alpecchu
saṁtuṣṭi
praviveka
vīrya
smṛti
samādhi
prajñā
niṣprapañca
Friday, December 25, 2015
Introduction
Pali:
mahā-purisa-vitakkā
Sanskrit:
mahā-puruṣa-vitarkāḥ
- The Great Man's Thoughts -
Chinese:
八大人覚
Japanese: hachi-dainin-gaku
Japanese: hachi-dainin-gaku
- the
eight reflections of a great person -
1 Vitakka
[vi+takka] reflection, thought, thinking.
2 Mahā-puruṣa:
m. a great or eminent man ; name of Gautama Buddha. Vitarka:
conjecture, opinion; reasoning, deliberation, consideration.
3 Hachi-dainin-gaku
is the Japanese pronuncation of the Chinese characters.
Introduction
I have been on a solitary retreat for the past couple of weeks, studying and translating mūla-madhyamaka-kārikā -- going back to the middle of Nāgārjuna, I would like to think. One of the key words in MMK is niṣprapañca, which means something like "not philosophizing" or (in the translation of The Middle Way by the Dalai Lama) "no conceptual elaboration." Niṣprapañca is the 8th of the eight reflections under consideration now.
Today being my 56th birthday, I thought I would take a break from MMK -- which has, if not philosophizing, a lot of difficult philosophy -- and return to the more familiar territory of the eight reflections.
The
eight reflections of a great person form the final chapter in the 95-chapter edition of
Master Dogen's Shobogenzo and Zen tradition has it that they were the
final teaching of the Buddha on the night before he died.
For
these reasons, and also because of its many meaningful metaphors, the
chapter was one that seemed particularly to draw me to it. There is an audio
recording of Master Kodo Sawaki giving a lecture on the chapter,
which I bought while I was in Japan and enjoyed listening to, even
though I couldn't understand much of Master Kodo's commentary. I might be able to make a digital recording from the cassette tape and make it
available as a podcast if anybody is interested?
One of the merits of a metaphor is
that it can facilitate the transmission of real meaning in such a way
that less is liable to be lost in translation. In any event, in
around 2007-8, I found myself turning again and again, especially in
the middle of sleepless nights, to the eight reflections. I felt like my job at that time was somehow to find clearer water further upstream. And there was no clearer water to be found, I intuited, than in the eight reflections.
So when I obtained EH Johnston's English
translation of Buddhacarita in the autumn of 2008, I scanned through
the closing cantos to see if the eight reflections were recorded, and
sure enough there they were in the next-to-penultimate canto, BC Canto 26. I copied out EHJ's translation and put
it on my website, noting at the time:
The following is EH Johnston's translation from the Tibetan of the Buddha's final teaching, as recorded by Aśvaghoṣa. The correspondence is striking with the wording and metaphors found in the text recorded by Master Dogen in Shobogenzo Chapter 95, HACHI-DAININ-GAKU.
I would very much like to have been
able to study Aśvaghoṣa's rendering of the eight reflections in
his original Sanskrit. Since that has not been possible, settling for
the present on second best, I have been making a record of four other
sources, and so today I have decided to publish what I have got so far.
1. The Tibetan translation of
Aśvaghoṣa's Sanskrit, together with EH Johnston's English
translation (revised by me in places) which I think was to some
degree based on Freidrich Weller's translation from Tibetan into
German.
2. The Chinese translation of
Aśvaghoṣa's Sanskrit, together with Charles Willeman's English
translation from the Chinese. (I think I revised this in just a couple of places; I was intending to revise more thoroughly, before MMK took over.)
The Chinese translation is accessible
online here.
3.
The Anuruddha Sutta in Pali, from
Aṅguttara-Nikāya 30 (The Book of the Eights). An English translation by Thanissaro Bhikkhu can be found here.
4. The Yuikyo-gyo (Bequeathed Teaching Sūtra) in Chinese, which Dogen quoted verbatim in Shobogenzo Chap. 95, together with the Nishijima-Cross English translation published by Windbell in 1999.
Some of the metaphors and other notable elements which are common to the Tibetan and Chinese translations of BC Canto 26, and the Bequeathed Teachings Sūtra, are as follows:
Small desire
Aṅguttara-Nikāya 30 (The Book of the Eights). An English translation by Thanissaro Bhikkhu can be found here.
