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Life of the Buddha! by Asvaghosa : TRANSLATED BY Patrick olivelle.rst ed. Poem. In English and Sanskrit (romanized) on facing pages. Includes bibliographical references and index.
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1K views23 pagesOlivelle - Life of The Buddha - Introduction
Life of the Buddha! by Asvaghosa : TRANSLATED BY Patrick olivelle.rst ed. Poem. In English and Sanskrit (romanized) on facing pages. Includes bibliographical references and index.
Uploaded by
danrvaCopyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
/ 23
Copyright © 2008 by the CSL.
All rights reserved.
First Edition 2008,
‘The Clay Sanskrit Library is co-published by
‘New York University Press
and the JJC Foundation,
Further information about this volume
and the rest of the Clay Sanskaie Library
is available at the end of this book
and on the Following websites
‘wwwelaysanskritibrary.com
‘www.nyupress.org
ISBN-13: 978-0-8147-6216-5 (cloth : alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0-8147-6216-6 (cloth : alk. paper)
Artwork by Robert Beer
‘Typeset in Adobe Garamond at 10.25 : 12.34
XML-development by Stuars Brown.
Edivorial input from Linda Covi
Tomoyuki Kono, Eater Somogyi & Peter Scdnis.
Printed in Great Britain by St Ednmundsbury Press Led,
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, on acid-free paper.
Bound by Hunter &+ Foulis, Edinburgh, Scotland,
LIFE OF THE BUDDHA
BY ASVAGHOSA.
‘TRANSLATED BY
PATRICK OLIVELLE
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY PRESS
JJC FOUNDATION
2008 Library of Congress Cataloging, in-Publication Data
Asvaghosa
[Buddhacarita. English & Sanskrit)
Life of the Buddha / by Asvaghosa 5
translated by Patrick Olivelle— 1st ed.
p. cm, — (The Clay Sanskait library)
Poem.
In English and Sanskrit (romanized) on facing pages.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-o-8147-6216-5 (cloth: all. papet)
ISBN-10; 0-8147-6216-6 (cloth : alk. papes)
1. Gautama Buddha-Poetry
1. Olivlle, Patrick. Il. Tile.
BQU606.B8322E 54 2007
294.°825~den2
2007025032,
CONTENTS
Sanskrit alphabetical order
CSL conventions
Preface
LIFE OF THE BUDDHA
Ineroduction
Cantor ‘The Birth of the Lord
Canto 2 Life in the Ladies’ Chambers
Canco 3 Becoming Dejected
Canto 4 Rebuffing the Women
Cantos The Deparcure
Canto 6 Chindaka is Sent Back
> Canto7 Entering the Ascetic Grove
Canto 8 Lamenting in the Seraglio
Canto 9 Search for the Prince
Canto 10 Encounter with King Shrenya
Canto 1 Condemnation of Passion
+ Canto i2 ‘The Meeting with Aréda
Canto 13 Victory over Mara
Canto 14 The Awakening
Summary of Cantos 14-28,
Notes
Glossary of Names
Index
Sandhi grid
6
39
8s
3
159
185
209
243
uT
295
27
a
400
as
43
465
a7
498 INTRODUCTION SHVA-GHOSHA, according to tradition, was a brahmi
‘who converted to Buddhism and became a Buddhist
monk. Internal evidence of his extant works shows that he
‘was a learned man well versed both in the Brahmanical
texts, mythology, ritual, and philosophy, and in Buddhist
theology and history. In addition to being an erudite the-
ologian, Ashva-ghosha was a gifted poet. In “Life of the
Buddha’ (Buddhacarita), he melds the theological and the
poetic into an epic poem that presents Buddhism as the
crowning and consummation of the Brahmanical religion,
as the means of releasing human beings from the agony of
their imprisonment in life, and a the fulfillment of all hu-
‘man aspirations. The poem is an “apologia’ for Buddhism
against Brahmanical attacks and arguments, an apologia in
the form ofa finely crafted “Life of the Buddha’ from his
conception to his Awakening, preaching, and death,
Date and Place of Ashva-ghosha
‘There isa scholarly consensus that Ashva-ghosha lived in
the first century ce. All the evidence for such dating comes
from Ashva-ghosha’s works themselves and their relation
ship to other texts of the period, Many of the arguments,
therefore, contain a good dose of subjectivity. The only
firm date we have is derived from the Chinese translation
of Life ofthe Buddha” carried out around 420 ce. Iis also
most likely that Ashva-ghosha is considerably earlier than.
