−−−⏑¦⏑−−−¦¦⏑−−−¦⏑−⏑−
tat-prīto
'smi tavānena mahā-bhāgena karmaṇā |
−⏑−⏑¦⏑−−−¦¦⏑−−⏑¦⏑−⏑−
dṛśyate
mayi bhāvo
'yaṁ phalebhyo
'pi parāṅ-mukhe || 6.8
6.8
Therefore I am
gladdened
By this most
magnificent action of yours.
This attitude towards
me is conspicuous,
[Or this transformation
into me is realized,]
Turned away while I am
from rewards.
COMMENT:
Today's
verse is another verse to be wrestled with long and hard. Its
difficulty, centred on the many meanings of the word bhāva, is
indicated by my resort to square brackets.
Today's
verse is ostensibly all about how a devoted servant thinks and feels
towards his master. On the surface, then, the key word in today's
verse is bhāva, and bhāva means “feeling” (EBC/EHJ) or “love”
(PO).
Below
the surface, though, the key words in today's verse are really
tavānena
mahā-bhāgena karmaṇā, “this most magnificent action of yours.”
Because what
today's verse is really all about is that which
transcends thinking and feeling, and love and hate, which is namely
most magnificent action.
In
the 3rd pāda, then, mayi bhāvaḥ ostensibly means “a feeling (of
love or affection) towards me,” but if we follow the hidden meaning
in which action is to the fore mayi bhāvaḥ suggests at least two
other readings.
First,
bhāva can mean “manner of acting” or “disposition,” in which
case mayi bhāvaḥ can be understood to mean nothing to so emotional
or attached as a servant's feeling of love for the master to whom he
is devoted; on the contrary, if we understand bhaktimān (“being
devoted”) in yesterday's verse to express devotion not to a person
but to the principle of action itself, then mayi bhāvo' yam (“this
attitude towards me” or “this manner of acting towards me”)
suggests the manner of action of one who is learning to devote
himself just to his own action, without clinging to, or trying to
curry favour with, or win brownie points from, his teacher/master.
Second, and more
profoundly removed from the ostensible reading, since bhāva with the
locative can mean “turning into,” mayi bhāvaḥ can be understood
as a master describing a servant's action of just serving as “turning
into me.” The 3rd pāda in that case means something
like “This transformation into me becomes visible” or “This
transformation into me is realized.”
In that case, the 3rd
pāda can be read as pre-saging Bodhidharma's famous words to four
successors, “You have got my skin,” “You have got my flesh,”
“You have got my bones,” and “You have got my marrow.”
On a textual note, I
have retained EBC's Sanskrit, which is as per the old Nepalese
manuscript except with yas at the end of the 3rd pāda
amended to 'yaṁ. In these original versions of the text the 3rd
pāda begins with dṛśyate
(EBC: “is seen”) which I have understood to mean “is
conspicuous” or “is realized.” And the verse ends with
parāṅ-mukhe (loc. sg.) agreeing with mayi (hence EBC: “I am
regardless...”):
“I am pleased with this noble action of thine; this feeling is seen towards me, even though I am regardless of conferring rewards.” (EBC)
EHJ changed dṛśyate
in the 3rd pāda to yasya te, and changed parāṅ-mukhe
in the 4th
pāda to parāṅ-mukhaḥ, which then agrees not with mayi (towards/into me) but with bhavāh (feeling or love). Hence:
“Therefore I am well-pleased with this your noble action in displaying towards me this feeling, which takes no count even of possible rewards.” (EHJ)
“I am delighted, therefore, at this lofty deed of yours; This love of yours toward me, has no regard for rewards.” (PO)
With EHJ's amendments,
then, the emphasis undergoes a significant lovey-dovey shift,
bringing to mind again the analogy of the husband on Valentine's Day
sweet-talking his neglected but loving wife.
Whereas the thrust of
the original text, as I read it, is to subvert just such
sentimentality and point in the direction of what gets the marrow,
after an arm has been cut off, which is action itself.
Finally,
if in the 4th pāda we accept the parāṅ-mukhe
of the original text, the implicit suggestion might be as per the chapter of Shobogenzo called Kuyo-shobutsu, in which Dogen considers
the whole question of having and not having an agenda in serving
buddhas.
The
point might be, to spell it out, that in the action of serving
buddhas, buddha is totally free of any reward-seeking agenda. But for
the servant engaged in the lengthy process of learning what it means
to serve buddha, how is it?
In a theory like that
of pure land Buddhism, when we light incense, chant ineffectual
chants (“May all beings be well.”... “May all beings be
well”...), ring bells, and blow whistles, our mind in serving
buddhas is not tainted by any consideration of result or reward.
But how is it really,
in practice?
Speaking
for myself, there are moments, I must admit, when I hope the heroic nature of my lonesome efforts will some day be recognized (and all the blots will be magically erased from the karmic copybook). Nothing too grand, you understand, just a
few craggy lines on some old bit of rock somewhere...
VOCABULARY
tad:
ind. so, therefore
prītaḥ
(nom. sg. m.): mfn. pleased or delighted or satisfied with , joyful
at , glad of (with instr. loc. gen. , or ifc.)
asmi
= 1st pers. sg. as: to be
tava
(gen. sg.): of yours
anena
(inst. sg. n.): this
mahā-bhāgena
(inst. sg. n.); mfn. one to whom a great portion or lot has fallen ,
highly fortunate , eminent in the highest degree , illustrious ,
highly distinguished (mostly of persons and frequently in address) ;
virtuous in a high degree , pure , holy
bhāga:
m. ( √ bhaj) a part , portion , share , allotment , inheritance (in
Ved. also = lot , esp. fortunate lot , good fortune , luck , destiny)
√ bhaj:
to divide , distribute , allot or apportion to (dat. or gen.) , share
with (instr.) ; (A1.) to grant , bestow , furnish , supply ;
karmaṇā
(inst. sg.): n. act , action , performance , business
dṛśyate
= 3rd pers. sg. passive dṛś: to be seen , become
visible , appear ; to be shown or manifested , appear as (iva) ,
prove
yasya
[EHJ] (gen. sg.): of which
te
[EHJ] (gen. sg.): of you
mayi
(loc. sg.): to me
bhāvaḥ
(nom. sg.): m. being; turning or transition into (loc. or comp.) ;
manner of being , nature , temperament , character ; manner of acting
, conduct , behaviour ; any state of mind or body , way of thinking
or feeling , sentiment , opinion , disposition , intention ; love ,
affection , attachment ; the seat of the feelings or affections ,
heart , soul , mind
yaḥ
(nom. sg. m.): [relative pronoun] which, that
ayam
(nom. sg. m.): this , this here , referring to something near the
speaker
phalebhyaḥ
(abl./dat. pl.): n. fruit (met.) , consequence , effect , result ,
retribution (good or bad) , gain or loss , reward or punishment ,
advantage or disadvantage
api:
even
parāṅ-mukhe
(loc. sg. m.): mfn. having the face turned away or averted , turning
the back upon ; averse from , hostile to , regardless of , shunning
parāṅ-mukhaḥ
[EHJ] (nom. sg. m.): ibid
捐棄世榮利 進歩隨我來
何人不向利 無利親戚離
汝今空隨我 不求現世報
[Conflated with next verse]
捐棄世榮利 進歩隨我來
何人不向利 無利親戚離
汝今空隨我 不求現世報
[Conflated with next verse]
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