Saturday, March 27, 2010

Canto 17: Obtaining the Nectar of Immortality


17.1
Thus was the path to reality pointed out.

Then Nanda, a path of release receiving him in,

Bowed with his whole being before the guru

And, for the letting go of afflictions,
he made for the forest.

17.2
There he saw a clearing,

A quiet glade, of soft deep-green grass,

Kept secret by a silent stream

Bearing water blue as beryl.

17.3
Having washed his feet in that water,

He then, by a clean, auspicious, and splendid tree-root,

Girded on the intention to come undone,

And sat with legs fully crossed.

17.4
By first directing the whole body up,

And thus keeping mindfulness turned towards the body,

And thus integrating in his person all the senses,

There he threw himself all-out into practice.

17.5
Wishing to practise, on that basis,
the truth that has no gaps,

And wanting to do practices favourable to release,

He moved, using common sense, and stillness,

Into the stage of readying of consciousness.

17.6
By holding firm, keeping direction of energy to the fore,

By cutting out clinging and garnering his energy,

His consciousness calmed and contained,

He came back to himself
and was not concerned about ends.

17.7
Though his judgement had been tempered
and his soul inspired,

Now a vestige of desire, arising out of habit,

Made his mind turbid --

Like lightning striking water in a monsoon.

17.8
Being instantly aware of incompatibilities,

He saw off that authoress of the dharma's downfall,

As a man whose mind is seized by anger

Shoos away a loved but excitable woman,
when he is trying to concentrate.

17.9
He re-directed his energy so as to still his mind,

But in his doing so
an unconstructive conception reasserted itself,

As when, in a man intent on curing an illness,

An acute symptom suddenly reappears.

17.10
In order to fend against that
he went to an alternate starting point,

One constructive and favourable to practice,

Like an enfeebled prince
who seeks out a powerful protector

When being overthrown by a mighty rival.

17.11
For just as, by laying out fortifications
and laying down the rod of the law,

By banding with friends and disbanding foes,

A king gains hitherto ungained land,

That is the very policy towards practice
of one who desires release.

17.12
Because, for a practitioner whose desire is release,

The mind is his fortress,
the protocol on knowing his rod,

The virtues his friends, the faults his foes;

And liberation is the territory for which he strives.

17.13
Desiring release from the great net of suffering,

Desiring to enter into possession
of the pathways of release,

Desiring to experience the supreme noble path,

He got a bit of the Eye, and came to quiet.

17.14
Heedless would be the unhoused man who,

Despite hearing the truth, housed darkness;

But since Nanda was a man of the bowl,
a receptacle for liberation,

He had collected his mind into himself.

17.15
On the grounds of their being held together,
their causality, and their inherent nature,

Of their flavour and their concrete imperfection,

And of their tendency to spread out,
he who was now contained in himself,

Carried out a methodical investigation into things.

17.16
Desiring to experience
its total material and immaterial substance,

He examined the body,

And as impure, as suffering, as impermanent,
as without an owner,

And again as devoid of self, he perceived the body.

17.17
For, on those grounds,
on the grounds of impermanence and emptiness,

On the grounds of absence of self, and of suffering,

He, by the most discerning empirical path,

Caused the tree of afflictions to shake.

17.18
Since everything, after not existing, now exists,

And after existing it never exists again;

And since the world is causal,
and has disappearance as a cause,

Therefore he understood that the world is impermanent.

17.19
And since the yoke of a creature's karma

Is bond-making or bond-breaking impulse

Which is dependent on a prescription,
named "pleasure," for counteracting pain,

He saw that, on that account, existence is suffering.

17.20
And since separateness is a construct,

There being no-one who creates or who is made known,

But doing arises out of a totality,

He realised, on that basis, that this world is empty.

17.21
Since the throng of humanity is passive,
not autonomous,

And no one exercises direct control
over the workings of the body,

But states of being arise dependent on this and that,

He found, in that sense, that the world is devoid of self.

17.22
Then, like air in the hot season, got from fanning,

Like fire latent in wood, got from rubbing,

Like water under the ground, got from digging,

That world-beating path which is hard to get, he got:

17.23
As a bow of true knowledge,
clad in the armour of mindfulness,

Standing up in a chariot of pure practice of integrity,

While his enemies, the afflictions,
stood up in the battlefield of the mind,

He took his stance for victory,
ready to engage them in battle.

17.24
Then, unsheathing a sword
that the limbs of awakening had honed,

Standing in the supreme chariot of true motivation,

With an army
containing the elephants of the branches of the path,

He gradually penetrated the ranks of the afflictions.

17.25
With arrows made from the presence of mindfulness,

Instantly he shot those enemies
whose substance is upside-down-ness:

He split apart four enemies, four causes of suffering,

With four arrows, each having its own range.

17.26
With the five incomparable noble powers,

He broke five uncultivated areas of mental ground;

And with the eight true elephants
which are the branches of the path,

He drove away eight elephants of fakery.

17.27
And so, having shaken off every vestige
of the personality view,

Being free of doubt in regard to the four truths,

And knowing the score
in regard to pure practice of integrity,

He attained the first fruit of the dharma.

17.28
By glimpsing the noble foursome,

And by being released from one portion of the afflictions;

By realising for himself what was specific to him

As well as by witnessing the ease of the sages;

17.29
Through the stability of his stillness
and the constancy of his steadiness,

Through not being altogether bewildered
about the four truths

And not being full of holes
in the supreme practice of integrity,

He became free of doubt in the work of Dharma.

17.30
Released from the net of shabby views,

Seeing the world as it really is,

He attained a joy pregnant with knowing

And his quiet certainty in the guru
deepened all the more.

17.31
For he who understands that the doing in this world

Is determined neither by any outside cause
nor by no cause,

Who appreciates everything depending on everything:

He sees the ultimate noble Dharma.

17.32
And he who sees as the greatest good the Dharma

That is peaceful, salutary, ageless, and free of redness,

And who sees its teacher as the noblest of the noble:

He, as one who has got the Eye, is meeting Buddha.

17.33
When a healthy man has been freed from illness
by salutary instruction,

And he is aware of his debt of gratitude,

Just as he sees his healer in his mind's eye,

Gratefully acknowledging his benevolence
and knowledge of his subject,

17.34
Exactly so is a finder of reality who,
set free by the noble path,

Is the reality of being noble:

His body being a seeing Eye,
he sees the Realised One,

Gratefully acknowledging his benevolence
and all-knowingness.

17.35
Sprung free from pernicious theories,

Seeing an end to becoming,

And feeling horror for the consequences of affliction,

Nanda trembled not at death or hellish realms.

17.36
As full of skin, sinew, fat, blood, bone, and flesh,

And hair and a mass of other such unholy stuff,

He then observed the body to be;

He looked into its essential reality,
and found not even an atom.

17.37
He, firm in himself,
minimised the duality of love and hate

By the yoke of the same old practice:

Being himself big across the chest,
he made those two small,

And so obtained the second fruit in the noble Dharma.

17.38
A small vestige of the great enemy, red passion,

Whose straining bow is impatient desire
and whose arrow is fixity,

He destroyed using weapons
procured from the body as it naturally is --

Using the darts of the disagreeable,
weapons from the armoury of practice.

17.39
That gestating love-rival, malice,

Whose weapon is hatred
and whose errant arrow is anger,

He slayed with the arrows of kindness,
which are contained in a quiver of constancy

And released from the bow-string of patience.

17.40
And so the hero cut the three roots of shameful conduct

Using three seats of release,

As if three rival princes,
bearing bows in the van of their armies,

Had been cut down by one prince using three iron points.

17.41
In order to go entirely beyond the sphere of desire,

He overpowered those enemies that grab the heel,

So that he attained, because of practice,
the fruit of not returning,

And stood as if at the gateway to the citadel of Nirvana.

17.42
Free from desires and tainted things,

Containing ideas and containing thoughts,

Born of solitude and possessed of joy and ease,

Is the first stage of meditation, which he then entered.

17.43
Released from the burning of the bonfire of desires,

He derived great gladness
from ease in the act of meditating --

Ease like a heat-exhausted man diving into water.

Or like a pauper coming into great wealth.

17.44
Even in that, he realised, ideas about aforesaid things,

And thoughts about what is or is not good,

Are something not quieted,
causing disturbance in the mind,

And so he decided to let them go.

17.45
For, just as waves produce disturbance

In a river bearing a steady flow of tranquil water,

So ideas, like waves of thought,

Disturb the water of the one-pointed mind.

17.46
Just as, to one who is weary,
and fallen fast asleep,

Noises are a source of bother,

So, to one indulging in his original state
of unitary awareness,

Ideas become bothersome.

17.47
And so gradually bereft of idea and thought,

His mind tranquil from one-pointedness,

He realised the joy and ease born of balanced stillness --

That inner wellbeing
which is the second stage of meditation.

17.48
And on reaching that stage,
in which the mind is silent,

He experienced an intense joy
that he had never experienced before.

But here too he found a fault, in joy,

Just as he had in ideas.

17.49
For when a man finds intense joy in anything,

Paradoxically, suffering for him is right there.

Hence, seeing the faults there in joy,

He kept going up, into practice that goes beyond joy.

17.50
And so experiencing the ease enjoyed by the noble ones,
from non-attachment to joy,

Knowing it totally, with his body,

He remained indifferent, fully aware,

And, having realised the third stage of meditation, steady.

17.51
Since the ease here is beyond any ease,

And there is no progression of ease beyond it,

Therefore, as a knower of higher and lower,
he realised it as a condition of resplendent wholeness

Which, with loving kindness, he deemed superlative.

17.52
Then, even in that stage of meditation, he found a fault:

He saw it as better to be quiet, not excited,

Whereas his mind was fluctuating tirelessly

Because of ease circulating.

17.53
In excitement there is interference,

And where there is interference there is suffering,

Which is why, insofar as ease is excitatory,

Strivers desirous of quiet give up that ease.

17.54
Then, because he had let go of ease and suffering,

And of working on the mind, already,

He realised the lucidity
in which there is indifference and full awareness:

Thus, beyond suffering and ease,
is the fourth stage of meditation.

17.55
Since in this there is neither ease nor suffering,

And the act of knowing abides here, being its own object,

Therefore utter lucidity
through indifference and awareness

Is specified in the protocol
for the fourth stage of meditation.

17.56
Consequently, relying on the fourth stage of meditation,

He made up his mind to win the worthy state,

Like a king joining forces with a strong and noble ally

And then aspiring to conquer unconquered lands.

