ii) pronounced t’ien-le, meaning “Heaven happiness/joy”. Chuang Chou 莊周 (368 BC - 286 BC), Sir Chuang (Chuang-tzu 莊子), “T’ien-tao”, says: “When one harmonises with other people, it’s referred to as ‘human happiness’ (jen-le 人樂), and if one’s in harmony with Heaven, it’s called ‘Heaven happiness’.” Ch’eng Hsȕan-ying 成玄英 (T’ang dynasty), in his exegeses to Sir Chuang says: “Only if one bows participating in the Common Dust (Su-ch’en 俗塵), moreover coinciding with the joys of the human world, and looks up in concord with Nature, does one rejoice in the joys of Heaven’s principles (t’ien-tao 天道).”
1104Tzu-ch’en 紫宸 Scarlet Imperial-residence. The name of a T‘ang dynasty imperial palace-hall. Emperor Dark-progenitor (Hsȕan-tsung 玄宗, reigned 712 - 756, Li Lung-chi 李隆基), T’ang dynasty Six Standards (T’ang liu-tien 唐六典), annotated by Li Lin-fu 李林甫 (AD? - AD 752), says: “The gate north of Great-shining Imperial-palace (Ta-ming-kung 大明宮) is called Scarlet Imperial-residence Gate (Tzu-ch’en-men 紫宸門), within which there’s Scarlet Imperial-residence Palace-hall (Tzu-ch’en-tien 紫宸殿). The south of this palace-hall faces Scarlet Imperial-residence Gate.” Wang P’u 王溥 (922 - 982), Assembly of the vital matters of the T’ang dynasty (T’ang hui-yao 唐會要), says: “In the Fourth Month of the Third Year of the Lung-sho reign-period [i.e. AD 663], the emperor first used Scarlet Imperial-residence Palace-hall to administer government.”
1105mo-chang 磨障, “an earlier writing of 魔障, Mara barrier/hindrance, a Buddhist term. Mo 魔, an abbreviation for mo-lo 魔羅, the Sanskrit term mara, means:
(i) “killing”, “destroying”. Anon., Surangama sutra (Leng-yen ching 楞嚴經), a Tantric work translated by Paramiti in AD 705, says: “Bringing down and subduing the various maras.” The older translations of Buddhist scriptures wrote the term as mo 磨. Emperor Warrior (Wu-ti 武帝, reigned 502-549) of the Southern Dynasties Liang dynasty changed it to mo 魔. There are various categories of maras, such as the Four Maras (Ssu-mo 四魔):
a)the Klesa/ Vexation/ Affliction/ Distress/ Passions Mara (Fan-nao-mo 煩惱魔); such things as greed and anger, which can harm one’s body and mind.
b)the Five Skandha-maras/ Pancaskandha [Wu-yin mo 五陰魔, also called the Five Skandhas/ the Pancaskandha (Wu-yȕn 五蘊)], more recently translated as Wu-yȕn-mo 五蘊魔):
(1)rupa (se 色), meaning form/ matter/ the physical form related to the five organs of sense,
(2)vedana (shou 受), meaning reception/ sensation/ feeling/ the functioning of mind or senses in connection with affairs or things,
(3)sanjna (hsiang 想), conception/ discerning/the function of the mind in discerning,
(4)samskara (hsing 行), the functioning of the mind in its processes regarding like and dislike/ good and evil/etc.; and
(5)vijnana (shih 識), mental faculty in regard to perception and cognition/ discriminative of affairs and things. Associated with manas (hsin-wang 心王), the faculty/ nature of the mind.
(1) is said the be physical, and the other four mental qualities. (2), (3) and (4) are associated with mental functioning, and thus with the term Mental Status (hsin-so 心所). The Five can cause all kinds of vexation, hence their terming as mo.
c)the Death Mara (Ssu-mo 死魔), called mara because it can occasion the severance of life.
d)the Deva Mara (T‘ien-mo 天魔), the same as Paranimirta-vasavartin Mara (Ta-hua Tzu-tsai-t’ien Mo 他化自在天魔). The heaven Paranimirta-vasavartin is the Sixth Heaven of Khmadathu (Yü-chieh 欲界), the Heaven/ realm of Desires [for food, sleep and sex]. The Mara King (Mo-wang 魔王) of this heaven, P’o-Hsȕn 波旬 is good at destroying people’s good deeds, hence the element mara.
