Fetching
One moment.
Fetching
One moment.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1ssible, namely, that an initial a has been dropt, and that vegha or vekhd=aveksha, 'attention, foresight, care.' In the same way though avala/z^eti does occur (Gataka I, 111), the more usual form in Pali, and the only one given by Childers, is vala^eti. 38 THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. CH. the Tathigata, ceasing to attend to any outward thing, or to experience any sensation, becomes plunged in that devout meditation of heart which is concerned with no material object — it is only then that the body of the Tath&gata is at ease. 33. ' Therefore, O Ananda, be ye lamps unto your- selves. Be ye a refuge to yourselves. Betake yourselves to no external refuge. Hold fast to the truth as a lamp. Hold fast as a refuge to the truth. Look not for refuge to any one besides yourselves. And how, Ananda, is a brother to be a lamp unto himself, a refuge to himself, betaking himself to no external refuge, holding fast to the truth as a lamp, holding fast as a refuge to the truth, looking not for refuge to any one besides himself? 34. ' Herein, O Ananda, let a brother, as he dwells in the body, so regard the body that he, being strenuous, thoughtful, and mindful, may, whilst in the world, overcome the grief which arises from, bodily craving — while subject to sensations let him continue so to regard the sensations that he, being" strenuous, thoughtful, and mindful, may, whilst ia the world, overcome the grief which arises from the sensations — and so, also, as he thinks, or reasons, or feels, let him overcome the grief which arises from the craving due to ideas, or to reasoning, or to feeling. 35. * And whosoever, Ananda, either now or after I am dead, shall be a lamp unto themselves, and a refuge unto themselves, shall betake themselves to no external refuge, but holding fast to the truth as their lamp, and holding fast as their refuge to the truth, shall look not for refuge to any one besides themselves — it is they, Ananda, among my II. mahA-parinibbana-sutta. 39 bhikkhus, who shall reach the very topmost Height ! — but they must be anxious to learn V End of the Second Portion for Recitation. 1 Tamatagge me te Ananda bhikkhu bhavissanti ye keki sikkh&kdma\ The Burmese MSS. for me te read p'ete, which is a little easier. Buddhaghosa says, Tamatagge ti tamagge. Maggfte takdro padasandhivasena vutto. Idaw vuttazra hoti ime aggatama ime aggama ti : evaza sabbaoz taraa- yog&m i^inditva 4 ativiya agge uttama-bh&ve te Ananda mamam bhikkhu bhavissanti. Kesaw ati-agge bhavis- santi? Ye ke£i sikkhak&md sabbesa^ te £atu-sati-ppa/- /Mna-go£ar& kz. bhikkhu agge bhavissanti ti. Arahatta- tiku/ena desawam gawhati, * Tamatagge is for tamagge. The t in the middle is used for euphony. This word means, "these are the most pre-eminent, the very chief." Having, as above stated, broken every bond of darkness (tama) those bhikkhus of mine, Ananda, will be at the very top, in the highest condition.
