Fetching
One moment.
Fetching
One moment.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1Then, monks, on seeing that those princes, the youths, had chosen the vagrant life of mendicants and become novices, the half of the whole retinue of the king Aakravartin, to the number of eighty hundred thousand myriads of kofis of living beings?, chose the vagrant life of mendicants. Subsequently, monks, the Lord Mahabhiga#4g#4nabhibhd, the Tathdgata, &c., viewing the prayer of those novices at the lapse ® of twenty thousand fEons, amply and completely revealed the Dharmaparydya called ‘the Lotus of the True Law,’ a text * of great extent, serving to instruct Bodhisattvas and proper for all Buddhas, in presence of all the four classes of auditors. ' Yad vayam-api Tath4gatasyanusikshemahi, which may also be rendered, that we also may profit by the teaching, &c. ® The use of the term pr4zin, a living being, an animal, to denote lifeless objects, is quite analogous to that of {gov in Greek. ® Or, within the lapse, atyayena. * Sfitrénta, a word formed after the model of Siddh4nta or Raddhanta. VII. ANCIENT DEVOTION. 175 In course of time, monks, those sixteen novices grasped, kept, and fully penetrated the Lord’s teaching. * Subsequently, monks, the Lord Mahébhig#4g#4nabhibhd, the Tath4gata, &c., foretold those sixteen novices their future destiny to supreme, perfect enlightenment. And while the Lord Mahabhig#ag#anabhibhd, the Tathagata, &c., was propounding the Dharmapary4ya of the Lotus of the True Law, the disciples as well as the sixteen novices were full of faith, and many hundred thousand myriads of ko/¢is of beings acquired perfect certainty?. Thereupon, monks, after propounding the Dharmaparydya of the Lotus of the True Law during eight thousand A®ons without interruption, the Lord Mahabhig#4g#4nabhibha, the Tathagata, &c., entered the monastery to retire for the purpose of meditation *, and in that retirement, monks, the Tathagata continued in the monastery during eightyfour thousand kof¢is of AZons. Now, monks, when the sixteen novices perceived that the Lord was absorbed, they sat down on the seats, the royal thrones which had been prepared for each of them, and * amply expounded, during eightyfour hundred thousand myriads of kofis*, the Dhar- 1 Nirvi#ikitsaprapta; a var. lect. has viAikitsaprapta, which means exactly the reverse, at least if we take visikits4 in its usual acceptation. * Pratisamlayana, seclusion, retirement for the purpose of meditation, absorbing oneself in meditation; P4li pasisallana. * In one MS. added in the margin, ‘after rendering homage to the Lord M., the Tathagata.’ * One would expect eighty-four thousand kofis, the same number as above. Burnouf has in both cases eighty-four thousand ons, and that would seem to be the preferable reading. 176 SADDHARMA-PUNDARIKA. Vil.
2* In one MS. added in the margin, ‘after rendering homage to the Lord M., the Tathagata.’ * One would expect eighty-four thousand kofis, the same number as above. Burnouf has in both cases eighty-four thousand ons, and that would seem to be the preferable reading. 176 SADDHARMA-PUNDARIKA. Vil. maparyd4ya of the Lotus of the True Law to the four classes. By doing this, monks, each of those novices, as Bodhisattvas fully developed, fhstructed, excited, stimulated, edified, confirmed! in respect to supreme, perfect enlightenment 60 x 60? hundred thousand myriads of kofis of living beings, equal to the sands of the river Ganges. Now, monks, at the lapse of eighty-four thousand Eons the Lord Mahabhig#ag#4n4bhibhd, the Tathagata, &c., rose from his meditation, in possession of memory and consciousness, whereafter he went up to the seat of the law, designed for him, in order to occupy it. As soon as the Lord had occupied the seat of the law, monks, he cast his looks over the whole circle of the audience and addressed the congregation of monks: They are wonderfully gifted, monks, they are prodigiously gifted, these sixteen novices, wise, servitors to many hundred thousand myriads of kofis of Buddhas, observers of the course (of duty), who have received Buddha-knowledge, transmitted Buddha-knowledge, expounded Buddhaknowledge. Honour these sixteen novices, monks, again and again; and all, be they devoted to the vehicle of the disciples, the vehicle of the Pratyekabuddhas, or the vehicle of the Bodhisattvas, 1 Avadh4ritav4n; var. lect. avat&ritav4n, ‘ brought (them) to, initiated (them) in.’ * Shashfim shashdi (var. lect. shashAshashf) Gangdnadivalikasamfni pr4sikoAnayutasatasahasrani ; the second reading admits of being rendered, hundred thousands of myriads of kods of living beings, equal to the sands of 60x 60 rivers (like the) Ganges. The number 360 is that of the days in a year, the five supernumerary days (avama) not being taken into account. VII. ANCIENT DEVOTION. 177 who shall not reject nor repudiate the preaching of these young men of good family, O monks, shall quickly gain supreme, perfect enlightenment, and obtain Tathagata-knowledge. In the sequel also, monks, have these young men of good family repeatedly revealed this Dharmaparydya of the Lotus of the True Law under the mastership of that Lord. And the 60 x 60 hundred thousand myriads of ko/is of living beings, equal to the sands of the river Ganges}, who by each of the sixteen novices, the Bodhisattvas Mahdsattvas, in the quality of Bodhisattva, had been roused to enlightenment, all those beings followed the example of the sixteen novices in choosing along with them the vagrant life of mendicants, in their several existences; they enjoyed their sight and heard the law from their mouth. They propitiated forty ko¢is* of Buddhas, and some are doing so up to this day.