Of the Four Maras, the fourth one is the basic one, the other three being of similar kind, hence also called maras. This adds up to eight, which are also termed the Eight Maras (Pa-mo 八魔). See Anon., Prajna-paramitã sastras (Chih-tu lun 智度論), Mahayana dharma-hunting-park (Ta-ch’eng fa-yȕan 大乘法苑) and Forest of meanings chapters (Yi-lin chang 義林章).
Anon., Nirvana sutra (Nieh-p’an ching 孽槃經) adds four extra maras to the Four Maras, Impermanence/ Anitya (Wu-ch’ang 無常), Joylessness (Wu-le 無樂), Selflessness (Wu-wo 無我) and Cleanlessness (Wu-ching 無淨) to make the eight. The first four are referred to as the Common-fellow Maras (Fan-fu-mo 凡夫魔), and the latter four as the Dviyana Maras (Er-ch’eng-mo 二乘魔).
Anon., Garland sutra/Avatamsaka- sutra (Hua-yen ching 華經), adds to the Four Maras the following: Karma Mara (Yeh-mo 業魔), Heart Mara (Hsin-mo 心魔), Good Roots/ Kusala-mula (Shan-ken-mo 善根魔) and Samadhi Mara (San-mei-mo 三昧魔), Good-friend Mara (Shan-chih-shih-mo 善知識魔) and Bodhi Dharma-wisdom Mara (P’u-t’i Fa-chih Mo 菩提法智魔) to make the Ten Maras (Shih-mo 十魔).
ii)also the name of “the Destroyer”, “the Evil One”, “the Devil”. “the Murderer”, “the Hinderer”, “the Disturber”, a Deva often depicted as having a hundred arms, and riding on an elephant. He sends his daughters, or himself assumes monstrous forms, or inspires wicked men to seduce or frighten the saints. He resides with legions of subordinates in the heaven Paranirmita Vasavartin (T’a-hua Tzu-tsai-t’ien 他化自在天) situated on the top of the Kamadhatu. Cf. also Papiyan (P’o 波).
Other related terms are as follows: Pankaskandha Worlds (Wu-yȕn-yin Shih-chien 五蘊陰世間) and Pankaskandha (Wu-yȕn-chung Shih-chien 五蘊眾世間), both referring to the worlds in which the Five Skandhas exist. Pankaskandha Residence (Wu-yȕn-chai 五蘊宅), the abode of the Five Skandhas, i.e. the human body. Pankaskandha discourse (Wu-yȕn-lun 五蘊論/ Mahayana Pankaskandha discourse (Ta-ch’eng Wu-yȕn-lun 五蘊), a sastra by Vasubandhu on the Mahayana interpretation of the Five Skandhas, translated into Chinese by the most famous Chinese Buddhist monk Hsȕan-tsang 玄奘 (600-664). Pankaskandha all-is-empty sutra (Wu-yȕn chieh-k’ung ching 五蘊皆空經) by Yi-ching 義淨 (635 - 713). Pankaskandha analogies sutra (Wu-yun P’i-yü ching 五蘊譬喻經) by An Shih-kao 安世高 (fl. ca. 148 - 171) Sainyuktagama sutra (Tsa-a-han ching 雜阿含經), miscellaneous treatises on abstract contemplation. Pankaskandha treatises explanations (Wu-yȕn lun-shih五蘊論釋), a commentary by Vinitaprabha. Pankaskandha Mara (Wu-yȕn-mo 五蘊魔), the Mara of the skandhas.
The Five Maras associated with the Five Skandhas are variously known as the Five Kinds of Mara (Wu-chung-mo 五種魔), the Five Skandhas Maras (Wu-yȕn-mo 五蘊魔), the Five Female-force Maras (Wu-yin-mo 五陰魔) and the Five Multitudes of Maras (Wu-chung-mo 五眾魔).
1106Tzu-hsiao 紫霄, Scarlet Empryian, presumably a euphemism for Heaven.
1107hsien-kuo ch’ung-ch’eng 仙果重成, immortal karma has again been fulfilled.
1108mo-yȕeh p’i-feng 抹月批風, “to rub/ fondle the moon and part the breeze”, a metaphor signifying “to divert/ amuse oneself in romance “. The idiom has some resemblance to another: “to sing of wind/breeze and fondle/play with moon”, meaning “to bard about romance”.