2na desawam gawhati, * Tamatagge is for tamagge. The t in the middle is used for euphony. This word means, "these are the most pre-eminent, the very chief." Having, as above stated, broken every bond of darkness (tama) those bhikkhus of mine, Ananda, will be at the very top, in the highest condition. They will be at the very top of whom ? Those bhikkhus who are willing to learn, and those who exercise themselves in the four ways of being mindful and thoughtful, they shall be at the top of all (the rest). Thus does he make Arahatship the three-peaked height of his discourse' (compare on this last phrase Nibb&nena desanaku/a^ gawhati, Gataka I, 275, 393, 401 ; and see also I, 114). Uttama, the highest (scil. bhava, condition), is used abso- lutely of Arahatship or Nirvawa at G&taka I, 96; Aggaphala occurs in the same sense at Gataka I, 114; and even Phalagga at Mah. 102. The last words, 'but they must be anxious to learn,' seem to me to be an after thought. It is only those who are thoroughly determined to work out their own salvation, without looking for safety to any one else, even to the Buddha himself, who will, whilst in the world, enter into and experience Nirvdwa. But, of course, let there be no mistake, merely to reject the vain baubles of the current superstitious beliefs is not enough. There is plenty to learn and to acquire, of which enough discourse is elsewhere. For a gg am & in the comment we must read aggatamd. If one could read amatagge in the text, all difficulty would vanish ; but this would be too bold, and neither do I see how the use of anamatagge can help us. 40 THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. CH, Chapter III. i \ Now the Blessed One robed himself early in the morning, and taking his bowl in the robe, went into Vesdli for alms, and when he returned he sat down on the seat prepared for him, and after he had finished eating the rice he addressed the venerable Ananda, and said : ' Take up the mat, Ananda ; I will go to spend the day at the A£p&la Tsfetiya.' * So be it, Lord ! ' said the venerable Ananda, in assent, to the Blessed One. And taking up the mat he followed step for step behind the Blessed One. 2. So the Blessed One proceeded to the AT&pila A!etiya, and when he had come there he sat down on the mat spread out for him, and the venerable Ananda took his seat respectfully beside him. Then the Blessed One addressed the venerable Ananda, and said : * How delightful a spot, Ananda, is Ves&li, and the Udena Ajetiya, and the Gotamaka A!etiya, and the Sattambaka Ajetiya, and the Bahuputta Aetiya, and the Sdrandada Ajetiya, and the ATipila ATetiya. 3. 'Ananda! whosoever has thought out, deve- loped, practised, accumulated, and ascended to the very heights of the four paths to Iddhi 2 , and so 1 The whole of this passage down to the end of § 10 recurs in the Iddhip&da Vagga of the Sa/wyutta Nikaya. 2 Idjdhi. The four paths are, 1. will, 2. effort, 3. thought, and 4.
3s thought out, deve- loped, practised, accumulated, and ascended to the very heights of the four paths to Iddhi 2 , and so 1 The whole of this passage down to the end of § 10 recurs in the Iddhip&da Vagga of the Sa/wyutta Nikaya. 2 Idjdhi. The four paths are, 1. will, 2. effort, 3. thought, and 4. investigation, each united to earnest thought and the struggle against sin. The Iddhi reached by them is supposed in works on Buddhism to be a bodily condition (power of flying, &c), by which the body rose superior to all the ordinary limitations of III. MAHA-PARINIBBANA-SUTTA. 41 mastered them as to be able to use them as a means of (mental) advancement, and as a basis for edification, he, should he desire it, could remain in the same birth for a kalpa, or for that portion of the kalpa which had yet to run. Now the Tathcigata has thought them out, and thoroughly practised and developed them [in all respects as just more fully described], and he could, therefore, should he desire it, live on yet for a kalpa, or for that portion of the kalpa which has yet to run/ 4. But even though a suggestion so evident and a hint so clear were thus given by the Blessed One, the venerable Ananda was incapable of comprehend- ing them ; and he besought not the Blessed One, saying, * Vouchsafe, Lord, to remain during the kalpa ! Live on through the kalpa, O Blessed One ! for the good and the happiness of the great multi- tudes, out of pity for the world, for the good and the gain and the weal of gods and men ! ' So far was his heart possessed by the Evil One \ matter — a bodily condition corresponding to the mental condition of exaltation and power by which it was reached. On this curiously perverted exaggeration of the real influence of the mind over the body see, further, the translator's 'Buddhism/ pp. 174-177. Two of the string of participles — ydnikata, which may possibly mean ' made use of as a vehicle/ and susam&raddha, * most thoroughly ascended up to' — might seem to allude to Iddhi as a power of flying bodily through the air. But the whole set of participles is used elsewhere of conditions of mind highly esteemed among the Buddhists, and incapable of giving support to any such allusion. So, for instance, of universal love (metta) at Gataka II, 61. 1 Yathd taw Marena pariyu/Mita^itto. Here taw is the indeclinable particle, yathd ta/rc introducing an explanation. My MS. of the Digha Nikaya and the Tumour MS. of the Sumangala Vilasini read pariz/u/Mita, and either spelling is correct. The 42 THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. CH. 5. A second and a third time did the Blessed One [say the same thing, and a second and a third time was Ananda's heart thus hardened} 6.
