Oct 19, 2008

Prajñāpāramitāhṛdayasūtra (fragment 2)

evamukte āryāvalokiteśvaro bodhisattvo mahāsattvaḥ āyuṣmantaṁ śāriputrametadavocat- yaḥ kaścicchāriputra kulaputro va kuladuhitā vā [asyāṁ] gambhīrāyāṁ prajñāpāramitāyāṁ caryāṁ cartukāmaḥ, tenaivaṁ vyavalokitavyam-pañca skandhāṁstāṁśca svabhāvaśūnyān samanupaśyati sma |

These being said/ thus questioned(
evamukte loc. abs.), the great being [and] bodhisattva, the noble Avalokiteśvara said this to brother Śāriputra: someone who, oh Śāriputra, is a son or daughter of good family [and who] desire to observe the practice in the profound Perfection of Wisdom, by that he is to constantly look(vyavalokitavyam) as follows. He should consider(samanupaśyati)[thus]: "there [are] five aggregates and they are empty of own being".

The concern in this post is the pleonastic(in my oppinion) usage of
vyavalokitavyam and samanupaśyati. But let's see the meaning of these two words:
  • vyavalokitavyam - (fut. pas. part.) vyavalokita (cf. Edgerton) = intense gaze, steady look. => to be constantly regared, to look upon(MW);
  • samanupaśyati - (III'rd pers. sg. pres.) to consider(Edgerton), to perceive, observe, to regard as, consider(MW)

2 comments:

PDSz said...

pañca skandhāṁs, tāṁś ca svabhāvaśūnyān samanupaśyati sma |

He should contemplate [thus]: "[There are] five aggregates, and they are empty of own being."

I should not lose to much sleep over the 'sma' standing for something like an optative, but it is a bit weird.

AC said...

Thanks for the help! I've changed the translation.