an-aadi-kaal' opacit'-aatmakatvaad
baliiyasaH klesha-gaNasya c'aiva
samyak-prayogasya ca duSh-karatvaac
chettuM na shakyaaH sahasaa hi doShaaH
16.71
Because of the instinct-led accumulation,
from time without beginning,
Of the powerful mass of afflictions,
And because true practice is so difficult to do,
The faults cannot be cut off all at once.
COMMENT:
I would like to comment on this verse by quoting a passage that I think is relevant from the writings of FM Alexander, in which he uses the term “non-doing.” But before that I will describe my a priori experience of what non-doing means. (A priori means before I ever heard the Zen term “body and mind dropping off” or the Alexander term “non-doing.”)
Thirty years ago I began competing, at a very low level, in competition karate. I pretty much had only one technique -- a reverse counter-punch with my right fist. But I found myself able to use this technique to an effect that surprised me -- especially the first time I tried it out in earnest, when my opponent, a brown-belt from Leeds University whose disconcerting nickname was “killer,” went down like a deck of cards. Much to my own astonishment, I, an extremely nervous and lanky white-belt on his first outing, had winded him with a shot to the floating ribs. Having been keen on sports from an early age, I suppose that (in spite of congenital vestibular problems, received from my father, having been accumulated by his ancestors from time without beginning) my timing was not bad. I would wait and wait and wait for my opponent to leave himself open when he came in for an attack, ignoring his feints, waiting for a true opening. Then when the opening came I would sometimes experience my counter-punch doing itself, seemingly before I was even conscious of it, like a coiled spring suddenly freeing itself. The effect, I remember, was particularly strong when I was participating as the captain of a five-man competition team. And the effect was sufficiently strong to make me think that academic stuff that I was supposed to be studying at university was of zero importance in comparison. That’s why despite doing a degree in Accounting & Financial Management, I have ended up living such an alternative life, never really entering the corporate world but going instead to Japan with the intention of investigating Zen in the martial arts, and then coming back to England to investigate the discoveries of FM Alexander. Which brings me back to that quote:
I can assure my readers that anyone who will follow me through the experiences I have set down, especially with regard to 'non-doing', cannot fail to benefit; but I must emphasize that they will not be following me unless they recognize:
(1) that knowledge concerned with sensory experience cannot be conveyed by the written or spoken word, so that it means to the recipient what it means to the person who is trying to convey it:
(2) that they will need to depend upon new 'means - whereby' for the gaining of their ends, and that they will 'feel wrong' at first in carrying out the procedures because these will be unfamiliar:
(3) that that attempt to bring about change involving growth, development and progressive improvement in the use and functioning of the human organism, calls necessarily for the acceptance, yes, the welcoming of the unknown in sensory experience, and this 'unknown' cannot be associated with the sensory experiences that have hitherto 'felt right.'
(4) that to 'try and get it right' by direct 'doing' is to try and reproduce what is known, and cannot lead to the 'right', the as yet 'unknown.'
To anyone who accepts these points and sees the reason for keeping them in view whilst working to principle in employing the technique, I would say: 'Go ahead, but remember that time is of the essence of the contract.'
FM Alexander, Preface (1941) to The Use of the Self.
So what?
So, the key to understanding this section of the Canto, is not to fall at the stumbling block of nimitta -- a word which EH Johnston and Linda Covill have, quite forgivably, understood as having to do with meditation. I say quite forgivably, because people generally assume that Buddhist practice has to do with meditating. But what I have learned in the last 30 years of trying to make sense of a counter-punch that seemed miraculously to do itself, is that a moment of sitting-buddha has to do with a stimulus, the inhibition of one’s habitual reaction to that stimulus (not doing), and the allowing of action (non-doing). I still don’t claim to be more than a beginner in these matters -- because the true practice of allowing is so bloody difficult to do -- but this much at least I have understood. So my translation of the next verse, and of others verses in this section, will reflect my understanding that nimitta has nothing to do with meditation but nimitta means a stimulus, or starting point of action.
Thus, even though the faults cannot all be struck down at once, a deck of cards comes tumbling down, and those cards are on the table.
(But they are always liable to be reshuffled....)
EH Johnston:
For the faults cannot be extirpated all at once, partly because the troop of the vices are very strong, having from their nature accumulated from time without beginning, and partly because right practice is difficult.
Linda Covill:
The faults cannot be cut off all of a sudden, partly because the powerful mass of defilements has by nature been accumulating from beginningless time, and partly because the correct practice is so difficult to do.
