rociShNavo naama patatriNo' nye
diipt'-aagni-varNaa jvalitair iv' aasyaiH
bhramanti dRShTiir vapuSh" aakShipantaH
svanaiH shubhair apsaraso harantaH
= = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = =
10.31
Winged ones of a different ilk, named rochishnus,
Who have the lustre of a blazing fire,
their faces seeming to be aglow,
Roam around,
shaking views with their wonderful appearance,
And carrying apsarases away with their splendid sound.
COMMENT:
In my first attempt at translating this verse, several months ago while doing the preparatory work of cutting and pasting the dictionary definitions for the vocabulary below, I translated it as if it were about birds darting here and there, catching people's eyes. But when I read my own translation back to myself a few days ago, it didn't mean anything to me. At the same time, the dictionary seemed to be saying that ā- √kṣip in line 3 does not mean "to attract [the gaze]" or "to catch [the eye]" but rather the opposite of to attract or to catch: ā- √kṣip, according to the dictionary means to throw down, to strike with a bolt, or to convulse.
Only after a bit of spadework on the previous three verses does this verse begin to make sense -- as the fourth of four verses ostensibly about birds. It is not really about birds at all, at least not common or garden ones. It is really about that particular category of human beings -- call them what you like, it makes no difference -- who possess wings, or means, that are not necessarily of the feathered variety. It belongs to that dimension which is beyond our ability to figure things out, to what Gudo Nishijima used to call "the fourth phase." Hence the implicit negation of views, interpretations, opinions, comments, and the like...
So giving up any desire to comment further... I would like to comment further.
Gudo Nishijima used to tell me, contrary to conventional Buddhist thoughts about desire, "What we desire we should have." And so in my efforts to serve buddha-ancestors I was doing my best to give him what I thought he wanted, when, in 1997 a huge spanner was thrown in the works of our translation partnership. And so for 14 years since this big dislocation, I have been struggling -- with not very much skill or wisdom of my own -- to adapt to a new situation, and this independent translation of Ashvaghosha is part of that struggle. But one thing Gudo deeply desired was a translation of Nagarjuna's Fundamental Song of the Middle Way which Gudo could call his own, reflecting his "four philosophies" or "theory of three philosophies and one reality." And what he wanted, it seems to me, he could so easily have had, if only....
"If only": therein lies the essence of a tragedy.
Coming back to today's verse, "winged" might mean, for example, being in possession of five powers, namely, confidence, courage, mindfulness, balanced stillness, and intuitive wisdom. The noble eightfold path -- with its threefold division into wisdom, integrity, and balanced stillness -- might be eight wings.
But all these wings are practically useless without one primary power, which is the power to be adaptable, dropping off one's own views and opinions (Hence: ṛddhi-pravekaṃ ca bahu-prakāraṃ, The principal psychic power, taking many forms [16.2]).
One reason old age is such a tragedy is that with old age this power of adaptability invariably seems to diminish sharply.
But the teaching of Ashvaghosha and his Dharma-grandson Nagarjuna does not make any allowances for how old you are. That teaching, ultimately, "at the fourth phase," is nothing but the dropping off of views.
EH Johnston:
Other birds called rocishnus flit here and there, with glowing beaks which give them as it were the colour of a blazing fire, attracting the gaze with their beauty and charming the Apsarases with their sweet songs.
Linda Covill:
Other birds, their bright beaks coloured like a flaming fire, are known as rochishnus. They dart about, catching the eye with their beauty and entrancing the apsarases with their lovely fluting.
VOCABULARY:
rociShNavaH = nom. pl. m. rochiShNu: (name not traced)
naama: ind. by name
patatriNaH = nom. pl. m. patatrin: mfn. winged , feathered , flying (also applied to agni , the vehicle of the ashvins &c ) ; m. a bird
patatra: n. a wing , pinion , feather &c
anye (nom. pl. m.): other, different
diipt'-aagni-varNaaH (nom. pl. m.): having the colour of blazing fire
diipta: mfn. blazing , flaming , hot , shining , bright , brilliant , splendid
agni-varNa: mfn. having the colour of fire
agni: m. fire
varNa: m. covering; outward appearance , exterior , form , figure , shape , colour ; colour of the face , (esp.) good colour or complexion , lustre , beauty
jvalitaiH (inst. pl. n.): mfn. lighted , blazing , flaming , shining
iva: like, as if
aasyaiH = inst. pl. aasya: n. mouth, jaws, face
bhramanti = 3rd pers. pl. bhram: to wander or roam about , rove ; to fly about (as bees)
dRShTiiH (acc. pl.): f. seeing ; eye , look , glance ; view, notion; (with Buddhists) a wrong view
vapuShaa = inst. sg. vapus: n. form , figure , (esp.) a beautiful form or figure , wonderful appearance , beauty
aakShipantaH = nom. pl. m. pres. part. ā- √ kṣip: to throw down ; to draw or take off or away ; to strike with a bolt ; to convulse , cause to tremble
svanaiH = inst. pl. svana: m. sound , noise (in the older language applied to the roar of wind , thunder , water &c ; in later language to the song of birds , speech , and sound of any kind
shubhaiH (inst.pl. m.): mfn. splendid , bright , beautiful , handsome ; pleasant , agreeable ,
apsarasaH (acc. pl.): f. celestial nymph
harantaH = nom. pl. m. pres. part. hR: to take, carry; to take away, carry off ; to enrapture , charm , fascinate
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
SAUNDARANANDA 10.30: There Birds Move
raktaabhir agreShu ca vallariibhir
madhyeShu caamiikara-piNjaraabhiH
vaiDuurya-varNaabhir upaanta-madhyeShv
alaMkRtaa yatra khagaash caranti
= = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = -
10.30
Adorned with curling feathers that are red at the tips,
Golden in the middle,
And the colour of beryl within borders,
There birds move.
COMMENT:
In the context of its being the third of four verses about birds, one might expect this verse to say something about action in the middle way. And that expectation seems straight away to be confirmed by the double appearance of the word madhyeShu (in the middle, within), and by the final word of the verse caranti, from the root √car, to move/act.
Again, if the thesis is that ordinary beings are subject to life and death in a world that is predominantly red in tooth and claw, and the anti-thesis is that buddhas dwell in a deathless realm of enlightenment and cool detachment whose representative colours are gold and blue, then this verse might be expected to express a synthesis in which red, gold and blue all exist together -- which it does, negating both pessimism and optimism.
Why are these birds described as being adorned with feathers that are curled, like creepers (vallariibhiH)?
In the same way that we might see the stereotype of a feather as not curling but straight, one might assume a buddha not ever to be subject to the red taints of anger or grasping desire or undue worry. But if one googles "curled plumage," one is presented with images of the Sebastopol goose and the Japanese quail. And if one reads Shobogenzo in detail, one gets glimpses of what ancient buddha-ancestors felt angry about, what they felt passionate about, and what they worried about.
Did they worry about keeping their behaviour within borders? Within what kind of borders did their behaviour remain?
Setting aside such worries, in all four verses in the present series of verses on birds, birds represent beings which possess the means of transcendent action, as reflected in the names by which Ashvaghosha calls them:
viha-M-gaaH "sky-going" (10.28)
viha-M-gamaaH "going through the sky" (10.29)
kha-gaaH "going through the air" (10.30)
patatriNaH "winged ones" (10.31).
But in line 4 of today's verse, as I read it, the sense of dynamic direction of energy is particularly vivid:
yatra: there, in the moment, in their moving here and their changing now,
khagaaH: those movers-through-the-air,
caranti: go, walk, step into action, get a flipping move on ...
alaMkRtaa yatra khagaash caranti
Adorned, there birds move.
EH Johnston:
Birds adorned with feathers red at the tips, golden yellow in the middle and the colour of beryl at the ends wander about there.
Linda Covill:
And there are birds that wander there arrayed in plumage red at the tip, yellow-gold in the middle and the color of cat's-eye jewels at the end.
