Notes On Second Chapter Of Madhyanta Vibhaga Tika

Author(s): J W De Jong
Publisher: J W De Jong
Catalog link: https://jainqq.org/explore/269286/1

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NOTES ON THE SECOND CHAPTER OF THE MADHYANTAVIBHAGATIKA by J. W. DE JONG Canberra In 1928 Sylvain Levi obtained in Kathmandu a copy of an incomplete manuscript of Sthiramati's Madhyantavibhagatika, a commentary on Vasubandhu's Madhyantavibhagabhasya which explains the karika-8 written by Maitreya. Sylvain Levi entrusted the edition of the text to Yamaguchi Susumu who first edited the Sanskrit text of the first two chapters in several issues of the Otani Gakuho in the years 1930-1932.1 In 1934 Yamaguchi published an edition of the complete text in which the missing parts were restored with the help of the Tibetan translation. In 1930 Tucci announced an edition with a complete restoration into Sanskrit from the Tibetan of all missing passages, by himself and Vidhusekhara Bhattacarya. The first and only chapter of this edition appeared in 1932. Yamaguchi published a complete Japanese translation of the Madhyantavibhagatika in 1935.5 The first chapter was rendered into English simultaneously by Th. Stcherbatsky and D. L. Friedmann. 1 Vol. XI (1930), pp. 576-602; Vol. XII (1931), pp. 24-67; 307-335; 719- 775; Vol. XIII (1932), pp. 59-99. Cf. L. de La Vallee Poussin, Melanges chinois et bouddhiques, I (1932), pp. 400-403 (on p. 400 correct Shukyokenkyu to Otani Gakuho). : Sthiramati, Madhyantavibhagatika. Exposition systematique du Yogacaravijnaptivada. Tome I. Texte. Nagoya, Hajinkaku, 1934. Reprinted by the Suzuki Research Foundation, Tokyo in 1966. 3 'Animadversiones Indicae', JASB, 26 (1930), pp. 195-196. * Madhyantavibhagasutrabhasyatika of Sthiramati, being a subcommentary on Vasubandhu's Bhasya on the Madhyantavibhagasutra of Maitreyanatha. Part I, 1932 (Calcutta, Oriental Series, no. 24). Cf. Obermiller's review, IHQ, IX (1933), pp. 1019-1030. 5 Anne ashariya zo Chubenfunbetsuron shakusho. Nagoya, Hajinkaku, 1935. Reprinted by The Suzuki Research Foundation, Tokyo in 1966. * Th. Stcherbatsky, Madhyantavibhanga. Discourse on Discrimination between Middle and Extremes ascribed to Maitreya and commented by Vasubandhu and Sthiramati. Moscow-Leningrad, 1936 (Bibliotheca Buddhica, XXX). Cf. L. de La Vallee Poussin, Melanges chinois et bouddhiques, V (1937),

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112 J. W. DE JONG In 1937 Yamaguchi published a synoptic edition of the Tibetan translation and the two Chinese translations by Paramartha and Hsuan-tsang of Vasubandhu's bhasya.? A translation of the third chapter of the bhasya was published by Paul Wilfred O'Brien S. J. in 1953-1954.8 In 1934 Rahula Sanskrityayana discovered a manuscript of the bhasya in the Nor Monastery in Tibet. The text was published by Gadjin M. Nagao in 1964.9 Nagao also translated chapters 1 and 3 of the bhasya10 and a complete translation is due to appear in vol. 15 of the Daijo butten. Another edition of the bhasya appeared in 1967.11 Vasubandhu's bhasya contains the complete text of the karika-s. Parts of both the karika-s and the bhasya are quoted in Sthiramati's tika. The publication of the text of the karika-s and the bhasya makes it possible to correct the text of the quotations in the tika. This is of course especially important for the quotations which have been restored from the Tibetan by the editors of the tika. The restoration of a Sanskrit text from the Tibetan is. a difficult undertaking. I believe that in the case of a philosophical text such as the Madhyantavibhagatika, which has been carefully translated into Tibetan, it is justified to attempt to reconstruct at least the technical terms. With the help of parallel passages it is also sometimes possible to restore the original Sanskrit text. However, it is certainly impossible to reconstruct the original text in its entirety. La Vallee Poussin, quoting Tucci's words: "by the combined efforts of myself and of Vidhusekhara Sastri, it is hoped to be restored completely in its Sanskrit original form", comments as follows: "Magnanime pensee ! Car il est rare qu'on puisse restituer avec confiance ne fut-ce qu'une strophe estropiee ou lacuneuse."'12 How different the results of attempted restorations can be is clearly pp. 271-273. D. L. Friedmann, Sthiramati, Madhyantavibhagatika. Analysis of the Middle Path and the Extremes. Utrecht, Utr. Typ. Ass., 1937. 7 Kanzo taisho Benchubenron. Nagoya, Hajinkaku, 1939. Reprinted by the Suzuki Research Foundation, Tokyo in 1966. 8 'A Chapter on Reality from the Madhyantavibhagacastra', Monumenta Nipponica, 9 (1953), pp. 277-303; 10 (1954), pp. 227-269. 9 Madhyantavibhaga-bhasya. A Buddhist Philosophical Treatise Edited for the first time from a Sanskrit Manuscript. Tokyo, Suzuki Research Foundation, 1964. 10 Sekai no meicho, vol. 2: Daijo butten (Tokyo, 1967), pp. 397-426. 11 Madhyanta-vibhaga-bhasya. Deciphered & Edited by Nathmal Tatia & Anantalal Thakur. Patna, K. P. Jayaswal Research Institute, 1967 (Tibetan Sanskrit Works Series, vol. X). 12 Melanges chinois et bouddhiques, V (1937), p. 401.