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1ssible, namely, that an initial a has been dropt, and that vegha or vekhd=aveksha, 'attention, foresight, care.' In the same way though avala/z^eti does occur (Gataka I, 111), the more usual form in Pali, and the only one given by Childers, is vala^eti. 38 THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. CH. the Tathigata, ceasing to attend to any outward thing, or to experience any sensation, becomes plunged in that devout meditation of heart which is concerned with no material object — it is only then that the body of the Tath&gata is at ease. 33. ' Therefore, O Ananda, be ye lamps unto your- selves. Be ye a refuge to yourselves. Betake yourselves to no external refuge. Hold fast to the truth as a lamp. Hold fast as a refuge to the truth. Look not for refuge to any one besides yourselves. And how, Ananda, is a brother to be a lamp unto himself, a refuge to himself, betaking himself to no external refuge, holding fast to the truth as a lamp, holding fast as a refuge to the truth, looking not for refuge to any one besides himself? 34. ' Herein, O Ananda, let a brother, as he dwells in the body, so regard the body that he, being strenuous, thoughtful, and mindful, may, whilst in the world, overcome the grief which arises from, bodily craving — while subject to sensations let him continue so to regard the sensations that he, being" strenuous, thoughtful, and mindful, may, whilst ia the world, overcome the grief which arises from the sensations — and so, also, as he thinks, or reasons, or feels, let him overcome the grief which arises from the craving due to ideas, or to reasoning, or to feeling. 35. * And whosoever, Ananda, either now or after I am dead, shall be a lamp unto themselves, and a refuge unto themselves, shall betake themselves to no external refuge, but holding fast to the truth as their lamp, and holding fast as their refuge to the truth, shall look not for refuge to any one besides themselves — it is they, Ananda, among my II. mahA-parinibbana-sutta. 39 bhikkhus, who shall reach the very topmost Height ! — but they must be anxious to learn V End of the Second Portion for Recitation. 1 Tamatagge me te Ananda bhikkhu bhavissanti ye keki sikkh&kdma\ The Burmese MSS. for me te read p'ete, which is a little easier. Buddhaghosa says, Tamatagge ti tamagge. Maggfte takdro padasandhivasena vutto. Idaw vuttazra hoti ime aggatama ime aggama ti : evaza sabbaoz taraa- yog&m i^inditva 4 ativiya agge uttama-bh&ve te Ananda mamam bhikkhu bhavissanti. Kesaw ati-agge bhavis- santi? Ye ke£i sikkhak&md sabbesa^ te £atu-sati-ppa/- /Mna-go£ar& kz. bhikkhu agge bhavissanti ti. Arahatta- tiku/ena desawam gawhati, * Tamatagge is for tamagge. The t in the middle is used for euphony. This word means, "these are the most pre-eminent, the very chief." Having, as above stated, broken every bond of darkness (tama) those bhikkhus of mine, Ananda, will be at the very top, in the highest condition.
