Toh 299The Sūtra on Timings for the Gaṇḍī

Summary

In this short text, the Buddha instructs monks on the correct timings for
sounding the gaṇḍī during each
of the twelve months of the year. The timings are given based on the use of a
solar clock.

Acknowledgements

This publication was completed under the patronage and supervision of
84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

The text was translated, edited, and introduced by the 84000 translation
team. Lowell Cook produced the translation and wrote the introduction. George
FitzHerbert edited the translation and the introduction, and Dawn Collins
copyedited the text. Martina Cotter was in charge of the digital publication
process.

Introduction

The Sūtra on the Timings for the Gaṇḍī
is a short instruction given by the Buddha concerning the specific times at
which the gaṇḍī is to be struck, depending on the month. The gaṇḍī is a long
wooden beam that is ritually struck, in a variety of methods, on certain
occasions in order to call monks to assemblies or meals, to alert them to
gatherings, or to herald the beginning of a rite.

Whereas the sūtra immediately preceding this in the Degé Kangyur,
The Gaṇḍī Sūtra
describes the construction,
consecration, benefits, and symbolism of the gaṇḍī—the sound of which is
said to quell conflict and symbolize the Perfection of Wisdom—the present
sūtra is concerned exclusively with the times at which the gaṇḍī should be
struck during the various seasons and months of the year. Two times are
given per month, and the times indicated are before noon. The timings given
in this sūtra may relate to the bi-monthly gatherings for the poṣadha or Restoration Rite held
on the new moon and full moon of every month, at which monastics reaffirm
their commitments. However this remains a conjecture
since the gaṇḍī may be used on a variety of ritual occasions, and The Sūtra on the Timings for the Gaṇḍī does not
specify what event the timings prescribed in the text relate to.

In ancient and medieval India, two principal methods for telling
time were in use, namely the shadow clock (Skt. chāyāpramāṇa, Tib. grib tshod) and the water clock (Skt. nāḍikā, Tib. chu tshod). The timings
prescribed in this sūtra relate to the former. We know that this method of
determining time was widely used in the Buddhist monasteries of India during
the seventh century ce, since it is described in
some detail by the Tang-era Chinese monk Yijing (義浄 635–713 ce), who
spent time at Nālandā monastery and gave an account of his experiences in
An Account of Buddhism Sent from the South
Seas (Taishō 2125, Nanhai ji gui nei fa
chuan
南海寄歸內法傳).

As described by Yijing, telling time based on shadow length was
premised on the use of a long L-shaped stick or cane. The shorter, vertical
length of the stick that casts the shadow was known as the “man” (Skt.
puruṣa, Tib. skyes bu). This vertical portion
corresponds to the gnomon of a sundial. The shadow cast by this “man” was
measured along the longer horizontal portion of the stick. When the shadow
was equal in length to its height, that measurement was also called one
“man.” Not unlike how a sundial works, the length of the shadow cast by the
gnomon was used to indicate the seasonal hour, a unit of time that varied
between seasons.

In this eleventh-century Tibetan translation of The Sūtra on the Timings for the Gaṇḍī, the units of
measurement for the shadow are given in “feet” (Skt. pada/pāda, Tib. rkang pa) and “fingerbreadths” (Skt. aṅgula, Tib. sor). Typically in ancient and
medieval India, twelve or fourteen fingerbreadths were equal to one
foot. In The Sūtra
on the Timings for the Gaṇḍī it is uncertain how many “feet”
correspond to one “man.” Since the Sanskrit term pāda can also mean “a quarter,” it is possible
that here four feet correspond to one man. All of these measurements would
be scaled down in ratio according to the size of the gnomon or “man” in use.
Yijing states that the gnomons he witnessed in use in India were four
fingerbreadths in height.

In The Sūtra on the Timings for the
Gaṇḍī, the Buddha gives a schedule of twenty-four bi-monthly
readings which vary over the course of twelve months and four seasons to cover the entire year. In each case,
he gives two shadow length readings which denote the times when the gaṇḍī is
to be struck and when it is not. With a few exceptions, these readings are
two feet apart. Since the length of the shadow shortens from the first
reading to the second, we can infer that these times are in the morning,
when the shadows cast by the sun progressively decrease. Hence, for each
time of year, the Buddha provides a range from the earliest time at which
the gaṇḍī may be struck until the time it may no longer be struck.

While the use of the gaṇḍī was widespread in India and continues to
be used by monastic communities today, this sūtra does not appear to have
survived in any Indic language.