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THE SECOND CHAPTER OF THE MADHYANTAVIBHAGATIKA 113 shown by the two editions of the first chapter and Stcherbatsky's translation of the same chapter in which many passages have been restored in the notes. Until recently the only text available for chapters 2 to 5 of Sthiramati's tika was that published by Yamaguchi in 1934. Yamaguchi's restorations are based upon a careful study of the Sanskrit text of the tika and the Tibetan and Chinese translations of the karika-s, the bhasya and the tika. However, Yamaguchi's restorations are not always acceptable and, in several cases, the restored text is written in unidiomatic or even incorrect Sanskrit. In 1971 Ramchandra Pandeya published the Sanskrit text of the karika-s, the bhasya and the tika.13 According to the preface his edition corrects the text of the missing parts of the tika with the help of the Tibetan version and the text of the bhasya. Pandeya has noted the readings of the bhasya, but his claim to have made use of the Tibetan translation of the tika is not borne out by an examination of several passages of the second chapter. He seems to have done nothing more than to correct Yamaguchi's restorations according to his own light without any recourse to the Tibetan version. In the following notes all references are to page and line of Yamaguchi's edition. P = the Peking edition of the Tibetan translation of the tika in volume 109 of the Japanese reprint. R.P. = Ramchandra Pandeya's edition. Sanskrit words which have been restored by Yamaguchi are printed in italics. P. 67.28-68.1: yan-na ji-ltar Dkon-mchog-brtsegs-pa chen-polas / de'i bsam-pa mya-nan-las 'das-pa yan gnas-la / 'khor-ba-na yan sbyor-bar gnas-pa zes bstan-pa Ita-bu ste. Yamaguchi's restoration: atha va yathoktam Maharatnakute | tasyasayas nirvane ca tisthati samsare caprayogena tisthatiti (p. 267.4-6). In his translation Yamaguchi refers to von Stael-Holstein's preface to his edition of the Kasyapaparivarta (Shanghai, 1926), p. XV: "The assumption that Sthiramati himself regarded Ratnakuta as the title of the work he had commented upon seems also to be supported by the concluding verse of the commentary." Yamaguchi adds that he has not been able to trace the quotation in the Chinese translations of the Kasyapaparivarta. However, it is to be found in section 16 of the Sanskrit text: nirvanagatas casyasayah samsaragatas ca prayo 13 Madhyanta-vibhaga-sastra. Containing the Karika-s of Maitreya, Bhasya of Vasubandhu and Tika by Sthiramati. Critically Edited by Ramchandra Pandeya. Delhi-Varanasi-Patna, Motilal Banarsidass, 1971.

