My sanskrit is essentially non-existent. So my attempt relies entirely on my Pāli knowledge and my personal attempt to visualise the Dharma within.
I would love to hear some feedback on how I handled some particular cases. This is not a lion’s roar; at best, it’s a whimpering question mark! I’m trying to understand this bit for my own pleasure, not trying to make a translation or even offer it up as valid. Just trying to understand it.
Generally, as I see it, this section repeats the warning of Prajñāpāramitā tradition of reification of Dharmas - Dharmas are ideas about reality (or to be precise, about our experience); they are not true in the absolute sense of the word: Map is not the territory.
Abhidhamma project went on to materialise Dharmas, which in turn gave the interesting Sarvastivādin idea that Dhammas exist in all three times. It’s clear in this section that this three-times idea is being criticised.
I’ve handled quite a bit of things different from Conze, removing mystical aspects of it. His translation, for example: “As [Dharmas] do not exist, so they exist. And so, since they do not exist, they are called [caused by] ignorance.” Like, what.
Here’s my translation of that part:
bhagavānāha - yathā śāriputra na saṃvidyante, tathā saṃvidyante evamavidyamānāḥ / tenocyante avidyeti
The Blessed One replied: “Śāriputra, the ignorant people understand Dharmas in ways they are not understood by the Blessed One; that’s why it’s called ‘ignorance’
saṃvidya I’ve chosen to read as “understand”. Could be something like “apprehend, comprehend”, etc. Something more precise could be used. I’m just not privy to why it should be “exist”. According to WisdomLib it’s something like agreement, consensus. So I simplified it to “understand” but again, the point is it’s a mental process or recognition / agreement, not a statement of “exist/doesn’t exist” etc.
And the following section is generally translated as if it’s about ignorant people fabricating their Dharmas - but in line with the bold statement at the beginning that is “Buddha does not practice any Dharma”, the point I believe that’s lost is that all Dharmas are fabrications.
tān bālapṛthagjanā aśrutavanto 'bhiniviṣṭāḥ / tairasaṃvidyamānāḥ sarvadharmāḥ kalpitāḥ
Indeed, the immature ordinary beings who haven’t heard the teaching are beholden. It’s not understood by them that all Dharmas are fabricated.
This is an unorthodox reading according to Sanskrit grammar as I see, since it’s outside of the usual Subject-Object-Verb pattern. It could be something like
“All the Dharmas they fabricate are not understood [by the Blessed One.]”
As I can see it, that would be the appropriate way to read according to strict grammar rules. But then, it doesn’t really answer Sariputra’s question: “How does Buddha understands (samvidya) Dharma?” The point of this text seems How the Dharmas should be understood, not What Dharmas should be understood. And so I translate it as “They don’t understand Dharmas are fabricated” and ask for Sanskrit speakers to tell me how far off the mark it is.
And I admit I had troubles with this part:
tasmātte 'saṃvidyamānān sarvadharmān kalpayanti / kalpayitvā dvāvantāvabhiniviśante abhiniviśya tannidānamupalambhaṃ niśritya atītān dharmān kalpayanti, anāgatān dharmān kalpayanti, pratyutpannān dharmān kalpayanti
Therefore, they do not understand that they’re fabricating Dharmas. Fabricating Dharmas at the two extremes, they’re beholden, clinging to their reification of causality; they fabricate past dharmas, future dharmas, present dharmas.
tannidānamupalambhaṃ is not an easy word to tackle. This is how I understand it could mean.
Here’s the full translation for your critique:
evamukte āyuṣmān śāriputro bhagavantametadavocat - evaṃ śikṣamāṇo bhagavan bodhisattvo mahāsattvaḥ katamasmin dharme śikṣate?
Having thus said, Venerable Śāriputra said this to the Bhagavat: “Bhagavat, what Dharma does a Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva thus practices?”
evamukte bhagavānāyuṣmantaṃ śāriputrametadavocat evaṃ śikṣamāṇaḥ śāriputra bodhisattvo mahāsattvo na kasmiṃściddharme śikṣate / tatkasya hetoḥ?
Then the Blessed One said to the Venerable Śāriputra: "Thus is it: the Bodhisattva, the Great Being, does not practice in any Dharma. And what is the reason for that?
na hi te śāriputra dharmāstathā saṃvidyante yathā bālapṛthagjanā aśrutavanto 'bhiniviṣṭāḥ
For, Śāriputra, Dharmas are not understood in the way that the ignorant, unlearned ordinary beings—who are beholden—understand them."
āyuṣmān śāriputra āha - kathaṃ tarhi te bhagavan saṃvidyante?
Then Śāriputra asked: “But how, then, are those Dharmas understood by the Blessed One?”
bhagavānāha - yathā śāriputra na saṃvidyante, tathā saṃvidyante evamavidyamānāḥ / tenocyante avidyeti
The Blessed One replied: "Śāriputra, the ignorant people understand them in ways they are not understood by the Blessed One; that’s why it’s called ‘ignorance’
tān bālapṛthagjanā aśrutavanto 'bhiniviṣṭāḥ / tairasaṃvidyamānāḥ sarvadharmāḥ kalpitāḥ
Indeed, the immature ordinary beings who haven’t heard the teaching are beholden. It’s not understood by them that all Dharmas are fabricated.
te tān kalpayitvā dvayorantayoḥ saktāḥ tān dharmānna jānanti na paśyanti
They fabricate Dharmas at the two extremes. Attached to those Dharmas, they neither know nor see.
tasmātte 'saṃvidyamānān sarvadharmān kalpayanti / kalpayitvā dvāvantāvabhiniviśante abhiniviśya tannidānamupalambhaṃ niśritya atītān dharmān kalpayanti, anāgatān dharmān kalpayanti, pratyutpannān dharmān kalpayanti
Therefore, they do not understand that they’re fabricating Dharmas. Fabricating Dharmas at the two extremes, they’re beholden, clinging to their reification of causality; they fabricate past dharmas, future dharmas, present dharmas.
te kalpayitvā nāmarūpe 'bhiniviṣṭāḥ / tairasaṃvidyamānāḥ sarvadharmāḥ kalpitāḥ
Having fabricated these Dharmas, they’re attached to name and form. They don’t understand that all Dharmas are fabricated.
te tānasaṃvidyamānān sarvadharmān kalpayanto yathābhūtaṃ mārgaṃ na jānanti na paśyanti
Not understanding how all Dharmas are fabricated, they don’t see nor know the path as it really is.
yathābhūtaṃ mārgamajānanto 'paśyanto na niryānti traidhātukāt, na budhyante bhūtakoṭim
Not seeing or knowing the path as it really is, they do not exit the three realms, not awakening to the end of living beings.
tena te bālā iti saṃjñāṃ gacchanti / te satyaṃ dharmaṃ na śraddhadhati
This is why they are called ‘immature.’ They don’t have faith in the True Dharma.
na khalu punaḥ śāriputra bodhisattvā mahāsattvā kaṃciddharmamabhiniviśante
Śāriputra; great bodhisattvas are no longer beholden by any Dharma like that."
With metta