A Primer in Chinese Buddhist Writings

Volume One: Foundations

Lessons in Grammar - Lesson 7: gù 故, reason

In Buddhist texts, 故 most often appears at the end of a sentence, meaning “for this reason” or “because of” what preceded it. It can also appear at the beginning of a sentence, meaning “therefore,” “for this reason.”

Example 7.1

故我默然不欲說法。

Example 7.2

Vocabulary
愛	ài	love, affection; craving
滅	mìe	to destroy (we have seen this word in the compound 消滅. The meaning is identical).
取	qǔ	grasping, taking

What follows is part of a description of the twelve-fold chain of causation.

愛滅故取滅。

Example 7.3

Vocabulary
安和	Ānhé	lit. Peaceful Harmony. Here, a personal name, (P.) Sotthi (Skt.) Svāstika.
隨	suí	to follow; according to

王名安和。隨王名故城名安和。

Example 7.4

Vocabulary
老	lǎo	old
憂	yōu	worry, grief
悲	bēi	sadness, sorrow
苦惱	kǔ’nǎo	suffering, affliction

We return here to the twelve-fold chain of causation.

生滅故老、死、憂、悲、苦惱滅。

Example 7.5

Vocabulary
兩	liǎng	the pair; both
相	xiāng	mutually (we saw this word earlier pronounced xiàng and meaning “mark” or “characteristic”)
俱	jù	both
汙	wū	to stain, to sully

The following is a metaphor which describes the condition of a pure gem placed on a clean piece of silk.

兩不相汙。二俱淨故。

Example 7.6

Vocabulary
問	wèn	to ask, to inquire
答	dá	to reply, to answer
曰	yuē	to say
夫	fú	(an introductory particle announcing a topic)
者	zhě	(here, a particle marking off a topic. We will examine this word more closely in the next lesson)
生	shēng	life (we have seen this word earlier meaning to give birth and to arise)
向	xiàng	(preposition) towards
盡	jìn	termination, ending
命	mìng	destiny, life
幾	jǐ	several, few
謂	wèi	to say to, to address; to call, to label

After seeing his first old man, the bodhisattva asks his charioteer to explain.

又問「何如為老？」答曰「夫老者，生壽向盡。餘命無幾。故謂之老」。

Example 7.7

Vocabulary
故	gù	intentionally (we have seen 故 earlier in another meaning, as “cause”)

The Buddha has already used his supernormal powers to overhear a conversation, but nonetheless...

爾時，世尊，知而故問，謂諸比丘：「汝等集此，何所語議？」

Example 7.8

Vocabulary
父	fù	father
彼	bǐ	that, those
者	zhě	(particle that nominalizes the preceding verb, in this case “he who attends,” “attendant”)
遊	yóu	to travel, to wander
歡	huān	joyous, blissful
樂	lè	happy
耶	yé	(particle indicating a question)

爾時，父王問彼侍者「太子出遊，歡樂不耶？」答曰「不樂」。又問其故。

Example 7.9

Vocabulary
病	bìng	sick
痛	tòng	pain
迫切	pòqiè	to press upon
存亡	cúnwáng	to live and to die, survival
期	qī	date, appointment; to predict, to know in advance
也	yě	(final particle serving function of the verb “to be”)

問曰「何如為病？」答曰「病者，眾痛迫切。存亡無期。故曰病也」。

Example 7.10

故 often works together with 以, meaning “for this reason”, “because”.

Vocabulary
慈悲	cíbēi	compassion
為	wèi	for the sake of, in order to (we have previously seen 為 in the second tone meaning “to be” and elsewhere indicating the passive, “by”).
真諦	zhēndì	noble truth

In one of the verses (which I omitted from the text you will read below), the Buddha explains why he explained the Four Noble Truths.

以慈悲心故，為說四真諦。

Review 7

Page updated on 2019-02-09