VOCABULARY:
an-aadi: without beginning
kaalaH (nom. sg.): m. time
upacita: heaped up , increased; thriving , increasing , prospering , succeeding ; big , fat , thick
aatmakatvaat = ablative of aatmakatvam:
aatmaka: having or consisting of the nature or character of (in comp.); consisting or composed of
-tvam = suffix for abstract nouns
baliiyasaH = genitive of baliiyas: more or most powerful , or mighty or strong or important or efficacious
klesha: affliction
gaNasya = genitive of gaNa: a flock , troop , multitude
ca: and
eva: (emphatic)
samyak: true, proper, out and out
prayogasya = genitive of prayoga: practice
ca: and
duSh-karatvaat = ablative of duSh-karatvam: being hard to do
chettum = infinitive of chid: to cut off
na: not
shakyaaH (nom. pl. m.): able , possible , practicable , capable of being (with infinitive in passive sense)
sahasaa (instrumental of sahas, powerful): forcibly , vehemently , suddenly , quickly , precipitately , immediately , at once , unexpectedly , at random , fortuitously , in an unpremeditated manner
hi: for
doShaaH (nom. pl.): m. faults, imbalances
Showing posts with label afflictions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label afflictions. Show all posts
Friday, April 24, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
SAUNDARANANDA 16.49: The When & How of Giving Up Afflictions
klesha-prahaaNaaya ca nishcitena
kaalo 'bhyupaayash ca pariikShitavyaH
yogo 'py a-kaale hy an-upaayatash ca
bhavaty an-arthaaya na tad-guNaaya
16.49
One set on giving up the afflictions, then,
Should attend to timing and method;
For even formal practice,
done at the wrong time and relying on wrong means,
Makes for disappointment and not for the desired end.
COMMENT:
This verse can be seen as the first verse in another series of four verses.
16.49 makes the point.
16.50 illustrates the point with a memorable metaphor that is iconoclastic in tone -- the metaphor of milking a cow by the horn.
16.51 illustrates the point further with a metaphor that resonates with everybody's everyday experience -- the metaphor of trying in vain to start a fire.
16.52 re-caps, and exhorts us to get on with practice itself.
What strikes me about these four verses, and what strikes me about the whole of Saundarananda, is Ashvaghosha's complete unwavering clarity in regard to the end, which is freedom from the afflictions. It might be argued that the whole point of Saundarananda is to cause the reader, you and me, to be that very one whose mind is set upon giving up the afflictions.
In this verse, 16.49, the desired end of being rid of afflictions is indicated directly.
In 16.50 the desired end is to get milk.
In 16.51 the desired end is to get fire.
16.52 is an exhortation, being clear in one's mind with regard to end and means, to devote oneself to the means.
Then, from verse 16.53 onwards, detailed consideration is given to the means. But before that Ashvaghosha is reminding us now that the means he is going to describe are a means-whereby we might progress towards a desired end, which is freedom from affliction.
Giving up affliction, it has been explained to us already, means not practising those causes of suffering (that begin with thirsting) such as greed, hatred, and ignorance, which prevent us from truly seeing what is.
So giving up affliction corresponds, as I see it, with giving up the misuse associated with what FM Alexander called 'faulty sensory appreciation.' This giving up of misuse of the self, in Alexander work, centres upon formal work on the self, in which the worker consciously inhibits his habitual unconscious reaction to a particular stimulus. The basic point of Alexander teacher training is to set aside a large number of hours over three years of a person's life that can be devoted to such formal practice of working on the self. But the three years are only a beginning, and the really difficult stimuli tend to arise outside of formal work on oneself.
I think Ashvaghosha, similarly, is talking here about finding the time and space in which to devote oneself to a true means-whereby for working on oneself, while not forgetting, even at times which are not suited to formal practice, the end to which one is working, which is elimination of the wrong.
If I had to sum up the teaching of Shobogenzo in six words it would be "Giving up body and mind, sit." Alexander work in three words is "Inhibit unconscious reaction." Ashvaghosha's teaching in three words would seem to be "Give up afflictions."
There is, as I see it, no contradiction. But, as Ashvaghosha reminds us in 16.71, and as FM Alexander wrote somewhere, "Time is the essence of the contract."
VOCABULARY:
klesha: affliction
prahaaNaaya = dative of prahaaNa = action noun from pra-√hA: to desert , quit , abandon , give up
ca: (conjunctive or sometimes disjunctive particle) and, moreover; but
nishcitena = instrumental (indicating agent of passive construction with -tavya) of nishcita: one who has come to a conclusion or formed a certain opinion , determined to , resolute upon (dative)
kaalaH = nominative, singular of kaala: the proper time or season
abhyupaayaH = nominative, singular of abhyupaaya: a means, expedient
ca: and
pariikShitavyaH = nom. sg. m. from gerundive of pariikSh: to look round , inspect carefully , try , examine , find out , observe
yogaH = nominative, singular of yoga: formal practice
api: even
a-kaale (locative of a-kaala): at a wrong or bad time
hi: for
an (negative suffix, sometimes expressing disparagement): bad
upaaya: that by which one reaches one's aim , a means or expedient
-taH (ablative suffix): from, on the basis of, in accordance with
ca: and
bhavati = 3rd person singular of bhuu: to become, to be; to serve for , tend or conduce to (with dative)
an-arthaaya = dative of anartha: non-value , a worthless or useless object; disappointing occurrence , reverse , evil
na: not
tad: that, the one in question, the desired
guNaaya = dative of guNa: "the requisite"; a quality , peculiarity , attribute or property; good quality , virtue , merit , excellence
EH Johnston:
And he who has set his mind on the abolition of the vices must consider the time and the method ; for even Yoga, when practised out of season and by the wrong method, leads to calamity and not to the proper result.