the most famous of the Sanskrit poets, Kalidasa, who is
dated somewhat tentatively to the fourth century ce.
A case, however, can be made that Ashvaghosha know
Manu’s work on dharma (*Manu's Code of Law,” Mana- LIFE OF THE BUDDHA
vadbarmasista), which I have dated to atound the second
century c& (OuIVELLE 2005: 25). Twice in “Life ofthe Bud-
dha’ (2.16; 8:78) and once in “Handsome Nanda” (Saws-
darananda, 3.42) he compares the age of the Buddha to che
golden age of Manu. Ashva-ghosha repeatedly identifies the
Buddha with the sun; and he calls Manu the son of the
sun. I think this juxtaposition is intentional. Ashva-ghosha
‘compares the Buddha to Svayam-bhu, the Se-existent One
(20.2, 10.19), while Manu, the author of "Manus Code of
Law,” is identified as the son of Svayam-bhu. Indeed, the
‘ueatise on dharma that Manu imparted is said to have been
actually composed by is father Svayam-bhu (Manu 13,58).
In this context, it is significant that Ashva-ghosha puts these
‘words in che mouth of the Buddha: I haveno teacher. have
‘obtained Nirvana; I am not the same as others. Know that
Tam the Selfexistent (cxayanubha) with respect to dharma
(05.4).” The Buddha is higher than Mana with respect to
dharma; the Buddha is Svayam-bhu himself, the very author
of the original treatise on dharma. The Buddha's dharma
is thus che original and eternal dharma, surpassing that of
Manu, which is implicitly an inferior and degenerate dhar-
‘A fucther clue comes from Ashvaghoshals use of the the-
ology of debt (Ouavais 1995: 46-53) to defend the position
that a man should take to asceticism only in old age. These
‘words ate put in the mouth of the counselor of Buddha's
father (0.65-6):
A man is released fom bis debts
to his ancestors through affipring,
INTRODUCTION
so sers through seudying the Vedas,
and tothe gods through sacrifice;
A man is born with there thee debs,
whoever bas become released from these,
for hin alone, they say, theres release.
Release is open to one, experts say
who strives following this sequence of rules:
‘Those who desire release violating that sequence,
‘only get fatigued though they expend much effort.
Although the theology of debtis alluded to in the “Maha-
bhérata,” itis Mamu who for the fst time uses this theology
to defend his position that the orders of life (iramas) are
to be followed sequentially as an individual grows old and
that renunciation is limited to old age.' That freedom from
debe is precondition for undertaking the life of freedom
(mendicancy) echoes Manu Indeed, one can see that these
‘wo verses of Ashva-ghosha paralel the two verses of Manus
(635-6):
Only after be has paid his three debrs,
should a man ses his mind on release:
fhe devotes himself to release without paying them,
te will proceed downward.
Only afer he has studied the Vedas according to rule,
ushered sons in keeping with the Law,
cand offered sacrifices according to his ability
should a man set his mind on release
‘Note also Ashva-ghosha’s use ofthe term moka (release,
liberation) in the technical meaning given to it by Manu,
‘namely, renunciatory asceticism of a wandering mendicant Lie OF THE BUDDHA
(see Ourvetze 2005: 243), rather than simply liberation from
the eyce ofrebicth Ie appears likely that both in the theol-
‘ogy and in the vocabulary Ashva-ghosha is here following
Manu text.