17.57
Then he cut the five upper fetters:

With the sword of intuitive wisdom,
wielded by directed thought,

He completely severed the five aspirational fetters,

Which are bound up with superiority,
and tied to the first person.

17.58
Again, with the seven elephants
of the limbs of awakening

He crushed the seven dormant tendencies of the mind,

Like Time, when their destruction is due,

Crushing the seven continents
by means of the seven planets.

17.59
The action which on fire, trees, ghee and water

Is exerted by rainclouds, wind, a flame and the sun,

Nanda exerted that action on the faults,

Quenching, uprooting, burning, and drying them up.

17.60
Thus he overcame three surges,
three sharks, three swells,

The unity of water, five currents, two shores,

And two crocodiles: in his eight-piece raft,

He crossed a hard-to-cross flood of suffering.

17.61
Having attained to the seat of arhathood,
he was worthy of being served:

Without ambition, without partiality,
without expectation;

Without fear, sorrow, pride, or passion;

Being nothing but himself,
he seemed in his constancy to be different.

17.62
And so Nanda, who,
through the instruction of his brother and teacher

And through his own valiant effort,

Had quieted his mind and fulfilled his task,

Spoke to himself these words:

17.63
"Praise be to him, the One Gone Well,

Through whose compassionate striving for my benefit,

Great agonies were turned away

And greater comforts conferred.

17.64
For while being dragged, by ignoble physicality,

Down a path pregnant with suffering,

I was turned back by the hook of his words,

Like an elephant in musk by a driver's hook.

17.65
For through the instruction
of the compassionate teacher

Who extracted a dart of passion
that was lodged in my heart,

Now such abundant ease is mine --

Oh! how happy I am in the loss of everything!

17.66
For, by putting out the burning fire of desires,

Using the water of constancy,
as if using water to put out a blaze,

I have now come to a state of supreme refreshment

Like a hot person descending into a cool pool.

17.67
Nothing is dear to me, nor offensive to me.

There is no liking in me, much less disliking.

In the absence of those two,
I am enjoying the moment

Like one immune to cold and heat.

17.68
Like gaining safety after great danger,

Like gaining release after long imprisonment,

Like being boatless yet gaining the far shore,
after a mighty deluge,

And like gaining clarity, after fearful darkness;

17.69
Like gaining health out of incurable illness,

Relief from immeasurable debt,

Or escape from an enemy presence;

Or like gaining, after famine, plentiful food:

17.70
Thus have I come to utmost quiet,

Through the quieting influence of the teacher.

Again and repeatedly I do homage to him:

Homage, homage to the worthy one, the Realised One!

17.71
By him I was taken to the golden-peaked mountain,

And to heaven, where,
with the example of the she-monkey,

And by means of
the women who wander the triple heaven,

I who was a slave to love,
sunk in girl-filled strife, was extricated.

17.72
And from that extreme predicament,
from that worthless mire,

Up he dragged me,
like a feeble-footed elephant from the mud,

To be released
into this quieted, untainted, feverless, sorrowless,

Ultimate true reality, which is free from darkness.

17.73
I salute the great supremely compassionate seer,

Bowing my head to him,
the knower of types, the knower of hearts,

The fully awakened one, the holder of ten powers,
the best of healers,

The deliverer: again, I bow to him.



The 17th Canto of the Epic Poem Handsome Nanda,
titled Obtaining the Nectar of Immortality

Friday, March 26, 2010

SAUNDARANANDA 17.73: Repeated Bows to a Strong Deliverer

taM vande param anukampakaM maha"-rShiM
muurdhn"-aahaM prakRti-guNa-jNam aashaya-jNaM
sambuddhaM dasha-balinaM bhiShak-pradhaanaM
traataaraM punar api c'aasmi saMnatas taM

mahaa kaavye saundara-nande'-mRt'aadhigamo naama saptadashaH sargaH

= = = - - - - = - = - = =
= = = - - - - = - = - = =
= = = - - - - = - = - = =
= = = - - - - = - = - = =

- = = = = - - = = - = - - = = - = - - = = =

17.73
I salute the great supremely compassionate seer,

Bowing my head to him,
the knower of types, the knower of hearts,

The fully awakened one, the holder of ten powers,
the best of healers,

The deliverer: again, I bow to him.




The 17th Canto of the Epic Poem Handsome Nanda,
titled Obtaining the Nectar of Immortality



COMMENT:
And so Nanda's quest for the nectar of immortality, the death of death, has ended triumphantly -- but with gratitude and humility rather than with any sense of triumphalism.

The epic themes of redemption and delivery are universal ones indeed, and most readers of this translation, like me, will have heard their praises sung first in a non-Buddhist context -- maybe in a school assembly...

Strong deliverer, strong deliverer,
Be thou still my strength and shield.
Be thou still my strength and shield.


Death of death in Nanda's case, however, is not a global event in which God delivers a chosen group. Death of death in Nanda's case is an individual event in which Nanda realises the deathless for himself by himself as himself, as an individual buddha delivered by a buddha to the plane of conscious control on which a buddha resides.

This delivery has not been accomplished through the direct intervention of a hand of God, but indirectly, through the guidance of a human hand. That human hand belonged to a human being whose practice of upright human sitting was no longer in the grip of those vestibular reflexes which more or less determine the relationship between mother earth and a human baby. That human hand, on the contrary, belonged to a fully developed human being who not only possessed hands but also possessed the Eye -- a human being who was truly and fully awake (sambuddha).

May the Buddha's teaching deliver us all from the grip of primitive vestibular reflexes, and above all from Mara's grip, exercised primarily through the Moro reflex.

EH Johnston:
I bow the head to Him, the Supreme Seer, the Compassionate One, Who knows the natures, the qualities and the dispositions (of all beings), the Enlightened One, the Holder of the ten Powers, the Chief of physicians, the Saviour. Again I do Him obeisance.'

Linda Covill:
I bow my head to the supremely compassionate one, the great seer, knower of the qualities of nature, knower of the disposition of beings, the perfectly enlightened, holder of the ten powers, best of physicians, my rescuer. Again, I bow to him!

End of Canto 17: The Attainment of Deathlessness


VOCABULARY:
tam (acc. sg. m. tad): to him, to it
vande = 1st pers. sg. vand: to praise , celebrate , laud , extol ;
to show honour , do homage , salute respectfully or deferentially , venerate , worship , adore
param (acc. sg. m.): supreme, highest, deepest
anukampakam (acc. sg. m.): compassionate
maha"-rShim (acc. sg.): m. a great RShi , any great sage or saint

muurdhnaa = inst. sg. muurdhan: m. the forehead , head in general , skull
aham (nom. sg. m.): I
prakRti-guNa-jNam (acc. sg. m.): knower of type of constitution
prakRti: f. " making or placing before or at first " , the original or natural form or condition of anything , original or primary substance ; cause, original source ; nature , character , constitution , temper , disposition
guNa: m. subdivision , species , kind ; a quality , peculiarity , attribute or property
jNa: knowing
aashaya-jNaM (acc. sg. m.): knower of disposition of mind
aashaya: m. resting-place , bed, seat; a receptacle ; the seat of feelings and thoughts , the mind , heart , soul ; thought , meaning , intention ; disposition of mind , mode of thinking

sambuddham (acc. sg. m.): mfn. wide awake , clever , wise , prudent ; well perceived , perfectly known or understood
dasha-balinam (acc. sg. m.): ten-powered
dashan: ten
balin: mfn. powerful , strong , mighty , stout , robust
bhiShak-pradhaanam (acc. sg. m.): chief of healers
bhiShaj: mfn. curing , healing; m. a healer , physician ; m. a remedy , medicine
pradhaana: n. a chief thing or person

traataaram (acc. sg. m.): protector, saviour
traa: m. ( √ trai) a protector , defender
taara: mfn. ( √ tRR) carrying across , a saviour , protector
punar: once more, again
api ca: as well as, moreover
asmi: I am
saMnataH (nom. sg. m.): mfn. bent together , curved , stooping or bowing to (gen.)
tam (acc. sg. m.): to him

mahaa-kaavye (loc. sg.): epic poem
saundara-nande (loc. sg.): "Handsome Nanda."
amRta: deathlessness, the nectar of immortality
aadhigamaH (nom. sg.): m. the act of attaining , acquisition ; acquirement, mastery
naama: by name
saptadashaH sargaH (nom. sg.): 17th canto

Thursday, March 25, 2010

SAUNDARANANDA 17.72: Dragged Up, Set Free

tasmaac ca vyasana-paraad anartha-paNkaad
utkRShya krama-shithilaH kariiva paNkaat
shaante' smin virajasi vijvare vishoke
sad-dharme vitamasi naiSThike vimuktaH

= = = - - - - = - = - = =
= = = - - - - = - = - = =
= = = - - - - = - = - = =
= = = - - - - = - = - = =

17.72
And from that extreme predicament,
from that worthless mire,

Up he dragged me,
like a feeble-footed elephant from the mud,

To be released
into this quieted, untainted, feverless, sorrowless,

Ultimate true reality, which is free from darkness.


COMMENT:
Free from darkness (vitamas) might mean existing on what FM Alexander called "the plane of conscious control" -- three battles having been won with the unconscious influence on head-neck imbalance of Moro/TLR, on left-right imbalance of ATNR, and of top-down imbalance of STNR.

A couple of weeks ago I saw briefly featured on CBBC TV (a children's TV channel) my old karate instructor Morio Higaonna, an Okinawan who must now be in his late 60s at least, and I was struck, from his bearing and manner, that he has evidently won those three battles -- through his unswerving devotion to and confidence in the kata of karate-do as he received them. In movement and in stillness, even in an old man there is dynamic, powerful and expansive balance -- balance of the head on the neck, balance between left and right sides, and balance between top and bottom.

So-called Zen masters who preach "true reality," even if they have certificates of "Dharma-transmission," if they haven't won those three battles in the context of the traditional kata of buddhas, which is cross-legged sitting, they are not the real dragon; they are just feeble-footed fake elephants.

With the definite intention of not being like that -- even though I might have a tendency to be like that -- I am going in April, for the first time in several months, to spend some weeks alone by the forest.

What Ashvaghosha has been describing in these last six cantos, Canto 12 through Canto 17, is just a battle that Nanda has now conclusively won. Even though, out of humility, Nanda wishes to give the credit to the Buddha, the truth is that Nanda as an individual won the battle himself. Not even the Buddha could win the battle for him.

