Fetching
One moment.
Fetching
One moment.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1belong certainly to a very early period of Buddhism, and many of them recur in Sanskrit as well as in P&li texts l . One result of these numerous repetitions of phrases and paragraphs is that the preservation of the text, when once established, was rendered very easy ; and that mistakes in the MSS. can now be easily rectified when they occur in such repeated passages. To edit the text of such portions of a P&li Sutta is therefore a comparatively easy task ; and it may be said of all the Suttas here translated, that they have thus acquired a valuable protection against that danger of corruption from various readings which often renders uncertain the text of important passages of works written on the very different and simpler system 1 Several examples of such passages occur in the present volume in the Akankheyya- and Maha-sudassana-Suttas, where they are pointed out in the notes. xxiv THE BUDDHIST SUTTAS. to which we are accustomed. On the other hand, however, the catchwords may sometimes have given rise to serious interpolations. It is open to much doubt whether, in the numerous passages where such stock phrases and repetitions occur, the best mode of translation is to follow word for word the expressions found in the original (but only inserted there to perform a service no longer necessary), or to make use of contractions, the fact of their being so being duly pointed out, either in notes, or by some typographical expedient. Where, for instance, a long paragraph is devoted to what an elder of the Buddhist Order of Mendicants should do, or be, under certain given circumstances, and the whole paragraph is then repeated word for word, of an ordinary member, and of a nun, and of a lay-disciple (up&saka), or of a religious woman (upasikd) 1 , it would be possible to convey the whole sense intended, by translating that an elder of the Order, and an ordinary member, and a nun, and a lay-disciple of either sex, should do, or be, such and such things. But every case of repetition is not so simple as this ; such curtailing destroys at least the form and the em- phasis of the originals ; and it seemed more in accordance with the rules laid down in the prospectus to the Series of Translations from the Sacred Books of the East, of which this volume forms a part, to adhere in all cases strictly to the text. With the exception of the earlier chapters in the Book of the Great Decease, in which a few such contractions will be found mentioned in the notes, I have therefore reproduced almost all the repeti- tions. The result will not, I trust, be embarrassing to the reader who keeps constantly in mind the aim and origin of these stock phrases and repetitions, and does not allow the wearisome form in which they are presented to shut out from his view the logical sequence of the sometimes very striking ideas which these Suttas contain. I venture to go further and to maintain that it is not necessary or 1 See below, Book of the Great Decease, Chap.
2ions, and does not allow the wearisome form in which they are presented to shut out from his view the logical sequence of the sometimes very striking ideas which these Suttas contain. I venture to go further and to maintain that it is not necessary or 1 See below, Book of the Great Decease, Chap. Ill, §§ 7, 8. GENERAL INTRODUCTION. XXV even correct to read through the whole of passages which were never intended to be read. We shall do wisely when coming to a phrase which we already know, to make use of a little judicious skipping, and, noting the course of the argument, to pass on, with even mind, to the next paragraph. I send forth the following translations with very great diffidence. It is not too much to say that the discovery of early Buddhism has placed all previous knowledge of the subject in an entirely new light; and has turned the flank, so to speak, of most of the existing literature on Buddhism. I use the term ' discovery ' advisedly, for though the PSli texts have existed for many years in our public libraries, they are only now beginning to be under- stood ; and the Buddhism of the P&li Pi/akas is not only a quite different thing from Buddhism as hitherto com- monly received, but is antagonistic to it. I cannot hope that the renderings of the many technical terms, now for the first time submitted to the judgment of students of early Buddhism, will all stand the test of time. So per- fectly dovetailed is the old Buddhist system, so utterly different from European Christianity are the ideas involved, so pregnant are the expressions used with deep and earnest religious feelings resting on a foundation completely apart from our own, that the translation of each term becomes a problem of great difficulty and delicacy. Where Gogerly or Burnouf has dealt with any word, the process has been easier: but there are many words they have not touched, and while Gogerly had no sympathy with these ancient beliefs, Burnouf has confined himself chiefly to later phases of Buddhism. There are several paragraphs — such as the one at Chapter I, § 12 of the Book of the Great Decease — which have cost me more time and trouble than the reader of the few words they contain will easily believe ; and it would be impossible to add a note to every word justifying the rendering which was finally adopted to convey the Buddhist idea, without in- volving at the same time some misleading implication. xxvi THE BUDDHIST SUTTAS. In order to call attention to the fact, when a word in the original Pali is one of these technical terms of the Buddhist system of self-training, and when therefore the English expression must be taken in that technical sense, I have throughout written the technical terms with capital letters ; and I would invite the special notice of the reader to the words thus distinguished l .
