Toh 57The Teaching to Nanda on Entering the Womb

Summary

In the context of one of the most famous stories in all of Buddhist
literature—the story of the Buddha’s half-brother Nanda—The Teaching
to the Venerable Nanda on Dwelling in the Womb offers the Buddha’s detailed
account of the thirty-eight weeks of human gestation. The Buddha gives this teaching to
Nanda after taking him to visit other realms, as the final method to break Nanda of his
infatuation with his beautiful wife and settle him in the monastic life and its result.
The sūtra explains conception in terms of how the antarābhava (the being in the state between death in one life and birth in
the next) enters the womb, and it details the physical composition of the embryo, the
suffering of the newborn being, and the miseries experienced over the course of a
lifetime. After the concluding verses, there is also an account of Nanda’s past lives.
Including as it does the most comprehensive ancient Indian account of gestation, this
sūtra was an important source for embryology in Tibetan medicine.

Acknowledgements

This text was translated by Robert Kritzer, who also wrote the introduction.

The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000:
Translating the Words of the Buddha. Nathaniel Rich edited the translation and the
introduction, and Ven. Konchog Norbu copyedited the text. Martina Cotter was in charge of
the digital publication process.

The translation of this text has been made possible through the generous
sponsorship of Make and Wang Xiao Juan.

Introduction

In the context of relating the Buddha’s efforts to lead his half-brother Nanda
away from infatuation with carnal desire generally, and his beautiful wife in
particular, and onto the path of awakening—even going so far as to miraculously
transport him to other realms—The Teaching to the Venerable Nanda
on Dwelling in the Womb
famously describes the thirty-eight weeks of
human gestation. Though the details vary somewhat, all versions of the sūtra discuss
conception, the composition of the embryo, the gestation period, the newborn being, the
course of life and its sufferings, and the need to practice for one’s own good and the
good of others. The present version, in addition to the narrative frame of the story of
Nanda, includes at the end several stories of Nanda’s past lives. Among these is a
description of what actions bore fruit in Nanda’s last life, in which he was golden in
complexion, possessed thirty of the thirty-two marks of a great being, was only four
finger-widths shorter than the Buddha, and became renowned as the disciple most adept at
controlling the senses.

The section on conception is notable for its descriptions of a number of
defects of the womb that prevent the mother from conceiving. In this section, the
antarābhava (the being in the state
between death in one life and birth in the next) is said to have deluded thoughts about
the womb that it is entering. If the antarābhava’s karma is good, it thinks it is
entering, for example, a celestial palace. If the antarābhava has bad karma, it imagines
that it is entering an unpleasant place, like a hole in a wall.

The section on the composition of the embryo consists mainly of similes
showing that the embryo is not simply a combination of the father’s semen and the
mother’s blood. Rather, a collection of causes and conditions is required for rebirth to
occur.

The week-by-week account of the development of the embryo and fetus is the
longest section of the sūtra. In each week, new features, frequently initiated by
exotically named internal winds, are described. The account of the thirty-eighth week
describes the miscarriage of a fetus that has accumulated bad karma, a fate avoided by a
being whose karma is good.

The infant experiences great suffering as it emerges from the womb and is
washed for the first time. Shortly after birth, it is infested by eighty thousand types
of “worm” (Skt. krimi, kṛmi; Tib. srin bu) that feed on various parts of its body, several dozen
of which are named. There are multiple references in other texts in the Kangyur to the
worms that are thought to infest and feed on the human body. There are detailed accounts
like the one found in the present text in The Application of
Mindfulness of the Sacred Dharma (Saddharmasmṛtyupasthāna) and The Sections of Dharma (Dharmaskandha), as well as passing references to these worms in, for example, all of the
long Perfection of Wisdom sūtras, such as The Transcendent
Perfection of Wisdom in Ten Thousand Lines (Daśasāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā), which specifically
refers to the 80,000 types of worm, and in The Play in Full
(Lalitavistara) and The
Inquiry of Lokadhara (Lokadharaparipṛcchā).

Over the course of his or her life, the person is afflicted by various
illnesses and is subject to punishments including imprisonment, beatings, and
mutilations, as well as torments by supernatural beings, bad weather, hunger, and
thirst.

Thus, the sūtra emphasizes the suffering involved in gestation and birth and
throughout life, and it discourages activity that leads to rebirth. At the same time, it
presents early Indian Buddhist understandings of embryology, and it was one of the main
sources for embryology in Tibetan medicine.

Except for several brief quotations in Abhidharma texts and the Yogācārabhūmi attributed to Asaṅga, the original Sanskrit
text is not extant.
The text has survived in three different translations in Chinese and in three Tibetan
translations. Two of the Tibetan translations were made from the Chinese, and one was
made from the Sanskrit. In terms of their content, these six surviving Chinese and
Tibetan versions fall into two main groups: the shorter versions that consist of the
Buddha’s teaching to his younger half-brother Nanda on the subject of conception,
gestation, and childbirth, and the longer versions that also provide a frame narrative
explaining that the teaching was given because Nanda, infatuated with his wife, had been
reluctant to take monk’s vows and needed to be convinced by the Buddha. After the
concluding verses, there is an account of Nanda’s past lives, which explains how Nanda
was fortunate enough to have been delivered from saṃsāra and established in nirvāṇa. In
the body of the sūtra in its longer versions, there is much added material not
specifically related to conception, gestation, or childbirth, and there is also more
detail about conception and the antarābhava than in the shorter versions. The present
translation is of one of the longer versions.

There are two different short versions, represented by two different Chinese
translations. The earlier of these was made in the late third or early fourth century by
Dharmarakṣa (Taishō 317) and does not appear to have been translated into Tibetan. The
later of these short-version translations was made in the early eighth century by
Bodhiruci as part of the Ratnakūṭa collection, and it is his Chinese translation (Taishō
310–313) that was the source for the ninth-century translation into Tibetan as part of
the Tibetan Ratnakūṭa.

There are also two different long versions. One was translated into Chinese in
the early eighth century by Yijing (Taishō 1451) as part of his translation into Chinese
of the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya. According to the Chinese catalog, Kaiyuan shijiao lu
開元釋教錄 (Taishō 2154.585c15–19), Bodhiruci inserted Yijing’s
translation from the Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya into the Chinese Ratnakūṭa collection
(Taishō 310–314). This translation was, in turn, the source for the translation in the
Tibetan Ratnakūṭa (Toh 57), the text translated here. The second long version does not
exist in Chinese and is not an independent sūtra but is found embedded, like many other
passages that may originally have also circulated independently, in the
Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya, specifically in the Kṣudrakavastu (The Chapter on Minor Matters of Monastic
Discipline, Toh 6). The Tibetan of the Kṣudrakavastu was translated directly from the Sanskrit in
the ninth century, and the passage within it that contains this teaching therefore
differs somewhat from the corresponding passage in Yijing’s translation in the Chinese
Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya.

To reiterate, there is one Chinese translation of one of the two short
versions of the text, one Chinese translation of the second short version, and one
Chinese translation of the first long version. With respect to the Tibetan translations
in the Kangyur, there are also three versions of the text: the long and short versions
in the Ratnakūṭa (Toh 57 and 58), both translated from Chinese, and a passage embedded
in the Kṣudrakavastu (Toh 6), which is a long version
that was translated directly from Sanskrit instead of Chinese. The details of this group
of texts and their rather complex relationships are set out in a table at the end of
this introduction.

The present text, mngal na gnas pa (Toh 57),
therefore, like the other Tibetan Ratnakūṭa version, mngal du
’jug pa (Toh 58), was translated into Tibetan from Chinese. However, there are
further complications. Early in the transmission of these texts to Tibet, as seen in the
early ninth-century Denkarma text inventory, as well as in the list compiled by Butön prior to the
appearance of the first Kangyurs, the Tibetan titles of the two texts seem to have been
switched by comparison with the Chinese: the text with the Tibetan title mngal du ’jug pa, “Entry into the Womb,” is a translation of
the Chinese text (Taishō 310 [13]) with the title Chutai
hui
處胎會, “Scripture on Dwelling in the Womb.” The text with the
Tibetan title mngal du gnas pa, “Dwelling in the Womb,”
is a translation of the Chinese text (Taishō 310 [14]) with the title Rutai jing
入胎經, “Sūtra on Entry into the Womb.” The Denkarma and
Butön, whose lists of Ratnakūṭa texts both follow the order of the Chinese Ratnakūṭa
closely in other respects, both differ from it in listing the longer of these texts
before the shorter. Presumably as a
result of these early lists, some Kangyurs, including the Degé, also include the two
texts in the Ratnakūṭa in the same reverse order, calling mngal
du ’jug pa (Toh 58), which is chapter 13 in the Chinese Ratnakūṭa, “chapter
14,” and mngal du gnas pa (Toh 57), which is chapter 14
in the Chinese Ratnakūṭa, “chapter 13.” To avoid confusion, these two translations are hereafter
referred to as Toh 57 and Toh 58. Furthermore, in both the title and the body of Chutai hui, the interlocutor is called Ānanda. In Toh 58, he
is always Nanda. There are also some differences between Toh 58 and Chutai hui and between Toh 57 and Rutai jing that suggest that the Tibetan translators had Tibetan translations
of other versions of the sūtra or access to Sanskrit manuscripts. However, the two Tibetan
translations generally agree with the Chinese translations on which they were based.

The first English translation of Toh 57 is found in Amy Paris Langenberg’s
Columbia University Ph.D. dissertation (2008). Her translation, which is based on the
Peking block print and the Stok Palace manuscript Kangyur, was a tremendous help in
making the present translation. This translation is based mainly on the Degé block
print, while frequently referring to other Kangyurs as well as to Rutai hui and Toh 58. The two translations generally agree in substance. In
some instances, however, evidence from the Chinese and from other Tibetan editions of
the sūtra has suggested significantly different renditions.

TRANSLATIONS OF THE GARBHĀVAKRĀNTISŪTRA

##
Short versions

##
Long versions

710

mngal na gnas pa (full title: dga’ bo la mngal na gnas pa bstan pa) (translation of
Rutai jing), Toh 57 (dkon brtsegs, ga)

Unknown (perhaps Chödrup)

ninth cent.

mngal du ’jug pa zhes bya ba’i chos kyi rnam grangs
(found in the Tibetan Mūlasarvāstivāda Vinaya Kṣudrakavastu), Toh 6 (’dul ba, tha)
Vidyākaraprabha, Dharmaśrībhadra, and Paljor (dpal ’byor)
ninth cent.

The Translation

The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra

The Teaching to Nanda on Dwelling in the Womb

Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Thus did I hear at one time. The Bhagavān was staying together with an immense
assembly of monks
at the Nyagrodha pleasure grove in the city of Kapilavastu. At that time, the Bhagavān’s
younger brother named Nanda, who had a golden complexion, was endowed with the thirty
marks, and was four finger-widths
shorter than the Bhagavān, had a wife called Sundarikā.
She was a good lady, pleasant to behold, with a beautiful figure and a superior
complexion rare in the world. Since everyone wished to look at her, Nanda, because he
desired and was obsessed with her, did not leave her alone even for a moment. Due to his
lustful mind, he became very attached and considered her as valuable as his own
life.