EH Johnston:
And dragged me up from out of the slough of calamity, the lowest of passions, like an exhausted elephant from a slough; now I am saved in the good Law, the ultimate beatitude, which is peaceful and free from passion, fret, grief and ignorance.

Linda Covill:
I was dragged from the worst of predicaments, the worthless slime, like a feeble-footed elephant from the mud; now I am liberated into this good dharma, which is peaceful, ultimate, without passion, without fever, without grief, and without mental darkness.

VOCABULARY:
tasmaat: ind. from that
ca: and
vyasana-paraat (abl. sg.): from an extreme predicament
vyasana: n. moving to and fro , wagging (of a tail); evil predicament or plight
para: extreme, the worst
anartha-paNkaad (abl. sg.): from the worthless mire
anartha: worthless
paNka: mn. mud , mire , dirt; moral impurity, sin

utkRShya = abs. (ud- √kRS) : to draw or drag or pull up
krama-shithilaH (nom. sg. m.): feeble-footed
krama: m. a step ; the foot
shithila: mfn. loose , slack , lax , relaxed , untied , flaccid , not rigid or compact ; unsteady ; languid , inert , unenergetic , weak , feeble
karii = nom. sg. karin: m. " having a trunk " , an elephant
iva: like
paNkaat (abl. sg.): from the mud, mire

shaante (loc. sg. m.): mfn. appeased , pacified , tranquil , calm , free from passions , undisturbed
asmin (loc. sg. m.): this
virajasi (loc. sg. m.): free from dust , clean , pure (also fig. " free from passion ")
rajas: n. " coloured or dim space "; vapour , mist , clouds , gloom , dimness , darkness ; impurity , dirt , dust ; the " darkening " quality , passion , emotion , affection
vijvare (loc. sg. m.): free from fever or pain ; free from distress or anxiety , cheerful ; exempt from decay
jvara: m. fever; fever of the soul , mental pain , affliction , grief
vishoke (loc. sg. m.): free from sorrow
shoka: m. flame , glow , heat ; sorrow , affliction , anguish , pain , trouble , grief

sad-dharme (loc. sg.): m. the true dharma, teaching, law
vitamasi (loc. sg. m.): free from darkness
tamas: n. darkness , gloom; mental darkness , ignorance , illusion , error
naiSThike (loc. sg. m.): forming the end , final , last; highest , perfect , complete; belonging to the character or office of a perpetual student
vimuktaH (nom. sg. m.): mfn. unloosed , unharnessed, unyoked ; set free , liberated (esp. from mundane existence)

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

SAUNDARANANDA 17.71: Grateful Extrication, by a Powerful Hand

yen' aahaM girim upaniiya rukma-shRNgaM
svargaM ca plavaga-vadhuu-nidarshanena
kaam'-aatmaa tri-diva-cariibhir aNganaabhir
niShkRShTo yuvati-maye kalau nimagnaH

= = = - - - - = - = - = =
= = = - - - - = - = - = -
= = = - - - - = - = - = =
= = = - - - - = - = - = =

17.71
By him I was taken to the golden-peaked mountain,

And to heaven, where,
with the example of the she-monkey,

And by means of
the women who wander the triple heaven,

I who was a slave to love,
sunk in girl-filled strife, was extricated.



COMMENT:
In this verse Nanda looks back with gratitude on events described in the earlier part of Saundarananda, and particularly in Canto 10, A Heavenly Vision, where pink-footed celestial nymphs seem so gorgeously attractive that Nanda feels the gap in attractiveness between the nymphs and Sundari to be greater than the gap between Sundari and a one-eyed monkey.

It is instructive to read this verse in conjunction with 17.62. In that verse Ashvaghosha, from the standpoint of the third person, sings a song of the middle way, crediting both the Buddha and Nanda himself for Nanda's fulfilment of his task. In this and the next verse, from the standpoint of the first person, Nanda expresses his gratitude that the Buddha extricated him from strife, as if forcibly dragging a helpless being out of the mire.

Somehow I am reminded of watching rugby matches at Cardiff Arms Park in the 1970s, being surrounded by tough steelworkers and the like with powerful male voices, singing Cwm Rhondda...

Guide me, O thou great redeemer,
Pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but thou art mighty;
Hold me with thy powerful hand:


From rugby in my teens I turned in my twenties to the more solitary way of traditional karate-do, at the base of which was a kata called SAN-CHIN, three battles. Morio Higaonna, a master of Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karate-do under who I practised for a time, used to say that karate was not a battle with an opponent; it is a battle with yourself. That is also true of practice of sitting-dhyana, and it is also true of Alexander work. The three battles is no bed of roses -- especially for a man of congenital vestibular dysfunction. It is a battle for a self-control (albeit an indirect one) of head, torso, and limbs.

According to the Wiki entry on Cwm Rhondda, the hymn describes the experience of God's people in their travel through the wilderness from the escape from slavery in Egypt, being guided by a cloud by day and a fire by night, to their final arrival forty years later in the land of Canaan. During this time their needs were supplied by God, including the daily supply of manna (bread of heaven). The hymn text forms an allegory for the journey of a Christian throughout their life on earth requiring the Redeemer's guidance and ending at the gates of Heaven (the verge of Jordan) and end of time (death of death and hell's destruction).

The hymn continues to resonate with me as an allegory not only for a Christian's journey but also for a journey like that of Nanda, who sought death of death by non-Christian means...

Guide me, O thou great redeemer,
Pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but thou art mighty;
Hold me with thy powerful hand:
Bread of heaven, bread of heaven,
Feed me till I want no more.
Feed me till I want no more.

Open thou the crystal fountain
Whence the healing stream shall flow;
Let the fiery, cloudy pillar
Lead me all my journey through:
Strong deliverer, strong deliverer,
Be thou still my strength and shield.
Be thou still my strength and shield.

When I tread the verge of Jordan,
Bid my anxious fears subside;
Death of death, and hell's destruction,
Land me safe on Canaan's side:
Songs of praises, songs of praises,
I will ever give to thee.
I will ever give to thee.


Amen.

(Or for a no less powerful-voiced but more glamorous version...)

EH Johnston:
When I was given over to love and plunged in the sin of passion for young women, it was He Who took me to the golden-peaked mountain and to Paradise and rescued me by the example of the she-monkey and through the women who frequent heaven,

Linda Covill:
By him I was taken to the golden-peaked mountain and to heaven, where, lustful for the women who wander the triple heaven, and sunk in the evil comprised of young women, I was dragged out of that condition by his example of the female monkey.


VOCABULARY:
yena (inst. sg): by whom
aham (nom. sg. m.): I
girim (acc. sg.): m. a mountain
upaniiya = abs. upa- √ nii: to lead or drive near , bring near , bring
rukma: m. "what is bright or radiant ", an ornament of gold , golden chain or disc; n. gold
shRNgam (acc. sg.): n. the horn of an animal; the top or summit of a mountain , a peak , crag

svargam (acc. sg.): m. m. heaven , the abode of light and of the gods , heavenly bliss , (esp.) indra's heaven or paradise
ca: and
plavaga: m. " going by leaps or plunges " , a frog ; m. a monkey
vadhuu: f. the female of any animal
nidarshanena =inst. sg. nidarshana: n. pointing to , showing , indicating; n. proof , evidence ; n. instance , example , illustration

kaam'aatmaa = nom. sg. m. kaam'aatman: mfn. " whose very essence is desire " , consisting of desire , indulging one's desires , given to lust , sensual , licentious
kaama: desire, love
aatman: essence , nature , character , peculiarity (often ifc.)
tri-diva-cariibhir (inst. pl. f.): frequenting/wandering the triple heaven
tri-diva: n. the 3rd or most sacred heaven , heaven (in general)
cara: ifc. going , walking , wandering , being , living
aNganaabhiH = inst. pl. aNganaa: f. " a woman with well-rounded limbs" , any woman or female
aNgana: n. walking, the act of walking

niShkRShTaH (nom. sg. m.): mfn. (past part. niSh √ kRSh, to extract) drawn or pulled out , extracted
yuvati-maye = loc. sg. m. yuvati-maya: full of girls
yuvati: f. a girl , young woman , any young female
maya: [Apte] an affix used to indicate 'made of', 'consisting or composed of', 'full of'
kalau = loc. sg. kali: m. m. ( √kal), name of the die or side of a die marked with one dot , the losing die; name of the last and worst of the four yugas or ages , the present age , age of vice ; strife , discord , quarrel , contention
√kal: to count
nimagnaH (nom. sg. m.): mfn. sunk , fallen into (water &c ) ; submerged , plunged , or immersed in

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

SAUNDARANANDA 17.70: Repeated Homage to the Buddha

tadvat paraaM shaantim upaagato 'haM
yasy' aanubhaavena vinaayakasya
karomi bhuuyaH punar-uktam asmai
namo namo 'rhaaya tathaagataaya

= = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = -
- = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = -

17.70
Thus have I come to utmost quiet,

Through the quieting influence of the teacher.

Again and repeatedly I do homage to him:

Homage, homage to the worthy one, the realised one!


COMMENT:
Quietness here might mean not so much the absence of sound as the absence of noise in the system.

A lot of noise in the system, it seems to me, can be traced back to disharmonious integration of four vestibular reflexes.

Consequently, one way of restoring order might be truly to allow...

(1) the neck to be free,
(2) the head to go forward and up,
(3) the torso to expand,
(4) the limbs to release out from the torso.


And in learning what these four guiding orders really mean, not only as four but also as one, the quieting influence of a teacher, if not always indispensable, is certainly a big help.

This, for what it is worth, is how it seems to me, who, despite the quieting influence of more than one worthy teacher, is by no means a finished article but very much a work still in progress (or regress).

Is my comment a case of NI-ZEN-BIKU, an ambitious non-monk of the 2nd dhyana, excitedly discussing the second stage of sitting-meditation as if it were the utmost quiet of Nirvana?

It could well be. I remember that in the final chapter of Shobogenzo, Dogen quotes the Buddha's words (very probably via Ashvaghosha) that Those who have small desire just have Nirvana.

There again, one could argue, it is undue desire to go directly for some end that stimulates the habitual misuse of the self that is directed via faulty vestibular functioning. It is end-gaining desire, in other words, that creates the noise in the system from which Nanda has become free.

