Fetching
One moment.
Fetching
One moment.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1The real meaning of dharm4bhisamsk§4ra is, probably, ‘ position in life’ or ‘religion.’ Cf. stanza 4 below. 216 SADDHARMA-PUNDARIKA. x. complete Nirvaza, may be deemed to have appeared! in the predicament of a Tath4gata?, such a one, Bhaishagyaraga, be it a young man or a young lady of good family, must be held to perform the function of the Tathagata, to be a deputy of the Tathagata. As such, Bhaishagyaraga, should be acknowledged the young man or the young lady of good family, who communicates this Dharmapary4ya, after the complete Nirvaza of the Tathagata, were it but in secret or by stealth or to one single creature that he communicated or told it. Again, Bhaishagyaraga, if some creature vicious, wicked, and cruel-minded should in the (current) Age speak something injurious in the face of the Tathagata, and if some should utter a single harsh word, founded or unfounded, to those irreproachable preachers of the law and keepers of this Sdtranta, whether lay devotees or clergymen, I declare that the latter sin is the graver. For, Bhaishagyaraga, such a young man or young lady of good family must be held to be adorned with the apparel of the Tathagata. He carries the Tathagata on his shoulder, Bhaishagyaraga, who after having copied this Dharmaparya4ya and made a volume of it, carries it on his shoulder. Such a one, wherever he goes, must be saluted by all beings with joined hands, must be honoured, respected, worshipped, venerated, revered by gods and men with flowers, incense, perfumed garlands, ointment, powder, clothes, umbrellas, flags, banners, musical instruments, with ' Upapanna, an ambiguous term ; it may also mean ‘ fit.’ ® Tathagata-bhfta; avar. lect. has Tathagata-dita, a messenger, a deputy of the Tathagata. X. THE PREACHER. 217 food, soft and hard, with nourishment and drink, with vehicles, with heaps of choice and gorgeous jewels. That preacher of the law must be honoured by heaps of gorgeous jewels being presented to that preacher of the law. For it may be that by his expounding this Dharmapary4ya, were it only once, innumerable, incalculable beings who hear it shall soon become accomplished in supreme and perfect enlightenment. And on that occasion the Lord uttered the following stanzas: 1. He who wishes to be established in Buddhahood and aspires to the knowledge of the Self-born', must honour those who keep this doctrine. 2. And he who is desirous of omniscience and thinks: How shall I soonest reach it? must try to know this Sdtra by heart, or at least honour one who knows it. 3. He has been sent by the Lord of the world to convert (or catechise) men, he who out of compassion for mankind recites this Sdtra *. 4. After giving up a good position, that great man® has come hither, he who out of compassion for mankind keeps this Sftra (in memory). 5. It is by force of his position, that in the last times he is seen preaching this unsurpassed Sftra. 6. That preacher of the law must be honoured
24. After giving up a good position, that great man® has come hither, he who out of compassion for mankind keeps this Sftra (in memory). 5. It is by force of his position, that in the last times he is seen preaching this unsurpassed Sftra. 6. That preacher of the law must be honoured ? Svayambhfigfi4na, which, to my apprehension, is an alteration of brahmavidy4. * From such a passage as this one might be tempted to believe that it had been the intention of the author of this verse to represent Buddha as eternal ; cf. Burnouf’s remarks in his Introduction, p- 119. * Ie. the preacher or catechiser. 218 SADDHARMA-PUNDARIKA. X. with divine and human flowers and all sorts of perfumes; be decked with divine cloth and strewed with jewels. . 7. One should always reverentially salute him with joined hands, as if he were the Chief of Ginas or the Self-born, he who in these most dreadful, last days keeps this Satra of the Extinct (Buddha). 8. One should give food, hard and soft, nourishment and drink, lodging in a convent, ko¢is of robes to honour the son of Gina, when he has propounded, be it but once, this Sdtra. 9. He performs the task of the Tath4gatas and has been sent by me to the world of men, he who in the last days shall copy, keep, or hear this Satra. 10. The man who in wickedness of heart or with frowning brow should at any time of a whole A2on utter something injurious in my presence, commits a great sin. 11. But one who reviles and abuses those guardians of this Sdtranta, when they are expounding this Sdtra, I say that he commits a still greater sin. 12. The man who, striving for superior enlightenment, shall in a complete A£on praise me in my face with joined hands, with many myriads of kof¢is of stanzas, 13. Shall thence derive a great merit, since he has glorified me in gladness of heart. But a still greater merit shall he acquire who pronounces the praise of those (preachers). 14. One who shall during eighteen thousand kotis of AEons pay worship to those objects of veneration!, with words, visible things, flavours, with divine scents and divine kinds of touch, 1Pusteshu. I think that these pustas, models, images, denote X. THE PREACHER. 219 15. If such a one, by his paying that worship to the objects of veneration during eighteen thousand kot¢is of AZons, happens to hear this Satra, were it only once, he shall obtain an amazingly great advantage.
