法苑珠林 20.53

20.53

Furthermore, the Shisong lü states: The Buddha told Upāli, 'Uttering vandana is verbal speech. Bending the body is called purity of mind. When a bhikṣu pays homage, he rises from his seat, bares his right shoulder, takes off his leather sandals, places his right knee on the ground, and receives the elder's feet with both hands in homage.' I comment: According to the sūtras, henan is Sanskrit; some render it namovana, but this is still not correct. According to the original, the correct form is bandan, which means in Chinese 'I pay homage' or 'taking refuge in homage'. Taking refuge is also one's fundamental sentiment, and homage is the ultimate expression of respect. Some say that 'dedicating one's life' (guiming) was established in meaning as a substitute for namo. Principle and practice correspond, fully expressing the sentiment. When secular people value namo while disparaging respectful homage, it is because they do not understand the mutual translation between Chinese and Sanskrit. How much more so when they add henan to all the Buddhas and get confused about it, which is all the more laughable! Furthermore, the Shanjian lun translates namo as 'dedicating one's life to the Awakened One', and also calls it 'paying homage to the Great Longevity'. Furthermore, the Chuyao lüyi translates henan as 'reverence', while the Shanjian lun translates it as 'save me'. Based on this, reverence and saving me apply in meaning to both ordinary and holy beings. How could henan pertain exclusively to the venerable master? It also extends to the supreme noble ones' mindful rescuing of living beings. Therefore, when coming to the Buddha's presence in the sūtras, one says: 'Namo to the One Without Attachment, the Perfectly True, the Completely and Perfectly Awakened One.' This is called praising and eulogizing the virtues of the Tathāgata through verbal action.