doShaaNaaM kuhan'-aadiinaaM
paNcaanaam a-niShevaNaat
tyaagaac ca jyotiSh'-aadiinaaM
caturNaaM vRtti-ghaatinaam
= = = - - = = =
= = = - - = - =
= = = = - = = =
- = = = - = - =
13.14
On the grounds of not indulging
The five faults, beginning with hypocrisy;
On the grounds of fleeing
The four predators of practice, such as astrology;
COMMENT:
I understand this verse and 13.15 to be illustration of what is meant in the last line of 13.13 by shaucaat, "on the grounds of integrity," the connecting factor being the use of the ablative suffix -aat which I have translated in every case as "on the grounds of."
What I notice in this verse, again, is that in indicating the grounds of integrity, the Buddha begins with a negative. The Buddha gave primacy to the negative from his very last teaching, NOT being wordy, to his very first teaching:
NOT doing any evil,
Allowing what is good,
Cleansing one's own mind,
This is the teaching of the buddhas.
Before even a faintest thought of doing is sanctioned, the first thought is for not doing. Ultimate value lies in the backward step, in digging back and down into the bottom of oneself before purporting to go out into the world and spread "Buddhism," through "the philosophy of action." Without sufficient attention to the inhibitory side, a person's actions are bound to lack integrity.
How else am I to make sense of what happened in the end to the Nishijima-Cross Shobogenzo translation process? For almost a year now I have been living, breathing and sleeping this process of translating Ashvaghosha. But for the Shobogenzo translation that process carried on for more than ten years, and at the end of the process proponents and followers of the philosophy of action intervened to change my translation without consulting me. I experienced it as an act of total betrayal, a manifestation of a fundamental lack of integrity. How could it have happened? What was the original cause?
The original cause, as I see it, was Gudo Nishijima's wrong teaching in regard to Zazen posture. He taught me, Michael & Yoko Luetchford, and Jeremy Pearson (the team responsible for editing and publishing the translation), to keep doing something -- to pull in our chins in order to keep the neck-bones straight and to make an effort to keep the spine straight vertically. And he, perhaps to a lesser extent than his students, adhered to this doing approach himself. This wrong doing, as I see it, was the fundamental cause of a lack of integrity that I experienced as a terrible betrayal.
Every morning when I sit, if I allow myself to think about this blog, my whole system goes into first gear and starts revving up. The challenge, when I notice this happening, is to totally give up the idea of doing or achieving anything. When I succeed in that, my system integrates itself.
So this is how I understand Dogen's words in Fukan-zazengi-shinpitsu-bon, on waking up to an idea and naturally/spontaneously becoming one piece. This understanding owes very little to what I was taught as the "Buddhist" "philosophy of action." It owes a lot to the teaching of FM Alexander.
We can pontificate on the meaning of shikan-taza, "just sitting," and mushotoku, "being without expectation of gain," until the cows come home, but if there is even the slightest trace of an idea of maintaining a correct posture by my own doing, "by keeping the spine straight vertically," for example, then all talk of body and mind dropping off is only an exercise in self-delusion and hypocrisy.
Anybody who has followed my daily outpourings on this blog might ask whether in quoting the Buddha on "not being wordy," I in my wordiness am not going down the route of out-and-out hypocrisy. Well, if so, there is no time for stopping like the present.
EH Johnston:
By not giving way to the five faults, hypocrisy etc., and by abandoning the four destroyers of good conduct, astrology and the rest,
Linda Covill:
By refraining from the five faults such as hypocrisy, by relinquishing the four destroyers of good conduct such as astrology,
VOCABULARY:
doShaaNaam = genitive, plural of doSha: fault
kuhana: mfn. envious , hypocritical
aadiinaam = genitive, plural of aadi: ifc. beginning with , et cetera , and so on
paNcaanaam = genitive of paNca: five
a: not
niShevaNaat = ablative of niShevaNa: n. visiting , frequenting , living in , practice , performance , use , employment , adherence or devotion to , honour , worship
tyaagaat = ablative of tyaaga: leaving , abandoning , forsaking
ca: and
jyotiSha: n. the science of the movements of the heavenly bodies and divisions of time dependant thereon , short tract for fixing the days and hours of the Vedic sacrifices
aadiinaam = genitive, plural of aadi: ifc. beginning with , et cetera , and so on
caturNaam = genitive of catur: four
vRtti: mode of life or conduct , course of action , behaviour , (esp.) moral conduct ; practice
ghaatinaam = genitive, plural of ghaatin: ifc. killing , murderous , murderer
Monday, July 20, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
SAUNDARANANDA 13.13: Polishing Work
shariira-vacasoH shuddhau
sapt'aaNge c' aapi karmaNi
aajiiva-samudaacaaraM
shaucaat saMskartum arhasi
- = - - - = = =
= = = = - = - -
= = - - - = = =
= = = = - = - -
13.13
With regard for purity of body and voice,
And with regard also for the sevenfold
[prohibition on bodily and vocal] conduct,
A proper way of making a living
You should work on, on the grounds of integrity --
COMMENT:
The Buddha's concern in this verse seems to be for the relation between, on the one hand, a person’s way of making a living and, on the other hand, the practise of integrity on two levels: first, integrity in the general matter of one’s manner of use of body and voice (as just discussed in 13.11 - 13.12) ; and second, integrity in the particular matter of not breaking those seven of the ten universal precepts that specifically prohibit wrong physical and vocal conduct (see verses 3.30 - 3.33).
With regard to a person’s manner of use, integrity corresponds to not being disconnected or unbroken, as described in 13.11 and 13.12. Being disconnected means, for example, using the pelvis as if it were part of the legs, which it is not, instead of using the pelvis as part of the back, which it is. When people with stiff hips end-gain for “right posture,” this kind of disconnection of the back happens -- sometimes hidden beneath a Zen uniform consisting of black robes and an immaculately-sewn kasaya. Some Zen end-gainers make a big fuss over their reverence for the kasaya, and then they use the kasaya as a mask to hide a lack of integrity in their manner of sitting. My friend Plato knows exactly what I am talking about (which is very laudable, because to know when we are wrong might be all we shall ever know in this world).
With regard to the seven precepts -- namely, not inflicting needless suffering on any living being, not ripping others off, not chasing women who are spoken for; along with not lying, not gossiping, not hurting others with smooth speech, and not slandering others -- integrity means not being hypocritical. When a so-called Zen Master slanders his “Dharma-brothers” for their lax attitude towards the keeping of a precept, what kind of integrity is that?