Linda Covill:
When someone has formed a resolve to abandon the defilements, he should carefully consider the correct time and method to do so; for even yogic discipline can lead to failure, not success, if practiced at the wrong time or in the wrong way.
kaalo 'bhyupaayash ca pariikShitavyaH
yogo 'py a-kaale hy an-upaayatash ca
bhavaty an-arthaaya na tad-guNaaya
16.49
One set on giving up the afflictions, then,
Should attend to timing and method;
For even formal practice,
done at the wrong time and relying on wrong means,
Makes for disappointment and not for the desired end.
COMMENT:
This verse can be seen as the first verse in another series of four verses.
16.49 makes the point.
16.50 illustrates the point with a memorable metaphor that is iconoclastic in tone -- the metaphor of milking a cow by the horn.
16.51 illustrates the point further with a metaphor that resonates with everybody's everyday experience -- the metaphor of trying in vain to start a fire.
16.52 re-caps, and exhorts us to get on with practice itself.
What strikes me about these four verses, and what strikes me about the whole of Saundarananda, is Ashvaghosha's complete unwavering clarity in regard to the end, which is freedom from the afflictions. It might be argued that the whole point of Saundarananda is to cause the reader, you and me, to be that very one whose mind is set upon giving up the afflictions.
In this verse, 16.49, the desired end of being rid of afflictions is indicated directly.
In 16.50 the desired end is to get milk.
In 16.51 the desired end is to get fire.
16.52 is an exhortation, being clear in one's mind with regard to end and means, to devote oneself to the means.
Then, from verse 16.53 onwards, detailed consideration is given to the means. But before that Ashvaghosha is reminding us now that the means he is going to describe are a means-whereby we might progress towards a desired end, which is freedom from affliction.
Giving up affliction, it has been explained to us already, means not practising those causes of suffering (that begin with thirsting) such as greed, hatred, and ignorance, which prevent us from truly seeing what is.
So giving up affliction corresponds, as I see it, with giving up the misuse associated with what FM Alexander called 'faulty sensory appreciation.' This giving up of misuse of the self, in Alexander work, centres upon formal work on the self, in which the worker consciously inhibits his habitual unconscious reaction to a particular stimulus. The basic point of Alexander teacher training is to set aside a large number of hours over three years of a person's life that can be devoted to such formal practice of working on the self. But the three years are only a beginning, and the really difficult stimuli tend to arise outside of formal work on oneself.
I think Ashvaghosha, similarly, is talking here about finding the time and space in which to devote oneself to a true means-whereby for working on oneself, while not forgetting, even at times which are not suited to formal practice, the end to which one is working, which is elimination of the wrong.
If I had to sum up the teaching of Shobogenzo in six words it would be "Giving up body and mind, sit." Alexander work in three words is "Inhibit unconscious reaction." Ashvaghosha's teaching in three words would seem to be "Give up afflictions."
There is, as I see it, no contradiction. But, as Ashvaghosha reminds us in 16.71, and as FM Alexander wrote somewhere, "Time is the essence of the contract."
VOCABULARY:
klesha: affliction
prahaaNaaya = dative of prahaaNa = action noun from pra-√hA: to desert , quit , abandon , give up
ca: (conjunctive or sometimes disjunctive particle) and, moreover; but
nishcitena = instrumental (indicating agent of passive construction with -tavya) of nishcita: one who has come to a conclusion or formed a certain opinion , determined to , resolute upon (dative)
kaalaH = nominative, singular of kaala: the proper time or season
abhyupaayaH = nominative, singular of abhyupaaya: a means, expedient
ca: and
pariikShitavyaH = nom. sg. m. from gerundive of pariikSh: to look round , inspect carefully , try , examine , find out , observe
yogaH = nominative, singular of yoga: formal practice
api: even
a-kaale (locative of a-kaala): at a wrong or bad time
hi: for
an (negative suffix, sometimes expressing disparagement): bad
upaaya: that by which one reaches one's aim , a means or expedient
-taH (ablative suffix): from, on the basis of, in accordance with
ca: and
bhavati = 3rd person singular of bhuu: to become, to be; to serve for , tend or conduce to (with dative)
an-arthaaya = dative of anartha: non-value , a worthless or useless object; disappointing occurrence , reverse , evil
na: not
tad: that, the one in question, the desired
guNaaya = dative of guNa: "the requisite"; a quality , peculiarity , attribute or property; good quality , virtue , merit , excellence
EH Johnston:
And he who has set his mind on the abolition of the vices must consider the time and the method ; for even Yoga, when practised out of season and by the wrong method, leads to calamity and not to the proper result.
Linda Covill:
When someone has formed a resolve to abandon the defilements, he should carefully consider the correct time and method to do so; for even yogic discipline can lead to failure, not success, if practiced at the wrong time or in the wrong way.