EH Johnston:
Even so by the magic power of the Teacher have I come to supreme tranquility. Again and again I do repeated obeisance to the noble Tathagata.

Linda Covill:
likewise I have come to utmost peace through the power of the teacher. Again and repeatedly I do homage, homage to him, the worthy one, the realized one.


VOCABULARY:
tadvat: ind. thus, so, in like manner , likewise , also
paraam (acc. sg. f.): supreme, utmost, deepest
shaantim (acc. sg.): f. tranquillity , peace , quiet
upaagataH (nom. sg. m.): mfn. approached , arrived , come to (for protection) ; entered into any state or condition , subject to , burdened with
aham (nom. sg. m.): I

yasya = (gen. sg. m.): of which ; of that [coming to utmost quiet]
anubhaavena = inst. sg. anubhaava: m. sign or indication of a feeling (bhaava) by look or gesture ; dignity , authority , consequence
vinaayakasya = gen. sg. vinaayaka: mfn. taking away , removing ; m. "Remover (of obstacles) " ; m. a leader , guide ; m. a Guru or spiritual preceptor

karomi (1st pers. sg. kR): I do
bhuuyas: ind. once more , again , anew
punar-uktam (nom. sg. n.): repeated
punar: again , once more (also with bhuuyas)
ukta = past. part vac: to speak, announce, declare (with punar , " to speak again , repeat " ; or " to answer , reply ")
asmai (dat. sg. ayam): to this one, to him

namaH (nom. sg. namas): n. bow , obeisance , reverential salutation , adoration (by gesture or word ; often with dat. e.g. raamaaya namaH , salutation or glory to raama ; namas- √kR , to utter a salutation , do homage)
arhaaya = dat. sg. arha: mfn. meriting , deserving (praise), worthy
tathaagataaya = dat. sg. tathaagata: mfn. "being in such a condition"; he who comes and goes in the same way [as the buddhas who preceded him]", gautama buddha

Monday, March 22, 2010

SAUNDARANANDA 17.69: Neither Something Nor Nothing

rogaad iv' aarogyam a-sahya-ruupaad
RNaad iv' aan-RNyam an-anta-saMkhyaat
dviShat-sakaashaad iva c' aapayaanaM
durbhikSha-yogaac ca yathaa subhikSham

= = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = =

17.69
Like gaining health out of incurable illness,

Relief from immeasurable debt,

Or escape from an enemy presence;

Or like gaining, after famine, plentiful food:



COMMENT:
The first three lines of this verse are in accordance with the understanding I expressed yesterday, that Nirvana may be better understood not so much as the gaining of something as the absence of anything -- for example, absence of illness, absence of debt, or absence of hostility.

But then comes the punch line: Nanda says that Nirvana is, after a prolonged absence of anything, like gaining a lot of something.

EH Johnston:
Or like one who has obtained good health after an unbearable illness or release from a debt of unimaginable amount or escape from the face of his adversaries or plenty after famine.

Linda Covill:
like recovery from an unendurable sickness, like solvency after incalculable debt, like escape from an enemy presence, like plentiful alms after a dearth of alms,


VOCABULARY:
rogaad = abl. sg. roga: m. ( √ ruj) " breaking up of strength " , disease , infirmity , sickness
iva: like
aarogyam (acc. sg.): n. (fr. a-roga) freedom from disease , health
aroga: mfn. free from disease , healthy , well
a-sahya-ruupaad (abl. sg. m.): of an insuperable form, incurable
a-sahya: mfn. unbearable , insufferable , insuperable
ruupa: n. any outward appearance or phenomenon or colour, form , shape , figure (often ifc. = " having the form or appearance or colour of " , " formed or composed of " , " consisting of " , " like to " ; sometimes used after an adj. to emphasize its meaning or almost redundantly)

RNaad = abl. sg. RNa: n. anything due , obligation , duty , debt; n. a debt of money , money owed
iva: like
an-RNyam (acc. sg.): n. (fr. an-RNa) , acquittance of debt or obligation , the not being indebted to (gen.)
an-RNa: mfn. free from debt
an-anta-saMkhyaat (abl. sg. n.): incalculable
an-anta: mfn. endless , boundless , eternal , infinite
saMkhya: mfn. counting up or over , reckoning or summing up

dviShat-sakaashaad (abl. sg.): from a hostile presence
dviShat: mfn. (from √dviSh, to hate) hating or detesting , hostile , unfriendly , foe , enemy
sakaasha: m. presence , propinquity , vicinity , nearness
iva: like
ca: and
apayaanam (acc. sg.): n. retreat , flight
apa- √ yaa: to go away , depart , retire from (abl.). ; to fall off
apa: ind. (as a prefix to nouns and verbs , expresses) away , off , back ; down
√ yaa: to go

durbhikSha-yogaat (abl. sg.): out of the yoke of famine, after contact with famine
durbhikSha: n. scarcity of provisions , dearth , famine , want , distress
yoga: m. the act of yoking; any junction , union , combination , contact with (comp.)
ca: and
yathaa: as, like
subhikSham (acc. sg.): n. abundance of food (esp. that given as alms) , abundant supply of provisions , plenty (opp. to dur-bhikSha)

Sunday, March 21, 2010

SAUNDARANANDA 17.68: Being Boatless, Gaining Nothing

mahaa-bhayaat kShemam iv' opalabhya
mah"-aavarodhaad iva vipramokShaM
mah"-aarNavaat paaram iv' aa-plavaH san
bhiim'-aandhakaaraad iva ca prakaashaM

- = - = = - - = - = -
- = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = =

17.68
Like gaining safety after great danger,

Like gaining release after long imprisonment,

Like being boatless yet gaining the far shore,
after a mighty deluge,

And like gaining clarity, after fearful darkness;


COMMENT:
In these four lines Nanda uses four metaphors to convey a sense of what it is like to attain Nirvana.

There might be many kinds of great danger; many kinds of imprisonment, by self and by others; many ways to be shipwrecked or otherwise without a boat; and many variations on the theme of fearful darkness (only one of which is the unconscious habit of trying to be right).

In 17.60 the noble eightfold path is represented by an eight-piece raft (aShTaaNgavat plava). But in this verse Nanda compares the peace of Nirvana to being boatless (a-plava san) -- as if Nanda no longer has need of 'the eightfold raft' which brought him hither.

This tallies with whatever limited experience I have got of being peaceful. That is to say, it is not so much that peace follows from gaining or having something. It is rather that peace tends to follow, in a deflatory sort of way, from dropping the idea of being anything, or doing anything, or achieving anything, or having anything.

So even though "gaining the far shore" (paaram upalabhya) sounds like the gaining of something, it might be better understood as the absence of anything -- for example, absence of fear of danger, absence of imprisoning shackles, or absence of fearful darkness.

EH Johnston:
Like one who has obtained safety after a great danger or deliverance from great oppression or light in a great darkness or, when without a boat, the further shore of the great ocean,

Linda Covill:
Like finding safety from great danger; like release from imprisonment, like reaching the further shore of the great ocean without a boat, like light after terrible darkness,


VOCABULARY:
mahaa-bhayaat (abl. sg.): after/from great danger
mahaa = mahat: mfn. great
bhaya: n. fear, danger, peril, terror
kShemam (acc. sg.): m. residing , resting , abiding at ease; safety , tranquillity , peace , rest , security , any secure or easy or comfortable state
iva: like
upalabhya = abs. upalabh: to seize , get possession of , acquire , receive , obtain , find

mah"-aavarodhaat (abl. sg.): after/from a long imprisonment
mahat: great (in space , time , quantity or degree) i.e. large , big , huge , ample , extensive , long
avaraodha: m. hindrance , obstruction , injury , harm ; seclusion , imprisonment ; an enclosure , confinement , besieging
iva: like
vipramokSham (acc. sg.): m. ( √ mokSh) loosening , release ; deliverance from (abl. or gen.)

mah"-aarNavaat (abl. sg.): from a great ocean; after a mighty deluge
mahat: great (in space , time , quantity or degree) i.e. large , big , huge , ample , extensive , long
arNava: m. a wave , flood ; m. the foaming sea
paaram (acc. sg.): n. (rarely m.) the further bank or shore or boundary , any bank or shore , the opposite side , the end or limit of anything , the utmost reach or fullest extent
iva: like
a-plavaH (nom. sg. m.): mfn. without a ship ; not swimming
san = nom. sg. m. sat: being

bhiim'-aandhakaaraad (abl. sg.): after/from terrible darkness
bhiima: mfn. fearful , terrific , terrible, awful, formidable , tremendous (ibc. , fearfully &c )
andha-kaara: mn. darkness
andha: mfn. blind, dark; darkness
kaara: mfn. - maker (ifc.)
iva: like
ca: and
prakaasham (acc. sg.): m. clearness , brightness , splendour , lustre , light

Saturday, March 20, 2010

SAUNDARANANDA 17.67: Bamboo Nostrils

na me priyaM kiM cana n' aapriyaM me
na me 'nurodho 'sti kuto virodhaH
tayor a-bhaavaat sukhito 'smi sadyo
him'-aatapaabhyaam iva viprayuktaH

- = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = =

17.67
Nothing is dear to me, nor offensive to me.

There is no liking in me, much less disliking.

In the absence of those two,
I am enjoying the moment

Like one immune to cold and heat.


COMMENT:
To express it in the style of the ancient Zen masters of China, somebody has swopped black beads for Nanda's eyes, and bamboo pipes for his nostrils.

To express it in the terminology of my old teacher, Nanda's autonomic nervous system has become very balanced.


EH Johnston:
No more is there anything agreeable or disagreeable to me; no more have I likings, still less dislikings. By their absence I am suddenly joyful, as if rid of the feelings of cold and heat.

Linda Covill:
There is nothing at all that is pleasant or unpleasant for me; I am not enamored of anything, and even less am I hostile to anything. In the absence of these two I am straightaway joyful, like one who is spared extremes of cold and heat.