What is meant in the 3rd line by a proper way of making a living?
I think what the Buddha is advocating is not so much to pick and choose a “Right Livelihood,” as if there ever were such an animal, but rather, whatever work one finds oneself doing, to endeavour to do it with integrity.
Some weeks ago on the blog of Jordan Fountain, some self-righteous soul criticized Jordan for continuing to earn his living as a US marine -- as opposed, presumably, to being a feminist vegan eco-warrior who wears the “Buddhist” precepts on his sleeve. What Jordan felt about that, it seemed to me, reading beneath the lines of what he politely wrote, was manifested in him getting a migraine! I felt that the person who showed a lack of integrity in this exchange was principally the self-righteous “Buddhist” who had a go at Jordan, thereby causing Jordan the suffering of a migraine. What the world needs is not Buddho-feminist vegan eco-worriers who wish to pick a fight with the US marine corp. The world needs vegan eco-warriors with integrity as opposed to those without integrity. And the world, it seems to me, is very much in need of US marines with integrity as opposed to US marines without integrity. This, one hopes, is also how it seems in the upper echelons of the US marine corps. Jordan’s recent promotion within the US marine corps, indeed, might be a kind of recognition of integrity shown in his work as a US marine.
When people ask me what I do for a living, it is difficult to give a simple answer. In the last 30 years I have worked as a student, an ice-cream salesman, an English teacher, a copy-editor, a professional translator, an economic researcher, a translator of the Buddha’s teachings supported by donations, an Alexander teacher, a reflex inhibition therapist, and so on.
A proper way of living is something I am still working on. My life is a work in progress, as this translation is also a work in progress.
Still, I would like to say something conclusive and categorical about this process of translating Ashvaghosha, and would like it to be engraved down my spine.
I drew encouragement during the process of the Nishijima-Cross translation of Shobogenzo from the metaphor of polishing a tile. I remember once writing in a fax to my teacher, with profound optimism, that nothing could prevent us from continuing with our work of polishing a tile. It was with a nice warm feeling inside that I wrote those words, a feeling of great solidarity to be working with a like-minded person on the basis of an unshakeable principle.
What a great lesson that turned out to be.
That kind of optimistic belief in another person is a mistake that I shall never make again. It is totally impossible, I have been taught, to count on other people to do anything other than get sick, grow old, and die. Integrity, in the end, is a matter for the individual -- whether he or she is making a living as a beggar, or a US marine, or a homeopath, or as a translator, or as a teacher, or as a "don't knower" with more than one string to his bow.
So, not counting on others, I am continuing this translation work independently, receiving no money for it, and not sharing responsibility for it with anybody else. I shall absolutely never allow the integrity of this process to be poisoned, as the Shobogenzo translation process was poisoned, by the lack of integrity of anybody else but me. As far as my powers of restraint allow, I shall continue this polishing work for the sake of polishing work itself.
EH Johnston:
You should sanctify the conduct of your livelihood in the purification of your body and speech and in the sevenfold work.
Linda Covill:
Purity demands that you refine your manner of making a living to conform to pure physical and verbal acts and also to the seven constituent parts of action.
VOCABULARY:
shariira: body
vacasoH = genitive dual of vacas: voice
shuddhau = locative of shuddhi: f. cleansing , purification , purity (lit. and fig.) , holiness , freedom from defilement
sapta = seven
aNge = locative of aGga: limb, subdivision, subordinate part
ca: and
api: also
karmaNi = locative of karman: action ; work, labour, activity ; product , result , effect
aajiiva: livelihood
samudaacaaram (accusative): proper or right practice or usage or conduct or behaviour ; intention , purpose , design , motive
shaucaat = ablative of shauca: n. cleanness , purity , purification ; n. purity of mind , integrity , honesty (esp. in money-matters) ; n. (with Buddhists) self-purification (both external and internal)
saMskartum = infinitive of saMskR: to work on, polish, make perfect
arhasi = you should
sapt'aaNge c' aapi karmaNi
aajiiva-samudaacaaraM
shaucaat saMskartum arhasi
- = - - - = = =
= = = = - = - -
= = - - - = = =
= = = = - = - -
13.13
With regard for purity of body and voice,
And with regard also for the sevenfold
[prohibition on bodily and vocal] conduct,
A proper way of making a living
You should work on, on the grounds of integrity --
COMMENT:
The Buddha's concern in this verse seems to be for the relation between, on the one hand, a person’s way of making a living and, on the other hand, the practise of integrity on two levels: first, integrity in the general matter of one’s manner of use of body and voice (as just discussed in 13.11 - 13.12) ; and second, integrity in the particular matter of not breaking those seven of the ten universal precepts that specifically prohibit wrong physical and vocal conduct (see verses 3.30 - 3.33).
With regard to a person’s manner of use, integrity corresponds to not being disconnected or unbroken, as described in 13.11 and 13.12. Being disconnected means, for example, using the pelvis as if it were part of the legs, which it is not, instead of using the pelvis as part of the back, which it is. When people with stiff hips end-gain for “right posture,” this kind of disconnection of the back happens -- sometimes hidden beneath a Zen uniform consisting of black robes and an immaculately-sewn kasaya. Some Zen end-gainers make a big fuss over their reverence for the kasaya, and then they use the kasaya as a mask to hide a lack of integrity in their manner of sitting. My friend Plato knows exactly what I am talking about (which is very laudable, because to know when we are wrong might be all we shall ever know in this world).
With regard to the seven precepts -- namely, not inflicting needless suffering on any living being, not ripping others off, not chasing women who are spoken for; along with not lying, not gossiping, not hurting others with smooth speech, and not slandering others -- integrity means not being hypocritical. When a so-called Zen Master slanders his “Dharma-brothers” for their lax attitude towards the keeping of a precept, what kind of integrity is that?
What is meant in the 3rd line by a proper way of making a living?
I think what the Buddha is advocating is not so much to pick and choose a “Right Livelihood,” as if there ever were such an animal, but rather, whatever work one finds oneself doing, to endeavour to do it with integrity.
Some weeks ago on the blog of Jordan Fountain, some self-righteous soul criticized Jordan for continuing to earn his living as a US marine -- as opposed, presumably, to being a feminist vegan eco-warrior who wears the “Buddhist” precepts on his sleeve. What Jordan felt about that, it seemed to me, reading beneath the lines of what he politely wrote, was manifested in him getting a migraine! I felt that the person who showed a lack of integrity in this exchange was principally the self-righteous “Buddhist” who had a go at Jordan, thereby causing Jordan the suffering of a migraine. What the world needs is not Buddho-feminist vegan eco-worriers who wish to pick a fight with the US marine corp. The world needs vegan eco-warriors with integrity as opposed to those without integrity. And the world, it seems to me, is very much in need of US marines with integrity as opposed to US marines without integrity. This, one hopes, is also how it seems in the upper echelons of the US marine corps. Jordan’s recent promotion within the US marine corps, indeed, might be a kind of recognition of integrity shown in his work as a US marine.
