| 《佛说四十二章经》 後汉迦叶摩腾 竺法兰同译 世尊成道已。作是思惟。离欲寂静。是最为胜。住大禅定。降诸魔道。於 鹿野苑中。转四谛法轮。度 陈如等五人。而证道果。复有比丘所说诸 疑。求佛进止。世尊教敕。 一一开悟。合掌敬诺。而顺尊敕。 佛言。辞亲出家。识心达本。解无为法。名曰沙门。常行二百五十戒。进 止清净。为四真道行。成阿罗汉。 阿罗汉者。能飞行变化。旷劫寿命。住动天地。 次为阿那含。阿那含者。寿终灵神。上十九天。证阿罗汉。 次为斯陀含。斯陀含者。一上一还。即得阿罗汉。 次为须陀洹。须陀洹者。七死七生。便证阿罗汉。 爱欲断者。如四肢断。不复用之。 佛言。出家沙门者。断欲去爱。识自心源。达佛深理。悟无为法。内无所 得。外无所求。心不系道。亦不结业。无念无作。非修非证。不历诸位。 而自崇最。名之为道。 佛言。剃除须发。而为沙门。受道法者。去世资财。乞求取足。日中一 食。树下一宿。慎勿再矣。使人愚蔽者。爱与欲也。 佛言。众生以十事为善。亦以十事为恶。何等为十。身三。口四。意三。 身三者。杀。盗。 。 口四者。两舌。恶口。妄言。绮语。 意三者。嫉。恚。痴。 如是十事。不顺圣道。名十恶行。是恶若止。名十善行耳。 佛言。人有众过。而不自悔。顿息其心。罪来赴身。如水归海。渐成深 广。若人有过。自解知非。改恶行善。罪自消灭。如病得汗。渐有痊损 耳。 佛言。恶人闻善。故来扰乱者。汝自禁息。当无瞠责。彼来恶者。而自恶 之。 佛言。有人闻吾守道。行大仁慈。故致骂佛。佛默不对。 骂止。问曰。子以礼从人。其人不纳。礼归子乎。对曰。 归矣。佛言。今子骂我。我今不纳。子自持祸。归子身矣。犹响应声。影 之随形。终无免离。慎勿为恶。 佛言。恶人害贤者。犹仰天而唾。唾不至天。还从己堕。 逆风扬尘。尘不至彼。还坌己身。贤不可毁。祸必灭己。 佛言。博闻爱道。道必难会。守志奉道。其道甚大。 佛言。睹人施道。助之欢善。得福甚大。沙门问曰。此福尽乎。 佛言。譬如一炬之火数百千人。各以炬来分取。熟食除冥。此炬如故。福 亦如之。 佛言。饭恶人百。不如饭一善人。 饭善人千。不如饭一持五戒者。 饭五戒者万。不如饭一须陀洹。 饭百万须陀洹。不如饭一斯陀含。 饭千万斯陀含。不如饭一阿那含。 饭一亿阿那含。不如饭一阿罗汉。 饭十亿阿罗汉。不如饭一辟支佛。 饭百亿辟支佛。不如饭一三世诸佛。 饭千亿三世诸佛。不如饭一无念无住无修无证之者。 佛言。人有二十难。 贫穷布施难。豪贵学道难。弃命必死难。得睹佛经难。 生值佛世难。忍色忍欲难。见好不求难。被辱不瞠难。 有劫不临难。触事无心难。广学博究难。除灭我慢难。 不轻未学难。心行平等难。不说是非难。会善知识难。 见性学道难。随化度人难。睹境不动难。善解方便难。 沙门问佛。以何因缘。得知宿命。会其至道。佛言。净心守志。可会至 道。譬如磨镜。垢去明存。断欲无求。当得宿命。 沙门问佛。何者为善。何者最大。佛言。行道守真者善。 志与道合者大。 沙门问佛。何者多力。何者最明。佛言。忍辱多力。不怀恶故。兼加安 健。忍者无恶。必为人尊。心垢灭尽。净无瑕秽。是为最明。未有天地。 逮於今日。十方所有。无有不见。无有不闻。得一切智。可谓明矣。 佛言。大怀爱欲。不见道者。譬如澄水。致手搅之。众人共临。无有睹其 影者。人以爱欲交错。心中浊兴。故不见道。汝等沙门。当舍爱欲。爱欲 垢尽。道可见矣。 佛言。夫见道者。譬如持炬。入冥室中。其冥即灭。而明独存。学道见 谛。无明即灭。而明常存矣。 佛言。吾法念无念念。行无行行。言无言言。修无修修。会者近尔。迷者 远乎。言语道断。非物所拘。差之毫厘。失之须臾。 佛言。观天地。念非常。观世界。念非常。观灵觉。即菩提。如是知识。 得道疾矣。 佛言。当今身中四大。各自有名。都无我者。我既都无。其如幻耳。 佛言。人随情欲。求於声名。声名显著。身已故矣。贪世常名。而不学 道。枉功劳形。譬如烧香。虽人闻香。香之烬矣。危身之火。而在其後。 佛言。财色於人。人之不舍。譬如刀刃有蜜。不足一餐之美。小儿舔之。 则有割舌之患。 佛言。人系於妻子舍宅。甚於牢狱。牢狱有散释之期。妻子无远离之念。 情爱於色。岂惮驱驰。虽有虎口之患。心存甘伏。投泥自溺。故曰凡夫。 透得此门。出尘罗汉。 佛言。爱欲莫甚於色。色之为欲。其大无外。赖有一矣。若使二同。普天 之人。无能为道者矣。 佛言。爱欲之人。犹如执炬。逆风而行。必有烧手之患。天神献玉女於 佛。欲坏佛意。佛言革囊众秽。尔来何为。去。吾不用。天神愈敬。因问 道意。佛为解说。即得须陀洹果。 佛言。夫为道者。犹木在水。寻流而行。不触两岸。不为人取。不为鬼神 所遮。不为洄流所住。亦不腐败。吾保此木。决定入海。学道之人。不为 情欲所惑。不为众邪所娆。精进无为。吾保此人。必得道矣。 佛言。慎勿信汝意。汝意不可信。慎勿与色会。色会即祸生。得阿罗汉 已。乃可信汝意。 佛言。慎勿视女色。亦莫共言语。若与语者。正心思念。我为沙门。处於 浊世。当如莲华。不为泥污。想其老者如母。长者如姊。少者如妹。稚者 如子。生度脱心。息灭恶念。 佛言。夫为道者。如被乾草。火来须避。道人见欲。必当远之。 佛言。有人患淫不止。欲自断阴。佛谓之曰。若断其阴。不如断心。心如 功曹。功曹若止。从者都息。邪心不止。断阴何益。佛为说偈。欲生於汝 意。意以思想生。二心各寂静。非色亦非行。佛言。此偈是迦叶佛说。 佛言。人从爱欲生忧。从忧生怖。若离於爱。何忧何怖。 佛言。夫为道者。譬如一人与万人战。挂铠出门。意或怯弱。或半路而 退。或格 而死。或得胜而还。沙门学道。 应当坚持其心。精进勇锐。不畏前境。破灭众魔。而得道果。 沙门夜诵迦叶佛遗教经。其声悲紧。思悔欲退。佛问之曰。汝昔在家。曾 为何业。对曰。爱弹琴。佛言弦缓如何。 对曰。不鸣矣。弦急如何。对曰。声缓矣。急缓得中如何。对曰。诸音普 矣。佛言。沙门学道亦然。心若调适。道可得矣。於道若暴。暴即身疲。 其身若疲。意即生恼。意若生恼。行即退矣。其行既退。罪必加矣。但清 净安乐。 道不失矣。 佛言。如人锻铁。去滓成器。器即精好。学道之人。去心垢染。行即清净 矣。 佛言。人离恶道。得为人难。既得为人。去女即男难。既得为男。六根完 具难。六根既具。生中国难。既生中国。 值佛世难。既值佛世。遇道者难。既得遇道。兴信心难。既兴信心。发菩 提心难。既发菩提心。无修无证难。 佛言。佛子离吾数千里。忆念吾戒。必得道果。在吾左右。虽常见吾。不 顺吾戒。终不得道。 佛问沙门。人命在几间。对曰。数日间。佛言。子未知道。复问一沙门。 人命在几间对曰。饭食间。佛言。子未知道。复问一沙门。人命在几间对 曰。呼吸间。佛言。善哉。子知道矣。 佛言。学佛道者。佛所言说。皆应信顺。譬如食蜜。中边皆甜。吾经亦 尔。 佛言。沙门行道。无如磨牛。身虽行道。心道不行。心道若行。何用行 道。 佛言。夫为道者。如牛负重。行深泥中。疲极不敢。左右顾视。出离淤 泥。乃可苏息。沙门当观情欲。甚於淤泥。直心念道。可免苦矣。 佛言。吾视王侯之位。如过隙尘。视金玉之宝。如瓦砾。视纨素之服。如 敝帛。视大千界。如一诃子。视阿耨池水。如涂足油。视方便门。如化宝 聚。视无上乘。如梦金帛。视佛道。如眼前华。视禅定。如须弥柱。视涅 盘。如昼夕寤。视倒正。如六龙舞。视平等。如一真地。视兴化。如四时 木。 诸大比丘。闻佛所说。欢喜奉行。 |