If this connection between Ashva-ghosha and Manu is ac-
cepted, then he should be assigned tothe second rather than
to the frst century ce, Such a connection also throws light
‘on the theological and apologetic background of Ashva:
_ghosha’s work.
‘Thecolophons ofboth the poems give Saka, also known
as Ayédhya in what is today eastern Uttar Pradesh, as the
birthplace of Ashva-ghosha. The internal evidence of “Life
ofthe Buddha” appears to support this. As JOHNSTON (29842
>wviigxlvii-) has shown, Ashva-ghoshaknew the “Raméyana!
and presents the Buddha as the new Rama. He acknow-
cedges Valmiki as the “frst poet” (1.43) and models the de-
pparture ofthe Buddha from his city to the forest after that
‘of Rama, Here the Buddha is explicitly compared to Rama
68:99):
When she rownsfol saw the two return
swithous that bull ofthe Shakya race
and walking with their bodies drooping,
they shea tears along the path, as when
long ago the charios of Désharatha returned.
‘Then, the chaplain together with the counselor
Left the carriage and came upto bi, as the sage
Aurvashéya along with Vama-deva did,
tvising to see Raa living inthe foes.
wii
INTRODUCTION
Shuddhédana’s lament is compared to that of Dasha:
ratha when Rama went into exile (8.81):
Thus did the king,
_greving at being separated from his som
‘give up his innate seadfastness comparable tothe earts
«and rater countles lamentations as ife were denanged,
like Dasha-ratha over Rama, as he succumbed to grief
Irzespectiveof whetherhe sassigned to the rst or the sec-
ond century ce, Ashva-ghosha lived during a period when
much of north-western and north-central India was under
the rule of the Kushénas. They were a group that invaded
north-western India from central Asia and established &
surong empire during the second half of the frst century
ce. The significant aspect ofthis empire is chat the Kushéna
rulers became Buddhists and strong patrons of Buddhist in-
stitutions. We find this especialy in the public visual pres-
cence of Buddhism in the architecture of the Kushéna pe-
tod, a time when few Hind/Brahmanical structures were
present. Foreign rule and Buddhist rule represented by the
Kushénas, including che in-your-face challenge of Buddhist
public monuments, were a double challenge to the Brah-
‘manical conception of society, kingship, and the place of
the brahmin community within society.
“Many rulers in the preceding four or five centuries had
been partial to non-Brahmanical religious movernents, es-
pecially che Buddhist. Beginning with the Maurya em-
pire and Ashoka, the Brahmanical self definition was in-
creasingly challenged and their position within the socio-
political structures weakened. Recent scholarships repre- LE OF THE BUDDHA
sented by Maostonse Biagpeau, Aur Hiteperret, and
Janes Frrzcuraip, has seen the Brahmanical epics as im-
plicic answers to the Buddhist challenge. [have argued that
the legal text of Manu should also be seen as a Brahmani-
‘eal response to this challenge (Ouivzit3 2005: 37-41). This
Brahmanical “counter-reformation” was bound to attract
Buddhist responses, and “Life of the Buddha” can be seen
‘as one such response. It is interesting to note that, perhaps
taking page from the early Buddhist works on the life and
activities of the Buddha, the two famous Indian epics are
‘essentially the life and deeds of Rama and Yudhishthira,
the forme, significantly, the dérmita (dharmic king) and
the later the son and incarnation of Dharma. We can de-
tect a response when Ashva-ghosha calls the Buddha the
image of dharma or dharma in visible form (10.6, 10.9)
and explicily identifies him with dharma (7.39).