VOCABULARY:
na: not
me (gen. sg. aham): of/for me
priyam (nom. sg. n.) : mfn. beloved , dear to (gen. loc. dat. or comp.) , liked
kiM cana: (with a negation) in no way, not at all
apriyam (nom. sg. n.): mfn. disagreeable , disliked ; unkind , unfriendly
me (gen. sg. aham): of/for me

na: not
me (gen. sg. aham): of/for/in me
anurodhaH (nom. sg.): m. obliging or fulfilling the wishes (of any one); obligingness , compliance
asti: there is
kutas: ind. how much less? much less
virodhaH (nom. sg.): m. opposition , hostility; incompatability
rodha: m. growing , ascending , moving upwards

tayoH (gen. dual tad): of those two
a-bhaavaat = abl. sg. a-bhaava: m. non-existence, absence
sukhitaH (nom. sg. m.): mfn. pleased , delighted , comforted
asmi: I am
sadyas: ind. on the same day , in the very moment

hima: m. cold , frost ; the cold season , winter
aatapaabhyaam = abl. dual aatapa: m. heat (especially of the sun) , sunshine
iva: like
viprayuktaH (nom. sg. m.): mfn. separated or removed or absent from , destitute of , free from

Friday, March 19, 2010

SAUNDARANANDA 17.66: Watery Virtues

nirvaapya kaam'-aagnim ahaM hi diiptaM
dhRty-ambunaa paavakam ambun"eva
hlaadaM paraM saampratam aagato 'smi
shiitaM hradaM gharma iv' aavatiirNaH

= = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = -
= = - = = - - = - = -
= = - = = - - = - = =

17.66
For, by putting out the burning fire of desires,

Using the water of constancy,
As if using water to put out a blaze,

I have now come to a state of supreme refreshment

Like a hot person descending into a cool pool.


COMMENT:
In what sense is dhRti, constancy, firmness, or steadfastness, comparable to ambu, water?

Maybe in the sense that water never gets stuck when it runs into any obstacle -- whether it is flowing or still, it is constantly fluid.

End-gaining desires flare up and subside, and one human life is a very fleeting occurrence, but the means-whereby which is like water, or like lifeblood, need not stop flowing.

To use the water of constancy might be to come back, four times a day, to the practice of sitting-dhyana. To use the water of constancy might be to come back, many times a day, to attending to a means-whereby.

For FM Alexander, attending to a means-whereby meant paying attention to what he called The Universal Constant in Living -- by which he meant the manner of one's use of the self, as a constant influence on functions like breathing, beating of the heart, and flowing of the lifeblood.

EH Johnston:
For by extinguishing the blazing fire of the passions with the water of steadfastness as if I were extinguishing a fire with water, I have now come to the highest happiness, like a man descending into a cool pool in the hot weather.

Linda Covill:
Just as I would put out a fire with water, I have extinguished the burning fire of passion with the water of steadfastness; now I have come to utter rapture, like someone slipping into a cool lake during the summer heat.


VOCABULARY:
nirvaapya (abs.): by/after blowing/putting out
nir-√vaa: to blow (as wind) ; to cease to blow , to be blown out or extinguished ; to be allayed or refreshed or exhilarated : Caus. -vaapayati , to put out , extinguish , allay , cool , refresh , delight
nir: out
√vaa: to blow
kaam'-aagnim (acc. sg. m.): the fire of desire
aham (nom. sg.): I
hi: for
diiptam (acc. sg. m.): mfn. blazing, burning

dhRti: f. firmness , constancy , resolution
ambunaa = inst. sg. ambu: n. water
paavakam (acc. sg.): mfn. pure , clear , bright , shining (said of agni , suurya and other gods); m. fire ; m. a saint , a person purified by religious abstraction or one who is purified from sin
ambunaa = inst. sg. ambu: n. water
iva: like

hlaadam (acc. sg.): m. refreshment , pleasure , gladness , joy , delight
param (acc. sg. m.): mfn. supreme
saampratam: ind. presently, now
aagataH (nom. sg. m): come to or into (acc.); entered (into any state or condition of mind)
asmi: I am

shiitam (acc. sg. m.): mfn. cold, cool
hradam (acc. sg.): m. a large or deep piece of water , lake , pool
gharmaH (nom. sg. m.): mfn. hot [Apte]; m. heat ; the hot season; perspiration; a cauldron , boiler
iva: like
avatiirNaH (nom. sg. m.): mfn. (from ava- √tRR) alighted , descended ; got over (a disease) ; translated
ava- √tRR: to descend into (loc. or acc.); to betake one's self to (acc.), arrive at
ava: ind. off , away , down
√tRR: to pass across or over ; to float , swim

Thursday, March 18, 2010

SAUNDARANANDA 17.65: The Happiness of the Total Loser

tasy' aajNayaa kaaruNikasya shaastur
hRdi-stham utpaaTya hi raaga-shalyaM
ady' aiva taavat su-mahat sukhaM me
sarva-kShaye kiM bata nirvRtasya

= = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = -

17.65
For through the instruction
of the compassionate teacher

Who extracted a dart of passion
that was lodged in my heart,

Now such abundant ease is mine --

Oh! how happy I am in the loss of everything!


COMMENT:
What does it mean to lose everything?

It might mean to totally give up the idea of doing anything, or of being anything, or of having anything to lose -- a condition of clarity and simplicity in which everything falls away.

Every joint in the human body, beginning with the head/neck joint on top of the spine, is a space. And when every part of the body tends apart from the nearest such space, the overall sense is not a sense of anything, but it might be a sense of space, emptiness -- like nothing.

Ancestors in China spoke of SHIKAN-TAZA, "just sitting."

FM Alexander spoke of letting the neck be free, to let the head go forward and up, to let the spine lengthen and back widen, while sending the knees forwards and away.

Rightly or wrongly, it seemed to me that what Alexander meant was worth investigating. It still seems to me that way... and I haven't got to the bottom of it yet.

When people tried to pin him down on the subject of religious belief, Alexander used to say, "I believe everything. And I believe nothing."

EH Johnston:
For through the instruction of the compassionate Teacher Who extracted the dart of passion from my heart, such supreme ecstasy to-day is mine, not to speak of my reaching the peace of Nirvana in the annihilation of all phenomena.

Linda Covill:
The arrow of lust that was lodged in my heart was pulled out under the direction of the compassionate teacher. Immense bliss is mine right now, and oh! my peace in the annihilation of it all!

VOCABULARY:
tasya = gen. sg. m. sa: he, that [teacher]
aajNayaa = inst. sg. aajNaa: f. order , command ; authority , unlimited power ; permission
kaaruNikasya = gen. sg. kaaruNika: mfn. (fr. karuNa) compassionate
shaastuH = gen. sg. shaastR: m. a chastiser , punisher ; a ruler , commander ; a teacher , instructor

hRdi-stham (acc. sg.): situated in the heart
hRdi: (loc. of hRd) , in comp. in the heart
stha: mfn. (only ifc.) standing , staying , abiding , being situated in
utpaaTya = abs. utpaT: to tear up or out , pluck , pull out , break out ;
to draw out (a sword from its scabbard)
hi: for
raaga: colour, redness; passion
shalyam (acc. sg.): mn. a dart , javelin , lance , spear , iron-headed weapon, pike , arrow , shaft (also the point of an arrow or spear and its socket)

adya: ind. today, now
eva: (emphatic)
taavat (nom. sg.. n.): mfn. so great , so large , so much , so far , so long , so many
su-mahat (nom. sg. n.): mfn. very great , huge , vast , abundant
sukham (nom. sg.): n. ease , easiness , comfort , prosperity , pleasure , happiness
me (gen. sg. aham): mine, of me

sarva-kShaye = loc. sarva-kShaya:
sarva: all; everything
kShaya: m. loss , waste , wane , diminution , destruction; end, termination
kim: how? (particle of interrogation)
bata: ind. an interjection expressing astonishment or regret , generally = ah! oh! alas!
nirvRtasya = gen. sg. nirvRta: mfn. satisfied , happy , tranquil , at ease , at rest ; extinguished , terminated , ceased

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

SAUNDARANANDA 17.64: Words that Turn Us Back

ahaM hy an-aaryena shariira-jena
duHk'-aatmake vartmani kRShyamaaNaH
nivartitas tad-vacan'-aaNkushena
darp'-aanvito naaga iv'-aaNkushena

- = - = = - - = - = -
= = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = -
= = - = = - - = - = -

17.64
For while being dragged, by ignoble physicality,

Down a path pregnant with suffering,

I was turned back by the hook of his words,

Like an elephant in musk by a driver's hook.


COMMENT:
There is intellectual discussion in which words beget more words, and there are words of buddhas that turn people back.

So, on turning back from intellectual activity, Zen Master Dogen wrote:

GON O TAZUNE GO O OU NO GEGYO O KYU SUBESHI.
Cease the intellectual activity
of seeking words and chasing sayings.
EKO-HENSHO NO TAIHO O GAKU SUBESHI.
Learn the backward step of turning light and letting it shine.
SHIN-JIN JINNEN NI DATSURAKU SHITE,
Body and mind spontaneously drop off,
HONRAI NO MENMOKU GENZEN SEN.
And the original features emerge.


And these words of Dogen might be only a distant echo of the golden turning words of the Buddha himself:

16.42
Then comprehend that suffering is doing

And witness the faults moving it forward.

Realise its stopping as non-doing,

And know the path as a turning back.



EH Johnston:
For I, who was full of wantonness and was being carried away by ignoble (desire) born of the body down the path whose nature is suffering, have been turned back from it by the goad of His words, like a must elephant by a goad.

Linda Covill:
For I was being pulled down the path of suffering by ignoble physicality, but I was turned back, hooked by his words, as a proud elephant is turned back with a hook.


VOCABULARY:
aham (nom. sg.): I
hi: for
an-aaryena = inst. sg. an-aarya: mfn. not honourable or respectable , vulgar , inferior
shariira-jena = inst. sg. shariira-ja: mfn. produced from or belonging to or performed with the body , bodily; m. lust , passion
shariira: the body
ja: mfn. ( √jan) ifc. born or descended from , produced or caused by

duHkh'-aatmake = loc. duHk-aatmaka: composed of suffering
duHkha: suffering
aatamaka: having or consisting of the nature or character of (in comp.), composed of
vartmani = loc. sg. vartman: n. the track or rut of a wheel , path , road , way , course (lit. and fig.) RV. &c (instr. or loc. ifc. = by way of, along , through , by)
kRShyamaaNaH (nom. sg. m. pres. part. passive kRSh): being dragged

nivartitaH (nom. sg. m.): mfn. turned or brought back
tad-vacan-aaNkushena: by the hook of his words
tad: those, his
vacana: speech , sentence , word
aNkusha: mn. a hook , especially an elephant-driver's hook

darpa: m. ( dRp) pride , arrogance , haughtiness , insolence , conceit ; musk
dRp: to be mad or foolish , to rave ; to be extravagant or wild , to be arrogant or proud , to be wildly delighted
anvitaH (nom. sg. m.): mfn. gone along with; having as an essential or inherent part , endowed with , possessed of , possessing
naagaH (nom. sg.): m. an elephant
iva: like
aNkushena (inst. sg.): by the hook

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

SAUNDARANANDA 17.63: Homage to the Buddha

namo 'stu tasmai sugataaya yena
hit'-aiShiNaa me karuN"-aatmakena
bahuuni duHkhaany apavartitaani
sukhaani bhuuyaaMsy upasaMhRtaani

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17.63
"Praise be to him, the One Gone Well,

Through whose compassionate striving for my benefit,

Great agonies were turned away

And greater comforts conferred.