Monday, March 16, 2009
SAUNDARANANDA 16.32: Getting Rid of Illusions
satyeShu duHkh'-aadiShu dRShTir aaryaa
samyag vitarkash ca paraakramash ca
idaM triyaM jNaana-vidhau pravRttam
prajN"-aasrayam klesha-parikShayaaya.
16.32
Nobility of insight into the truths,
beginning with the truth of suffering,
Along with thinking straight, and initiative:
These three, forming the protocol on knowing,
Are for dissolution, based on wisdom, of afflictions.
COMMENT:
An affliction, klesha, in the context of this verse seems to mean what obstructs us from truly seeing what is. In this sense the word is very profoundly related, as I understand it, with what FM Alexander called faulty sensory appreciation.
Because I know that Alexander work is real and true -- it works -- in endeavoring to understand the real meaning of the recorded words of ancestors like Dogen, Ashvaghosha, and Gautama, I am mindful of the reailty and truth of Alexander work.
A real instance of an affliction might be malice. In that case, what is the real meaning of (1) insight, (2) thinking straight, and (3)initiative? How do those three actually work to dissolve the affliction of malice?
Insight might be to see malice as malice.
Thinking straight might be to come back to clarity in regard to what one really wants, which is not to be poisoned by malice, but to be, along with all living beings, free from suffering. In Alexander work that wish is sometimes expressed by the words, "I wish to let the neck be free to let the head go forward and up."
Initiative seems to become a very great stumbling block. With too much of it, the practitioner ends up trying to make the head go forward and up, which only creates more tension. With too little initiative, the practitioner only thinks the word "let" but fails actually to allow anything, fails actually to direct the flow of his energy, fails either to piss or get off the pot. This, I think, is what Marjorie Barstow is discussing on this video clip.
Another kind of initiative which may be taken as an antidote to malice, as indicated by Ashvaghosha in verse 16.62, is consciously to introduce into the situation some goodwill that one genuinely feels for, say, a friend, teacher, or relative.
Again, my old teacher Marjory Barlow's oft-repeated exhortation that being ready to be wrong is "the golden key," is pointing the way to a kind of initiative. A positive will to see one's own faults, a genuine appetite for finding out where things tend to go wrong, is all part of initiative as I see it. (Religious and political groups, needless to say, tend in precisely the opposite direction of denial, cover-up, suppressing history, spin-doctoring, et cetera.)
One affliction in particular that I am acutely mindful of is a misconception about sitting posture that has invaded the world of Japanese Zen, arising from a certain rigidity of outlook, a certain formalism, a certain lack of capacity for originality and initiative, that has characterized Japanese culture since even before the time of Master Dogen.
That Japanese misconception about "correct sitting posture," I am afraid, is both a symptom and a cause of trouble. I was at fault ever to get involved in it in the first place, and I was stupid to expect people of scant initiative to be grateful to me for pointing out their cherished misconception.
A misconception is something that has no substance and yet it can really cause a lot of trouble. Even though it has no substance, it is not easy to get rid of.
As one truly wise person observed a long time ago:
"The most difficult things to get rid of are the ones that don't exist."
VOCABULARY:
satyeShu = locative, plural of satya: truth
duHkha: suffering
aadiShu = locative, plural of aadi: beginning with
dRShTiH = nominative, singular of dRShTi: (f.) seeing , viewing , beholding (also with the mental eye); sight , the faculty of seeing; the mind's eye , wisdom , intelligence; (with Buddhists) a wrong view
aaryaa (feminine, agreeing with drShti): noble; (with Buddhists, a man who has thought on the four chief truths of Buddhism and lives accordingly); behaving like an Aryan , worthy of one , honourable , respectable , noble;
samyak: true, full, straight
vitarkaH = nominative, singular of vitarka: thought, reasoning
ca: and
paraakramaH = nominative, singular of paraakrama: bold advance , attack , heroism , courage , power , strength , energy , exertion , enterprise
ca: and
idam (nom. sg. n.): this
triyam (nom. sg.): n. three, triad, threesome
jNana: knowing
vidhau (loc.): protocol
pravRttam(nom. sg. n.) : rolled out, produced, formed
prajNaa: wisdom; intuitive wisdom
aasrayam (nom. sg. n.): forming a basis
klesha: affliction ; worldly occupation , care , trouble
parikShayaaya = dative of parikShaya: disappearing, ceasing, dissolution, decay, destruction
EH Johnston:
The noble doctrine with respect to the Truths regarding suffering etc, right thought and exertion, these three, resting on intuitive wisdom should be practised in the department of knowledge for the abolition of the vices.
Linda Covill:
The noble doctrine concerning the Truths of suffering etc., as well as right thought and right effort -- these three occur in the ordinance on knowledge, and are a basis for wisdom in order that one's defilements may be annihilated.
samyag vitarkash ca paraakramash ca
idaM triyaM jNaana-vidhau pravRttam
prajN"-aasrayam klesha-parikShayaaya.