When people ask me what I do for a living, it is difficult to give a simple answer. In the last 30 years I have worked as a student, an ice-cream salesman, an English teacher, a copy-editor, a professional translator, an economic researcher, a translator of the Buddha’s teachings supported by donations, an Alexander teacher, a reflex inhibition therapist, and so on.
A proper way of living is something I am still working on. My life is a work in progress, as this translation is also a work in progress.
Still, I would like to say something conclusive and categorical about this process of translating Ashvaghosha, and would like it to be engraved down my spine.
I drew encouragement during the process of the Nishijima-Cross translation of Shobogenzo from the metaphor of polishing a tile. I remember once writing in a fax to my teacher, with profound optimism, that nothing could prevent us from continuing with our work of polishing a tile. It was with a nice warm feeling inside that I wrote those words, a feeling of great solidarity to be working with a like-minded person on the basis of an unshakeable principle.
What a great lesson that turned out to be.
That kind of optimistic belief in another person is a mistake that I shall never make again. It is totally impossible, I have been taught, to count on other people to do anything other than get sick, grow old, and die. Integrity, in the end, is a matter for the individual -- whether he or she is making a living as a beggar, or a US marine, or a homeopath, or as a translator, or as a teacher, or as a "don't knower" with more than one string to his bow.
So, not counting on others, I am continuing this translation work independently, receiving no money for it, and not sharing responsibility for it with anybody else. I shall absolutely never allow the integrity of this process to be poisoned, as the Shobogenzo translation process was poisoned, by the lack of integrity of anybody else but me. As far as my powers of restraint allow, I shall continue this polishing work for the sake of polishing work itself.
EH Johnston:
You should sanctify the conduct of your livelihood in the purification of your body and speech and in the sevenfold work.
Linda Covill:
Purity demands that you refine your manner of making a living to conform to pure physical and verbal acts and also to the seven constituent parts of action.
VOCABULARY:
shariira: body
vacasoH = genitive dual of vacas: voice
shuddhau = locative of shuddhi: f. cleansing , purification , purity (lit. and fig.) , holiness , freedom from defilement
sapta = seven
aNge = locative of aGga: limb, subdivision, subordinate part
ca: and
api: also
karmaNi = locative of karman: action ; work, labour, activity ; product , result , effect
aajiiva: livelihood
samudaacaaram (accusative): proper or right practice or usage or conduct or behaviour ; intention , purpose , design , motive
shaucaat = ablative of shauca: n. cleanness , purity , purification ; n. purity of mind , integrity , honesty (esp. in money-matters) ; n. (with Buddhists) self-purification (both external and internal)
saMskartum = infinitive of saMskR: to work on, polish, make perfect
arhasi = you should
Saturday, July 18, 2009
SAUNDARANANDA 13.12: Aspects of Good Use
uttaano bhaava-karaNaad
vivRtash c' aapy a-guuhanaat
gupto rakShaNa-taatparyaad
a-cchidrash c' aan-avadyataH
= = = = - - - =
- - = = - = - =
= = = - - = = =
= - = = - = - =
13.12
Expansive by reality's doing;
Open from not hiding;
Guarded because aimed at prevention;
And unbroken through freedom from fault.
COMMENT:
The subject, as I understand it, is still prayogaH kaaya-vacasoH, "use of body and voice," from the previous verse.
The first line, as I read it, relates equally to Alexander's principle of non-doing (that one cannot do an undoing but that "the right thing does itself"); and to the 2nd law of thermodynamics (that energy has an inherent tendency to spread out, unless hindered from doing so).
"Let the head out," Marjory Barlow used to say, "That's where it wants to go!"
Not hiding might include the meaning of unmasking, and of dropping off pretence. Not hiding does not mean that nothing is hidden. Things often turn out to have been hidden that we did not know we were hiding. We did not know we were hiding because the hiding was hidden. To delude oneself that nothing is hidden is not the point. The point is not to hide, even from hiding itself.
In the third line, as I read it, prevention is better than cure. To prevent a fault like anger seems constantly to require us to dig deeper than we expect to have to dig, because the roots of misuse are very deeply buried.
In the fourth line, freedom from fault might be like springing free of a traffic jam on the M40 into London by taking the A41 instead -- in which case it is not that the M40 ceases to exist.
EH Johnston:
Candid from giving expression to the feelings, open from not concealing anything, guarded from concentration on self-government and without defect from sinlessness.
Linda Covill:
upright because of the workings of your true character, open because nothing is hidden, regulated because of the focus on self-government, and without blemish because they are irreproachable.
VOCABULARY:
uttaanaH (nom.): upright
bhaava: true condition or state , truth , reality (ibc really, truly); any state of mind or body , way of thinking or feeling , sentiment , opinion , disposition , intention
karaNaad = ablative of karaNa: doing , making , effecting , causing ; n. the act of making , doing , producing , effecting ; n. the posture of an ascetic
vivRtaH (nom.): open
ca: and
api: also
a: not
guuhanaat = ablative of guuhana: n. concealing , hiding
guptaH (nom.)
rakShaNa: n. the act of guarding, watching , protecting , tending (of cattle) , preservation
taatparyaad = ablative of taatparya: aimed at ; n. devoting one's self to ; n. reference to any object (loc.) , aim , object , purpose , meaning , purport
acchidraH (nom.): unbroken, free from disconnectedness
ca: and
avadya: "not to be praised", blamable
anavadya: irreproachable , faultless ; unobjectionable
- taH: (ablative suffix)
vivRtash c' aapy a-guuhanaat
gupto rakShaNa-taatparyaad
a-cchidrash c' aan-avadyataH
= = = = - - - =
- - = = - = - =
= = = - - = = =
= - = = - = - =
13.12
Expansive by reality's doing;
Open from not hiding;
Guarded because aimed at prevention;
And unbroken through freedom from fault.
COMMENT:
The subject, as I understand it, is still prayogaH kaaya-vacasoH, "use of body and voice," from the previous verse.
The first line, as I read it, relates equally to Alexander's principle of non-doing (that one cannot do an undoing but that "the right thing does itself"); and to the 2nd law of thermodynamics (that energy has an inherent tendency to spread out, unless hindered from doing so).
