The Japanese Association of Indian and Buddhist Studies

NII-Electronic Library Service

Journal o/lndwl1 alld 8uddhnt Stlldlel Vol 53, No 1, December 2004 (I)

Practice of Wakefulness

--AlokawlnJl1ii 111 the SriivakahhLlJnl--

Takako ABE

The fIrst Yoga'lthZina of the Sriivakahhul111 (=Sbh) shows basIc attitudes and acts

of forest-dwellIng renunclants rather than yogZicZira's methods of medItatIon. In thIS

chapter, the practIce of wakefulness (jaganJ..ayoga) IS II1terpreted 111 detaIl Whereas

the term j(igankZiyoga IS commonly expressed 111 the Nlkayas and the Agamas as

"applylllg to belllg awake (,ag(/! Iya-anuyutta, f}]~1~1~Jj!fJlt~m:t)"', the TIbetan trans­

latIon of the Sbh renders "a practIce of not sleeplllg (1111 nya/ ba shyor ba)"', and also

the MahZiyZinZibl1ldharma-wl11l1ccaya puts "/F~H~" 111 thIs term There are some

siitras IIldlcatlllg a practIce of forgoll1g sleep for a partIcular perIod of tIme as an

ascetic deed. Thus we tend to gIve a defll1ltlOn of jiigankZiyoga as a practIce of

forgoll1g sleep The Sbh, however, stresses taklllg enough sleep to mall1tall1 their

health and to practIce dUrIng sleep In the whole process of practIce 111 sleep, the

most essentIal element IS the Zilokasal11jiiZi Though the NIkayas and the Agamas

refer It as a concentratIon on an Image of lIght to avoId the defIlement of drowsll1ess

(llllddha), the Sbh gives a dIfferent vIew on ItS functIOn and character. In thiS paper,

as a part of my current research on the practItIOners' behavIOur stated 111 the Sbh, I

fIrst would lIke to demonstrate that the }ZigankZiyoga IS a practIce that takes place

dUrIng sleep and conSIder the functIon of the Zilokawl11jnZi, and second dISCUSS the

manner In whIch one performs the Zilokasal11jI1Zi

1. Way of jiigarikiiyoga The way of jiigankiiyoga 111 the Sbh, origll1aIly from a

passage of the RathakZira-vagga [AN], the MahZi'lsapura-slitta [MN], or the Loka­

hill1aglll1a-vagga [SN], IS as lIsted 111 order below: .

I Day tllne / The fIrst watch of the I1Ight --- Walkll1g and Slttll1g practIce

2 Thc Il1lddlc watch of the I1Ight --- (I) Wash II1g feet outSIde and enterll1g II1to the resI­

dence. (2) lyl\1g In the lIon's posture (1'll1lha';a.I,ya), (3) PercelvlIlg a lIght (aloka,<,amjllii),

(4) Havl\1g Il1l11dfulness (\111111). (5) HavlI1g full awareness (wmpr(lj17ana), (6) Thlllklllg of

-480-

Journal o/lndwl1 alld 8uddhnt Stlldlel Vol 53, No 1, December 2004 (I)

Practice of Wakefulness

--AlokawlnJl1ii 111 the SriivakahhLlJnl--

Takako ABE

The fIrst Yoga'lthZina of the Sriivakahhul111 (=Sbh) shows basIc attitudes and acts

of forest-dwellIng renunclants rather than yogZicZira's methods of medItatIon. In thIS

chapter, the practIce of wakefulness (jaganJ..ayoga) IS II1terpreted 111 detaIl Whereas

the term j(igankZiyoga IS commonly expressed 111 the Nlkayas and the Agamas as

"applylllg to belllg awake (,ag(/! Iya-anuyutta, f}]�1�1�Jj!fJlt�m:t)"', the TIbetan trans­

latIon of the Sbh renders "a practIce of not sleeplllg (1111 nya/ ba shyor ba)"', and also

the MahZiyZinZibl1ldharma-wl11l1ccaya puts "/F�H�" 111 thIs term There are some

siitras IIldlcatlllg a practIce of forgoll1g sleep for a partIcular perIod of tIme as an

ascetic deed. Thus we tend to gIve a defll1ltlOn of jiigankZiyoga as a practIce of

forgoll1g sleep The Sbh, however, stresses taklllg enough sleep to mall1tall1 their

health and to practIce dUrIng sleep In the whole process of practIce 111 sleep, the

most essentIal element IS the Zilokasal11jiiZi Though the NIkayas and the Agamas

refer It as a concentratIon on an Image of lIght to avoId the defIlement of drowsll1ess