16.32
Nobility of insight into the truths,
beginning with the truth of suffering,
Along with thinking straight, and initiative:
These three, forming the protocol on knowing,
Are for dissolution, based on wisdom, of afflictions.
COMMENT:
An affliction, klesha, in the context of this verse seems to mean what obstructs us from truly seeing what is. In this sense the word is very profoundly related, as I understand it, with what FM Alexander called faulty sensory appreciation.
Because I know that Alexander work is real and true -- it works -- in endeavoring to understand the real meaning of the recorded words of ancestors like Dogen, Ashvaghosha, and Gautama, I am mindful of the reailty and truth of Alexander work.
A real instance of an affliction might be malice. In that case, what is the real meaning of (1) insight, (2) thinking straight, and (3)initiative? How do those three actually work to dissolve the affliction of malice?
Insight might be to see malice as malice.
Thinking straight might be to come back to clarity in regard to what one really wants, which is not to be poisoned by malice, but to be, along with all living beings, free from suffering. In Alexander work that wish is sometimes expressed by the words, "I wish to let the neck be free to let the head go forward and up."
Initiative seems to become a very great stumbling block. With too much of it, the practitioner ends up trying to make the head go forward and up, which only creates more tension. With too little initiative, the practitioner only thinks the word "let" but fails actually to allow anything, fails actually to direct the flow of his energy, fails either to piss or get off the pot. This, I think, is what Marjorie Barstow is discussing on this video clip.
Another kind of initiative which may be taken as an antidote to malice, as indicated by Ashvaghosha in verse 16.62, is consciously to introduce into the situation some goodwill that one genuinely feels for, say, a friend, teacher, or relative.
Again, my old teacher Marjory Barlow's oft-repeated exhortation that being ready to be wrong is "the golden key," is pointing the way to a kind of initiative. A positive will to see one's own faults, a genuine appetite for finding out where things tend to go wrong, is all part of initiative as I see it. (Religious and political groups, needless to say, tend in precisely the opposite direction of denial, cover-up, suppressing history, spin-doctoring, et cetera.)
One affliction in particular that I am acutely mindful of is a misconception about sitting posture that has invaded the world of Japanese Zen, arising from a certain rigidity of outlook, a certain formalism, a certain lack of capacity for originality and initiative, that has characterized Japanese culture since even before the time of Master Dogen.
That Japanese misconception about "correct sitting posture," I am afraid, is both a symptom and a cause of trouble. I was at fault ever to get involved in it in the first place, and I was stupid to expect people of scant initiative to be grateful to me for pointing out their cherished misconception.
A misconception is something that has no substance and yet it can really cause a lot of trouble. Even though it has no substance, it is not easy to get rid of.
As one truly wise person observed a long time ago:
"The most difficult things to get rid of are the ones that don't exist."
VOCABULARY:
satyeShu = locative, plural of satya: truth
duHkha: suffering
aadiShu = locative, plural of aadi: beginning with
dRShTiH = nominative, singular of dRShTi: (f.) seeing , viewing , beholding (also with the mental eye); sight , the faculty of seeing; the mind's eye , wisdom , intelligence; (with Buddhists) a wrong view
aaryaa (feminine, agreeing with drShti): noble; (with Buddhists, a man who has thought on the four chief truths of Buddhism and lives accordingly); behaving like an Aryan , worthy of one , honourable , respectable , noble;
samyak: true, full, straight
vitarkaH = nominative, singular of vitarka: thought, reasoning
ca: and
paraakramaH = nominative, singular of paraakrama: bold advance , attack , heroism , courage , power , strength , energy , exertion , enterprise
ca: and
idam (nom. sg. n.): this
triyam (nom. sg.): n. three, triad, threesome
jNana: knowing
vidhau (loc.): protocol
pravRttam(nom. sg. n.) : rolled out, produced, formed
prajNaa: wisdom; intuitive wisdom
aasrayam (nom. sg. n.): forming a basis
klesha: affliction ; worldly occupation , care , trouble
parikShayaaya = dative of parikShaya: disappearing, ceasing, dissolution, decay, destruction
EH Johnston:
The noble doctrine with respect to the Truths regarding suffering etc, right thought and exertion, these three, resting on intuitive wisdom should be practised in the department of knowledge for the abolition of the vices.
Linda Covill:
The noble doctrine concerning the Truths of suffering etc., as well as right thought and right effort -- these three occur in the ordinance on knowledge, and are a basis for wisdom in order that one's defilements may be annihilated.
Friday, March 6, 2009
SAUNDARANANDA 16.22: How the Three Poisons Develop
roSh'aadhike janmani tiivra-roSha
utpadyate raagiNi tiivra-raagaH
moh'-aadhike moha-bal'-aadhikash ca
tad-alpa-doShe ca tad-alpa-doShaH
16.22
In a life dominated by anger arises violent anger,
In the lover of passion arises burning passion,
And in the predominantly ignorant,
overwhelming ignorance.
In one who has a lesser fault, again,
the lesser fault develops.