The Sutra of 42 Chapters
Buddha's sutras translated into Chinese in the 1st century CE.
Original Chinese text.
Kept at White Horse Temple (Ch., Baima Si) near Luoyang, Henan, China.
Simplified Chinese characters, followed by an English translation by John
Blofeld.
Osho's books titled The Discipline of Transcendence, Vol. 1-4, later
republished as The Buddha Said, use English translations of these sutras as
jumping off bases for Osho's talks in the series.
Buddha's sutras translated into Chinese in the 1st century CE.
Original Chinese text.
Kept at White Horse Temple (Ch., Baima Si) near Luoyang, Henan, China.
Simplified Chinese characters, followed by an English translation by John
Blofeld.
Osho's books titled The Discipline of Transcendence, Vol. 1-4, later
republished as The Buddha Said, use English translations of these sutras as
jumping off bases for Osho's talks in the series.
| oshobob The Living Workshop |
| Chinese Text |
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When the World Honored had become Enlightened, he
reflected thus: "To abandon desire and rest in perfect
quietude is the greatest of victories. To remain in a
state of complete abstraction is to overcome the ways
of all the evil ones." In the Royal Deer Park, he
expounded the Doctrine of the Four Noble Truths, converting
Kaundinya and four others, and thus manifesting the fruit
of the Way. There were frequently monks who voiced their
doubts and asked the Buddha to resolve them, so the World
Honored taught and commanded them, until, one by one, they
became Enlightened and, bringing their hands together in
respectful agreement, prepared to follow the sacred commands.
1. The Buddha said: "Those who, taking leave of their
families and adopting the homeless life, know the nature
of their minds and reach to what is fundamental, thus
breaking away (from the phenomenal and attaining to)
the unphenomenal, are called Sramanas. They constantly
observe the two hundred and fifty precepts, entering into
and abiding in perfect quietude. By working their way
through the four stages of progress, they become Arhans, who
possess the powers of levitation and transformation, as
well as the ability to prolong their lives for many aeons
and to reside or move about anywhere in heaven or earth.
Below them come the Anagamins, who at the end of a long life,
ascend in spirit to the nineteen heavens and become Arhats.
Then come the Sakridagamins who must ascend one step and be
reborn once more before becoming Arhans. There are also the
Srota-apanas who cannot become Arhans until they have passed
through nine more rounds of birth and death [original Chinese
text states seven, not nine]. One who has put an end to his
longings and desires is like a man who, having no further
use for his limbs (literal: having cut off his limbs), never
uses them again."