The Bhagavān, knowing that the time had come to tame Nanda, dressed early in
the morning, took his bowl, and, with the venerable Ānanda as his attendant, went to the
city to collect alms. In due course, they arrived at the place where Nanda’s house was,
and going to the door, they stood there. Then, by the power of great compassion, the
Bhagavān emitted a golden light, and the entire interior of Nanda’s house turned the
color of refined gold.

At that time, Nanda thought, “Since this light is all-illuminating, it must
undoubtedly be the Tathāgata’s.” Thinking this, he dispatched a man, ordering him, “Go see who it
is.”

The man, seeing the Bhagavān, hastened back and told Nanda, “The Bhagavān is
at the door.”

When Nanda heard that, he quickly went out and greeted the Bhagavān. After
Nanda paid obeisance, at that time Sundarikā thought, “If I let Nanda go, he will
doubtlessly go forth because of the Bhagavān.” Grabbing Nanda by the edge of his
garment, she did not let go.

“Now let go for a minute,” said Nanda. “I will pay obeisance to the Bhagavān,
and then I’ll come back.”

“First, let’s make an agreement; then I’ll let you go,” said Sundarikā. She
put the mark of a wet tilaka on his forehead, and she said, “Please return before this
tilaka is dry. If you are delayed, there will be a penalty of five hundred gold
kārṣāpanas.”

“I will do so,” said Nanda. Going out the door, he bowed down at the
Bhagavān’s feet. He took the Tathāgata’s bowl and went back into the house. After
filling the bowl with good food, Nanda again went out the door. Since the Bhagavān had
returned to the monastery, he offered it to Ānanda. But the Bhagavān had indicated that
Ānanda should not take the bowl. Because of the overwhelming majesty of the Tathāgata,
the Great Teacher, Nanda did not have the confidence to offer it to him with the words,
“Please receive this,” so he again offered it to Ānanda.

Ānanda asked, “From whom did you receive this bowl?”

“I received it from the Bhagavān.”

“In that case, offer it to the Bhagavān,” said Ānanda.

Nanda answered, “I don’t have the confidence to offer it to the Great
Teacher.” Saying nothing, he left following after him.

When the Bhagavān had returned to the monastery, he washed his hands, bathed
his feet, and sat on his cushion. Nanda held up the Bhagavān’s bowl and offered it to
him. When the Bhagavān finished eating, he asked Nanda, “Will you eat what is left in my
bowl?”

“Yes, please,” he answered, and the Bhagavān gave it to him.

Nanda finished eating, and the Bhagavān asked, “Will you go forth?”

Nanda answered, “I will go forth.” Furthermore, because the Bhagavān Buddha,
when he engaged in the practices of a bodhisattva in the past, never opposed the
instructions of his parents, preceptors, teachers, or other gurus, he had now attained
the state in which nothing he said was opposed.

Then the Bhagavān said to Ānanda, “Shave Nanda’s hair and beard.”

“As the Bhagavān wishes,” replied Ānanda, and he searched for a barber.

As soon as the barber began cutting Nanda’s hair, Nanda said to him, “Hey!
Don’t you know? It won’t be long before I become a powerful cakravartin. If you shave my
hair and beard, I will cut off both your hands!” Intimidated, the barber became very
frightened, and he put away his razor and started to leave. Then the venerable Ānanda
told the Bhagavān what had happened.

The Bhagavān went to Nanda and asked, “Will you not go forth?”

Nanda answered, “I will go forth.” The Bhagavān then took a vase and poured
water on Nanda’s head, and the barber shaved Nanda’s hair and beard. Nanda thought, “I
will honor the Buddha for now and go forth, but I will return home in the evening.”

In the evening, Nanda took to the road and left. When Nanda saw a great chasm conjured by
the Bhagavān ahead of him on the road, he thought, “As for the time agreed upon with
Sundarikā, since I am still far away, I have no possibility of arriving on time. Now, it
is possible that I will die from just thinking about her. If I do not die, I will go
tomorrow morning.” He passed the night in suffering and misery due to yearning for
Sundarikā.

Knowing what Nanda was thinking, the Bhagavān said to Ānanda, “Ānanda, go and
order Nanda to act as caretaker in the monastery.” Ānanda accordingly went directly to
Nanda.

Ānanda told him, “The Bhagavān orders you to be the caretaker.”

Nanda asked, “What duties does a ‘caretaker’ perform?”

“He must supervise the monks’ chores in the monastery,” said Ānanda.

Nanda asked, “In what way should he work?”

“As for the caretaker,” answered Ānanda, “when the monks go out for alms, he
must sweep the monastery grounds and sprinkle them with water. He must take fresh cow
dung and gently spread it in the proper way. Paying careful attention, he should guard
against loss. If any advice is necessary, he should ask the monks. If there is incense
and flowers, he should distribute them to the monks. He should close the gates at night
and open them in the morning. He must always clean and wipe down the toilet and urinal.
If something in the monastery falls apart, he must repair it well.”

Nanda, having heard the explanation, accepted it, saying, “Venerable Ānanda, I
shall do everything according to the Bhagavān’s command.”

The next morning, the monks put on their lower robes, took their upper robes
and bowls, and left for the city of Kapilavastu on their alms round. Nanda, seeing that nobody was in the
monastery, thought, “As soon as I finish sweeping, I’ll go back home,” and did the
sweeping. The Bhagavān saw him and knew, so, with his supernormal abilities, he cast a
spell so that the clean ground that had been swept was again full of rubbish. Nanda then
thought, “I’ll throw away the rubbish and go back home.” He put the broom down and began
to throw away the rubbish, but, since it was never-ending, he thought, “I will close the
doors of the dwelling places and leave.” He began to close the doors of the dwelling
places, but the Bhagavān cast a spell so that as soon as Nanda closed one door, another
door would open. That troubled Nanda, and he had this thought: “Even if a thief harms
this monastery, whatever damage there is, when I become king, I will build a hundred
thousand excellent monasteries much greater than this one. As for me, I’ll go back
home.” And then he thought, “If I stay on the main road, I’m afraid I’ll meet the
Bhagavān, so I’ll take a side road.”

The Bhagavān, knowing what Nanda was thinking, took that very same shortcut.
Nanda, seeing the Bhagavān from a distance, hid near a tree at the side of the road that
had shady branches hanging down, in order to avoid him. The Bhagavān cast a spell to
make the tree lift up its branches and show Nanda’s body.

Then the Bhagavān called out, “Nanda, where are you going? Come along after
me!” Ashamed and embarrassed, Nanda followed in attendance upon him. The Bhagavān
thought, “Since Nanda is very attached to his wife and is obsessed with her, in order to
help him separate from her I will leave Kapilavastu and go to Śrāvastī.” Thinking in this way, he went
there and stayed at Viśākhā Mṛgāramātā’s pleasure grove. Then the Bhagavān
thought, “Since this foolish Nanda is continually attached to his wife and obsessed with
her, he will not let go of her, so I must apply skillful means and pacify his mind.”

Thinking in this way, the Bhagavān asked the venerable Nanda, “In the past,
have you ever seen Mount Gandhamādana?”

“I haven’t seen it,” answered Nanda.

“If that is so, grab the corner of my robe.” Nanda grabbed the corner of his
garment. The Bhagavān then soared up into the sky like the king of geese. When he
arrived at Mount Gandhamādana together with the venerable Nanda, they looked right and
left. Under a tree, a blind, one-eyed female monkey raised her face and intently looked
right at the Bhagavān. The Bhagavān asked Nanda, “Do you see this blind monkey?”

“Yes, I see her,” answered Nanda.

“What do you think?” asked the Bhagavān. “If you compare this blind monkey to
Sundarikā, which one is more beautiful and exalted?”

“Sundarikā is a Śākya,” said Nanda. “She is like a young goddess. Her face is
the best; she is peerless in the world. Therefore, if you compare her to this monkey,
the monkey does not come close to being one-hundredth, one-thousandth,
one-ten-thousandth, or one-hundred-thousandth of Sundarikā. Any number, fraction,
calculation, example, or comparison would be inadequate.”

The Bhagavān asked, “Have you ever seen the heavenly palaces?”

“No, I haven’t seen them,” answered Nanda.

“Well then, grab the corner of my robe again.” Again Nanda grabbed the
garment, and the Bhagavān rose up into the sky like the king of geese and went to the
abode of the Thirty-Three Gods. The Bhagavān said, “Nanda, go and look at the heavenly
palaces, which are exalted dwellings.” The venerable Nanda went to the pleasure groves
of the gods such as Nandana Grove, Caitraratha Grove, Pāruṣyaka Grove, Miśrakā Grove,
Pārijāta Grove, and Sudharmā Hall, and places of play and delight with flowers, fruit,
ponds, and pools. When he had seen everything, he eventually entered the city Sudarśana.
Elsewhere, pleasant sounds came forth from drums, lutes, and various types of stringed
instruments. And here and there, he saw very beautiful young goddesses and gods nestled,
playing together.

Nanda, after searching all over, saw that there were only young goddesses but
no young gods in a certain palace, and he asked those young goddesses, “Why, in other
places, do young goddesses and gods live together and experience pleasure, while in your
case, only young goddesses live together, and young gods are not to be seen?”

Those young goddesses said, “There is a younger brother of the Bhagavān,
Nanda, who went forth under the Bhagavān and intently and properly practices pure
behavior. After he passes away, he will be reborn here. We will wait for him here.”

Nanda, having heard this, rejoiced and quickly hurried to where the Bhagavān
was. The Bhagavān asked, “Did you see the exalted circumstances of the gods?”

“Yes, I saw them,” said Nanda.

The Bhagavān asked, “What circumstances did you see?”

Nanda told the Bhagavān in detail everything that he had seen.

The Bhagavān
asked, “Did you see the young goddesses?”

“Yes, I saw them,” said Nanda.

The Bhagavān asked, “If you compare those young goddesses to Sundarikā, who is
more physically beautiful and exalted?”

“Bhagavān,” replied Nanda, “if I compared Sundarikā with those young
goddesses, it would be just like comparing the blind female monkey of Mount Gandhamādana
to Sundarikā. She does not come close to being one-hundredth, one-thousandth,
one-ten-thousandth, or one-hundred-thousandth as good as them, up
to any comparison would be inadequate.”

The Bhagavān said, “Nanda, since you will have such exalted benefits if you
properly practice pure behavior, you should now firmly practice pure behavior, and when
you are reborn as a god, you will experience such pleasure.” Nanda heard what the
Bhagavān said, rejoiced, and sat silently. Then the Bhagavān, together with the
venerable Nanda, disappeared from the realm of the gods and went to the Jetavana,
Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park, in Śrāvastī. The venerable Nanda then properly practiced pure
behavior while thinking about the heavenly palaces.

The Bhagavān, knowing what Nanda was thinking, told the venerable Ānanda,
“Ānanda, go tell the monks, ‘Do not sit on the same seat together with Nanda. Do not
walk on the same path. Do not hang your robes on the same peg. Do not put your begging
bowl and water vessel in the same place. Do not read sūtras aloud in the same place. Do
not recite in the same place.’ ” The venerable Ānanda instructed the monks according to
what the Bhagavān had told him, and the monks said, “We will do as the Noble One
says.”