4. The Yuikyo-gyo (Bequeathed Teaching Sūtra) in Chinese, which Dogen quoted verbatim in Shobogenzo Chap. 95, together with the Nishijima-Cross English translation published by Windbell in 1999.
Some of the metaphors and other notable elements which are common to the Tibetan and Chinese translations of BC Canto 26, and the Bequeathed Teachings Sūtra, are as follows:
Small desire
- is liberation's path / nirvāṇa itself
- when sleeping/lying happily on the ground
- contrasted with a flock of birds on a roosting tree
- contrasted with an old elephant stuck in the mud
- like a constant trickle of water drilling through rock
- like resolutely twirling the fire-stick to get fire
- like wearing armour on a battlefield
- like maintaining a dike/embankment so that water does not go to waste
- a boat/ship to cross the ocean of aging, sickness and death
- a lamp/torch to dispell the darknes of ignorance
- a medicine for all ills
- an axe to fell the trees of afflictive emotions
- philosophizing prevents even those who have left home from finding freedom.
1. alpecchu
1.
Small Desire
appiccha
alpecchu
少欲
(sho-yoku;
small
desire)
The
Tibetan translation of Aśvaghoṣa's Buddhacarita Canto 26:
|
gaṅ źig rgya chen rnams las sdug bsṅal oṅs pa ste | | ñuṅ du dod la oṅ ba ma yin de daṅ bral |
| de yi phyir yaṅ ñuṅ du dod ñid bsñen bya ste | | gaṅ źig yon tan rnams kyis rdzogs byed kye ma ci | 54
| gaṅ źig thos nas med ces mya ṅan med pa ste | | gaṅ gis ñuṅ ṅu ’dod de de yi thar pa min | 55
| de yi phyir yaṅ ñuṅ du dod ñid bsñen bya ste | | gaṅ źig yon tan rnams kyis rdzogs byed kye ma ci | 54
| gaṅ źig thos nas med ces mya ṅan med pa ste | | gaṅ gis ñuṅ ṅu ’dod de de yi thar pa min | 55
|
de ni bkren pa’i lta ba rnams la mi ’jigs śiṅ | | dbaṅ po
rnams las gaṅ źig cuṅ zad ’jigs min la |
EH
Johnston's translation from the Tibetan:
EHJ54.
The suffering which comes to him whose desires are great does not
come to him whose desires are small. Therefore smallness of desire
should be practised, and especially so by those who seek for the
perfection of all the virtues.
EHJ55.
He who does not fear the rich at all is not afraid of the sight of
stingy people. For he obtains salvation whose desires are small and
who is not cast down on hearing that there is nothing for him.
The
Chinese translation of Aśvaghoṣa's Buddhacarita Canto 26
多求則爲苦 少欲則安隱
Seeking
much is suffering itself; small desire, wanting little, is happiness
itself.
爲安應少欲 況求眞解脱
If
small desire is for the sake of happiness, how much more is it for
the seeking of true freedom!
慳吝畏多求 恐損其財寶
The
stingy are afraid to seek for more, for fear of losing their wealth.
好施者亦畏 愧財不供足
He
who likes to be generous is afraid too, ashamed of his riches, of
which he
may not provide enough [to others].
是故當小欲 施彼無畏心
Therefore,
one should practise small desire and give to others with a confident
mind –
From
this mind that wants little, one attains freedom's path.
Anuruddha
Sutta
“When
it was said: ‘This Dhamma is for one with small desire
(appicchassa),
not for one with strong desire (mahicchassa),’
with reference to what was this said?
Here,
when a bhikkhu is one with small desire (appiccho
samāno), he does not desire: ‘Let people know me to
be one with small desire.’ (“appiccho
ti maṁ jāneyyun” ti na icchati) When he is
content (santuṭṭho
samāno), he does not desire: ‘Let people know me to
be one who is content.’ When he resorts to solitude (pavivitto
samāno), he does not desire: ‘Let people know me to
be one who resorts to solitude.’ When he is energetic
(āraddhaviriyo
samāno), he does not desire: ‘Let people know me to
be energetic.’ When he is mindful (upaṭṭhitasati
samāno), he does not desire: ‘Let people know me to
be mindful.’ When he is composed (samāhito
samāno), he does not desire: ‘Let people know me to
be composed.’ When he is wise (paññavā
samāno), he does not desire: ‘Let people know me to
be wise.’ When he delights in not being wordy (nippapañcārāmo
samāno), he does not desire: ‘Let people know me to
be one who delights in not being wordy.’ When it was said: ‘This
Dhamma is for one with small desire, not for one with strong desire,’
it is with reference to this that this was said.
