of dentist who is primarily in it for the money. And the dentist analogy may be apt here, as the 3rd line of this verse returns to the medical metaphor: In administering the good medicine which is the Dharma, Ashvaghosha is telling us, the Buddha's aim was to heal; and at times of working towards this aim, just this aim and not personal gain was his aim.
This attitude is not a remote ideal that I might realise one day if I were to become as perfect as the sage Gautama (pigs might fly): it is how I must be, here and now, notwithstanding myriad faults, in this very task of translation. It is how I must be, at 11.00 am, when my friend arrives for an Alexander lesson.
The closing words of the verse n' aatm'-aanuvRttaye "not-self-[for obedience/compliance], are without doubt pointing away from selfishness. What kind of selfishness they are pointing away from is somewhat open to interpretation: alternative translations that might be valid are "not to suit himself," as in EHJ's interepretation; and "not to win a following for himself," as in LC's.
In the end, I have provisionally decided on the latter interpretation and translation, because I think that doing things to suit oneself, at one's own whim, like smoking or drinking or driving fast cars or chasing fast women is a much less serious sin than twisting the true Dharma in order to win a following as a teacher. The Buddha may have been totally unstained by the former kind of sin. I don't know if he was or not. Is it necessary for me to take a leap of faith and believe that the Buddha was perfect in every way? Again, I don't know. But it seems to me that any question that introduces a conflict of doubting vs believing, tends to be confidence sapping.
Where confidence lies, in contrast, is in the certain knowledge that all the true teachers I have known in my life, and I have been fortunate to know quite a few, were motivated primarily by love of what they were teaching, and not by the desire for self-promotion. Marjory Barlow, to name one such teacher, was not spotlessly free of sin. But in administering the good medicine of the teaching of her uncle, FM Alexander, Marjory demonstrated complete and stainless integrity.
EH Johnston:
At the time of giving counsel He made use of now joining, now separation, now pleasant methods, now harsh ones, now fables and now mystic meditation, for the sake of healing, not at His own whim.
Linda Covill:
During times of counselling he stayed close or kept away, was kind or severe, and used stories or meditation not to win obedience to himself, but to promote healing.
VOCABULARY:
shleSham (accusative): connection , junction , union ; embracing , an embrace
tyaagam (accusative): leaving , abandoning , forsaking
priyam (accusative): n. love , kindness , favour
ruukSha (accusative): m. hardness , harshness
kathaam (accusative): conversation , speech , talking together ; story , tale , fable
ca: and
dhyaanam (accusative): realisation, [sitting-]dhyana
eva: emphatic
ca: and
mantu: m. an adviser , manager , disposer , ruler , arbiter RV ; (also as f.) advice , counsel
kaale (locative): in time
cikitsa: f. medical attendance , practice or science of medicine (esp. therapeutics , one of the six sections of med.)
artham (accusative): purpose (ifc. " for the sake of , on account of , in behalf of , for ")
cakre (perfect of kR): to do , make , perform , accomplish , cause , effect
na: not
aatma = aatman: self
anuvRttaye = dative of anuvRtta: mfn. following , obeying , complying; n. obedience , conformity , compliance
Sunday, July 12, 2009
SAUNDARANANDA 13.6: Untaintedness of the Sage
tadval loke munir jaato
lokasy' aanugrahaM caran
kRtitvaan nirmalatvaac ca
loka-dharmair na lipyate
= = = = - = = =
= = = = - = - -
- = = = - = = -
= - = = - = - =
13.6
So the sage, born in the world,
And acting for the benefit of the world,
Because of complete and stainless integrity,
Is not tainted by worldly things.
COMMENT:
Here in south-east England, men of the world like to fly light aircraft around for fun, when the weather permits. They tend to avoid built-up areas, opting to skirt around a town like Aylesbury and fly instead over the surrounding villages, where yours truly is vainly seeking peace and quiet.
The tendency of gold not to be tarnished, and the tendency of lotus leaves not to be sullied by the water of a muddy pond, are inherent in the chemistry of gold and in the biology of the lotus, and gold and lotus never go against their inherent nature.
