Buddhist Texts

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/7796/2016-PDF/web/viewer.html

Back

The Shobogenzo

Timebeing

The Life of Eihei Dogen

Genjo Koan

Scroll from Shoji 2, Antei 1 (1200-1227 CE)

有時 Yuji

Nansen Cuts a Cat

無門慧開 Wumen Huikai (1183-1260 CE)

永平道元 Eihei Dogen (1233 CE)

Timebeing

A Gift Extends...

The True Dharma Insight Archive

姚勔 Yao Mian (1216-1262 CE)

and more translations of Ryan Solomon Cohen/Davis

The Tiger Story

Email me

永平道元 Eihei Dogen (1243 CE)

The Shobogenzo

《正法眼蔵》

現成公案

Tiger Story

正法眼蔵

Nansen Cuts a Cat

A Gift Extends...

現成公案

Genjo Koan

祖獨往江西晚入荒村路値猛虎鼓开而欲食也祖直攛向拍 ancestor independently journeyed to jianxi and evening entering a wild-terrained settlement path was a worthy fierce tiger with a desire to eat present ancestor throwing off powerfully ahead and as openly as a drummer on a drum striking 杖避于巖上而坐虎瞋窯杖尾而失輿去下巖視之 with his walking stick he escaped going to the rock above and sat, the tiger's hungry glare stoking the branch’s tail end and the mountain slope's tail end and the tiger's tail end losing balance and descending down the rock as seen here 始知杖頭化龍身坐其頭上也宋主禪林崇稱而圖 begins wisdom's branch's beginning to grow body of knowledge of a dragon seated holding steady that beginning that head that top being dwelling head zen buddhist grove esteemed named and pictured 畫崢事傳以偉之 illustrated lofty transmission by means of eminent one Ryan Solomon Cohen/Davis

慧開 Wumen Huikai Translated by Ryan Solomon Cohen/Davis 南宋 Southern Song 南泉斬貓 Nansen Cuts a Cat 南泉和尚・因東西堂爭貓兒・泉乃提起云・ Nansen and yet Springwater Coin Mouth and yet a mix and yet to compose a poem and yet the reason East and West Halls fighting about a cat, Springwater Coin Mouth therefore sprung up and said・大眾道得即救・道不得即斬卻也 "Everything-under-the-sun way to get saved・the way not gotten promptly cut!" ・眾無對・泉遂斬之・ Many aren't right, many aren't matched, many aren't suitable, many aren't answering, many aren't facing, and Springwater Coin Mouth say facing cut. 晚趙州外歸・泉舉似州・州乃脫履・安頭上而出・ Evening enters as Zhao Zhou (the name of a warring state during the Chinese Warring States period 475-221 BCE, and specifically the last warring state where the overrunning it ended the Warring States period) returned from outside, Nansen, Springwater Coin Mouth, raised the matter with Zhao Zhou, The State, The State to be shed, a shoe, a head, on top, as well, to go...and showed a strange parting-part, a clean pair of heels playing hard to get on ahead. 泉云・子若在・即救得貓兒 Springwater Coin Mouth said・ "The point child is in the middle・so you ought to save the cat for the final part."

慧開 Wumen Huikai, as translated by Ryan Solomon Cohen/Davis 南宋 Southern Song 南泉斬貓 Nansen Cuts a Cat 南泉和尚・因東西堂爭貓兒・泉乃提起云・ Nansen and yet Springwater Coin Mouth and yet a mix and yet to compose a poem and yet the reason East and West Halls fighting about a cat, Springwater Coin Mouth therefore sprung up and said・大眾道得即救・道不得即斬卻也 "Everything-under-the-sun way to get saved・the way not gotten promptly cut!" ・眾無對・泉遂斬之・ Many aren't right, many aren't matched, many aren't suitable, many aren't answering, many aren't facing, and Springwater Coin Mouth say facing cut. 晚趙州外歸・泉舉似州・州乃脫履・安頭上而出・ Evening enters as Zhao Zhou (the name of a warring state during the Chinese Warring States period 475-221 BCE, and specifically the last warring state where the overrunning it ended the Warring States period) returned from outside, Nansen, Springwater Coin Mouth, raised the matter with Zhao Zhou, The State, The State to be shed, a shoe, a head, on top, as well, to go...and showed a strange parting-part, a clean pair of heels playing hard to get on ahead. 泉云・子若在・即救得貓兒 Springwater Coin Mouth said・ "The point child is in the middle・so you ought to save the cat for the final part."

