−−⏑−¦−⏑⏑¦−⏑−−¦¦−−⏑−¦−⏑⏑¦−⏑−− Upajāti
(Sālā)
taṁ
prekṣya yo 'nyena yayau
sa tasthau yas-tatra tasthau pathi so
'nvagacchat |
⏑−⏑−¦−⏑⏑¦−⏑−−¦¦−−⏑−¦−⏑⏑¦−⏑−−
drutaṁ
yayau yaḥ sa jagāma dhīraṁ yaḥ kaś-cid-āste sma sa
cotpapāta || 10.4
10.4
On seeing him, whoever
was going the other way stood still;
Whoever was there in
the road standing still, followed along;
Whoever was going
hurriedly, went steadily;
And anybody who was
sitting, sprang up.
COMMENT:
Today's verse is one
that anybody who is devoted to sitting practice will appreciate. In
today's verse Aśvaghoṣa, down through the centuries, is winking at
us.
The 1st pāda
of today's verse, as I read it, suggests the first teaching of the
Buddha – not to do any evil. In other words, the first imperative,
when we are going in the wrong direction, is to stop doing anything.
When in a hole, stop digging.
What is thus expressed
as vital in the 1st pāda is, by the time we get to the
2nd pāda, undesirable. The truth of cessation, does not
always mean playing statues. It does not mean being stuck in the grip
of fear of making a mistake. On the contrary, the truest form of
inhibition might be direction. The way not to fall off a bicycle
might be to keep pedalling.
There again, the 3rd
pāda reminds us, going in the right direction does not mean running
around the whole time like a blue-arsed fly.
So a kind of dialectic
progression can be observed running through the first three pādas –
thesis, antithesis, and synthesis.
But the 4th
pāda is an ironic suggestion of springing up in sitting.
So on the surface the
4th pāda suggests that people who were sitting down
suddenly sprang to their feet – springing up from sitting.
But below the surface it suggests the practice and experience of
going up while sitting – springing up in sitting. And
springing up in sitting means, in other words, body and mind dropping
off.
Hence here in today's
verse the 12th Zen patriarch in India Aśvaghoṣa wrote
that anybody whoseover sprang up (utpapāta, from
ut-√pat).
And hence the 14th
Zen patriarch in India Nāgārjuna would later assert that what the
Buddha taught was “springing
up together, with direction.” (pratītya-samutpāda,
from sam-ut-√pat).
And hence the 50th Zen
patriarch (Jap: Tendo Nyojo) taught in China that burning
incense, performing prostrations, contemplating the Buddha,
practising confession, and reading sutras were all unnecessary,
because Zen practice was nothing other than body and mind dropping
off.
And hence the 51st
Zen patriarch (Eihei Dogen) wrote when he came back to Japan, in his rules of
sitting-Zen recommended for anybody whosoever (yasmai kaś-cid), of
body and mind naturally or spontaneously dropping off.
VOCABULARY
tam
(acc. sg. m.): him
prekṣya
= abs.
yaḥ
(nom. sg. m.): [he] who
anyena
(inst. sg.): n. another, in another direction
yayau
= 3rd pers. sg. perf. yā: to go
sa
(nom. sg. m.): he
tasthau
= 3rd pers. sg. perf. sthā: to stand, to stand still
yaḥ
(nom. sg. m.): [he] who
tatra:
ind. there
tasthau
= 3rd pers. sg. perf. sthā: to stand, to stand still
pathi
(loc. sg.): m. a way , path , road , course
saḥ
(nom. sg. m.): he
anvagacchat
= 3rd pers. sg. imperfect anu- √ gam: to go after ,
follow , seek , approach , visit , arrive ; to practise , observe ,
obey , imitate
drutam:
ind. quickly , rapidly , without delay ; mfn. quick , speedy ,
swift; quickly or indistinctly spoken
dru:
to run , hasten , flee ; to become fluid , dissolve , melt
yayau
= 3rd pers. sg. perf. yā: to go
yaḥ
(nom. sg. m.): [he] who
sa
(nom. sg. m.): he
jagāma
= 3rd pers. sg. perf. gam: to go
dhīram:
ind. steadily , firmly etc; mfn. steady , constant , firm , resolute
, brave , energetic , courageous , self-possessed , composed , calm ,
grave
yaḥ
kaś-cid (nom. sg. m.): any one whatsoever
āste
= loc. sg. m. past. part. as: to sit , sit down
sma:
joined with a pres. tense or pres. participle to give them a past
sense
sa
(nom. sg. m.): he
ca:
and
utpapāta
= 3rd pers. sg. perf. ut- √ pat: to fly or jump up ; to
rise
横行爲止足 隨後者速馳
先進悉迴顧 瞻目視無厭
先進悉迴顧 瞻目視無厭
5 comments:
Hi Mike,
Since starting to learn Sanskrit a few years ago I've always assumed the paada of sam-ut-paada to derive from the route pad, not pat (pad: nominally 'foot' or 'step', so verbally 'step, go' etc - and with prefixes like sam and ud having the sense of arising, occuring, producing). Generally, derivatives of pad that I've come across share the 'd', while derivatives ut pat share the 't'.
I'm sure you're familiar with pad, so I'm wondering why you've concluded that pat is the root of sam-ut-paada.
- jiblet
Yes, I did mean 'occurring'. I also meant 'while derivatives of pat share the 't'.
Thanks Malcolm.
Yes, well spotted. I should have written pratītya-samutpāda from sam-ut-√pad.
But since the dictionary gives sam-ut-√pad as "to spring up together," and since not only I but each of the three professors translated utpapāta in this verse as "sprang up," I think the connection I drew from Aśvaghoṣa's springing up to Nāgārjuna's springing up, and from springing up to dropping off, holds good.
The vital word, whether we are talking ut-√pat or sam-ut-√pad, is the ut-.
That the essence of what the Buddha taught is "Springing Up Together, with direction," makes a lot of sense to me, as a student of the teaching of both the Buddha and FM Alexander.
But since my understanding of pratītya-samutpāda is so alternative (Skt: anya), I need my grasp of the Sanskrit to be as close as possible to spot-on, and the technical side of any translation of Nāgārjuna that I do to be watertight.
So thanks again.
Thanks for the explanation, Mike.
Up is not an explanation, Malcolm. Up is a direction!
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