Lingual Wisdom of Buddhadasa Bhikkhu : Normal Language and Transcentdental Language

 

         

 

             Buddhadasa Bhikkhu is a famous Buddhist scholar in Thailand. He is the great contemporary reformist of Buddhism in the history of Siam. He interprets the doctrine of Theravada Buddhism and the religious practice of Thai Buddhism by analysis and reasoning which result from the development of science and the growing of the middle class of Thai society. The printing of the mode of the book “Dhammaghosa” or the promotion of Buddha’s teaching which concludes his lectures of more than 50 books which can show that the works of Theravada Buddhist thinkers as Buddhadasa Bhikkhu are the greatest in the history of Thai Buddhism. Donald K. Swearer, an American scholar who expert in Buddhism has evaluated the role and status of Buddhadasa Bhikkhu in the history of Theravada Buddhism that his concept is the pattern and most influenced by Buddhaghosa the great commentator, and evaluated the role of Buddhadasa be equal with the great Indian Buddhist thinker as Nagarjuna.

              Buddhadasa Bhikkhu introduces to suggestion that hence in the word of Buddha, sometimes he teaches by normal language, and sometimes he says by transcendent language. The servants of all religions in the world are the same such as if they talk to children or an old man who feels basically he uses the normal language that “there is the past, present and future, therefore you must try and effort before the death come”. But in the case of the wise man who knows the Nibbana, He says that “ there is no the past, present and future, therefore we cannot attract anything”. As such, Buddha talks with the person in transcendent language. Except for the true understanding, the presentation of the concept “normal language and transcendent language” are the effort for a solution of doctrine which look like conflict to have the out-way rationally. It is a problem for Dhamma learners who have insufficient experience insufficiently. For example, He teaches that “Oneself indeed is master of oneself”, but he teaches in another place that the “Essence of oneself is nothing”. There is the concept of “normal language and transcendent language” will help us to explain that the first self means the self in normal language or worldly level, it is the symbolic self which each has to be. But the second self means the self in transcendent language or level beyond the world, it is the true nature of self, which Buddhism confirms that there is no this self. In another case, such as the word “paradise” in the normal language means the world of god which is full of happiness. In the transcendent language, it means five sensual desires. The word “marry” in normal language means the wedding, in the transcendent language it means equality naturally. The word “angel” in normal language means the beautiful lady, in the transcendent language it means Dhamma (truth), and so on.  Next, this concept becomes the one that is well-known widely because it can solve a difficult problem and present a true view in the analytical system of language which is the propagation of Buddhism in the new platform. Buddhadasa Bhikkhu teaches us to remember that normal language is worldly language which is talked by normal man who does not know the truth. It is used in accordance with the understanding of normal man which has material and worldly things as criteria. The transcendent language is used by a person who has seen deep Dhamma or true Dhamma and says by understanding it the transcendent language happened. The transcendent language is invisible and abstract and is not connected with matter, person who has wisdom in an abstract state only will speak the transcendent language. As it was surveyed, Buddhadasa Bhikkhu taught Dhamma which is the concept of “normal language and transcendent language” firstly in Suenmokkhaphalaram, Chaiya, on October 8, 2509. After such, he taught these Dhamma many times, to contribute meaning of words and language which may be misunderstood and mistaken from the true Dhamma in Buddhist Doctrine. It can be concluded the normal language and transcendent language which he often touches namely :

 

 