COMMENT:
Anger/hatred, greed/lust and ignorance/delusion are the three root faults, sometimes called the three poisons. Lesser faults include being proud, jealous and opinionated.
The Buddha here is reminding Nanda that these basic afflictions, or fundamental faults, are the cause of suffering.
My efforts to get to the bottom of faults, and to understand what is truly basic and fundamental, always seem to lead me back to the vestibular reflexes, and in particular to the antagonism between fear paralysis and the infantile panic/grasp reflex.
For the how and the where of direction of human energy, whether unconsciously or consciously, the vestibular system is fundamental.
VOCABULARY:
roSha: anger , rage , wrath , passion , fury
adhike = locative of adhika: additional, extra-, super- ; surpassing (in number or quantity or quality); n. surplus , abundance , redundancy , hyperbole ; n. more.
janmani = locative janman: birth, existence, life; rebirth
tiivra: strong , severe , violent , intense , hot , pervading , excessive , ardent , sharp , acute , pungent , horrible
roShaH (nom. sg.): m. anger
utpadyate = 3rd person passive singular of utpad: to arise , rise , originate , be born or produced ; to come forth , become visible , appear; to cause to issue or come forth
raagiNi = locative of raagin: having a colour; of a red colour; red; impassioned , affectionate , enamoured; a lover, libertine; a wanton and intriguing woman
tiivra: strong, violent, intense, hot
raagaH = nominative, singular of raaga: colour, red colour; any feeling or passion , (esp.) love
moha: loss of consciousness , bewilderment , perplexity , distraction , infatuation , delusion , error , folly; (in phil.) darkness or delusion of mind (preventing the discernment of truth and leading men to believe in the reality of worldly objects) ; (with Buddhists) ignorance (one of the three roots of vice)
adhike = locative of adhika: surpassing, super, predominant
moha: ignorance, delusion, folly
bala: power, strength
adhikaH = nominative singular of adhika: surpassing, predominating
ca: and
tat: that, those [faults]
alpa: small, less than
doShe = locative of doSha: fault
ca: and
tat: that, those [faults]
alpa: small, less than
doShaH = nominative, singular of doSha: fault
EH Johnston:
In the (new) birth of one addicted to malevolence extreme malevolence is developed, of one possessed by passion excessive passion, of one in whom delusion predominates excessive store of delusion, and of one whose vices are less than this a lesser vice only.
Linda Covill:
Violent hatred arises in the future birth of someone given to hate, violent lust in someone who was lustful, a very powerful delusion in someone given to delusion, and a lesser fault in someone whose fault was less than these.
utpadyate raagiNi tiivra-raagaH
moh'-aadhike moha-bal'-aadhikash ca
tad-alpa-doShe ca tad-alpa-doShaH
16.22
In a life dominated by anger arises violent anger,
In the lover of passion arises burning passion,
And in the predominantly ignorant,
overwhelming ignorance.
In one who has a lesser fault, again,
the lesser fault develops.
COMMENT:
Anger/hatred, greed/lust and ignorance/delusion are the three root faults, sometimes called the three poisons. Lesser faults include being proud, jealous and opinionated.
The Buddha here is reminding Nanda that these basic afflictions, or fundamental faults, are the cause of suffering.
My efforts to get to the bottom of faults, and to understand what is truly basic and fundamental, always seem to lead me back to the vestibular reflexes, and in particular to the antagonism between fear paralysis and the infantile panic/grasp reflex.
For the how and the where of direction of human energy, whether unconsciously or consciously, the vestibular system is fundamental.
VOCABULARY:
roSha: anger , rage , wrath , passion , fury
adhike = locative of adhika: additional, extra-, super- ; surpassing (in number or quantity or quality); n. surplus , abundance , redundancy , hyperbole ; n. more.
janmani = locative janman: birth, existence, life; rebirth
tiivra: strong , severe , violent , intense , hot , pervading , excessive , ardent , sharp , acute , pungent , horrible
roShaH (nom. sg.): m. anger
utpadyate = 3rd person passive singular of utpad: to arise , rise , originate , be born or produced ; to come forth , become visible , appear; to cause to issue or come forth
raagiNi = locative of raagin: having a colour; of a red colour; red; impassioned , affectionate , enamoured; a lover, libertine; a wanton and intriguing woman
tiivra: strong, violent, intense, hot
raagaH = nominative, singular of raaga: colour, red colour; any feeling or passion , (esp.) love
moha: loss of consciousness , bewilderment , perplexity , distraction , infatuation , delusion , error , folly; (in phil.) darkness or delusion of mind (preventing the discernment of truth and leading men to believe in the reality of worldly objects) ; (with Buddhists) ignorance (one of the three roots of vice)
adhike = locative of adhika: surpassing, super, predominant
moha: ignorance, delusion, folly
bala: power, strength
adhikaH = nominative singular of adhika: surpassing, predominating
ca: and
tat: that, those [faults]
alpa: small, less than
doShe = locative of doSha: fault
ca: and
tat: that, those [faults]
alpa: small, less than
doShaH = nominative, singular of doSha: fault
EH Johnston:
In the (new) birth of one addicted to malevolence extreme malevolence is developed, of one possessed by passion excessive passion, of one in whom delusion predominates excessive store of delusion, and of one whose vices are less than this a lesser vice only.