At that time, the venerable Nanda, seeing that the many monks had shunned him,
felt very embarrassed and guilty. After that, on another occasion, the venerable Ānanda
was sewing robes in the assembly hall together with the many monks. When Nanda saw this,
he thought, “These many monks have shunned me and will not keep company with me. Since
the venerable Ānanda is my brother, there is no way that he would show contempt for me.”
Thinking in this way, he went to Ānanda and sat down next to him. Then Ānanda quickly
got up and left.

Nanda said, “Ānanda, it is reasonable for the other monks to shun me, but if
you are my brother, why do you shun me?”

“This may be true,” replied the venerable Ānanda, “but you are walking one
path, and I am walking another path, so we should therefore avoid each other.”

“What is my path? What is your path?” asked Nanda.

Ānanda answered, “You practice pure behavior due to a desire for birth in
heaven. I remove desires and defilements for the sake of seeking nirvāṇa.” Nanda heard
what Ānanda said and became very unhappy and oppressed by sorrow.

Then the Bhagavān, knowing what he was thinking, asked the venerable Nanda,
“Have you ever seen hell beings?”

“No, I haven’t,” answered Nanda.

The Bhagavān said, “Grab the corner of my robe.” Again, Nanda grabbed the
garment, and the Bhagavān led him to the abodes of hell beings. The Bhagavān sat to one
side and said to the venerable Nanda, “Go look at the hell beings!”

The venerable Nanda went accordingly, and first he saw the Vaitaraṇī River.
Then he went successively to Sword-Leaf Forest, Excrement Swamp, and Pit of Burning
Embers. He entered those places and, looking all around, saw the various sufferings the many beings
there experienced. For some, tongues, teeth, and eyes were torn out with pliers. For
some, the body was cut with a saw. For some, the arms and legs were cut off by an ax.
Some were struck with weapons like spears, double-bladed battle axes, and rods. Some
were smashed by iron hammers. For some, iron lumps were inserted into their mouths. Some
climbed mountains that had thickets of swords and trees that had leaves of swords, were
pounded with a pestle, were ground in a mill, were melted on a copper pillar, or
remained on an iron bed. Thus, he saw them experience unbearable sufferings.

As for some, an iron cauldron, intensely glowing in the flames of fire, came
to a boil, and in the intensely hot glow, Nanda saw beings experiencing suffering by
being boiled. Furthermore, he saw an empty iron cauldron boiling, intensely glowing in
the flames of fire and hot, without any beings. Very frightened, he asked the hell
guard, “Hey, due to what causes and conditions are beings being boiled in the other iron
cauldrons while only this iron cauldron boils empty?”

The guard answered, “Since the Bhagavān’s younger brother, Nanda, aspiring to
be born as a god, one-pointedly and properly practices pure behavior, he will be born in
the world of the gods and temporarily experience pleasure, but after he dies, he will
enter this iron cauldron. Therefore, we’re staying here now, having lit a fire under the
iron cauldron.”

Hearing this, Nanda was very afraid. His body hair stood on end, sweat poured
from his body, and he thought, “If he knows that I am Nanda, he will throw me, alive,
into the cauldron.” Thinking this, he quickly fled to where the Bhagavān was.

The Bhagavān asked, “Did you see hell beings?”

Nanda pathetically broke into tears. Crying and in a tenuous voice, as if he
were tongue-tied, he said, “I have seen them.”

“What did you see?” asked the Bhagavān. Nanda told the Bhagavān in detail
what he had seen.

The Bhagavān told him, “Properly practicing pure behavior because you aspire
to be born as a human or strive for the world of the gods has that sort of flaw.
Therefore, now, by thinking of seeking nirvāṇa, you must refrain from exerting yourself
with delight in birth as a god as a result of practicing pure behavior.” When the
venerable Nanda heard those words, he was speechless from shame.

Then the Bhagavān, knowing what Nanda was thinking, disappeared with him from
the realm of the hell beings, and, after they returned to the Jetavana, he addressed the
venerable Nanda and the monks: “There are three internal stains, namely, lust, hatred,
and delusion. Since they should be abandoned, you should train, exerting yourself in
thoroughly abandoning them.”

After staying at the Jetavana for a short time, the Bhagavān went together
with the assembly of monks to the city of Campa in order to tame beings according to
their conditions, and he stayed on the bank of Gargā’s Pond.

Later, the venerable Nanda, together with
five hundred monks, went to the place where the Bhagavān was. They prostrated themselves
at his feet and sat to one side. Then the Bhagavān, knowing that the monks were seated
to one side, said to the venerable Nanda, “I have a Dharma discourse that is virtuous at
the beginning, virtuous in the middle, virtuous at the end, excellent in meaning,
excellent in words,
unadulterated, perfect, pure, pristine, and conducive to pure behavior, that is, the
Dharma discourse entitled Entry into the Womb. Listen very
well and keep it in your mind. I shall teach it to you now.”

The venerable Nanda responded, “Yes, I wish to hear what the Bhagavān
says.”

The Bhagavān said, “Nanda, even if there is a mother’s womb, it may be the
case that one will enter into the womb, and it may also be the case that one will not
enter. How will entry into a mother’s womb and then taking birth occur? If the father
and the mother, both with thoughts of desire, have intercourse, if the mother’s womb is
completely pure, if she is in her fertile period, and if the antarābhava appears, it
is to be understood that then entry into the womb will occur.

“In this respect, the appearance of the antarābhava can be of two types:
pleasant in color and attractive, or unpleasant in color and unattractive. The color of
those in the intermediate existence of hell beings is unpleasant, like, for example, a
burnt tree trunk. The color of those in the intermediate existence of animals is like
smoke, for example. The color of those in the intermediate existence of pretas is like
water, for example. The color of those in the intermediate existence of gods and humans
is like gold, for example. The color of those in the intermediate existence of the form
realm is white. There is no intermediate existence for the gods of the formless realm;
this is because that realm is formless. Some antarābhava beings have two arms and two
legs, some have four legs or many legs, and some do not have legs. Beings will produce
an antarābhava, in accordance with previous karma, whose appearance corresponds to where
they will be reborn.

“Antarābhavas that will be born as gods face upward. Antarābhavas that will
be born as humans, animals, or pretas proceed facing horizontally. Antarābhavas that
will be born as hell beings face downward.

“All antarābhavas, since they possess supernormal abilities, are able to
travel through space and to see, as if with the divine eye, the place of their birth
even from far away.

“ ‘In her fertile period’ is when the time has come for a woman’s fertile
period. Nanda, there are some women who are in their fertile period after three days,
after five days, after a fortnight, or after a month has elapsed. Some, depending on
conditions, will again begin a fertile period after a long time has elapsed. As for women who have
no physical strength, who experience much suffering, whose faces are unpleasant, and who
eat and drink poor quality foods and beverages, their fertile period, when it arrives,
quickly ends, just as dry earth, when it is sprinkled with water, quickly becomes dry
again. As for women who have physical strength, who always experience pleasure, whose
faces are pleasant, and who eat and drink good quality foods and beverages, their
fertile period does not end quickly, just as moist earth, when it is sprinkled with
water, does not quickly become dry again.

“How will entry into a mother’s womb not occur? If the father’s sexual fluid
is emitted but the mother’s sexual fluid is not, or the mother’s sexual fluid is emitted
but the father’s sexual fluid is not, or if neither of their sexual fluids is emitted,
in all such cases there will be no conception. If the mother is impure but the father is
pure, if the father is impure but the mother is pure, or if both are impure, there will
also be no conception. If the mother’s womb is in the grip of wind disease; or if it is
in the grip of bile or phlegm; or if, overwhelmed by blood, the womb is knotty; or if it
is filled with flesh; or
if the mother drinks medicine; or if the center is like barley; or if it is like an
ant’s waist; or if the opening of the womb is like a camel’s mouth; or if the center is
like a tree with many roots; or if the opening is like the beam of a plow; or if it is
triangular, like the joint of a carriage; or if it is like a cane plant; or if it is as
if barley awn has grown there; or if the womb is deep at the bottom; or if it is deep at
the top; or it is unsuitable as a vessel; or if it is always bleeding; or if it
discharges liquid; or if it is
always open and cannot close, like a crow’s beak; or if the width or size at the top,
bottom, or ends is uneven; or if its height is uneven or bumpy; or if it is damaged
inside by worms; or if, putrefying, it has become unclean—if the mother has these kinds
of defects, entry into the womb will never occur. If the parents’ lineage is noble and
the antarābhava is inferior, or if the antarābhava’s lineage is noble and the parents
are inferior, entry into the womb will not occur. Even if the lineages of the parents
and the antarābhava are both noble, if their karma is not compatible, entry into the
womb will not occur. If the antarābhava has neither existence as a male nor as a
female with respect to what it sees before it, rebirth will not occur.

“Nanda, how does the antarābhava obtain entry into the mother’s womb? If the
mother’s womb is clean, the antarābhava directly perceives the performance of the act of
desire, there are none of the many defects mentioned earlier, and the parents and the
child have the karma to encounter one another, the initial entry into the womb will
occur. Furthermore, when the antarābhava enters the mother’s womb, it will have a
distorted thought. If it is male, it will have desire for the mother and aversion for
the father. If it is female, it will have desire for the father and aversion for the
mother. Due to the force of action performed in the past, it will give rise to distorted
thought due to an incorrect perception, namely, a perception of cold, or perceptions of a great
wind arising, of a great rain falling, or of darkness; or it will give rise to the
perception of hearing the clamorous sound of many people. Thereby, in accordance with
the superior nature or inferior nature of its karma, ten incorrect perceptions may arise. What
are the ten? It thinks, ‘I’m now entering a house.’ Or it thinks, ‘I’m now climbing to
the top of a multistoried building.’ Or it thinks, ‘I’m now entering a palace.’ Or it
thinks, ‘I’m now ascending a throne.’ Or it thinks, ‘I’m now entering a grass hut.’ Or
it thinks, ‘I’m now entering a hut of leaves.’ Or it thinks, ‘I’m now entering a grass
thicket.’ Or it thinks, ‘I’m now entering a forest.’ Or it thinks, ‘I’m now slipping
into a hole in a wall.’ Or it thinks, ‘I’m now entering the spaces in a thatched hut.’
Nanda, at that time the antarābhava, thinking in that way, enters its mother’s womb.

“It should be understood that what takes rebirth is called kalala. It is the father’s semen and the
mother’s blood. It is not another thing, but in dependence on the causes and conditions
that are the mixture of the father’s semen and the mother’s blood, and on the condition
that is consciousness, it is kept together.

“Just as butter comes into being in dependence upon curdled milk, a pot, a
churning stick, and human effort, and does not come into being from anything else, the body of the kalala, which is formed from the unclean semen and
blood of the parents, is to be understood in the same way.