2. The Sramana who, having left home, puts an end to his desires
and drives away his longings, knowing the source of his own mind,
penetrates to the profound principles of Buddhahood. He awakes
to the non-phenomenal, clinging to nothing within and seeking
for nothing from without. His mind is not shackled with dogmas,
nor is he enmeshed by karma. Pondering nothing and doing nothing,
practising nothing and manifesting nothing, without passing through
all the successive stages, he (nevertheless) reaches the loftiest
of all. This is what is meant by "The Way".
3. The Buddha said: "He who has shorn his locks and beard to
become a Sramana and has accepted the Doctrine of the Way,
abandons everything of worldly value and is satisfied by the
food he obtained by begging, eating but once a day. If there
is a tree under which to rest, he desires nothing else.
Longings and desires are what make men stupid and darken their
minds.
4. The Buddha said: "There are ten things by which beings do
good and ten by which they do evil. What are they? Three are
performed with the body, four with the mouth, and three with the
mind. The (evils) performed with the body are killing, stealing
and unchaste deeds; those with the mouth are duplicity,
slandering, lying, and idle talk; those with the mind are
covetousness, anger, and foolishness. These ten are not in
keeping with the holy Way and are called the ten evil practices.
Putting a stop to all of them is called performing the ten
virtuous practices."
5. The Buddha said: "If a man has all kinds of faults and does
not regret them, in the space of a single heartbeat retribution
will suddenly fall upon him and, as water returning to the sea,
will gradually become deeper and wider. (But), if a man has
faults and, becoming aware of them, changes for the better,
retribution will melt away into nothingness of its own accord,
as the danger of a fever gradually abates once perspiration
has set in.
6. The Buddha said: "If an evil man, on hearing of what is good,
comes and creates a disturbance, you should hold your peace.
You must not angrily unbraid him; then he who has come to curse
you will merely harm himself."
7. The Buddha said: "There was one who heard that I uphold the
Way and practise great benevolence and compassion. On this account,
he came to sold me, but I remained silent and did not retort.
When he had finished scolding me, I said: "Sir, if you treat
another with courtesy and he does not accept it, does not the
courtesy and he does not accept it, does not the courtesy rebound
to you?" He replied that it does and I continued: 'Now you have
just cursed me and I did not accept your curses, so the evil
which you yourself did has now returned and fallen upon you.
For a sound accords with the noise that produced it and the
reflection accords with the form. In the end there will be no
escape, so take care lest you do what is evil."
8. The Buddha said: "An evil man may wish to injure the
Virtuous Ones and, raising his head, spit towards heaven, but
the spittle, far from reaching heaven, will return and descend
upon himself. An unruly wind may raise the dust, but the
dust does not go elsewhere; it remains to contaminate the
wind. Virtue cannot be destroyed, while evil inevitably
destroys itself."
9. The Buddha said: "Listen avidly to and cherish the Way. The
Way will certainly be hard to reach. Maintain your desire to
accept it humbly, for the Way is mighty indeed."
10. The Buddha said: "Observe those who bestow (knowledge of)
the Way. To help them is a great joy and many blessings can
thus be obtained." A Sramana asked: "Is there any limit to such
blessings?" The Buddha replied: "They are like the fire of a
torch from which hundreds and thousands of people light their
own torches. The (resulting) light eats up the darkness and that
torch is the origin of it all. Such is the nature of those
blessings."
11. The Buddha said: "To bestow food on a hundred bad men is not
equal to bestowing food on one good one. Bestowing food on a
thousand good men is not equal to bestowing food on one who
observes the five precepts. Bestowing food on ten thousand who
observe the five precepts is not equal to bestowing food on
one Srota-apana. Bestowing food on a million Srota-apanas is not
equal to bestowing food on one Sakrdagamin. Bestowing food on
ten million Sakrdagamins is not equal to bestowing food on one
Anagamin. Bestowing food on a hundred million Anagamins is not
equal to bestowing food on one Arhan. Bestowing food on a
thousand million Arhans is not equal to bestowing food on one
Pratyeka Buddha. Bestowing food on ten thousand million
Pratyeka Buddhas is not equal to bestowing food on one of the
Buddhas of the Triple World. Bestowing food on a hundred
thousand million Buddhas of the Triple World is not equal to
bestowing food on one who ponders nothing, does nothing,
practices nothing, and manifest nothing."
12. The Buddha said: "There are twenty things which are hard for
human beings:
"It is hard to practice charity when one is poor.
"It is hard to study the Way when occupying a position of great
authority.
"It is hard to surrender life at the approach of inevitable death.
"It is hard to get an opportunity of reading the sutras
"It is hard to be born directly into Buddhist surroundings
"It is hard to bear lust and desire (without yielding to them).
"It is hard to see something attractive without desiring it.
"It is hard to hard to bear insult without making an angry reply.
"It is hard to have power and not to pay regard to it.
"It is hard to come into contact with things and yet remain
unaffected by them
"It is hard to study widely and investigate everything thoroughly.
"It is hard to overcome selfishness and sloth.
"It is hard to avoid making light of not having studied (the Way)
enough.
"It is hard to keep the mind evenly balanced.
"It is hard to refrain from defining things as being something or
not being something.
"It is hard to come into contact with clear perception (of the Way).
"It is hard to perceive one's own nature and (through such perception)
to study the Way.
"It is hard to help others towards Enlightenment according to their
various deeds.
"It is hard to see the end (of the Way) without being moved.
"It is hard to discard successfully (the shackles that bind us to
the wheel of life and death) as opportunities present themselves.
