Fetching
One moment.
Fetching
One moment.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1he 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 named Meghasvararfga, &c. In the north-east, monks, is the Tathagata named Sarvalokabhaydgitakkhambhitatvavidhvamsanakara!, the Arhat, &c., and, the sixteenth, myself, Sakyamuni, the Tathégata, the Arhat, &c., who have attained supreme, perfect enlightenment in the centre of this Sahaworld ?. Further, monks, those beings who have heard the law from us when we were novices, those many hundred thousand myriads of ko/is of beings, numerous as the sands of the river Ganges, whom we have severally initiated in supreme, perfect enlightenment, they are up to this day standing on the stage of disciples and matured for supreme, perfect enlightenment. In regular turn they are to attain supreme, perfect enlightenment, for it is difficult, monks, to penetrate the knowledge of the Tathagatas. And which are those beings, monks, who, svara. Dipaor pradfpa, torch, candle, light, is necessary, because the ruler of the north is the moon; meghasvara, sound of the clouds, must somehow denote the sky. R4gan, king, is king Soma (identified with the moon). 1 Var. lect. ‘bhayadevagaksha’, and, according to Burnouf, “bhayastambhitatva’. The compound contains four epithets of Siva, the ruler of the north-east ; sarvalokabhaya, the terror of all the world; agita, unconquerable (the var. lect. devaga is probably devagra, the chief or supreme of gods); 4ambhitatvakara, he who causes stiffness; vidhvamsanakara, the destroyer. Kambhita is the regular Prakrit form for stambhita, and here, without doubt, the original reading. * Which seems to imply that Sékyamuni is both the ruler of the north-west and the central point. As a ruler of the north-west we find Sikhin in Brzhat Samhit4, chap. 53, 51; in Buddhist writings Sikhin is synonymous with Brahma Sahampati. So it would seem as if SA4kyamuni in this passage were considered to be one with Brahma. N 2 180 SADDHARMA-PUNDARIKA. VII. innumerable, incalculable like the sands of the Ganges, those hundred thousands of myriads of koZis of living beings, whom I, when I was a Bodhisattva under the mastership of that Lord, have taught the law of omniscience ? Yourselves, monks, were at that time those beings.
2VII. innumerable, incalculable like the sands of the Ganges, those hundred thousands of myriads of koZis of living beings, whom I, when I was a Bodhisattva under the mastership of that Lord, have taught the law of omniscience ? Yourselves, monks, were at that time those beings. And those who shall, be my disciples in future, when I shall have attained complete Nirvaza, shall learn the course (of duty) of Bodhisattvas, without conceiving the idea of their being Bodhisattvas. And, monks, all who shall have the idea of complete Nirvaza, shall reach it. It should be added, monks, as! I stay under different names in other worlds, they shall there be born again seeking after the knowledge of the Tath4gatas, and there they shall anew hear this dogma: The complete Nirv4ma of the Tath4gatas is but one; there is no other, no second Nirvaza of the Tathagatas. Herein, monks, one has to see a device of the Tathagatas and a direction? for the preaching of the law. When the Tathagata, monks, knows that the moment of his complete extinction has arrived, and sees that the assemblage is pure, strong in faith, penetrated with the law of voidness, devoted to meditation, devoted to great meditation, then, monks, the Tathagata, because the time has arrived, calls together all Bodhisattvas and all disciples to teach them thus: There 1 Or, perhaps, when; api tu khalu punar, bhikshavo, yad aham any4su lokadhatushu anyonyair (to r. anyAnyair?) n&émadheyair viharami; in one MS, a correcting hand has written in the margin vihareyam, * Abhinirhara; I am not sure of the correctness of this rendering; in Pali abhinfh4ra is interpreted to be ‘earnest wish or aspiration ;’ abhintharati, to turn, direct. VII. ANCIENT DEVOTION. 181 is, O monks, in this world no second vehicle at all, no second Nirvama, far less a third. It is an able device of the Tathagata, monks, that on seeing creatures’ far advanced on the path of perdition, delighting in the low and plunged in the mud of sensual desires, the Tathagata teaches them that Nirvaza to which they are attached.