(llllddha), the Sbh gives a dIfferent vIew on ItS functIOn and character. In thiS paper,

as a part of my current research on the practItIOners' behavIOur stated 111 the Sbh, I

fIrst would lIke to demonstrate that the }ZigankZiyoga IS a practIce that takes place

dUrIng sleep and conSIder the functIon of the Zilokawl11jnZi, and second dISCUSS the

manner In whIch one performs the Zilokasal11jI1Zi

1. Way of jiigarikiiyoga The way of jiigankiiyoga 111 the Sbh, origll1aIly from a

passage of the RathakZira-vagga [AN], the MahZi'lsapura-slitta [MN], or the Loka­

hill1aglll1a-vagga [SN], IS as lIsted 111 order below: .

I Day tllne / The fIrst watch of the I1Ight --- Walkll1g and Slttll1g practIce

2 Thc Il1lddlc watch of the I1Ight --- (I) Wash II1g feet outSIde and enterll1g II1to the resI­

dence. (2) lyl\1g In the lIon's posture (1'll1lha';a.I,ya), (3) PercelvlIlg a lIght (aloka,<,amjllii), (4) Havl\1g Il1l11dfulness ( \111111). (5) HavlI1g full awareness (wmpr(lj17ana), (6) Thlllklllg of

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The Japanese Association of Indian and Buddhist Studies

NII-Electronic Library Service

( ~ ) Practice of Wakefulness (T ABE)

nsmg up (utfhanaml11jiia) (Sbh 4pp 10-11)

Although the term (3) a/okasal11j11a does not occur 111 the passage of the above NI­

kayas and IS Just mentioned III the Agamas, the Sbh expla111s It as follows'

[The practItIOner] grasps an Image of a lIght well, thll1ks It well, enJoys It well, and rec­

ogmzes It well (a/okanlllllttam allena \'udgrhitam hhavatl m/1lwwslkrtam \uJustam mpra­

tlvlddham/) The one who IS examll1l11g the lIght lIes down wIth the mll1d bnghtened Thus

the mll1d IS never covered wIth darkness even dunng sleep (Sbh p 106)

This passage IS explIcit about one's sleep with an awakened m111d By the followlllg

passage on (4) '1m,.tl, we could suggest that the a/oka.sal11Jl1a makes a m111d bnght­

ened 111 order ,to IIlvestlgate objects 111 a dream The text says

Havmg heard, thought, and cultIvated the meanmgful teachmgs, [the practItIOner s] mem­

ory of the exact [teachll1gs] arIses dUrIng sleep Dependll1g on the [memory], even whIle

111 sleep, the teach II1gs are recorded (ahlll/apantl) as I f he were awake (\ vapn(IP I ), and 11IS

mmd observes the teaehll1gs repeatedly In accordance wIth the recollectIOn, one lIes down

wIth a' good mInd or a neutral I11l11d (Sbh pp 106-1(7)

It should be noted here that the term ab/llllap does not only express that past

objects are fixed, but also ImplIes that they appear with their dlst111ctlve marks,

signs, forms, or languages 111 a m111d See\l1g "'1vapl7a" as a dream, "ahlllllap" can

be descnbed as a function of a process of recollection which reflects past objects

clearly 111 a dream ThiS view would be accepted by Hsuan-tsang and the Mahavlh­

hasa-~a'ltra Hsuan-tsang translates thiS "'1vapl7a" 'II1tO "a dream 111 sleepll!l=§~", and

"ablllllap" 111tO " to memonze~Gt~" and "to appear c1early5J'SJjffl,-ru-" as well The

Mahavlhhasa offers a detailed descnptlon of the mll1d 111 sleep and the three types

of actions performed 111 sleep, 'good, bad, and neutral If one actually performs good

acts, good-karma occurs while sleep1l1g The good-karma leads him to do good acts

such as makll1g an offenng III hiS dream, which then causes good virtue

Although the later Yogacara-VIJllanavadl\1's texts, as we know, strongly deny ex­

Istences appeared 111 a dream, the Sbh takes the traditIOnal ascetic deed of wake­

fulness as a way of observ1I1g the teachll1gs In a dream In the process of the Jag­

ankayoga, we could confidently say that the a/okawl11Jl1a IS a functIOn to keep

consciousness clan fled III order to project the teach II1gs III a dream

2, Manner of iilokasamjnii To conSider what I p0111ted out 111 the prevIous paper