13. A Sramana asked the Buddha: "By what method can we attain the knowledge
of how to put a stop to life (in the phenomental sphere) and come
in contact with the Way?" The Buddha answered: "By purifying the mind
preserving the will (to struggle onwards) you can come in contact
with the Way just as, when a mirror is wiped, the dust falls off and
the brightness remains. By eliminating desires and seeking for nothing
(else) you should be able to put a stop to life (in the phenomenal
sphere)".
14. A Sramana asked the Buddha: "What is goodness and what is
greatness?" The Buddha replied: "To follow the Way and hold to what
is true is good. When the will is in conformity with the Way, that
is greatness."
15. A Sramana asked the Buddha: "What is great power and what is
the acme of brilliance?" The Buddha answered: "To be able to bear
insult (without retort) implies great power. He that does not cherish
cause for resentment, but remains calm and firm equally (under all
circumstances), and who bears all things without indulging in abuse
will certainly be honored by men. The acme of brilliance is reached
when the mind is utterly purged of impurities and nothing false or
foul remains (to besmirch) its purity. When there is nothing, from
before the formation of heaven and earth until now or in any of the
ten quarters of the universe which you have not seen, heard and
understood; when you have attained to a knowledge of everything, that
may be called brilliance."
16. Men who cherish longings and desires are those who have not
perceived the Way. Just as, if clear water be stirred up with the
hand, none of those looking into it will perceive their reflections,
so men, in whose minds filth has been stirred up by longings and
desires will not perceive the Way. You Sramanas must abandon
longings and desires. When the filth of longing and desires has
been entirely cleared away, then only will you be able to perceive
the Way."
17. The Buddha said: "With those who have perceived the Way, it is
thus. Just as, when one enters a dark house with a torch, the
darkness is dissipated and only light remains, so, by studing the
Way and perceiving the truth, ignorance is dissipated and insight
remains forever."
18. The Buddha said: "My Doctrine implies thinking of that which
is beyond thought, performing that which is beyond performance,
speaking of that which is beyond words and practising that which
is beyond practice. Those who can come up to this, progress, while
the stupid regress. The way which can be express in words stops
short; there is nothing which can be grasped. If you are wrong by
so much as the thousandth part of a hair, you will lose (the Way)
in a flash."
19. The Buddha said: "Regard heaven and earth and consider their
impermanence. Regard the world and consider its impermanence.
Regard the spiritual awakening as Bodhi. This sort of knowledge
leads to speedy Enlightenment."
20. The Buddha said: "You should ponder on the fact that, though
each of the four elements of which the body is made up has a name,
none of them (constitute any part of) the real self. In fact, the
self is non-existant, like a mirage."
21. The Buddha said: "There are people who, following the dictates of
their feelings and desires, seek to make a name or themselves, but,
by the time that name resounds, they are already dead. Those who
hunger for a name that shall long be remembered in the world and who
do not study the Way strive vainly and struggle for empty forms.
Just as burning incese, though others perceive its pleasant smell,
is itself being burnt up, so (desires) bring the danger of fire which
can burn up your bodies in their train.
22. The Buddha said: "Wealth and beauty, to a man who will not relinquish
them, are like a knife covered with honey which, even before he has
had the pleasure of eating the honey, cuts the tongue of the child that
licks it."
23. The Buddha said: "People who are tied to their wives, children, and
homes are worse off than prisoners. A prisoner will be released sooner
or later, but wives and children have no thought of betaking themselves
off. Why fear to rid yourselves immediately of the longing for
physical beauty? (Otherwise,) you are tamely submitting to the jaws
of a tiger and deliberately allowing yourselves to drown in the
quicksand into which you have fallen, thus meriting the name of 'simple
fellows'. If you can reach the point (of abandoning such things), you
will rise from the dust and become Arhans.
24. The Buddha said: "Of all longings and desires, there is none stronger
than sex. Sex as a desire has no equal. Rely on the (universal) Oneness.
No one under heaven is able to become a follower of the Way if he accepts
dualism.
25. The Buddha said: "Those who (permit themselves) longings and desires
are like a man who walks in the teeth of the wind carrying a torch.
Inevitably, his hands will be burnt.
26. The gods bestowed the jade girl upon me, hoping to shake my
determination. I said, 'O skin bag, full of every kind of filth!
For what have you come here? Go! I do not need you.' Then the gods
payed me profound reverence and, as they asked me to expound the Way,
I enlightened them and they became Srota-apanas as a result."
27. The Buddha said: "Those who follow the Way are like a piece of
wood in the water, which floats along, touching neither bank, and
which is neither picked up by men, intercepted by the gods, hindered
by floating scum, nor rots upon the way. I am prepared to undertake
that such a piece of wood will certainly reach the sea. If those
who study the Way are not misled by their feelings and desires, not
disburbed by any sort of depravity, and, if they earnestly advance
towards the unphenomenal, I am prepared to undertake that they will
certainly attain to the Way."
28. The Buddha said: "Be careful not to depend on your own intelligence--
it is not to be trusted. Take care not to come in contact with physical
attractions-- such contacts result in calamities. Only when you have
reached the stage of Arhan can you depend on your own intelligence."
29. The Buddha said: "Take care to avoid looking on the beauty of women and
do not converse with them. If you do (have occasion to) converse with
them, control the thoughts which run through your minds. When I was a
Sramana and came in contact with the impure world, I was like the lotus
which remains unsullied by the mud (from which it grows). Think of old
women as of you mothers, of those older than yourselves as of your elder
sisters, of those younger than yourselves as of your younger sisters, and
of very young ones as your daughters. Dwell on thoughts of Enlightenment
and banish all evil ones."
30. The Buddha said: "Those who follow the Way are like straw which must
be perserved from fire. A follower of the Way who experience desire must
put a distance between himself and (object of his) desire."