“Nanda, there are four further analogies. Listen carefully. Just as when a
worm is born in dependence upon green grass, the green grass is not the worm, and the
worm does not exist separately from the green grass. However, due to the coming together
of causes and conditions in dependence upon the grass, when the worm is born, the color
of its body will also be green. Similarly, Nanda, the body of the kalala that consists
of the father’s semen and the mother’s blood is also like this: it should be understood
that the faculties that consist of the great elements arise from the coming together of
causes and conditions.

“Just as when a worm is born in dependence upon cow dung, the cow dung is not
the worm, and the worm does not exist separately from the cow dung. However, due to the
coming together of causes and conditions in dependence upon the cow dung, when the worm
is born, the color of its body will also be yellow. Similarly, Nanda, the body of the
kalala that consists of the father’s semen and the mother’s blood is also like this: it
should be understood that the faculties that consist of the great elements arise from
the coming together of causes and conditions.

“Just as when a worm is born in dependence upon jujube, the jujube is not the
worm, and the worm does not exist separately from the jujube. However, due to the coming
together of causes and conditions in dependence upon jujube, when the worm is born, the
color of its body will also be red. Similarly, Nanda, the body of the kalala that
consists of the father’s semen and the mother’s blood is also like this: it should be
understood that the faculties that consist of the great elements arise from the coming
together of causes and conditions.

“Just as when a worm is born in dependence upon curdled milk, the color of
its body will also be white (to be given in detail as above, up to)
the faculties that consist of the great elements arise from the coming together of
causes and conditions.

“Furthermore, Nanda, due to the kalala that depends on the unclean emissions
of the father and mother, the presence of the earth element performs the function of
solidity. The presence of the water element performs the function of fluidity. The
presence of the fire element performs the function of heat. The presence of the wind
element performs the functions of lightness and mobility. Nanda, if the body of the
kalala that depends upon the unclean emissions of the father and mother has only the
earth element and lacks the water element, it will dry up and be dispersed, as when one
holds dry flour or dust and so forth in one’s hand. If it has only the water element and
lacks the earth element, it will leak out, as when oil or water drains away. It is due
to the water element that the earth element is not dispersed; it is due to the earth
element that the water
element does not leak out. Nanda, if the body of the kalala has the earth and water
elements but lacks the fire element, it will putrefy, as when a lump of raw meat is put
in the shade in the summer. Nanda, if the body of the kalala has only the earth, water,
and fire elements but lacks the wind element, it will not grow and develop. Since all
these are caused by previous karma, due to their mutual causation and conditioning, when
consciousness arises, the earth element acts to support the kalala, the water element
causes it to cohere, the fire element causes it to mature, and the wind element causes
it to expand.

“Nanda, it is just as when a pastry maker or his apprentice cooks pastry
properly and, by blowing, makes it grow and expand and become hollow inside, like the
roots of a lotus. Similarly, it should be understood that the great elements of the
interior of the body, the elements of earth, water, fire, and wind, also grow in the
same way due to the force of karma.

“Nanda, the body of the kalala does not arise from the unclean emissions of
the father and mother, or from the mother’s womb, or from karma, or from
causes, or from conditions. Nonetheless, due to the coming together of these many causes
and conditions, the embryo is produced. It is just as when a new seed is undamaged by
the wind and sun, firm and endowed with a core, without any holes, and very well buried
and planted in soft earth. If, due to moisture, the causes
and conditions have come together, first the sprout, then the stalk, branches, leaves,
flowers, and fruit, gradually appear and grow. Nanda, that seed, moreover, without the
coming together of conditions, will not produce a sprout and so forth. Similarly, it
should be understood that birth in the womb is not achieved through the father and
mother alone, or karma alone, or another condition alone. Rather, the embryo is produced
due to the coming together of the father’s sexual fluid, the mother’s blood, and causes
and conditions.

“Nanda, a clear-eyed person, in order to acquire fire, might take a jeweled
sunstone and place it in the sun. If they place it on top of dry cow dung, afterward,
fire will arise. Similarly, it should be understood that the embryo is first produced in
dependence upon the coming together of the father’s sexual fluid, the blood, and causes
and conditions. The kalala that is produced from the unclean emissions of the father and
mother is called rūpa. Vedanā, saṃjñā,
saṃskāra, and vijñāna are called nāma.
Together they are called nāmarūpa.

“As for the skandhas of nāma
and rūpa that take birth in the contemptible types of existence, I do not praise this
even a little bit, not even for a moment. Why? Being born in any type of existence is
great suffering. Even a small amount of vomit stinks. Similarly, it should be known that
being born in any type of existence, even briefly, is suffering. These five upādānaskandhas—rūpa, vedanā, saṃjñā,
saṃskāra, and vijñāna—all have birth, persistence, growth, decline, and perishing. Birth
is suffering. Persistence is illness. Growth, decline, and perishing are aging and
death. Therefore, Nanda, what wise person would cultivate a taste for existence in this
sea of saṃsāra and, lying in the mother’s womb, experience such unbearable
suffering?

“Furthermore, Nanda, it should be understood that the calculation for those
who have entered the womb is, in brief, thirty-eight weeks.

“In the first week, lying in its first abode, the unclean womb of the mother,
as if boiling and frying in a very hot pot, the body faculty and the consciousness that together
experience unbearable suffering are called the kalala. Its form is like the water in which rice is boiled or like the scum
of yogurt, and it boils inside for seven days. When it is well cooked, the earth
element, solidity; the water element, fluidity; the fire element, heat; and the wind
element, lightness and mobility, begin to manifest.

“Nanda, in the second week, in the unclean abode of its mother’s womb, when
the body faculty and the consciousness together experience unbearable suffering, as if
boiling and frying in a pot, a wind called all-touching arises
spontaneously within the mother’s
womb due to previous karma and touches the embryo. It is then called arbuda. Its form is like thick curds or
hardened butter, and it boils inside for seven days. When it is well cooked, the four
elements are manifest.

“Nanda, in the third week, it is again as previously stated in detail. A wind
called treasury opening
arises within the
mother’s womb due to previous karma and touches the embryo. It is then called peśī. Its form is like this: it is like an
iron rod or an intestinal worm, and it again boils for seven days. When it is well
cooked, the four elements are manifest.

“Nanda, in the fourth week, it is again as previously stated in detail. A
wind called internal differentiation
arises within the mother’s womb
due to previous karma. It blows on the blazing tormentor lodged in the womb. It is then called ghana. Its form is like a whetstone or a grindstone. From ‘for seven days’
until ‘the four elements are manifest’ is the same as before.

“Nanda, in the fifth week, it is again as previously stated in detail. A wind
called collecting arises within the mother’s womb. When that wind
touches the embryo, it
causes five features to materialize, namely, the features of the two shoulders, the two
thighs, and the head. Just as when the summer rains fall, the branches and leaves on
trees and in thickets thrive and grow, in the same way the five features are made to
appear.

“Nanda, in the sixth week, a wind called vast arises
within the mother’s womb. When that wind touches the embryo, it causes four features to
arise, namely, the two forearms and the two shanks. Just as when the summer rains fall,
grasses and tree branches grow, in the same way the four features are made to
appear.

“Nanda, in the seventh week, a wind called twister
arises within the mother’s womb. When that wind touches the embryo, it causes four
features to arise, namely, the two palms of the hands and the two soles of the feet. It
has those four features, which are just like a mass of bubbles or śaivala.

“Nanda, in the eighth week, a wind called reversing and
turning arises within the mother’s womb. When that wind touches the embryo,
it causes twenty features to begin to appear, namely, the features of the ten digits of
the feet and of the hands. It is just as the roots of trees first grow when the summer
rains fall.

“Nanda, in the ninth week, a wind called separating
arises within the mother’s womb. When that wind touches the embryo, it causes nine
features to appear, namely, the features of the two eyes, the two ears, the two
nostrils, the mouth, and the two holes for excrement and urine.

“Nanda, in the tenth week, a wind called making firm
arises within the mother’s womb. That wind makes the embryo firm and stable. In the same
week, yet another wind, called arising from all directions, arises within the
mother’s womb. That
wind, by blowing on the embryo, makes it expand. It is like the way a leather bag
expands when blown into.

“Nanda, in the eleventh week, a wind called appearance of
holes arises within the mother’s womb. When that wind touches the fetus and
creates a cavity, nine holes appear. If the mother walks, or stands, or sits, or lies
down, or acts, at that time the turning of that wind, where there is a cavity, gradually
enlarges the holes. If the wind goes upward, it produces the upper holes. If it goes
downward, it produces the lower holes. Just as when a blacksmith or his apprentice blows
with a bellows, in the same way, moving upward or downward, the wind performs its
function and then ceases.

“Nanda, in the twelfth week, a wind called crooked
opening arises within the mother’s womb. That wind, by blowing on the
fetus, establishes the small intestines and the large intestines, which are the entrails on both the
left and right. Just like the roots of the lotus, they adhere to the body and stay
together. In that same week, furthermore, a wind called fastened
hair arises. Inside the fetus, it produces one hundred thirty joints,
neither too few nor too many. Furthermore, the force of that wind creates one hundred
one vital points in the body.

“Nanda, in the thirteenth week, the force of the same wind as before causes
the fetus to feel hunger and thirst, and all the nutrients of what the mother eats and
drinks enter at the navel and benefit its body.

“Nanda, in the fourteenth week, a wind called thread
mouth arises within the mother’s womb. That wind produces one thousand
ligaments in the fetus. Two hundred and fifty are in the front of the body. Two
hundred and fifty are in
the back of the body. Two hundred and fifty are on the right side of the body. Two
hundred and fifty are on the left side of the body.

“Nanda, in the fifteenth week, a wind called
lotus
arises within the mother’s womb.
It produces twenty types of channels in the body of the fetus, and they absorb
constituent fluids. There are five at the front of the body, five at the back of the
body, five on the right side of the body, and five on the left side of the body. Those
channels also have various names and various colors. Their names are
companion,

strength
,
stability, and
powerful
. The colors are blue, yellow,
red, and white, and there are channels that are the color of lentils, butter, oil, curds, and
so forth. Furthermore, there are those that are a mixture of many colors. Nanda, since
those twenty channels have forty branches each, altogether there are eight hundred
channels that draw in breath. The front and back and left and right sides of the body
have another two hundred each. Nanda, since those eight hundred also have one hundred
interconnected branch channels each, there are altogether eighty thousand channels.
There are twenty thousand at the front of the body. There are twenty thousand at the
back of the body. There are twenty thousand on the right side of the body. There are
twenty thousand on the left side. Nanda, those eighty thousand channels have many holes,
from one or two to seven holes. Each of those also have pores to which they are mutually
connected. It is similar to the way lotus roots have many holes.

“Nanda, in the sixteenth week, a wind called nectar
flows arises. With the contact of that wind, the fetus’s two eyes, the two ears, the
two nostrils, the
mouth, the throat aperture, the area around the heart, and the repository for food and
drink and what is chewed and what is tasted are put in place, and it removes
obstructions to the inhalation and exhalation of breath. Just as a potter or his
apprentice takes a lump of clay, puts it on a wheel, and sculpts
it in various shapes into the form of whatever vessel he pleases, in the same way, the
force of the karmic wind arranges the eyes and so forth as it pleases, and removes
obstructions to the inhalation and exhalation of breath.