VOCABULARY:
raktaabhiH (inst. pl. f.): red
agreShu (loc. pl.): n. foremost point or part ; tip
ca: and
vallariibhiH = inst. pl. vallari: f. a creeper , any climbing or creeping plant (also fig. applied to curled hair)
madhyeShu (loc. pl.): mn. middle
caamiikara-piNjaraabhiH (inst. pl. f.): golden red/yellow
caamiikara: n. gold
piNjara: mfn. reddish-yellow , yellow or tawny , of a golden colour
vaiDuurya-varNaabhiH (inst. pl. f.): the colour of beryl
vaiDuurya: n. a cat's-eye gem; beryl
varNa: m. a covering ; colour of the face , (esp.) good colour or complexion , lustre , beauty
upaanta-madhyeShu (loc. pl. m.): inside the edges
upaanta: mfn. near to the end , last but one; n. proximity to the end or edge or margin; n. border , edge ; n. the last place but one
madhya: m. the middle , midst , centre , inside , interior
alaM-kRtaaH (nom. pl. m.): mfn. adorned , decorated
yatra: ind. wherein
kha-gaaH (nom. pl.): m. "moving in air;" a bird
caranti = 3rd pers. pl. car: to move one's self , go , walk , move , stir , roam about , wander (said of men , animals , water , ships , stars , &c ) ; to behave , conduct one's self , act , live
madhyeShu caamiikara-piNjaraabhiH
vaiDuurya-varNaabhir upaanta-madhyeShv
alaMkRtaa yatra khagaash caranti
= = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = -
10.30
Adorned with curling feathers that are red at the tips,
Golden in the middle,
And the colour of beryl within borders,
There birds move.
COMMENT:
In the context of its being the third of four verses about birds, one might expect this verse to say something about action in the middle way. And that expectation seems straight away to be confirmed by the double appearance of the word madhyeShu (in the middle, within), and by the final word of the verse caranti, from the root √car, to move/act.
Again, if the thesis is that ordinary beings are subject to life and death in a world that is predominantly red in tooth and claw, and the anti-thesis is that buddhas dwell in a deathless realm of enlightenment and cool detachment whose representative colours are gold and blue, then this verse might be expected to express a synthesis in which red, gold and blue all exist together -- which it does, negating both pessimism and optimism.
Why are these birds described as being adorned with feathers that are curled, like creepers (vallariibhiH)?
In the same way that we might see the stereotype of a feather as not curling but straight, one might assume a buddha not ever to be subject to the red taints of anger or grasping desire or undue worry. But if one googles "curled plumage," one is presented with images of the Sebastopol goose and the Japanese quail. And if one reads Shobogenzo in detail, one gets glimpses of what ancient buddha-ancestors felt angry about, what they felt passionate about, and what they worried about. Did they worry about keeping their behaviour within borders? Within what kind of borders did their behaviour remain?
Setting aside such worries, in all four verses in the present series of verses on birds, birds represent beings which possess the means of transcendent action, as reflected in the names by which Ashvaghosha calls them:
viha-M-gaaH "sky-going" (10.28)
viha-M-gamaaH "going through the sky" (10.29)
kha-gaaH "going through the air" (10.30)
patatriNaH "winged ones" (10.31).
But in line 4 of today's verse, as I read it, the sense of dynamic direction of energy is particularly vivid:
yatra: there, in the moment, in their moving here and their changing now,
khagaaH: those movers-through-the-air,
caranti: go, walk, step into action, get a flipping move on ...
alaMkRtaa yatra khagaash caranti
Adorned, there birds move.
EH Johnston:
Birds adorned with feathers red at the tips, golden yellow in the middle and the colour of beryl at the ends wander about there.
Linda Covill:
And there are birds that wander there arrayed in plumage red at the tip, yellow-gold in the middle and the color of cat's-eye jewels at the end.
VOCABULARY:
raktaabhiH (inst. pl. f.): red
agreShu (loc. pl.): n. foremost point or part ; tip
ca: and
vallariibhiH = inst. pl. vallari: f. a creeper , any climbing or creeping plant (also fig. applied to curled hair)
madhyeShu (loc. pl.): mn. middle
caamiikara-piNjaraabhiH (inst. pl. f.): golden red/yellow
caamiikara: n. gold
piNjara: mfn. reddish-yellow , yellow or tawny , of a golden colour
vaiDuurya-varNaabhiH (inst. pl. f.): the colour of beryl
vaiDuurya: n. a cat's-eye gem; beryl
varNa: m. a covering ; colour of the face , (esp.) good colour or complexion , lustre , beauty
upaanta-madhyeShu (loc. pl. m.): inside the edges
upaanta: mfn. near to the end , last but one; n. proximity to the end or edge or margin; n. border , edge ; n. the last place but one
madhya: m. the middle , midst , centre , inside , interior
alaM-kRtaaH (nom. pl. m.): mfn. adorned , decorated
yatra: ind. wherein
kha-gaaH (nom. pl.): m. "moving in air;" a bird
caranti = 3rd pers. pl. car: to move one's self , go , walk , move , stir , roam about , wander (said of men , animals , water , ships , stars , &c ) ; to behave , conduct one's self , act , live
Sunday, June 19, 2011
SAUNDARANANDA 10.29: Different Birds with Blue Eyes (& Golden Wings)
citraiH suvarNac-chadanais tath" aanye
vaiDuurya-niilair nayanaiH prasannaiH
vihaMgamaaH shiNjirik'-aabhidhaanaa
rutair manaH-shrotra-harair bhramanti
= = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = -
10.29
Birds which are -- again -- different,
with distinctively golden wings
And bright, beryl-blue eyes,
Birds called "shinjirikas" fly to and fro,
Carrying away minds and ears with their songs.
COMMENT:
"Golden wings" suvarNac-chadanaiH suggest an essential means of transcendent action, and brings to mind the Thirty-Seven Wings of Awakening, which is the title of Shobogenzo chap. 73.
Birds distinguished by their golden wings are no ordinary birds; hence, like trees that grow full-blown blue lotuses, they are described, again, as in 10.21, as different (anye):
Trees there that abound in red lotuses look like trees ablaze./ Different trees, growing full-blown blue lotuses, seem to have their eyes open. // 10.21
And in line 2 of today's verse, again, as in 10.21, Ashvaghosha makes an association with eyes and blueness -- the colour of cool detachment, as opposed to tainted redness. The suggestion might be that eyes which really see are dispassionate eyes.
I do not know the meaning of the name "shiNjirika" in line 3, but the meaning of abhidhaana is clear: abhidhaana means "called." So the point might be that in Asvhaghosha's vision of heaven, as it is on earth, birds belong to distinct nameable species identifiable by distinguishing features like golden wings.
Line 4 evokes the free life of a wanderer whose use of his voice has the power to change others' minds -- no ordinary person, but one who meets a certain distinguishing criterion, which Dogen called the samadhi of accepting and using the self.
What is the gold we have been mining in this blog? Above all, I think it is a means -- a means which is different (anya) from the usual end-gaining approach.
The essential thing to clarify is how the ancient yoga practice of padm'-aasana "lotus sitting," can be a golden means of realizing the criterion which is the samadhi of accepting and using the self.
According to my old teacher Gudo Nishijima, keeping the spine straight vertically allows the autonomic nervous system to become balanced. But that teaching might be a very crude approximation of the truth, and if in the past I allowed my mind and ears to be carried away by the preaching of it, that was my stupid mistake.
Trying to keep the spine straight vertically in an end-gaining manner, i.e. trying to be right on the basis of feeling that is liable to be faulty, is not what is symbolized in today's verse, as I read it, by suvarNac-chadanaiH, golden wings.
The samadhi of accepting and using the self is a human being's original, natural state. Why, in that case, are those who dwell in it called anye, different, odd, other? Because they are special, religious people (like those consecrated Catholic priests who abuse children)? No. Because they are in some way superhuman? No. Because they got their grubby claws around the kind of enlightenment that deluded people deludedly suppose to exist? No. I think the state of buddha is different because it arises out of a means which is different from end-gaining.
Among Zen Buddhists in particular, a very common form of end-gaining is trying to be buddha. As an anti-dote to that tendency the Alexander teacher Marjory Barlow used to tell me that being prepared to be wrong was "the golden key."