"Let the head out," Marjory Barlow used to say, "That's where it wants to go!"
Not hiding might include the meaning of unmasking, and of dropping off pretence. Not hiding does not mean that nothing is hidden. Things often turn out to have been hidden that we did not know we were hiding. We did not know we were hiding because the hiding was hidden. To delude oneself that nothing is hidden is not the point. The point is not to hide, even from hiding itself.
In the third line, as I read it, prevention is better than cure. To prevent a fault like anger seems constantly to require us to dig deeper than we expect to have to dig, because the roots of misuse are very deeply buried.
In the fourth line, freedom from fault might be like springing free of a traffic jam on the M40 into London by taking the A41 instead -- in which case it is not that the M40 ceases to exist.
EH Johnston:
Candid from giving expression to the feelings, open from not concealing anything, guarded from concentration on self-government and without defect from sinlessness.
Linda Covill:
upright because of the workings of your true character, open because nothing is hidden, regulated because of the focus on self-government, and without blemish because they are irreproachable.
VOCABULARY:
uttaanaH (nom.): upright
bhaava: true condition or state , truth , reality (ibc really, truly); any state of mind or body , way of thinking or feeling , sentiment , opinion , disposition , intention
karaNaad = ablative of karaNa: doing , making , effecting , causing ; n. the act of making , doing , producing , effecting ; n. the posture of an ascetic
vivRtaH (nom.): open
ca: and
api: also
a: not
guuhanaat = ablative of guuhana: n. concealing , hiding
guptaH (nom.)
rakShaNa: n. the act of guarding, watching , protecting , tending (of cattle) , preservation
taatparyaad = ablative of taatparya: aimed at ; n. devoting one's self to ; n. reference to any object (loc.) , aim , object , purpose , meaning , purport
acchidraH (nom.): unbroken, free from disconnectedness
ca: and
avadya: "not to be praised", blamable
anavadya: irreproachable , faultless ; unobjectionable
- taH: (ablative suffix)
Friday, July 17, 2009
SAUNDARANANDA 13.11: Use of Body & Voice -- Keeping It Simple
prayogaH kaaya-vacasoH
shuddho bhavati te yathaa
uttaano vivRto gupto'
n-avacchidras tathaa kuru
- = = = - - - =
= = - - - = - =
= = = - - = = =
- = = = - = - -
13.11
So that use of body and voice
Becomes simple for you,
See to it that your use is expansive,
open yet guarded,
And free from disconnectedness --
COMMENT:
This and the following verse, as I read them, address precisely what FM Alexander called a person's "manner of use of the self." From 13.13 to 13.18, the Buddha addresses a person's manner of making a living as a related but separate issue.
Use of body and voice is rendered simple, Alexander observed, through proper employment of the head-neck-back relation which he termed "the primary control of the use of the self."
Every morning I sit for an hour wearing the Buddha-robe with right foot on left thigh and left foot on right. At some time during this sitting, generally (unless I forget), I make a full exhalation and sway slowly left and right a few times. I am more or less observant of all of Dogen's rules of sitting-zen. At the end of the hour I generally recite in Japanese a verse to direct outwards any merit that there was in the practice.
This fist sitting of the day, in what Shikhs today still call amRta velaa, the hour of the nectar of deathlessness, before air and other traffic begins, is my most formal and usually my best sitting of the day. My best hours, as I experience them, are the ones in which my use of body and voice is most expansive, most open (without falling into unguarded wildness or sloppiness) and, above all, most free of disconnectedness.
These qualities of expansiveness, openness, and freedom from disconnectedness are not things that one can achieve directly -- for example, by making a big effort to "keep the spine straight vertically." Rather, through the preventive work of stopping off misuse where it begins -- with an end-gaining idea -- the right thing can be allowed to do itself.
FM Alexander spoke of inhibiting interference with the correct employment of the primary control of the use of the self. That means, in other words, not stiffening the neck and making the spine into a shortened concertina by pulling the head down towards the hips.
Thus the right thing can be allowed to do itself, indirectly, by an indirect or preventive method. And when the right thing does itself, the qualities begin to emerge of expansiveness, guarded openness and freedom from disconnectedness.
The principle of indirectness is expressed in the fourth line, as I read it, by the words tathaa kuru, "see to it that.." or "act in a manner such that..." This does not mean to try to bring about a change by doing something directly, like trying to adjust or correct one's own posture. It has more to do with becoming aware of the end-gaining idea which is invariably at the root of undue muscular contraction, fixed joints, loss of conscious control, and disconnections in the flow of one's energy.
The conclusion of this comment, then, is that seeing to it that one's use of body and voice is free from disconnectedness is primarily a matter of waking up to one's end-gaining ideas. "Non-Buddhism"? "Alexander theory"? Maybe.
But here is what Master Dogen wrote in characters you can see for yourself if you wish, here on my webpage.
To sit in full lotus first put the right foot on the left thigh and put the left foot on the right thigh. To sit in half lotus, just let the left foot press down on the right thigh. Let clothes hang loose and keep them neat. Then place the right hand over the left foot, and place the left hand over the right palm, with the thumbs meeting and propping each other up. Just sit upright, not leaning left, inclining to the right, slumping forward or arching backward. It is vital to bring about an opposition between the ears and the shoulders, and an opposition between the nose and the navel. Let the tongue rest against the roof of the mouth, with the lips touching and the teeth together. Keep the eyes open as normal. Having brought the physical form to stillness, let the breathing also be regulated. When an idea arises, just wake up. Just in the waking up to it, it ceases to exist. Taking plenty of time, forget all involvements and you will spontaneously become all of a piece.