“Nanda, in the seventeenth week, a wind called yak face
arises within the mother’s womb. That wind completely cleanses the fetus’s eyes, ears,
nostrils, mouth, and throat, around the heart, and the repository for food, and removes
obstructions to the inhalation and exhalation of breath. Just as a skillful boy or girl
takes a mirror covered with dust, wipes it clean with oil or ashes or finely powdered
earth, and it becomes clear, in the same way, the force of the karmic wind arranges the
sense organs and removes obstructions.

“Nanda, in the eighteenth week, a wind called undefiled
arises within the mother’s womb. That wind completely purifies the six sense organs of
the fetus. If the disks of the sun and the moon are covered by a large cloud, and a
strong wind arises and blows, dispersing it in the four directions, the sun and moon
become bright and totally pure. It should be understood that in the same way, Nanda, the
force of that karmic wind completely purifies the six sense organs of the fetus.

“Nanda, in the nineteenth week, four of the faculties of the fetus, namely, the
faculties of the eye, ear, nose, and tongue, are fully established. Initially, at the
time of entry into the womb, three faculties are first obtained, namely, the faculty of
the body, the life faculty, and the mental faculty.

“Nanda, in the twentieth week, a wind called very stable
arises within the mother’s womb. That wind produces twenty toe bones in the left foot of
the fetus. It produces twenty bones in the right foot, four heel bones, two calf bones,
two kneecaps, two thigh bones, three waist bones, three ankle bones, eighteen bones of the spine,
and twenty-four ribs. In addition, it produces twenty finger bones in the left hand and
twenty finger bones in the right hand. It produces four forearm bones, two shoulder
bones, seven chest bones, seven shoulder bones, four neck bones, two jaw bones,
thirty-two teeth bones, and four head bones. Nanda, just as a sculptor or a sculptor’s
skilled apprentice first makes a figure from hard wood, and then, having bound it with
cord, smears it with clay and produces a statue, in the same way, it should be seen that
the force of that karmic wind arranges the bones. Thus, Nanda, it should be understood
that the number of large bones that arise in the twentieth week, not including the tiny
bones, is two hundred.

“Nanda, in the twenty-first week, a wind called proper
production arises within the mother’s womb and produces flesh on the body
of the fetus. Just as a plasterer or a plasterer’s apprentice, having prepared the mud well,
plasters the side of a wall, in the same way it should be seen that that karmic wind
produces flesh.

“Nanda, in the twenty-second week, a wind called completely
victorious arises within the mother’s womb. That wind produces the blood of
the fetus.

“Nanda, in the twenty-third week, a wind called holding
cleanly arises within the mother’s womb. That wind produces the skin of the
fetus.

“Nanda, in the twenty-fourth week, a wind called completely
floating arises within the mother’s womb. That wind purifies the skin of
the fetus.

“Nanda, in the twenty-fifth week, a wind called holding the
city arises within the mother’s womb. That wind purifies the flesh and
blood of the fetus.

“Nanda, in the twenty-sixth week, a wind called completion of
birth arises within the mother’s womb. That wind produces the hair, body
hair, and nails of the body of the fetus. They are all to be seen as interconnected with
the channels.

“Nanda, in the twenty-seventh week, a wind called crooked
medicine
arises within the mother’s womb. That wind fully
establishes the hair, body hair, and nails on the body of the fetus. Nanda, if the fetus
in a previous life engaged in sinful and unvirtuous actions, and, due to avarice,
cherished and excessively attended to its wealth and possessions, attached to them, and
did not give charity; did not listen to what was taught by those who are worthy,
including parents, preceptors, teachers, and gurus; and engaged in unvirtuous actions of
body, speech, and mind, and increased them night and day, then that fetus will
experience karmic results of the following sort. If the fetus is born as a human, it
will obtain unpleasant results. If people think that tall is attractive, it will be short. If short
is attractive, it will be tall. If thick is attractive, it will be thin. If thin is
attractive, it will be thick. If major and minor body parts that are close together are
attractive, its will be far apart. If far apart is attractive, its will be close. If
ample is attractive, it will be slight. If slight is attractive, it will be ample. If it
desires to be fat, it will be lean. If it desires to be lean, it will be fat. If it
desires to be frail and soft, it will be rough. If it desires
to be rough, it will be frail and soft. If it desires to be
white, it will be black. If it desires to be black, it will be white. Nanda,
furthermore, sinful and unvirtuous actions will result in deafness, blindness, dumbness,
stupidity, an unpleasant appearance, its words not worth being listened to by others,
its crawling on all fours, its friends’ and relatives’—let alone other people’s—
unwillingness to look at it because its body is unpleasant like a preta’s, and other
people’s failure to believe or remember whatever it tells them about its pursuits through its actions of body, speech, and mind. Why? Because that
being will obtain that sort of result due to having engaged in sinful and unvirtuous
actions in previous lives.

“Nanda, if the fetus in a previous life performed meritorious actions, and,
without avarice, gave charity well, was compassionate to the poor, did not cherish or
have attachment to its wealth, and engaged in virtuous actions and increased them night
and day, that fetus will experience superior results of the following sort. If the fetus
is born as a human, it
will obtain pleasant results. If people think that tall is attractive, it will
accordingly be tall. If short is attractive, it will accordingly be short. It will be
thick or thin as is fitting. Its major and minor body parts will be suitable. Whether
ample or slight, fat or lean, rough or not rough, it will be the same—it will be
attractive and not unpleasant. Since it will have all six faculties, and its face will
be pleasing, it will be superior to others. Its words will be clear, and its voice will
be pleasant. It will have the characteristics of a superior person in abundance, and
whoever sees it will be delighted. When it tells others about whatever it pursues
through its actions of body, speech, and mind, they will believe it and remember it with
respect. Why? Because that being will obtain that sort of result due to having engaged
in virtuous actions in previous lives.

“Nanda, if that fetus is a boy, he squats on the right side of his mother’s
ribs. Covering his face with both hands, he sits facing the mother’s spine. If it is a
girl, she squats on the left side of her mother’s ribs. Covering her face with both
hands, she sits facing her mother’s belly. The fetus, below the stomach and above the
intestines, is pressed down on by undigested things and pushed up by digested things. It
is as if the fetus, bound in five places, sits impaled on the point of a sharp stick. If
the mother eats too much or too little, the fetus will experience suffering. Similarly,
if she eats food that is too oily, or too harsh, or too cold, or too hot or salty or
tasteless, or bitter or sour or sweet and so forth, the fetus will experience suffering
in all these cases. If the mother engages sexual activity, or if she moves violently, or
if she runs, or if she
stays in a scary place, or if she sits for a long time, or if she lies down for a long
time, or if she jumps, the fetus will experience suffering in all these cases.

“Nanda, you should understand that various unspeakable types of suffering of
that sort afflict the body of the fetus. If that sort of suffering is experienced in the
human realm, what need is there to speak of the incomparable suffering of the
unfortunate destinies and hell beings? Therefore, Nanda, what wise person would long to live in the limitless
ocean of saṃsāra and experience this sort of suffering?

“Nanda, in the twenty-eighth week, the fetus will have eight distorted
perceptions. What are the eight? The perception of a house, the perception of a vehicle,
the perception of a pleasure garden, the perception of a penthouse, the perception of a
grove, the perception of a seat, the perception of a river, and the perception of a
pond. These do not really exist, but conceptions of unreal things are produced.

“Nanda, in the twenty-ninth week, a wind called flower
garland arises within the mother’s womb. That wind clarifies the color of
the skin of the fetus and makes it totally pristine, totally pure, and clean. Due to the
power of karma, some will be black. Some will be blue. Others will have various colors.
Some will be harsh and rough. Some will be white or black or whatever is
appropriate.

“Nanda, in the thirtieth week, a wind called iron
aperture arises within the mother’s womb. That wind, by blowing on the
fetus, causes the hair, body hair, and nails to grow and increase.
As above, it should be understood that, due to previous karma, they will appear black,
white, and so forth, as is appropriate.

“Nanda, in the thirty-first week, the fetus gradually grows larger.
Similarly, during the thirty-second, thirty-third, and thirty-fourth weeks, it grows
larger and larger.

“Nanda, in the thirty-fifth week, all the major and minor body parts of the
fetus will be complete.

“Nanda, in the thirty-sixth week, the fetus will not wish to stay in the
mother’s womb.

“Nanda, in the thirty-seventh week, three undistorted perceptions will arise,
namely, the perception of uncleanliness, the perception of a bad smell, and the
perception of darkness. This is a partial explanation.

“Nanda, in the thirty-eighth week, a wind called assembling the
limbs
arises within the mother’s womb. That wind turns the body of the fetus
and directs it downward, with the two arms hanging down. Then the wind positions the fetus at the
aperture of the vagina. Furthermore,
at that time, a wind called facing down arises. Due to the force of
karma, that wind blows on the fetus, and after it makes the head face down and the two legs point up, the fetus will emerge from the aperture
of the vagina.

“Nanda, if the fetus engaged in many sinful and unvirtuous actions in former
lives, and performed actions that entail falling into another womb, then due to those
causes and conditions, when it comes to be born from the womb its legs and arms will be
reversed and joined together, it will be unable to turn over, and it will die in the
mother’s womb. At that time, a wise woman or a skilled doctor, having smeared their hand
with butter, smooth oil, the liquid from the bark of the śalmalī tree, or another smooth
substance, and having taken a sharp knife with their fingers, inserts her fingers into that unclean place, which
has a very bad smell like a toilet; is like a repulsive bog hole; is always inhabited by
innumerable hundreds of thousands of types of worms; is constantly leaking unclean fluids; is putrid with
the fumes of semen and blood; is disgusting to behold; is covered by a thin skin; and is
a bodily wound that has arisen from sinful karma. After inserting them there, she uses
the sharp knife to cut the body of the fetus into pieces and removes it from the
mother’s womb. Due to that, because she experiences unpleasant suffering that is very
unbearable, intense, and harsh, the mother will die. If she does not die, it is still no
different from dying.

“Nanda, if the fetus is produced from virtuous actions, even if it is upside
down, since there is no harm to the mother and it is born easily, they will not
experience suffering. Nanda, when those who have none of these sorts of misfortunes are
born after thirty-eight weeks have passed, still they experience life-threatening great
suffering when they first emerge from their mother’s womb. Therefore, Nanda, you should
examine this well and seek deliverance.”

Then the Bhagavān said to the venerable Nanda, “Nanda, having recognized the
suffering of the fetus and the suffering of birth, you should understand that those
ordinary people who take birth from the womb suffer greatly. When first born, whether a
boy or girl, when it falls into hands or onto a cloth and so forth, and is placed in the
sun or in the shade, on a rocking board, on a cushion, or in a lap, in all of those
circumstances it experiences unbearable, intense, harsh, unpleasant suffering.
Nanda, if an ox is skinned alive and is near a wall, creatures that live in the wall
will feed on it. If it is near a tree, or a heap of grass, creatures that live on trees
or in grass will feed on it. If it is in an open, unsheltered place, the creatures that
live in open, unsheltered places will feed on it. In all instances, it will experience
suffering. The newborn should also be seen as the same. Even if the newborn is bathed
with appropriately warm water, it will experience great suffering. If a leper whose skin
is putrid and dripping pus and blood is struck with a whip, he will experience
unbearable, intense, and harsh suffering. Similarly, even when the body of the newborn
is bathed with warm water, it should be seen as the same. The body of the newborn later
drinks the filth of the mother’s blood and grows larger. The expression here, ‘filth of
the mother’s blood,’ is taught in the noble Dharma and Vinaya as a term for milk.
Therefore, Nanda, since in this way there are many types of very unbearable suffering
and not even a little bit of pleasure, what wise person would conceive a desire for this
sea of suffering and constantly enter the stream of saṃsāra without interruption?