Hidden in line 4 then, as I read it, is the teaching that true buddha is free from trying to be right, and freedom like that tends to transmit itself naturally, for example, through the sound of the voice.
EH Johnston:
Other birds called shinjirikas have brilliant golden wings and clear eyes blue as beryl and roam about, charming the mind and the ear with their songs.
Linda Covill:
There are other birds too, with limpid eyes blue as cat's-eye gems and shimmering golden feathers; these shinjirikas, as they are called, flit about enchanting the mind and ear with their trilling.
VOCABULARY:
citraiH (inst. pl.): mfn. conspicuous , excellent , distinguished ; bright , clear , bright-coloured ; variegated ; various
suvarNac-chadanaiH (inst. pl.): with gold wings/feathers
suvarNa: golden
chadana: n. a cover , covering ; a wing ; a leaf
tathaa: ind. in like manner, likewise, similarly, too
anye (nom. pl. m.): other
vaiDuurya-niilaiH (inst. pl.): the blue-green color of beryl
vaiDuurya: n. a cat's-eye gem ; beryl
niila: n. of a dark colour , (esp.) dark-blue or dark-green or black
nayanaiH (inst. pl.): n. " the leading organ " , the eye
prasannaiH (inst. pl.): mfn. clear , bright , pure (lit. and fig.); distinct ; placid, tranquil
viha-M-gamaaH (nom. pl.): m. "moving in the sky," a bird
shiNjirik'-aabhidhaanaaH (nom. pl. m.): called "shinjirika"
shiNjirika: (no reference traced)
shiNjin: mfn. tinkling , rattling , sounding
abhidhaana: n. telling; a name , title , appellation
rutaiH (inst. pl.): n. (often pl.) any cry or noise , roar , yell , neigh (of horses) , song , note (of birds) , hum (of bees)
manaH-shrotra-haraiH (inst. pl.): carrying away hearts/minds and ears
manas: n. mind (in its widest sense as applied to all the mental powers) , intellect , intelligence , understanding , perception , sense , conscience , will
shrotra: n. the organ of hearing , ear ,
hara: mfn. bearing , wearing , taking , conveying , bringing ; taking away , carrying off , removing , destroying ; ravishing , captivating (» mano-hara)
mano-hara: mfn. " heart-stealing " , taking the fancy , fascinating , attractive , charming , beautiful
bhramanti = 3rd pers. pl. bhram: to wander or roam about , rove ; to fly about (as bees)
vaiDuurya-niilair nayanaiH prasannaiH
vihaMgamaaH shiNjirik'-aabhidhaanaa
rutair manaH-shrotra-harair bhramanti
= = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = -
10.29
Birds which are -- again -- different,
with distinctively golden wings
And bright, beryl-blue eyes,
Birds called "shinjirikas" fly to and fro,
Carrying away minds and ears with their songs.
COMMENT:
"Golden wings" suvarNac-chadanaiH suggest an essential means of transcendent action, and brings to mind the Thirty-Seven Wings of Awakening, which is the title of Shobogenzo chap. 73.
Birds distinguished by their golden wings are no ordinary birds; hence, like trees that grow full-blown blue lotuses, they are described, again, as in 10.21, as different (anye):
Trees there that abound in red lotuses look like trees ablaze./ Different trees, growing full-blown blue lotuses, seem to have their eyes open. // 10.21
And in line 2 of today's verse, again, as in 10.21, Ashvaghosha makes an association with eyes and blueness -- the colour of cool detachment, as opposed to tainted redness. The suggestion might be that eyes which really see are dispassionate eyes.
I do not know the meaning of the name "shiNjirika" in line 3, but the meaning of abhidhaana is clear: abhidhaana means "called." So the point might be that in Asvhaghosha's vision of heaven, as it is on earth, birds belong to distinct nameable species identifiable by distinguishing features like golden wings.
Line 4 evokes the free life of a wanderer whose use of his voice has the power to change others' minds -- no ordinary person, but one who meets a certain distinguishing criterion, which Dogen called the samadhi of accepting and using the self.
What is the gold we have been mining in this blog? Above all, I think it is a means -- a means which is different (anya) from the usual end-gaining approach.
The essential thing to clarify is how the ancient yoga practice of padm'-aasana "lotus sitting," can be a golden means of realizing the criterion which is the samadhi of accepting and using the self.
According to my old teacher Gudo Nishijima, keeping the spine straight vertically allows the autonomic nervous system to become balanced. But that teaching might be a very crude approximation of the truth, and if in the past I allowed my mind and ears to be carried away by the preaching of it, that was my stupid mistake.
Trying to keep the spine straight vertically in an end-gaining manner, i.e. trying to be right on the basis of feeling that is liable to be faulty, is not what is symbolized in today's verse, as I read it, by suvarNac-chadanaiH, golden wings.
The samadhi of accepting and using the self is a human being's original, natural state. Why, in that case, are those who dwell in it called anye, different, odd, other? Because they are special, religious people (like those consecrated Catholic priests who abuse children)? No. Because they are in some way superhuman? No. Because they got their grubby claws around the kind of enlightenment that deluded people deludedly suppose to exist? No. I think the state of buddha is different because it arises out of a means which is different from end-gaining.
Among Zen Buddhists in particular, a very common form of end-gaining is trying to be buddha. As an anti-dote to that tendency the Alexander teacher Marjory Barlow used to tell me that being prepared to be wrong was "the golden key."
Hidden in line 4 then, as I read it, is the teaching that true buddha is free from trying to be right, and freedom like that tends to transmit itself naturally, for example, through the sound of the voice.
EH Johnston:
Other birds called shinjirikas have brilliant golden wings and clear eyes blue as beryl and roam about, charming the mind and the ear with their songs.
Linda Covill:
There are other birds too, with limpid eyes blue as cat's-eye gems and shimmering golden feathers; these shinjirikas, as they are called, flit about enchanting the mind and ear with their trilling.
VOCABULARY:
citraiH (inst. pl.): mfn. conspicuous , excellent , distinguished ; bright , clear , bright-coloured ; variegated ; various
suvarNac-chadanaiH (inst. pl.): with gold wings/feathers
suvarNa: golden
chadana: n. a cover , covering ; a wing ; a leaf
tathaa: ind. in like manner, likewise, similarly, too
anye (nom. pl. m.): other
vaiDuurya-niilaiH (inst. pl.): the blue-green color of beryl
vaiDuurya: n. a cat's-eye gem ; beryl
niila: n. of a dark colour , (esp.) dark-blue or dark-green or black
nayanaiH (inst. pl.): n. " the leading organ " , the eye
prasannaiH (inst. pl.): mfn. clear , bright , pure (lit. and fig.); distinct ; placid, tranquil
viha-M-gamaaH (nom. pl.): m. "moving in the sky," a bird
shiNjirik'-aabhidhaanaaH (nom. pl. m.): called "shinjirika"
shiNjirika: (no reference traced)
shiNjin: mfn. tinkling , rattling , sounding
abhidhaana: n. telling; a name , title , appellation
rutaiH (inst. pl.): n. (often pl.) any cry or noise , roar , yell , neigh (of horses) , song , note (of birds) , hum (of bees)
manaH-shrotra-haraiH (inst. pl.): carrying away hearts/minds and ears
manas: n. mind (in its widest sense as applied to all the mental powers) , intellect , intelligence , understanding , perception , sense , conscience , will
shrotra: n. the organ of hearing , ear ,
hara: mfn. bearing , wearing , taking , conveying , bringing ; taking away , carrying off , removing , destroying ; ravishing , captivating (» mano-hara)
mano-hara: mfn. " heart-stealing " , taking the fancy , fascinating , attractive , charming , beautiful
bhramanti = 3rd pers. pl. bhram: to wander or roam about , rove ; to fly about (as bees)
Saturday, June 18, 2011
SAUNDARANANDA 10.28: Birds with Red Extremities (& Empty Eyes)
manaHshil"-aabhair vadanair vihaMgaa
yatr' aakShibhiH sphaaTika-saMnibhaish ca
shaavaish ca pakShair abhi-lohit'-aantair
maaNjiShThakair ardha-sitaish ca paadaiH
- = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = -
= = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = =
10.28
Birds there have bright red beaks,
the colour of red 'mind rock' arsenic;
And crystalline eyes;
And wings a deathly shade of yellow,
with intensely red tips;
And claws as red as red dye, but half white.