3these technical terms of the Buddhist system of self-training, and when therefore the English expression must be taken in that technical sense, I have throughout written the technical terms with capital letters ; and I would invite the special notice of the reader to the words thus distinguished l . Apart, too, from the necessity of great care in the rendering of single words, I have felt bound to make some attempt, however inadequate, to reproduce the style and tone of the Buddhist author, or authors. A mere word-for-word translation, though much easier to make, and perhaps more useful to those engaged in the study of the language would not only fail to do justice to the original, but would even convey a wrong impression to those who are interested in these wofks from the point of view of the comparative history of religious belief. There is a very real, though peculiar, eloquence in a considerable number of the prose passages, and more especially in the closing sections of each chapter; not the mere rhetorical eloquence of a clever word-painter, but the unconscious eloquence which springs from deep religious emotion. So also in the verses scattered through the Book of the Great Decease, while there is occasional doggrel, there are also one or two passages (such as I, 34 ; IV, 56 ; VI, 15-18, and 63) where the rhythm of the Pali verses is exceedingly beautiful, and the thoughts expressed not devoid of fancy. The translation of such passages has been beset with difficulty; and I am only too con- scious how small has been the success attained. But I must ask the reader constantly to bear in mind that words, dull and bare to us, are full of meaning to the Buddhist. * The Blessed Master came to the Mango-grove ' is a very plain statement of supposed fact: but to the earnest Buddhist the mention of ' the Master ' calls up to his mind 1 I regret to say that the printer has very frequently omitted to reproduce these capitals ; but they still remain in some places, and the paragraph which explains them is therefore retained. GENERAL INTRODUCTION. XXV11 his highest ideal of what is wise and great and kind ; and the Mango-grove is surrounded to him with all the poetry, and is associated with all the tender memories which to the devout and earnest Christian are wrapped up in such names as Bethany or the Mount of Olives. While impressed therefore with the knowledge of having come far short of my ideal, I feel there is for these reasons some justification in asking a kindly consideration for this first volume of English translations from the prose portions of the Path" Pi/akas. T. W. RHYS DAVIDS. Brick Court, Temple, August, 1880. MAHA-PARINIBBANA- SUTTANTA. INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. In translating this Sutta I have followed the text pub- lished by my friend the late Mr. Childers, first in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, and afterwards sepa- rately.
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.
1belong certainly to a very early period of Buddhism, and many of them recur in Sanskrit as well as in P&li texts l . One result of these numerous repetitions of phrases and paragraphs is that the preservation of the text, when once established, was rendered very easy ; and that mistakes in the MSS. can now be easily rectified when they occur in such repeated passages. To edit the text of such portions of a P&li Sutta is therefore a comparatively easy task ; and it may be said of all the Suttas here translated, that they have thus acquired a valuable protection against that danger of corruption from various readings which often renders uncertain the text of important passages of works written on the very different and simpler system 1 Several examples of such passages occur in the present volume in the Akankheyya- and Maha-sudassana-Suttas, where they are pointed out in the notes. xxiv THE BUDDHIST SUTTAS. to which we are accustomed. On the other hand, however, the catchwords may sometimes have given rise to serious interpolations. It is open to much doubt whether, in the numerous passages where such stock phrases and repetitions occur, the best mode of translation is to follow word for word the expressions found in the original (but only inserted there to perform a service no longer necessary), or to make use of contractions, the fact of their being so being duly pointed out, either in notes, or by some typographical expedient. Where, for instance, a long paragraph is devoted to what an elder of the Buddhist Order of Mendicants should do, or be, under certain given circumstances, and the whole paragraph is then repeated word for word, of an ordinary member, and of a nun, and of a lay-disciple (up&saka), or of a religious woman (upasikd) 1 , it would be possible to convey the whole sense intended, by translating that an elder of the Order, and an ordinary member, and a nun, and a lay-disciple of either sex, should do, or be, such and such things. But every case of repetition is not so simple as this ; such curtailing destroys at least the form and the em- phasis of the originals ; and it seemed more in accordance with the rules laid down in the prospectus to the Series of Translations from the Sacred Books of the East, of which this volume forms a part, to adhere in all cases strictly to the text. With the exception of the earlier chapters in the Book of the Great Decease, in which a few such contractions will be found mentioned in the notes, I have therefore reproduced almost all the repeti- tions. The result will not, I trust, be embarrassing to the reader who keeps constantly in mind the aim and origin of these stock phrases and repetitions, and does not allow the wearisome form in which they are presented to shut out from his view the logical sequence of the sometimes very striking ideas which these Suttas contain. I venture to go further and to maintain that it is not necessary or 1 See below, Book of the Great Decease, Chap.