3They propitiated forty ko¢is* of Buddhas, and some are doing so up to this day. I announce to you, monks, I declare to you: Those sixteen princes, the youths, who as novices under the mastership of the Lord were interpreters of the law, have all reached supreme, perfect enlightenment, and all of them are staying, existing, living even now, in the several directions of space, in different Buddha-fields, preaching the law to many hundred thousand myriads of koéis of disciples and Bodhisattvas, to wit: In the east, monks, in the world® Abhirati the Tathagata named Akshobhya, 1 Or, as above in note 2, page 176. ? Var. lect. has 40 x 100,000 x 10,000 kofs. * Lokadh4tu; it appears from this passage that this term, though it may be rendered by ‘ world’ or ‘ universe,’ in reality means what is implied by its etymology, viz. a fixed point of the world. It is needless to remark that the points of the compass are meant. (21) N 178 SADDHARMA-PUNDARIKA. VIL. the Arhat, &c., and the Tathagata Merukdéa, the Arhat, &c.! In the south-east, monks, is the Tath4gata Simhaghosha, &c., and the Tathagata Simhadhvaga, &c.? In the south, monks, is the Tathagata named AkAsapratish¢hita, &c., and the Tath4gata named Nityaparinirvyzta*, &c. In the southwest, monks, is the Tathagata named Indradhvaga, &c., and the Tathagata named Brahmadhvaga, &c. In the west, monks, is the Tathagata named Amitayus 4, &c., and the Tathagata named Sarvalokadhatdpadravodvegapratyuttirza, &c. In the north-west, monks, is the Tath4gata named TamAlapatrafandanagandhdbhig#a®, &c., and the Tathagata Merukalpa, &c. In the north, monks, is the Tathagata named Meghasvarapradipa®, &c., and the Tathagata 1 Tam at a loss to explain by what trick the S. E. E. point is called ‘summit of the Meru.’ * The names of these two Tathdgatas mean severally, having a lion’s voice, and having a lion for ensign. ‘Lion’ is one of the constant veiled expressions for hari, yellow, ruddy, Vishwu, lion, &c., because hari possesses all these different meanings. The Buddhas here intended may be Agni and Anila or Antariksha (=v4yu, air), both of them known by the name of hari. Cf. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, VI (new series), p. 287 seq. ® So have my MSS.; Nityaparinivréta, ‘always extinct or quiet,’ is Yama, Death. “ Identical with Amitabha; he is the ruler of the blessed dead in the city of Bliss (Sukhavatf), and therefore a variety of Yama. His being placed in the west is explainable, because Yama and Varuma in a certain function coincide, and the latter otherwise appears as the ruler of the west. The following worthy with endless name, ‘ Having past all worldly calamities and emotions,’ is another designation of Amitayus, i.e. he whose life is of unlimited duration. 5 According to the Camb. MSS.; the name ‘cognizant of the scent of Xanthochymus and sandal’ denotes the Wind, the ruler of the north-west. * Var. lect. Meghasvaradipa; Burnouf has a third form, Megha- VII. ANCIENT DEVOTION. 179
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.