南宋 Nán Sòng The Southern Song Dynasty (1127–1279) 姚勉 Yao Mian (1216–1262) Seven-character quatrain (七言绝句) Translated by Ryan Solomon Cohen/Davis Part 1: 贈敷上人遊五山 Zèng fū shàng rén yóu wǔ shān A gift extends skilled practitioner roaming the Five Peaks 讀君桑葦疎籬句，知得猶存用世心。 Dú jūn sāng wěi shuō lí jù, zhī dé yóu cún yòng shì xīn. I read your mulberry and reed poetic line, I know for serving the world you still have a heart and spine. 拄杖借將來解虎，不須深卧白雲深。 Zhǔ zhàng jiè jiāng lái jiě hǔ, bù xū shēn wò bái yún shēn. Leaning on a cane making use of what is giving rise to solve the tiger, there is no need for that deep crouch in the deep white clouds of time. Part 2: 寄感山二詩僧其二寄半顛 Jì gǎn shān èr shī sēng qí èr jì bàn diān I draw forward these mountainous feelings to the poet-priests this second poem forwarding half-falling-forward. 拄杖挑雲過五山，無心出岫倦飛還。 Zhǔ zhàng tiāo yún guò wǔ shān, wú xīn chū xiù juàn fēi huán. Leaning on my staff I part the clouds passing over the Five Mountains, not-intentionally I leave the mountain peak weary to fly home. 參禪未用多行脚，道在如如不動間。 Cān chán wèi yòng duō xíng jiǎo, dào zài rú rú bù dòng jiān To seek zen one need not go wayfaring, the way is being as is not moving voidward.

Words: These notes and this partial translation is included because my version of the text has several concepts to my knowledge not in extent English translations. がご, 雅語, gago (noun): 1. elegant words; refined diction; poetic expression2. classical poetic language (esp. of the Heian period) It should be noted most authors interpret or read the text as prose rather than poetry and these references to gago are either overlooked or omitted.

たき木、はひとなる、さらにかへりてたき木となるべきにあらず。 Firewood, is people being, furthermore step back firewood people being should not be nothing. しかあるを、灰はのち、薪はさきと見取すべからず。Nothing but being being, ash is hereafter remains, fuel is hereafter remains and the image cannot be seen. しるべし、薪は薪の法位に住して、さきありのちあり。Must know, fuel is fuel of dwelling Dharma's position so, way a head being hereafter being. 前後ありといへども、前後際斷せり。From the beginning to the end time being and even so, from the beginning to the end middle meet time split being. 灰は灰の法位にありて、のちありさきあり。Ash is ash of dwelling Dharma's position so, hereafter remains being the hereafter remains being. かのたき木、はひとなりぬるのち、さらに薪とならざるがごとく、人のしぬるのち、さらに生とならず。That aforestated firewood, is earth's people being spread, even more fuel and if not poetry release, earth of dying people, even more living chirping nothing. しかあるを、生の死になるといはざるは、佛法のさだまれるならひなり。Nothing but being being, question is not is death being of life, settled being of Buddha Dharma if true light being. このゆゑに不生といふ。So the not living ask not. 死の生にならざる、法輪のさだまれる佛轉なり。Life of death if truly not, Wheel of Dharma settling being Buddha turns being. このゆゑに不滅といふ。So unextinguished that say. 生も一時のくらゐなり、死も一時のくらゐなり。Living one more time noble reign seat being, dead one more time noble reign seat being. たとへば、冬と春のごとし。Example, winter and spring like. 冬の春となるとおもはず、春の夏となるといはぬなり。Winter's spring when it comes to that without thinking, spring’s summer when it comes to that silent spoken golden color bearing fruit. 人のさとりをうる、水に月のやどるがごとし。People's enlightenment is won, a poetic age pregnant with wet moonlight. 月ぬれず、水やぶれず。The moon doesn't get wet, the water is unbroken. ひろくおほきなるひかりにてあれど、尺寸の水にやどり、全月も彌天も、くさの露にもやどり、一滴の水にもやどる。Wide big being light even though, tiny wet abode, full moon as well as complete heaven, dew as well shelter of cause, one droplet of fluid to live in this pregnant age. ──────────────────────

This video segment, credit to Linfamy, provides context:

The Shobogenzo The Genjo KoanRyan Solomon Cohen/Davis

Fallback message for unsupported formats Your browser does not support the video tag or the video format.Video Loading Error Unable to load the video. This may be due to: MOV format compatibility issuesNetwork connectivity problemsVideo file not accessibleTry converting to MP4 format for better browser support. 0:00 / 0:00