Words	Normal language	Transcendent language
Buddha	The Buddha and his life and body that was born in India two thousand years ago had been nibbana and was burned.	The true Dhamma which is said by Buddha “One can see Dhamma, he will see Tathagata. One can see Tathagata, he will see Dhamma.” The person who does not see Dhamma, hence catching the robe of Buddha, doesn’t mean seeing the Tathagata.
Dhamma	Scripture, the book which is called Dhamma in cabinet or the voice of Dhamma.	The wide Dhamma is not only book, scripture, palm leaf, or deep-meaning sermon but it means everything that can understood difficult, or easy.
Sangha (community of monk)	priest	Virtue or Dhamma is in the man’s mind, it means virtue, does not mean person, because the outside or person is similar, but it is different on virtue in the mind which can make a person be Sotapanna, Skithacami, Anacami, and Arahant.
Sasana (Religion)	Church, Vihara, pagoda, yellow robe, and doctrine	The true Dhamma can be the refuge of humans. Dhamma can be the refuge of man, can be the cessation of suffering, that Dhamma is Sasana.
Kamma (Duty)	The work that we do is necessary for life.	Kammatthana is the practice of Dhamma. One practices Dhamma by honesty, correctness, diligent, effort, intellect, and most of virtue.
Bhammachariya (Noble Life)	Except for the misconduct in the sexual thing.	The action destroys some desires effectively. If one practices truthfully, strictly, and unmistakably, it is called Bhammachariya.
Nibbana (Liberation)	Nibbana is the place, crystal city, imagined city, all are received as thinking, therefore all want to go to Nibbana.	The cessation of desire and suffering is all and truly.
Magga-Phala (way-goal)	The working reaches the goal according to the desire, hence it is worldly.	To destroy suffering, desire which is the cause of suffering correctly according to Dhamma step by step.
Mara (demon)	Giant or monster who has an afraid body.	It is some state which likes to interrupt the goodness and ability which can reach the cessation of suffering.
Loka (world)	Earth or world that is round or flat.	The truth or virtue or nature is in the world as suffering, uncertainty, and so on.
Jati (birth)	Deliver from mother womb	The beginning of perception is “me and mine” which happens once in our mind daily. It happened to the normal man many times and happened to the good man for some time. It happens to the Noble person a little bit and still does not happen.
Marana (death)	Dearth which is brought to burn or bury.	The destruction of perception or the perception of ‘me and mine’ disappears.
Jiva (life)	The thing is not dead, can move, walk eat etc.	The state that is immortal, is Nibbana or eternal life. The life is not born, is not die again.
Man	Being who has the body.	Virtue helps to be the man that is at a higher level of mind.
God/gods	God has power in doing, inspiration, and creation of all things.	Mystic power which does not Self, do not angle, do not to be anything. But it is the nature, truth, and law of nature. It is called in Pali “Dhamma”.
Hell	The city is under the earth, there is Satan catches a dying man as punishment	The mental heat is like being burned by fire. The person who makes himself trouble likes to be burned by fire, it is called “fall to hell” at the time.
Animal	Any being as pig dog chicken that died and was born to be an animal.	The fool: one born to be the animal many times a day.
Peta (ghost)	Being who have little mouths, and big stomachs, eat fast and are often hungry and will be when die.	The person who is over-ambitious by desire or serious by desire.
Asura (evil)	A kind of ghost which cannot see, make man fear, don’t dare to appear because it scar.	The fear in the mind of man, fear as to not be, fear to do the goodness, fear to attain the Nibbana. The irrational fear is Asura (demon).
Saggha (paradise)	Beautiful paradise is beyond the world.	The desire for sensation or the best of the desire for sensation makes man attachment. It is called Kamavacara Sagga, if it is Bhamma-sagga that means empty of desire, peaceful, because it is not troubled by desire such as a person hungry for desire when he receives the six senses desire, does not want to receive it at the time, want to be harmful and silent, It like the characteristics of Bhamma or Bhammaloka, therefore it can say original paradise is full of desire. The highest paradise named paranimittavasti is full of the best desire, Bhammaloka is empty from the trouble of desire, but still have self and myself.
Amarita (un-death water)	A kind of whisky which is drunk by gods and makes them immoral but become fight together.	The higher Dhamma, Anatta, or Sunyata which make man immortal because it is empty from the self, do not have the self.
Sunya (emptiness)	“Sunyata” is the Pali, “sunya” means empty “ta” means–ness, therefore “sunyata” means emptiness, nothing, or wasteful.	One can have every thing as he can, except the perception of ‘Me and Mine’, that is the empty of Self or Oneself.
Stopping	Do not move.	The emptiness of self; If it is without the Self. Which one is used to move? It should be the stopped one. There is no self that is used for attachment. It is empty form self at all.
