MMK (9) Examination of a Moment just before
1. Function to see something, function to listen to something, and so forth,
Those miscellaneous sense perceptions just exist at the present moment.
And proceeding such a perception, it is said that something concrete exists really,
Just as some momentary accident, which appears only once.
2. Because this world does not exists in such a situation that anything can not be seen,
It might be sure that the function of seeing, and so forth, will continue further even in future.
Therefore something, which is proceeding, exists really already,
And so we can say that something concrete exists actually indeed,
Which is represented already as something concrete existence.
3. Relying upon seeing, hearing, and so forth, and also such situations are similarly relying upon manifestation of things and phenomena.
Such existences have been maintained since before this world has begun to be maintained in a stable conditions,
And such situations might be spoken among people already relying upon miscellaneous methods since then.
4. If there were no such sense perception like seeing and so forth hasen't been yet in this world,
It might be also fact that the moment just before the present also has erased itself completely in this world.
And if actually such a moment just before the present hasn't continued in future,
Even this world can not continue to exist in future, and this world like this will not continue further at all.
And at that time it might become impossible for us even to get any kind of short time for taking a rest, and so it might be imposible for us to lie down even on a floor at all.
5. Relying upon any kind of method, it might be impossible for anything to be haven to go ahead,
And relying upon any kind of method, it might be impossible for us to have anything go ahead.
In such a situation where can such a place, where there is nothing, can be found at all?.
Where can we find the place, where there is nothing at all?
6. Even though we rely upon all things, therefore we rely upon the all functions to see and so forth,
It is completely impossible for us to see anything before the time of present moment.
Even though we rely upon the function of seeing, and so forth, that is, the all function of sense organs,
But at the same time we rely upon also a different moment, which is called the moment just before the present,
And relying upon something, which is called intuition, different from sensitive function,
And it works at the different time other than the function of sense.
7. When we rely upon everything, and when we rely upon all kinds of sense organs, for example eyes and so forth,
It is perfectly impossible for us to recognise the moment just before the present.
When we have left individual concrete example, how is it possible for us to recognize the moment just before the present?
Actually speaking, just when we rely upon the whole sense organs, seeing and so forth,
We can recognize the concrete real situations for the first time.
8. An action to see something is just Reality,
And Reality is sometimes just listening to something.
It is also possible for the moment just before the present to exist leaving from invidual concrete fact,
The moment just before the present does not have relation only with concrete real example.
9. A person, who is not a man to look at the true meaning of things and phenomena carefully,
And also not a man to tell informations to others as his job,
In many cases he relies upon others, who look things and phenomena well,
And so listening to the general public opinion, they seem to rely upon the spiritual soul at last.
10. To see something, or to listen to something, and so forth,
And at the same time miscellaneous things and phenomena, which should be informed publicly,
Are totally possible to be seen just in front of us.
And being related with those, there are so many researches exist really,
However, it is not so clear whether those problems have become just actual already, or not.
11. To see something, to listen to something, and to get other miscellaneous perceptions,
And furthermore miscellaneous contents of things and phenomena, which should be known clearly,
Are possible to be seen in front of us.
And if such a kind of clear scenary hasn't been seen yet,
It is completely impossible for everyone to look at the excellent effect of Buddhist monks' training in their behavior at all.
12. And such a kind of scenery has been existing before it has been influenced by the sensory fuction of seeing, and so forth,
And so the sceneries are existing as the situations, which has been established being harmonized with the situation of the time.
Even though it is impossible for us to know the distinction whether such a situation exists really, or not,
The very vague scenery exists there, which might be a product by human conjecture probably.
Those miscellaneous sense perceptions just exist at the present moment.
And proceeding such a perception, it is said that something concrete exists really,
Just as some momentary accident, which appears only once.
2. Because this world does not exists in such a situation that anything can not be seen,
It might be sure that the function of seeing, and so forth, will continue further even in future.
Therefore something, which is proceeding, exists really already,
And so we can say that something concrete exists actually indeed,
Which is represented already as something concrete existence.
3. Relying upon seeing, hearing, and so forth, and also such situations are similarly relying upon manifestation of things and phenomena.
Such existences have been maintained since before this world has begun to be maintained in a stable conditions,
And such situations might be spoken among people already relying upon miscellaneous methods since then.
4. If there were no such sense perception like seeing and so forth hasen't been yet in this world,
It might be also fact that the moment just before the present also has erased itself completely in this world.