31. The Buddha said: "There was one who indulged his sexual passions
unceasingly but who wished, of his own accord, to put an end to his evil
actions, I said to him: "To put a stop to these evil actions will not be
so good as to put a stop to (the root of the evil) in your mind. The
mind is like Kung Ts'ao. If Kung Ts'ao desists, his followers will stop
also. If mental depravities continues, what is the use of putting an
end to evil actions?' I then repeated this verse for him: 'Desire
springs from your thoughts. Thought springs from discernment (of matter).
When the two minds are both stilled, there is neither form nor action.'
I added that this verse was first spoken by Kasyapa Buddha".
32. The Buddha said: "The sorrows of men comes from their longings and
desires. Fear comes from these sorrows. If freedom from desire is
attained, what (cause for) grief and fear will remain?
33. The Buddha said: "Those who follow the Way are like one who has to
fight ten thousand and who, putting on his armor, steps out of the gate.
His toughts may be timorous and his resolution weak, or he may (even) get
halfway to the battle-ground and then turn around and flee. Again, he
may join battle and be slain. On the other hand, he may gain the victory
and return. The Sramana who studies the Way must have a resolute mind
and zealously build up his courage, fearing nothing that lies before him
and destroying all demons (of temptation that stand in his way), that he
may obtain the fruit (of diligently studing) the Way."
34. One night, a Sramana was intoning "The Sutra of Teachings Bequeathed
by Kasyapa Buddha." The sound of his voice was mournful, for he though
repentantly of his back-slidings, born of desire. The Buddha asked him:
"What did you do before you became a monk?" "I used to like playing the
lute," he replied. "What happened," said the Buddha, "when you loosened
the strings?" "They made no sound." "And when you pulled them taut?"
"The sounds were brief." "And how was it when they were neither taut
nor loose?" "Then all the sounds were normal" replied the Sraman. To this
the Buddha said, "It is the same with a Sraman studing the Way. If his
mind is properly adjusted, he can attain to it, but if he forces himself
towards it, his mind will become weary and, on account of the weariness
of his mind, his thoughts will become irritable. With such irritable
thoughts, his actions will retrogress and, with such retrogression, evil
will enter his mind. But if he studies quietly and happily, he will not
lose the Way."
35. The Buddha said: "If a man smelts iron until all impurities have been
eliminated (before proceeding to) make implements with it, the implements
will be of fine quality. If one who studies the Way first purges his heart
of all foul influences, his actions will then become pure."
36. The Buddha said:
"It is hard for one to leave the grosser forms of incarnation and be born
a human being.
"It is hard for such a one to escape being a woman and be born a man.
"It is hard for such a one to be born with all his organs in perfect
condition.
"It is hard for such a one to be born in China.
"It is hard for such a one to be born directly into Buddhist surroundings.
"It is hard for such a one to come in contact with the Way.
"It is hard for such a one to cultivate faith in his mind.
"It is hard for such a one to attain to the Bodhi-heart.
"it is hard for such a one to attain to (the state where) nothing is
practised and nothing manifested."
37. The Buddha said: "A desciple living thousands of miles away from me
will, if he constantly cherishes and ponders on my precepts, attain the
fruit (of studying) the Way: but one who is in immediate contact with me,
though he sees me constantly, will ultimately fail to do so if he does not
follow my precepts."
38. The Buddha said to a Sramana: "How long is the span of a man's life?"
"It is but a few days," was the answer. The Buddha said: "You have not
understood," and asked another Sramana, who replied: "It is (like) the time
taken to eat(a single meal.") To this the Buddha replied in the same way
and asked a third: "How long is the span of a man's life?" "It is (like)
the time taken by (single) breath," was the reply. "Excellent," said the
Buddha, "You understand the Way."
39. The Buddha said: "Those who study the Way of the Buddha should believe
and follow all that is said by the Buddha. Just as, when you eat honey
(you find that), every drop of it sweet, so it is with my words."
40. The Buddha said: "A Sramana studying the Way should not be as an ox
turning the millstone which though it performs the necessary actions with
its body, does not concentrate on them with its mind. If the Way is followed
in the mind, of what use are actions?"
41. The Buddha said: "Those who follow the Way are like an ox bearing a
heavy load and walking through deep mud. It feels so weary that it does
not dare to look to left or right and, only on emerging from the mud, can it
revive itself by resting. A Sramana should regard feelings and desires
more seriously than (the ox regards) the mud. Only by controlling his
mind and thinking of the Way can he avoid sorrow."
42. The Buddha said: "I look upon the state of kings and princes as upon
the dust which blows through a crack. I look upon ornaments of gold and
jewels as upon rubble. I look upon garments of finest silk as upon worn-
out rags. I look upon a major chiliocosm as upon a small nut. I look upon
the Anavatapta as upon oil for smearing the feet. (On the other hand), I
look upon expedient methods (leading to the truth) as upon spending heaps of
jewels. I look upon the supreme vehicle as upon a dream of abundant wealth.
I look upon the Buddha's Way as upon all the splendors which confront the
eye. I look upon dhyana meditation as upon the pillar of Mount Sumeru. I
look upon Nirvana as upon waking at daybreak from a night's sleep. I look
upon heresy erected as upon six dragons dancing. I look upon the universal,
impartial attitude (of a Buddha) as upon the Absolute Reality. I look upon
conversion (to the Way) as upon the changes undergone by a tree (due to the
action of the) four seasons."
reflected thus: "To abandon desire and rest in perfect
quietude is the greatest of victories. To remain in a
state of complete abstraction is to overcome the ways
of all the evil ones." In the Royal Deer Park, he
expounded the Doctrine of the Four Noble Truths, converting
Kaundinya and four others, and thus manifesting the fruit
of the Way. There were frequently monks who voiced their
doubts and asked the Buddha to resolve them, so the World
Honored taught and commanded them, until, one by one, they
became Enlightened and, bringing their hands together in
respectful agreement, prepared to follow the sacred commands.
