Reviews Of Diffeent Books

Author(s): J W De Jong
Publisher: J W De Jong

Page 19

REVIEWS
samskārānta which is confirmed by the Chinese version and by the Yogaratnamāla. 4 The Chinese version has: “The five aggregates are form, etc. ..., and also the formations of great compassion" (Willemen, p. 89). It goes without saying that "formations of great compassion" makes no sense at all. One must add that the Chinese version also seems to have confused samskārāntā with samskärata. In II.9,8 the Sanskrit text has: paśya devī mahāratnam fvālāmäläkulam vapuh | ayogyah syād aviddhena viddhah san rudidayakah //. Snellgrove translates: "Behold, O Goddess, this great gem, this body in a darting ring of flames. Useless is a gem uncut, but once cut, it gives forth its brilliance." The Chinese version has: "Take for instance a great gem or a multitude of radiant garlands. He who has perceived it or he who has not yet perceived it and he who is unfit are all happy with it” (p. 117). This strange rendering is due to the fact that Dharmapāla clearly confounded viddha "pierced" and vidita "known". On p. 33, n. 1 Willemen remarks that the title of the Sanskrit text is Srihevajradākinījālasamvaramahātantrarājā. This title is found in MS. No. 512 and at the end of the first part of the Sanskrit text in Snellgrove's edition: Srihevajradākinījālasamvara-Vajragarbhābhisambodhi-nāma prathamaḥ kalparaja samāptaḥ. Dharmapāla confuses jāla and jvālā, cf. p. 40, n.1, and p. 81, n. 1 (here one must correct ojala to ojvālā, i.e. wrong rendering of jāla). Similar examples could be quoted ad libitum.
In some instances Dharmapāla is closer to the Sanskrit text than would appear from Willemen's translation. 1.3, 16: smaśāne kridate natho 'stayoginībhiḥ parivítah / svasatīty anaya yuktyā śmaśānety abhidhiyate //. Snellgrove translates: "This Lord plays in the cemetery surrounded by his eight yoginis. 'In the cemetery', we say, because here we have a play on words, for śvasiti means 'he breathes' and śvavasati means 'resting-place of corpses'.” Willemen renders the Chinese version as follows: "While intoning the syllable hüm one should mentally produce the Lord in a cemetery surrounded by eight yoginis. As one is called the means, one's body represents the cemetery" (p. 49). A more literal translation is: “One must go to the cemetery, mentally produce the Lord and intone the syllable hum. Eight yoginis surround him. In this way (fang-pien, Skt. yukti) it is said that one's body is the cemetery." The Yogaratnamāla explains that śvasati stands for savānām vasatih. Dharmapāla seems to explain it as meaning svasarira. 1.6,9: bodhibijaniksepena samskytām <imām> grh<niyāt>. Snellgrove translates: "Take her then who is now consecrated with the depositing of the seed of enlightenment." Willemen has: "(If you produce him in another family), the knowledge of the seed of bodhi will cause you to still remain in the conditioned" (p. 56). In a note Willemen remarks that if you produce Hevajra in the wrong family, you will not reach the unformed (asamskyta), even though you have knowledge of the seed of bodhi (bodhibija). However, the Sanskrit text makes it clear that samskrta means here "consecrated", cf. also Yogaratnamālā: bodhibijaniksepo 'bhisekādis tena samskytām. The Chinese text must be translated accordingly: "(If you produce him in another family), the knowledge of the seed will cause you to be established in the consecration." On p. 58 Willemen translates: "He must not recklessly perform any act which by nature is associated with great compassion, i.e. homa, etc. ....". Willemen has combined two sentences which have to be separated. The first sentence corresponds to Sanskrit 1.6,23cd: sarvabhāvasvabhävena (vi) cared yogi mahäkrpah. Snellgrove translates: "The yogin wanders, filled with great compassion in his possession of a nature that is common to all beings." A literal translation of the Chinese would be: "All the natures (svabhāva), are all acts associated with great compassion." Perhaps this can be translated rather freely as: "All his acts are by nature associated with great compassion". The second sentence corresponds to Skt. 1.6,24a: homatyāgatapo'tito. Snellgrove translates: "He has passed beyond oblations, renunciation, and austerities." The Chinese version has: "One should not prepare acts such as homa, etc.". Chapter VIII explains the Five Wisdoms and concludes this section by declaring: akārän bhāvayet pañca vidhānaih kathitair budhah. "The sage should conceive of these five aspects (ākāra, i.e. ādarśajñana, etc., cf. Yogaratnamālā) in the modes here explained." The Chinese version has: "One should visualize these five Wisdoms in due succession in the way explained.” Willemen translates: "Visualization is said