Yuikyo-gyo
(Bequeathed Teaching Sūtra)
汝等比丘。當知多欲之人。多求利故苦惱亦多。少欲之人無求無欲則無此患。
直爾少欲尚應修習。
何況少欲能生諸善功徳。
少欲之人則無諂曲以求人意。
亦復不爲諸根所牽。
行少欲者心則坦然無所憂畏。
觸事有餘常無不足。
有少欲者則有涅槃。
是名少欲。
Nishijima-Cross
translation from Master Dogen's Shobogenzo Chapter 95:
You
bhikṣus should know that people of abundant desire abundantly seek
gain, and so their suffering also is abundant. People of small
desire, being free of seeking and free of desire, are free of this
affliction. You should practice and learn small desire just for
itself. Still more, small desire can give rise to all virtues: people
of small desire never curry favor and bend in order to gain the minds
of others. Further, they are not led by the sense organs. Those who
practice small desire are level in mind; they are without worries and
fears; when they come into contact with things they have latitude;
and they are constantly free from dissatisfaction. Those who have
small desire just have nirvana.
This is called “small desire.”
2. saṁtuṣṭi
2.
Contentment
santuṭṭha
saṁtuṣṭi
知足
(chi-soku;
knowing
satisfaction)
The
Tibetan translation of Aśvaghoṣa's Buddhacarita Canto 26:
|
gal te grol bar ’dod na tshim pa bsñen mdzod daṅ | | tshim pa na
ni ’dir bde de ’di chos yin źiṅ |
| tshim pa rnams ni sar yaṅ bde bar gñid log ste | | chim med rnams ni mtho ris na yaṅ rnam par sreg | 56
| tshim pa rnams ni sar yaṅ bde bar gñid log ste | | chim med rnams ni mtho ris na yaṅ rnam par sreg | 56
|
phyug kyaṅ chim pa med pa rtag tu dbul po ste | | dbul yaṅ tshim
pa daṅ ldan rtag tu phyug po ñid |
| tshim pa med pa sdug pa’i yul rnams daṅ ’bye źiṅ | | tshim pas ’gro ba ṅal ba ldan la mya ṅan byed | 57
| tshim pa med pa sdug pa’i yul rnams daṅ ’bye źiṅ | | tshim pas ’gro ba ṅal ba ldan la mya ṅan byed | 57
EHJ56.
If you desire salvation, practise contentment; with contentment there
is bliss here and it is the Law. The contented sleep peacefully even
on the ground, the discontented are burnt up even in Paradise.
EHJ57.
The discontented man, however rich is always poor, and the contented
man, however poor, is always rich. The discontented man, seeking the
beloved objects of sense, creates suffering for himself by toiling to
obtain satiety.
The
Chinese translation of Aśvaghoṣa's Buddhacarita Canto 26:
若欲求解脱 亦應習知足
If
one seeks deliverance, one should develop satisfaction too!
知足常歡喜 歡喜即是法
The
heart is always joyful when satisfied. Joy is nothing but the Law.
資生具雖陋 知足故常安
“Even if the provisions one depends upon are lowly, one is always content and satisfied.
“Even if the provisions one depends upon are lowly, one is always content and satisfied.
Even
if someone who is unable to feel satisfied obtains the happiness of
rebirth in heaven, the fire of suffering permanently burns his mind,
because he is not satisfied.
富而不知足 是亦爲貧苦
“If
[you are] wealthy but not satisfied, this too is poverty.
When
[you are] satisfied even though poor, this is the highest wealth.
“If
one is not satisfied, the objects of the five desires become even
larger.
One
seeks even more and tirelessly hurries toward suffering for a long
time.
In
his effort he feels anxiety and, on the other hand, he is pitied by
those who are satisfied.
Anuruddha
Sutta
“When
it was said: ‘This Dhamma is for one who is content
(santuṭṭhassa),
not for one who is discontent (asantuṭṭhassa),’
with reference to what was this said?
