Chapter 9.

Prva par k [Examination of the Moment Just Before the Present] (12 verses)
Abstract Concept: The moment just before the present. Concrete Concept: The moment just after the present. Real Concept: The present moment.
* prva: mf()n. (connected with pur, puras, pra, and declined like a pron. when implying relative position whether in place or time, but not necessarily in Ab. L. sg. m. n. and nom. pl. m.) being before or in front, fore, first.

In "Shobogenzo" Master Dogen uses the Japanese word KISEN. KI means change or the present moment, and SEN means before. Therefore KISEN means "the moment just before." It is possible for us to understand the Sanskrit word prva as having the same meaning as KISEN. So I have selected the English words the moment just before as the translation of prva. One very important aspect of Buddhist philosophy is its emphasis on real action. Real action is dimensionally different from intellectual consideration, or sense perception because real action is always done only at the present moment without any exceptions. On the other hand, the intellect can only consider things that have happened in the past, and our sense perceptions, though they may seem immediate, always lag a bit behind the actual events which trigger them. Therefore it is necessary for us to think about the Buddhist philosophical problem on the basis of the present moment. Furthermore when we follow the Buddhist philosophy exactly, we can understand that the present moment is always separated both from the moment just before the present, and from the moment just after. So if we want to grasp the present moment exactly as much as possible, it is necessary for us to discuss the problem of the moment just before the present.

Verse 1. daranarava d ni vedand ni cpy atha bhavanti yasya prgebhya so 'st ty eke vadantyuta
* darana: n. seeing, observing, looking, noticing, observation, perception. rava a: n. act of hearing. vedana: mfn.

announcing, proclaiming; n. perception, knowledge (rarely , ifc.); making known, proclaiming; () f. pain, torture, agony. atha: ind. now; then; moreover; certainly; but. prgebhya: m. n. pl. D. Ab. of praga. In Jongs Text, prgebhya is praga: mfn. going before, uta: ind. and, also, even, or;

devided into prg ebhya, but it may be wrong.(The same mistakes are in the verse 2.) preceding. eke: L. of eka. eka: mfn. one; alone, solitary, single, happening only once.

often used for the sake of emphasis, especially at the end of a line after iti or a verb.

[Seeing, hearing, and other sense perceptions, are just manifested at the present moment. - 1 -

And before those sense perceptions go on, it is said that something real exists in the identified situation. ]
--- Our sense perceptions clearly exist at the present moment. At the same time Master Nagarjuna insists that just before the present moment something real actually exists in the situation that we identify through the use of our sense perceptions. In other words, though our sense perceptions occur at the present moment, the reality that triggered them may be a matter of the past. Of course we are talking about a past that occurred only milliseconds before. But even a millisecond ago is still part of the past. ---

Verse 2. katha hy avidyamnasya darandi bhaviyati bhvasya tasmt prgebhya so 'sti bhvo vyavasthita
* avidyamna: mfn. not present or existent, absent. put, stationed, situated. vyavasthita: mfn. placed in order, drawn up (in battle); placed, laid,

[When sense perceptions like seeing, and so forth, are not perceived, it is impossible for anything to exist at all, therefore, Even in existences, or even just before the present moment, reality actually abides as a regulated and stable existence in front of us. ]
--- As we have said before, in Buddhist philosophy, the senses and their objects are not considered to be two distinct things. So Master Nagarjuna insists that when our perceptions, such as seeing and so forth, do not work, it is impossible for anything to manifest itself in the real world. Of course if we shut our eyes, the book we are reading continues to exist. Master Nagarjuna would not deny this since our other perceptions of the book continue even if our eyes are closed. Furthermore, we still continue to see even with closed eyes, though what we see is darkness. Although this is the case, Buddhism still makes a distinction between reality and sense perception. Even our sensory perceptions are a kind of interpretation, almost like a translation of actual reality into something the senses can comprehend. Yet whether our sense perceptions are accurate or not, reality exists as the regulated and stable situation in front of us. ---

