RARE Pilot Custom Buddhist Scripture Fountain Pen 1973

[MikeW]

I wonder what the scripture actually says? Where would you begin to read it?

 

http://cgi.ebay.ca/RARE-Pilot-Custom-Buddh...1QQcmdZViewItem

[Taki]

It's called a famous sutra hannya shingyo. It's fairly short but very philosophical. Here's an English translation.

 

http://www.stanford.edu/group/scbs/sztp3/t...hingyo.htmlHere

 

If you want to hear what it's like in Japanese, here it is:

 

http://shofukuji.net/music/singyo2.mp3

[cnnlim]

That is the Maha Prajnaparamita Hridaya Sutra, or also know as the Heart Sutra. There are many different translation in English and the following is one of them.

 

The Maha Prajnaparamita Hridaya Sutra

The Bodhisattva of Great Compassion

From the deep practice of Prajnaparamita

Perceived the emptiness of all five skandhas

And delivered all beings from their suffering.

 

O Sariputra, form is no other than emptiness,

Emptiness no other than form.

Form is emptiness, emptiness form.

The same is true of feeling, thought, impulse and consciousness.

 

O Sariputra, all dharmas are empty.

They are not born nor annihilated.

They are not defiled nor immaculate.

They do not increase or decrease,

So in emptiness no form, no feeling, no thought, no impulse, no consciousness.

 

No eye, ear, nose, tongue body, mind;

No form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or objects of mind,

No realm of sight; no realm of consciousness.

 

No ignorance, nor extinction of ignorance,

No old age and death, nor extinction of them.

 

No suffering, no cause of suffering

No cease of suffering, no path to lead out of suffering;

No knowledge, no attainment, no realization

For there is nothing to attain.

 

The Bodhisattva holds onto nothing but Prajnaparamita

Therefore his mind is clear of any delusive hindrance.

Without hindrance there is no fear,

Away from all perverted views he reaches final Nirvana.

 

All Buddhas of past, present, and future

Through faith in Prajnaparamita

Attain to the highest perfect enlightenment.

 

Know then the Prajnaparamita is the great dharani,

The radiant peerless mantram, the utmost supreme mantram, which is capable of allaying all pain,

This is true beyond all doubt.

 

Proclaim now the highest wisdom, the Prajnaparamita:

 

GATE GATE PARAGATE PARASAMGATE BODHI SVAHA

[MikeW]

Hi, taki thanks for this. I tried your Stanford link and it did not work, so I googled "sutra hannya shingyo" and got this Stanford link instead:

 

http://www.stanford.edu/group/scbs/sztp3/t...ya_shingyo.html

 

This is very similar to the translation that cnnlim provided.

 

I am curious as to whether the monks actually used a fountain pen with this scripture on it or rather someone thought that it was an appropriate decoration for a pen. Presumably the latter?

Edited May 24, 2007 by MikeW

[Taki]

Hi, taki thanks for this. I tried your Stanford link and it did not work, so I googled "sutra hannya shingyo" and got this Stanford link instead:

 

http://www.stanford.edu/group/scbs/sztp3/t...ya_shingyo.html

 

This is very similar to the translation that cnnlim provided.

 

I am curious as to whether the monks actually used a fountain pen with this scripture on it or rather someone thought that it was an appropriate decoration for a pen. Presumably the latter?

Sorry for the broken link, I was in hurry yesterday

 

You are right about the sutra being a decoration. Traditionally writing or copying sutra is done by brush, and nowadays lay people might use brush pens but I would think monks would still use brush.

[NeoTiger]

I also believe that Pilot actually got some Buddhist monks to "bless" a batch of these pens.... Not sure if this is the same one.

[stan]

Hi.

 

when the pen was produced in the early 1970s, Pilot thought it a neat idea. No religiousimplications, just a neat idea. The same pen comes in four varieties: raised characters (yours), engraved characters in a polished silver field, and red and black hyomon makie (gold characters applied to the barrel and cap and lacquered over with black or red urushi). Supposedly matching mechanical pencils and ballpoints were made in all four varieties. I've seen matching ones for your pen and the makie.