Here,
a bhikkhu is content with any kind of robes, almsfood, lodgings, and
medicines and provisions for the sick. When it was said: ‘This
Dhamma is for one who is content, not for one who is discontent,’
it is with reference to this that this was said.
Yuikyo-gyo
(Bequeathed Teaching Sūtra)
汝等比丘。若欲脱諸苦惱。當觀知足。
知足之法即是富樂安隱之處。
知足之人雖臥地上猶爲安樂。
不知足者雖處天堂亦不稱意。 不知足者雖富而貧。知足之人雖貧而富。不知足者常爲五欲所牽。爲知足者之所憐愍。
是名知足。
Nishijima-Cross
translation from Master Dogen's Shobogenzo Chapter 95:
If
you bhikṣus desire to get rid of all kinds of suffering, you should
reflect on knowing satisfaction. The practice of knowing satisfaction
is the very place of abundance, joy, and peace. People who know
satisfaction, even when lying on the ground, are still comfortable
and joyful. Those who do not know satisfaction, even when living in a
heavenly palace, are still not suited. Those who do not know
satisfaction, even if rich, are poor. People who know satisfaction,
even if poor, are rich. Those who do not know satisfaction are
constantly led by the five desires; they are pitied by those who know
satisfaction. This is called “to
know satisfaction.”
3. praviveka
3.
Seclusion
pavivitta
praviveka
樂寂靜
(gyo-jakujo;
enjoying
peace and quiet)
The
Tibetan translation of Aśvaghoṣa's Buddhacarita Canto 26:
|
źi ba’i bde ba dam pa thob par ’dod rnams kyis | | de ltar
tshogs la dga’ ba rnams su ’gyur mi bya |
| źi ba’i bdag ñid gcig tu rgyu phyir ’jig rten na | | brgya byin la sogs lha rnams kyis kyaṅ re ’dod byed | 58
| źi ba’i bdag ñid gcig tu rgyu phyir ’jig rten na | | brgya byin la sogs lha rnams kyis kyaṅ re ’dod byed | 58
|
chags po sdug bsṅal gyi ni gnas pa’i śiṅ yin te | | raṅ gi
skye bo la ’am skye la chags pa spaṅs |
| chags pa rnam rgyas sdug bsṅal la ni ’jig rten na | | gñis ’thuṅ ’khogs pa ’dam la bźin du chags par ’gyur | 59
| chags pa rnam rgyas sdug bsṅal la ni ’jig rten na | | gñis ’thuṅ ’khogs pa ’dam la bźin du chags par ’gyur | 59
EHJ58.
Those who desire to obtain the highest bliss of peace should not give
themselves up to the pleasures in such degree. For even Indra and the
other gods envy the man in the world who is solely devoted to
tranquility.
EHJ59.
Attachment is the roosting-tree of suffering; therefore give up
attachment, whether to relations or to strangers. He who has many
attachments in the world is stuck fast in suffering, like a decrepit
elephant in the mud.
The
Chinese translation of Aśvaghoṣa's Buddhacarita Canto 26:
不多受眷屬 其心常安隱
If
one does not often accept one's retinue, one's mind is always
tranquil.
安隱寂靜故 人天悉奉事
Because
of tranquility and quietude, all humans and gods serve him.
是故當捨離 親疏二眷屬
That
is why one should give up both of the two retinues of close and
distant loved ones.
“For
instance, suppose many birds and monkeys live on a lone tree in a
vast marsh.
The
same applies to a large retinue one may care for. For a long time one
experiences much suffering.
A
large crowd means many entanglements, like an old elephant that is
sunk in the mud.
Anuruddha
Sutta
“When
it was said: ‘This Dhamma is for one who resorts to solitude
(pavivittassa)1,
not for one who delights in company (saṅgaṇikārāmassa),’
with reference to what was this said?
Here,
when a bhikkhu resorts to solitude, bhikkhus, bhikkhunīs, male lay
followers, female lay followers, kings, royal ministers, heads of
other sects, and disciples belonging to other sects approach him. In
each case, with a mind that slants, slopes, and inclines to
seclusion, withdrawn, delighting in renunciation, he gives them a
talk invariably concerned with dismissing them. When it was said:
‘This Dhamma is for one who resorts to solitude, not for one who
delights in company,’ it is with reference to this that this was
said.