EH Johnston:
So act that the employment of your body and speech, being purified, may be candid, open, guarded and without defect,
Linda Covill:
So that your physical and verbal acts become pure, they should be upright, open, regulated and without blemish
VOCABULARY:
prayogaH (nominative): use ; practice , experiment (opp. to , " theory ")
kaaya: body
vacasoH: genitive dual of vacas: speech , voice , word
shuddhaH (nominative): mfn. cleansed , cleared , clean , pure , clear , free from; pure i.e. simple , mere , genuine , true , unmixed
bhavati: is, becomes
te (genitive): of you
yathaa: so that, in order that
uttaanaH (nominative): mfn. stretched out , spread out , lying on the back , sleeping supinely or with the face upwards ; upright ; spreading out over the surface ; open
vivRtaH (nom.): mfn. uncovered , unconcealed , exposed , naked , bare ; unclosed , open
guptaH (nom.): mfn. protected , guarded , preserved ; hidden , concealed , kept secret , secret
n'avacchidraH = acchidraH (nom.): mfn. free from clefts or flaws , unbroken , uninterrupted , uninjured ; n. unbroken or uninjured condition , an action free from defect or flaw
tathaa (correlative of yathaa): in such a manner
kuru (imperative of kR): to do , make , perform , accomplish , cause , effect , prepare , undertake
shuddho bhavati te yathaa
uttaano vivRto gupto'
n-avacchidras tathaa kuru
- = = = - - - =
= = - - - = - =
= = = - - = = =
- = = = - = - -
13.11
So that use of body and voice
Becomes simple for you,
See to it that your use is expansive,
open yet guarded,
And free from disconnectedness --
COMMENT:
This and the following verse, as I read them, address precisely what FM Alexander called a person's "manner of use of the self." From 13.13 to 13.18, the Buddha addresses a person's manner of making a living as a related but separate issue.
Use of body and voice is rendered simple, Alexander observed, through proper employment of the head-neck-back relation which he termed "the primary control of the use of the self."
Every morning I sit for an hour wearing the Buddha-robe with right foot on left thigh and left foot on right. At some time during this sitting, generally (unless I forget), I make a full exhalation and sway slowly left and right a few times. I am more or less observant of all of Dogen's rules of sitting-zen. At the end of the hour I generally recite in Japanese a verse to direct outwards any merit that there was in the practice.
This fist sitting of the day, in what Shikhs today still call amRta velaa, the hour of the nectar of deathlessness, before air and other traffic begins, is my most formal and usually my best sitting of the day. My best hours, as I experience them, are the ones in which my use of body and voice is most expansive, most open (without falling into unguarded wildness or sloppiness) and, above all, most free of disconnectedness.
These qualities of expansiveness, openness, and freedom from disconnectedness are not things that one can achieve directly -- for example, by making a big effort to "keep the spine straight vertically." Rather, through the preventive work of stopping off misuse where it begins -- with an end-gaining idea -- the right thing can be allowed to do itself.
FM Alexander spoke of inhibiting interference with the correct employment of the primary control of the use of the self. That means, in other words, not stiffening the neck and making the spine into a shortened concertina by pulling the head down towards the hips.
Thus the right thing can be allowed to do itself, indirectly, by an indirect or preventive method. And when the right thing does itself, the qualities begin to emerge of expansiveness, guarded openness and freedom from disconnectedness.
The principle of indirectness is expressed in the fourth line, as I read it, by the words tathaa kuru, "see to it that.." or "act in a manner such that..." This does not mean to try to bring about a change by doing something directly, like trying to adjust or correct one's own posture. It has more to do with becoming aware of the end-gaining idea which is invariably at the root of undue muscular contraction, fixed joints, loss of conscious control, and disconnections in the flow of one's energy.
The conclusion of this comment, then, is that seeing to it that one's use of body and voice is free from disconnectedness is primarily a matter of waking up to one's end-gaining ideas. "Non-Buddhism"? "Alexander theory"? Maybe.
But here is what Master Dogen wrote in characters you can see for yourself if you wish, here on my webpage.
To sit in full lotus first put the right foot on the left thigh and put the left foot on the right thigh. To sit in half lotus, just let the left foot press down on the right thigh. Let clothes hang loose and keep them neat. Then place the right hand over the left foot, and place the left hand over the right palm, with the thumbs meeting and propping each other up. Just sit upright, not leaning left, inclining to the right, slumping forward or arching backward. It is vital to bring about an opposition between the ears and the shoulders, and an opposition between the nose and the navel. Let the tongue rest against the roof of the mouth, with the lips touching and the teeth together. Keep the eyes open as normal. Having brought the physical form to stillness, let the breathing also be regulated. When an idea arises, just wake up. Just in the waking up to it, it ceases to exist. Taking plenty of time, forget all involvements and you will spontaneously become all of a piece.
EH Johnston:
So act that the employment of your body and speech, being purified, may be candid, open, guarded and without defect,
Linda Covill:
So that your physical and verbal acts become pure, they should be upright, open, regulated and without blemish
VOCABULARY:
prayogaH (nominative): use ; practice , experiment (opp. to , " theory ")
kaaya: body
vacasoH: genitive dual of vacas: speech , voice , word
shuddhaH (nominative): mfn. cleansed , cleared , clean , pure , clear , free from; pure i.e. simple , mere , genuine , true , unmixed
bhavati: is, becomes
te (genitive): of you
yathaa: so that, in order that
uttaanaH (nominative): mfn. stretched out , spread out , lying on the back , sleeping supinely or with the face upwards ; upright ; spreading out over the surface ; open
vivRtaH (nom.): mfn. uncovered , unconcealed , exposed , naked , bare ; unclosed , open
guptaH (nom.): mfn. protected , guarded , preserved ; hidden , concealed , kept secret , secret
n'avacchidraH = acchidraH (nom.): mfn. free from clefts or flaws , unbroken , uninterrupted , uninjured ; n. unbroken or uninjured condition , an action free from defect or flaw
tathaa (correlative of yathaa): in such a manner
kuru (imperative of kR): to do , make , perform , accomplish , cause , effect , prepare , undertake
Thursday, July 16, 2009
SAUNDARANANDA 13.10: Starting Afresh from Here
ataH prabhRti bhuuyas tvaM
shraddh"-endriya-puraHsaraH
a-mRtasy' aaptaye saumya
vRttaM rakShitum arhasi
- = = - - = = =
= = - - - = - =
- - = = - = = -
= = = - - = - -
13.10
"Starting afresh from here, my friend,
With the power of confidence leading you forward,
In order to get to the nectar of the deathless
You should watch the manner of your action.
COMMENT:
Here the Buddha's teaching in his own words resumes with a verse that puts preventive practice here and now (the theme of this Canto), in the context of a path where confidence in higher good (Canto 12) is a forerunner, and where the nectar of deathlessness (Canto 17) is the goal.
I understand this verse not as an injunction to be more careful, but as an injunction to be more watchful in the use of oneself, to be more mindful of what goes wrong, to be more aware of what we wish to stop off at source.
This understanding I owe primarily to Alexander teachers such as Ray Evans, Ron Colyer, Nelly Ben-Or and Marjory Barlow. The fact that my energy was ever channelled into translation work in the service of buddha-ancestors, I owe primarily to Gudo Nishijima. But the understanding I now bring to this work, for better or for worse, derives primarily from FM Alexander.