COMMENT:
Gone Well (su-gata) is an epithet of the Buddha, one of the ten names.

What Nanda means by great agonies (bahuuni duHkhaani), and what he means by greater comforts (sukhaani bhuuyaaMsi), he is going to explain in the remaining ten verses of this Canto.

By "agonies" he seems mainly to have in mind "the burning fire of desires" (17.66) and in particular "girl-made strife" (17.71). By "comforts" he means not the presence of nice comfy things but rather the absence of distressing fearful things -- things like danger, dungeon, deluge and darkness (17.68) or disease, debt, death in battle and deprivation (17.69).

EH Johnston:
"Praise be to Blessed One through Whose benevolence and compassion so many sufferings have been turned away from me and such great bliss brought within my reach.

Linda Covill:
"Homage be to him, the Sugata, who in his compassionate striving for my well-being turned away many sorrows and brought great joy.


VOCABULARY:
namaH (nom./acc. sg.): n. bow , obeisance , reverential salutation , adoration (by gesture or word ; often with dative)
astu (3rd pers. sg. imperative): let there be
tasmai = dat. sg. m. tad: him
sugataaya = dat. sg. sugata: m. the one who has fared well
su: well
gata: gone
yena = inst. sg. m. yad: who

hit-aiShiNaa = inst. sg. hit'-aiShin: striving after advantage
hita: n. (sg. or. pl.) anything useful or salutary or suitable or proper , benefit , advantage, welfare
eShin: mfn. (generally ifc.) going after , seeking , striving for
me (dat./gen. sg. aham): for/of me
karuN"-aatmakena = inst. sg. karuN"-aatmaka: being made out of compassion
karuNaa: f. pity , compassion
aatmaka: mfn. having or consisting of the nature or character of (in comp.); consisting or composed of

bahuuni = acc. pl. n. bahu: mfn. much , many , frequent , abundant , numerous , great or considerable in quantity
duHkhaani = acc. pl. duHkha: n. uneasiness , pain , sorrow , trouble , difficulty
apavartitaani (acc. pl. n.): mfn. taken away ; removed
apa- √ vRt: to turn away , depart ; get out of the way

sukhaani = acc. pl. sukha: n. ease , easiness , comfort , prosperity , pleasure , happiness , joy
bhuuyaaMsi = acc. pl. n. bhuuyas: mfn. " becoming in a greater degree " i.e. more , more numerous or abundant , greater , larger , mightier (also much or many , very numerous or abundant &c )
upasaMhRtaani (acc. pl. n.): mfn. drawn near , brought into contact
upa-saM-√ hR: to draw together , bring together , contract , collect

Monday, March 15, 2010

SAUNDARANANDA 17.62: A Song of the Middle Way

bhraatush ca shaastush ca tay" aanushiiShTyaa
nandas tataH svena ca vikrameNa
prashaanta-cetaaH paripuurNa-kaaryo
vaaNiim imaam aatma-gataaM jagaada

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- = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = -


17.62
And so Nanda, who,
through the instruction of his brother and teacher

And through his own valiant effort,

Had quieted his mind and fulfilled his task,

Spoke to himself these words:


COMMENT:
In this verse Ashvaghosha neither gives all the credit for Nanda's attainment to the Buddha nor says that Nanda got there all by himself.

EH Johnston:
Then Nanda, who had become tranquil in mind and had fulfilled his task under the teaching of his Brother and Master and through his own courage, spoke thus to himself:--

Linda Covill:
Through the guidance of his brother and teacher and through his own valor, Nanda had accomplished what was to be done, and with tranquil mind he inwardly gave praise:


VOCABULARY:
bhraatuH = abl./gen. bhraatR: m. brother
ca: and
shaastuH = abl./gen. shaastR: m. a chastiser , punisher ; a ruler , commander ; a teacher , instructor
ca: and
tayaa = inst. sg. f. tad: it, that, the (sometimes just for emphasis)
anushiiShTyaa = inst. sg. anushiiShTi: f. instruction , teaching , ordering.
anu: ind. (as a prefix to verbs and nouns): after , along , alongside , with, agreeably to
shiiShTi: (1) f. direction , instruction ; order , command ; correction , punishment; (2) f. (fr. √ shikSh ) , help , aid (su-ziShTi: f. good aid or assistance)

nandaH (nom. sg. m.): Nanda
tataH: ind. thence, from that, then
svena = inst. sg. sva: his own
ca: and
vikrameNa = inst. sg. vikrama: m. a step, stride; going, proceeding ; valour , courage , heroism , power , strength

prashaanta-cetaaH (nom. sg. m.): of quieted mind
prashaanta: mfn. tranquillized , calm , quiet
cetas: n. consciousness, heart, mind
paripuurNa-kaaryaH (nom. sg. m.): having accomplished what had to be done
paripuurNa: mfn. quite full; accomplished ; fully satsified
kaarya: mfn. (gerundive kR) , to be made or done or practised or performed; n. n. work or business to be done

vaaNiim (acc. sg.): f. sound , voice , music; speech , language , words , diction , (esp.) eloquent speech or fine diction; praise , laudation
imaam (acc. sg. f.): this
aatma-gataam (acc. sg. f.): to himself
jagaada = 3rd pers. sg. perfect gad: to speak articulately , speak

Sunday, March 14, 2010

SAUNDARANANDA 17.61: Arhathood -- A Bit of Nothing

arhattvam aasaadya sa sat-kriy"-aarho
nir-utsuko niSh-praNayo nir-aaShaH
vi-bhiir vi-shug viita-mado vi-raagaH
sa eva dhRty" aanya iv' aababhaase

= = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = =

17.61
Having attained to the seat of arhathood,
he was worthy of being served:

Without ambition, without partiality,
without expectation;

Without fear, sorrow, pride, or passion;

Being nothing but himself,
he seemed in his constancy to be different.


COMMENT:
With this verse Ashvaghosha arrives at his expression of Nanda's attainment of the fourth fruit of the Dharma -- an enlightenment that Ashvaghosha seems to describe not so much as something as a bit of nothing.


EH Johnston:
By reaching Arhatship he became worthy of reverence, bereft of yearning, making demands on none, untroubled by hope, fear or grief, without conceit or passion, and so though the same he seemed to be another by his steadfastness.

Linda Covill:
With no yearning, no affection, no expectation, no fear, no grief, no pride, no passion, he was worthy of honour on reaching the worthy state; though it was him, he seemed different because of his steadfastness.


VOCABULARY:
arhattvam (acc. sg.) n. the dignity of an arhat; arhathood, arhatship
arhat: mfn. deserving; worthy; m. the highest rank in the Buddhist hierarchy
-tvaM: n. (abstract noun suffix) -ness, -hood, -ship
aasaadya = abs. aa- √ sad: to sit down, to sit near; to reach, obtain
saH (nom. sg. m.): he
sat-kriyaarhaH (nom. sg. m.): deserving of honour, worthy of being served
sat: mfn. real , actual , as any one or anything ought to be , true , good
kriya: f. action, work, labour; a religious rite or ceremony; religious action , worship
sat-kriya: mfn. doing good
sat-kriyaa: f. putting in order , preparation; f. a good action , charity; f. kind or respectful treatment; honouring (para-loka-sat-kriyaa " honouring in regard to the other world " , funeral ceremonies); f. any purificatory ceremony
arha: mfn. meriting , deserving, worthy of, having a claim or being entitled to

nir-utsukaH (nom. sg. m.): mfn. careless , indifferent , tranquil
utsuka: mfn. (fr. su , " well " ud in the sense of " apart " , and affix ka) , restless , uneasy , unquiet , anxious ; anxiously desirous , zealously active , striving or making exertions for any object ; eager for , fond of , attached to ; regretting , repining , missing , sorrowing for; n. sorrow; n. longing for , desire
niSh-praNayaH (nom. sg. m.): mfn. without affection , cold
praNaya: m. affection , confidence in (loc.) , love , attachment , friendship , favour; desire , longing for; an entreaty , request , solicitation
nir-aaShaH (nom. sg. m.): mfn. without any hope or wish or desire , indifferent
aaShaa: f. wish , desire , hope , expectation , prospect

vi-bhiiH (nom. sg. m.): mfn. fearless
bhii: f. fear , apprehension , fright , alarm
vi-shug: without sorrow
shuc: f. (also pl.) pain , sorrow , grief
viita-madaH (nom. sg. m.): without pride
viita: mfn. gone away , departed , disappeared , vanished , lost (often ibc. = free or exempt from , without , -less)
mada: m. hilarity , rapture , excitement , inspiration , intoxication; f. sexual desire or enjoyment , wantonness , lust , ruttishness , rut (esp. of an elephant) ; f. , pride , arrogance , presumption , conceit
vi-raagaH (nom. sg. m.): mfn. passionless , without feeling , dispassionate , indifferent
raaga: m. colour, redness, inflammation; passion

saH (nom. sg. m.): he
eva (emphatic)
dhRtyaa = inst. sg. dhRti: f. holding , seizing , keeping , firmness , constancy , resolution , will , command
anya: other, different; another
iva: like
ababhaase = 3rd pers. perfect bhaa: to appear as , seem , look like , pass for

Saturday, March 13, 2010

SAUNDARANANDA 17.60: Dealing with Three and Three and Three Fault-triggering Stimuli

iti tri-vegaM tri-jhaShaM tri-viicam
ek-aambhasaM paNca-rayaM dvi-kuulaM
dvi-graaham aShTaaNgavataa plavena
duHkh'-aarNavaM dus-taram uttataara

- = - = = - - = - = -
= = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = -
= = - = = - - = - = -

17.60
Thus he overcame three surges,
three sharks, three swells,

The unity of water, five currents, two shores,

And two crocodiles: in his eight-piece raft,

He crossed a hard-to-cross ocean of suffering.