Yuikyo-gyo
(Bequeathed Teaching Sūtra)
汝等比丘。若求寂靜無爲安樂。當離憒閙獨處閑居。
靜處之人帝釋諸天所共敬重。
是故當捨己衆他衆。空閑獨處思滅苦本。
若樂衆者則受衆惱。
譬如大樹衆鳥集之則有枯折之患。
世間縛著沒於衆苦。
譬如老象溺泥不能自出。
是名遠離
。
Nishijima-Cross
translation from Master Dogen's Shobogenzo Chapter 95:
If
you bhikṣus wish to pursue tranquil and unintentional2
peace and joy, you should depart from noise and live alone in
seclusion. People of quiet places are revered alike by the god Śakra
and all the gods. For this reason you should abandon your own groups
and other groups, live alone in an empty space, and think of
dissolving the root of suffering. Those who take pleasure in groups
suffer many troubles—like a flock of birds gathering on a great
tree and then worrying that it will wither or break. [Those] fettered
by and attached to the world are immersed in many kinds of
suffering—like an old elephant drowning in mud, unable to get out
by itself. This is called “distancing.”
1Pavivitta
[pp. of pa+vi+vic] separated, detached, secluded, singled. Often in phrase
appiccha santuṭṭha pavivitta referring
to an ascetic enjoying the satisfaction of seclusion.
2
無爲
(from
the Sanskrit asaṁskṛta,
would better be translated as “free of doing” – or, as per
Gudo Nishijima's original translation “natural.”
4. vīrya
4.
Energy
viriya
vīrya
勤精進
(gon-shojin;
applying
energy)
The
Tibetan translation of Aśvaghoṣa's Buddhacarita Canto 26:
|
rtag par rab źugs chu yi rgyun ni mñen na yaṅ | | rdo yi logs la
dus su rnam par ’bigs pa ste |
| brtson ’grus kyis ni rñed par dka’ ba ci yaṅ med | | de phyir khur rnams mi ’bor bar ni bzod bgyis daṅ | 60
| brtson ’grus kyis ni rñed par dka’ ba ci yaṅ med | | de phyir khur rnams mi ’bor bar ni bzod bgyis daṅ | 60
|
gaṅ źig yaṅ yaṅ ṅal bso nas ni srub byed pa | | de yi śiṅ
la me ni rñed par sla min źiṅ |
| brtson ’grus brtsams pas rñed par sla bar ’gyur ba ste | | de phyir sbyor ba yod na bya ba ’grub pa ñid | 61
| brtson ’grus brtsams pas rñed par sla bar ’gyur ba ste | | de phyir sbyor ba yod na bya ba ’grub pa ñid | 61
EHJ60.
A stream, whose waters ever flow, however softly, in time wears away
the surface of the rock. Energy finds nothing impossible of
attainment. Therefore be strenuous and do not put down your loads.
EHJ61.
The man who stops repeatedly in drilling with fire-sticks finds it
hard to get fire from wood, but by the application of energy it comes
easily. Therefore where there is diligence, the task is
accomplished.
The
Chinese translation of Aśvaghoṣa's Buddhacarita Canto 26:
若人勤精進 無利而不獲
If
one applies oneself with zeal, there is no benefit one will not
obtain.
One
should therefore be strenuous night and day, not lazy!
As
the small streams in the valley continuously flow, they hollow out a
rock.
鑚火不精進 徒勞而不獲
If
one is not strenuous when trying to make a fire with a stick, one
toils in vain and does not obtain it.
Therefore,
always be vigorous, like someone in his prime making a fire!
Anuruddha
Sutta
“When
it was said: ‘This Dhamma is for one who is energetic
(āraddhaviriyassa),
not for one who is lazy (kusītassa),’
with reference to what was this said?
Here,
a bhikkhu has aroused energy (āraddhaviriyo)
for abandoning unwholesome qualities (akusalanaṁ
dhammānaṁ pahānāya) and acquiring wholesome qualities
(kusalanaṁ dhammānaṁ upasampadāya);
he is strong, firm in exertion, not casting off the duty of
cultivating wholesome qualities. When it was said: ‘This Dhamma is
for one who is energetic, not for one who is lazy,’ it is with
reference to this that this was said.