The way Gudo Nishijima taught me to sit was the same way that my father taught me to swim : more or less total end-gaining, with minimal concern for what might be going wrong in process in the way of undue excitement of fear reflexes. Rather than stopping off the root cause of fear by instilling confidence in a true principle, the principle espoused with considerable self-confidence by my two opinionated fathers, biological and "Buddhist," is to overcome fear through aggressive doing in pursuit of the end. In the rugby-playing days of my youth, my biological father would call it "getting stuck in." Gudo Nishijima calls it "the philosophy of action." It was the philosphy under which I did the Nishijima-Cross Shobogenzo translation, telling myself every day: "Just fucking do it." It is the philosophy of the Buddhist punk... 1,2,3 Go!
What is being recorded here by Ashvaghosha, and what is recorded in the four books of FM Alexander, is the principle which is diametrically opposed to the principle and practice of end-gaining. Ashvagosha wrote of pravRtti and nivRtti. In these two words pra (forward) and ni (backward/non) are prefixed to the same stem vRtti (rolling, mode of action). Vrtti is from the root vRt (to turn, proceed, do), which is also the root of the vRtta (mode of action) of this verse. The opposition that Ashvaghosha expresses as pravRtti vs nivRtti, Alexander expressed by the terms end-gaining vs means-whereby, and doing vs non-doing.
I would recommend anybody who wishes to get to the bottom of Ashvaghosha's teaching to follow the example of Jordan Fountain and read this blog in conjunction with the writings of FM Alexander.
"Starting afresh from here" (ataH prabhRti bhuuyas) means from this moment, and it might mean from every moment. At the same time, it might mean not on the basis of that principle of blind end-gaining but on the basis of this preventive principle of true mindfulness.
EH Johnston:
' From now onwards, my friend, do you, fortified by the faculty of faith, take heed still further to govern your conduct so as to reach the state where death is not.
Linda Covill:
"In order to reach deathlessness, my friend, you, with the faculty of faith as your forerunner, should from now onwards increase the guard on your conduct.
VOCABULARY:
atas: ind. (ablative of the pronom. base a) , from this
prabhRti: ind. (after an abl. adv.) beginning from
bhuuyas: ind. more , most , very much , exceedingly; still more ; once more , again , anew
tvam (nominal): you
shraddhaa: confidence
indriya: n. power , force , the quality which belongs especially to the mighty indra ; n. bodily power , power of the senses
puraHsaraH (nominal): mf(I)n. going before or in advance; m. a forerunner , precursor , harbinger
amRtasya = genitive of amRta: the nectar of immortality
aaptaye = dative of aapta: mfn. reached , overtaken , met ; received , got , gained , obtained
saumya: my friend
vRttam (accusative): n. procedure , practice , action , mode of life , conduct , behaviour (esp. virtuous conduct , good behaviour)
rakShitum = infinitive of rakSh: to guard , watch , take care of , protect ,
arhasi: you should
shraddh"-endriya-puraHsaraH
a-mRtasy' aaptaye saumya
vRttaM rakShitum arhasi
- = = - - = = =
= = - - - = - =
- - = = - = = -
= = = - - = - -
13.10
"Starting afresh from here, my friend,
With the power of confidence leading you forward,
In order to get to the nectar of the deathless
You should watch the manner of your action.
COMMENT:
Here the Buddha's teaching in his own words resumes with a verse that puts preventive practice here and now (the theme of this Canto), in the context of a path where confidence in higher good (Canto 12) is a forerunner, and where the nectar of deathlessness (Canto 17) is the goal.
I understand this verse not as an injunction to be more careful, but as an injunction to be more watchful in the use of oneself, to be more mindful of what goes wrong, to be more aware of what we wish to stop off at source.
This understanding I owe primarily to Alexander teachers such as Ray Evans, Ron Colyer, Nelly Ben-Or and Marjory Barlow. The fact that my energy was ever channelled into translation work in the service of buddha-ancestors, I owe primarily to Gudo Nishijima. But the understanding I now bring to this work, for better or for worse, derives primarily from FM Alexander.
The way Gudo Nishijima taught me to sit was the same way that my father taught me to swim : more or less total end-gaining, with minimal concern for what might be going wrong in process in the way of undue excitement of fear reflexes. Rather than stopping off the root cause of fear by instilling confidence in a true principle, the principle espoused with considerable self-confidence by my two opinionated fathers, biological and "Buddhist," is to overcome fear through aggressive doing in pursuit of the end. In the rugby-playing days of my youth, my biological father would call it "getting stuck in." Gudo Nishijima calls it "the philosophy of action." It was the philosphy under which I did the Nishijima-Cross Shobogenzo translation, telling myself every day: "Just fucking do it." It is the philosophy of the Buddhist punk... 1,2,3 Go!
What is being recorded here by Ashvaghosha, and what is recorded in the four books of FM Alexander, is the principle which is diametrically opposed to the principle and practice of end-gaining. Ashvagosha wrote of pravRtti and nivRtti. In these two words pra (forward) and ni (backward/non) are prefixed to the same stem vRtti (rolling, mode of action). Vrtti is from the root vRt (to turn, proceed, do), which is also the root of the vRtta (mode of action) of this verse. The opposition that Ashvaghosha expresses as pravRtti vs nivRtti, Alexander expressed by the terms end-gaining vs means-whereby, and doing vs non-doing.
I would recommend anybody who wishes to get to the bottom of Ashvaghosha's teaching to follow the example of Jordan Fountain and read this blog in conjunction with the writings of FM Alexander.
"Starting afresh from here" (ataH prabhRti bhuuyas) means from this moment, and it might mean from every moment. At the same time, it might mean not on the basis of that principle of blind end-gaining but on the basis of this preventive principle of true mindfulness.
EH Johnston:
' From now onwards, my friend, do you, fortified by the faculty of faith, take heed still further to govern your conduct so as to reach the state where death is not.
Linda Covill:
"In order to reach deathlessness, my friend, you, with the faculty of faith as your forerunner, should from now onwards increase the guard on your conduct.