3I think that these pustas, models, images, denote X. THE PREACHER. 219 15. If such a one, by his paying that worship to the objects of veneration during eighteen thousand kot¢is of AZons, happens to hear this Satra, were it only once, he shall obtain an amazingly great advantage. I announce to thee, Bhaishagyaraga, I declare to thee, that many are the Dharmapary4yas which I have propounded, am propounding, and shall propound. And among all those Dharmaparydyas, Bhaishagyaraga, it is this which is apt to meet with no acceptance with everybody, to find no belief with everybody. This, indeed, Bhaishagyaraga, is the transcendent spiritual esoteric lore of the law, preserved by the power of the Tath4gatas, but never divulged; it is an article (of creed)! not yet made known. By the majority of people, Bhaishagyaraga, this Dharmaparyaya is rejected during the lifetime of the Tathagata ; in far higher degree such will be the case after his complete extinction. Nevertheless, Bhaishagyardga, one has to consider those young men or young ladies of good family to be invested with the robes of the Tathagata ; to be regarded and blessed by the Tath4gatas living in other worlds, that they shall have the force of individual persuasion, the force that is rooted in virtue, the exemplary preachers who are likened to the Tathagata, and sent by him (Tath4gata-bhfita and Tath4gata-dfita), spoken of in the preceding verses as well as in the prose passages above. Instead of models, I have used the phrase, objects of veneration, for clearness sake. Burnouf’s original rendering ‘images’ is, so far as I can see, preferable to his correction of it into ‘books.’ There is no question of books, only of a single work, the Lotus; and it is clear that we must try to make the contents of the last two stanzas agree with the final part of the preceding prose. 1 Or point of view, standpoint. 220 SADDHARMA-PUNDARIKA. X. and the force of a pious vow. They shall dwell apart in the convents of the Tath4gata, Bhaishagyaraga, and shall have their heads stroked by the hand of the Tath4gata, those young men and young ladies of good family, who after the complete extinction of the Tath4gata shall believe, read, write, honour this Dharmapary4ya and recite it to others.
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.
1The real meaning of dharm4bhisamsk§4ra is, probably, ‘ position in life’ or ‘religion.’ Cf. stanza 4 below. 216 SADDHARMA-PUNDARIKA. x. complete Nirvaza, may be deemed to have appeared! in the predicament of a Tath4gata?, such a one, Bhaishagyaraga, be it a young man or a young lady of good family, must be held to perform the function of the Tathagata, to be a deputy of the Tathagata. As such, Bhaishagyaraga, should be acknowledged the young man or the young lady of good family, who communicates this Dharmapary4ya, after the complete Nirvaza of the Tathagata, were it but in secret or by stealth or to one single creature that he communicated or told it. Again, Bhaishagyaraga, if some creature vicious, wicked, and cruel-minded should in the (current) Age speak something injurious in the face of the Tathagata, and if some should utter a single harsh word, founded or unfounded, to those irreproachable preachers of the law and keepers of this Sdtranta, whether lay devotees or clergymen, I declare that the latter sin is the graver. For, Bhaishagyaraga, such a young man or young lady of good family must be held to be adorned with the apparel of the Tathagata. He carries the Tathagata on his shoulder, Bhaishagyaraga, who after having copied this Dharmaparya4ya and made a volume of it, carries it on his shoulder. Such a one, wherever he goes, must be saluted by all beings with joined hands, must be honoured, respected, worshipped, venerated, revered by gods and men with flowers, incense, perfumed garlands, ointment, powder, clothes, umbrellas, flags, banners, musical instruments, with ' Upapanna, an ambiguous term ; it may also mean ‘ fit.’ ® Tathagata-bhfta; avar. lect. has Tathagata-dita, a messenger, a deputy of the Tathagata. X. THE PREACHER. 217 food, soft and hard, with nourishment and drink, with vehicles, with heaps of choice and gorgeous jewels. That preacher of the law must be honoured by heaps of gorgeous jewels being presented to that preacher of the law. For it may be that by his expounding this Dharmapary4ya, were it only once, innumerable, incalculable beings who hear it shall soon become accomplished in supreme and perfect enlightenment. And on that occasion the Lord uttered the following stanzas: 1. He who wishes to be established in Buddhahood and aspires to the knowledge of the Self-born', must honour those who keep this doctrine. 2. And he who is desirous of omniscience and thinks: How shall I soonest reach it? must try to know this Sdtra by heart, or at least honour one who knows it. 3. He has been sent by the Lord of the world to convert (or catechise) men, he who out of compassion for mankind recites this Sdtra *. 4. After giving up a good position, that great man® has come hither, he who out of compassion for mankind keeps this Sftra (in memory). 5. It is by force of his position, that in the last times he is seen preaching this unsurpassed Sftra. 6. That preacher of the law must be honoured