Yuikyo-gyo
(Bequeathed Teaching Sūtra)
汝等比丘。若勤精進則事無難者。
是故汝等。當勤精進。
是故汝等。當勤精進。
譬如小水常流則能穿石。
若行者之心數數懈廢。譬如鑚火未熱而息。
雖欲得火火難可得。
是名精進
。
Nishijima-Cross
translation from Master Dogen's Shobogenzo Chapter 95:
If
you bhikṣus practice diligence, nothing will be difficult. For this
reason you should practice diligence—as a trickle of water that
constantly flows is able to drill through rock. If the mind of a
practitioner often tires and quits, that is like [a person] twirling
a stick to start a fire and resting before it gets hot: although [the
person] wishes to obtain fire, fire is unobtainable. This is called
“diligence.”
5. smṛti
5.
Mindfulness
sati
smṛti
不忘念
(fu-bo-nen;
not
losing mindfulness)
The
Tibetan translation of Aśvaghoṣa's Buddhacarita Canto 26:
|
dran pa yod na skyon rnams ’jug pa ma yin te | | dran pa daṅ mñam
mdza’ bo med ciṅ bsruṅ ba med |
| dran pa ñams las des par thams cad ñams pa ste | | de phyir lus la soṅ ba’i dran pa spaṅ mi bya | 62
| dran pa ñams las des par thams cad ñams pa ste | | de phyir lus la soṅ ba’i dran pa spaṅ mi bya | 62
|
ji ltar dpa’ bo rnams ni go cha bzuṅ nas su | | dgra bo’i sde
la ’jigs pa med rnams ’jug pa ste |
| de bźin lus la dran pa’i go cha bgos nas su | | brtan pa rnams ni yul gyi g-yul rnams la spyod do | 63
| de bźin lus la dran pa’i go cha bgos nas su | | brtan pa rnams ni yul gyi g-yul rnams la spyod do | 63
EHJ62.
When awareness is present, the faults do not enter into activity;
there is no friend or protector equal to awareness, and if awareness
is lost, all certainly is lost. Therefore do not lose hold of
awareness directed towards the body.
EHJ63.
The firm in mind, putting on the armour of awareness towards the
body, conduct themselves in the battlefield of the objects of sense
like heroes, who gird on their armour and plunge fearlessly into the
ranks of their foes.
The
Chinese translation of Aśvaghoṣa's Buddhacarita Canto 26:
善友雖爲良 不及於正念
A
good friend may be fine but he is inferior to right mindfulness.
正念存於心 衆惡悉不入
是故修行者 常當念其身
That
is why a practitioner should always be mindful of his body!
於身若失念 一切善則忘
譬如勇猛將 被鉀御強敵
正念爲重鎧 能制六境賊
With right mindfulness
as one's heavy armor, one can restrain the thieves of the six [sense]
objects.
Anuruddha
Sutta
“When
it was said: ‘This Dhamma is for one with mindfulness established
(upaṭṭhitasatissa),
not for one who is muddle-minded (muṭṭhassatissā), with reference to what was this said?
Here,
a bhikkhu is mindful, possessing supreme mindfulness and alertness,
one who remembers and recollects what was done and said long ago.
When it was said: ‘This Dhamma is for one with mindfulness
established, not for one who is muddle-minded,’ it is with
reference to this that this was said.
Yuikyo-gyo
(Bequeathed Teaching Sūtra)
汝等比丘。求善知識求善護助而不忘念。
若不忘念者。諸煩惱賊則不能入。
是故汝等。常當攝念在心。
若失念者則失諸功徳。
若念力堅強。雖入五欲賊中不爲所害。
譬如著鎧入陣則無所畏。
是名不忘念
Nishijima-Cross
translation from Master Dogen's Shobogenzo Chapter 95:
For
you bhikṣus who seek good counselors and seek their good auspices,
there is nothing like not losing mindfulness. If people possess [the
ability] not to lose mindfulness, the bandits of the afflictions are
unable to invade them. For this reason, you constantly should
regulate thoughts and keep them in their place in the mind. Those who
lose mindfulness lose all virtues. If your power of mindfulness is
solid and strong, even if you go among the bandits of the five
desires you will not be harmed by them—it is like entering a
battlefield clad in armor
and
having nothing to fear. This is called “not to lose mindfulness.”
