[INDOLOGY] Alchemy metaphor

[Christopher Wallis]

Dear Prof. Kapstein,

I'm so grateful for this reference, or rather reminder, since I read
the *Bodhicaryāvatāra
*so long ago I had forgotten. I'm not sure what catalytic would mean here;
I think this verse lends credence to Dominik's reading of "transmuted", and
this is also how Vesna Wallace translates this BCA verse. But at the same
time it's mysterious, because surely *rasajāta *is what transmutes, not
what must be transmuted!  So the Tibetan rephrase makes sense; the
translator thought the same thing.

gratefully,

Christopher Wallis, M.A. (Cal), M.Phil. (Oxon), Ph.D. (ABD, Cal)



On 7 July 2014 07:25, Matthew Kapstein <mkapstei at uchicago.edu> wrote:

>  You may be interested to compare Bodhicaryāvatāra 1.10, which uses a
> similar metaphor.
> In this case, in the line
> rasajātam atīva vedhanīyam,
>
> vedhanīyam must mean something like "catalytic."
>
> The Tibetan in this case paraphrases, saying "the finest form of the
> gold-transmuting essence"
> (gser 'gyur rtsi yi rnam pa) and the available Skt. commentator,
> Prajñākaramati, is not very helpful.
> In his gloss on vedhanīyam he writes  only:
> kartari anīya.h kara.ne vā
>
> Matthew
>
>
> Matthew Kapstein
> Directeur d'études,
> Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes
>
> Numata Visiting Professor of Buddhist Studies,
> The University of Chicago
>   ------------------------------
>
>


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