VOCABULARY:
atas: ind. (ablative of the pronom. base a) , from this
prabhRti: ind. (after an abl. adv.) beginning from
bhuuyas: ind. more , most , very much , exceedingly; still more ; once more , again , anew
tvam (nominal): you
shraddhaa: confidence
indriya: n. power , force , the quality which belongs especially to the mighty indra ; n. bodily power , power of the senses
puraHsaraH (nominal): mf(I)n. going before or in advance; m. a forerunner , precursor , harbinger
amRtasya = genitive of amRta: the nectar of immortality
aaptaye = dative of aapta: mfn. reached , overtaken , met ; received , got , gained , obtained
saumya: my friend
vRttam (accusative): n. procedure , practice , action , mode of life , conduct , behaviour (esp. virtuous conduct , good behaviour)
rakShitum = infinitive of rakSh: to guard , watch , take care of , protect ,
arhasi: you should
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
SAUNDARANANDA 13.9: The Best of Speakers Spoke, of a Process
atha saMharShaNaan nandaM
viditvaa bhaajanii-kRtam
abraviid bruvataaM shreShThaH
krama-jNaH shreyasaaM kramam
- - = = - = = -
- = = = - = - -
= - = - - = = =
- = = = - = - -
13.9
And so now seeing that, by boosting Nanda,
He had made a receptacle,
The best of speakers spoke:
The process-knower spoke of the process
in all forms of higher good.
COMMENT:
Boosting Nanda meant stimulating the growth of his confidence in higher good; that is to say, in good higher even than living a life of royal privilege in a beautiful house in a beautiful city with a sexy and beautiful wife.
A receptacle means a human being who can become a vessel for the teaching and the practice of higher good. That teaching, as I understand it, centres on the principle of non-doing, and that practice involves the eradication of faults or defects via an indirect, inhibitory process.
The best of speakers was the best of listeners -- one person, one psycho-physical unity, one audio-vocal loop. Not two processes. One process.
A process, in other words, is a means-whereby. Knowing a means-whereby, whether it be for lighting a fire, or using one's voice well, or swimming without stress, or sitting easily, instils confidence -- as opposed to fearful end-gaining.
I would point out that whenever a person sets out to achieve a particular "end" (whether this "end" is the development of potentialities or the eradication of defects, peculiarities, or misuse) his procedure will be based on one of two principles which I have called the "end-gaining" and the "means-whereby" principles. The "end-gaining" principle involves a direct procedure on the part of the person endeavouring to gain the desired "end." This direct procedure is associated with dependence upon subconscious guidance and control, leading, in cases where a condition of mal-co-ordination is present, to an unsatisfactory use of the mechanisms and to an increase in the defects and peculiarities already existing. The "means-whereby" principle, on the other hand, involves a reasoning consideration of the causes of the conditions present, and an indirect instead of a direct procedure on the part of the person endeavouring to gain the desired "end."
FM Alexander; Constructive, Conscious Control of the Individual.
All kinds of practice of higher good (shreyash), as I understand the term, depend by definition on knowing a process.
EH Johnston:
Then the best of Speakers Who knew the course of things, recognising that Nanda had become a vessel fit for salvation through His exhortation, explained the process of the highest good :--
Linda Covill:
Now, aware that by gladdening him he had made Nanda a fitting receptacle for instruction, the best of speakers, knower of the gradual path, explained the steps to Excellence.
VOCABULARY:
atha: then, now
saMharShaNaat = ablative of saMharShaNa (from sam-√hRSh): causing (the hair of the body) to stand erect; gladdening , delighting (with gen.)
hRSh: to thrill with rapture , rejoice , exult , be glad or pleased ; to become sexually excited ; to become erect or stiff or rigid ; to rejoice , be glad ; to cause to bristle
nandaM (accusative): Nanda
viditvaa = absolutive of vid: to know, see, recognise, be aware
bhaajanii = accusative, plural of (??) bhaajana: n. " partaker of " , a recipient , receptacle , (esp.) a vessel
kRtam (accusative): made
abraviid (imperfect of brU): spoke, say, tell
bruvataam (genitive plural of bruvat, speaking): of speakers
shreShThaH (nominal, singular): the best
krama: m. a step ; course, way, method ; " progressing step by step " , a peculiar manner or method of reading and writing Vedic texts
jNaH (nominative, singular): knower
shreyasaaM = genitive plural of shreyas: n. (as) the better state , the better fortune or condition ; m. good (as opp. to " evil ") , welfare , bliss , fortune , happiness
kramam (accusative): step, process
viditvaa bhaajanii-kRtam
abraviid bruvataaM shreShThaH
krama-jNaH shreyasaaM kramam
- - = = - = = -
- = = = - = - -
= - = - - = = =
- = = = - = - -
13.9
And so now seeing that, by boosting Nanda,
He had made a receptacle,
The best of speakers spoke:
The process-knower spoke of the process
in all forms of higher good.
COMMENT:
Boosting Nanda meant stimulating the growth of his confidence in higher good; that is to say, in good higher even than living a life of royal privilege in a beautiful house in a beautiful city with a sexy and beautiful wife.
A receptacle means a human being who can become a vessel for the teaching and the practice of higher good. That teaching, as I understand it, centres on the principle of non-doing, and that practice involves the eradication of faults or defects via an indirect, inhibitory process.
The best of speakers was the best of listeners -- one person, one psycho-physical unity, one audio-vocal loop. Not two processes. One process.
A process, in other words, is a means-whereby. Knowing a means-whereby, whether it be for lighting a fire, or using one's voice well, or swimming without stress, or sitting easily, instils confidence -- as opposed to fearful end-gaining.
I would point out that whenever a person sets out to achieve a particular "end" (whether this "end" is the development of potentialities or the eradication of defects, peculiarities, or misuse) his procedure will be based on one of two principles which I have called the "end-gaining" and the "means-whereby" principles. The "end-gaining" principle involves a direct procedure on the part of the person endeavouring to gain the desired "end." This direct procedure is associated with dependence upon subconscious guidance and control, leading, in cases where a condition of mal-co-ordination is present, to an unsatisfactory use of the mechanisms and to an increase in the defects and peculiarities already existing. The "means-whereby" principle, on the other hand, involves a reasoning consideration of the causes of the conditions present, and an indirect instead of a direct procedure on the part of the person endeavouring to gain the desired "end."
FM Alexander; Constructive, Conscious Control of the Individual.
All kinds of practice of higher good (shreyash), as I understand the term, depend by definition on knowing a process.
EH Johnston:
Then the best of Speakers Who knew the course of things, recognising that Nanda had become a vessel fit for salvation through His exhortation, explained the process of the highest good :--
Linda Covill:
Now, aware that by gladdening him he had made Nanda a fitting receptacle for instruction, the best of speakers, knower of the gradual path, explained the steps to Excellence.
