『바가바드기타』 제12장의 난문(難文)에 대한 이해 -9~12송을 중심으로- = An Understanding of Difficult Verse in the Chapter 12 in Bhagavadgita: Focusing on the Verses 9~12

국문 초록 (Abstract)

『바가바드기타』 제12장은 믿음의 길을 그 주제로 하고 있다. 그러나 9~12송에는 믿음의 길을 말하면서 수습(修習), 지혜, 선정, 행위의 결과의 포기, 마음의 평화 등을 함께 말하고 있다. 그러한 행법 내지는 경지들을 서로 비교평가하고 있다. 이에는 근기에 대한 고려가 놓여 있는데, 근기에 따라서 가장 어려운 행법에서부터 가장 쉬운 행법으로 가르침이 설해진다. 또 그러한 행법을 우열의 맥락에서 비교평가하기도 한다. 그로 말미암아서 이해하기 매우 어려운 부분이 등장하게 된다. 이 글은 바로 그러한 난문들을 이해해 보려는 시도이다. 샹카라와 라마누자의 주석에 의지하면서, 주요개념인 abhyasa-yoga, mad-yoga, 그리고 mat-karma 등의 의미를 새롭게 확정함으로써 9~11송의 이해를 새롭게 하였다. 그런 기반 위에서 9~11송은 근기의 상하를 기준으로 하여서 돈점(頓漸)으로 행법이 나누어져서 설해져 있으며, 12송은 행법의 우열을 기준으로 설해진 것임을 알 수 있었다. 이러한 결론은 종래 우리가 흔히 가졌던 "믿음의 길은 낮은 근기의 사람들을 위해서 설해진 이행도이므로 가장 낮은 행법"이라는 편견을 깨뜨리게 한다. 낮은 근기의 사람들을 위해서 설해진 이행도이지만, 그 행법의 우열에서 볼 때에는 가장 높은 수준의 행법일 수 있음을 배울 수 있게 된 것이다.

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The theme of the 12th chapter of Bhagavadgita is bhakti-yoga. While it is a short chapter which includes only 20 verses, it is not easy to understand. In particular, grasping the verse 9~12 is the key to understand chapter 12. This paper overview how to understand the verse 9~12 which are difficult to understand. There are two difficult points in the verse 9~12, so I will discuss each points in the verse 9~11 and the verse 12. It is a better way to directly go to bhakti-yoga at first as the verse 6~8 say, but the verse 9~11 show the alternative ways to practice in case the former way is impossible. Understanding that karma-yoga appears when bhakti-yoga is impossible, I face the difficulty that the verse 12 says, "taking refuge in My disciplined activity renounce the fruit of all acting." This means that the verse 12 suggests to practice bhakti-yoga and then to practice karma-yoga based on bhakti-yoga. When I follow this interpretation, however, I face the incoherence that bhakti-yoga told in the verse 5-8 appears again in the verse 9~11 which suggest the alternative to bhakti-yoga. To solve this incoherence, I reconsider the crucial conceptions: abhyasa-yoga, mad-yoga and mat-karma. As a result, I see that abhyasa-yoga is the halfway point to bhakti-yoga and means the repetition of the recollection of god. However, it is the misunderstanding that mad-yoga in the verse 11 is related to bhakti-yoga, although it is told in the context of the chapter 12 that explains bhakti-yoga. Both Sankara and Ramanuja understand mad-yoga as a way of karma-yoga. In particular, Ramanuja accept karma-yoga as upaya to proceed to bhakti-yoga. In addition, when I accept Ramanuja`s interpretation that mat-karma in the verse 10 also serves God, the verse 9~10 are categorized as bhakti-yoga, although there is difference in difficulty. Moreover, the verse 11 is karma-yoga for the people who have lower adhikara. The second matter is about the difficult verses. There are two difficulties in the verse 12. One is whether meditation is more distinguished than wisdom in a certain sense; Buddhism never states that meditation is more distinguished than wisdom. The other is whether santi which the verse 12 says the greatest way to practice is told in the context of bhakti-yoga; this can be told in jnana-yoga. To solve these two problems, I examine the perspectives of Sankara and Ramanuja. Sankara understands abhyasa and meditation with wisdom. This means that abhyasa without wisdom is inferior to wisdom and meditation with wisdom is superior to the mere wisdom. However, Sankara makes commentary that the verse 12``s viewpoint that karma-yoga is more outstanding than jnana-yoga is true for the ignorant people, because that is against for his own philosophy which focuses on jnana-yoga. I judge that this falls into adhikaravada. On the other hand, in my opinion, Ramanuja understands meditation as the occurrence of upaya. That is more distinguished than the meditation on the Imperishable Unmanifested. In other words, he regards meditation as bhakti-yoga, not as jnana-yoga. Ramanuja also considers santi as bhakti-yoga. Santi is more highly positioned than karma-yoga and jnana-yoga, because it is related to para bhakti on the Supreme Being. As I mentioned above, a new understanding on the verses 9~12 brings two pieces of knowledge. One is that bhakti-yoga which becomes together with God is suited to ones who have the highest adhikara, not to the lowest adhikara. Hence, bhakti-yoga is the most difficult way, not the easiest way. The other is that the context of the verses 9~11 is different from that of the verse 12. The verses 9~11 develop "from high adhikara to low adhikara," based on the levels of adhikara, but the verse 12 is based on the superiority of the way to practice. At this point, I can overcome the prepossession which Sankara and Zen/Son Buddhism states. That is the prepossession that the way for the people who have the lowest adhikara is the most inferior way. "The resignation from the result of act" suggested for the people who have the lowest adhikara in the verse 11 is not as proper way as bhakti-yoga, but it can be the second best according to the verse 12. The most excellent lesson is of newly understanding the verses 9~12 of the chapter 12 of Bhagavadgita in the context of Hinduism is that I can revaluate Pure land Buddhism and faith of the Other Power which belongs to the same paradigm. It is impossible to justify Zen/Son Buddhism`s judgement that "the way for low adhikara is inferior, because it is the easy way." In the viewpoint of Pure land Buddhism, that will be the most distinguished way(in the verse 12), although it is the easiest way for the people have low adhikara. This lesson is one of the pleasures and rewards to study Indian Philosophy and Buddhism together.

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