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114 J. W. DE JONG gah. The Tibetan translation of the Kasyapaparivarta has: de'i bsam-pa mya-nan-las 'das-pa la yan gnas-la sbyor-ba 'khor-ba-na yan gnas-pa. R. P.: sa asayena nirvane tisthati, samsare ca prayogena tisthatiti. P. 72.7: atmatmasunyatayah P.: bdag dan bdag-gir (P. gis) stonpa-nid. Read: atmatmiyasunyatayah. Cf. p. 72.16: tatra satkayadrstih pancasupadanaskandhesv atmata atmiyato (Yamaguchi -ta) veti darsanam. R. P. atmany atmasunyatayah. P. 73.21: sarvagunadosasya prakrstapanitasya paryantasrayatvena buddharatne parijnanam. P. sans-rgyas dkon-mchog-la yon-tan dan nes-pa thams-cad phul-du phyin-pa dan / bsal-ba'i mthar-thug-pa'i gnas-su yons-su ses-pa'o. Cf. p. 189.22: sarvagunadosaprakarsapakarsanisthadhisthanatvad buddhasya, P.:yon-tan dan nes-pa thamscad phul-du phyin-pa dan bsal (P. brtsal)-ba'i mthar-phyin-pas-na sans-rgyas-su grub-pa ste. Read: sarvagunadosaprakarsapakarsanisthadhisthanatvena buddharatne parijnanam. R. P. prakarsena'panitasarvagunadosasya paryantasrayatvena buddharatne parijnanam. P. 79.16: kujano hi pratipattiyuktam api bodhisattvopamitam na janite. P.: skye-bo nan-pa ni sgrub-pa dan-ldan-pa'i byan-chub sems-dpa' la 'di'o zes mi ses-pa'o. Read: kujano hi pratipattiyuktam api bodhisattvo 'yam iti na janite. R. P. has the same text as Yamaguchi. P. 80.1: sarvatragadharmadhatubodha pratibaddhasya. Read: -pratibandhasya. P.: chos-kyi dbyins thams-cad-du 'gro-bar khondu chud-par bya-ba'i bgegs-su gyur-pa. R. P. has the same text as Yamaguchi. P. 85.12: bodheh sthitiviyatam kurvantiti. P.: byan-chub-kyi gnas-pa-la gnod-pa byed-pa'i phyir. Read: bodheh sthitivighatam kurvantiti. R. P.: bodheh sthitim kurvantiti. P. 89.17: tatra sadharanam bodhipaksah sravakabodhisattvayor avisesena tatravikarat. P.: der gtogs-pas nan-thos dan byan-chub sems-dpa' gni-ga'i bya-ba bye-brag med-pa'i phyir de-la byan-chubkyi phyogs ni thun-mon-ba'o. Read: tatradhikarat. In the Tibetan translation of the Trinkika gtogs-pa is used to translate adhikara (ed. Sylvain Levi p. 29.18), cf. Nagasawa Jitsudo, 'Bonzokan taisho Yuishiki sanjujushaku goi', Taisho daigaku kenkyu kiyo, 40 (1955), p. 17. R. P. has the same text as Yamaguchi. P. 91.22: a pari purnena cchandaviryacittamimamsanam anyatamavaikalyad [vikala ]bhavanaya ca prahanasamskaravaikalyad iti. P.:

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THE SECOND CHAPTER OF THE MADHYANTAVIBHAGATIKA 115 'dun-pa dan brtson-'grus dan sems dan / dpyod-pa rnams las ganyan run-ba zig ma-tshan-ba yons-su rdzogs-pa dan / spon-ba'i 'du-byed bsgom-pa ma-tshan-bas zes-bya-ba. This passage is a quotation from the bhasya, cf. Nagao's edition p. 33.10: paripurya ca cchandaviryacittamimansanam anyatamavaikalyat / bhavanaya ca prahanasamskaravaikalyat. The Tibetan translation of the bhasya has: 'dun-pa dan / brtson-'grus dan sems dan / dpyod-rnams las gan-yan run-ba zig ma-tshan-bas yons-su rdzogs-pa dan / spon-ba'i du-byed bsgom-pa ma-tshan-bas (Yamaguchi's edition, p. 35.7). Sthiramati's tika explains that samadhi can have two deficiencies (p. 91.21: samadher dvayahinata avaranam uktam): 1. Lack of completeness because of the absence of chanda, virya, citta or mimamsa (p. 92.1: tatra paripurihinata tasam chandaviryacittamimamsanam anyatamavaikalyat). 2. Absence of bhavana because of the absence of one of the eight prahanasanskara (p. 92.2: bhavana * hiyata ity asta prahanasamskaranam anyatamavai kalyat). R. P. reads aparipurya instead of paripurya. The edition of the Madhyantavibhagabhasya by Nathmal Tatia and Anantalal Thakur has aparipurya. The instrumentals paripurya and bhavanaya depend on the preceding word in the bhasya: dvayahinata. In his edition Nagao adds a danda between-hinata and paripurya. This danda is not to be found in the manuscript and has to be omitted.14 P. 95.16: upasantya gaurava utpadyamane sattvah samjalparddhya prayatnena sasanam pratipadyante. P.: ne-bar zi-bas gus-pa skyeste sems-can kun-brjod-pa dan rdzu-'phrul-gyis (P. gyi) bsgrim midgos-par bstan-pa rtogs-par byed-do. Tibetan kun-brjod-pa translates adesana, cf. Abhidharmakosabhasya (ed. P. Pradhan), p. 424.10; rddhicetahparyayasravaksayabhijnas trini pratiharyani yathakramam rddhyadesananusasanapratiharyani. Read : adesanayarddhya cayatnena ? MS. ... radyavayatnena. R. P.: sanjalparddhya'prayatnena. P. 96.22: yathabhutasrutarthavicarana. P.: thos-pa'i don-la sgra 14 In an article in Japanese, 'Some Problems in the Madhyantavibhagabhasya', Journal of Indian and Buddhist Studies, XXII (1974), pp. 402-406, which came to my notice after having written these notes, Funahashi Naoya discusses this passage. I am glad to see that he has arrived at the same solution. Funahashi has also written two articles on the bhasya in Japanese: 'Some Problems in the Madhyantavibhaga-bhasya - with special reference to the three chapters: laksana-pariccheda, avarana-pariccheda and tattvapariccheda', Otani Gakuho, LII, 3 (1973), pp. 50-66; Japanese translation and study of the Madhyantavibhaga-bhasya (avarana-pariccheda)', Bukkyo. gaku Semina, vols. 18-19. I have not yet been able to see the second article.