“When the newborn reaches the age of one week, eighty thousand types of worms
arise in its body and feed on it. Nanda, there is a type of worm called hair
eater. It lives in and constantly feeds on the roots of the hair. There are
two types of worm called bell metal treasury and thick
head. They live in and constantly feed on the head. There is a type of worm
called circling the eye. It lives in and constantly feeds on the
eyes. There are four types of worm called pursuing,
escaping, residence, and
completion. They live in and constantly feed on the brains. There
is a type of worm called rice leaf. It lives in and feeds on the
ears. There is a type of worm called treasury door. It lives in and
feeds on the nose. There are two types of worm called throwing and
throwing everywhere. They live in and feed on the lips. There is
a type of worm called honey leaf. It lives in and feeds on the teeth. There is a type of
worm called wood face.
It lives in and feeds on the tooth roots. There is a type of worm called
needle lips. It lives in and feeds on the tongue. There is a type
of worm called sharp mouth. It lives in and feeds on the root of
the tongue. There is a type of worm called perfect hand. It lives
in and feeds on the palate. There are two types of worm called webbed
hand and half bent. They live in and feed on the palm
of the hand.

“There are two types of worm called hanging down and
hanging very far down. They live in and feed on the forearms.
There are two types of worm called upper arm and lower
arm. They live in and feed on the arms. There are two types of worm called
swallowing and nearly swallowing. They live
in and feed on the throat. There are two types of worm called courageous
one and greatly courageous one. They live in and feed
on the chest. There are two types of worm called conch shell and
conch shell mouth. They live in and feed on the flesh. There are
two types of worm called colorful and
powerful
. They live in and feed on the
blood. There are two types of worm called hero and
fragrance face. They live in and feed on the tendons.
There are two types of worm called
low
and face down. They live in and feed on
the spine. There are two types of worm that are both called color of
fat. They live in and feed on the fat. There is a type of worm called
color of bile. It lives in and feeds on the bile. There is a type
of worm called pearl. It lives in and feeds on the kidneys. There is a type of worm
called big pearl. It lives in and feeds on the waist. There is a
type of worm called not arrived. It lives in and feeds on the
spleen. There are four types of worm called water life,
big water life, needle lips, and
sword lips. They live in and feed on the small intestines. There
are five types of worm called full moon, moon
face, moonlight, moonlight face,
and abiding separately. They live in and feed on the right side of
the body. Furthermore, there are five types of worm with the same names as those above.
They live in and feed on the left side of the body.

“Nanda, with respect to such a body as this, toward which one should feel
disillusionment, eighty thousand worms of this sort constantly feed on it, day and
night. Therefore, the body is tormented, completely tormented, weak and wounded, and
made hungry and thirsty. Furthermore, it has various mental sufferings and is tormented,
completely tormented, and extremely tormented. Many diseases also appear that skillful
doctors, even when they treat them, cannot eliminate. Nanda, since the great sea of
rebirth, saṃsāra, has that sort of suffering, why would anyone give rise to attachment
to it?

“Furthermore, there is possession by the many grahas. That is, beings are
possessed by deva grahas and nāga grahas up to kaṭapūtana grahas, and they are possessed
by carnivorous grahas, by sun, moon, planet, and constellation grahas and so forth, so
their bodies and minds are afflicted by various illnesses that defy description.”

The Bhagavān continued: “Nanda, what wise person wishes to enter a mother’s
womb here in saṃsāra and experience unbearable suffering? Being born in this way and
growing large, drinking the mother’s milk mixed with blood, the person, when eating and
drinking, produces, with incorrect thought, the notion of pleasant tastes. Even if,
after gradually growing larger, the body is comfortable and without illness, has clothes
and food and drink, and is able to last one hundred years, this very life is cut in half
due to sleep. Being first a child, then a youth, until gradually becoming fully grown,
the person is intensely tormented by misery, grief, and various types of illnesses. When unable to bear the
suffering of the body because indescribably, immeasurably many hundreds of thousands of
feelings of suffering afflict the body, a person, not wishing to live, is happy to die.
As for this body, sufferings are many, pleasures few. Although they live for a little
while, in the end they will be destroyed. Therefore, Nanda, all beings will die; they
lack any permanent existence whatsoever. Even if, sustained by medicine and food, they
live for a long time, the Lord of Death will slay them in the end, and they will be
reborn in an empty place. Therefore, since it should be understood that there is
absolutely no pleasure in birth, one should pay heed to accumulating, by means of
earnest effort, merit for the future, exert oneself in pure conduct and refrain from
laziness, and always eagerly cultivate beneficial behavior, righteous behavior,
excellent behavior, and exclusively virtuous behavior. Having always contemplated the
two types of one’s own karma, virtuous and nonvirtuous, and having focused one’s mind,
one will not have great regret in the future. Finally, being separated from all things
to which one is attached, one will take birth in the next life according to one’s good
and bad karma.

“Nanda, moreover, a person able to reach one hundred years of age will have
ten phases: first, the phase of an infant, who, having little strength, lies on its
back; second, a child, who takes pleasure in immature play; third, a youth, who enjoys
sensual pleasures; fourth, one endowed with strength, who is brave and powerful; fifth,
one in the prime of life, who has the eloquence of intelligence; sixth, one fully
mature, who is mindful and naturally good at analysis; seventh, one who has grown old
gradually, who thoroughly knows the religious teachings; eighth, one who is old, whose strength for
many activities has diminished; ninth, one who is very old, who cannot do anything; and
tenth, one who is a hundred years old, which is the phase of dying.

“Nanda, if one summarizes those major phases, taking four months as a single
period of time, then in one hundred years there are three hundred periods of time, one
hundred for each season of spring, summer, and winter. Since there are twelve months in
each year, there will be twelve hundred months. Further, when one calculates fortnights,
there will be twenty-four hundred fortnights. Therefore, since each of the three seasons
has eight hundred fortnights, in total one will live for thirty-six thousand days and
nights.

“Since one eats twice a day, in total one will eat seventy-two thousand
times. Included in that is the number of meals not eaten due to being hindered by
conditions. Conditions for not eating meals are as follows: not eating due to anger; not
eating due to experiencing pain; not eating because one does not find food when looking
for it; falling asleep and not eating; not eating due to having taken a vow, or having
gotten overexcited at play; and being too busy and not eating. Meals and missed meals
that are counted together as one and drinking mother’s milk are also included. Since I have thus completely explained the number of years,
months, days and nights, and occasions of eating and drinking for people with a lifespan
of a hundred years, you should produce disillusionment for this.

“Nanda, in the body of one who has been born in that way and grown, there are
also many illnesses; namely, it is harmed by disease in the brain, disease in the eyes,
disease in the ears, disease in the nose, disease in the tongue, disease in the teeth,
disease in the throat, disease in the heart, disease in the belly, disease in the hands,
and disease in the feet. The major and minor body parts suffer disease and pain due to
many illnesses such as itching, leprosy, madness, swelling, mucus, bile, and phlegm.

“Nanda, the human body has various types of suffering due to diseases such as
these. Furthermore, since there are 101 wind diseases, 101 bile diseases, 101 phlegm
diseases, and 101 mixed diseases, a total of 404 diseases arise from an individual’s
body.

“Nanda, because this body is like a boil and like a thorn, it is formed from
many illnesses. It is not stable even for a moment, and it changes in a moment. By
nature, it is impermanent, suffering, empty, and without a self. Close to death and
subject to being destroyed, it cannot be relied upon.

“Furthermore, Nanda, beings experience the sufferings of birth such as
follows. They experience an immeasurable, limitless, indescribable variety of
sufferings: the sufferings of having their hands cut off, their feet cut off, their eyes
ripped out, their ears cut off, their nose cut off, their tongue cut out, their head cut
off, and their major and minor body parts cut off; the sufferings, furthermore, of being
jailed, of being thrown into a bramble, of being struck with a whip,
of being beaten, of being bound, and so forth; the sufferings of hunger, thirst, and
exhaustion; and the sufferings arising from contact with such things as cold, heat,
wind, rain, mosquitoes, stinging flies, carnivorous animals, creeping creatures, and so
forth.

“Since beings always live in this kind of unbearable, harsh, unpleasant
suffering, attached and immersed, they do not know that objects of desire are the root
of suffering and should be abandoned. Since they still seek them, day and night their
bodies and minds are severely tormented, internally scorched and burnt without
interruption. Thus, birth is suffering, aging is suffering, illness is suffering, and death is
suffering. The loss of what is pleasant is suffering, and encountering what is
unpleasant is suffering. Searching for what one wants and not finding it is suffering.
The five upādānaskandhas are suffering. The four activities of walking, standing,
sitting, and lying down are suffering. If one walks constantly but does not stand or sit
or lie down, one experiences suffering and does not have comfort. If one stands
constantly and does not walk or sit or lie down; or if one sits constantly and does not
walk or stand or lie down; or if one lies down constantly and does not walk or stand or
sit, in each case, one experiences unbearable suffering and does not obtain comfort.

“Nanda, because one does not abandon all of these sufferings, one seeks suffering. Therefore, it is only
suffering that arises; it is only suffering that ceases. Thus, the uninterrupted stream
of the causes and conditions of the saṃskāras arises. Because he understands these
things, the Tathāgata teaches that since the conditioned dharmas of saṃsāra of beings are impermanent, never truly complete,
subject to change, and unreliable, one should strive for contentment and, having given
rise to disillusionment, pursue liberation with earnest effort. Nanda, if even the
experience of beings who are born in the happy destinies of various types of unbearable,
false sufferings in the impurity
that is the place of birth cannot be fully described, what need is there to speak in full about the
unbearable and intolerable suffering experienced by beings of the three lower destinies,
namely, pretas, animals, and hell beings?

“Furthermore, Nanda, there are four ways of entering the mother’s womb. What
are the four? Some beings enter while perfectly conscious, dwell while perfectly
conscious, and emerge while perfectly conscious. Some beings enter while perfectly
conscious and dwell while perfectly conscious, but emerge without being perfectly
conscious. Some beings enter while perfectly conscious, but dwell without being
perfectly conscious and emerge without being perfectly conscious. Some beings enter
without being perfectly conscious, dwell without being perfectly conscious, and emerge
without being perfectly conscious.