When we observe the world of men, however, in self and in others there is often a tendency for a person to be tainted by his emotional reactions to worldly things.
To witness the birth of a healthy baby makes us wonder how nature managed to produce such flawless perfection. But as a human being grows up and makes his way in the world, the choices we make and the education we receive, seem too often to cause us to lose the quality of child mind. Some of us, sensing this loss, look for ways to let our original child mind shine through again. We take up some form of non-worldly practice of the backward step, like playing the Japanese bamboo flute, not to become anything, but for the sheer enjoyment of the beauty of the sound; or like just sitting.
Still, true learning of the backward step, at least as I struggle with it, is not such an easy matter. When what I perceive to be a worldly intrusion is buzzing overhead, my practice is tainted by an emotional reaction. This reaction has a psychological aspect but more fundamentally, as I have come to understand this reaction, it is a symptom of a lack of inhibitory circuits at a deep level of functioning of the inner ear.
Now I am discussing what I understand to be the root cause of my own tainted reactions to worldly things, but what this verse is describing is the cause of the Buddha's not being tainted by emotional reaction to worldly things.
The cause of the sage Gautama not being tainted, Ashvaghosha tells us here, by his use of the ablative case to indicate a causal relation, was the sage's kRtitva and nirmalatva. So understanding of the verse seems to me to hinge on understanding of these two words.
At time of writing, I am not sure how to understand these two words. Are they expressing a momentary state of balance in action, which allows a person to be there in a moment of listening to a new-born baby's first cry, or a moment of looking at a potato flower in bloom, or a moment of lopping off a thick branch with one well-aimed swing of a sharp axe? Or are they are expressing untaintedness as an irreversible state like a cracked mirror or a fallen leaf?
For the present, I have translated kRtitva as "perfected integrity" without knowing what "perfected integrity" really means -- which may be why the buzz of the aircraft continues to bother me.
In the process of translating Shobogenzo, I was bothered by the same sense of lack of integrity, for example in translating words like anuttara-samyak-saMbodhi whose meaning I had not experienced for myself. In that situation, I thought that I was lending the translation authenticity and integrity by deferring to a senior "co-translator" whose integrity I saw, with a certain degree of optimism, as beyond question. Gudo Nishijima claimed in his own words to be "strong to noise," and he truly was strong to noise. But him being strong to noise was of no use to me who was and is weak to noise. There is no integrity in a student who is weak to noise imitating a teacher who is strong to noise. My optimistic attempt to outsource integrity to another is one mistake I will never make again, one mirror that was well and truly cracked.
EH Johnston:
So the Sage, though born in the world and acting for its benefit, is not stained by the conditions of the world because of His purity and stainlessness.
Linda Covill:
likewise the sage is born in the world and operates as a favour to the world, but because of his perfectedness and spotlessness he is not soiled by any worldly thing.
VOCABULARY:
tadvat (correlative of yathaa): so, also, likewise
loke (locative): in the world
muniH (nominative): sage
jaataH (nominative): born
lokasya (genitive): of the world
anugraham = accusative of anugraha: m. favour , kindness , showing favour , conferring benefits , promoting or furthering a good object
caran nominative singular m. of present participle of car: to undertake , practise , do or act, effect
kRtin: mfn. one who acts , active ; expert , clever , skilful , knowing , learned
kRti: f. the act of doing , making , performing , manufacturing , composing ; action , activity ; creation , work
-tvaM: (abstract noun suffix) the state of being...
kRtitvaat = ablative of kRtitva: n. the state of one who has attained any object
nirmalatvaat = ablative of nirmalatva: n. stainlessness , cleanness , purity
ca: and
loka: world
dharmair (instrumental, plural of dharma): things, practices
na: not
lipyate: is tainted
lokasy' aanugrahaM caran
kRtitvaan nirmalatvaac ca
loka-dharmair na lipyate
= = = = - = = =
= = = = - = - -
- = = = - = = -
= - = = - = - =
13.6
So the sage, born in the world,
And acting for the benefit of the world,
Because of complete and stainless integrity,
Is not tainted by worldly things.