COMMENT:
The eight-piece raft symbolizes the noble eightfold path of integrity, balance and wisdom, which is a means-whereby every follower of the Buddha may deal with many and various stimuli that are liable to trigger faults -- whether the problem be visible on the surface like a big wave, or waiting below the surface like a submerged shark or crocodile.

What is meant by three and three and three, and one and five and two, is not to be found in the scholar's first port of call, the Buddhist dictionary. Rather, a clue to Ashvaghosha's intention might be found in the opening sentence of Shobogenzo chap. 42 Tsuki, The Moon:

The round realization of moons is not only three and three before and not only three and three after.

The footnote to the Nishijima & Cross translation adds: "Three and three before, three and three after" suggests random concrete facts as opposed to general abstractions.

So your particular sharks are your sharks, and my specific crocodiles are my crocodiles. At the same time, water, when roundly realized like a full moon, is always water. And when it comes to the difficulty of inhibiting habitual reaction to a stimulus that puts us wrong, we are, as Marjory Barlow used to say, all in the same boat.

One thing I can report from my own experience, is that if I sit for long enough with legs fully crossed, my knees and hips invariably become two sharp-toothed crocodiles.

EH Johnston:
So with the eightfold boat he crossed over the ocean of suffering, so difficult to pass over, which has three currents, three fishes, three waves, one water, five streams, two banks and two crocodiles.

Linda Covill:
Thus with his eightfold boat he crossed the hard-to-cross ocean of suffering, which has three streams, three fish, three waves, one body of water, five streams, two shores and two crocodiles.


VOCABULARY:
iti: thus
tri: three
vega (acc. sg.): . (fr. √ vij) violent agitation , shock , jerk; m. a stream , flood , current (of water , tears &c )
√ vij: to move with a quick darting motion , speed , heave (said of waves)
jhaSham (acc. sg.): m. a large fish ; a fish
tri-viicam (acc. sg. m.): three waves
viica = viici: m. a wave , ripple

ek'-aambhasam = acc. sg. ek'-aambhas (?)
eka: one, a single
ambhas: n. water
paNca: five
rayam (acc. sg.): m. ( √ rii) the stream of a river , current
dvi: two
kuulam (acc. sg.): n. a shore , bank; a pond or pool

dvi: two
graaham (acc. sg.): m. a rapacious animal living in fresh or sea water , any large fish or marine animal (crocodile , shark , serpent , Gangetic alligator , water elephant , or hippopotamus)
aShTaaNgavataa = inst. sg. aShTaaNgavat: having eight parts
aShTa: eight
aNga: limb, component part
-vat: possessive suffix
plavena = inst. sg. plava: mn. raft , boat , small ship

duHk'-aarNavam (acc. sg.): the foaming sea of suffering
duHkha: suffering, hardship
arNava: mfn. agitated , foaming , restless; m. a wave , flood ; m. the foaming sea
dus-taram (acc. sg. m.): mfn. difficult to be passed or overcome , unconquerable , invincible
uttataara = 3rd pers. perfect ut-tRR: (ud- √tRR) to pass out of (especially jalaat , water); to pass over ; to cross (a river , with acc.) ; to vanquish

Friday, March 12, 2010

SAUNDARANANDA 17.59: Gradually Eliminating Faults (ctd.)

agni-drum'-aajy'-ambuShu yaa hi vRttiH
kavandha-vaayv-agni-divaakaraaNaaM
doSheShu taaM vRttim iyaaya nando
nirvaapaN'-otpaaTana-daaha-shoShaiH

= = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = =

17.59
The action which on fire, trees, ghee and water

Is exerted by rainclouds, wind, a flame and the sun,

Nanda exerted that action on the faults,

Quenching, uprooting, burning, and drying them up.


COMMENT:
The quenching action which rainclouds exert on fire, it seems to me, is not so sudden, direct, or immediate: each raindrop has to travel the distance from sky to earth, and no drop can put out a fire all by itself.

Similarly when the wind uproots a tree, it does not tend to do so with one sudden gust that comes out of nowhere. A sudden gust comes in the context of a prolonged gale.

Ghee is a kind of clarified butter which, as such, is composed almost entirely of saturated fat, and burns like oil. In other words, when it combusts, it does not explode like gunpowder or burn up quickly like tinder but burns more slowly -- making it suitable to be used as the principal fuel for the Hindu votive lamp known as the diya or deep. Moreover, as shown by this photo
gratefully borrowed from Wikipedia, when ghee is burnt in a lamp, the connection between flame and ghee is an INDIRECT one, via a cotton wick.



Finally, water is dried up by the sun through evaporation, a gradual process.

So the battle being described is not a battle with any external opponent; it is a battle within the self, and the means to win it has to be a gradual, prolonged, and indirect method.


EH Johnston:
For Nanda applied to the faults, by extinguishing, uprooting, burning and drying up, the same action that clouds, wind, fire and the sun exert on fire, trees, ghee and water respectively.

Linda Covill:
That process by which fire, trees, ghee and water are extinguished, uprooted, burned up and dried by clouds, wind, fire and the sun -- Nanda applied that process to the faults.

VOCABULARY:
agni: fire
druma: tree
aajya: n. ( √ aJj), melted or clarified butter (used for oblations , or for pouring into the holy fire at the sacrifice , or for anointing anything sacrificed or offered)
√ aJj: to anoint
ambuShu = loc. pl. n. ambu: water
yaa (nom. sg. f.): [that] which
hi: for
vRttiH (nom. sg.): f. rolling ; mode of conduct, course of action ; working , activity , function ;

kavandha = kabandha: mn. a big barrel or cask , a large-bellied vessel (metaphorically applied to a cloud) ; the clouds which obscure the sun at sunset and sunrise (sometimes personified)
vaayu: wind, air
agni: m. fire , sacrificial fire
divaakaraaNaaM = gen. pl. m. divaakara: "day-maker" , the sun

doSheShu (loc. pl.): to the faults
taam (acc. sg. f.): to that
vRttim (acc. sg.): f. action, mode of proceeding etc.
iyaaya = 3rd pers. perfect i: to undertake anything (with acc.), go on with
nandaH (nom. sg. m.): Nanda

nirvaapaNa: n. the act of cooling or refreshing or quenching or delighting n. extinguishing , extinction , annihilation
utpaaTana: n. the act of tearing out or up ; n. pulling up by roots , eradicating
daaha: m. (fr. √ dah) burning , combustion , conflagration , heat
shoShaiH = inst. pl. shoSha: m. the act of drying up , desiccation

Thursday, March 11, 2010

SAUNDARANANDA 17.58: The War Against Sleep (ctd.)

bodhy-aNga-naagair api saptabhiH sa
sapt' aiva citt'-aanushayaan mamarda
dviipaan iv' opasthita-vipraNaashaan
kaalo grahaiH saptabhir eva sapta

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= = - = = - - = - = -
= = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = -

17.58
Again, with the seven elephants
of the limbs of awakening

He crushed the seven dormant tendencies of the mind,

Like Time, when their destruction is due,

Crushing the seven continents
by means of the seven planets.


COMMENT:
In Sanskrit the seven limbs of awakening are:
(1) dharma-pravicaya: investigation of things
(2) viirya: manliness, directed energy
(3) priiti: joy
(4) prashrabdhi: confidence
(5) upekShaa: indifference, equanimity, detachment
(6) samaadhi: balanced stillness, [true] concentration
(7) smRti: mindfulness, awareness

The seven dormant tendencies, then, might be understood to be the opposite of these seven limbs of awakening -- i.e. failure to examine things, faint-heartedness, misery, doubt, attachment, imbalance, and inattention.

But the essential opposition is not necessarily sevenfold: it is just that between being awake and being asleep, between acting consciously and re-acting unconsciously -- the opposition between, for example, upright sitting as conscious practice of non-doing, and upright sitting as blind end-gaining.

Being asleep, reacting unconsciously, and sitting upright in a blind end-gaining manner... when I look back on 50 years, those could be chapters 1, 2, and 3 of the story so far of my various lives...

And coming from this background I think I understand why the flavour of Ashvaghosha's teaching is not merely negative but positively destructive. For behind the description of war elephants trampling enemies to death, like Time crushing seven continents, is the supremely constructive principle, or the intuitive wisdom, that when we stop doing the wrong thing, the right thing does itself.

EH Johnston:
And with the seven elephants of the constituents of enlightenment he crushed the seven evil latent tendencies of the mind, as Time with the seven planets crushes the seven continents when the time of their destruction has arrived.

Linda Covill:
With his seven elephants of the constituents of enlightenment he also trampled down the seven negative predispositions of the mind, as Time with the seven planets tramples down the seven continents when their destruction is due.


VOCABULARY:
bodhi: m. awakening, enlightenment
aNga: n. a limb of the body ; a limb , member ; the body ; a subordinate division or department , especially of a science
naagaiH = inst. pl. naaga: m. elephant
api: also
saptabhiH (inst.): with the seven
sa (nom. sg. m.): he

sapta (acc.): the seven
eva: (emphatic)
citt'aanushayaan (acc. pl. m): dormant enmities of the mind
citta: mind
anushaya: m. (from anu- √ zii) close connection as with a consequence , close attachment to any object; (in phil.) the consequence or result of an act ; repentance , regret ; hatred ; ancient or intense enmity
anu- √ zii: to sleep with, lie along or close
mamarda = 3rd. pers. perfect mRd: to press , squeeze , crush , pound , smash , trample down , tread upon , destroy

dviipaan = acc. pl. dviipa: mn. an island, peninsular; a division of the terrestrial world (either 7 or 4; they are situated round the mountain meru, and separated from each other by distinct concentric circumambient oceans)
iva: like
upasthita-vipraNaashaan (acc. pl. m.): due for destruction
upasthita: mfn. present , near at hand , ready for ; near , impending
vipraNaasha: m. destruction
vi: prefix used to mean "asunder," or as intensifier, or having no meaning
praNaasha: m. vanishing , disappearance , cessation , loss , destruction , death

kaalaH (nom. sg.): m. Time, Death
grahaiH = inst. pl. graha: m. "seizing," a planet (as seizing or influencing the destinies of men in a supernatural manner ; sometimes 5 are enumerated , viz. Mars , Mercury , Jupiter , Venus , and Saturn; also 7 i.e. the preceding with raahu and ketu)
saptabhiH (inst.): with the seven
eva: (emphatic)
sapta (acc.): the seven

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

SAUNDARANANDA 17.57: Severing the Five Upper Fetters

ciccheda kaartsnyena tataH sa paNca
prajN"-aasinaa bhaavanay" eritena
uurdhvaM-gamaany uttama-bandhanaani
saMyojanaany uttama-bandhanaani

= = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = -
= = - = = - - = - = -
= = - = = - - = - = -

17.57
Then he cut the five upper fetters:

With the sword of intuitive wisdom,
wielded by directed thought,

He completely severed the five aspirational fetters,

Which are bound up with superiority,
and tied to the first person.