Verse 3. daranarava dibhyo vedandibhya eva ca ya prg vyavasthito bhva kena prajapyate 'tha sa
* adibhya: mfn. pl. D. Ab. of adi. facing, opposite. prg: in comp. for prc. prc: mfn. directed forwards or towards, being in front, prjapyate: prj: P. to know, understand (esp. a way

kena: I. ind. by what?; whence; how? why?

or mode of action), discern, distinguish, know about, be acquainted with (A.); to find out, discover, perceive, learn.

[Just in seeing, hearing, and so forth, therefore just in the sense - 2 -

perceptions, Things and phenomena have existed before the ordered situations have begun, and reality itself has been found there without relying upon anything other than reality. ]
--- In the sense perceptions of seeing, hearing, and so forth, reality is found without relying upon anything other than reality itself. Whether our sense perceptions are perfect or not we can still say that what we are sensing is reality. This sensing of reality occurs, Master Nagarjuna says, before the ordered situation has begun to exist. By ordered situation he is referring to the mental state we create in order to organize that which we perceive so that we can better understand it and manipulate it within our minds. ---

Verse 4. vinpi darand ni yadi csau vyavasthita amny api bhaviyanti vin tena na saaya
* asau: N. of adas. adas: N. m. f. asa (V. sau,) n. ads, that; a certain. amni: n. pl. N. V. A. of amu. amu: a pronom.

base, used in the declension of the pronom. ads, that.

saaya: m. (ifc. f. ) lying down to rest or sleep; uncertainty,

irresolution, hesitation, doubt in or of (L. A. with prati, or comp.)

[ Even when the sense perceptions like seeing and so forth do not exist at all, things and phenomena exist in stable situations as they are. Those things and phenomena will continue to exist in future, because if they did not exist, there would be no place where we could rest comfortably. ]
--- If we do not have any perceptions, our emotional condition is not aroused in any way. So the miscellaneous things and phenomena of the world exist in a stable situation and such stability can be expected to continue further. If the various things and phenomena of the universe did not continue to exist into the future, their stableness, too, would not endure. This stable condition that Master Nagarjuna refers to is the underlying strata of the entire universe. Buddhist philosophy says that the entire universe, unstable as it often appears to be, is the manifestation of an underlying condition that is stability itself. The analogy is often made to the ocean which may be stormy on its surface, but whose foundation is the much larger and much more stable state below. ---

Verse 5. ajyate kenacit kacit kicit kena cit ajyate kuta kicid vin kacit kicit kicid vin kuta
* aj: to drive, propel, throw, cast; to be desirous of driving. kena: I. ind. (fr. ka), by what; whence; how, why. ka: kas, k,

kim, interrog. pron. , who, which, what. Generally, however, ka is only made indefinite when connected with the particles ca, cana, cid, v, and api. kim: ind. what, how, whence, wherefore, why. Kim is much used as a particle of interrogation

like the Lat. num, an, sometimes translatable to mark a question. To this sense may be reffered the kim expressing

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inferiority, deficiency, &c. at the beginning of compounds.

cit: mfn. ifc. id. The addition of an indefinite particle,

usually either cit or api, turns the interrogative pronoun (who, what) into an indefinite pronoun (someone, anyone, some, any, a little, a few) The addition of na (not anyone etc.) gives the Sanskrit for no one, nothing, etc. (Teach yourself, Sanskrit, by Michael Coulson.)