COMMENT:
One of the functions of birds, in Ashvaghosha's vision of heaven, seems to be to form a fleeting four-verse bridge between the stalwart trees and the flighty apsarases.
On the way, birds show us various colours, beginning in this verse with various shades of red, along with transparent crystal (line 2), the colour of a dead human body (line 3), and white (line 4).
What on earth does Ashvaghosha intend to represent with these colours?
I do not know and cannot say. I can only say what these colours represent to me as I read them in today's verse.
Bright red is the starting point. Today's verse begins, as does 10.9, with manaH-shilaa, lit. "mind-rock," which means realgar, i.e. an arsenic ore which has an orange-red colour.
For me, as I have described already (e.g. in comments to 10.21), going bright red was a starting point. A starting point of what? A starting point of seeking a means -- borrowing a line from Bob Marley -- to emancipate the mind from mental slavery. A starting point of seeking a means -- borrowing a phrase from Marjory Barlow -- to inhibit unconscious behaviour. After all these bloody years, I must confess, I don't feel that I have got very far.
Never mind. The principle remains that when unconscious behaviour is inhibited, then consciousness can grow. The recognition that this possibility exists for all human beings led FM Alexander to call his first book "Man's Supreme Inheritance." Eyes as transparent as crystals -- providing chinks through which the light may pass -- can be read as symbolizing the potential for realizing the supreme inheritance which is growth of consciousness.
For most of us, most of the time, however, such potential remains untapped. That being so the colour that predominates in us, in our vulnerability to labile unconscious reactions, is red.
So just as red lotuses in 10.21 seem to represent the pointless suffering in samsara of ordinary beings, red birds in this verse, as I read it, are ordinary birds, birds whose extremities are suffused with the red taint of passion, birds who are still suffering in the samsaric cycle of life and death. Hence Ashvaghosha sees their wings as being the yellow colour of bloated death, tipped by the vivid reds of intense suffering and passion. The deathless nectar is not within the grasp of these birds' claws.
Finally, why are these claws described as half-white? I think because in an immature nervous system struggling to cope with a challenging stimulus, the Moro reflex, whose colour is red (the colour of blood being mobilized for fight or flight), tends to be locked in a battle for supremacy with the fear paralysis response whose colour is white (the colour of blood being withdrawn to preserve internal organs).
Absence of such conflict between red panic and white fear paralysis may be regarded as the original condition which Gudo Nishijima used to call "balance of the autonomic nervous system," or "the state of plus/minus zero." Chromatically, I think this state of balance or enlightenment is represented by Ashvaghosha as blue and as golden.
If understanding along the above lines is roughly on target, then one might think that birds with red extremities would be more suited to hell, and so what are they doing here in Ashvaghosha's vision of heaven? The answer might lie in the ancient truth that blue lotuses open in fire. These birds with red extremities, like the trees described in 10.21 as ablaze with red lotuses, are there to provide a contrast with ones that are odd, different, other (anye) -- the golden ones who seem to have blue in their eyes.
EH Johnston:
There birds have beaks of the hue of red arsenic, eyes like crystal, dark brown wings tipped with scarlet and feet of the colour of red madder and half white.
Linda Covill:
There are birds with beaks the color of red arsenic, crystalline eyes, tawny wings tipped with scarlet, and with claws half crimson, half white.
VOCABULARY:
manaHshil"-aabhaiH (inst. pl. n.): with the appearance of red arsenic
manaH-shilaa: realgar , red arsenic
aabhaa: f. splendour , light; ifc. like , resembling , appearing
vadanaiH = inst. pl. vadana: n. the act of speaking ; the mouth , face , countenance ; the front , point
viha-M-gaaH (nom. pl.): m. "sky-going," bird
yatra: ind. wherein
akShibhiH (inst. pl.): n. the eye
sphaaTika-saMnibhaiH (inst. pl. n.): like crystal
sphaaTika: n. crystal ; mfn. crystalline
saMnibha: mfn. like , similar , resembling (ifc. ; often pleonastically with names of colours
ca: and
shaavaiH (inst. pl. m.): mfn. (fr. śava) cadaverous , relating to a dead body , produced by or belonging to a corpse ; of a cadaverous or dark yellowish colour , tawny
shava: mn. (prob. fr. √ śū , or śvi and orig. = " swollen ") a corpse , dead body
√ śū / √śvi : to swell , grow , increase
ca: and
pakShaiH (inst. pl.): m. wing
abhi-lohhit'-aantaiH (inst. pl. m.): with intense red tips
abhi-lohhita: mfn. intense red, scarlet
abhi: (As a prefix to nouns not derived from verbs) it expresses superiority , intensity , &c
lohita: red , red-coloured , reddish
anta: m. end
maaNjiShThakaiH = inst. pl. m. māñjiṣṭhaka = māñjiṣṭha: mfn. (fr. mañjiṣṭhā) dyed with madder , red as madder
mañjiṣṭha: mfn. (superl. of mañju) very bright , bright red (as the Indian madder)
mañjiṣṭha: n. red , red colour
mañju: mfn. beautiful , lovely , charming , pleasant , sweet
ardha-sitaiH (inst. pl. m.): half-white
ardha: mfn. half
sita: mfn. white , pale
ca: and
paadaiH (inst. pl.): m. the foot (of men and animals)
yatr' aakShibhiH sphaaTika-saMnibhaish ca
shaavaish ca pakShair abhi-lohit'-aantair
maaNjiShThakair ardha-sitaish ca paadaiH
- = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = -
= = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = =
10.28
Birds there have bright red beaks,
the colour of red 'mind rock' arsenic;
And crystalline eyes;
And wings a deathly shade of yellow,
with intensely red tips;
And claws as red as red dye, but half white.
COMMENT:
One of the functions of birds, in Ashvaghosha's vision of heaven, seems to be to form a fleeting four-verse bridge between the stalwart trees and the flighty apsarases.
On the way, birds show us various colours, beginning in this verse with various shades of red, along with transparent crystal (line 2), the colour of a dead human body (line 3), and white (line 4).
What on earth does Ashvaghosha intend to represent with these colours?
I do not know and cannot say. I can only say what these colours represent to me as I read them in today's verse.
Bright red is the starting point. Today's verse begins, as does 10.9, with manaH-shilaa, lit. "mind-rock," which means realgar, i.e. an arsenic ore which has an orange-red colour.
For me, as I have described already (e.g. in comments to 10.21), going bright red was a starting point. A starting point of what? A starting point of seeking a means -- borrowing a line from Bob Marley -- to emancipate the mind from mental slavery. A starting point of seeking a means -- borrowing a phrase from Marjory Barlow -- to inhibit unconscious behaviour. After all these bloody years, I must confess, I don't feel that I have got very far.
Never mind. The principle remains that when unconscious behaviour is inhibited, then consciousness can grow. The recognition that this possibility exists for all human beings led FM Alexander to call his first book "Man's Supreme Inheritance." Eyes as transparent as crystals -- providing chinks through which the light may pass -- can be read as symbolizing the potential for realizing the supreme inheritance which is growth of consciousness.
For most of us, most of the time, however, such potential remains untapped. That being so the colour that predominates in us, in our vulnerability to labile unconscious reactions, is red.
So just as red lotuses in 10.21 seem to represent the pointless suffering in samsara of ordinary beings, red birds in this verse, as I read it, are ordinary birds, birds whose extremities are suffused with the red taint of passion, birds who are still suffering in the samsaric cycle of life and death. Hence Ashvaghosha sees their wings as being the yellow colour of bloated death, tipped by the vivid reds of intense suffering and passion. The deathless nectar is not within the grasp of these birds' claws.
Finally, why are these claws described as half-white? I think because in an immature nervous system struggling to cope with a challenging stimulus, the Moro reflex, whose colour is red (the colour of blood being mobilized for fight or flight), tends to be locked in a battle for supremacy with the fear paralysis response whose colour is white (the colour of blood being withdrawn to preserve internal organs).