“The backdrop to Ashva-ghosha’s work, I believe is also
the contemporary socio-political reality and the Brahman
ical responses, both theological and literary, to that real-
ity. His “Life of the Buddha” can be best interpreted as
an apologetic work presenting the Buddhist response 10
Brahmanical attacks. Ashva-ghosha was well-positioned to
undertake this task, for he was clearly well-versed in Brah-
rmanical texts, mythologies, and theologies. His audience,
therefore, was not simply his fellow Buddhists bur also the
broader educated public of his day, especially the Brahman-
ical intelligentsia, The form of his response, a finely crafted
epic poem, was also probably intended to reach a broad,
diverse, and educated audience. Citations of his work by
later writers on aesthetics and the imitation of his poems by
xiv
INTRODUCTION
‘major Brahmanical poets, including Kalicdasa.* show that
‘Ashva-ghosha largely achieved his aim,
‘Works of Ashva-ghosha
‘There ate «wo extant works of Ashvaghosha, “Life of
the Buddha’ and “Handsome Nanda.” Both are written in
verse and intended to be poctic works (Avy) of distinction.
Indeed, these are the wo earliest extant vyas in Sanskeit,
“Handsome Nanda’ isa Ravya in eighteen cents narrating
the story of the long and complicated path to conversion,
of Buddha’s half-brother Nanda and his wife Séndari. The
only other work that can be confidently ascribed to Ashva-
hosha is the Aivys Sariputraprakarana, a play in nine acts
about the conversion of the Buddha's wo chief disciples,
Shariputra and Maudgalydyana, Only a few passages of
this work are extant.
‘Numerous other works are attributed to Ashva-ghosha in
‘Tibetan and Chinese traditions. The probability that any
of these, which deal principally with topics of Maha-yana
theology, are authentic works of ous poet is extremely slim,
Considering the poetic merits of the two extant Aazyas,
Jommsrow (1984: xix) is of the opinion that “Handome
Nanda” is the later and more developed work of Ashva-
ghosha: “che handling of the Sawdarananda is altogether
more mature and assured than that of the Buddhacarita,
whose effec is often marred by repetitions ofthe same words
‘or phrases, or even of a whole pada, in a way that the kavis
of the classical age sedulously avoided.” LIFE OF THE BUDDHA
‘Theology and Apologetics of
“Life of the Buddha”
Reading “Life of the Buddha” as a Buddhist response to
Brahmanical challenges,’ we can detect two major thrusts
in Ashva ghosha’s argument.
First, he presents the Buddhas doctrine, the dhatma dis-
covered through his Awakening, as the consummation of
the Brahmanical religion. He reads the history of the Brah-
‘manical tradition asa preparation for the arrival of the Bud-
dha; Brahmanism anticipates the Buddha, and Buddhism
is the Fulfillment of Brahmanism. It is wrong, therefore,
to place them in opposition to each othe, to sce them as
adversaries. This is not a new argument of Ashvaghosha;
the canonical lierature already presents the Buddha as the
capwning ofthe Brahmanical tradition, Not is chs unusual
in the history of religions, especially when a new religious
‘movement seeks to define iself against an older inherited
tradition, Thus, the “new testament” of the Jesus move-
ment presented itself as the fulfillment of the prophesies
embedded in the older Jewish tradition, branding its texts
as the “old testament.” Coming as he does from within
the Brahmanical eadition, Ashva-ghosha’s stance is quite
understandable; he wants to remain both a brahmin and.
a Buddhist, just as che early Christians wanted to be both
Jews and Christians. That Ashva-ghosha was imbued with
the Brahmanical scholastic mentality and tradition is ev-
ident in his use of the expression it smrtap (‘such is the
authoritative tradition,” or “so states an authoritative text
‘of tradition”) so common in Brahmanical texts.
INTRODUCTION
Second, Ashvaghosha engages in a polemic against the
inherited tradition, demonstating how doctine, divin.
ties, and holy men of Brahmanism are defective and un-
trustworthy as spicitual guides. The dharma of the Buddha
thas not only fulfilled but also superseded the Brahmani-
‘al dharma. Ashva-ghosha has to walk a fine line in this
dual argument, because the one can often undercut the
‘other: On the one hand, Brahmanism is viewed positively
as preparatory to the Buddhise message, and, on the other,
iis presented as depraved, immoral, and superseded.