[Things go on relying upon things, and things are compelled to move forward relying upon things. Even though there is nothing to be seen, something moves forward, and something is compelled by something (else) to move forward in due course, and something is produced somewhere even though there is nothing to be seen. ]
--- When we think about the situation of this world, we can understand clearly that things and phenomena move forward relying upon other things and phenomena. The law of cause and effect allows for no exceptions. Although the second line of this verse appears very convoluted all it is saying is that even in areas that we cannot perceive directly, this law of cause and effect still pertains. ---

Verse 6. sarvebhyo darandibhya kacit prvo na vidyate ajyate darand nm anyena punar anyad
* sarvebhya: m. n. pl. D. Ab. of sarva. first fruits. dibhya: mfn. pl. D. Ab. of di. di: m. beginning, commencement; a firstling,

prva: mf()n. being before or in front, fore, first; eastern, to the east of (Ab.); former, prior, preceding, d nm: m. pl. G. of di. punar: ind. back, home, in an opposite direction;

previous to, earlier than (Ab. or comp.). again, once more.

anyad: ind. at another time; sometimes; one day, once; in another case.

[Relating with everything, and relating with sense perceptions, such as seeing and so forth, it is completely impossible for the moment just before to be recognized at all. In the case of its being in sense perceptions, like seeing and so forth, or even in the case of its relying upon something different, or upon a different time, the moment just before has gone ahead already. ]
--- The moment just before this one can never be recognized or grasped because it is part of the past. The past, no matter how immediate, is gone forever from the real universe. This is a vital idea in Buddhist philosophy. We often tend to assume that the past and future exist somewhere even though we understand that we cannot go to those places. But Buddhist philosophy categorically denies this idea. ---

Verse 7. sarvebhyo darandibhyo yadi prvo na vidyate ekaikasmt katha prvo darande sa vidyate - 4 -

* ekaikasmt: Ab. of ekaika. G. of di.

ekaika: mfn. one by one, single, every single one; ind. singly, one by one.

de: m. sg. Ab.

[ Relating with all things and phenomena, the moment just before never becomes the object of recognition by sense perceptions such as seeing, and so forth. Departing from concrete and individual things and phenomena, how is it possible for the moment just before to be recognized as something real relying upon the sense perceptions like seeing and so forth? ]
--- The moment just before the present can never become the object of recognition by the various sense perceptions such as seeing and so forth. The moment just before the present can only be recognized by intuition. So it should be grasped by relating with concrete and individual things and phenomena. Those concrete things and phenomena are the effects by which we can recognize the moment just before the present as the underlying cause. ---

Verse 8. dra sa eva sa rot sa eva yadi vedaka ekaikasmd bhavet prva eva caitan na yujyate
* dra: m. sg. N. of dra. hears, hearing, a hearer. caitan: ca+etat. dra: m. one who sees; one who sees well. rot: mfn. sg. N. of rot. rot: one who

vedaka: mf(ik)n. making known, announcing, proclaiming; restoring to consciousness.

[Action, which is seeing, is just reality, and reality is just action, which is hearing. In that case the reality is just action, which actually realizes such an action. The moment just before can exist departing from each concrete thing, and it is never yoked by any concrete fact at all. ]
--- Human action, which includes looking at things and hearing things as well as the other sense perceptions, is real. The moment just before the present can exist independently from concrete facts because it exists separated from these individual facts. It is never caught by any concrete fact at all. It has departed forever from the real universe, though its effects linger on forever. ---

Verse 9. dranya eva rotnyo vedako 'nya punar yadi sati syd draari rot bahutva ctman bhavet
* dranya: dra+anya. dra: m. sg. N. of dra. dra: m. one who sees; one who sees well; one who examines or rot: N. of rot: rot: mfn. one who hears, hearing, hearer.

decides in a court of law, a judge.

draari: L. of dra.

bahutva: n. muchness, abundance, multitude.

tmanm: pl. G. of tman.