Absence of such conflict between red panic and white fear paralysis may be regarded as the original condition which Gudo Nishijima used to call "balance of the autonomic nervous system," or "the state of plus/minus zero." Chromatically, I think this state of balance or enlightenment is represented by Ashvaghosha as blue and as golden.
If understanding along the above lines is roughly on target, then one might think that birds with red extremities would be more suited to hell, and so what are they doing here in Ashvaghosha's vision of heaven? The answer might lie in the ancient truth that blue lotuses open in fire. These birds with red extremities, like the trees described in 10.21 as ablaze with red lotuses, are there to provide a contrast with ones that are odd, different, other (anye) -- the golden ones who seem to have blue in their eyes.
EH Johnston:
There birds have beaks of the hue of red arsenic, eyes like crystal, dark brown wings tipped with scarlet and feet of the colour of red madder and half white.
Linda Covill:
There are birds with beaks the color of red arsenic, crystalline eyes, tawny wings tipped with scarlet, and with claws half crimson, half white.
VOCABULARY:
manaHshil"-aabhaiH (inst. pl. n.): with the appearance of red arsenic
manaH-shilaa: realgar , red arsenic
aabhaa: f. splendour , light; ifc. like , resembling , appearing
vadanaiH = inst. pl. vadana: n. the act of speaking ; the mouth , face , countenance ; the front , point
viha-M-gaaH (nom. pl.): m. "sky-going," bird
yatra: ind. wherein
akShibhiH (inst. pl.): n. the eye
sphaaTika-saMnibhaiH (inst. pl. n.): like crystal
sphaaTika: n. crystal ; mfn. crystalline
saMnibha: mfn. like , similar , resembling (ifc. ; often pleonastically with names of colours
ca: and
shaavaiH (inst. pl. m.): mfn. (fr. śava) cadaverous , relating to a dead body , produced by or belonging to a corpse ; of a cadaverous or dark yellowish colour , tawny
shava: mn. (prob. fr. √ śū , or śvi and orig. = " swollen ") a corpse , dead body
√ śū / √śvi : to swell , grow , increase
ca: and
pakShaiH (inst. pl.): m. wing
abhi-lohhit'-aantaiH (inst. pl. m.): with intense red tips
abhi-lohhita: mfn. intense red, scarlet
abhi: (As a prefix to nouns not derived from verbs) it expresses superiority , intensity , &c
lohita: red , red-coloured , reddish
anta: m. end
maaNjiShThakaiH = inst. pl. m. māñjiṣṭhaka = māñjiṣṭha: mfn. (fr. mañjiṣṭhā) dyed with madder , red as madder
mañjiṣṭha: mfn. (superl. of mañju) very bright , bright red (as the Indian madder)
mañjiṣṭha: n. red , red colour
mañju: mfn. beautiful , lovely , charming , pleasant , sweet
ardha-sitaiH (inst. pl. m.): half-white
ardha: mfn. half
sita: mfn. white , pale
ca: and
paadaiH (inst. pl.): m. the foot (of men and animals)
Friday, June 17, 2011
SAUNDARANANDA 10.27: Endless Adapting
kRShTe tapaH-shiila-halair akhinnais
tripiShTapa-kShetra-tale prasuutaaH
evaMvidhaa yatra sad" aanuvRttaa
divaukasaaM bhoga-vidhaana-vRkShaaH
= = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = =
10.27
Growing there, on soil tilled in Indra's heaven
By unwearying ploughs of austerity and discipline,
Are such trees as these, which are always adapting
To provide for sky-dwellers' enjoyment.
COMMENT:
In this verse trees are not the subjects who cultivate heaven through practice of austerities. In Ashvaghosha's world, ascetic practice of austerities is invariably practised by ascetics.
"The great ascetics practised asceticism." [1.14]
So trees, in Ashvaghosha's vision, in heaven as it is on earth, do not till the soil. Rather, it is ascetics who cultivate heaven; and it is trees who, in heaven as it is on earth, grow in soil by adapting to circumstances.
Today's verse, then, as I read it, contains a suggestion of that teaching which the Buddha called the cause of nirvana, namely, small desire.
The verse seems to me to say that the real players in heaven are not necessarily the pushy celestial superstars and ambitious prima donnas who play the roles of ascetic leading men and nymph-like leading ladies; rather the real action might be with the ones who play more modest supporting roles and who, in that endless adaptive following, are able to keep growing.
When this verse is read in conjunction with the previous verse, the point might be that the one great matter has to do with growth in the direction of being fully oneself -- but that does not mean simply doing one's own thing.
In the teaching of buddha-ancestors, a favourable situation down here on earth is to be able to serve buddhas. In Ashvaghosha's vision of heaven, in the absence of buddhas, it seems that trees are able to grow by adapting to the demands of sky-dwellers. Growing (prasuutaH), in Ashvaghosha's vision of heaven, takes place not through political struggle or assertion of one's rights under the banner of some -ism or other, but rather through the kind of adaptive attitude which is expressed by the words "thy will be done."
In heaven, as it is on earth, thy will be done.
This completes a series of nine verses that began with 10.19 on the subject of trees in heaven. A few weeks ago I was daunted by the prospect of translating such poetic flights of fancy. But as a result of working on these nine verses, I think I see at least one important point that I didn't see before, which is this: In Ashvagosha's vision of heaven the heroes are neither the God or gods who are imagined to abide there eternally, nor the ascetic human achievers who enjoy temporary union there with celestial nymphs. The real heroes are the trees who adapt and keep growing.
EH Johnston:
Such are the trees that grow there, ever attentive to provide enjoyment for the dwellers in heaven, where the soil of the celestial fields is cultivated by the unwearying ploughs of asceticism and discipline.
Linda Covill:
There, in the topsoil of heaven's fields which is tilled by the unwearying plows of asceticism and moral self-restraint, grow these kinds of trees, in compliance always with the provision of enjoyment for the denizens of heaven.
VOCABULARY:
kRShTe (loc. sg.): mfn. ploughed or tilled
tapaH-shiila-halaiH (inst. pl.): by the ploughs of austerity and pure conduct
tapas: n. pain; ascetic practice, austerities
shiila: n. moral conduct , integrity
hala: mn. plough
akhinnaiH (inst. pl.): mfn. unwearied
khinna: mfn. depressed , distressed , suffering pain or uneasiness; wearied , exhausted
tripiShTapa-kShetra-tale (loc. sg.): on the topsoil of indra's heaven
tri-piShTapa: n. indra's heaven (= tri-diva)
tri-diva: n. the 3rd or most sacred heaven , heaven (in general)
piShTapa = viShTapa: f. top , summit , surface , highest part , height (esp. of heaven)
kShetra: n. landed property , land , soil; a field
tala: n. surface
prasuutaaH (nom. pl. m.): mfn. procreated, produced, grown
evaMvidhaaH (nom. pl. m.): mfn. of such a kind , such
yatra: ind. wherein
sadaa: ind. always , ever , every time , continually , perpetually
anuvRttaaH (nom. pl. m.): mfn. following , obeying , complying
divaukasaam (gen. pl.): m. " sky-dweller " , a deity ; a bee
diva: n. heaven, sky
okas: n. house , dwelling , place of abiding , abode , home
bhoga-vidhaana-vRkShaaH (nom. pl. m.): enjoyment-arranging trees
bhoga: m. enjoyment , eating , feeding ; sexual enjoyment ; enjoyment of the earth or of a country i.e. rule , sway ; profit , utility , advantage , pleasure , delight ; any object of enjoyment (as food , a festival &c ) ; hire , wages (esp. of prostitution)
vidhaana: mfn. disposing , arranging , regulating; n. order , measure , disposition , arrangement
vi- √ dhā: to distribute , apportion , grant , bestow ; to furnish , supply , procure ; to put in order , arrange , dispose , prepare , make ready
vRkSha: m. tree
tripiShTapa-kShetra-tale prasuutaaH
evaMvidhaa yatra sad" aanuvRttaa
divaukasaaM bhoga-vidhaana-vRkShaaH
= = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = =
- = - = = - - = - = =
10.27
Growing there, on soil tilled in Indra's heaven
By unwearying ploughs of austerity and discipline,
Are such trees as these, which are always adapting
To provide for sky-dwellers' enjoyment.