6. samādhi
6. Meditative stillness
samādhi
samādhi
修禪定
(shu-zenjo; cultivating meditative stillness)
The Tibetan translation of Aśvaghoṣa's Buddhacarita Canto 26:
| mñam par gźag pa’i blo daṅ sems ni yoṅs bsdams śiṅ | | ’jig rten dag gi skye daṅ ’god pa śes pa ste |
| de phyir tiṅ ṅe ’dzin la yoṅs su ’jug bya ste | | tiṅ ’dzin rab tu thob pa’i sems nad yod ma yin | 64
| de phyir tiṅ ṅe ’dzin la yoṅs su ’jug bya ste | | tiṅ ’dzin rab tu thob pa’i sems nad yod ma yin | 64
| rnam par ’thor ba’i chu ni rnam par ’dzin don du | | ji ltar ’bad pas doṅ daṅ ’bos ni byed pa ste |
| ye śes chu ni gnas pa’i don du tiṅ ṅe ’dzin | | de ltar doṅ dad ’obs daṅ mtshuṅs par rab tu bstan | 65
| ye śes chu ni gnas pa’i don du tiṅ ṅe ’dzin | | de ltar doṅ dad ’obs daṅ mtshuṅs par rab tu bstan | 65
EHJ64. Therefore, keeping your feelings level and restraining your minds, know the origin and passing away of the world and practise concentration. For no mental ills touch him who has obtained concentration of mind.
EHJ65. Just as men diligently make embankments for holding up water that is overflowing, so concentration is declared to be like the embankment for bringing the water of knowledge to a stand.
The Chinese translation of Aśvaghoṣa's Buddhacarita Canto 26:
正定撿覺心 觀世間生滅
“Right concentration regulates an insightful mind, and it contemplates birth and extinction in the world.
是故修行者 當習三摩提
三昧已寂靜 能滅一切苦
Anuruddha Sutta
“When it was said: ‘This Dhamma is for one who is composed (samāhita)1, not for one who is unconcentrated (asamāhita),’ with reference to what was this said?
Here, secluded from sensual pleasures (vivicc' eva kāmehi) . . . a bhikkhu enters and dwells in the fourth jhāna. When it was said: ‘This Dhamma is for one who is concentrated, not for one who is unconcentrated,’ it is with reference to this that this was said.
Yuikyo-gyo (Bequeathed Teaching Sūtra)
汝等比丘。若攝心者心則在定。 心在定故能知世間生滅法相。 是故汝等。常當精勤修集諸定。 若得定者心則不亂。 譬如惜水之家善治堤塘。 行者亦爾。 爲智慧水故善修禪定令不漏失。 是名爲定
Nishijima-Cross translation from Master Dogen's Shobogenzo Chapter 95:
If you bhikṣus regulate the mind, the mind will then exist in the balanced state. Because the mind exists in the balanced state you will be able to know the Dharma form of the arising and vanishing of the world. For this reason you constantly should be diligent in practicing all forms of balance. When a person gets the balanced state, the mind does not dissipate. It is like a household that values water attentively repairing a dike. Practitioners also are like that. For the sake of the water of wisdom, we attentively practice the balanced state of dhyāna and prevent [the water of wisdom] from leaking away. This is called “the balanced state.”
7. prajñā
7.
Wisdom
pañña
prajñā
修智慧
(shu-chie;
cultivating wisdom)
The
Tibetan translation of Aśvaghoṣa's Buddhacarita Canto 26:
|
śes rab ldan pa yoṅs su ’dzin pa btaṅ ba yi | | chos ’di naṅ
la mchog tu gźol ba dag gis te |
| de ltar gnas pa’i grol ba yod ciṅ ’di yi ni | | phyin ci log ni khyim pa ma yin dge sloṅ min | 66
| de ltar gnas pa’i grol ba yod ciṅ ’di yi ni | | phyin ci log ni khyim pa ma yin dge sloṅ min | 66
|
śes rab dga’ daṅ ’chi ba’i mtsho chen dag la gru | | rmoṅs
pa’i mun pa rnams la ji ltar sgron ma ste |
| naṅ rnams thams cad ’joms pa dag gi sman yin źiṅ | | ñon moṅs ljon śiṅ ’joms byed mtshon cha rnon po yin | 67
| naṅ rnams thams cad ’joms pa dag gi sman yin źiṅ | | ñon moṅs ljon śiṅ ’joms byed mtshon cha rnon po yin | 67
|
de phyir thos pa bsam pa bsgom pa rnams kyi ni | | śes rab rnam par
’phel la rab tu ’jug par bya |
| gaṅ gi śes rab raṅ bźin lta byed mig yod pa | | de ni mig daṅ bral yaṅ mig daṅ ldan pa ñid | 68
| gaṅ gi śes rab raṅ bźin lta byed mig yod pa | | de ni mig daṅ bral yaṅ mig daṅ ldan pa ñid | 68
EHJ66.