“Among them, who enters, dwells, and emerges while perfectly conscious? This
type is like this: Some ordinary beings naturally delight in preserving their morality,
repeatedly cultivate virtues, are inclined toward the best things, produce merit, are
completely restrained, are always honest, and do not act carelessly. Since they have
great wisdom, when they die they take rebirth with no remorse as stream enterers who
return seven times, or as those who go from family to family, or as once-returners, or
as those with only a single obstacle. Because
they practiced virtuous deeds in the past, those persons, even though when they die
suffering approaches and they experience pain and anguish, die with unwavering minds and
perfect memory. Entering their mother’s womb with perfect memory, they know that all
dharmas arise due to karma, and that, since everything arises through causes and
conditions, they are always an abode of Māra.

“Nanda, this body, since it is the home of all impurities, is not permanently
abiding by nature, and since it is a stupid thing, it deceives foolish people. Upon
reflection, this should be understood. This body is a device made of bones, held
together by ligaments, with prominent orifices and vital points—flesh and fat and bones
and marrow wrapped together and covered with skin—and its faults cannot be seen. It is a
burning cave, completely full of impurities. Because of regarding the various states of
hair, body hair, nails, and teeth as ‘me’ and ‘mine,’ one is always powerlessly led.
Spit, snot, filth, saliva, sweat, bile, and phlegm are always excreted, and fat becomes
rancid. The kidneys, spleen, liver, lungs, and large and small intestines are filled
with filth and are repulsive. The body is filled all over with many types of worms. Its
upper and lower orifices constantly drip filth, and since the stomach and intestines are
both covered with a thin skin, this body is like a toilet. Reflecting on this, you
should examine it in detail.

“However much hard and soft food the mother eats,
when she chews it becomes spittle and, entering her throat, mixes together with marrow
and brains and flows into her stomach. It is like a dog that chews a dry bone and, due
to an incorrect thought, produces the notion of something delicious. Even when the food,
after reaching the midsection, is vomited back up, it is eaten again.

“Nanda, as for this body, after the unclean thing that is at first the
kalala, then the arbuda, the peśī, the ghana, and the praśākhā, grows up, it cycles
through saṃsāra, bound, from infancy until it is old, as if in a dark abyss. In what is like a smelly
well, it is constantly nourished by the flavors of food that is salty, bitter, hot,
sour, and so forth. Furthermore, the heat of the mother’s womb boils the body’s
faculties. It experiences the suffering of being constantly tormented in an unclean pot.
When the mother stands, or sits, or lies down, the fetus experiences exceedingly
intolerable suffering, as if bound with five bonds or scorched by fire, with which
nothing can be compared. Nanda, the fetus dwelling in the womb thus dwells in a bog of
filth and is afflicted with many sufferings. However, due to its sharp faculties, its
mind does not waver. Furthermore, some beings who have little merit lie on their side in
their mother’s womb or they are upside down. Due to the power of causes and conditions
of actions in former lives, or because their mother’s food is imbalanced—very cold, very
hot, very sour, very sweet, or very bitter—or because she consumes more drink than she
should, or has a lot of sex, or is sickly, or is burdened by many sorrows, or falls
down, or is beaten, due to these conditions the mother’s body is tormented, and because
it is tormented, the fetus also is tormented. Because it is tormented, it experiences
many sufferings. Because it experiences many sufferings, it is agitated. Because it is
agitated, the body will be incorrectly sideways and unable to emerge. Then a wise woman
would smear her hand with butter or oil and insert it into the mother’s womb. Little by
little, she feels the womb and establishes the fetus as it was before. When she touches
it with her hand, the fetus experiences great, unbearable sufferings.

“Nanda, if someone cut the skin and flesh of the very tender body of a boy or
girl with a sharp knife and scattered ashes on top of it, the experience of great
suffering in that circumstance would be just like the unbearable, rough suffering of the
fetus. Although it experiences that sort of suffering, because its faculties are very
sharp, the fetus has perfect mindfulness and does not waver. Nanda, the fetus
experiences that sort of suffering when it is in the mother’s womb. Furthermore, when it
is about to be born, it likewise emerges with suffering. Due to a karmic wind, its arms
will be crossed, its major and minor body parts will contract, and it will experience
great, unbearable suffering. When it emerges from the mother’s womb, its limbs all turn
blue. It is like a fresh boil that is unbearable to touch. Tormented by hunger and
thirst, and likewise having been tormented with anxiety, and blown by the causes
and conditions of a karmic wind, it emerges from the
womb. And after it has emerged from the womb, when it is touched by an external wind, it
is as if it were cut by a sword and smeared with ashes. When it is touched by hands or
clothes, it experiences unbearable pain all over. Even though it experiences this sort
of pain, because its faculties are very sharp, the fetus will have perfect mindfulness
and will be unwavering. If entering, dwelling in, and emerging from the mother’s womb
while conscious is all suffering, Nanda, what wise person would want to enter a womb in
this way?

“Nanda, then who enters and dwells in the mother’s womb while perfectly
conscious, but emerges without being perfectly conscious? Nanda, it is like this. Some
ordinary beings naturally delight in preserving their morality, repeatedly cultivate virtues, are always
inclined toward the best things, produce merit, are honest, and do not act carelessly.
Since they have a little wisdom, when they die they have no remorse and are stream
enterers who return seven times, or as those who go from family to family, or as
once-returners, or as those with only a single obstacle. Because they practiced virtuous
deeds in the past, those persons, even though when they die suffering approaches and
they experience pain and anguish, they enter the mother’s womb with unwavering minds and
perfect memory. They know that dharmas arise due to karma and that everything arises
through causes and conditions. (From here until “from the mother’s womb” is to
be supplied in detail as above.) Even though it experiences this sort of
unbearable, intense, harsh pain, because it possesses middling faculties, it enters and
dwells in the womb while perfectly conscious but emerges without being perfectly
conscious. (Up until “what wise person would want to enter a womb in this
way?” is to be supplied in detail as above.)

“Nanda, who enters the mother’s womb while perfectly conscious, but dwells
and emerges without being perfectly conscious? Nanda, it is like this. Some ordinary
beings naturally delight in preserving their morality, repeatedly cultivate virtues, are
always inclined toward the best things, produce merit … (from here until “when
they die they have no remorse and are stream enterers who return seven times …” and so
forth is to be supplied in detail as above). Even though when they die
suffering approaches and they experience pain and anguish, they enter the mother’s womb
with unwavering minds and perfect memory. Because their faculties are not sharp, although they
enter the womb while conscious, they dwell in and emerge from it while not being
conscious. (“What wise person would want to enter a womb in this way?” and so
forth is to be supplied in detail as above.)

“Nanda, who enters, dwells, and emerges without being perfectly conscious?
Nanda, it is like this. Some ordinary beings delight in lacking pure morality, do not
accomplish virtue, are always inclined toward the worst things, perform evil deeds, are
not honest, and are very careless. Not possessing wisdom, they are attached to
possessions and stingy. They are always closed-fisted and do not reach out to give to
others. They always have desires, and their minds are completely undisciplined. Since
their views and their behavior are wrong, when they die they have remorse, and because
of the manifestation of their sinful, unvirtuous actions, when they die they are
tormented by unbearable, intense, harsh, unpleasant suffering. Since their minds waver,
due to their suffering they ask, in total ignorance, ‘Who am I? Where did I come from?
Where am I going?’ Nanda, at all three times, they are not perfectly conscious.
(The rest is to be supplied in detail as above.)

“Nanda, although those beings, after being born as humans, have that sort of
immeasurable suffering, nevertheless, they are in the best place. In immeasurably many
hundreds of thousands of millions of eons, the body of a human is exceedingly difficult
to obtain. Even when one is born in a higher realm, one always fears falling and has the
suffering of losing what is dear. At the time of one’s death, other gods say, ‘May you
be born in the world of happy beings! What is the world of happy beings? It is the human
realm.’ It is said that birth in the human realm is very hard to obtain, but having freedom is even
harder to obtain. What is an unfortunate destiny? It is the three unfortunate destinies.
Hell beings always experience unbearable, very unpleasant, extremely intense, harsh
suffering, with which nothing can be compared. Pretas naturally have much aversion. They
lack flexible and controlled minds. They are deceitful. They kill and cause harm. Their
hands are smeared with blood. They have no friendliness or compassion. Their faces are
ugly. They are dreadful to behold. If they come near a person, they experience the
suffering of hunger and thirst, so they are always obscured and obstructed.

“There are immeasurably, limitlessly many animals. They do not have
meaningful activity. They do not have meritorious activity. They do not have righteous
activity. They do not have virtuous activity. They do not have honest activity. They eat
one another. Those who are powerful eat those who have little power. Some animals are
born in darkness, age in darkness, and die in darkness. They live in unclean places in
the midst of urine and excrement with only occasional light, as in the case of
butterflies, bees, nits and lice, and trailāṭa flies. Furthermore, there are
immeasurably, limitlessly many that are always born in darkness and age in darkness.
When they were born as humans in previous lives, because they were foolish and ignorant,
they did not listen to the true Dharma; they were self-indulgent regarding body, speech,
and mind; and they were attached to the objects of the five sense
desires. Because they engaged in many sinful and unvirtuous actions, they were born into
those species, and they are those that experience the suffering of being foolish and
deluded. Furthermore, Nanda, there are immeasurably, limitlessly many beings born as
animals that are born in water, age in water, and die in water, as in the case of fish, turtles, frogs,
white frogs, and water bugs. They all, due to unvirtuous actions of body, speech, and
mind in previous lives, and so forth … (the rest is to be supplied in detail
as above). Furthermore, Nanda, there are immeasurably, limitlessly many
beings born as animals that, when they get a whiff of feces and urine, quickly go to
that place and eat and drink, namely, pigs, sheep, chickens, dogs, foxes, vultures,
crows, flies, beetles, and wild beasts. They, too, all experience that sort of fruition
due to sinful and unvirtuous actions in previous lives. Furthermore, Nanda, there are
immeasurably, limitlessly many animals that always eat and drink grass and trees and
unclean things, such as elephants, horses, camels, cattle, asses, mules, and so forth.
They, too, all experience that sort of fruition as long as they live due to sinful and
unvirtuous actions in previous lives.

“Furthermore, Nanda, alas! Since this sea of existence in saṃsāra is ablaze,
intensely ablaze, completely ablaze, exceedingly ablaze, there are not even a few beings
who are not scorched and not boiled. Moreover, this is due to the pursuit of visual
objects, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile objects, and mental objects because of the
inflamed desires of the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind. Nanda, what is the
fire that is ablaze, that is intensely ablaze? Since the fires of lust, aversion, and
ignorance, and the fires of birth, old age, illness, and death, and the fires of sorrow,
lamentation, misery, suffering, unhappiness, and agitation constantly scorch and blaze, there are not
even a few who are liberated from it.

“Nanda, those who are rooted in laziness experience much suffering. Entangled
by afflictions, they engage in what is evil and unvirtuous, and they do not rest from
cycling in saṃsāra or cut off its stream. Those who exert effort experience much
happiness, and because they give rise to a vigorous mind, they completely rid themselves
of afflictions, they do not abandon their effort to cultivate what is virtuous, and they
never pause. Now, therefore, after contemplating the fact that the skin of this body,
the flesh, the large sinews, the bones, the blood, the ligaments, and the marrow will,
before long, dissolve and disintegrate, with your mind always one-pointed and without
laziness, you should train with earnest effort in order to realize what you have not yet
realized.

