Indeed, that was a more wistful suggestionItsRaining wrote: ↑Sat Nov 11, 2017 12:33 amNah I think that part of the translation is actually accurate "the Tathāgatāni of their own awakening know this" or "The Tathagata themselves know realise this".
The Dharmakāya in Early Buddhist Texts
- Caoimhghín
- Posts: 3419
- Joined: Thu Jun 02, 2016 11:35 pm
- Location: Whitby, Ontario
Re: The Dharmakāya in Early Buddhist Texts
Then, the monks uttered this gāthā:
These bodies are like foam.
Them being frail, who can rejoice in them?
The Buddha attained the vajra-body.
Still, it becomes inconstant and ruined.
The many Buddhas are vajra-entities.
All are also subject to inconstancy.
Quickly ended, like melting snow --
how could things be different?
The Buddha passed into parinirvāṇa afterward.
(T1.27b10 Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra DĀ 2)
These bodies are like foam.
Them being frail, who can rejoice in them?
The Buddha attained the vajra-body.
Still, it becomes inconstant and ruined.
The many Buddhas are vajra-entities.
All are also subject to inconstancy.
Quickly ended, like melting snow --
how could things be different?
The Buddha passed into parinirvāṇa afterward.
(T1.27b10 Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra DĀ 2)
- Caoimhghín
- Posts: 3419
- Joined: Thu Jun 02, 2016 11:35 pm
- Location: Whitby, Ontario
Re: The Dharmakāya in Early Buddhist Texts
The SF fragments, representing a recension that is parallel, though by no means identical, to the SA/ZA being discussed here, has the following expression:
It would appear that the Sanskrit (Marcus Bingenheimer argues, I will find the citations shortly, for a Prākrit original to the SA material, though some others controversially argue for Gāndhārī) may have had grammatical compounds something more akin to:iti yātra dharmatā dharmasthititā dharmaniyāmatā dharmayathātathā
法住、法空、法如、法爾
iti yātra dharmatā dharmasthititā dharmanairātmya dharmayathātathā
Then, the monks uttered this gāthā:
These bodies are like foam.
Them being frail, who can rejoice in them?
The Buddha attained the vajra-body.
Still, it becomes inconstant and ruined.
The many Buddhas are vajra-entities.
All are also subject to inconstancy.
Quickly ended, like melting snow --
how could things be different?
The Buddha passed into parinirvāṇa afterward.
(T1.27b10 Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra DĀ 2)
These bodies are like foam.
Them being frail, who can rejoice in them?
The Buddha attained the vajra-body.
Still, it becomes inconstant and ruined.
The many Buddhas are vajra-entities.
All are also subject to inconstancy.
Quickly ended, like melting snow --
how could things be different?
The Buddha passed into parinirvāṇa afterward.
(T1.27b10 Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra DĀ 2)