Light	Light of sun, electric light, light of fire.	Wisdom or insight or intuition; although one is in a dark cave or at midnight, there is no light from the moon or star, but light still appears because one has the wisdom, insight, or intuition.
Kamma (action)	In the time which unlucky life, unfortunate, receive the bad result.	Action: one does the bad or evil, it is called the black action, one does the good it is called the white action.
Darkness	Darkness which cannot see by eyes.	Avijja ; foolness, mistake, Moha ; it darks with Avijja, Moha. Although one is in the light, it still be dark.
Sarana (refuge)	Outside things will take as the refuge, depend on another, depend on the ghost, depend on an anthill, depend on the shrine of the household god etc. Which all are other or another which is outside.	Oneself is in oneself: we say that the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha are our refuges. It means the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha which are in our mind. That is true refugees.
The heart of Buddhism	To memorize the poet which emphasizes the some Pali as vi-su-pa = vinaya, sutta, paramuttha or to memorize the others. This is the language of the fool who does not see the truth.	The understanding which is known “all things should not be attracted that it is Me or Mine”.
eating	To eat by mouth as we call that eating.	The eating by eyes, by ears, by nose, by tongue, by mouth, by mind. In the Pali, the word ‘nibbhogo’ means nothing to eat which means the Buddha or Arahant is not supported by image, voice, smell, taste, touching, and mental stimulus. They are beyond the six senses, therefore it is called the person who does not have any things to eat.
Sleeping	Sleeping as a dog sleeps, a cat sleeps, a man sleeps ect.	To be in ignorance, although he sits and sees he is a fool, is called Sleeping. The being or living with ignorance in any body movement is called ‘Sleeping’.
awakening	To awake form sleeping.	Life, to live with Satipatthana in both awakening and sleeping is called ‘awareness.’
Playing	Playing as children, for example, sport, funny playing.	The entertainment with Dhamma is Dhamma-entertainment, but to play in enjoying of concentration is called “absorption-sport’, It is playing of the saint.
angle	Beautiful angles who is in paradise.	The teaching of the Buddha is beautiful at the beginning, at the middle, and at the last.
Man and woman	Opposite sex, to be woman or man.	The form of duty which is determined by nature means man must do it together, it is not only taking the six senses of desire, but it means the living of man in the world, man must not disappear, but it is still continue their race. Therefore it must divide the duty between men and women.
wedding	Women marry men according to tradition.	Both like similar by nature, they have desire and correct needs. It is not necessary for the touching of the body between a man and woman, but they have the same desire, same duty, same motivation, and same enjoyment.
Mather-father	The person who makes us born	Avijja; ignorance, means desire which is to be killed as the word of Buddha said that when one kills mother and father, then one will attain Nibbana.
Friend	The person who makes us happy, we call him friend.	Dhamma; Dhamma which leads one to cessation of suffering. The Buddha said Noble Eightfold path is the best friend of every man.
Enemy	People who we afraid, and want to put us in danger.	Our mind which is putted in misplaced is the enemy, it is not an outside person, it is born inside our mind, it comes from our mind. When the mind is putted in the right place, consisting of Dhamma, then there is no enemy, there is only a friend.
Bad-smelled thing	The stinking, bad-smelling, the fish decays ect.	The Buddha talks about passion as the greedy, persistent, and the ego as ‘me and mine’. This is called a bad-smelling thing.
Laughing	The laugh, funny, enjoy.	The laugh is toward the body which is impermanence, changing. The laugh is toward passion or desire.
Singing	The singing on the radio is the child’ crying or characteristics of a cried man. The Noble person reminds it of crying because one must make mouth, neck, voice, and tongue, as he is crying.	When one sees the Dhamma, then one exclaims suddenly, some is presentation of Dhamma, some is enjoying in Dhamma, some is singing on Dhamma. He exclaims the truth.
Dancing	The Noble Person calls dancing ‘the kind of madness.’	Dhammananthi is the standing and dancing, to laugh of passion or shows liberation, is not in the lasso of four attachment at foot, at hand, at the arm, at the leg,   at the neck. It is the hand, foot, arm, and leg that is free and can dance. Because they are not bent by attachment

[sr]

Thank you for this 'article' (note?). It goes into a higher level of language use. It should, however, carry more care and attention to English grammar. The article will be read many more times. Each time it will reflect the quality of its author.

[ดร.บรรพต แคไธสง]

Thank you for your opinion.

But my goal of presentation is not the grammatic intellect. The article needs to expression of lingual wisdom of Buddha-Dharma or the teaching of the Buddha which is presented by Buddhadasa Bhikkhu. therefore it is not correctly in the view of English grammatic person, I except this truth.

[Yong]

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