COMMENT:
Here in south-east England, men of the world like to fly light aircraft around for fun, when the weather permits. They tend to avoid built-up areas, opting to skirt around a town like Aylesbury and fly instead over the surrounding villages, where yours truly is vainly seeking peace and quiet.
The tendency of gold not to be tarnished, and the tendency of lotus leaves not to be sullied by the water of a muddy pond, are inherent in the chemistry of gold and in the biology of the lotus, and gold and lotus never go against their inherent nature.
When we observe the world of men, however, in self and in others there is often a tendency for a person to be tainted by his emotional reactions to worldly things.
To witness the birth of a healthy baby makes us wonder how nature managed to produce such flawless perfection. But as a human being grows up and makes his way in the world, the choices we make and the education we receive, seem too often to cause us to lose the quality of child mind. Some of us, sensing this loss, look for ways to let our original child mind shine through again. We take up some form of non-worldly practice of the backward step, like playing the Japanese bamboo flute, not to become anything, but for the sheer enjoyment of the beauty of the sound; or like just sitting.
Still, true learning of the backward step, at least as I struggle with it, is not such an easy matter. When what I perceive to be a worldly intrusion is buzzing overhead, my practice is tainted by an emotional reaction. This reaction has a psychological aspect but more fundamentally, as I have come to understand this reaction, it is a symptom of a lack of inhibitory circuits at a deep level of functioning of the inner ear.
Now I am discussing what I understand to be the root cause of my own tainted reactions to worldly things, but what this verse is describing is the cause of the Buddha's not being tainted by emotional reaction to worldly things.
The cause of the sage Gautama not being tainted, Ashvaghosha tells us here, by his use of the ablative case to indicate a causal relation, was the sage's kRtitva and nirmalatva. So understanding of the verse seems to me to hinge on understanding of these two words.
At time of writing, I am not sure how to understand these two words. Are they expressing a momentary state of balance in action, which allows a person to be there in a moment of listening to a new-born baby's first cry, or a moment of looking at a potato flower in bloom, or a moment of lopping off a thick branch with one well-aimed swing of a sharp axe? Or are they are expressing untaintedness as an irreversible state like a cracked mirror or a fallen leaf?
For the present, I have translated kRtitva as "perfected integrity" without knowing what "perfected integrity" really means -- which may be why the buzz of the aircraft continues to bother me.
In the process of translating Shobogenzo, I was bothered by the same sense of lack of integrity, for example in translating words like anuttara-samyak-saMbodhi whose meaning I had not experienced for myself. In that situation, I thought that I was lending the translation authenticity and integrity by deferring to a senior "co-translator" whose integrity I saw, with a certain degree of optimism, as beyond question. Gudo Nishijima claimed in his own words to be "strong to noise," and he truly was strong to noise. But him being strong to noise was of no use to me who was and is weak to noise. There is no integrity in a student who is weak to noise imitating a teacher who is strong to noise. My optimistic attempt to outsource integrity to another is one mistake I will never make again, one mirror that was well and truly cracked.
EH Johnston:
So the Sage, though born in the world and acting for its benefit, is not stained by the conditions of the world because of His purity and stainlessness.
Linda Covill:
likewise the sage is born in the world and operates as a favour to the world, but because of his perfectedness and spotlessness he is not soiled by any worldly thing.
VOCABULARY:
tadvat (correlative of yathaa): so, also, likewise
loke (locative): in the world
muniH (nominative): sage
jaataH (nominative): born
lokasya (genitive): of the world
anugraham = accusative of anugraha: m. favour , kindness , showing favour , conferring benefits , promoting or furthering a good object
caran nominative singular m. of present participle of car: to undertake , practise , do or act, effect
kRtin: mfn. one who acts , active ; expert , clever , skilful , knowing , learned
kRti: f. the act of doing , making , performing , manufacturing , composing ; action , activity ; creation , work
-tvaM: (abstract noun suffix) the state of being...
kRtitvaat = ablative of kRtitva: n. the state of one who has attained any object
nirmalatvaat = ablative of nirmalatva: n. stainlessness , cleanness , purity
ca: and
loka: world
dharmair (instrumental, plural of dharma): things, practices
na: not
lipyate: is tainted
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