VOCABULARY:
atha: then, now
saMharShaNaat = ablative of saMharShaNa (from sam-√hRSh): causing (the hair of the body) to stand erect; gladdening , delighting (with gen.)
hRSh: to thrill with rapture , rejoice , exult , be glad or pleased ; to become sexually excited ; to become erect or stiff or rigid ; to rejoice , be glad ; to cause to bristle
nandaM (accusative): Nanda
viditvaa = absolutive of vid: to know, see, recognise, be aware
bhaajanii = accusative, plural of (??) bhaajana: n. " partaker of " , a recipient , receptacle , (esp.) a vessel
kRtam (accusative): made
abraviid (imperfect of brU): spoke, say, tell
bruvataam (genitive plural of bruvat, speaking): of speakers
shreShThaH (nominal, singular): the best
krama: m. a step ; course, way, method ; " progressing step by step " , a peculiar manner or method of reading and writing Vedic texts
jNaH (nominative, singular): knower
shreyasaaM = genitive plural of shreyas: n. (as) the better state , the better fortune or condition ; m. good (as opp. to " evil ") , welfare , bliss , fortune , happiness
kramam (accusative): step, process
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
SAUNDARANANDA 13.8: Versatility, Fellow-Feeling, & Indirect Means of Healing
atash ca saMdadhe kaayaM
mahaa-karuNayaa tayaa
mocayeyaM kathaM duHkhaat
sattvaan' ity anukampakaH
- = - = - = = =
- = - - - = - =
= - = = - = = =
= = - - - = - =
13.8
Thus did the benevolent one take on,
Out of that great compassion,
A form by which he might release from suffering
Fellow living beings.
COMMENT:
In six verses from 13.3 to 13.8 Ashvaghosha in his indirect way has taken us on a diversion from the main narrative in order to tell us what qualities the Buddha exemplified as a teacher. This verse, as I read it, is the concluding verse in that series of six.
A more literal translation of the verse is:
Thus did he gird together a body,
Out of that great compassion,
"By which means I might release from suffering
Living beings:" so [reasoned] he of fellow-feeling.
What the verse is describing, as I read it, is nothing too mystical or miraculous: just the kind of versatility and fellow-feeling that is exhibited by many good teachers of the present day -- in Alexander work and in other fields.
An example that springs to mind of taking on a form, or girding a body, with a view to releasing others from suffering, is that of FM Alexander: he of Tasmanian bushman's eyes and Edwardian gent's suit. Again, to engage in play an infant suffering from developmental delay, the only place to be is down on the floor.
"That great compassion" in mahaa-karuNayaa tayaa refers I think specifically to cikits'-aartham in the previous verse, i.e, the intention, through the use of various indirect means, to heal.
The truest manifestation of the Buddha's fellow-feeling, it seems to me, was that he gave to others the indirect means to help themselves. A healer is not much use to anybody if he temporarily releases his patient from the symptoms of suffering without addressing the root cause. Speaking for myself, I only really began to get this point under the influence of the teaching of -- you guessed it -- FM Alexander.
EH Johnston:
And so out of the greatness of His compassion He had put on a mortal body in His sympathy that He might release all beings from suffering.
Linda Covill:
In his sympathy discerning how he might free sentient beings from suffering, with great compassion he had taken on a bodily form.
VOCABULARY:
atash: from this, hence
ca: and
saMdadhe = 3rd person singular, perfect of saMdhaa: to place or hold or put or draw or join or fasten or fix or sew together , unite, (with manas , " to compose the mind "); make use of
kaayam (accusative): body
mahaa: (f.) great
karuNayaa = instrumental of karuNaa: f. pity , compassion
tayaa = instrumental of saa: (f.) that
muc: to release, set free, liberate, let loose
mocayeyam (1st person singular, present causative, optative of muc): I might release, set free, liberate, let loose
katham: how
duHkhaat (ablative): from suffering
sattvaani (accusative, plural): being, living or sentient being
iti: " "
anukampakaH (nominative, singular): the compassionate one, the sympathizer, he of fellow-feeling
mahaa-karuNayaa tayaa
mocayeyaM kathaM duHkhaat
sattvaan' ity anukampakaH
- = - = - = = =
- = - - - = - =
= - = = - = = =
= = - - - = - =
13.8
Thus did the benevolent one take on,
Out of that great compassion,
A form by which he might release from suffering
Fellow living beings.
COMMENT:
In six verses from 13.3 to 13.8 Ashvaghosha in his indirect way has taken us on a diversion from the main narrative in order to tell us what qualities the Buddha exemplified as a teacher. This verse, as I read it, is the concluding verse in that series of six.
A more literal translation of the verse is:
Thus did he gird together a body,
Out of that great compassion,
"By which means I might release from suffering
Living beings:" so [reasoned] he of fellow-feeling.
What the verse is describing, as I read it, is nothing too mystical or miraculous: just the kind of versatility and fellow-feeling that is exhibited by many good teachers of the present day -- in Alexander work and in other fields.
An example that springs to mind of taking on a form, or girding a body, with a view to releasing others from suffering, is that of FM Alexander: he of Tasmanian bushman's eyes and Edwardian gent's suit. Again, to engage in play an infant suffering from developmental delay, the only place to be is down on the floor.
"That great compassion" in mahaa-karuNayaa tayaa refers I think specifically to cikits'-aartham in the previous verse, i.e, the intention, through the use of various indirect means, to heal.
The truest manifestation of the Buddha's fellow-feeling, it seems to me, was that he gave to others the indirect means to help themselves. A healer is not much use to anybody if he temporarily releases his patient from the symptoms of suffering without addressing the root cause. Speaking for myself, I only really began to get this point under the influence of the teaching of -- you guessed it -- FM Alexander.
EH Johnston:
And so out of the greatness of His compassion He had put on a mortal body in His sympathy that He might release all beings from suffering.
Linda Covill:
In his sympathy discerning how he might free sentient beings from suffering, with great compassion he had taken on a bodily form.
VOCABULARY:
atash: from this, hence
ca: and
saMdadhe = 3rd person singular, perfect of saMdhaa: to place or hold or put or draw or join or fasten or fix or sew together , unite, (with manas , " to compose the mind "); make use of
kaayam (accusative): body
mahaa: (f.) great
karuNayaa = instrumental of karuNaa: f. pity , compassion
tayaa = instrumental of saa: (f.) that
muc: to release, set free, liberate, let loose
mocayeyam (1st person singular, present causative, optative of muc): I might release, set free, liberate, let loose
katham: how
duHkhaat (ablative): from suffering
sattvaani (accusative, plural): being, living or sentient being
iti: " "
anukampakaH (nominative, singular): the compassionate one, the sympathizer, he of fellow-feeling
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)