1. The Buddha said: "Those who, taking leave of their
families and adopting the homeless life, know the nature
of their minds and reach to what is fundamental, thus
breaking away (from the phenomenal and attaining to)
the unphenomenal, are called Sramanas. They constantly
observe the two hundred and fifty precepts, entering into
and abiding in perfect quietude. By working their way
through the four stages of progress, they become Arhans, who
possess the powers of levitation and transformation, as
well as the ability to prolong their lives for many aeons
and to reside or move about anywhere in heaven or earth.
Below them come the Anagamins, who at the end of a long life,
ascend in spirit to the nineteen heavens and become Arhats.
Then come the Sakridagamins who must ascend one step and be
reborn once more before becoming Arhans. There are also the
Srota-apanas who cannot become Arhans until they have passed
through nine more rounds of birth and death [original Chinese
text states seven, not nine]. One who has put an end to his
longings and desires is like a man who, having no further
use for his limbs (literal: having cut off his limbs), never
uses them again."
2. The Sramana who, having left home, puts an end to his desires
and drives away his longings, knowing the source of his own mind,
penetrates to the profound principles of Buddhahood. He awakes
to the non-phenomenal, clinging to nothing within and seeking
for nothing from without. His mind is not shackled with dogmas,
nor is he enmeshed by karma. Pondering nothing and doing nothing,
practising nothing and manifesting nothing, without passing through
all the successive stages, he (nevertheless) reaches the loftiest
of all. This is what is meant by "The Way".
3. The Buddha said: "He who has shorn his locks and beard to
become a Sramana and has accepted the Doctrine of the Way,
abandons everything of worldly value and is satisfied by the
food he obtained by begging, eating but once a day. If there
is a tree under which to rest, he desires nothing else.
Longings and desires are what make men stupid and darken their
minds.
4. The Buddha said: "There are ten things by which beings do
good and ten by which they do evil. What are they? Three are
performed with the body, four with the mouth, and three with the
mind. The (evils) performed with the body are killing, stealing
and unchaste deeds; those with the mouth are duplicity,
slandering, lying, and idle talk; those with the mind are
covetousness, anger, and foolishness. These ten are not in
keeping with the holy Way and are called the ten evil practices.
Putting a stop to all of them is called performing the ten
virtuous practices."
5. The Buddha said: "If a man has all kinds of faults and does
not regret them, in the space of a single heartbeat retribution
will suddenly fall upon him and, as water returning to the sea,
will gradually become deeper and wider. (But), if a man has
faults and, becoming aware of them, changes for the better,
retribution will melt away into nothingness of its own accord,
as the danger of a fever gradually abates once perspiration
has set in.
6. The Buddha said: "If an evil man, on hearing of what is good,
comes and creates a disturbance, you should hold your peace.
You must not angrily unbraid him; then he who has come to curse
you will merely harm himself."
7. The Buddha said: "There was one who heard that I uphold the
Way and practise great benevolence and compassion. On this account,
he came to sold me, but I remained silent and did not retort.
When he had finished scolding me, I said: "Sir, if you treat
another with courtesy and he does not accept it, does not the
courtesy and he does not accept it, does not the courtesy rebound
to you?" He replied that it does and I continued: 'Now you have
just cursed me and I did not accept your curses, so the evil
which you yourself did has now returned and fallen upon you.
For a sound accords with the noise that produced it and the
reflection accords with the form. In the end there will be no
escape, so take care lest you do what is evil."
8. The Buddha said: "An evil man may wish to injure the
Virtuous Ones and, raising his head, spit towards heaven, but
the spittle, far from reaching heaven, will return and descend
upon himself. An unruly wind may raise the dust, but the
dust does not go elsewhere; it remains to contaminate the
wind. Virtue cannot be destroyed, while evil inevitably
destroys itself."
9. The Buddha said: "Listen avidly to and cherish the Way. The
Way will certainly be hard to reach. Maintain your desire to
accept it humbly, for the Way is mighty indeed."
10. The Buddha said: "Observe those who bestow (knowledge of)
the Way. To help them is a great joy and many blessings can
thus be obtained." A Sramana asked: "Is there any limit to such
blessings?" The Buddha replied: "They are like the fire of a
torch from which hundreds and thousands of people light their
own torches. The (resulting) light eats up the darkness and that
torch is the origin of it all. Such is the nature of those
blessings."
11. The Buddha said: "To bestow food on a hundred bad men is not
equal to bestowing food on one good one. Bestowing food on a
thousand good men is not equal to bestowing food on one who
observes the five precepts. Bestowing food on ten thousand who
observe the five precepts is not equal to bestowing food on
one Srota-apana. Bestowing food on a million Srota-apanas is not
equal to bestowing food on one Sakrdagamin. Bestowing food on
ten million Sakrdagamins is not equal to bestowing food on one
Anagamin. Bestowing food on a hundred million Anagamins is not
equal to bestowing food on one Arhan. Bestowing food on a
thousand million Arhans is not equal to bestowing food on one
Pratyeka Buddha. Bestowing food on ten thousand million
Pratyeka Buddhas is not equal to bestowing food on one of the
Buddhas of the Triple World. Bestowing food on a hundred
thousand million Buddhas of the Triple World is not equal to
bestowing food on one who ponders nothing, does nothing,
practices nothing, and manifest nothing."
12. The Buddha said: "There are twenty things which are hard for
human beings:
"It is hard to practice charity when one is poor.
"It is hard to study the Way when occupying a position of great
authority.
"It is hard to surrender life at the approach of inevitable death.
"It is hard to get an opportunity of reading the sutras
"It is hard to be born directly into Buddhist surroundings
"It is hard to bear lust and desire (without yielding to them).
"It is hard to see something attractive without desiring it.
"It is hard to hard to bear insult without making an angry reply.
"It is hard to have power and not to pay regard to it.
"It is hard to come into contact with things and yet remain
unaffected by them
"It is hard to study widely and investigate everything thoroughly.
"It is hard to overcome selfishness and sloth.