1109k’ung-hua 空花, “empty flowers”, also found written 空華, i.e. the Buddhist, Sanskrit term khapuspa, defined as “flowers in the sky”, “spots before the eyes”, “Mucus volitantes”, “illusion”. In India, Hinayanists scorned Mahayanists as k’ung-hua wai-tao 空華外道, the Sanskrit term Sunyapuspa, “sky-flower heretics”, “followers of illusion”.
1110huan-ying 幻影: “mava/ illusionary shadow”. The Buddhist, Sanskrit term mava means “illusion”, “hallucination”, “a conjuror’s trick”, “jugglery”.
1111Ch’ou-ch’eng 愁城, Sorrow City, being a poetic term for “the realm of sorrows”. Fan Ch’eng-ta 范成大 (1126-1193), has a poem with the lines; “I’d like to obtain a sorghum field, with a good harvest in the coming year, and pour brew into a clay pot, to irrigate my Sorrow City.”
1112K’u-hai 苦海, “Sea of Suffering”, the Buddhist Sanskrit term Duhkha Sea, the edgeless/endless/limitless Suffering-ocean, used as an image for boundless suffering. Dharm
a-flower sutra (Fa-hua ching 法華經), “Shou liang-p’in”, says: “I see all the multitude of various living-beings submerged in the Sea of Suffering.”
The term duhkha, also transliterated as tou-ch’ia 豆佉, “bitterness”, “hardship”, “suffering”, “pain”, “distress”, “misery”, “difficulty”. There are lists of two, three, four, five, eight and ten categories of such. The Two are the internal (i.e. physical and mental) and the external (i.e. attacks from outside). The Four add birth, growing old and illness and death. The Eight are those four plus the pain of parting from loved ones, of meeting with hated ones, of failure in one’s aspirations, and that caused by the Five Skandhas (Wu-yȕn 五蘊).
1113ch’ih-ch’ing 癡情, infatuated love. The ch’ih 癡 is a major Buddhist concept, the Sanskrit term moha, “delusion”, “unconsciousness”, “folly”, “infatuation”, “ignorance”. It’s also explained as “unenlightened” (wu-ming 無明), i.e. misled by mere appearances, mistaking the seeming for the real, from which failing arises every kind of klesa (i.e. affliction or defilement by the passions, etc.). Ch’ih is one of the “three poisons”: desire, dislike and delusion. It’s included in various other terms:
Folly Messenger (ch’ih-shih 癡使), the messenger/lictor/affliction of unenlightenment;
Folly Mortals (ch’ih-fan 癡凡), the common unenlightened people;
Folly Sons/Children (ch’ih-tzu 癡子), the common unenlightened people;
Folly Taking (ch’ih-ch’ü 癡取), the klesa of moha, held in unenlightenment;
Folly Fixing (ch’ih-ting 癡定), the samadhi of ignorance, i.e. being without mystic insight;
Folly Heart (ch’ih-hsin 癡心), the unenlightened mind, ignorance darkening the mind;
Folly Delusion (ch’ih-huo 癡惑), ignorance and delusion, ignorance of the right way of viewing life and phenomena;
Folly Hankering/Cherishing (ch’ih-ai 癡愛), ignorance and desire, unenlightened desire, ignorance being the father and desire the mother, which produce all affliction and evil karma;
Folly Arrogance (ch’ih-man 癡慢), ignorance and pride, ignorant pride;
Folly Poison (ch’ih-tu 癡毒), the poison of ignorance, delusion as one of the Three Poisons;
Folly River/ Waters (ch’ih-shui 癡水), the turbid waters of ignorance, drinking the water of ignorance;
Folly Lamp (ch’ih-teng 癡燈), the lamp of delusion, attracting the unenlightened like a lamp attracts the moth;
Folly Dogs (ch’ih-kou 癡狗), deluded dogs, i.e. the Hinayana sravakas and pratyeka-buddhas;
Folly Monkey (ch’ih-hou 癡猴), the deluded monkey trying to seize the reflection of the moon in the water, e. g. the unenlightened man who takes the seeming for the real;
Folly Being-led-astray (ch’ih-mi 癡迷), unenlightened and led astray;
Folly Net (ch’ih-wang 癡網), the net of delusion or ignorance;
Folly Bond (ch’ih-fu 癡縛), the bond of unenlightenment;
Folly Darkness (ch’ih-she 癡闍), the darkness of the unenlightened condition.