Linda Covill:
Violent hatred arises in the future birth of someone given to hate, violent lust in someone who was lustful, a very powerful delusion in someone given to delusion, and a lesser fault in someone whose fault was less than these.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
SAUNDARANANDA 16.21: Afflictions Develop Personality, Life by Life
krodha-praharSh'aadibhir aashrayaaNaam
utpadyate c'eha yathaa visheShah
tath" aiva janmasv api n'aika-ruupo
nirvartate klesha-kRto visheShaH
16.21
Just as the anger, lust, and so on
of sufferers of those afflictions
Give rise in the present to a personality trait,
So too in new lives, in various manifestations,
Does the affliction-created trait develop:
COMMENT:
Ain't it funny how your new life didn't change things?
You're still suffering from the same old affliction you used to have.
It somehow doesn't scan as well as the old Eagles lyric, but I think it makes Ashvaghosha's point here.
As a translation of klesha, I like "affliction" because it means both SUFFERING itself and also a delusory tendency that CAUSES SUFFERING.
To be grumpy, to return to that example, is not only to suffer from grumpiness (suffering itself) but also to see the world as if through grumpiness-tainted spectacles (a cause of suffering to self and others).
And here again, a bit of knowledge about early vestibular reflexes may help to deepen our understanding of how afflictions afflict us.
If the Moro, or infantile panic/grasp reflex, fails to be INHIBITED during the initial window of inhibition lasting till around 6 months after birth, the reflex will tend to remain stuck in the system of the child and adult as a big obstacle to enlightened behaviour.
The affliction of an immature Moro reflex directly brings suffering itself, in the form of irrational fear, anger, over-excitement and hypersensitivity. But more than that, because of its wide-ranging effects on the functioning of the ears, eyes, vestibular/proprioceptive and other senses, an immature Moro reflex plays a big role in what FM Alexander called "faulty sensory appreciation." Faulty sensory appreciation is the antithesis of lucidity; it is akin to seeing the world through coloured and distorted lenses, and is thus the indirect cause of suffering.
FM Alexander was way ahead of his time in understanding the importance of the afflictions he termed "unduly excited fear reflexes and emotions" and "faulty sensory appreciation." Not only did he see the problem clearly, he also devised a MEANS-WHEREBY the misuse of the self associated with an immature Moro reflex might be inhibited, and the faulty sensory appreciation associated with it might be by-passed. Thus Alexander's MEANS-WHEREBY involved, as also the realisation of the four dhyaana as described by Ashvaghosha involved, at least in the early stages of their application, reliance on reason.
Specifically, Alexander taught verbal directions which point precisely away from the stiffening of the neck, holding of the head, narrowing and arching of the back, and holding in of the limbs, which characterizes the Moro pattern. Those verbal directions go something like this:
"I wish to let my neck be free,
To let the head go forward and up,
To let the back lengthen and widen,
Sending the legs and the arms out of the back...."
VOCABULARY:
krodha: anger
praharSha: erection (or greater erection) of the male organ; erection of the hair, extreme joy , thrill of delight , rapture
aadibhiH = instrumental [indicating agent of passive construction], plural of aadi: beginning with, and so on
aashrayaaNaam = genitive, plural of aashraya: that to which anything is annexed or with which anything is closely connected or on which anything depends or rests ; a recipient , the person or thing in which any quality or article is inherent or retained or received
utpadyate = 3rd person singular passive utpad: to arise , rise , originate , be born or produced ; to come forth , become visible , appear ; to be ready ; to take place , begin ; to produce , beget , generate ; to cause , effect ; to cause to issue or come forth , bring forward
ca: and; (sometimes emphatic = eva) , even , indeed , certainly , just
iha: in this place , here ; to this place ; in this world; now
yathaa: (correlative of tathaa in the following sentence) just as
visheShah = nominative singular of visheSha: distinction , difference between ; characteristic difference, peculiar mark, special property, speciality, peculiarity ; a kind , species , individual
tathaa: similarly, in the same manner
eva: just so
janmasu = locative plural of janman: birth, production; origin; existence , life
api: and , also , moreover , besides
n'aika: not one, many, various
ruupaH = nominative, singular of ruupa: form, shape, figure
nirvartate = 3rd person singluar of nir- √ vRt: to cause to roll out or cast (as dice); to take place , happen ; to come forth , originate , develop , become; to be accomplished or effected or finished, come off ;
klesha: pain , affliction , distress , pain from disease , anguish; (the Buddhists reckon ten , viz. three of the body [murder , theft , adultery] , four of speech [lying , slander , abuse , unprofitable conversation] , three of the mind [covetousness , malice , scepticism])
kRtaH: done, made, created
visheShaH (see above): peculiarity, personality trait
EH Johnston:
And as the special character of the bodily constitution in this existence is brought about by anger, joy, etc., similarly a special character, effected by the vices, is developed in various forms in their (new) births also.