The wise man, who abides giving away his possessions and entirely
devoted to this Law in his heart, is saved; how much more then should
the mendicant, who has no home, be saved?
EHJ67.
Mystic wisdom is the boat on the great ocean of old age and death, a
lamp, as it were, in the darkness of delusion, the medicine that
smites all illnesses, the sharp axe that cuts down the trees of the
sins.
EHJ68.
Therefore practise learning, knowledge, and meditation 聞思修
for
the increase of mystic wisdom; for he who has the eye that is of the
nature of mystic wisdom, though without ocular vision, has indeed
sight.
The
Chinese translation of Aśvaghoṣa's Buddhacarita Canto 26:
智慧能照明 遠離於攝受
When
wisdom can shine brightly, one is far from any grasping.
等觀内思惟 隨順趣正法
one
advances toward the Right Law.
在家及出家 斯應由此路
生老死大海 智慧爲輕舟
On
the great ocean of birth, old age, and death, wisdom is a light boat.
無明大闇冥 智慧爲明燈
諸纒結垢病 智慧爲良藥
For
the impure illnesses of the fetters, wisdom is the finest medicine.
煩惱棘刺林 智慧爲利斧
癡愛駃水流 智慧爲橋梁
Being
deluded, one loves the swift current. Wisdom is a bridge.
是故當勤習 聞思修生慧
That is why one should
diligently practice wisdom produced from learning, from reflection,
and from cultivation!
成就三種慧 雖盲慧眼通
If
one accomplishes the three kinds of wisdom, his eye of wisdom is
open, even though he may be blind.
無慧心虚僞 是則非出家
Anuruddha
Sutta
“When
it was said: ‘This Dhamma is for one who is wise (paññavato),
not for one who is unwise (dupaññassā),’
with reference to what was this said?
Here,
a bhikkhu is wise; he possesses the wisdom (paññava
hoti) that discerns arising and passing away, which is
noble and penetrative and leads to the complete destruction of
suffering (ariyāya
nibbedhikāya sammā-dukkhakkayagāminiyā). When it
was said: ‘This Dhamma is for one who is wise, not for one who is
unwise,’ it is with reference to this that this was said.
Yuikyo-gyo
(Bequeathed Teaching Sūtra)
汝等比丘。若有智慧則無貪著。
常自省察不令有失。
是則於我法中能得解脱。
若不爾者既非道人。又非白衣。無所名也。
實智慧者則是度老病死海堅牢船也。
亦是無明黒闇大明燈也。一切病苦之良藥也。伐煩惱樹者之利斧也。
是故汝等。當以聞思修慧而自増益。
若人有智慧之照。雖無天眼而是明見人也。
是爲智慧
Nishijima-Cross
translation from Master Dogen's Shobogenzo Chapter 95:
If
you bhikṣus have wisdom, then you will be without greed and
attachment. By constantly reflecting on and observing yourself, you
will prevent [wisdom] from being lost. This is just to be able,
within my Dharma, to attain liberation. If you are not so, already
you are different from people of the truth and also different from
those clothed in white; there is nothing to call you. Truly, wisdom
is a sturdy ship in which to cross the ocean of aging, sickness, and
death. Again, it is a great bright torch for the darkness of
ignorance, it is good medicine for all sick people, and it is a sharp
ax to fell the trees of anguish. For this reason, you should hear,
consider, and practice wisdom and thereby develop yourself. If a
human being possesses the light of wisdom, he or she is—although
with eyes of flesh—a human being of clear vision. This
is called “wisdom.”
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