"It is hard to avoid making light of not having studied (the Way)
enough.
"It is hard to keep the mind evenly balanced.
"It is hard to refrain from defining things as being something or
not being something.
"It is hard to come into contact with clear perception (of the Way).
"It is hard to perceive one's own nature and (through such perception)
to study the Way.
"It is hard to help others towards Enlightenment according to their
various deeds.
"It is hard to see the end (of the Way) without being moved.
"It is hard to discard successfully (the shackles that bind us to
the wheel of life and death) as opportunities present themselves.
13. A Sramana asked the Buddha: "By what method can we attain the knowledge
of how to put a stop to life (in the phenomental sphere) and come
in contact with the Way?" The Buddha answered: "By purifying the mind
preserving the will (to struggle onwards) you can come in contact
with the Way just as, when a mirror is wiped, the dust falls off and
the brightness remains. By eliminating desires and seeking for nothing
(else) you should be able to put a stop to life (in the phenomenal
sphere)".
14. A Sramana asked the Buddha: "What is goodness and what is
greatness?" The Buddha replied: "To follow the Way and hold to what
is true is good. When the will is in conformity with the Way, that
is greatness."
15. A Sramana asked the Buddha: "What is great power and what is
the acme of brilliance?" The Buddha answered: "To be able to bear
insult (without retort) implies great power. He that does not cherish
cause for resentment, but remains calm and firm equally (under all
circumstances), and who bears all things without indulging in abuse
will certainly be honored by men. The acme of brilliance is reached
when the mind is utterly purged of impurities and nothing false or
foul remains (to besmirch) its purity. When there is nothing, from
before the formation of heaven and earth until now or in any of the
ten quarters of the universe which you have not seen, heard and
understood; when you have attained to a knowledge of everything, that
may be called brilliance."
16. Men who cherish longings and desires are those who have not
perceived the Way. Just as, if clear water be stirred up with the
hand, none of those looking into it will perceive their reflections,
so men, in whose minds filth has been stirred up by longings and
desires will not perceive the Way. You Sramanas must abandon
longings and desires. When the filth of longing and desires has
been entirely cleared away, then only will you be able to perceive
the Way."
17. The Buddha said: "With those who have perceived the Way, it is
thus. Just as, when one enters a dark house with a torch, the
darkness is dissipated and only light remains, so, by studing the
Way and perceiving the truth, ignorance is dissipated and insight
remains forever."
18. The Buddha said: "My Doctrine implies thinking of that which
is beyond thought, performing that which is beyond performance,
speaking of that which is beyond words and practising that which
is beyond practice. Those who can come up to this, progress, while
the stupid regress. The way which can be express in words stops
short; there is nothing which can be grasped. If you are wrong by
so much as the thousandth part of a hair, you will lose (the Way)
in a flash."
19. The Buddha said: "Regard heaven and earth and consider their
impermanence. Regard the world and consider its impermanence.
Regard the spiritual awakening as Bodhi. This sort of knowledge
leads to speedy Enlightenment."
20. The Buddha said: "You should ponder on the fact that, though
each of the four elements of which the body is made up has a name,
none of them (constitute any part of) the real self. In fact, the
self is non-existant, like a mirage."
21. The Buddha said: "There are people who, following the dictates of
their feelings and desires, seek to make a name or themselves, but,
by the time that name resounds, they are already dead. Those who
hunger for a name that shall long be remembered in the world and who
do not study the Way strive vainly and struggle for empty forms.
Just as burning incese, though others perceive its pleasant smell,
is itself being burnt up, so (desires) bring the danger of fire which
can burn up your bodies in their train.
22. The Buddha said: "Wealth and beauty, to a man who will not relinquish
them, are like a knife covered with honey which, even before he has
had the pleasure of eating the honey, cuts the tongue of the child that
licks it."
23. The Buddha said: "People who are tied to their wives, children, and
homes are worse off than prisoners. A prisoner will be released sooner
or later, but wives and children have no thought of betaking themselves
off. Why fear to rid yourselves immediately of the longing for
physical beauty? (Otherwise,) you are tamely submitting to the jaws
of a tiger and deliberately allowing yourselves to drown in the
quicksand into which you have fallen, thus meriting the name of 'simple
fellows'. If you can reach the point (of abandoning such things), you
will rise from the dust and become Arhans.
24. The Buddha said: "Of all longings and desires, there is none stronger
than sex. Sex as a desire has no equal. Rely on the (universal) Oneness.
No one under heaven is able to become a follower of the Way if he accepts
dualism.
25. The Buddha said: "Those who (permit themselves) longings and desires
are like a man who walks in the teeth of the wind carrying a torch.
Inevitably, his hands will be burnt.
26. The gods bestowed the jade girl upon me, hoping to shake my
determination. I said, 'O skin bag, full of every kind of filth!
For what have you come here? Go! I do not need you.' Then the gods
payed me profound reverence and, as they asked me to expound the Way,
I enlightened them and they became Srota-apanas as a result."
27. The Buddha said: "Those who follow the Way are like a piece of
wood in the water, which floats along, touching neither bank, and
which is neither picked up by men, intercepted by the gods, hindered
by floating scum, nor rots upon the way. I am prepared to undertake
that such a piece of wood will certainly reach the sea. If those
who study the Way are not misled by their feelings and desires, not
disburbed by any sort of depravity, and, if they earnestly advance
towards the unphenomenal, I am prepared to undertake that they will
certainly attain to the Way."
28. The Buddha said: "Be careful not to depend on your own intelligence--
it is not to be trusted. Take care not to come in contact with physical
attractions-- such contacts result in calamities. Only when you have
reached the stage of Arhan can you depend on your own intelligence."