1114Ming-feng ch’ü 鳴鳳曲, Singing-phoenix melody. The term “singing phoenix” (ming-feng 鳴鳳) means:
i)term in ancient times for a supernatural bird (ling-niao 靈鳥), it being considered so rare that it was frequently regarded as an image for “preciousness”:
a)Anon. (around 600 BC), Songs classic (Shih-ching 詩), no. 252, verse 9, lines 1 & 2, says: “The phoenix-cocks and phoenix-hens sing, oh, On the high mountain-ridges;”. A comment on that says: “The phoenix hens and cocks singing up on the mountain ridges, they survey below from on high, and observe that it’s suitable for roosting, this being an image for noble-minded and able men awaiting proper treatment before taking action, only roosting after gliding around.” Here “singing phoenix” is used as an image for “noble-minded and able knight”.
b)Lo Pin-wang 駱賓王 (AD? - AD 684), Victory report on defeating the rebels in Yao-chou (Yao-chou p’o-tsei lou-pu 姚州破賊露布), says: “The singing phoenixes at your couch, with their grace return flourishing to your imperial parasol-trees.” Here the term is an image for “a prosperous age/society”.
c)Liu Hsieh 劉勰 (466? - 539?), Carving dragons on the heart of literature (Wen-hsin tiao-lung 文心雕龍), “Feng-ku”, says: “Splendid shining and gliding high, It’s surely the singing phoenix of writing style.” In this case, “singing phoenix” is an image for fine literary style.
ii)a reign-period title of Hsiao Hsien 蕭銑 (583 - 621), Prince of Liang (Liang-wang 梁王), 617 - 621.
1115Pu-hsü-sheng 步虛聲, Stepping-the-void music”, i.e. the sound of the chanting of scriptures. pu-hsü 步虛, “to step/ pace the Void”. Pu-hsü-sheng 步虛聲:
(i) “Stepping-the-Void sound” means “the sounds of reciting the scriptures”. Liu Ching-shu 劉敬叔 (AD? - ca. AD 468), Hunting-park of oddities (Yi-yȕan 異苑), says: “When Prince Ssu of Ch’en (Ch’en Ssu-wang 陳思王) [i.e. Ts’ao Chih 曹植 (192 - 232)] was roaming in the mountains, he suddenly heard in the air the sound of chanting of scriptures, clear and far, strong and resonant, and musical experts copied its patterns down, composing immortal music, which Taoist priests imitated, composing Void-stepping Music.”
Chang Chi 張籍 (768 - ca. 830) has a poem with the lines: “I retreated onto the Jasper Altar-platform, my head tucked in, and surely heard Void-stepping Music in the air.”
(ii) a tz’u-lyric tune-title. Cf. Recalling Yangtse-south (Yi Chiang-nan 憶江南). Stepping the Void lyric (Pu-hsü-tz’u 步虛詞) was the title of a Music Treasury Miscellaneous Melody song (yȕeh-fu tsa-ch’ü ke 樂府雜曲歌). Elucidating the titles of Music Treasury songs (Yȕeh-fu chieh-t’i 樂府解題) (Sung dynasty or earlier) says: “Stepping the Void lyric was a Taoist adepts’ melody (tao-chia-ch’ü 道家曲), which talks comprehensively of the beauty of all the immortals’ faintness and remoteness, and their light airy ascent into immortality.”
Yü Hsin 庾信 (513 - 581) of the Northern Chou dynasty, Emperor Yang (Yang-ti 煬帝, reigned 605 - 617) of the Sui dynasty, Liu Yü-hsi 劉禹錫 (772 - 842) of the T’ang dynasty and others all composed poems to that tune. It was also a tz’u-lyric tune-title. Cf. the tune Western Yangtse moon (Hsi-chiang yȕeh 西江月).
1116Kui-lun 桂輪, Cassia Wheel, a poetic term for “the moon”, a cassia-tree(s) being said to grow on the moon. Emperor Middle-progenitor (Chung-tsung 中宗, reigned AD 684 and 705 - 710), Preface to Tripitaka’s sage teachings (San-tsang sheng-chiao hsü 三藏聖教序), says: “The limpid Cassia Wheel, but it holds shadows.”