2ions, and does not allow the wearisome form in which they are presented to shut out from his view the logical sequence of the sometimes very striking ideas which these Suttas contain. I venture to go further and to maintain that it is not necessary or 1 See below, Book of the Great Decease, Chap. Ill, §§ 7, 8. GENERAL INTRODUCTION. XXV even correct to read through the whole of passages which were never intended to be read. We shall do wisely when coming to a phrase which we already know, to make use of a little judicious skipping, and, noting the course of the argument, to pass on, with even mind, to the next paragraph. I send forth the following translations with very great diffidence. It is not too much to say that the discovery of early Buddhism has placed all previous knowledge of the subject in an entirely new light; and has turned the flank, so to speak, of most of the existing literature on Buddhism. I use the term ' discovery ' advisedly, for though the PSli texts have existed for many years in our public libraries, they are only now beginning to be under- stood ; and the Buddhism of the P&li Pi/akas is not only a quite different thing from Buddhism as hitherto com- monly received, but is antagonistic to it. I cannot hope that the renderings of the many technical terms, now for the first time submitted to the judgment of students of early Buddhism, will all stand the test of time. So per- fectly dovetailed is the old Buddhist system, so utterly different from European Christianity are the ideas involved, so pregnant are the expressions used with deep and earnest religious feelings resting on a foundation completely apart from our own, that the translation of each term becomes a problem of great difficulty and delicacy. Where Gogerly or Burnouf has dealt with any word, the process has been easier: but there are many words they have not touched, and while Gogerly had no sympathy with these ancient beliefs, Burnouf has confined himself chiefly to later phases of Buddhism. There are several paragraphs — such as the one at Chapter I, § 12 of the Book of the Great Decease — which have cost me more time and trouble than the reader of the few words they contain will easily believe ; and it would be impossible to add a note to every word justifying the rendering which was finally adopted to convey the Buddhist idea, without in- volving at the same time some misleading implication. xxvi THE BUDDHIST SUTTAS. In order to call attention to the fact, when a word in the original Pali is one of these technical terms of the Buddhist system of self-training, and when therefore the English expression must be taken in that technical sense, I have throughout written the technical terms with capital letters ; and I would invite the special notice of the reader to the words thus distinguished l .
3these technical terms of the Buddhist system of self-training, and when therefore the English expression must be taken in that technical sense, I have throughout written the technical terms with capital letters ; and I would invite the special notice of the reader to the words thus distinguished l . Apart, too, from the necessity of great care in the rendering of single words, I have felt bound to make some attempt, however inadequate, to reproduce the style and tone of the Buddhist author, or authors. A mere word-for-word translation, though much easier to make, and perhaps more useful to those engaged in the study of the language would not only fail to do justice to the original, but would even convey a wrong impression to those who are interested in these wofks from the point of view of the comparative history of religious belief. There is a very real, though peculiar, eloquence in a considerable number of the prose passages, and more especially in the closing sections of each chapter; not the mere rhetorical eloquence of a clever word-painter, but the unconscious eloquence which springs from deep religious emotion. So also in the verses scattered through the Book of the Great Decease, while there is occasional doggrel, there are also one or two passages (such as I, 34 ; IV, 56 ; VI, 15-18, and 63) where the rhythm of the Pali verses is exceedingly beautiful, and the thoughts expressed not devoid of fancy. The translation of such passages has been beset with difficulty; and I am only too con- scious how small has been the success attained. But I must ask the reader constantly to bear in mind that words, dull and bare to us, are full of meaning to the Buddhist. * The Blessed Master came to the Mango-grove ' is a very plain statement of supposed fact: but to the earnest Buddhist the mention of ' the Master ' calls up to his mind 1 I regret to say that the printer has very frequently omitted to reproduce these capitals ; but they still remain in some places, and the paragraph which explains them is therefore retained. GENERAL INTRODUCTION. XXV11 his highest ideal of what is wise and great and kind ; and the Mango-grove is surrounded to him with all the poetry, and is associated with all the tender memories which to the devout and earnest Christian are wrapped up in such names as Bethany or the Mount of Olives. While impressed therefore with the knowledge of having come far short of my ideal, I feel there is for these reasons some justification in asking a kindly consideration for this first volume of English translations from the prose portions of the Path" Pi/akas. T. W. RHYS DAVIDS. Brick Court, Temple, August, 1880. MAHA-PARINIBBANA- SUTTANTA. INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF THE GREAT DECEASE. In translating this Sutta I have followed the text pub- lished by my friend the late Mr. Childers, first in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, and afterwards sepa- rately.
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.
No commentary for this page.