COMMENT:
In this verse trees are not the subjects who cultivate heaven through practice of austerities. In Ashvaghosha's world, ascetic practice of austerities is invariably practised by ascetics.
"The great ascetics practised asceticism." [1.14]
So trees, in Ashvaghosha's vision, in heaven as it is on earth, do not till the soil. Rather, it is ascetics who cultivate heaven; and it is trees who, in heaven as it is on earth, grow in soil by adapting to circumstances.
Today's verse, then, as I read it, contains a suggestion of that teaching which the Buddha called the cause of nirvana, namely, small desire.
The verse seems to me to say that the real players in heaven are not necessarily the pushy celestial superstars and ambitious prima donnas who play the roles of ascetic leading men and nymph-like leading ladies; rather the real action might be with the ones who play more modest supporting roles and who, in that endless adaptive following, are able to keep growing.
When this verse is read in conjunction with the previous verse, the point might be that the one great matter has to do with growth in the direction of being fully oneself -- but that does not mean simply doing one's own thing.
In the teaching of buddha-ancestors, a favourable situation down here on earth is to be able to serve buddhas. In Ashvaghosha's vision of heaven, in the absence of buddhas, it seems that trees are able to grow by adapting to the demands of sky-dwellers. Growing (prasuutaH), in Ashvaghosha's vision of heaven, takes place not through political struggle or assertion of one's rights under the banner of some -ism or other, but rather through the kind of adaptive attitude which is expressed by the words "thy will be done."
In heaven, as it is on earth, thy will be done.
This completes a series of nine verses that began with 10.19 on the subject of trees in heaven. A few weeks ago I was daunted by the prospect of translating such poetic flights of fancy. But as a result of working on these nine verses, I think I see at least one important point that I didn't see before, which is this: In Ashvagosha's vision of heaven the heroes are neither the God or gods who are imagined to abide there eternally, nor the ascetic human achievers who enjoy temporary union there with celestial nymphs. The real heroes are the trees who adapt and keep growing.
EH Johnston:
Such are the trees that grow there, ever attentive to provide enjoyment for the dwellers in heaven, where the soil of the celestial fields is cultivated by the unwearying ploughs of asceticism and discipline.
Linda Covill:
There, in the topsoil of heaven's fields which is tilled by the unwearying plows of asceticism and moral self-restraint, grow these kinds of trees, in compliance always with the provision of enjoyment for the denizens of heaven.
VOCABULARY:
kRShTe (loc. sg.): mfn. ploughed or tilled
tapaH-shiila-halaiH (inst. pl.): by the ploughs of austerity and pure conduct
tapas: n. pain; ascetic practice, austerities
shiila: n. moral conduct , integrity
hala: mn. plough
akhinnaiH (inst. pl.): mfn. unwearied
khinna: mfn. depressed , distressed , suffering pain or uneasiness; wearied , exhausted
tripiShTapa-kShetra-tale (loc. sg.): on the topsoil of indra's heaven
tri-piShTapa: n. indra's heaven (= tri-diva)
tri-diva: n. the 3rd or most sacred heaven , heaven (in general)
piShTapa = viShTapa: f. top , summit , surface , highest part , height (esp. of heaven)
kShetra: n. landed property , land , soil; a field
tala: n. surface
prasuutaaH (nom. pl. m.): mfn. procreated, produced, grown
evaMvidhaaH (nom. pl. m.): mfn. of such a kind , such
yatra: ind. wherein
sadaa: ind. always , ever , every time , continually , perpetually
anuvRttaaH (nom. pl. m.): mfn. following , obeying , complying
divaukasaam (gen. pl.): m. " sky-dweller " , a deity ; a bee
diva: n. heaven, sky
okas: n. house , dwelling , place of abiding , abode , home
bhoga-vidhaana-vRkShaaH (nom. pl. m.): enjoyment-arranging trees
bhoga: m. enjoyment , eating , feeding ; sexual enjoyment ; enjoyment of the earth or of a country i.e. rule , sway ; profit , utility , advantage , pleasure , delight ; any object of enjoyment (as food , a festival &c ) ; hire , wages (esp. of prostitution)
vidhaana: mfn. disposing , arranging , regulating; n. order , measure , disposition , arrangement
vi- √ dhā: to distribute , apportion , grant , bestow ; to furnish , supply , procure ; to put in order , arrange , dispose , prepare , make ready
vRkSha: m. tree
Thursday, June 16, 2011
SAUNDARANANDA 10.26: Full-Grown Sovereignty
mandaara-vRkShaaMsh ca kushe-shayaaMsh ca
puShp'-aanataan koka-nadaaMsh ca vRkShaan
aakramya maahaatmya-guNair viraajan
raajaayate yatra sa paarijaataH
= = - = = - - = - = -
= = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = =
10.26
Over mandara coral trees,
And over trees weighed down
by water-lily and ruddy lotus blossoms,
The 'Full Grown' Coral,
shining there with majestic qualities,
Steps up and reigns supreme.
COMMENT:
This is a difficult verse, with which I grappled last night until bed-time and beyond. It is doubtless full of meaning that I haven't been able to dig out. But here goes:
The mandaara tree and the paari-jaata ("fully developed") tree, according to the Monier Williams dictionary, are one and the same species of tree -- Erythrina Indica.
So is Ashvaghosha suggesting the fact that Gautama Buddha was different (anye; see 10.19; 10.21) from other human beings just in the completeness of his being a human being?
Is buddha different from, more noble than, other states of human being precisely because in the state of buddha human being is most completely itself? Recognition along these lines would seem to be behind Ashvaghosha's description of Nanda's attainment in Canto 17:
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.// (17.61)
If this is also the main gist of today's verse, then trees bowed down by lilies, which grow from bulbs and do not originally belong on trees, might be read as representing people who are labouring under the effort to be something other than what they really are.
The supreme practice which Dogen called the backward step of turning one's light and letting it shine, on the contrary, is to come back to one's self.
Lest there be any doubt that a buddha-ancestor regards this sitting practice, in the overall scheme of things, as reigning supreme, Zen Master Dogen spelled it out in the clearest possible terms in Shobogenzo chap. 72, Zanmai-o-zanmai, The Samadhi that is King of Samadhis.
Nevertheless, to know because of having read Shobogenzo that buddhas see sitting in lotus as supreme, and to sit in lotus on that basis, does not necessarily constitute a backward step to true sovereignty over oneself.
According to the teaching of FM Alexander, what really has overarching sovereignty in human affairs is the use of the head, neck and back in relation to each other and in relation to the limbs. Alexander called this "the primary control." If it is used badly -- for example, by hyper-extending the back and pulling the chin down, through trying to maintain what one deludedly conceives to be "the right posture" -- even sitting in the full lotus posture is liable to become the kind of journey described in the Lotus Sutra as wandering in distant lands.
So there is nothing incompatible between the teaching of buddha-ancestors like Ashvaghosha and Dogen, as I understand it, and the teaching of FM Alexander, as I understand it. One does not negate the other. For me there is in essence only one teaching, pointing me in the direction of sitting in full lotus and enjoying the samadhi of accepting and using the self.
Sitting in full lotus reigns supreme, as I see it, because it is the thing which, with the right kind of practice, allows us to be most completely who we originally are. But with the wrong kind of practice (i.e. the kind of unconscious behaviour which Alexander work aims to prevent) a bit of a gap is liable to open up. And a bit of a gap rapidly becomes greater than the distance between heaven and earth.
Ruddy red lotuses!
Bloody Buddhism.
EH Johnston:
There the Parijata tree rises shining with all the qualities of majesty, and plays the king over the mandara trees and other trees which are laden with the bloom of day-waterlillies and red lotuses.
Linda Covill:
The coral tree is ruler there, radiant with the qualities of majesty and lording it over the mandaras and water-lilies and trees of crimson lotuses that bow under their flowery weight.
