第三段
Passage 3
Translation and Explanatory Notes
Embedded Files
Original Classical Japanese Texts
目連、初めて六通を得て、亡母の恩を報ひ□（ん）と思ひて、その生処を見るに、餓鬼の中に生□（ま）れたり。目連、悲しび泣きて、鉢に食物を入れて、母の所に往いて、此を与ふ。母得て食せむとするに、未だ口に入らざるに、炎となりぬ。目連、悲しむで仏の御許に詣でて、母を救ふべき謀を問ひ奉る。
English Translation
Maudgalyayana, who first acquires the six powers of a Buddha, intends to return the favor of his deceased mother. Wanting to see her place of rebirth, he was born in the realm of hungry ghosts. Maudgalyayana, cries in sadness, puts the food into a bowl and goes to his mother’s place to give it to her. When his mother takes the food and tries to eat it, the food goes up in flame before it can be put into her mouth. Maudgalyayana, in sadness, goes to the presence of the Buddha and asks respectfully for strategies that should save his mother.
Note: Due to the unclear writings in the original scroll, the transcription process becomes difficult. For the two boxes in the transcription above, they are replaced with characters (quoted in brackets) based on the content and structure of the text.
Explanatory Notes
Information derived from 日本国語大辞典. Accessible here: kotobank.jp/word/%E7%9B%AE%E9%80%A3-142282
目連 （もくれん）
目連 （もくれん）
目連, (also known as Maudgalyayana in Indian), is one of the ten disciples of The Buddha. Although his date of birth is unknown, he is well-known for saving his mother, who is in the realm of hungry ghosts. The image on the left depicts 目連 giving his mother food in the realm of hungry ghosts, which the food turned into flames before his mother could consume.
What is 六通?
What is 六通?
六通 are the six superpowers of a Buddha. They are:
1. 神足（じんぞく）Deity's Feet
The ability to freely travel wherever one wishes, arriving in an instant.
2. 天眼（てんげん）Divine Eyes
The unimpeded ability to see into every place and to know the future rebirths of all beings.
3. 天耳（てんに）Divine Ears
The ability to hear all sounds and the voices of all beings.
4. 他心（たしん）The Wisdom to See into the Minds of Others
The ability to have insight into the minds of all beings.
5. 宿命（しゅくみょう）Knowledge of Past Lives
The ability to completely know all of one’s own past lives.
6. 漏尽（ろじん）Expunge desire
The ability to know that one has completely extinguish one’s blind passions (greed, anger, and ignorance), such that they will never arise again.
Information derived from San Mateo Buddhist Temple Website. Accessible here: https://sanmateobuddhisttemple.org/the-six-superhuman-powers/
Notable Grammar Structures
Notable Grammar Structures
報ひん- This is actually 報いむ, with the auxiliary verb む showing intention or volition. It is written as ん just to sound better in a sentence. As for the character ひ in 報ひん , は、ひ、ふ、へ、ほ constantly appears in Classical Japanese which replaces あ、い、う、え、お when it is in a verb. Another example can be seen as well from Passage 3 (救ふ —> 救う).
生まれたり- The たり here functions the same as たる (resultative past tense), but in a 終止形 (Final Form).
入らざる- ざる is the 連体形 of ず, acting as negation.
なりぬ- ぬ here is an auxiliary verb in 終止形, meaning done and complete. なりぬ will have the same meaning as なってしまった in Modern Japanese.
べき- 連体形 of べし (可), meaning "must" or "should".
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