Linda Covill:
Just as the distinctive character of embodied individuals arises because of their anger, joy and so on, so does their distinctive defilement-created character develop in various formats in future births too.
utpadyate c'eha yathaa visheShah
tath" aiva janmasv api n'aika-ruupo
nirvartate klesha-kRto visheShaH
16.21
Just as the anger, lust, and so on
of sufferers of those afflictions
Give rise in the present to a personality trait,
So too in new lives, in various manifestations,
Does the affliction-created trait develop:
COMMENT:
Ain't it funny how your new life didn't change things?
You're still suffering from the same old affliction you used to have.
It somehow doesn't scan as well as the old Eagles lyric, but I think it makes Ashvaghosha's point here.
As a translation of klesha, I like "affliction" because it means both SUFFERING itself and also a delusory tendency that CAUSES SUFFERING.
To be grumpy, to return to that example, is not only to suffer from grumpiness (suffering itself) but also to see the world as if through grumpiness-tainted spectacles (a cause of suffering to self and others).
And here again, a bit of knowledge about early vestibular reflexes may help to deepen our understanding of how afflictions afflict us.
If the Moro, or infantile panic/grasp reflex, fails to be INHIBITED during the initial window of inhibition lasting till around 6 months after birth, the reflex will tend to remain stuck in the system of the child and adult as a big obstacle to enlightened behaviour.
The affliction of an immature Moro reflex directly brings suffering itself, in the form of irrational fear, anger, over-excitement and hypersensitivity. But more than that, because of its wide-ranging effects on the functioning of the ears, eyes, vestibular/proprioceptive and other senses, an immature Moro reflex plays a big role in what FM Alexander called "faulty sensory appreciation." Faulty sensory appreciation is the antithesis of lucidity; it is akin to seeing the world through coloured and distorted lenses, and is thus the indirect cause of suffering.
FM Alexander was way ahead of his time in understanding the importance of the afflictions he termed "unduly excited fear reflexes and emotions" and "faulty sensory appreciation." Not only did he see the problem clearly, he also devised a MEANS-WHEREBY the misuse of the self associated with an immature Moro reflex might be inhibited, and the faulty sensory appreciation associated with it might be by-passed. Thus Alexander's MEANS-WHEREBY involved, as also the realisation of the four dhyaana as described by Ashvaghosha involved, at least in the early stages of their application, reliance on reason.
Specifically, Alexander taught verbal directions which point precisely away from the stiffening of the neck, holding of the head, narrowing and arching of the back, and holding in of the limbs, which characterizes the Moro pattern. Those verbal directions go something like this:
"I wish to let my neck be free,
To let the head go forward and up,
To let the back lengthen and widen,
Sending the legs and the arms out of the back...."
VOCABULARY:
krodha: anger
praharSha: erection (or greater erection) of the male organ; erection of the hair, extreme joy , thrill of delight , rapture
aadibhiH = instrumental [indicating agent of passive construction], plural of aadi: beginning with, and so on
aashrayaaNaam = genitive, plural of aashraya: that to which anything is annexed or with which anything is closely connected or on which anything depends or rests ; a recipient , the person or thing in which any quality or article is inherent or retained or received
utpadyate = 3rd person singular passive utpad: to arise , rise , originate , be born or produced ; to come forth , become visible , appear ; to be ready ; to take place , begin ; to produce , beget , generate ; to cause , effect ; to cause to issue or come forth , bring forward
ca: and; (sometimes emphatic = eva) , even , indeed , certainly , just
iha: in this place , here ; to this place ; in this world; now
yathaa: (correlative of tathaa in the following sentence) just as
visheShah = nominative singular of visheSha: distinction , difference between ; characteristic difference, peculiar mark, special property, speciality, peculiarity ; a kind , species , individual
tathaa: similarly, in the same manner
eva: just so
janmasu = locative plural of janman: birth, production; origin; existence , life
api: and , also , moreover , besides
n'aika: not one, many, various
ruupaH = nominative, singular of ruupa: form, shape, figure
nirvartate = 3rd person singluar of nir- √ vRt: to cause to roll out or cast (as dice); to take place , happen ; to come forth , originate , develop , become; to be accomplished or effected or finished, come off ;
klesha: pain , affliction , distress , pain from disease , anguish; (the Buddhists reckon ten , viz. three of the body [murder , theft , adultery] , four of speech [lying , slander , abuse , unprofitable conversation] , three of the mind [covetousness , malice , scepticism])
kRtaH: done, made, created
visheShaH (see above): peculiarity, personality trait
EH Johnston:
And as the special character of the bodily constitution in this existence is brought about by anger, joy, etc., similarly a special character, effected by the vices, is developed in various forms in their (new) births also.
Linda Covill:
Just as the distinctive character of embodied individuals arises because of their anger, joy and so on, so does their distinctive defilement-created character develop in various formats in future births too.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)