1117K’ou-ling 緱嶺, K’ou Range, being the name of a mountain range. Probably meaning K’ou-shih-shan 緱氏山, Kou-clan Mountains, situated forty li-miles south of present-day Yen-shih county in Henan province. Liu Hsiang 劉向 (77 BC - 6 BC), Biographies of the immortals (Lieh-hsien chuan 列仙傳), tells how Wang Tzu-chin 王子晉 met Huan Liang 桓良, and said: “Tell my family on the Seventh Day of the Seventh Month of the year, they’re to wait for me on the top of the Kou-clan Mountains.” He duly rode a white crane, halting on the mountain ridge (shan-ling 山嶺), where he gazed out but didn’t see them arrive, and raised his hand in thanks to his contemporaries, then departing.
1118Li Yen-shou 李延壽 (T’ang dynasty), Southern history (Nan-shih 南史), “Ch’i Tung-hun-hou chi”, says: “He also chiselled gold into lotus flowers and stuck them on the ground, and had Queen P’an (P’an-fei 潘妃) walk along them, and said: ‘This is a case of lotus flowers being born at your every step!’ So later people called girls’ or women’s slender feet (hsien-tsu 纖足) ‘golden lotuses’ (chin-lien 金蓮).”
1119pu-hsü 步虛, “to step/ pace the Void”. See earlier note above. Chang Chi 張籍 (768-ca. 830) has a poem with the lines: “I retreated onto the Jasper Altar-platform, my head tucked in, and surely heard Void-stepping Music in the air.” See following note.
1120Fei-ch’iung 飛瓊, Flying-chalcedony, being the name of a lady immortal, Hsü Flying-chalcedony
(Hsü Fei-ch’iung 許飛瓊), player of the reed flute. See earlier note above.
1121Yü-nung-erh 餘弄兒, Plentiful-play-child, some Han dynasty female dancer’s name.
1122Ch’ih-mi-tung 癡迷洞, Hole of Infatuated Astray-confusion, a Buddhist-sounding term, i.e. “pit of error and delusion”.
1123A reference to the Fondle-jade story. See note earlier above.
1124Hung Sheng gives the note that this line derives from a poem by Chang Sho 張說 [667 - 730]. The final two lines of Chang’s poem are: “If the jade-fair person isn’t sent down to view the Purification-ceremony drinking, who will cause the drunken dance to brush the guest-banquet?” The meaning isn’t quite clear to me.
1125Hung Sheng gives the note that this line derives from a poem by Fang Kan 方干 [fl. ca. AD 860].
1126Hung Sheng gives the note that this line derives from a poem by Wu Jung 吳融 [AD? - ca. AD 903].
1127Ta-lo-t’ien 大羅天, Great-birdnet Heaven. Chang Chȕn-fang 張君房 (fl. ca. AD 1001), Seven labels of Cloud Book-box (Yȕn-chi ch’i-ch’ien 雲笈七籤), “T’ien-ti pu”, says: “Jade-Capital-mountains classic/scripture (Yü-ching-shan ching 玉京山經) says: ‘Jade-Capital-mountains capped the various Great-birdnet Heavens of the Eight Regions (Pa-fang 八方), the mountain naturally producing Seven-treasures Trees (Ch’i-pao-shu 七寶樹), one of which was the heaven Mi-fu 彌覆, and eight trees were Mi-fu Eight Regions Great-birdnet Heaven (Mi-fu Pa-fang Ta-lo-t’ien 彌覆八方大羅天).’ Origins classic (Yȕan-shih ching 元始經) says: ‘The realm of Great Birdnet no longer has any governor, but the breath-energy of Mahabrahman (Ta-fan 大梵) enwraps and bird-nets the various heavens.’ A hymn says: ‘Above the Three Worlds (San-chieh 三界), Is the high far Great Birdnet; Above it there’s no Colour-/Form-root (se-ken 色根), And clouds are storeyed teetering high.’” Thus, Buddhists here regard Great-birdnet Heaven as the highest heaven. Hung Sheng gives the note that this line derives from a poem by Wei Hsȕan 韋絢 [fl. ca. AD 840].
Appendices and Endnotes Page 54
