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JamesRoberts
BarbaraWaugh
BeginningSanskrit
13May2014

TrustandDifficulty

NeartheendoftheSukhvatvyhaStra,theBuddhasfinaladvicetoariputraisan
explanationofthedifficultyinunderstandingandacceptinghisteachingonAmitbhaBuddhaandthe
importanceoftrustandbeliefinpracticingthisteaching.Thepassagetanmampiriputra
paramadukarayanmaysahyalokadhtvanuttarsamyaksabodhimabhisabudya
sarvalokavipratyayanyodharmodeitasattvakayedikayekleakayaukaye
kalpakayetranslatesasIndeedariputra,itisamostdifficultdeedofmine,thatintheSahaWorld,
havingperfectlyawakenedtounsurpassed,direct,andcompleteenlightenment,Ihavetaughtthe
Dharmathatinalltheworldisdifficulttoaccept,inthemidstofthestainsofbeings,views,afflictions,
lifespansandeons.ItisappropriatethattheStraconcludeswiththisstatement,astheissueoffaithor
trustisoneofthemostcentralideasintheSukhvatvyhaStra.
Thispassagecontainsfourmajorgrammaticalconstructions:acorrelativeclause,arelative
clause,agerundclause,andaseriesofprepositionalphrases.Thecorrelativeclausebeginswiththe
introductoryphrasetanmampiwhichconsistsofthreewords:thecorrelativepronountaninthe
nominativecase,apossessivefirstpersonpronounmamameaningofmine,andtheparticleapi
givenasemphasis,indeed.Thisphrase,alongwiththepropernounriputrainthevocativecaseand
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theobjectparamadukara,anominalderivativeofkdomeaningamostdifficultdeed,forms
theclauseIndeedariputra,itisamostdifficultdeedofmine.
Therelativepronounyanmatchestheopeningpronountanandmarksthebeginningofa
newclause.Thesubjectisstilltan,it,referringtothedifficultdeed.Whatisdifficultismay...
dharmodeita,theDharmataughtbyme.Heredeitaiswrittenasapastpassiveparticipleof
di,meaningpointout.Thefirstpersonpronounsubjectmayisgivenintheinstrumentalcase,as
istheconventionforsubjectsofpassiveverbs.Therelativeandcorrelativepronounsrelatethetwo
clauses,hence,itisamostdifficultdeedofmine,thatIhavetaughttheDharma.Thecompound
sarvalokavipratyayanyoalsomatchesthenominativeDharma,literallythe
allworldsdifficulttobegoingtowardsDharma.Thecompoundconsistsofthreeterms,sarva
meaningall,lokameaningworld,andthecausativegerundivevipratyayanyo,itselfconstructed
fromthreeparts:therootimeaninggo,theprefixpratimeaningtowards,andtheprefixvi
whichnegatesandimpliesdifficulty.Ivechosentotranslatethiscompoundasinallworldsitisdifficult
toaccept,meaningthatbeingswithmundaneperceptionhaveadifficulttimeacceptingsomeofthe
fantasticthingsdescribedbytheBuddha.Thefact,then,thattheBuddhateachesthisDharmatobeings
istheworldisadifficultdeednotjustfortheBuddha,butforanyonewhochoosestobelieveit.
Thethirdclauseisanuttarsamyaksabodhimabhisabudya,agerundclausemeaning
havingperfectlyawakenedtounsurpassed,direct,andcompleteenlightenment.Theadjective
anuttarmeaningunsurpassediscomposedofthreepartsandmodifiestheprimarynominal
derivationsamyaksabodhim,alsowiththreeparts,meaningdirect,completeenlightenment.Both
expressionsareassembledwithprefixes:ameaningnot,udmeaninghigher,andtara
meaningsurpassingformunsurpassedandsamyakmeaningdirectorright,sammeaning
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togetherandbodhim,anominalderivativeoftherootbudhmeaningawakenorknow,inthe
accusativecasehenceunsurpassed,direct,andcompleteenlightenment.Thegerundabhisabudya
completestheclause,itselfformedfromthreeparts:Ivetranslatedtheprefixabhimeaninghighest
andtheprefixsamagainmeaningtogetherasperfectandthegerundbudyaisalsofromthe
rootbudh,hererenderedashavingawakenedto.