The sūtra’s colophon states that it was translated into Tibetan by
the Tibetan monk Gewai Lodrö (11th ce) and the
Indian preceptor Dīpaṃkara Śrījñāna, more widely known as Atiśa Dīpaṃkara
(982–1054), the great revitalizer of Buddhism in Tibet after the period of
fragmentation. Atiśa and Gewai Lodrö worked closely together to translate a
number of works. There is no mention of the sūtra in the catalogs of
scriptures translated during the Imperial Period (629–841 ᴄᴇ), which
suggests that Atiśa and Gewai Lodrö’s translation was the first time it was
translated into Tibetan. Based on the dates recorded in Atiśa’s biographies,
we can say with some certainty that this sūtra was likely translated
sometime between 1040, when Atiśa first arrived in Tibet, and 1054, the year
of his passing.

The present translation is based on the version found in the Degé
Kangyur, in consultation with the variant readings recorded in the
Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma) and the
Stok Palace Manuscript Kangyur.

The Translation

The Sūtra on the Timings for the Gaṇḍī

Homage to the blessed Youthful Mañjuśrī.

Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was staying in the
Bamboo Grove, in the Kalandakanivāpa near Rājagṛha. The Blessed One called
forth the monks and delivered the following teaching.

“Monks, I will explain the times of the year to you. Listen well.

“Monks, in the first half of the first winter month, seven feet is
the time for the gaṇḍī; a fingerbreadth less than four and a half feet is
not. In the second half of that month, eight feet is the time for the gaṇḍī;
a fingerbreadth less than six feet is not. In the first half of the middle
winter month, nine feet is the time for the gaṇḍī; a fingerbreadth less than
seven feet is not. In the second half of that month, ten feet is the time
for the gaṇḍī; a fingerbreadth less than eight feet is not. In the first
half of the last winter month, eleven feet is the time for the gaṇḍī; a
fingerbreadth less than nine feet is not. In the second half of that month, twelve
feet is the time for the gaṇḍī; a fingerbreadth less than ten feet is not.

“In the first half of the first month of spring, eleven feet is the
time for the gaṇḍī; a fingerbreadth less than nine feet is not. In the
second half of that month, ten feet is the time for the gaṇḍī; a
fingerbreadth less than eight feet is not. In the first half of the middle
month of spring, nine feet is the time for the gaṇḍī; a fingerbreadth less
than seven feet is not. In the second half of that month, eight feet is the
time for the gaṇḍī; a fingerbreadth less than six feet is not. During the
first half of the last month of spring, seven feet is the time for the
gaṇḍī; a fingerbreadth less than five feet is not. In the second half of
that month, six feet is the time for the gaṇḍī; a fingerbreadth less than
four feet is not.

“In the first half of the first month of summer, six feet is the
time for the gaṇḍī; a fingerbreadth less than four feet is not. In the
second half of that month, five feet is the time for the gaṇḍī; a
fingerbreadth less than three feet is not. In the first half of the middle
month of summer, four feet is the time for the gaṇḍī; a fingerbreadth less
than three feet is not. In the second half of that month, four feet is the
time for the gaṇḍī; a fingerbreadth less than two feet is not. In the first
half of the last summer month, three feet is the time for the gaṇḍī; a
fingerbreadth less than two feet is not.

“In the first half of the first month of fall, three feet is the
time for the gaṇḍī; a fingerbreadth less than two and a half feet is not. In
the second half of that month, two feet is the time for the gaṇḍī; a
fingerbreadth less than half a foot is not. In the first half of the middle month of fall, four feet is the time
for the gaṇḍī; a fingerbreadth less than two feet is not. In the second half
of that month, four feet is the time for the gaṇḍī; a fingerbreadth less than
two feet is not. In the first half of the last month of fall, five feet is
the time for the gaṇḍī; a fingerbreadth less than three feet is not. In the
second half of that month, six feet is the time for the gaṇḍī; a
fingerbreadth less than four feet is not.”

After the Blessed One spoke these words, the monks rejoiced and
praised what the Blessed One had taught.

This completes “The Sūtra on the Timings
for the Gaṇḍī.”

Colophon

Translated by the Indian preceptor Dīpaṃkara Śrījñāna and the
translator monk Gewai Lodrö.

Notes

Bibliography

Tibetan

Translations and Other Sources

Appendix

fingerbreadths

feet

Atiśa