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116 J. W. DE JONG ji-bzin-du spyod-pa. Yamaguchi indicates that yathabhutasrutartha is quoted from the bhasya, cf. Nagao's edition p. 34.17: ayatharutasrutarthavabodhat. Read: yatharutasrutarthavicarana. R. P. has the same text as Yamaguchi. P. 101.9: visistarthaprarthanaya sutaram atmamatrikaranat. P.: khyad-par-du 'phags-pa'i don-la smos-pas bdag sin-tu snod-du byed-pa'i phyir-ro. Read: atmapatrikaranat. R. P. has the same text as Yamaguchi. P. 102.11: srutartham sarvaklesasahanadibhir apy abhedyat. P.: thos-pa'i ched-du non-mons-pa thams-cad la yan mi 'byid-pa'i phyir-ro. Yamaguchi adds in a note that sahana is not rendered into Tibetan. His restoration is clearly based upon a misreading: mi'byed-pa'i instead of mi-'byid-pa'i. The Tibetan translation has translated sarvaklesasahanat rather freely: "because he does not slip in all impurities". Read: sarvaklesasahanad iti. R. P.: sarvaklesasahanadibhir apy abhedyatvat. P. 107.3: samadhisamapattyadikam uttarottarabhumivisistam sarvakaram nanavasanam phalam. P.: tin-ne-'dzin brgya-la snomspar 'jug-pa la sogs-pa sa gon-nas gon-du khyad-du 'phags-pa mchogrnams-kyi ye-ses-kyi mthar-thug-pa'i 'bras-bu. Read: sarvakarajnanavasanam. R. P. has the same text as Yamaguchi. It would certainly be possible to propose a different text for other passages restored by Yamaguchi, but there is not much to be gained by correcting Yamaguchi's restorations unless they can be shown to be wrong or improved by making use of parallel passages. From the examples given above it is obvious that Ramchandra Pandeya has not made any contribution towards the establishment of a more correct Sanskrit text on the basis of the Tibetan translation. In his introduction he accuses Yamaguchi of having failed to read the MS. correctly and of possessing insufficient familiarity with the complicated grammar of Sanskrit.15 Elsewhere in his preface he states that "many scholars, like Yamaguchi, have committed serious mistakes because of their preference for Tibetan or Chinese versions over original Sanskrit". Pandeya adds that "when the original Sanskrit is available, not much reliance should be placed on Tibetan 15 Pandeya does not seem to have had access to the manuscript used by Yamaguchi. For a well-founded opinion of Pandeya's carefulness in reading manuscripts see Wezler's remarks in his article: 'Some Observations on the Yuktidipika', Supplement II. XVIII. Deutscher Orientalistentag. Vortrage herausgegeben von Wolfgang Voigt. Wiesbaden, 1974, pp. 434-455.

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THE SECOND CHAPTER OF THE MADHYANTAVIBHAGATIKA 117 or Chinese translations", but he seems to be unaware of the fact that a single manuscript (in this case a recent copy of a manuscript) does not represent the original Sanskrit text and that its value can only be judged with the help of Tibetan and Chinese translations. If Pandeya had carefully studied the Tibetan translation of Sthiramati's tika, his edition would have been welcome. In the study of Buddhist Sanskrit texts the Tibetan translations cannot be neglected without harmful consequences.