Ashva-ghosha, however: is careful to observe thatthe Bud
thas dharma, although opposed to the current practices of
Brahmanism, is not something entirely new and novel. Iris,
dharma that was discovered by past Buddhas; Siddhdrtha’s
discovery is only the most recent in along line. His dharma,
therefore, is both new and ancient. As he ells his groom
Chanda (6.19):
This was the frm resolution,
«as you kos of our ancestors
«do not grieve for me as I walk
on this path, shat is my patrimony
Buddha’ Dharma as Consummation
of Brahmanism
‘Ashva-ghoshals presentation of the Buddha’ dharma as
the consuinmation and fulfillment of the Brahmanical tr
dition is made implicitly and indirecly rather than openly.
He does not come out directly and tell his audience that
the Buddha's dharma is what brahmins have been waiting
eee LIFE OF THE BUDDHA
for all these centuries. Indeed, his isthe manner
‘most Indian authors, especially che Brahmanical ones, deal
swith their opponents. Buddhism, for ecample, is never men-
tioned explicitly either in the epics or in the work of Manus
iv is always inthe background, and without taking into ac-
‘count that backdrop the full significance of the text cannot
be understood.
“The most explicit statements come in the narration of
Siddharcha’ birth. The focus is on the extraordinary marks
oon the baby’s body, marks that Buddhist theology inter-
preted as the signs of a Great Man (mahdjpuruga), and on
the miraculous events that accompanied his birth. The frst
to reflect on these are learned brahmins probably attached
to the royal houschold, and they announce (134-6):
‘The signs on the body ofthis ilusrions one,
‘with the brilliance of gold, the radiance of «lamp,
{forciell shat hell be either ant Auvakened Seer
ora World Congueror on the earth among men.
Should be desire word sovereignty through
‘might and right
sre will stand om earth as she bead of all kings,
Like the light of te san,
at the head of all beaventy lighs.
Going tothe forest should he seek release,
‘by his knowledge and truth he will vanguish
all doctrines and stand on earth lke Meru,
the king of mountains, among all he bill
‘Theseer Asitaisthe second to interpret these signs. Seeing
Asita with tearsin his eyes, Shuddhédanas alarmed, fearing
INTRODUCTION
4 danger to his infant son. But Asita is erying for himself,
because he knows that he will die before he can hear the
Buddha's dharma. Asia predicts thatthe infant wil become
a Buddha, a Fully Awakened One (1.69~75)
For quiting bis realm, detached from pleasures,
realizing the ruth through arduous effort,
This sun af knowledge will blaze forth,
in tis world 1 dispel
the darkness of delusion.
From this sea of grief, strewn with
‘he foam of rckness,
with waves of od age and fearsome
sides of death,
He will rescue with the mighty boat of know!
this stricken world carried away ‘ois ce
The living world shat’ tormented by thirst will drink
from the lfty stream of dharma
flowing from him:
A stream that is made cool by mental rance,
«stream whose current is wisdom,
whose banks are steadfast discipline,
tohose chaksa-vaka ducks are vows
To those who are tormented by suffering,
marty erbeeefeng,
roaming through samsarai wild racks,
This one will proclaim she way to release,
«10 travelers whove lost their wa.
Upon men in this world who are being scorched
dy the fire of pasion, whose fuel
isthe object of the senses, LIFE OF THE BUDDHA
Hell pour relief with the nain of dharma,
Tike a rain cloud pouring down rain,
at the end of the summer beat,
With she iresistible supreme blow
af the true dharma, be will burst open
‘The door whose bolt is thir and whose panels
are delusion and torpor,
so that creatures may excape.
Gaining fil Awakening, this king of arma
will velease the world fom bondage,
A world bound up with the nares ofits own delusion,
«world overcome by grief