29. The Buddha said: "Take care to avoid looking on the beauty of women and
do not converse with them. If you do (have occasion to) converse with
them, control the thoughts which run through your minds. When I was a
Sramana and came in contact with the impure world, I was like the lotus
which remains unsullied by the mud (from which it grows). Think of old
women as of you mothers, of those older than yourselves as of your elder
sisters, of those younger than yourselves as of your younger sisters, and
of very young ones as your daughters. Dwell on thoughts of Enlightenment
and banish all evil ones."
30. The Buddha said: "Those who follow the Way are like straw which must
be perserved from fire. A follower of the Way who experience desire must
put a distance between himself and (object of his) desire."
31. The Buddha said: "There was one who indulged his sexual passions
unceasingly but who wished, of his own accord, to put an end to his evil
actions, I said to him: "To put a stop to these evil actions will not be
so good as to put a stop to (the root of the evil) in your mind. The
mind is like Kung Ts'ao. If Kung Ts'ao desists, his followers will stop
also. If mental depravities continues, what is the use of putting an
end to evil actions?' I then repeated this verse for him: 'Desire
springs from your thoughts. Thought springs from discernment (of matter).
When the two minds are both stilled, there is neither form nor action.'
I added that this verse was first spoken by Kasyapa Buddha".
32. The Buddha said: "The sorrows of men comes from their longings and
desires. Fear comes from these sorrows. If freedom from desire is
attained, what (cause for) grief and fear will remain?
33. The Buddha said: "Those who follow the Way are like one who has to
fight ten thousand and who, putting on his armor, steps out of the gate.
His toughts may be timorous and his resolution weak, or he may (even) get
halfway to the battle-ground and then turn around and flee. Again, he
may join battle and be slain. On the other hand, he may gain the victory
and return. The Sramana who studies the Way must have a resolute mind
and zealously build up his courage, fearing nothing that lies before him
and destroying all demons (of temptation that stand in his way), that he
may obtain the fruit (of diligently studing) the Way."
34. One night, a Sramana was intoning "The Sutra of Teachings Bequeathed
by Kasyapa Buddha." The sound of his voice was mournful, for he though
repentantly of his back-slidings, born of desire. The Buddha asked him:
"What did you do before you became a monk?" "I used to like playing the
lute," he replied. "What happened," said the Buddha, "when you loosened
the strings?" "They made no sound." "And when you pulled them taut?"
"The sounds were brief." "And how was it when they were neither taut
nor loose?" "Then all the sounds were normal" replied the Sraman. To this
the Buddha said, "It is the same with a Sraman studing the Way. If his
mind is properly adjusted, he can attain to it, but if he forces himself
towards it, his mind will become weary and, on account of the weariness
of his mind, his thoughts will become irritable. With such irritable
thoughts, his actions will retrogress and, with such retrogression, evil
will enter his mind. But if he studies quietly and happily, he will not
lose the Way."
35. The Buddha said: "If a man smelts iron until all impurities have been
eliminated (before proceeding to) make implements with it, the implements
will be of fine quality. If one who studies the Way first purges his heart
of all foul influences, his actions will then become pure."
36. The Buddha said:
"It is hard for one to leave the grosser forms of incarnation and be born
a human being.
"It is hard for such a one to escape being a woman and be born a man.
"It is hard for such a one to be born with all his organs in perfect
condition.
"It is hard for such a one to be born in China.
"It is hard for such a one to be born directly into Buddhist surroundings.
"It is hard for such a one to come in contact with the Way.
"It is hard for such a one to cultivate faith in his mind.
"It is hard for such a one to attain to the Bodhi-heart.
"it is hard for such a one to attain to (the state where) nothing is
practised and nothing manifested."
37. The Buddha said: "A desciple living thousands of miles away from me
will, if he constantly cherishes and ponders on my precepts, attain the
fruit (of studying) the Way: but one who is in immediate contact with me,
though he sees me constantly, will ultimately fail to do so if he does not
follow my precepts."
38. The Buddha said to a Sramana: "How long is the span of a man's life?"
"It is but a few days," was the answer. The Buddha said: "You have not
understood," and asked another Sramana, who replied: "It is (like) the time
taken to eat(a single meal.") To this the Buddha replied in the same way
and asked a third: "How long is the span of a man's life?" "It is (like)
the time taken by (single) breath," was the reply. "Excellent," said the
Buddha, "You understand the Way."
39. The Buddha said: "Those who study the Way of the Buddha should believe
and follow all that is said by the Buddha. Just as, when you eat honey
(you find that), every drop of it sweet, so it is with my words."
40. The Buddha said: "A Sramana studying the Way should not be as an ox
turning the millstone which though it performs the necessary actions with
its body, does not concentrate on them with its mind. If the Way is followed
in the mind, of what use are actions?"
41. The Buddha said: "Those who follow the Way are like an ox bearing a
heavy load and walking through deep mud. It feels so weary that it does
not dare to look to left or right and, only on emerging from the mud, can it
revive itself by resting. A Sramana should regard feelings and desires
more seriously than (the ox regards) the mud. Only by controlling his
mind and thinking of the Way can he avoid sorrow."
42. The Buddha said: "I look upon the state of kings and princes as upon
the dust which blows through a crack. I look upon ornaments of gold and
jewels as upon rubble. I look upon garments of finest silk as upon worn-
out rags. I look upon a major chiliocosm as upon a small nut. I look upon
the Anavatapta as upon oil for smearing the feet. (On the other hand), I
look upon expedient methods (leading to the truth) as upon spending heaps of
jewels. I look upon the supreme vehicle as upon a dream of abundant wealth.
I look upon the Buddha's Way as upon all the splendors which confront the
eye. I look upon dhyana meditation as upon the pillar of Mount Sumeru. I
look upon Nirvana as upon waking at daybreak from a night's sleep. I look
upon heresy erected as upon six dragons dancing. I look upon the universal,
impartial attitude (of a Buddha) as upon the Absolute Reality. I look upon
conversion (to the Way) as upon the changes undergone by a tree (due to the
action of the) four seasons."