3It is an able device of the Tathagata, monks, that on seeing creatures’ far advanced on the path of perdition, delighting in the low and plunged in the mud of sensual desires, the Tathagata teaches them that Nirvaza to which they are attached. By way of example, monks, suppose there is some dense forest five hundred yoganas in extent which has been reached by a great company of men. They have a guide to lead them on their journey to the Isle of Jewels, which guide, being able, clever, sagacious, well acquainted with the difficult passages of the forest, is to bring the whole company? out of the forest. Meanwhile that great troop of men, tired, weary, afraid, and anxious, say: ‘Verily, Master, guide, and leader, know that we are tired, weary, afraid, and anxious; let us return; this dense forest stretches so far.’ The guide, who is a man of able devices, on seeing those people desirous of returning, thinks within himself: It ought not to be that these poor creatures should not reach that great Isle of Jewels. Therefore out of pity for them he makes use of an artifice. In the middle of that forest he produces a magic city more than a hundred or two hundred yoganas in extent. Thereafter he says to those men: ‘Be not afraid, sirs, do not return; there you see a populous place where you may take repose and perform all you have to do; there stay in the enjoyment of happy rest’. Let him who after 1 Satv4n, var. lect. satvadhAtim; Burnouf has ‘la réunion des &tres.’ * S4rtha, usually a company of merchants, a caravan. * And, of Nirvaaa, nirvanapr4pt4 viharadhvam. 182 SADDHARMA-PUNDARIKA. VII. reposing there wants to do so, proceed to the great Isle of Jewels.’ Then, monks, the men who are in the forest are struck with astonishment, and think: We are out of the forest ; we have reached the place of happy rest ; let us stay here. They enter that magic city, in the meaning that they have arrived at the place of their destination, that they are saved and in the enjoyment of rest. They think: We are at rest, we are refreshed’, After a while, when the guide perceives that their fatigue is gone, he causes the magic city to disappear, and says to them: ‘Come, sirs, there you see the great Isle of Jewels quite near ; as to this great city, it has been produced by me for no other purpose but to give you some repose.’
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.
1he 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 named Meghasvararfga, &c. In the north-east, monks, is the Tathagata named Sarvalokabhaydgitakkhambhitatvavidhvamsanakara!, the Arhat, &c., and, the sixteenth, myself, Sakyamuni, the Tathégata, the Arhat, &c., who have attained supreme, perfect enlightenment in the centre of this Sahaworld ?. Further, monks, those beings who have heard the law from us when we were novices, those many hundred thousand myriads of ko/is of beings, numerous as the sands of the river Ganges, whom we have severally initiated in supreme, perfect enlightenment, they are up to this day standing on the stage of disciples and matured for supreme, perfect enlightenment. In regular turn they are to attain supreme, perfect enlightenment, for it is difficult, monks, to penetrate the knowledge of the Tathagatas. And which are those beings, monks, who, svara. Dipaor pradfpa, torch, candle, light, is necessary, because the ruler of the north is the moon; meghasvara, sound of the clouds, must somehow denote the sky. R4gan, king, is king Soma (identified with the moon). 1 Var. lect. ‘bhayadevagaksha’, and, according to Burnouf, “bhayastambhitatva’. The compound contains four epithets of Siva, the ruler of the north-east ; sarvalokabhaya, the terror of all the world; agita, unconquerable (the var. lect. devaga is probably devagra, the chief or supreme of gods); 4ambhitatvakara, he who causes stiffness; vidhvamsanakara, the destroyer. Kambhita is the regular Prakrit form for stambhita, and here, without doubt, the original reading. * Which seems to imply that Sékyamuni is both the ruler of the north-west and the central point. As a ruler of the north-west we find Sikhin in Brzhat Samhit4, chap. 53, 51; in Buddhist writings Sikhin is synonymous with Brahma Sahampati. So it would seem as if SA4kyamuni in this passage were considered to be one with Brahma. N 2 180 SADDHARMA-PUNDARIKA. VII. innumerable, incalculable like the sands of the Ganges, those hundred thousands of myriads of koZis of living beings, whom I, when I was a Bodhisattva under the mastership of that Lord, have taught the law of omniscience ? Yourselves, monks, were at that time those beings.