2na desawam gawhati, * Tamatagge is for tamagge. The t in the middle is used for euphony. This word means, "these are the most pre-eminent, the very chief." Having, as above stated, broken every bond of darkness (tama) those bhikkhus of mine, Ananda, will be at the very top, in the highest condition. They will be at the very top of whom ? Those bhikkhus who are willing to learn, and those who exercise themselves in the four ways of being mindful and thoughtful, they shall be at the top of all (the rest). Thus does he make Arahatship the three-peaked height of his discourse' (compare on this last phrase Nibb&nena desanaku/a^ gawhati, Gataka I, 275, 393, 401 ; and see also I, 114). Uttama, the highest (scil. bhava, condition), is used abso- lutely of Arahatship or Nirvawa at G&taka I, 96; Aggaphala occurs in the same sense at Gataka I, 114; and even Phalagga at Mah. 102. The last words, 'but they must be anxious to learn,' seem to me to be an after thought. It is only those who are thoroughly determined to work out their own salvation, without looking for safety to any one else, even to the Buddha himself, who will, whilst in the world, enter into and experience Nirvdwa. But, of course, let there be no mistake, merely to reject the vain baubles of the current superstitious beliefs is not enough. There is plenty to learn and to acquire, of which enough discourse is elsewhere. For a gg am & in the comment we must read aggatamd. If one could read amatagge in the text, all difficulty would vanish ; but this would be too bold, and neither do I see how the use of anamatagge can help us. 40 THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. CH, Chapter III. i \ Now the Blessed One robed himself early in the morning, and taking his bowl in the robe, went into Vesdli for alms, and when he returned he sat down on the seat prepared for him, and after he had finished eating the rice he addressed the venerable Ananda, and said : ' Take up the mat, Ananda ; I will go to spend the day at the A£p&la Tsfetiya.' * So be it, Lord ! ' said the venerable Ananda, in assent, to the Blessed One. And taking up the mat he followed step for step behind the Blessed One. 2. So the Blessed One proceeded to the AT&pila A!etiya, and when he had come there he sat down on the mat spread out for him, and the venerable Ananda took his seat respectfully beside him. Then the Blessed One addressed the venerable Ananda, and said : * How delightful a spot, Ananda, is Ves&li, and the Udena Ajetiya, and the Gotamaka A!etiya, and the Sattambaka Ajetiya, and the Bahuputta Aetiya, and the Sdrandada Ajetiya, and the ATipila ATetiya. 3. 'Ananda! whosoever has thought out, deve- loped, practised, accumulated, and ascended to the very heights of the four paths to Iddhi 2 , and so 1 The whole of this passage down to the end of § 10 recurs in the Iddhip&da Vagga of the Sa/wyutta Nikaya. 2 Idjdhi. The four paths are, 1. will, 2. effort, 3. thought, and 4.
3s thought out, deve- loped, practised, accumulated, and ascended to the very heights of the four paths to Iddhi 2 , and so 1 The whole of this passage down to the end of § 10 recurs in the Iddhip&da Vagga of the Sa/wyutta Nikaya. 2 Idjdhi. The four paths are, 1. will, 2. effort, 3. thought, and 4. investigation, each united to earnest thought and the struggle against sin. The Iddhi reached by them is supposed in works on Buddhism to be a bodily condition (power of flying, &c), by which the body rose superior to all the ordinary limitations of III. MAHA-PARINIBBANA-SUTTA. 41 mastered them as to be able to use them as a means of (mental) advancement, and as a basis for edification, he, should he desire it, could remain in the same birth for a kalpa, or for that portion of the kalpa which had yet to run. Now the Tathcigata has thought them out, and thoroughly practised and developed them [in all respects as just more fully described], and he could, therefore, should he desire it, live on yet for a kalpa, or for that portion of the kalpa which has yet to run/ 4. But even though a suggestion so evident and a hint so clear were thus given by the Blessed One, the venerable Ananda was incapable of comprehend- ing them ; and he besought not the Blessed One, saying, * Vouchsafe, Lord, to remain during the kalpa ! Live on through the kalpa, O Blessed One ! for the good and the happiness of the great multi- tudes, out of pity for the world, for the good and the gain and the weal of gods and men ! ' So far was his heart possessed by the Evil One \ matter — a bodily condition corresponding to the mental condition of exaltation and power by which it was reached. On this curiously perverted exaggeration of the real influence of the mind over the body see, further, the translator's 'Buddhism/ pp. 174-177. Two of the string of participles — ydnikata, which may possibly mean ' made use of as a vehicle/ and susam&raddha, * most thoroughly ascended up to' — might seem to allude to Iddhi as a power of flying bodily through the air. But the whole set of participles is used elsewhere of conditions of mind highly esteemed among the Buddhists, and incapable of giving support to any such allusion. So, for instance, of universal love (metta) at Gataka II, 61. 1 Yathd taw Marena pariyu/Mita^itto. Here taw is the indeclinable particle, yathd ta/rc introducing an explanation. My MS. of the Digha Nikaya and the Tumour MS. of the Sumangala Vilasini read pariz/u/Mita, and either spelling is correct. The 42 THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. CH. 5. A second and a third time did the Blessed One [say the same thing, and a second and a third time was Ananda's heart thus hardened} 6.
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
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