The traditional Japanese color 不言色 (iwanuiro, “unspoken color”)—a slightly reddish yellow—dates back at least to the Heian period (794–1185). The name comes from the gardenia (クチナシ, kuchinashi) fruit, which stays closed even when ripe. Because the fruit does not “speak,” the color was poetically called “unspoken color” (不言色). This color appears in Heian-era literature, such as Sasameyuki Monogatari and the Shin Kokin Wakashu. The gardenia fruit itself has been used from at least the Heian period to dye clothing this golden-yellow color. It should be additionally noted this word may be overlooked in texts because of a language shift. In Old Japanese, the auxiliary negative form would have been written with は and pronounced closer to ihanu, with a clear [ha]. By Dogen’s time (1200s, Late Middle Japanese), medial /-ha/ before /a/ had shifted to [wa], so while still written 言はぬ, it was now pronounced iwanu. That same spelling–pronunciation mismatch has carried forward into Modern Japanese, where the form is read iwanu despite the historical orthography.

Gardenia japonica dyes on various fabrics.

So:• Old Japanese (pre-800) → ihanu (with [ha])• Late Middle Japanese / Dōgen (1200s) → still written 言はぬ, ihanu, but pronounced iwanu• Modern Japanese → written in historical kana as 言はぬ, read iwanu This makes iwanu a direct witness of the ha → wa shift: the orthography preserves the older [ha], but by the medieval period the sound had already become [wa], exactly as in present-day speech. This particular language shift carries through to the entire Shobogenzo largely being missing in all extent English translations. Indeed, in the earlier translated Yuji or Timebeing, we find this same language shift overlooked. Thus in the word notes for Timebeing I say: ❝いはゆる or いわゆる, iwayuruNamed or so-called or what is known as. Only mentioned because most other translations translate this somewhat differently.❞ A likely reason the other translators translated it differently was they missed the ‘ha' to ‘wa' shift. といふ and といふ This is another interpretation missing from extent texts likely due to a language shift. このゆゑに不生といふ。So the not living ask not. このゆゑに不滅といふ。So unextinguished that say. The first phrase “So the not living ask not” may have interpretations in existing translations, but the ’speak’ or ’say’ in the second phrase is missing in the translations. This is a wordplay where といふ, toifu, can be read in two distinct manners. You can read it ‘toi fu’ or you can read it ’to ifu’. Toi means question. Fu means nothing or not. To is a conjuction meaning and or that or additional conjuctive English words. Ifu is where the translation shift is. Ifu means speak. Yet as Wikipedia says in it’s entry for 言う: "Medial /p/ regularly changed from [p] → [ɸ] → [w]. Japanese never distinguished between /wu/ and /u/, so that automatically becomes [u]. “ [p] → [ɸ] → [w] means [pu] → [fu] → [wu (where the w is silent, thus u)] Thus this word changed in pronunciation from ‘ipu' to ‘ifu' to ‘iuu.’ Old Japanese (pre-800 CE)Written: 言ふ (ifu)Pronounced roughly: [iɸu] or [iɸɯ]Here, the auxiliary negative or verb ending -fu / -pu reflected a medial /p/ that had weakened to [ɸ].Late Middle Japanese (~1200, Dōgen)Spoken: [iwu] → modernized in reading as iuu / iwanuMedial /ɸ/ before /u/ had already weakened towards [w] (bilabial glide), so ifu became [iu] or [iwu] phonetically.In writing, it was still 言ふ (ifu), reflecting the historical kana.Modern JapaneseWritten: 言う (iuu)Pronounced: [iuu]The orthography was simplified in the 20th-century kana reforms to reflect modern pronunciation. なりnari As previously noted in the Yuji notes, ari and nari are being, is, coming to be. Yet nari has an additional meaning of bearing fruit that becomes relevant here. Finally note this text is only the central area and not the full text. A full text will likely be eventually provided.

The True Dharma Insight Archive 正法眼蔵 The Genjo Koan 現成公案 Eihei Dogen 永平道元

Ume plums. This text in another section references a plum.

いはぬ / いわぬ, ihanu / iwanu (noun): 1. unsaid, also linked with: 不言色, いはぬいろ / いわぬいろ, ihanu-iro / iwanu-iro (noun): `1. the unsaid color, literally 'not said color,’ though 言 is the kanji for speaking, and the unsaid color is a said and spoken name for a color.