1Then, monks, on seeing that those princes, the youths, had chosen the vagrant life of mendicants and become novices, the half of the whole retinue of the king Aakravartin, to the number of eighty hundred thousand myriads of kofis of living beings?, chose the vagrant life of mendicants. Subsequently, monks, the Lord Mahabhiga#4g#4nabhibhd, the Tathdgata, &c., viewing the prayer of those novices at the lapse ® of twenty thousand fEons, amply and completely revealed the Dharmaparydya called ‘the Lotus of the True Law,’ a text * of great extent, serving to instruct Bodhisattvas and proper for all Buddhas, in presence of all the four classes of auditors. ' Yad vayam-api Tath4gatasyanusikshemahi, which may also be rendered, that we also may profit by the teaching, &c. ® The use of the term pr4zin, a living being, an animal, to denote lifeless objects, is quite analogous to that of {gov in Greek. ® Or, within the lapse, atyayena. * Sfitrénta, a word formed after the model of Siddh4nta or Raddhanta. VII. ANCIENT DEVOTION. 175 In course of time, monks, those sixteen novices grasped, kept, and fully penetrated the Lord’s teaching. * Subsequently, monks, the Lord Mahébhig#4g#4nabhibhd, the Tath4gata, &c., foretold those sixteen novices their future destiny to supreme, perfect enlightenment. And while the Lord Mahabhig#ag#anabhibhd, the Tathagata, &c., was propounding the Dharmapary4ya of the Lotus of the True Law, the disciples as well as the sixteen novices were full of faith, and many hundred thousand myriads of ko/¢is of beings acquired perfect certainty?. Thereupon, monks, after propounding the Dharmaparydya of the Lotus of the True Law during eight thousand A®ons without interruption, the Lord Mahabhig#4g#4nabhibha, the Tathagata, &c., entered the monastery to retire for the purpose of meditation *, and in that retirement, monks, the Tathagata continued in the monastery during eightyfour thousand kof¢is of AZons. Now, monks, when the sixteen novices perceived that the Lord was absorbed, they sat down on the seats, the royal thrones which had been prepared for each of them, and * amply expounded, during eightyfour hundred thousand myriads of kofis*, the Dhar- 1 Nirvi#ikitsaprapta; a var. lect. has viAikitsaprapta, which means exactly the reverse, at least if we take visikits4 in its usual acceptation. * Pratisamlayana, seclusion, retirement for the purpose of meditation, absorbing oneself in meditation; P4li pasisallana. * In one MS. added in the margin, ‘after rendering homage to the Lord M., the Tathagata.’ * One would expect eighty-four thousand kofis, the same number as above. Burnouf has in both cases eighty-four thousand ons, and that would seem to be the preferable reading. 176 SADDHARMA-PUNDARIKA. Vil.
2* In one MS. added in the margin, ‘after rendering homage to the Lord M., the Tathagata.’ * One would expect eighty-four thousand kofis, the same number as above. Burnouf has in both cases eighty-four thousand ons, and that would seem to be the preferable reading. 176 SADDHARMA-PUNDARIKA. Vil. maparyd4ya of the Lotus of the True Law to the four classes. By doing this, monks, each of those novices, as Bodhisattvas fully developed, fhstructed, excited, stimulated, edified, confirmed! in respect to supreme, perfect enlightenment 60 x 60? hundred thousand myriads of kofis of living beings, equal to the sands of the river Ganges. Now, monks, at the lapse of eighty-four thousand Eons the Lord Mahabhig#ag#4n4bhibhd, the Tathagata, &c., rose from his meditation, in possession of memory and consciousness, whereafter he went up to the seat of the law, designed for him, in order to occupy it. As soon as the Lord had occupied the seat of the law, monks, he cast his looks over the whole circle of the audience and addressed the congregation of monks: They are wonderfully gifted, monks, they are prodigiously gifted, these sixteen novices, wise, servitors to many hundred thousand myriads of kofis of Buddhas, observers of the course (of duty), who have received Buddha-knowledge, transmitted Buddha-knowledge, expounded Buddhaknowledge. Honour these sixteen novices, monks, again and again; and all, be they devoted to the vehicle of the disciples, the vehicle of the Pratyekabuddhas, or the vehicle of the Bodhisattvas, 1 Avadh4ritav4n; var. lect. avat&ritav4n, ‘ brought (them) to, initiated (them) in.’ * Shashfim shashdi (var. lect. shashAshashf) Gangdnadivalikasamfni pr4sikoAnayutasatasahasrani ; the second reading admits of being rendered, hundred thousands of myriads of kods of living beings, equal to the sands of 60x 60 rivers (like the) Ganges. The number 360 is that of the days in a year, the five supernumerary days (avama) not being taken into account. VII. ANCIENT DEVOTION. 177 who shall not reject nor repudiate the preaching of these young men of good family, O monks, shall quickly gain supreme, perfect enlightenment, and obtain Tathagata-knowledge. In the sequel also, monks, have these young men of good family repeatedly revealed this Dharmaparydya of the Lotus of the True Law under the mastership of that Lord. And the 60 x 60 hundred thousand myriads of ko/is of living beings, equal to the sands of the river Ganges}, who by each of the sixteen novices, the Bodhisattvas Mahdsattvas, in the quality of Bodhisattva, had been roused to enlightenment, all those beings followed the example of the sixteen novices in choosing along with them the vagrant life of mendicants, in their several existences; they enjoyed their sight and heard the law from their mouth. They propitiated forty ko¢is* of Buddhas, and some are doing so up to this day.
