{"id":1418,"date":"2015-11-30T04:49:21","date_gmt":"2015-11-30T04:49:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/prajnaquest.fr\/blog\/?p=1418"},"modified":"2015-11-30T04:49:21","modified_gmt":"2015-11-30T04:49:21","slug":"the-alaya-vijnana-verse-from-the-sa%e1%b9%83dhi-nirmocana-sutra","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/prajnaquest.fr\/blog\/the-alaya-vijnana-verse-from-the-sa%e1%b9%83dhi-nirmocana-sutra\/","title":{"rendered":"The \u0100laya-vij\u00f1\u0101na Verse from the Sa\u1e43dhi-nirmocana-s\u016btra"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Sa\u1e43dhi-nirmocana-s\u016btra<\/em> is regarded as the primary source of the Yog\u0101c\u0101ra teachings given in the words of the Buddha. The \u0101laya-vij\u00f1\u0101na<\/em> (\u201cfoundational consciousness,\u201d or \u201cstorehouse consciousness\u201d) is described in its chapter 5 (Tibetan translation) or chapter 3 (Chinese translation). This prose chapter concludes with a verse spoken by the Buddha to highlight some important aspects of the \u0101laya-vij\u00f1\u0101na<\/em>. In this verse, the \u0101laya-vij\u00f1\u0101na<\/em> is referred to as the \u0101d\u0101na-vij\u00f1\u0101na<\/em>, the \u201cappropriating consciousness.\u201d This refers to its role of \u201cappropriating\u201d or \u201ctaking\u201d a body at the time of birth.<\/p>\n

The Sa\u1e43dhi-nirmocana-s\u016btra<\/em> remains lost in the original Sanskrit, and is now available only in its Chinese and Tibetan translations. Its verse on the \u0101laya-vij\u00f1\u0101na<\/em> or \u0101d\u0101na-vij\u00f1\u0101na <\/em>has been quoted in a number of Yog\u0101c\u0101ra texts, also now mostly available only in their Chinese and Tibetan translations. The original Sanskrit of this verse was first recovered as quoted in Sthiramati\u2019s commentary on Vasubandhu\u2019s Vij\u00f1apti-m\u0101trat\u0101-siddhi Tri\u1e43\u015bik\u0101<\/em>, verse 15, by way of Sylvain L\u00e9vi\u2019s pioneering 1925 Sanskrit edition of the Vij\u00f1aptim\u0101trat\u0101siddhi<\/em>. Only long afterwards would we learn that L\u00e9vi had silently \u201ccorrected\u201d the readings found in the Sanskrit manuscript he used. The manuscript readings turned out to be correct except for one, b\u0101l\u0101. L\u00e9vi\u2019s \u201ccorrections\u201d only added new errors. L\u00e9vi gave this verse as follows (p. 34, here transliterated from his devan\u0101gar\u012b script):<\/p>\n

\u0101d\u0101navij\u00f1\u0101nagabh\u012bras\u016bk\u1e63mo ogho yath\u0101 vartati sarvab\u012bjo |<\/p>\n

b\u0101l\u0101 e\u1e63\u0101mapi na prak\u0101\u015bite mohaiva \u0101tm\u0101 parikalpayeyu\u1e25 ||<\/p>\n

Not long after this was published Louis de la Vall\u00e9e Poussin, recognizing the problems with the portion \u201cb\u0101l\u0101 e\u1e63\u0101m api na prak\u0101\u015bite mohaiva,\u201d emended it on the basis of its Tibetan translation (and a Sanskrit parallel in the Mah\u0101vastu<\/em> for m\u0101 haiva<\/em>). Poussin gave his emended version in his 1928 French translation, Vij\u00f1aptim\u0101trat\u0101siddhi: La Siddhi de Hiuan-tsang<\/em>, as follows (vol. 1, p. 173):<\/p>\n

\u0101d\u0101navij\u00f1\u0101na gabh\u012bras\u016bk\u1e63mo<\/p>\n

ogho yath\u0101 vartati sarvab\u012bjo |<\/p>\n

b\u0101l\u0101na e\u1e63o mayi na prak\u0101\u015bi(to)<\/p>\n

m\u0101 haiva \u0101tm\u0101 parikalpayeyu\u1e25 ||<\/p>\n

In this emended form (accepting prak\u0101\u015bi) it was given by \u00c9tienne Lamotte in his 1935 French translation of the Sa\u1e43dhinirmocana S\u016btra<\/em> (p. 58), in his 1936 French translation of the Karmasiddhiprakara\u1e47a<\/em> (p. 247), and in his 1938 French translation of the Mah\u0101y\u0101nasa\u1e43graha<\/em> (p. 14).<\/p>\n