COMMENT:
The words paNca saMyojanaani in lines 1 & 4 lead us, via the Buddhist dictionary, to the terms paNc'-aavara-bhaagiiya-saMyojanaani (five-lower-connected-fetters), called in Chinese/Japanese go-gebun-ketsu, the five fetters of lower worlds; and paNcordhva-bhaagiiya-saMyojanaani (five-upper-connected-fetters), in Chinese/Japanese go-jobun-ketsu, the five fetters of upper worlds.

In the Japanese-English Buddhist Dictionary the five fetters of the lower world are given as (1) covetousness, (2) anger, (3) heretical belief in a real personality, (4) attachment to heretical practices, and (5) doubt.

The five fetters of the upper ethereal and spiritual worlds are given as (1) lust for the ethereal state, (2) lust for consciousness, (3) restlessness, (4) arrogance, and (5) ignorance.

So in this verse paNca saMyojanaani would seem to suggest these latter five fetters. But in what sense are they called uurdhvaM-gamaani "upward-going" and in what sense are they called, twice, uttama-bandhanaani "uppermost-bound"?

Bearing in mind that the basic mistake of the beggar of the fourth dhyana was a conceit described in Chinese characters as JO-JO MAN (upper-upper arrogance), might Ashvaghosha be pointing to the dangers of conceit, or overly lofty aspiration?

Aside from its adjectival meaning of "uppermost" or "most superior," another use of uttama that could be relevant is as the masculine noun, "the last person," which in Sanskrit grammar means what we call the first person -- the centre of I, me, mine.

It is certainly true that the aspirational intention to achieve, and the non-aspirational intention to allow, are very different things -- the desire to achieve invariably being connected with the first person.

In a similar way, there is the Buddhist intention to become Buddha, which might be a very different thing from a non-Buddhist intention to serve Buddha.

In the time of the Buddha, Nanda in one lifetime cut the five upper fetters. In this age of imitative Dharma, in contrast, how many lifetimes need an upwardly-aspiring Buddhist spend serving offerings to buddha, before he eventually succeeds in completely severing the five upper fetters?

The answer, as suggested in Shobogenzo chap. 87, Kuyo-shobutsu, might be as many lifetimes as it takes.


EH Johnston:
Then he cut entirely through the five upper fetters, the hindrances of the supreme good, the final bonds, with the sword of intuitive wisdom which he wielded through meditation.

Linda Covill:
With the sword of wisdom wielded through meditation, he completely severed the final five upper bonds, the last ties to rebirth.


VOCABULARY:
ciccheda = 3rd pers. perfect chid: to cut off , amputate , cut through
kaartsnyena: ind. in full , entirely
tataH: ind. from that place , thence, after that
saH (nom. sg. m.): he
paNca (acc.): five

prajNaa: f. "pre-knowing." intuition, intuitive wisdom
pra: ind. before
jNaa: knowing
asinaa = inst. sg. asi: m. a sword
bhaavanayaa = inst. sg. bhaavanaa: f. the act of producing or effecting; f. forming in the mind , conception , apprehension , imagination , supposition , fancy , thought , meditation (°nayaa ind. in thought , in imagination); f. demonstration , argument , ascertainment; f. feeling of devotion , faith in (loc.); f. reflection , contemplation (5 kinds with Buddhists)
iiritena = inst. sg. iirita: mfn. wielded
iir: to go , move , rise; to agitate , elevate , raise

uurdhvaM-gamaani (acc. pl. n.): going upwards, aspirational
uurdhvam: ind. upwards; n. (uurdhvaM- √gam , to go upwards or into heaven , die)
gama: mfn. (ifc.) going
uttama-bandhanaani (acc. pl. n.): tied to superiority; tied to the first person
uttama: mfn. (superlative fr. ud, up) , uppermost , highest; most elevated, excellent; m. the last person (= in European grammars the first person)
bandhana: mfn. tying; (ifc.) dependent on; n. a bond , tie (also fig.) , rope , cord , tether (ifc. = bound to or fettered by); n. building , construction; n. joining , junction , connection

saMyojanaani = acc. pl. saMyojana: n. the act of joining or uniting with (instr. or loc.) ; all that binds to the world , cause of re-birth
saM- √ yuj: to join or attach together , conjoin , connect , combine , unite ; to bind , fetter ; to form an alliance , league together
uttama-bandhanaani (acc. pl. n.): tied to superiority; tied to the first person

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

SAUNDARANANDA 17.56: A Worthy Ambition?

dhyaanam sa nishritya tatash caturtham
arhattva-laabhaaya matim cakaara
saMdhaaya maitram balavantam aaryaM
raaj” eva deshaan a-jitaaN jigiiShuH

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17.56
Consequently, relying on the fourth stage of meditation,

He made up his mind to win the worthy state,

Like a king joining forces with a strong and noble ally

And then aspiring to conquer unconquered lands.


COMMENT:
The first thing that emerges from this verse is the distinction between the fourth dhyana (dhyaanam caturtham in line 1) and the fourth fruit of the Dharma, which is arhathood (arhattva, the worthy state in line 2).

The ultimate clarity and simplicity of the fourth stage of sitting-meditation is a very worthy state, but it is not yet the worthy state, which is the state of the arhat, the fourth fruit of the Dharma, in short, full enlightenment.

The mistake, born of conceit, of thinking and feeling the fourth dhyana to be synonymous with the fourth fruit of the Dharma is the essential mistake that has been made over the ages by beggars of the fourth dhyana. It is a mistake that ancestors in India like the 4th, 12th and 14th ancestors (Upagupta, Ashvaghosha, and Nagarjuna) recognized and cautioned against. And it is a mistake that the Japanese Zen Master Dogen cautions against in Shobogenzo, chap. 90 Shi-zen-biku, The Beggar of the Fourth Dhyana. It is a mistake this translator has made, more times than once.

What should we make, then, of Nanda's decision not to be content with the fourth dhyana but rather to go ahead and gain the ultimate end of the worthy state?

Is the aspiration expressed by the desiderative adjective jigiiShu (which expresses the desire to win, ambition) an aspiration that facilitates realisation of the worthy state? Or is it an aspiration that hinders realisation of the worthy state?

As a follower of the Buddha's teaching, is one required to be ambitious to conquer what is yet unconquered? Or is one required simply not to be ambitious?

The next verse, 17.57, as I read it, seems to hint at an illogical answer to these questions -- like totally giving up the idea of moving a leg, and yet moving a leg; or like totally inhibiting one's desire to punch an opponent, and yet whacking him with a reverse punch even before he knows he has had the idea of attacking you.

If the worthy state of the arhat is the final square in a game of snakes and ladders, and if the fourth dhyana corresponds to the final row on the board, might the decision to win the worthy state be a very long snake that takes a player right back to square one?

I remember writing at the end of a post on a previous blog...

Back to square one.
Back to square one.
When all's said and done,
It's back to square one.


Those sentiments still hold true -- they have not been falsified so far by Ashvaghosha's teaching.

Conceit like that of the beggar of the fourth dhyana is just a big mistake, like a very long snake leading back to square one. Equally, negation of the possibility of arriving at the worthy state, might also be a big mistake. And worrying about such mistakes might also be a mistake.

So back at square one, what is there? There is recognition of a mistake -- Ah yes, I went wrong again. I failed to inhibit some desire to gain an end, and so was misled by faulty sensory appreciation. But that wasn't it. That wasn't going up, like up a ladder. That was going down, like down a snake.

There is confidence that, in spite of my mistaken attempts to grasp it, there is in this world a higher good of non-doing and a truly worthy state of being, as taught and as lived by the Buddha.

There are these words, these thought-directions, which, whatever lowly state I am in are always the same: "I wish to allow the neck to release, to let the head go forward and up, to let the back lengthen and widen, while sending the knees forwards and away..."

There is this traditional way of cross-legged sitting, along with the traditions of wearing the robe and shaving the head.

Thus, containing ideas and containing thoughts, but free of end-gaining desires and tainted things, is, as I experience it from time to time, the great gladness of the first dhyana.

For somebody with a dodgy vestibular system, it doesn't do to aim too high!


EH Johnston:
Then relying on the fourth trance, he set his mind on attaining Arhatship, like a king, wishing to conquer hitherto unconquered provinces, who unites himself with a strong and noble ally.

Linda Covill:
With the support of the fourth level of meditation, he made up his mind to win the worthy state, as a king joins with a mighty and noble ally when he wishes to conquer unconquered territories.



VOCABULARY:
dhyaanam (acc. sg.): n. (stage of) realisation, meditation
saH (nom. sg. m.): he
nishritya = abs. ni- √ shri: to lean on or against
tataH: ind. from that place, thence
caturtham (acc. sg. n.): the fourth

arhat: deserving, worthy
-tva (suffix for abstract nouns): the state of; -ship, -ness, -hood
arhattva: n. the dignity of an arhat; arhatship, arhathood; the worthy state, the state of one who has realised the fourth fruit of the Dharma = buddhahood
laabhaaya = dat. laabha: m. meeting with , finding ; obtaining , getting , attaining , acquisition , gain
matiM kR: to set the heart on , make up one's mind , resolve , determine
matim (acc. sg.): f. mind, direction
cakaara = 3rd pers. perfect kR: to make

saMdhaaya = abs. saM-√dhaa: to put together, combine, join with
maitram (acc. sg.): m. ally, friend
balavantam = acc. sg. m. balavat: possessing power, powerful, mighty, strong
aaryam (acc. sg. m.): noble

raajaa (nom. sg.): m. king
iva: like
deshaan (acc. pl.): m. regions, places; provinces, countries, kingdoms, realms
a-jitaan (acc. pl. m.): unconquered
jigiShuH (nom. sg. m.): mfn. wishing to obtain or gain; striving to conquer, ambitious