3They propitiated forty ko¢is* of Buddhas, and some are doing so up to this day. I announce to you, monks, I declare to you: Those sixteen princes, the youths, who as novices under the mastership of the Lord were interpreters of the law, have all reached supreme, perfect enlightenment, and all of them are staying, existing, living even now, in the several directions of space, in different Buddha-fields, preaching the law to many hundred thousand myriads of koéis of disciples and Bodhisattvas, to wit: In the east, monks, in the world® Abhirati the Tathagata named Akshobhya, 1 Or, as above in note 2, page 176. ? Var. lect. has 40 x 100,000 x 10,000 kofs. * Lokadh4tu; it appears from this passage that this term, though it may be rendered by ‘ world’ or ‘ universe,’ in reality means what is implied by its etymology, viz. a fixed point of the world. It is needless to remark that the points of the compass are meant. (21) N 178 SADDHARMA-PUNDARIKA. VIL. the Arhat, &c., and the Tathagata Merukdéa, the Arhat, &c.! In the south-east, monks, is the Tath4gata Simhaghosha, &c., and the Tathagata Simhadhvaga, &c.? In the south, monks, is the Tathagata named AkAsapratish¢hita, &c., and the Tath4gata named Nityaparinirvyzta*, &c. In the southwest, monks, is the Tathagata named Indradhvaga, &c., and the Tathagata named Brahmadhvaga, &c. In the west, monks, is the Tathagata named Amitayus 4, &c., and the Tathagata named Sarvalokadhatdpadravodvegapratyuttirza, &c. In the north-west, monks, is the Tath4gata named TamAlapatrafandanagandhdbhig#a®, &c., and the Tathagata Merukalpa, &c. In the north, monks, is the Tathagata named Meghasvarapradipa®, &c., and the Tathagata 1 Tam at a loss to explain by what trick the S. E. E. point is called ‘summit of the Meru.’ * The names of these two Tathdgatas mean severally, having a lion’s voice, and having a lion for ensign. ‘Lion’ is one of the constant veiled expressions for hari, yellow, ruddy, Vishwu, lion, &c., because hari possesses all these different meanings. The Buddhas here intended may be Agni and Anila or Antariksha (=v4yu, air), both of them known by the name of hari. Cf. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, VI (new series), p. 287 seq. ® So have my MSS.; Nityaparinivréta, ‘always extinct or quiet,’ is Yama, Death. “ Identical with Amitabha; he is the ruler of the blessed dead in the city of Bliss (Sukhavatf), and therefore a variety of Yama. His being placed in the west is explainable, because Yama and Varuma in a certain function coincide, and the latter otherwise appears as the ruler of the west. The following worthy with endless name, ‘ Having past all worldly calamities and emotions,’ is another designation of Amitayus, i.e. he whose life is of unlimited duration. 5 According to the Camb. MSS.; the name ‘cognizant of the scent of Xanthochymus and sandal’ denotes the Wind, the ruler of the north-west. * Var. lect. Meghasvaradipa; Burnouf has a third form, Megha- VII. ANCIENT DEVOTION. 179
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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