 

Of the four varieties, the engraved characrers model is thought to be the rarest.

 

Pilot also made a model engraved with a quotation from the Bible too. Non-sectarianism? Your guess is as good as mine.

 

The pen is from the Custom line of pens produced from 1972 to 1981. Here's a picture of some of them. Your model is the third from the right.

 

http://members.dslextreme.com/users/ryojusen_pens/DSC04912.JPG

[Nikolaos]

I also read somewhere that these pens were blessed in a temple in Japan. In fact i think Pilot had a special blessing sort of ceremony for the pens. Last month this pen also sold on ebay in HK and the seller posted some pics of the actual ceremomy (if i recall correctly)

 

[domino]

A Dharma pen...hmmmm...interesting to say the least. Most bhudist

artifacts have a purpose. I wonder if they are trying to spread

dharma by the sheer use of the pen?

[karenfromatlanta]

The Heart Sutra is emblazoned on walls, wall hangings, candles, coffee cups, etc., almost like all the things you can find with the 23rd Psalm or the Lord's Prayer (at least in the United States). With all those things, people can sometimes just say one phrase of it and get into a mindset "The Lord is my Shepherd..." "Our Father, Who art in Heaven..." "Gate, gate, paragate..."

 

So the Heart Sutra would be significant to a person in about the same ways as significant Christian scriptures are to a Christian. Maybe it would prompt someone to ask a question or investigate Buddhism, but I don't think it's an attempt to 'proselytize'.

 

At least that would not be my intent.

 

Have to say, though, I've never seen the Heart Sutra on black velvet but I have seen Christian scriptures on black velvet. That's probably a cultural thing.

 

 

[PaulLeMay]

I was a Buddhist monk for twelve years. Spent many an evening writing the heart sutra in 24 ct gold leaf. Time consuming.

[domino]

I've been intrigued by Tibetan prayer technology (prayer wheels) for a while now.

I even got this book “Wheel of Great Compassion – The practice of the prayer wheel ” by Lorne Ladner.

In it they teach you how to build these things. I've done about 5 and given them out as gifts.

I like the thought that spinning a roll of prayers can actually realize them. Its all about

compassion, so what the ... can't hurt. I even got 1 Tibetan singing bowl. Not related to buddhism

but they have a soothing sound...Oh, I'm not a buddhist or anything like that

http://www.dharma-haven.org/tibetan/prwhbl2-.gif

[Vintage Pens Fan]

There is an intersesting article in Dr Ron Dutcher's site:

 

http://www.kamakurapens.com/SilverHyomon.html

 

If this is really sterling silver w 18kt nib, then it should worth a lot more than $ 600.00

 

Dave

[chibimie]

I am curious as to whether the monks actually used a fountain pen with this scripture on it or rather someone thought that it was an appropriate decoration for a pen. Presumably the latter?

 

There are occasions when monks are called upon to write using brush and inkstone, but the few buddhist clerics I know typically use ballpoint and roller pens like most other Japanese do for everyday use.

 

 

[stan]

Setting the record staraight.

 

The pens were never blessed as a matter of course by a Buddhist monk, monkess, priest, preistess, acolyte, temple washboy, or anything else. It was all PR. Besides, in Japan one can get a 'monk' to bless almost anything for a few bucks.

 

The pens we made in the 1970s. Not in 1969 as the article on another site suggests. The earliest date code anyone has ever seen on a Pilot Custom was 1971. Pilot has a rare volume with their corporate history that contains pictures and a paragraph or two about their significant models. The Buddhist scripture pen went in production in 1973.

 

It's nice to ascribe some legend or fanfare to any significant pen. Often this is done to hype the model and increase the price. The Buddhist scriptures model is an interesting pen, as are many others. This was never an attempt as proselytization as the hannya sutra is somewhat generic in content.

 

It is sterling and the street price is about $600 and change for a mint model.