The purpose of this study is to extract and analyze the grammatical techniques cited in the Sanskrit Commentary Literature (Sphuṭārthā Abhidharmakośavyākhyā). This is to clarify how it is used in the commentary. This work would be to organize Sanskrit ...
The purpose of this study is to extract and analyze the grammatical techniques cited in the Sanskrit Commentary Literature (Sphuṭārthā Abhidharmakośavyākhyā). This is to clarify how it is used in the commentary. This work would be to organize Sanskrit grammatical materials reflected in Buddhist culture. In addition, the result of this work will become a resource that can be used in the Commentary literature, and will further expand the grammar to the Buddhist. For this purpose, I set up the following goals.
1) To figure out the clear meaning of grammatical descriptions found in Sphuṭārthā Abhidharmakośavyākhyā (AKV).
2) The use of Sanskrit grammar in AKV, especially Pāṇini's grammar, as a means of elucidation of Abhidharmakośabhāṣya (AKBh).
As a commentary, AKV is an extensive document. Therefore, in order to achieve the best results within a limited period of time, the main research scope was limited to 界品(dhātunirdeśaḥ) of AKV, and the study was started by the following method.
I opened lectures to the monks and graduate students who are interested in 界品. In the class, we studies by comparing the Chinese translation and Sanskrit texts.
With them, I analyzed the individual Sanskrit grammar rules applied to the target literature. and we discussed and speculated the contents of the target literature and the intention of applied grammar rules in the AKV.
Sanskrit grammar rules found in Buddhist texts are often inappropriate from a grammatical point of view. This is also recognized in case of AKV. As a way of noting these differences, I paid particular attention to grammar items related to 'compounds'.
Since Buddhism has been active in propagating through local languages(prakrit) for a long time, there are so many reflections of local languages in the Sanskrit Buddhist literature. And they accepted grammar in the process of organizing their theories to justify the use of vocabularies and word forms not found in classical Sanskrit. And these tendencies are particularly strong in terms of the use of compounds.
For example, compound such as ‘abhidharma’ is unique in Buddhist literature. Thus, Abhidharmakośabhāṣya, which can be said to represent the literature of ‘abhidharma', provides a detailed explanation of this compound. In addition, Yaśomitra, who annotated the Abhidharmakośabhāṣya, had used the Pāṇini’s grammar to analyze this content in detail. For this reason, especially in the case of Japanese researchers, this compound has been treated as a research theme.
Therefore, the study of Buddhism-specific compound such as 'abhidarma' is considered as a suitable theme to examine the application of Sanskrit grammar in Buddhism.
Furthermore, in order to achieve the original purpose of the study, "Sorting, theorizing and documenting Sanskrit grammatical materials reflected in Buddhist culture," I believe that multiple research results on a constant theme are necessary. Therefore, I am going to present the research related to 'compounds' which is the same as the first year research results as the second year results.
In this stage, I will extract and analyze some of the most common compound, such as '緣起pratītyasamutpāda', from the commentaries such as “Sphuṭārthā” as well as “Prasanapāda”.