VOCABULARY:
mandaara-vRkShaan (acc. pl.): m. coral trees, mandara trees
mandaara: m. the coral tree , Erythrina Indica (also regarded as one of the 5 trees of paradise or svarga); heaven ; the thorn-apple
ca: and
kushe-shayaan (acc. pl. m.): water-lilied
kushe-shaya: m. a kind of tree (Pterospermum Acerifolium) ; m. the Indian crane; n. " lying in water " , a water-lily
kushe = loc. sg. kusha: n. water
shaya: mfn. lying
ca: and
puShp'-aanataan (acc. pl. m.): being bent down by flowers
puShpa: flower
aanata: mfn. bending , stooping , bowed ; humbled , submissive , obedient ; flat , sunk (not elevated)
koka-nadaan (acc. pl. m.): red water-lilied
koka-nada: n. the flower of the red water-lily
koka: m. the ruddy goose ; frog
nada: m. crying; a river ; = naDa: m. a species of reed
ca: and
vRkShaan (acc. pl.): m. trees
aakramya = abs. aa- √ kram: to step or go near to , come towards , approach , visit ; to step or tread upon (acc.); to hold fast with the hands , seize ; to attack , invade
maahaatmya-guNaiH (inst. pl.): with qualities of majesty
maahaatmya: n. (fr. mah"-aatman) magnanimity , highmindedness ; exalted state or position , majesty , dignity
guNa: m. a quality , peculiarity , attribute or property
viraajan = nom. sg. m. pres. part. vi- √ raaj: to reign , rule , govern , master (gen. or acc.) , excel (abl.) ; to be illustrious or eminent , shine forth
raajaayate = 3rd pers. sg. causative raaj: to reign , rule ; to illuminate , make radiant
yatra: ind. wherein
sa (nom. sg. m.): it, the [Pari-jata tree]
paari-jaataH (nom. sg.): m. the coral tree , Erythrina Indica (losing its leaves in June and then covered with large crimson flowers) ; N. of one of the 5 trees of paradise (produced at the churning of the ocean and taken possession of by indra from whom it was afterwards taken by kRiShNa)
paari: vṛddhi form of pari in comp.
pari-jaata: mfn. begotten by , descended from (abl.) ; fully developed
a-pari-jaata: mfn. not fully born, born prematurely
puShp'-aanataan koka-nadaaMsh ca vRkShaan
aakramya maahaatmya-guNair viraajan
raajaayate yatra sa paarijaataH
= = - = = - - = - = -
= = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = =
10.26
Over mandara coral trees,
And over trees weighed down
by water-lily and ruddy lotus blossoms,
The 'Full Grown' Coral,
shining there with majestic qualities,
Steps up and reigns supreme.
COMMENT:
This is a difficult verse, with which I grappled last night until bed-time and beyond. It is doubtless full of meaning that I haven't been able to dig out. But here goes:
The mandaara tree and the paari-jaata ("fully developed") tree, according to the Monier Williams dictionary, are one and the same species of tree -- Erythrina Indica.
So is Ashvaghosha suggesting the fact that Gautama Buddha was different (anye; see 10.19; 10.21) from other human beings just in the completeness of his being a human being?
Is buddha different from, more noble than, other states of human being precisely because in the state of buddha human being is most completely itself? Recognition along these lines would seem to be behind Ashvaghosha's description of Nanda's attainment in Canto 17:
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.// (17.61)
If this is also the main gist of today's verse, then trees bowed down by lilies, which grow from bulbs and do not originally belong on trees, might be read as representing people who are labouring under the effort to be something other than what they really are.
The supreme practice which Dogen called the backward step of turning one's light and letting it shine, on the contrary, is to come back to one's self.
Lest there be any doubt that a buddha-ancestor regards this sitting practice, in the overall scheme of things, as reigning supreme, Zen Master Dogen spelled it out in the clearest possible terms in Shobogenzo chap. 72, Zanmai-o-zanmai, The Samadhi that is King of Samadhis.
Nevertheless, to know because of having read Shobogenzo that buddhas see sitting in lotus as supreme, and to sit in lotus on that basis, does not necessarily constitute a backward step to true sovereignty over oneself.
According to the teaching of FM Alexander, what really has overarching sovereignty in human affairs is the use of the head, neck and back in relation to each other and in relation to the limbs. Alexander called this "the primary control." If it is used badly -- for example, by hyper-extending the back and pulling the chin down, through trying to maintain what one deludedly conceives to be "the right posture" -- even sitting in the full lotus posture is liable to become the kind of journey described in the Lotus Sutra as wandering in distant lands.
So there is nothing incompatible between the teaching of buddha-ancestors like Ashvaghosha and Dogen, as I understand it, and the teaching of FM Alexander, as I understand it. One does not negate the other. For me there is in essence only one teaching, pointing me in the direction of sitting in full lotus and enjoying the samadhi of accepting and using the self.
Sitting in full lotus reigns supreme, as I see it, because it is the thing which, with the right kind of practice, allows us to be most completely who we originally are. But with the wrong kind of practice (i.e. the kind of unconscious behaviour which Alexander work aims to prevent) a bit of a gap is liable to open up. And a bit of a gap rapidly becomes greater than the distance between heaven and earth.
Ruddy red lotuses!
Bloody Buddhism.
EH Johnston:
There the Parijata tree rises shining with all the qualities of majesty, and plays the king over the mandara trees and other trees which are laden with the bloom of day-waterlillies and red lotuses.
Linda Covill:
The coral tree is ruler there, radiant with the qualities of majesty and lording it over the mandaras and water-lilies and trees of crimson lotuses that bow under their flowery weight.
VOCABULARY:
mandaara-vRkShaan (acc. pl.): m. coral trees, mandara trees
mandaara: m. the coral tree , Erythrina Indica (also regarded as one of the 5 trees of paradise or svarga); heaven ; the thorn-apple
ca: and
kushe-shayaan (acc. pl. m.): water-lilied
kushe-shaya: m. a kind of tree (Pterospermum Acerifolium) ; m. the Indian crane; n. " lying in water " , a water-lily
kushe = loc. sg. kusha: n. water
shaya: mfn. lying
ca: and
puShp'-aanataan (acc. pl. m.): being bent down by flowers
puShpa: flower
aanata: mfn. bending , stooping , bowed ; humbled , submissive , obedient ; flat , sunk (not elevated)
koka-nadaan (acc. pl. m.): red water-lilied
koka-nada: n. the flower of the red water-lily
koka: m. the ruddy goose ; frog
nada: m. crying; a river ; = naDa: m. a species of reed
ca: and
vRkShaan (acc. pl.): m. trees
aakramya = abs. aa- √ kram: to step or go near to , come towards , approach , visit ; to step or tread upon (acc.); to hold fast with the hands , seize ; to attack , invade
maahaatmya-guNaiH (inst. pl.): with qualities of majesty
maahaatmya: n. (fr. mah"-aatman) magnanimity , highmindedness ; exalted state or position , majesty , dignity
guNa: m. a quality , peculiarity , attribute or property
viraajan = nom. sg. m. pres. part. vi- √ raaj: to reign , rule , govern , master (gen. or acc.) , excel (abl.) ; to be illustrious or eminent , shine forth
raajaayate = 3rd pers. sg. causative raaj: to reign , rule ; to illuminate , make radiant
yatra: ind. wherein
sa (nom. sg. m.): it, the [Pari-jata tree]
paari-jaataH (nom. sg.): m. the coral tree , Erythrina Indica (losing its leaves in June and then covered with large crimson flowers) ; N. of one of the 5 trees of paradise (produced at the churning of the ocean and taken possession of by indra from whom it was afterwards taken by kRiShNa)
paari: vṛddhi form of pari in comp.
pari-jaata: mfn. begotten by , descended from (abl.) ; fully developed
a-pari-jaata: mfn. not fully born, born prematurely
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
SAUNDARANANDA 10.25: Playing (Four-Part Harmony)
yatr' aayataaMsh c' aiva tataaMsh ca taaMs taan
vaadyasya hetuun suShiraan ghanaaMsh ca
phalanti vRkShaa maNi-hema-citraaH
kriiDaa-sahaayaas tridash'-aalayaanaaM
= = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = -
- = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = =
10.25
There a diversity of musical instruments,
With lengthened [sinews] and widened [skins],
with open tubes and solid matter,
Are born as fruit
by the distinctively bejewelled and gilded trees
Which are the heaven-dwellers' playing companions.
