Re: Dhp 39

Hi Jim,

Yes the Udānavarga has it "right". I don't know why it's necessary to postulate a long ā in the Pāli (it's fine without it) although it would make sense, as you suggest for the BHS version in the Patna Dhp. There is also a variant reading in the Patna Dhp anayāśraya which seems to be more closely related to the Pāli as -y- and -v- often interchange in the Prakrits. It may be corrupt or it may be a misinterpretation of the -y- > -p- when -y- > -v- would have been the obvious choice. That would suggest that the redactor didn't know his/her Sanskrit very well, which of course is possible, although it seems unlikely - surely they were just as concerned as we are to ascertain and preserve Buddhavacana. Then there is the intriguing genealogy of "resting on the breath". I know it's a Chan concept, that by focusing on the breath one's thoughts are controlled and dissipated, but is it a Theravādin one? I don't remember it in the Pāli scriptures. If it's
  not there, then the Patna Dhp is certainly wrong,

Does anyone know if breath counting or "resting on the breath" features in the Pāli scriptures?

Best wishes,

Bryan





________________________________
From: Jim Anderson <jimanderson_on@...>
To: palistudy@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thu, December 10, 2009 9:11:56 PM
Subject: Re: [palistudy] Dhp 39

  
Hi Bryan,

Udaanavarga 28.6 has 'anavasrutacittasya ' which is the Sanskrit
equivalent of 'anavassutacittassa ' at Dhp 39a. The reading of
'anapraa"srayamaa. nassa' at Patna Dhp 347 seems corrupt to me.
Interestingly, in the DOP I entry for 'avassuta', Cone seems to
suggest ava + aa + ssuta as a possible derivation with the addition of
the prefix 'aa' which disappears in shortening before a double
consonant. So, in the Patna reading, could it be that -praa-is -pra-
+ -aa-? I disagree with Norman's translation 'whose thought is
untroubled'. I would prefer 'whose thought is untainted (by lust or
desire)' which is in keeping with the Dhp-a I 309 gloss: 'raagena
atintacittassa' (whose thought is unmoistened by lust).

Best wishes,
Jim

<< Paali has anavassuta which presumably comes from an+ ava+ sru which
means "not leaking" or "not flowing out". Patna Dhp has a different
word anapraa"sraya- which presumably is from ana ("breath") +pra"sraya
"resting on" (with the long aa for the metre, to avoid two short 2nd
and 3rd syllables in a row which is not allowed in the "sloka metre),
meaning, " resting on the breath". Or it is just a mistaken
back-formation from Pkt. an+ava- with the same root "sru? PDhp also
has -maa.nassa (present participle) instead of -cittassa.

Which is correct? Both are feasible - "a mind untroubled" in Paali and
"resting on the breath" in Buddhist Sanskrit. I don't know.
anapra"sraya in Skt could change to anavassaya in Pkt, but there is
still the change from -aya > -uta- to account for and if the PDhp
redactor had anavassaya or anavassuya as his exemplar, why change it
to anapra- when anava- fits the context better?  >>





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