So:• Old Japanese (pre-800) → ihanu (with [ha])• Late Middle Japanese / Dogen (1200s) → still written 言はぬ, ihanu, but pronounced iwanu• Modern Japanese → written in historical kana as 言はぬ, read iwanu This makes iwanu a direct witness of the ha → wa shift: the orthography preserves the older [ha], but by the medieval period the sound had already become [wa], exactly as in present-day speech. This particular language shift carries through to the entire Shobogenzo largely being missing in all extent English translations. Indeed, in the earlier translated Yuji or Timebeing, we find this same language shift overlooked. Thus in the word notes for Timebeing I say: ❝いはゆる or いわゆる, iwayuruNamed or so-called or what is known as. Only mentioned because most other translations translate this somewhat differently.❞ A likely reason the other translators translated it differently was they missed the ‘ha' to ‘wa' shift. といふ and といふ This is another interpretation missing from extent texts likely due to a language shift. このゆゑに不生といふ。So the not living ask not. このゆゑに不滅といふ。So unextinguished that say. The first phrase “So the not living ask not” may have interpretations in existing translations, but the ’speak’ or ’say’ in the second phrase is missing in the translations. This is a wordplay where といふ, toifu, can be read in two distinct manners. You can read it ‘toi fu’ or you can read it ’to ifu’. Toi means question. Fu means nothing or not. To is a conjuction meaning and or that or additional conjuctive English words. Ifu is where the translation shift is. Ifu means speak. Yet as Wikipedia says in it’s entry for 言う: "Medial /p/ regularly changed from [p] → [ɸ] → [w]. Japanese never distinguished between /wu/ and /u/, so that automatically becomes [u]. “ [p] → [ɸ] → [w] means [pu] → [fu] → [wu (where the w is silent, thus u)] Thus this word changed in pronunciation from ‘ipu' to ‘ifu' to ‘iuu.’ Old Japanese (pre-800 CE)Written: 言ふ (ifu)Pronounced roughly: [iɸu] or [iɸɯ]Here, the auxiliary negative or verb ending -fu / -pu reflected a medial /p/ that had weakened to [ɸ].Late Middle Japanese (~1200, Dogen)Spoken: [iwu] → modernized in reading as to iuu / iwanuMedial /ɸ/ before /u/ had already weakened towards [w] (bilabial glide), so ifu became [iu] or [iwu] phonetically.In writing, it was still 言ふ (ifu), reflecting the historical kana.Modern JapaneseWritten: 言う (iuu)Pronounced: [iuu]The orthography was simplified in the 20th-century kana reforms to reflect modern pronunciation. なりnari As previously noted in the Yuji notes, ari and nari are being, is, coming to be. Yet nari has an additional meaning of bearing fruit that becomes relevant here. Finally note this text is only the central area and not the full text. A full text will likely be eventually provided.

The Shobogenzo The Genjo KoanRyan Solomon Cohen/Davis

たき木、はひとなる、さらにかへりてたき木となるべきにあらず。Firewood, is people being, furthermore step back firewood people being should not be nothing. しかあるを、灰はのち、薪はさきと見取すべからず。Nothing but being being, ash is hereafter remains, fuel is hereafter remains and the image cannot be seen. しるべし、薪は薪の法位に住して、さきありのちあり。Must know, fuel is fuel of dwelling Dharma's position so, way a head being hereafter being. 前後ありといへども、前後際斷せり。From the beginning to the end time being and even so, from the beginning to the end middle meet time split being. 灰は灰の法位にありて、のちありさきあり。Ash is ash of dwelling Dharma's position so, hereafter remains being the hereafter remains being. かのたき木、はひとなりぬるのち、さらに薪とならざるがごとく、人のしぬるのち、さらに生とならず。That aforestated firewood, is earth's people being spread, even more fuel and if not poetry release, earth of dying people, even more living chirping nothing. しかあるを、生の死になるといはざるは、佛法のさだまれるならひなり。Nothing but being being, question is not is death being of life, settled being of Buddha Dharma if true light being. このゆゑに不生といふ。So the not living ask not. 死の生にならざる、法輪のさだまれる佛轉なり。Life of death if truly not, Wheel of Dharma settling being Buddha turns being. このゆゑに不滅といふ。So unextinguished that say. 生も一時のくらゐなり、死も一時のくらゐなり。Living one more time noble reign seat being, dead one more time noble reign seat being. たとへば、冬と春のごとし。Example, winter and spring like. 冬の春となるとおもはず、春の夏となるといはぬなり。Winter's spring when it comes to that without thinking, spring’s summer when it comes to that silent spoken golden color bearing fruit. 人のさとりをうる、水に月のやどるがごとし。People's enlightenment is won, a poetic age pregnant with wet moonlight. 月ぬれず、水やぶれず。The moon doesn't get wet, the water is unbroken. ひろくおほきなるひかりにてあれど、尺寸の水にやどり、全月も彌天も、くさの露にもやどり、一滴の水にもやどる。Wide big being light even though, tiny wet abode, full moon as well as complete heaven, dew as well shelter of cause, one droplet of fluid to live in this pregnant age. ──────────────────────────────────────

Ume plums. This text in another section references a plum.