⏑
⏑ ⏑ ⏑ ⏑ ⏑ −−,−⏑−−⏑−−
Mālinī
vanam-anupama-sattvā
bodhisattvās-tu sarve
⏑ ⏑ ⏑ ⏑ ⏑ ⏑ −−,−⏑−−⏑−−
viṣaya-sukha-rasa-jñā
jagmur-utpanna-putrāḥ |
⏑ ⏑ ⏑ ⏑ ⏑ ⏑ −−,−⏑−−⏑−−
ata
upacita-karmā rūḍha-mūle 'pi hetau
⏑ ⏑ ⏑ ⏑ ⏑ ⏑ −−,−⏑−−⏑−−
sa
ratim-upasiṣeve bodhim-āpan-na-yāvat || 2.562.56
To the forest, nonetheless, went all
bodhisattvas,
all matchless beings on the way to
awakening,
Who had known the taste of sensuality
and produced a son.
and produced a son.
Thus did he who had heaped up ample
karma,
even while the cause [of his awakening]
was a developing root,
even while the cause [of his awakening]
was a developing root,
Partake of sensual enjoyment,
in the period before he took possession
of awakening.
The 2nd canto,
titled “Exploring Within the Battlements,”
in an epic story of awakened action.
titled “Exploring Within the Battlements,”
in an epic story of awakened action.
COMMENT:
Today's verse caused me to ask what a
budding root might look like, and a google search led me to this
image from a 19th-century periodical called Scientific American. The accompanying caption reads: Root-bud and frost-flower of the Cunila Mariana. A, the developing
or budding root. B, the old stem of the previous year. C, the
congealed vapour or hoarfrost, forming the first flower of various
shapes.
The main point I take from today's
verse is that going to the forest is not the fundamental cause of a
bodhisattva's taking possession of awakening, i.e. attaining the
truth, or realizing enlightenment. The fundamental cause is rather a
bodhisattva's heaping up of good karma.
Partaking of sensual enjoyment was not
necessarily part of that heaping up of good karma, but neither,
evidently, did it kill the budding root.
Applying the principle of
non-endgaining, in the light of today's verse, bodhisattvas whose end
was awakening might understand that the intelligent course for a
bodhisattva is not necessarily to hasten to some remote forest with a
view to attaining enlightenment. The intelligent course might rather
be just to continue heaping up whatever good karma can be salvaged
out of the present moment – for example, by serving buddhas, with
or without the tainted expectation that there might eventually be
something in it for me.
Thus, what we have been exploring in
Canto 2, within the battlements of King Śuddhodana's palace, is
mainly cause and effect -- but not as a Buddhist teaching.
VOCABULARY
vanam (acc. sg.): n. forest
anupama-sattvāḥ (nom. pl. m.):
matchless beings
an-upama: mfn. incomparable , matchless
; excellent , best
sattva: n. being , existence , entity ,
reality (īśvara-sattva, " the existence of a Supreme Being ");
true essence , nature , disposition of mind , character ; m. embryo
, fetus , rudiment of life
bodhisattvāḥ (nom. pl.): m. "
one whose essence is awakening,” , one who is on the way to the
attainment of perfect knowledge
tu: but
sarve (nom. pl. m.): mfn. all
viṣaya-sukha-rasa-jñāḥ (nom. pl.
m.): knowing the taste of sensual pleasure
viṣaya-sukha: n. the pleasures of
sense
rasa-jña: mfn. knowing tastes or the
taste of , appreciative (gen. or comp.); familiar with; m. a poet or
any writer who understands the rasas ; m. an alchemist who
understands the magical properties of mercury
jagmur = 3rd pers. pl. perf.
gam: to go
utpanna-putrāḥ (nom. pl. m.):
having produced a son
utpanna: mfn. arisen , born , produced;
come forth
ut- √ pad: to be born or produced
ataḥ: ind. from this, hence ;
henceforth, from this or that cause or reason
upacita-karmā (nom. sg. m.): with his
former acts being heaped up; being abundantly furnished with karma
upacita: mfn. heaped up , increased;
thriving , increasing , prospering , succeeding; big, fat, thick;
covered over , furnished abundantly , possessing plentifully
karman: n. action ; former act as
leading to inevitable results ; office , special duty , occupation ,
obligation (frequently ifc. , the first member of the compound being
either the person who performs the action [e.g. vaṇik-k°] or the
person or thing for or towards whom the action is performed [e.g.
rāja-k° , paśu-k°] or a specification of the action [e.g.
śaurya-k° , prīti-k°]).
rūḍha-mūle (loc. sg.): of budded
root
rūḍha: mfn. mounted , risen ,
ascended ; budded
mūla: n. root ; basis , foundation ,
cause , origin , commencement , beginning
api: even, although
hetau (loc. sg.): m. motive , cause
sa (nom. sg. m.): he
ratim (acc. sg.): f. pleasure ,
enjoyment , delight ; the pleasure of love , sexual passion or union
, amorous enjoyment ; the pudenda
upasiṣeve = 3rd pers. sg.
perf. upa- √ sev: to frequent, visit; to stay with a person ,
attend on , serve , do homage , honour , worship ; to have sexual
intercourse with (acc.) ; to practise , pursue , cultivate , study ,
make use of , be addicted to
bodhim (acc. sg.): m. awakening,
enlightenment; m. " wakener " , a cock
āpat = 3rd pers. sg. aorist
āp: to reach , overtake , meet with , fall upon; to obtain , gain ,
take possession of
na yāvat: while not, before, till
iti: thus
buddha-carite mahā-kāvye (loc. sg.):
in the epic story of awakened action; in the great poem “Acts of
the Buddha.”
antaḥ-purāṇi (acc. pl. n.): BC1.23
“royal householders”
antaḥ-pura: n. the king's palace ,
the female apartments , gynaeceum ; those who live in the female
apartments ; a queen
antar: inside, internal
pura: n. a fortress , castle , city ,
town; the female apartments , gynaeceum ; a house , abode , residence
, receptacle; an upper story ; a brothel
vihāra: m. walking for pleasure or
amusement , wandering , roaming ; sport , play , pastime , diversion
, enjoyment , pleasure (" in " or " with " comp.
; ifc. also = taking delight in) ; a place of recreation ,
pleasure-ground ; (with Buddhists or jainas) a monastery or temple
(originally a hall where the monks met or walked about ; afterwards
these halls were used as temples) ;
vi- √ hṛ: to roam , wander through
(acc.) ; (esp.) to walk or roam about for pleasure , divert one's
self
nāma: ind. by name
dvitīyaḥ sargaḥ (nom. sg. m.): the
2nd canto
過去菩薩王 其道雖深固
要習世榮樂 生子繼宗嗣
要習世榮樂 生子繼宗嗣
然後入山林 修行寂默道
處宮品第二
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