-479-

( � ) Practice of Wakefulness (T ABE)

nsmg up (utfhanaml11jiia) (Sbh 4pp 10-1 1 )

Although the term (3) a/okasal11j11a does not occur 111 the passage of the above NI­

kayas and IS Just mentioned III the Agamas, the Sbh expla111s It as follows'

[The practItIOner] grasps an Image of a lIght well, thll1ks It well, enJoys It well, and rec­

ogmzes It well (a/okanlllllttam allena \'udgrhitam hhavatl m/1lwwslkrtam \uJustam mpra­

tlvlddham/) The one who IS examll1l11g the lIght lIes dow n wIth the mll1d bnghtened Thus

the mll1d IS never covered wIth darkness even dunng sleep (Sbh p 106)

This passage IS explIcit about one's sleep with an awakened m111d By the followlllg

passage on (4) '1m,.tl, we could suggest that the a/oka.sal11Jl1a makes a m111d bnght­

ened 111 order ,to IIlvestlgate objects 111 a dream The text says

Havmg heard, thought, and cultIvated the meanmgful teachmgs, [the practItIOner s] mem­

ory of the exact [teachll1gs] arIses dUrIng sleep Dependll1g on the [memory], even whIle

111 sleep, the teach II1gs are recorded (ahlll/apantl) as I f he were awake (\ vapn(IPI ), and 11IS

mmd observes the teaehll1gs repeatedly In accordance wIth the recollectIOn, one lIes dow n

wIth a' good mInd or a neutral I11l11d (Sbh pp 106-1(7)

It should be noted here that the term ab/llllap does not only express that past

objects are fixed, but also ImplIes that they appear with their dlst111ctlve marks,

signs, forms, or languages 111 a m111d See\l1g "'1vapl7a" as a dream, "ahlllllap" can

be descnbed as a function of a process of recollection which reflects past objects

clearly 111 a dream ThiS view would be accepted by Hsuan-tsang and the Mahavlh­

hasa-�a'ltra Hsuan-tsang translates thiS "'1vapl7a" 'II1tO "a dream 111 sleepll!l=§�", and

"ablllllap" 111tO " to memonze�Gt�" and "to appear c1early5J'SJjffl,-ru-" as well The

Mahavlhhasa offers a detailed descnptlon of the mll1d 111 sleep and the three types

of actions performed 111 sleep, 'good, bad, and neutral If one actually performs good

acts, good-karma occurs while sleep1l1g The good-karma leads him to do good acts

such as makll1g an offenng III hiS dream, which then causes good virtue

Although the later Yogacara-VIJllanavadl\1's texts, as we know, strongly deny ex­

Istences appeared 111 a dream, the Sbh takes the traditIOnal ascetic deed of wake­

fulness as a way of observ1I1g the teachll1gs In a dream In the process of the Jag­

ankayoga, we could confidently say that the a/okawl11Jl1a IS a functIOn to keep

consciousness clan fled III order to project the teach II1gs III a dream

2, Manner of iilokasamjnii To conSider what I p0111ted out 111 the prevIous paper

-479-

The Japanese Association of Indian and Buddhist Studies

NII-Electronic Library Service

PractIce of Wakefulness (T ABE) ( 3 )

that the dlVII1e eye (devClcClf...\lI\) can be obtaII1ed by means of 010ka5al11j110, we mIght

expect that the alokaml1l/lla means more than the concentratIon on an Image of

lIght for the aVOIdance of sleepll1ess. Now a questIon arIses' how does one perceIve

a lIght')

We can see that the alokammjl1a IS rather a serIes of VIsualIzatIons, because few

texts regardll1g the ii/okawl11/llii as a VIsualIzatIon gIve SimIlar comments to the Sbh's

passage quoted above For example, the chapter of the Samodhl-bhavano (~)E£) II1

the Dharmcnkanda-pCida-\ostra says that havlI1g taken an Image of lIght such as a

lIght of medlcll1e, mal1l-jewelry, heavenly palace, constellatIon, or a round frame of

the sun or the moon, the practItIOner ImagII1es the lIght shlnII1g at a certaII1 place

and Widens the Image to spread over the mII1d The slitra also expresses Its method

as .. th II1 k II1g, comprehendll1g, observlI1g, concentratII1g, settlll1g, and dlscrI mll1at1l1g

C'l!\1t.f~lr7tm~Jmm!?eff:fffi7.J"'5JU)'" LIkeWIse, the Sanputrabllldharma-sostra expla1l1s

that one grasps an Image of lIght, thll1ks It, recognIzes It, and enjoys It (!&~7tI3)H§

B J'l!7\*7tI3~~D7tI3~~7tI3~), and then fIll the mll1d WIth the lIght.

