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四蛇

Pronunciations

Basic Meaning: four vipers

Senses:

  • The 四大 or four elements of oneʼs physical nature. The Fanyi mingyi under this heading gives the parable of a man who fled from the two bewildering forms of life and death, and climbed down a rope (of life) 命根, into the well of impermanence 無常, where two mice, night and day, gnawed the rope; on the four sides four snakes 四蛇 sought to poison him; below were three dragons 三毒龍 breathing fire and trying to seize him. On looking up he saw that two 象 elephants (darkness and light) had come to the mouth of the well; he was in despair, when a bee flew by and dropped some honey (the five desires 五欲) into his mouth, which he ate and entirely forgot his peril. Also written 四毒蛇. 〔摩訶止觀 T 1911.46.49b10〕 [Charles Muller; source(s): Nakamura, Soothill]
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    [Dictionary References]

    Bulgyo sajeon 368a

    Iwanami bukkyō jiten 350, 360

    Zengo jiten (Iriya and Koga) 13-P181

    Bukkyōgo daijiten (Nakamura) 514d, 526b →

    Ding Fubao

    Bukkyō daijiten (Oda) 718-3

    (Soothill's) Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms 181

    Copyright provisions

    The rights to textual segments (nodes) of the DDB are owned by the author indicated in the brackets next to each segment. For rights regarding the compilation as a whole, please contact Charles Muller. Please do not reproduce without permission. And please do not copy into Wikipedia without proper citation!

    Entry created: 2002-03-11

    Updated: 2009-12-16