24. After giving up a good position, that great man® has come hither, he who out of compassion for mankind keeps this Sftra (in memory). 5. It is by force of his position, that in the last times he is seen preaching this unsurpassed Sftra. 6. That preacher of the law must be honoured ? Svayambhfigfi4na, which, to my apprehension, is an alteration of brahmavidy4. * From such a passage as this one might be tempted to believe that it had been the intention of the author of this verse to represent Buddha as eternal ; cf. Burnouf’s remarks in his Introduction, p- 119. * Ie. the preacher or catechiser. 218 SADDHARMA-PUNDARIKA. X. with divine and human flowers and all sorts of perfumes; be decked with divine cloth and strewed with jewels. . 7. One should always reverentially salute him with joined hands, as if he were the Chief of Ginas or the Self-born, he who in these most dreadful, last days keeps this Satra of the Extinct (Buddha). 8. One should give food, hard and soft, nourishment and drink, lodging in a convent, ko¢is of robes to honour the son of Gina, when he has propounded, be it but once, this Sdtra. 9. He performs the task of the Tath4gatas and has been sent by me to the world of men, he who in the last days shall copy, keep, or hear this Satra. 10. The man who in wickedness of heart or with frowning brow should at any time of a whole A2on utter something injurious in my presence, commits a great sin. 11. But one who reviles and abuses those guardians of this Sdtranta, when they are expounding this Sdtra, I say that he commits a still greater sin. 12. The man who, striving for superior enlightenment, shall in a complete A£on praise me in my face with joined hands, with many myriads of kof¢is of stanzas, 13. Shall thence derive a great merit, since he has glorified me in gladness of heart. But a still greater merit shall he acquire who pronounces the praise of those (preachers). 14. One who shall during eighteen thousand kotis of AEons pay worship to those objects of veneration!, with words, visible things, flavours, with divine scents and divine kinds of touch, 1Pusteshu. I think that these pustas, models, images, denote X. THE PREACHER. 219 15. If such a one, by his paying that worship to the objects of veneration during eighteen thousand kot¢is of AZons, happens to hear this Satra, were it only once, he shall obtain an amazingly great advantage.
3I think that these pustas, models, images, denote X. THE PREACHER. 219 15. If such a one, by his paying that worship to the objects of veneration during eighteen thousand kot¢is of AZons, happens to hear this Satra, were it only once, he shall obtain an amazingly great advantage. I announce to thee, Bhaishagyaraga, I declare to thee, that many are the Dharmapary4yas which I have propounded, am propounding, and shall propound. And among all those Dharmaparydyas, Bhaishagyaraga, it is this which is apt to meet with no acceptance with everybody, to find no belief with everybody. This, indeed, Bhaishagyaraga, is the transcendent spiritual esoteric lore of the law, preserved by the power of the Tath4gatas, but never divulged; it is an article (of creed)! not yet made known. By the majority of people, Bhaishagyaraga, this Dharmaparyaya is rejected during the lifetime of the Tathagata ; in far higher degree such will be the case after his complete extinction. Nevertheless, Bhaishagyardga, one has to consider those young men or young ladies of good family to be invested with the robes of the Tathagata ; to be regarded and blessed by the Tath4gatas living in other worlds, that they shall have the force of individual persuasion, the force that is rooted in virtue, the exemplary preachers who are likened to the Tathagata, and sent by him (Tath4gata-bhfita and Tath4gata-dfita), spoken of in the preceding verses as well as in the prose passages above. Instead of models, I have used the phrase, objects of veneration, for clearness sake. Burnouf’s original rendering ‘images’ is, so far as I can see, preferable to his correction of it into ‘books.’ There is no question of books, only of a single work, the Lotus; and it is clear that we must try to make the contents of the last two stanzas agree with the final part of the preceding prose. 1 Or point of view, standpoint. 220 SADDHARMA-PUNDARIKA. X. and the force of a pious vow. They shall dwell apart in the convents of the Tath4gata, Bhaishagyaraga, and shall have their heads stroked by the hand of the Tath4gata, those young men and young ladies of good family, who after the complete extinction of the Tath4gata shall believe, read, write, honour this Dharmapary4ya and recite it to others.
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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