−−⏑−¦−⏑⏑¦−⏑−−¦¦−−⏑−¦−⏑⏑¦−⏑−− Upajāti
(Indravajrā)
kaś-cit-tam-ānarca
janaḥ karābhyāṁ sat-ktya kaś-cic-chirasā vavande |
−−⏑−¦−⏑⏑¦−⏑−−¦¦−−⏑−¦−⏑⏑¦−⏑−−
snigdhena
kaś-cid-vacasābhyananda-naivaṁ jagāmāpratipūjya kaś-cit ||
10.5
10.5
Some people honoured
him with joined hands;
Some properly paid
homage, using their head;
Some sang his praises
with devoted words.
Nobody, in this way,
went without showing religious reverence.
COMMENT:
Today's verse can be
read, in parallel with yesterday's verse, as presenting a thesis in
the 1st pāda, an antithesis in the 2nd pāda,
a synthesis in the 3rd pāda – and an ironic suggestion of
springing up in sitting in the 4th pāda.
In those terms, joining
the palms together is habitual religious behaviour; in many cases, it
might be a cursory gesture that expresses a person's devotional
sentiment – without requiring much in the way of true devotion.
If such a perfunctory
gesture is the thesis, then the antithesis might be something
requiring more psycho-physical effort, like a full body prostration,
or like a lesson in the FM Alexander Technique, learning in practice
the principle that “the head leads and the body follows.”
But what we are dealing
with here and now is a verse of Sanskrit kāvya poetry, devoted
words, which an Indian Zen patriarch took pains to write.
In the 4th
pāda, EHJ amended naivam (na + evam) to nainam (na + enam),
and translated “none passed on without doing him reverence.”
Keeping evam, however, as per the original text, seems to me to open
up a hidden meaning which is once again suggestive of just sitting.
We saw in yesterday's
verse how the 4th pāda on the surface meant that anybody
who was sitting down, suddenly stood up. Below the surface, however,
the 4th pāda was a punch-line suggesting that anybody who was sitting,
sprang up in sitting – i.e. they dropped off body and mind.
Similarly in today's
verse the 4th pāda means on the surface that everybody showed the
bodhisattva religious reverence – e.g. by joining hands, bowing,
reciting verses, burning incense, lighting candles, jingling bells,
blowing whistles, and all the rest of it. But below the surface
Aśvaghoṣa's ironic suggestion might be that there was nobody who sat as Aśvaghoṣa himself sat – hence evam, in this way. There was nobody who just sat, without necessarily bothering about burning incense, bowing,
contemplating, confessing, reading sutras, or doing any of the other
practises that Tendo Nyojo called unnecessary...
Zen practice is body and mind dropping off, and just sitting has got it from the beginning. It is not necessary to burn incense, to perform prostrations, to contemplate the Buddha, to practise confession, or to read sutras.
VOCABULARY
kaś-cit
(nom. sg. m.): someone
tam
(acc. sg. m.): him
ānarca
= 3rd pers. sg. perf. ṛc: to praise = arc: to praise; to
honour or treat with respect
janaḥ
(nom. sg.): m. person, people
karābhyām
(inst. dual): m. 'doer', hand
sat-kṛtya:
ind. (ind.p.) having treated with respect , having hospitably
entertained ; devotedly , piously , zealously , eagerly
sat-√kṛ:
to set right , put in order , arrange , prepare , adorn , garnish; to
treat well or with respect , honour , treat or receive hospitably ;
to pay the last honours to (acc.) , cremate
kaś-cit
(nom. sg. m.): someone
śirasā
(inst. sg.): n. the head
vavande
= 3rd pers. sg. perf. vand: to praise , celebrate , laud
, extol ; to show honour , do homage , salute respectfully or
deferentially , venerate , worship , adore
snigdhena
(inst. sg. n.): mfn. stickly, slippery, smooth ; adhesive , attached
, affectionate , tender , friendly ; soft , mild , bland , gentle
; lovely , agreeable , charming
kaś-cit
(nom. sg. m.): someone
vacasā
(inst. sg.): n. speech, words
abhyananda
= 3rd pers. sg. perf. abhi- √ nand: to rejoice at ,
salute , welcome , greet , hail ; to praise , applaud , approve
na:
not
evam:
ind. thus , in this way ; sometimes evam is merely an expletive
enam
[EHJ] (acc. sg. m.): him
jagāma
= 3rd pers. sg. perf. gam: to go
apratipūjya
(a + abs. prati- √ pūj): without honouring
prati-
√ pūj: to return a salutation , reverence , salute respectfully ,
honour , praise , commend , approve
prati:
towards, in the direction of ; back , again , in return
√ pūj:
to honour , worship , revere , respect , regard
kaś-cit
(nom. sg. m.): anyone
四體諸相好 隨見目不移
恭敬來奉迎 合掌禮問訊
恭敬來奉迎 合掌禮問訊
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