2VII. innumerable, incalculable like the sands of the Ganges, those hundred thousands of myriads of koZis of living beings, whom I, when I was a Bodhisattva under the mastership of that Lord, have taught the law of omniscience ? Yourselves, monks, were at that time those beings. And those who shall, be my disciples in future, when I shall have attained complete Nirvaza, shall learn the course (of duty) of Bodhisattvas, without conceiving the idea of their being Bodhisattvas. And, monks, all who shall have the idea of complete Nirvaza, shall reach it. It should be added, monks, as! I stay under different names in other worlds, they shall there be born again seeking after the knowledge of the Tath4gatas, and there they shall anew hear this dogma: The complete Nirv4ma of the Tath4gatas is but one; there is no other, no second Nirvaza of the Tathagatas. Herein, monks, one has to see a device of the Tathagatas and a direction? for the preaching of the law. When the Tathagata, monks, knows that the moment of his complete extinction has arrived, and sees that the assemblage is pure, strong in faith, penetrated with the law of voidness, devoted to meditation, devoted to great meditation, then, monks, the Tathagata, because the time has arrived, calls together all Bodhisattvas and all disciples to teach them thus: There 1 Or, perhaps, when; api tu khalu punar, bhikshavo, yad aham any4su lokadhatushu anyonyair (to r. anyAnyair?) n&émadheyair viharami; in one MS, a correcting hand has written in the margin vihareyam, * Abhinirhara; I am not sure of the correctness of this rendering; in Pali abhinfh4ra is interpreted to be ‘earnest wish or aspiration ;’ abhintharati, to turn, direct. VII. ANCIENT DEVOTION. 181 is, O monks, in this world no second vehicle at all, no second Nirvama, far less a third. It is an able device of the Tathagata, monks, that on seeing creatures’ far advanced on the path of perdition, delighting in the low and plunged in the mud of sensual desires, the Tathagata teaches them that Nirvaza to which they are attached.
3It is an able device of the Tathagata, monks, that on seeing creatures’ far advanced on the path of perdition, delighting in the low and plunged in the mud of sensual desires, the Tathagata teaches them that Nirvaza to which they are attached. By way of example, monks, suppose there is some dense forest five hundred yoganas in extent which has been reached by a great company of men. They have a guide to lead them on their journey to the Isle of Jewels, which guide, being able, clever, sagacious, well acquainted with the difficult passages of the forest, is to bring the whole company? out of the forest. Meanwhile that great troop of men, tired, weary, afraid, and anxious, say: ‘Verily, Master, guide, and leader, know that we are tired, weary, afraid, and anxious; let us return; this dense forest stretches so far.’ The guide, who is a man of able devices, on seeing those people desirous of returning, thinks within himself: It ought not to be that these poor creatures should not reach that great Isle of Jewels. Therefore out of pity for them he makes use of an artifice. In the middle of that forest he produces a magic city more than a hundred or two hundred yoganas in extent. Thereafter he says to those men: ‘Be not afraid, sirs, do not return; there you see a populous place where you may take repose and perform all you have to do; there stay in the enjoyment of happy rest’. Let him who after 1 Satv4n, var. lect. satvadhAtim; Burnouf has ‘la réunion des &tres.’ * S4rtha, usually a company of merchants, a caravan. * And, of Nirvaaa, nirvanapr4pt4 viharadhvam. 182 SADDHARMA-PUNDARIKA. VII. reposing there wants to do so, proceed to the great Isle of Jewels.’ Then, monks, the men who are in the forest are struck with astonishment, and think: We are out of the forest ; we have reached the place of happy rest ; let us stay here. They enter that magic city, in the meaning that they have arrived at the place of their destination, that they are saved and in the enjoyment of rest. They think: We are at rest, we are refreshed’, After a while, when the guide perceives that their fatigue is gone, he causes the magic city to disappear, and says to them: ‘Come, sirs, there you see the great Isle of Jewels quite near ; as to this great city, it has been produced by me for no other purpose but to give you some repose.’
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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