COMMENT:
The first line of today's verse not only speaks of music but also has a musical quality in its own sound, which is like a drum roll with its taam .. ta taam . taam taan.
Line 2, as I read, it contains the suggestion that the ultimate means of music making might be the voice of an individual human being -- especially one in which the neck is being allowed to release, to let the head go forward and up, to let the whole torso lengthen and widen.
As in yesterday's verse, the sense of synthesis of the organic and the inorganic is again apparent in line 3, as I read it. And it might be, in heaven as it is on earth, that the fruits of that synthesis are in exact correspondence with the trees that produce the fruits -- in the same way that apples grown on apple trees, and plums grow on plum trees, so that when we look at an apple growing on a tree we can be sure that it is an apple tree, and when we see plums budding on a tree we can be confident that it is nothing but a plum tree (copyright Zen Master Dogen, 1243; see Shobogenzo chap. 43, Kuge).
Line 4, as I read it, raises the question of whether sitting-dhyana can be a kind of play. And the answer might be more often than not that, no it can't. Not if we bring to the practice big desires and tainted attitudes it can't. Not as an ascetic practice it can't. Not as a means to some other important end it can't. Not as a way of trying to be right it can't. Not if our response to it is to give in to the instinctive tendency -- when confronted by any challenging stimulus -- to stiffen the neck, pull the head back, and hold the breath.
EH Johnston:
There the trees, gorgeous with gold and gems, assist the gods in their pastimes by bearing as fruit all kinds of musical instruments, of skin and string, hollow and solid.
Linda Covill:
Assistants to amusements in the gods' abodes, trees aglitter there with gems and gold bear instruments for music, extended in length or pulled taut, hollow or solid.
VOCABULARY:
yatra: ind. wherein
aayataan (acc. pl. m.): mfn. stretched , lengthened
ca: and
eva: (emphatic)
tataan (acc. pl. m.): extended , stretched , spread , diffused , expanded
ca: and
taan = acc. pl. m. tad: that, those (tad tad this and that , various , different)
vaadyasya = gen. sg. m. vaadya: mfn. mfn. to be said or spoken; to be played; m. or n. a musical instrument
hetuun (acc. pl.): m cause , reason, means
su-Shiraan (acc. pl. m.): mfn. " having a good tube or channel " , perforated , pierced , hollow
ghanaan (acc. pl. m.): mfn. compact , solid , material , hard , firm , dense ; m. any compact mass or substance (generally ifc.)
ca: and
phalanti = 3rd pers. pl. phal: to bear as fruit
vRkShaaH (nom. pl.): m. tree
maNi-hema-citraaH (nom. pl. m.): conspicuous with jewels and gold
maNi: m. a jewel , gem , pearl
heman: n. gold
citra: mfn. conspicuous , excellent , distinguished; bright , clear , bright-coloured ; variegated ; various , different , manifold
kriiDaa-sahaayaaH (nom. pl. m.): playmates, playing companions
kriiDaa: f. sport , play , pastime , amusement , amorous sport
sahaaya: " one who goes along with (another) " , a companion , follower , adherent , ally , assistant , helper in or to (loc. or comp. ; ifc. " having as a companion or assistant , accompanied or supported by ")
tridash'-aalayaanaam (gen. pl.): m. " abode of the gods " , heaven; n. a heaven-dweller , god
tri-dasha: mfn. 3 x 10 (= 30); the 3 x 10 (in round number for 3 x 11) deities (12 aadityas , 8 vasus , 11 rudras , and 2 ashvins); n. heaven
aalaya: m. and n. a house , dwelling; (often ifc. e.g. himaalaya , " the abode of snow. ")
vaadyasya hetuun suShiraan ghanaaMsh ca
phalanti vRkShaa maNi-hema-citraaH
kriiDaa-sahaayaas tridash'-aalayaanaaM
= = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = -
- = - = = - - = - = =
= = - = = - - = - = =
10.25
There a diversity of musical instruments,
With lengthened [sinews] and widened [skins],
with open tubes and solid matter,
Are born as fruit
by the distinctively bejewelled and gilded trees
Which are the heaven-dwellers' playing companions.
COMMENT:
The first line of today's verse not only speaks of music but also has a musical quality in its own sound, which is like a drum roll with its taam .. ta taam . taam taan.
Line 2, as I read, it contains the suggestion that the ultimate means of music making might be the voice of an individual human being -- especially one in which the neck is being allowed to release, to let the head go forward and up, to let the whole torso lengthen and widen.
As in yesterday's verse, the sense of synthesis of the organic and the inorganic is again apparent in line 3, as I read it. And it might be, in heaven as it is on earth, that the fruits of that synthesis are in exact correspondence with the trees that produce the fruits -- in the same way that apples grown on apple trees, and plums grow on plum trees, so that when we look at an apple growing on a tree we can be sure that it is an apple tree, and when we see plums budding on a tree we can be confident that it is nothing but a plum tree (copyright Zen Master Dogen, 1243; see Shobogenzo chap. 43, Kuge).
Line 4, as I read it, raises the question of whether sitting-dhyana can be a kind of play. And the answer might be more often than not that, no it can't. Not if we bring to the practice big desires and tainted attitudes it can't. Not as an ascetic practice it can't. Not as a means to some other important end it can't. Not as a way of trying to be right it can't. Not if our response to it is to give in to the instinctive tendency -- when confronted by any challenging stimulus -- to stiffen the neck, pull the head back, and hold the breath.
EH Johnston:
There the trees, gorgeous with gold and gems, assist the gods in their pastimes by bearing as fruit all kinds of musical instruments, of skin and string, hollow and solid.
Linda Covill:
Assistants to amusements in the gods' abodes, trees aglitter there with gems and gold bear instruments for music, extended in length or pulled taut, hollow or solid.
VOCABULARY:
yatra: ind. wherein
aayataan (acc. pl. m.): mfn. stretched , lengthened
ca: and
eva: (emphatic)
tataan (acc. pl. m.): extended , stretched , spread , diffused , expanded
ca: and
taan = acc. pl. m. tad: that, those (tad tad this and that , various , different)
vaadyasya = gen. sg. m. vaadya: mfn. mfn. to be said or spoken; to be played; m. or n. a musical instrument
hetuun (acc. pl.): m cause , reason, means
su-Shiraan (acc. pl. m.): mfn. " having a good tube or channel " , perforated , pierced , hollow
ghanaan (acc. pl. m.): mfn. compact , solid , material , hard , firm , dense ; m. any compact mass or substance (generally ifc.)
ca: and
phalanti = 3rd pers. pl. phal: to bear as fruit
vRkShaaH (nom. pl.): m. tree
maNi-hema-citraaH (nom. pl. m.): conspicuous with jewels and gold
maNi: m. a jewel , gem , pearl
heman: n. gold
citra: mfn. conspicuous , excellent , distinguished; bright , clear , bright-coloured ; variegated ; various , different , manifold
kriiDaa-sahaayaaH (nom. pl. m.): playmates, playing companions
kriiDaa: f. sport , play , pastime , amusement , amorous sport
sahaaya: " one who goes along with (another) " , a companion , follower , adherent , ally , assistant , helper in or to (loc. or comp. ; ifc. " having as a companion or assistant , accompanied or supported by ")
tridash'-aalayaanaam (gen. pl.): m. " abode of the gods " , heaven; n. a heaven-dweller , god
tri-dasha: mfn. 3 x 10 (= 30); the 3 x 10 (in round number for 3 x 11) deities (12 aadityas , 8 vasus , 11 rudras , and 2 ashvins); n. heaven
aalaya: m. and n. a house , dwelling; (often ifc. e.g. himaalaya , " the abode of snow. ")
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