And if actually such a moment just before the present hasn't continued in future,
Even this world can not continue to exist in future, and this world like this will not continue further at all.
And at that time it might become impossible for us even to get any kind of short time for taking a rest, and so it might be imposible for us to lie down even on a floor at all.
5. Relying upon any kind of method, it might be impossible for anything to be haven to go ahead,
And relying upon any kind of method, it might be impossible for us to have anything go ahead.
In such a situation where can such a place, where there is nothing, can be found at all?.
Where can we find the place, where there is nothing at all?
6. Even though we rely upon all things, therefore we rely upon the all functions to see and so forth,
It is completely impossible for us to see anything before the time of present moment.
Even though we rely upon the function of seeing, and so forth, that is, the all function of sense organs,
But at the same time we rely upon also a different moment, which is called the moment just before the present,
And relying upon something, which is called intuition, different from sensitive function,
And it works at the different time other than the function of sense.
7. When we rely upon everything, and when we rely upon all kinds of sense organs, for example eyes and so forth,
It is perfectly impossible for us to recognise the moment just before the present.
When we have left individual concrete example, how is it possible for us to recognize the moment just before the present?
Actually speaking, just when we rely upon the whole sense organs, seeing and so forth,
We can recognize the concrete real situations for the first time.
8. An action to see something is just Reality,
And Reality is sometimes just listening to something.
It is also possible for the moment just before the present to exist leaving from invidual concrete fact,
The moment just before the present does not have relation only with concrete real example.
9. A person, who is not a man to look at the true meaning of things and phenomena carefully,
And also not a man to tell informations to others as his job,
In many cases he relies upon others, who look things and phenomena well,
And so listening to the general public opinion, they seem to rely upon the spiritual soul at last.
10. To see something, or to listen to something, and so forth,
And at the same time miscellaneous things and phenomena, which should be informed publicly,
Are totally possible to be seen just in front of us.
And being related with those, there are so many researches exist really,
However, it is not so clear whether those problems have become just actual already, or not.
11. To see something, to listen to something, and to get other miscellaneous perceptions,
And furthermore miscellaneous contents of things and phenomena, which should be known clearly,
Are possible to be seen in front of us.
And if such a kind of clear scenary hasn't been seen yet,
It is completely impossible for everyone to look at the excellent effect of Buddhist monks' training in their behavior at all.
12. And such a kind of scenery has been existing before it has been influenced by the sensory fuction of seeing, and so forth,
And so the sceneries are existing as the situations, which has been established being harmonized with the situation of the time.
Even though it is impossible for us to know the distinction whether such a situation exists really, or not,
The very vague scenery exists there, which might be a product by human conjecture probably.
posted by GUDO NISHIJIMA | 10:38 AM
1 Comments:
I think that the strong tendency in the general public is
to react, ignobly, just in the moment, to stimuli perceived through the senses. Whereas the Buddha's noble princple, which is opposed to this tendency, is related with SAMYAK SMIRTI, true mindfulness.
Reading the words of our ancestor Ashvaghosha, I become even more convinced than before that the prejudice that I used to have against the word mindfulness, was symptomatic of a very serious fault.
When in 1988 I stayed at Wat Pah Nanachat in Thailand, I felt a kind of superiority to the monks living there, thinking that my devotion to Zazen might be superior to their practice of mindfulness. But reading the original words of Ashvaghosha, my feeling now is that I was blinded then, by prejudice and arrogance, to the real meaning of mindfulness.
As Ashvaghosha describes with the words NYAAYENA YUKTAA SAMYAK SMIRTIH, true mindfulness is yoked to the means-whereby principle, which is AARYOH NYAAYAH, a noble principle.
I begin to see clearly, for the first time, the real meaning of the word AARYA, noble, in the four noble truths. What is noble is adherence to the conscious means-whereby principle, which is diametrically opposed to the lowly evolved principle of unthinking end-gaining. This point, I am afraid is especially difficult for Japanese people to grasp, because Japanese culture is so much a culture of doing, of unthinking adherence to forms.
I revere the heroic efforts of Gudo Nishijima and Kodo Sawaki who, in spite of being Japanese, endeavored to get back closer to the original, non-Japanese source.
If, however, you say that those efforts became successful at last, I say that a hero who is felled by the unheroic fault of self-delusion, is no hero. If you succeed at last in going back to the origin, a song of self praise is not what you will sing. A prejudice against the practice of mindfulness is not what you will allow to go uncorrected.
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