An interpretative translation of MMK.
Recently I have begun to write "An interpretative translation of MMK" in my document in Word, and so I would like to show the same document in my Dogen Sangha Blog too.
A Song of The Fundamental Truth on The Middle Way
[1] Examination of The Real Truth (14 Verse)
1. The Real Truth is different from subjective ideas, which have been produced in human brain, or the Real Truth is never sense stimuli, which have been received from the external world.
The Real Truth is not the mixture of the subjective ideas or the
objective sense stimuli, but The Real Truth is never anything
illogical.
Miscellaneous things and phenomena are always manifesting
themselves as they are.
And what is called existence does never exist really anywhere, or
does not exist in anything.
2. The Real Truth as four are Reason, which is pervading through the
Universe,
The external world, which is hanging in front of us, and the present
moment, at which our action is always done,
And the Reality, which seems to be the Ruler of all things and
phenomena.
But the Real Truth, which is No. 5, does never exist anywhere at
all.
3. A Real Act to go belong to the motion of going,
And so how is it necessary for a Real Action to have any kind of
different name at all.
The states of going on have always have the two kinds of going, that
is, the motion of going, and the other is the progress of going. ,
Therefore in that case there is no new appearance at all.
4. The Real Act to go always belongs to the motion of going,
And something related with going on, and something related with the Real Action, have combined into one.
The True Reality can never be an imitation of Real Action,
Because it is clear that something, which might be the same as a
continuous Action, really exists in front of us.
5. In the continuity of going on, and in the Real Action of going on,
What is called the attached situations may be the two kinds of
separated parts,
The one is just the concrete facts of continuous going on,
And the other is just the Real Act here, which is the Real Action to
go here again.
6. The two factors, the one is a person to go and the other is an Action to be done, are combined into one,
The two factors of the Real Action to go, that is, a person to go, and
an Action to be done, are combined into one confirmedly.
Generally speaking, a person, who is criticized by others, is prone
to be the objects of othersﾕ censure.
Therefore the problem of Action to go itself is prone to disappear
naturally.
7. When a person, who acts, is criticized,
A problem of the Real Action to do, does not appear actually to be
the special object discussed at all.
If there were no chance for everyone to do anything at all,
it might be very happy,
But where is it possible for anyone to have such a happy condition,
even anywhere at all?
8. Just the hanging world is this world,
Therefore the Real Universe has been shown already.
Just in the hanging world, or in the Universe,
Where is it necessary for us to find the hanging world again?
9. In the Universe, which hasnﾕt been accomplished yet,
The self-regulation does never appear actually at all.
The ceaseless considerations can never be any kind of fetters for
us at all.
The Real Truth in our self-regulation might be just something
ineffable.
10. All existences themselves originally do not have any characteristics,
The facts of existences are never recognized as something
ordered.
And even though there is an idea that this world is existing relying
upon the world itself,
Such situations of the real world can never be seen like that at
all.
11. Never being scattered from each other, or accumulated together,
Because of the Real Truth, a concrete result does exist really.
But how is it possible for the result to be, relying upon the True
Reality.
However in that case the result is never expected because of relying
upon such miscellaneous Real Truths.
12. Actually there, something real, and even something concrete,
Are going on following miscellaneous Real Truth itself.
In the case relying upon the wrong Real Truth, all things and
phenomenon will vanish,
But it is perfectly impossible for result itself to go ahead at all.
13. Actually speaking, results are just enemies against the Real Truth,
And the Real Truths just hurts poor people.
Even though result has tendency to bring up poverty,
How is it possible for result to have the power to destroy the
Real Truth absolutely?
14. Therefore result can never have any power to destroy the Real
Truth at all.
And at the same time result does never have any power to destroy
wrong Real Truth at all.
When we have got from the synthetic point of view that result
does never actually exist at all,
Where can we find the Real World, which is constructed from the
combination of Real Truth and wrong Real Truth together totally?
A Song of The Fundamental Truth on The Middle Way
[1] Examination of The Real Truth (14 Verse)
1. The Real Truth is different from subjective ideas, which have been produced in human brain, or the Real Truth is never sense stimuli, which have been received from the external world.
The Real Truth is not the mixture of the subjective ideas or the
objective sense stimuli, but The Real Truth is never anything
illogical.
Miscellaneous things and phenomena are always manifesting
themselves as they are.
And what is called existence does never exist really anywhere, or
does not exist in anything.
2. The Real Truth as four are Reason, which is pervading through the
Universe,
The external world, which is hanging in front of us, and the present
moment, at which our action is always done,
And the Reality, which seems to be the Ruler of all things and
phenomena.
But the Real Truth, which is No. 5, does never exist anywhere at
all.
3. A Real Act to go belong to the motion of going,
And so how is it necessary for a Real Action to have any kind of
different name at all.
The states of going on have always have the two kinds of going, that
is, the motion of going, and the other is the progress of going. ,
Therefore in that case there is no new appearance at all.