In 1989 reproductions of the original Sanskrit manuscript as well as the transcript of it used by Sylvain L\u00e9vi for his 1925 edition became available inThree Works of Vasubandhu in Sanskrit Manuscript<\/em>., edited by Katsumi Mimaki, Musachi Tachikawa and Akira Yuyama. These showed that b\u0101l\u0101 is indeed in the manuscript and its transcript, but that L\u00e9vi had \u201ccorrected\u201d their \u201ce\u1e63o mayi na prak\u0101\u015bito m\u0101 haiva\u201d to \u201ce\u1e63\u0101m api na prak\u0101\u015bite mohaiva.\u201d These confirmed Poussin\u2019s emendations, except for b\u0101l\u0101na.<\/p>\n

Hartmut Buescher in his 2007 critical edition of Sthiramati\u2019s Tri\u1e43\u015bik\u0101vij\u00f1aptibh\u0101\u1e63ya<\/em> (p. 104) gave the correct readings from the manuscript, and accepted Poussin\u2019s emendation b\u0101l\u0101na, as well as prak\u0101\u015bi rather than the manuscript\u2019s prak\u0101\u015bito. He explained in footnotes that for metrical and grammatical reasons he adopted b\u0101l\u0101na, a genitive plural form in Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit (see Edgerton\u2019s Grammar, para. 8.117 ff.), rather than the manuscript\u2019s b\u0101l\u0101 (regarding his comment that b\u0101l\u0101 looks more like b\u0101n\u0101 in the manuscript, to me it looks like b\u0101l\u0101). He also explained that he adopted the aorist verb prak\u0101\u015bi (Edgerton\u2019s Grammar, para. 32.47 ff.), since the manuscript\u2019s prak\u0101\u015bito gives one too many syllables for the verse. He gives this verse as follows, essentially the same as Poussin\u2019s emended version:<\/p>\n

\u0101d\u0101navij\u00f1\u0101na gabh\u012bras\u016bk\u1e63mo ogho yath\u0101 vartati sarvab\u012bjo |<\/p>\n

b\u0101l\u0101na e\u1e63o mayi na prak\u0101\u015bi m\u0101 haiva \u0101tm\u0101 parikalpayeyur [||] iti |<\/p>\n

A second source for the original Sanskrit of this verse became available in 2013. It is quoted in Sthiramati\u2019s Pa\u00f1caskandhakavibh\u0101\u1e63\u0101<\/em>, edited by Jowita Kramer, 2 volumes, and published in the important new series, Sanskrit Texts from the Tibetan Autonomous Region. In volume 2, the diplomatic edition, essentially a transcript of the manuscript, this verse appears as follows (p. 85):<\/p>\n

\u0101d\u0101navij\u00f1\u0101na gambh\u012bras\u016bk\u1e63mo ogho yath\u0101 varttati sarvab\u012bjo |<\/p>\n

b\u0101l\u0101na e\u1e63o mayi na prak\u0101\u015bito m\u0101 haiva \u0101tm\u0101 parikalpayeyu\u1e25 ||<\/p>\n

As we see, Poussin\u2019s emendation of b\u0101l\u0101 to b\u0101l\u0101na is confirmed. The proposed emendation prak\u0101\u015bi is not supported by this manuscript. Like the manuscript of Sthiramati\u2019s other text, this manuscript reads prak\u0101\u015bito, despite being one syllable more than the meter should have. In volume 1, the critical edition, this verse appears as follows (p. 94):<\/p>\n

\u0101d\u0101navij\u00f1\u0101na gambh\u012bras\u016bk\u1e63mo ogho yath\u0101 vartati sarvab\u012bja\u1e25 |<\/p>\n

b\u0101l\u0101na e\u1e63o mayi na prak\u0101\u015bito m\u0101 haiva \u0101tm\u0101 parikalpayeyu\u1e25 ||<\/p>\n

The editor had little choice but to retain prak\u0101\u015bito. This verse may be translated as follows:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe appropriating consciousness, deep and subtle, flows with all its seeds like a current. This was not taught by me to the immature, so that they would not imagine it as a self.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Sa\u1e43dhi-nirmocana-s\u016btra is regarded as the primary source of the Yog\u0101c\u0101ra teachings given in the words of the Buddha. The \u0101laya-vij\u00f1\u0101na (\u201cfoundational consciousness,\u201d or \u201cstorehouse consciousness\u201d) is described in its chapter 5 (Tibetan translation) or chapter 3 (Chinese translation). This prose chapter concludes with a verse spoken by the Buddha to highlight some important aspects […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,119,110],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1418","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alaya","category-samdhinirmocanasutra","category-yogacara"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/prajnaquest.fr\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1418","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/prajnaquest.fr\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/prajnaquest.fr\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/prajnaquest.fr\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/prajnaquest.fr\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1418"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/prajnaquest.fr\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1418\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1419,"href":"http:\/\/prajnaquest.fr\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1418\/revisions\/1419"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/prajnaquest.fr\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1418"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/prajnaquest.fr\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1418"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/prajnaquest.fr\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1418"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}