3. Conclusion As we have seen, the jagankayoga 111 the Sbh IS not a practIce

of forgoll1g sleep, but a medItatIon dUrIng sleep In thIS process, the alokasal11jila,

whIch IS stated \11 the Nlkayas to be a medItatIon to aVOId drows\l1ess, IS a functIon

to awaken one"s conSCIousness, so that the mll1d reflects objects prevIously memo­

rIzed In a dream WhIle the alokamlJ1/l1a IS simply conSIdered to be a concentratIon

on an Image of lIght, 111 the Sbh It IS a serIes of visualIzatIOns that begll1s WIth a

phYSIcal Image of lIght and ends WIth a mll1d suffused with brIghtness

Refel ences SrZivahahhiiml of ACiil:J'{/ A wllga, Shllk la, K cd (1973) Sriivakahhiim" Re­

vised Sanskrit Text and Japanese TranslatIOn, Sbh StlldYll1g Group, Talsho Ul1lVerslty

(1998) Notes al e omitted for want of space See my prevIOLIs paper ,7t0)~~", In The

JOllrnal 0/ Ewlell( BlIddJlII1 Sludle\, No :36 (2004)

(Key WOlds> Sf{lva/\ahhiil1ll, Jiigartkiivoga, ii/okawII1Jllii, \l11rll, sleep, dream

(Researcher, CI11San DenboulI1 I nstltute for Chlsan-ha)

-47B-

PractIce of Wakefulness (T ABE) ( 3 )

that the dlVII1e eye (devClcClf...\lI\) can be obtaII1ed by means of 010ka5al11j110, we mIght

expect that the alokaml1l/lla means more than the concentratIon on an Image of

lIght for the aVOIdance of sleepll1ess. Now a questIon arIses' how does one perceIve

a lIght')

We can see that the alokammjl1a IS rather a serIes of VIsualIzatIons, because few

texts regardll1g the ii/okawl11/llii as a VIsualIzatIon gIve SimIlar comments to the Sbh's

passage quoted above For example, the chapter of the Samodhl-bhavano (�)E£) II1

the Dharmcnkanda-pCida-\ostra says that havlI1g taken an Image of lIght such as a

lIght of medlcll1e, mal1l-jewelry, heavenly palace, constellatIon, or a round frame of

the sun or the moon, the practItIOner ImagII1es the lIght shlnII1g at a certaII1 place

and Widens the Image to spread over the mII1d The slitra also expresses Its method

as .. th II1 k II1g, comprehendll1g, observlI1g, concentratII1g, settlll1g, and dlscrI mll1at1l1g

C'l!\1t.f�lr7tm�Jmm!?eff:fffi7.J"'5JU)'" LIkeWIse, the Sanputrabllldharma-sostra expla1l1s

that one grasps an Image of lIght, thll1ks It, recognIzes It, and enjoys It (!&�7tI3)H§

B J'l!7\*7tI3��D7tI3��7tI3�), and then fIll the mll1d WIth the lIght.

3. Conclusion As we have seen, the jagankayoga 111 the Sbh IS not a practIce

of forgoll1g sleep, but a medItatIon dUrIng sleep In thIS process, the alokasal11jila,

whIch IS stated \11 the Nlkayas to be a medItatIon to aVOId drows\l1ess, IS a functIon

to awaken one"s conSCIousness, so that the mll1d reflects objects prevIously memo­

rIzed In a dream WhIle the alokamlJ1/l1a IS simply conSIdered to be a concentratIon

on an Image of lIght, 111 the Sbh It IS a serIes of visualIzatIOns that begll1s WIth a

phYSIcal Image of lIght and ends WIth a mll1d suffused with brIghtness

Refel ences SrZivahahhiiml of ACiil:J'{/ A wllga, Shllk la, K cd (1973) Sriivakahhiim" Re­

vised Sanskrit Text and Japanese TranslatIOn, Sbh StlldYll1g Group, Talsho Ul1lVerslty

(1998) Notes al e omitted for want of space See my prevIOLIs paper ,7t0)��", In The

JOllrnal 0/ Ewlell( BlIddJlII1 Sludle\, No :36 (2004)

(Key WOlds> Sf{lva/\ahhiil1ll, Jiigartkiivoga, ii/okawII1Jllii, \l11rll, sleep, dream

(Researcher, CI11San DenboulI1 I nstltute for Chlsan-ha)

- 47B -