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[If seeing has changed, hearing has changed, and even what has been memorized has changed, Such changes might have occurred from changes between seeing and hearing, or the existence of too many human minds.] --- It may be difficult to accept Master Nagarjunas idea that change is unreal. We may insist that we know change is real because we can see and otherwise perceive it happening. But here he says that these changes are the result of the differences within the human mind between the present moment and what has occurred in the past. In spite of this fact, at this moment, the very short instant in which we actually live, there is no change. Too many human minds refers to the way human society reinforces its own common understanding, which may not, in fact, be true. --Verse 10. daranarava d ni vedand ni cpy atha bhavanti yebhyas tev ea bhtev api na vidyate
* d ni: n. pl. N. V. A. of di. yebhyas: yebhya: m. n. pl. D. of ya. tev: teu: m. n. pl. L. of ta. ea: mfn. ifc. seeking;

m. act of seeking or going after; wish, option; f. wish.

bhteu: pl. L. of bhta.

bhta: mf()n. become, been, gone, past

(n. the past); actually happened, true, real (n. actual occurrence, fact, matter of fact, reality); existing, present.

[ (However) perceptions, such as seeing, hearing, and so forth, exist just at the present moment. Concrete things and phenomena exist in sense perceptions, and those things and phenomena can never be found in the past at all. ]
--- The various sense perceptions, like seeing, hearing, and so forth, exist just at the present moment. Within those sense perceptions, there exist the concrete miscellaneous things and phenomena. As we said previously, Buddhism does not separate the senses and their objects the way most common sense philosophies do. These things and phenomena can never exist in the past at all because the past is not reality. The past exists only in the mind. ---

Verse 11. daranarava d ni vedand ni cpy atha na vidyate ced yasya sa na vidyanta imny api
* ced: ind. (never found at the beginning of a sentence or verse) = ca, and. vidyanta: m. the end of an apprenticeship; imni: n. pl. N. A. of ima. ima: the base

the end of knowledge; mfn. one who has completely mastered his profession. of some cases of the demonstrative pronoun idam.

idam: (a kind of neut. of the pronom. base i with am) this, this here,

referring to something near the speaker; known, present.

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[ The sense perceptions, like seeing, hearing, and so forth, exist here just at the present moment. If it is impossible for us to recognize real situations like that, it is also impossible for things and phenomena in the world to be perceived at all. ]
--- The sense perceptions like seeing, listening, and so forth, always exist here just at the present moment. If it is impossible for us to recognize this real situation, it is completely impossible for the miscellaneous things and phenomena in the world to be recognized at all. ---

Verse 12. prk ca yo darandibhya sprata cordhvam eva ca na vidyate 'sti nst ti nivtts tatra kalpan
* prk: ind. before (in place or in order or time). mfn. directed forwards or towards, being in front, facing, opposite; running from west to east, taken lengthwise; lasting, long (as life); previous, prior, former. di. dibhya: mfn. pl. D. Ab. of

sprata: mfn. seasonable, fit, proper, correct; belonging to the present time, present (not past or future); ind. fitly, cordhva: ca+urdhva. urdhva: rdhva: mf()n. rising or tending upwards, raised, elevated,

properly; presently, now.

erected, erect, upright, high, above; n. height, elevation; anything placed above or higher; ind. upwards, towards the upper part. of kalpna. nirvtt: f. sg. Ab. G. of nirvtti. nirvtti: mfn. having no occupation, destitute. kalpan: m. n. pl. N. V.

kalpana: mfn. forming, fashioning, making, performing; forming in the imagination,

inventing, composition of a poem.

[ Before things and phenomena are perceived by the sense functions like seeing, hearing, and so forth, some kind of very stable conditions have already been established. It is not clear whether such conditions are reality, or not reality, but something, which is not exactly clear yet, has been established already. ]
--- The things and phenomena in front of us can be clearly recognized by seeing or hearing, and so forth. But just before the present moment very stable conditions have already been established. They were established as the present moment that actually occurred just before this one. We may not know whether those situations are reality itself, or not. But we can clearly notice that something that is somewhat unclear has been established already. So we can rely upon the fact that there was a moment just before this one even though we cannot ever truly comprehend just what that moment was. ---

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