Kyunyŏ-jŏn : The life, Times and Songs of a Tenth Century Korean Monk by CHŎNG HYŎNGNYŎN - HTML preview

PLEASE NOTE: This is an HTML preview only and some elements such as links or page numbers may be incorrect.
Download the book in PDF, ePub, Kindle for a complete version.

10. Transferring All Merit


普皆廻向歌


Line 1 皆吾衣修孫

2        一切善陵頓部叱廻良只

3        眾生叱海惡中

4        迷反群无史悟内去齊


5        佛體叱海等成留焉日尸恨

6        懺為如乎仁惡寸業置

7        法性叱宅阿叱寶良

8        舊留然叱為事置耶


9        病吟 禮為白孫佛體刀

10      吾衣身伊波人有叱下呂


24.1.1:       HD; adverb “completely”.

24.1.2-3:    HD + UG; “my”.

24.1.4:       HD; “practise, cultivate”.

24.1.5:       UG; attributive VE for 24.1.4.


Line 1:       “... completely, (the merit) I have cultivated...”

24.2.1-3:    UD + UD + UD; “all merit”.

24.2.4:       UG; FC for 24.2.3.

24.2.5-6:    UD + UD; “instantly, forthwith”. 

24.2.7:       HD; “turn”.

24.2.8-9:    UG + UG; exclamatory VE for 24.2.7. 


Line 2:       “(I shall) forthwith turn over all the merit...”

24.3.1-2:    UD + UD; “sentient beings”.

24.3.3:       UG; PP.

24.3.4:       HD; “sea, ocean”.

24.3.5-6:    UG + HD; preposition “in, within”.


Line 3:       “... in the ocean of beings...”

24.4.1-2:    HD; “gone astray” (cf. 21.8.3-4). 

24.4.3:       HD; “throngs”

24.4.4-5:    HD + UG; adverbial phrase “so that there be no...”.

24.4.6:       HD; “awake”.

24.4.7-9:    UG + HD + UG; VE for 24.4.6.


Line 4:       “... (and) awaken (them) so that there be no deluded throngs.”

24.5.1-2:    UD + UG; “the buddhas”.

24.5.3:       UG; PP.

24.5.4:       HD; “ocean, sea”.

24.5.5:       UG; FC for 24.5.4 + OP.

24.5.6:       HD; “forms, becomes” hence “embodies”.

24.5.7-8:    UG + UG; attributive VE for 24.5.6.

24.5.9:       HD; “sun”.

24.5.10:     UG; FC for 24.5.9.

24.5.11:     UG; TP.


Line 5:       “The sun which embodies the ocean of Buddhahood...”

24.6.1:       UD; “remorse”.

24.6.2:       HD; “do, practise”, verbalizer for 24.6.1.

24.6.3-5:    HG + UG + UG; attributive VE for 24.6.1-2.

24.6.6-7:    HD + UG; “evil”.

24.6.8:       UD; “deeds”.

24.6.9:       HG; “also”.


Line 6:       “... also the evil deeds that have been repented of...”

24.7.1-4:    UD + UD + UG + HD; “the Abode of Reality”.

24.7.5-6:    UG + UG; preposition “in” + PP.

24.7.7:       HD; “jewel”.

24.7.8:       UG; emphatic particle.


Line 7:       “... indeed the jewels of the Abode of Reality.”

24.8.1:       HD; “the past”.

24.8.2:       UG; preposition “as”.

24.8.3-4:    HD + UG; “(do) thus”.

24.8.5:       HD; “do, practise” hence “act (thus)”.

24.8.6-8:    UG + HG + UG; exclamatory VE for 24.8.3-5.


Line 8:       “... makes (it) as it was before...”

24.9.1-2:    HD + HD; “Ah...”.

24.9.3-4:    UD + HD; “venerate”.

24.9.5-6:    HG + UG; attributive VE for 24.9.3-4, “whom (I) revere”.

24.9.7-8:    UD + UG; “the buddhas”.

24.9.9:       HG; “also”.


Line 9:       “Ah, also the buddhas whom I revere...”

24.10.1-2:    UD + UG; “my”.

24.10.3:       HD; “body”.

24.10.4-5:    UG + UG; exclamatory particle.

24.10.6:       HD; “others”.

24.10.7:       HD; “exists” thus “is to be found”.

24.10.8-10:  UG + UG + UG; exclamatory VE for 24.10.7.


Line 10:       “exist (in) my body and others.”

The first stanza of the song echoes the HYS text, the second does not relate directly to transferring merit but rather to confession and its consequence, while the final exclamatory stanza relates to Origination. Again, the progression of the song is from a gesture (making over merit) to its spiritual significance, though in this case the connection could not be said to be very direct in doctrinal terms, nor is it reinforced by any particular exercise of poetics, such as structural parallelism, for example.


I forthwith make over

All the merit I have accomplished

That all the deluded throngs

In the ocean of beings be enlightened.

It is the sun which embodies the ocean of Buddhahood 

That purifies evil deeds that have been repented of,

And makes as before the jewels 

That adorn the Abode of Reality.

Ah, the buddhas whom I revere

Are to be found in my own self and in others.