Theremainingphrasesinthepassageareallinthelocativecase,sorenderedasprepositional
phrasesinEnglish.TheyaresahyalokadhtumeaningintheSahaworld,andandtheseriesof
locativeexpressionssattvakayedikayekleakayaukayekalpakaye,whicharethe
fivekindsofkayaorstainsthatpreventbeingsfromseeingclearly.Thefivestainsaresattva
beings,dikaviews,kleaafflictions,ukalifespans,andkalpaeons.Twooftheseare
nominalderivationsfromtheroots:sattvafromsatexistanddikafromdseetheremaining
aresimplystemformnouns.Ivetranslatedthisseriesasinthemidstofthestainsofbeings,views,
afflictions,lifespansandeons.
ThesignificanceofthispassageformehastodowiththeimportanceofignoranceinBuddhist
thoughtandpractice.Becauseourperspectiveislimited,forexamplebyourviewofaself,ourbelief
systems,habits,andthelimitationsofourtimeinabodyandinthisparticulartimeandplacethatwelive
in,ourpossiblescopeofunderstandingisalsolimited.Thisisasimilarstatementtosay,Gadamers
descriptionofthepracticallimitationsofhermeneuticsthatwediscussedinourBuddhistHermeneutics
classthissemesterthat,onreadingatext,thereadersinterpretationisalwayslimitedbyfactorssuch
astime,place,language,andculture.
However,unlikeGadamer,theBuddhaclaimsthatcompleteknowledgeispossible.Notonly
that,butheclaimstohavedescribedtheprocessbywhichitcanbeattained.However,becauseour
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potentialforinterpretationislimited,weshouldacceptthatourcurrentconditionspreventusfrom
accessingthiscompletetruththattheBuddhaclaimstobedescribing.Thisfinalstepwillalwaysbe
difficulttoaccept,because,bydefinition,thereisnothingthatexistswithinourcurrentcontextof
experiencethatcandefinethemeaningofsomethingoutsideofthatexperience.Tobelievethe
SukhvatvyhaStra,then,requiresaleapoffaith.Havingreachedapointwherewerealizethatwe
areapproachingsomethingunknowable,wearepresentedwithachoiceastowhetherornottoaccept
itwithoutknowledge.Thisismyinterpretationofthefactthat,giventhestainsthataccompanythe
conditionsofourexistence,thatinallworlds,thisDharmaisdifficulttoaccept.Ournaturalattachment
tothemeaningofourcontextualunderstandingisalsowhythisDharmaisdifficulttoawakentoand
difficulttoteach.
Inaprecedingpassage,thetermrddhaisusedtoexpressthequalityneededtoovercomethis
difficulty.ThereismuchdebateabouthowtotranslatethistermintoEnglishmostoftentranslatedas
faith,althoughaftersomepondering,Ivecometothe(likelytemporary)conclusionthatIpreferthe
termtrust.TheideaoffaithisverydifficultinaChristiancontext,andthereisapartofmethatwants
toseparatetheideafromtheideaofChristiandogmaafterall,theimportanceoffaithisreally,here,
faithinthemysteryofexistence,andafaithinsomethingthatwedontknow.Isntthiswhattrue
Christianfaithislikeaswell?ForthetimebeingIvedecidedtoavoidthequestionandsettleonthe
termtrust,becausetomeitinvokesasensethat,whetherornotIknowthatsomethingistrueinan
objectivesense,itiscomingfromasourcethatseemstruthfulinthesenseofhishonestyandintegrity.