365bet娱乐

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II.12 BOOK 12
HI.12.1 The Nature of the Lower Planes
The opening dialogue of this book (pp. 1-2) summarizes the
topics of the preceding book, sc. the emanation, maintenance, and
reabsorption of the planes, and introduces a related topic:
knowledge of the planes (tattvavij帽膩nam) that yields specific
attainments (siddhi岣�) connected with them (te峁�u). 1 Before
presenting the announced topic, however, the text has a long
section (pp. 2-35) discussing the general nature of the lower
planes. In content, this discussion both differs from and repeats
those of the preceding two books. If the discussion of the planes for
the sake of attainments depended on the general presentation of
the planes by the preceding books, then this material would be
superfluous. The re-presentation of the planes argues that in a
source document, this general discussion accompanied, as a kind of
explanatory preface, the examination of the planes for the sake of
attainments. When constructing this section of the text, compilers
then carried over this prefatory discussion accompanying the
material on specific attainments. Hypothetically, as suggested by
its primary interest in meditative attainments, this book may
represent the core discussion of the planes in the Bhairava source.
The preceding books, in contrast, as indicated by their emphasis on
1 K峁�emar膩ja岣� explains vij帽膩nam or knowledge, as realizing
(s膩k峁Ｄ乼k膩ra岣�) by practices such as concentration (dh膩ra峁嚹�). (v.
p.2, vs. 2a, and commentary: 鈥渢attvavij帽膩nam膩khy膩hi siddhiste峁�u
yath膩 bhavet vij帽膩nam dh膩ra峁嚹乨ikrame峁嘺 s膩k峁Ｄ乼k膩ra岣� te峁�vati
tadvi峁�ay膩 siddhiryatha sy膩t. ") By using the term vij帽膩nam, these
dialogue verses apparently intend to distinguish the practical
knowledge of the planes, directed to adepts, presented in this book,
from the more theoretical knowledge (j帽膩nam), presented in the
preceding book. (V. for this distinction, Franklin Edgerton, The
Beginnings of Indian Philosophy (Cambridge: Harvard University
Press, 1965), p.361, with references.)