4. The Real Act to go always belongs to the motion of going,
And something related with going on, and something related with the Real Action, have combined into one.
The True Reality can never be an imitation of Real Action,
Because it is clear that something, which might be the same as a
continuous Action, really exists in front of us.
5. In the continuity of going on, and in the Real Action of going on,
What is called the attached situations may be the two kinds of
separated parts,
The one is just the concrete facts of continuous going on,
And the other is just the Real Act here, which is the Real Action to
go here again.
6. The two factors, the one is a person to go and the other is an Action to be done, are combined into one,
The two factors of the Real Action to go, that is, a person to go, and
an Action to be done, are combined into one confirmedly.
Generally speaking, a person, who is criticized by others, is prone
to be the objects of othersﾕ censure.
Therefore the problem of Action to go itself is prone to disappear
naturally.
7. When a person, who acts, is criticized,
A problem of the Real Action to do, does not appear actually to be
the special object discussed at all.
If there were no chance for everyone to do anything at all,
it might be very happy,
But where is it possible for anyone to have such a happy condition,
even anywhere at all?
8. Just the hanging world is this world,
Therefore the Real Universe has been shown already.
Just in the hanging world, or in the Universe,
Where is it necessary for us to find the hanging world again?
9. In the Universe, which hasnﾕt been accomplished yet,
The self-regulation does never appear actually at all.
The ceaseless considerations can never be any kind of fetters for
us at all.
The Real Truth in our self-regulation might be just something
ineffable.
10. All existences themselves originally do not have any characteristics,
The facts of existences are never recognized as something
ordered.
And even though there is an idea that this world is existing relying
upon the world itself,
Such situations of the real world can never be seen like that at
all.
11. Never being scattered from each other, or accumulated together,
Because of the Real Truth, a concrete result does exist really.
But how is it possible for the result to be, relying upon the True
Reality.
However in that case the result is never expected because of relying
upon such miscellaneous Real Truths.
12. Actually there, something real, and even something concrete,
Are going on following miscellaneous Real Truth itself.
In the case relying upon the wrong Real Truth, all things and
phenomenon will vanish,
But it is perfectly impossible for result itself to go ahead at all.
13. Actually speaking, results are just enemies against the Real Truth,
And the Real Truths just hurts poor people.
Even though result has tendency to bring up poverty,
How is it possible for result to have the power to destroy the
Real Truth absolutely?
14. Therefore result can never have any power to destroy the Real
Truth at all.
And at the same time result does never have any power to destroy
wrong Real Truth at all.
When we have got from the synthetic point of view that result
does never actually exist at all,
Where can we find the Real World, which is constructed from the
combination of Real Truth and wrong Real Truth together totally?
posted by GUDO NISHIJIMA | 12:53 PM
6 Comments:
Dear Roshi,
Thank-you very much for this interpretative translation of MMK. It helps me to clarify this difficult text.
Regards,
Harry.
"14. Therefore result can never have any power to destroy the Real
Truth at all.
And at the same time result does never have any power to destroy
wrong Real Truth at all.
When we have got from the synthetic point of view that result
does never actually exist at all,
Where can we find the Real World, which is constructed from the
combination of Real Truth and wrong Real Truth together totally?"
Dear Roshi,
Can we say that 'Real Truth' and 'wrong Real Truth' can represent a realised view of 'realisation' and 'delusion'?
The last line, the author's question, seems to suggest a state or situation not determined by a 'Real Truth' which exists in opposition or relation to 'wrong Real Truth' but which is something more immediate and concrete. What do you think about this?
What situation do you think the author meant to express with the term 'poor people' in the previous paragraph?
Thanks & Regards,
Harry.
Dear Ven. Harry San,
Thank you very much for your question on the Verse 14, the Chapter 1.
My translation of the last line
"Where can we find the Real World, which is constructed from the combination of Real Truth and wrong Deal Truth together totally," means that "It is impossible for us to find the separation between Real Truth and wrong Real Truth, because the whole Universe is totally the Truth, and so it is impoossible for us to find the co-existence of the Real Truth and the wrong Real Truth at all.
Dear Nishijima Roshi,
thank you very much for your important post. Your work is really precious and important.
Yours,
Markus
Dear Roshi,
On the comments section of Brad Warner's blog your translation of MMK is already being criticised as being too unfaithful to the original Sanskrit. Also, your ability to translate from Sanskrit is being questioned (mostly by critics who make these criticisms anonymously. Some of them claim to be from Dogen Sangha).
How do you respond to these criticisms, and do you feel that we should have a free and non-dogmatic approach to Buddhist texts?
Thanks & Regards,
Harry.
Dear Uku San,
Thamk you very much for your affirmative opinion to my translation of MMK.
Dear Harry San,
Thank you very much for your advice, but I am very busy now, and so it is difficult for me to read other's comments in other's blog.
Therefore I would like to ask everyone that if anyone has question of my translation of MMK, it is better for them to show their opinions to my own "Dogen Sangha Blog" directly.
I would like to answer soon, and I would like to read those questions so enormously.
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