⏑−⏑−¦−⏑⏑¦−⏑−⏑−¦¦⏑−⏑−¦−⏑⏑¦−⏑−⏑− Vaṁśastha
adṣṭa-tattvasya
sato 'pi kiṁ tu me śubhāśubhe saṁśayite
śubhe matiḥ |
⏑−⏑−¦−⏑⏑¦−⏑−⏑−¦¦⏑−⏑−¦−⏑⏑¦−⏑−⏑−
vthāpi
khedo hi
varaṁ śubhātmanaḥ sukhaṁ na tattve 'pi vigarhitātmanaḥ ||
9.75
9.75
Even in my present
state of not having realized the truth,
Yet still, though good
and bad be in doubt,
my inclination is to
the good.
For better the toil,
though the toil was in vain,
of a soul given over to
the good,
Than the gratification
of one, though onto the truth,
whose attitude was
reprehensible.
COMMENT:
In today's verse as I
read it the bodhisattva is expressing the principle that in Alexander
work is called non-endgaining. This principle recognizes the folly of
trying to arrive at a good end by bad means.
To put it the other way
round, positively, the principle recognizes the wisdom of giving all
one's attention to a means one knows to be good, without worrying
about whether the unknown end result will be good or bad. The wisdom,
in short, of making effort in the right direction, having given up caring about right and wrong.
Read like this, today's
verse might be another verse that relates to the greatest and most
redemptive principle in the universe, which is namely that, even
though there is no such thing as a right position, there is such a
thing as a right direction.
The ultimate folly for
a Zen practitioner, contrary to the approach advocated by the
bodhisattva in today's verse, might be to pursue Enlightenment in an
end-gaining manner, so that the practitioner sets his sights on the
ultimate prize of Enlightenment – like a great power hell-bent on securing global hegemony – without concern for maintenance of integrity on the inside or collateral damage on the outside.
Come to think of it, if I hated America because of the stupid end-gaining of its policy-makers, and the blatant hypocrisy of recent American criticisms of Russia, I might be using America as a mirror in which to see myself.
The 4th pāda
is rendered a bit difficult to translate by the parenthetic phrase
tattve' pi, which in the end I translated “though onto the truth.”
EBC:
the
man of base soul has no joy even
in the truth;
EHJ:
than
the bliss, even
though in the real truth,
of the man who gives himself up to what is contemptible;
PO:
than
the comfort of one given to evil, though
it is the truth.
The classic example to
illustrate the meaning of the 4th pāda, as I have
translated it, might be the attitude of Devadatta, at the time of the
Buddha; or the attitude of Bodhirucci, at the time of Bodhidharma.
Each of these men of infamous and nefarious conduct were very much
onto the truth, or in contact with the truth, their karma having led
them to live at the time and place of the Buddha and of Bodhidharma.
But prompted by a jealousy born of personal ambition, each failed to
inhibit the end-gaining impulses in his mind, and each decided to go ahead and commit a very bad action, so that Devadatta tried to do the
Buddha in by causing a big rock to roll down on him, and the
translator Bodhirucci, the story goes, tried to poison Zen Master Bodhidharma.
In conclusion, then,
today's verse causes me to come back to truths that I always tend to
come back to, as an antidote to my old habits of worrying and trying
to be right:
There is no such thing
as a right position,
but there is such a thing as a right direction.
but there is such a thing as a right direction.
(FM Alexander)
Being wrong is the best
friend you have got in this work.
(Marjory Barlow)
Don't think good /
bad.
Don't care right /
wrong.
(Zen Master Dogen)
VOCABULARY
adṛṣṭa-tattvasya
(gen. sg. m.): not having seen the truth, not having realized the
truth
sataḥ
= gen. sg. m. pres. part. as: to be
api:
even
kim
tu: but , however , nevertheless (bearing the same relation to tu
that kiṁ-ca bears to ca)
kiṁ-ca:
moreover , further
me
(gen. sg.): of me, my
śubhāśubhe
(loc. sg.): n. weal and woe , good and evil
saṁśayite
(loc. sg. n.): mfn. subject to doubt , uncertain , dubious ,
questionable
śubhe
(loc. sg.): n. anything bright or beautiful &c ; mfn. splendid ,
bright , beautiful ; good (in moral sense) , righteous , virtuous ,
honest
matiḥ
(nom. sg.): f. thought , design , intention , resolution ,
determination , inclination , wish , desire (with loc. dat. or inf.)
vṛthā:
ind. at will , at pleasure , at random; in vain , vainly , uselessly
, fruitlessly , idly
api:
even
khedaḥ
(nom. sg.): m. lassitude, depression ; exhaustion , pain , affliction
, distress
hi:
for
varam:
ind. it is better than , rather than (in these senses varam is
followed by , na , na ca na tu , na punaḥ tad api na or tathā*pi
na , with nom. e.g. varaṁ mṛśyur nacā*kīrtiḥ , " better
death than [lit. " and not "] infamy)
śubhātmanaḥ
(gen. sg. m.): one with a beautiful soul ; a good guy
sukham
(nom. sg.): n. ease , easiness , comfort , prosperity , pleasure ,
happiness
na:
not
tattve
(loc. sg.): n. true or real state , truth , reality
api:
even
vigarhitātmanaḥ
(gen. sg. m.): one whose character is reprehensible
vigarhita:
mfn. blamed , reprehensible
ātman:
m. self; essence , nature , character , peculiarity (often ifc. e.g.
karmātman , one whose character is action , endowed with principles
of action )
於淨不淨法 世間生疑惑
設不見眞實 應行清淨道
寧苦行淨法 非樂行不淨
設不見眞實 應行清淨道
寧苦行淨法 非樂行不淨
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