“Nanda, I do not argue with worldly people; however, worldly people
insistently argue with me. Why? Those who know dharmas do not argue with others. If one
is free from conceptions of ‘me’ and ‘mine,’ with whom does one argue? However, since
those without vision or knowledge give rise to incorrect conceptions, I, having been
completely and perfectly awakened, say, ‘There are no dharmas that I do not know.’

“Nanda, is anything in what I have said different from the way things
are?”

“Bhagavān, no, there is not,” Nanda answered. “There is nothing contrary in
what the Tathāgata has said. What the Bhagavān said is excellent! Excellent!”

“Nanda, since there is doubtlessly nothing contrary in the Tathāgata’s
speech, the Tathāgata speaks correctly. He speaks the truth. He tells it as it is. He speaks without
inconsistency. He speaks
without deception. He long benefits worldly people, and he causes them to obtain
happiness and great benefits and advantages. He knows the path, he cognizes the path, he
teaches the path, he opens the path, he leads on the path. The Tathāgata is an arhat, a
completely and perfectly awakened one, perfect in knowledge and conduct, a sugata, a
knower of the world, unsurpassed, the charioteer of humans to be trained, the teacher of
gods and humans, a buddha, a bhagavān. Worldly people have no wisdom, have no faith, are
enslaved by the senses, see only what is in the palm of their hands, do not observe what is
significant, fail to do easy things, and always do what is
difficult.

“Nanda, temporarily forget about such a domain of the wise, and now, looking
with your physical eye, if you contemplate the fact that whatever you know and see is
false, this is called liberation.

“Nanda, do not go to me because of faith. Do not follow me due to longing. Do
not rely on my words. Do not think about my marks. Do not follow the views and knowledge
of a śramaṇa. Do not give rise to respect for a śramaṇa. Without saying, ‘The śramaṇa
Gautama is my great teacher,’ go to a lonely place and reflect upon the phenomena to
which I have completely awakened. Weigh them. Analyze them. Always meditate a great
deal. Having analyzed those phenomena with one-pointedness of mind and having perfected
your perceptions through meditation on those phenomena, established in
perfect mindfulness, be your own island. Be your own abode and refuge. Make an island of the Dharma.
Make an abode and a refuge of the Dharma. There is no island or abode or refuge other
than this. Nanda, how can a śramaṇa have himself as an island, or himself as an abode,
or himself as a refuge, or have the Dharma as an island, or the Dharma as an abode or
refuge, and how can there be no island other than those, or no abode other than those,
or no refuge other than those? Nanda, it is like this: a śramaṇa who is well established
in observation of the body with respect to his own internal body, and is diligently
engaged in one-pointed mindfulness, obtains perfect understanding, never has in mind whatever
anger he has for the world, and is completely disciplined. That is known as observation
of suffering with respect to the internal body. It is similar for one who observes the external body or both the internal
and external bodies. Nanda, after that, the śramaṇa is well established having observed
the body in terms of the phenomena of origination, and he is well established having
observed the phenomena of cessation. Furthermore, he is well established observing the
body in terms of both the phenomena of origination and cessation. Since he is perfectly
mindful with respect to this body of his, sometimes having only knowledge, sometimes
having only vision, sometimes having only mindfulness, he dwells independently, and he
knows well that there is nothing to be taken up in this world. Therefore, Nanda, this is
known as ‘the monk established in the observation of the body with respect to his own
internal body.’ Observation with respect to the external body and both the internal and
external bodies is similar.

“After that, he is well established in observation with respect to internal
feelings, external feelings, and feelings that are both internal and external. And he is
well established in observation with respect to internal thought, external thought, and
thought that is both internal and external. And he is well established in observation
with respect to internal dharmas, external dharmas, and dharmas that are both internal
and external. Since he is diligently engaged in one-pointed mindfulness, he obtains
perfect understanding, never has in mind whatever anger he has for the world, and is
completely disciplined. He is well established in observation with respect to the
phenomena of origination, he is well established in observation with respect to the
phenomena of cessation, and he is well established in observation with respect to
both the phenomena of origination and cessation. He is perfectly mindful with respect to
this very body of his. Sometimes having only knowledge, sometimes having only vision,
sometimes having only mindfulness, he dwells independently, and he knows well that there
is nothing to be taken up in this world. Therefore, Nanda, it is said that the monk is
an island for himself; he is an abode and a refuge for himself. The Dharma is an island;
the Dharma is an abode and a refuge. There is no island other than that; there is no
abode or refuge other than that.

“Nanda, after I teach the virtuous Dharma, according to his abilities, to a
person upright by nature, who has abandoned deceit, who has come into my presence in the
morning, that person will say in the afternoon, ‘I have obtained realization!’ I cause him to be one who, in the afternoon,
says ‘I have obtained realization’ of the Dharma that I have taught. Therefore, Nanda, the Dharma
that I have taught well is realized in this very life and removes torment. It is
appropriate to the occasion and to the capacity of the listener. Since this Dharma,
which is expedient and realized by oneself, offers protection, if someone hears the
Dharma teaching in my presence, being in accord with nirvāṇa, the person will be
inclined toward awakening. This I know.

“Therefore, having now seen such benefit for oneself, for others, and for
both, you should always train perfectly in this Dharma. Having carefully established the
qualities of one gone forth, without forgetting anything, you will obtain the exalted
result of unconditioned happiness. You will accept from others robes, alms, bedding,
medicines for illness, and so forth, and the donors will obtain the great benefits and
advantages of merit. To obtain the vastness and greatness of this exalted ripened
result, Nanda, you
should train in this way.

“Furthermore, Nanda, there is no rūpa that is desirable or that will not, in
the future, change and perish; that is impossible. There is nothing whatsoever that does
not give rise to sorrow, lamentation, and affliction; that is impossible. Nanda, what do
you think? Is rūpa permanent? Or is it impermanent?”

“Venerable one, it is impermanent by nature.”

“Nanda, if it is impermanent by nature, is it happiness or is it suffering?”

“Venerable one, it is suffering.”

“If something that is impermanent and suffering is subject to change and
perishing, do my noble, learned śrāvakas assert that rūpa is the self, that the self has
rūpa, that rūpa belongs to the self, or that the self dwells in rūpa?”

“Bhagavān, no, they do not,” replied Nanda.

“What do you think, are vedanā, saṃjñā, saṃskāra, and vijñāna permanent? Or
are they impermanent?”

“Venerable one, they are all impermanent by nature.”

“Nanda, if they are impermanent by nature, are they happiness or are they
suffering?”

“Venerable one, they are suffering.”

“If something that is impermanent and suffering is subject to change and
perishing, do my noble, learned śrāvakas assert that vedanā and so forth are the self,
that the self has vedanā and so forth, that vedanā and so forth belong to the self, or
that the self dwells in vedanā and so forth?”

“Bhagavān, no, they do not.”

“Therefore, it should be understood that everything that is rūpa, whether
past, future, or present, internal or external, coarse or subtle, good or bad, far or
near, is not the self;
the self does not have rūpa, rūpa does not belong to the self, and the self does not
dwell in rūpa.

“Similarly, one should contemplate well, with perfect mindfulness and perfect
wisdom, that everything that is vedanā, saṃjñā, saṃskāra, and vijñāna, whether past,
future, or present, internal or external, coarse or subtle, good or bad, far or near, is
not the self; the self does have them, they do not belong to the self, and the
self does not dwell in them. Similarly, with perfect mindfulness and perfect wisdom,
having contemplated physical form in this way and having given rise to disillusionment,
my noble, learned śrāvakas also contemplate vedanā, saṃjñā, saṃskāra, and vijñāna and
give rise to disillusionment. If they become disillusioned, they will not be attached.
Since there is no attachment, they will obtain liberation. Liberated, they know, ‘I am
liberated,’ and therefore they declare, ‘Rebirth is finished. I have perfectly practiced
pure conduct. Since I have done what had to be done, I will not take birth again.’ One
should contemplate in this way.”

At that time, when the Bhagavān spoke this Dharma discourse, the venerable
Nanda, having eliminated dust and been freed from defilement, obtained the pure Dharma
eye. The five hundred monks obtained liberation of the mind from outflows. Then the
Bhagavān spoke these verses to Nanda:

“If a person, not having a mind in equipoise,

Lacks pure wisdom,

They will not abandon outflows.

Therefore, you should practice earnestly.

“Always cultivate yoga and

Know the arising and
cessation of the skandhas.

If purity is complete,

All the gods will rejoice.

“Happiness at being with friends and relatives,

Mutually going back and forth and fondness,

Attachment to profit and fame—

Nanda, you must abandon all of this.

“As for householders and monks,

Do not associate or make friends with
them.

Mindful of going beyond the ocean of saṃsāra,

Reach the end of suffering.

“First, from the kalala,

A bubble of flesh (arbuda)
arises.

From the bubble, a lump (peśī)
arises.

After the lump, it becomes hard (ghana).

“After it becomes hard,

The head and four limbs arise.

After the bones are assembled, the body is complete.

All arises from karmic causes.

“The skull consists of nine bones.

The two jawbones are connected.

As for teeth, there are thirty-two,

Their roots likewise.

“The bones at the base of the ears and the neck,

The bones of the palate and the nose,

The breastbone and bones of the throat—

Altogether there are twenty bones.

“There are four bones in the eye sockets.

There are two pairs of shoulder bones and calf bones.

The two hands and fingers

Altogether have fifty bones.

“The back of the neck has eight bones.

There are thirty-two in the spine.

Since these all have roots,

Their enumeration is four times thirty-two.

“As for the bones on the right side,

Thirteen are connected to one another.

There are thirteen bones that

Arise connected on the left side.

“These chains of bones

Are connected three by three.

When two by two, they have joints.

The remaining ones are not connected.

“In both the right and left thighs,

Altogether there are fifty bones.

As for bones that connect the inside of the body,

In total, there are three hundred and sixty.

“When the bones and the joints connect to each other,

The being’s body is said to be complete.

The perfect Buddha, with his wisdom,

Has said so in his true words.

“From the soles of the feet up to the head,

It is contaminated with filth and unstable.

Since they together form the body,

It is fragile like a house of reeds.

“Only bones, without dowels —

Since it is smeared all over with flesh and blood,

It resembles a wooden puppet

Or a magically conjured image.

“This body, bound with ligaments,

Covered by damp skin,

With orifices like wounds in nine places,

Should be seen like that.

“Everywhere it is always full to the brim and leaking

Urine, excrement, and filth,

Just as bursting storehouses

Are filled up with various grains.

“This body is also like this:

Absolutely full of various kinds of filth.

A mechanism of bones, it wavers,

Weak and without any substance.

“Foolish beings constantly lust;

The wise do not get attached.

Spit, snot, and sweat constantly flowing;

Continuously filled with pus and blood;

“Yellow fat, mixed with milk;

The head, filled with brains;

Phlegm produced in the chest in a stream;

The stomach and intestines inside;

“Brains and skin,

Heart, entrails, lungs, and liver—

These and other putrid and

Unclean things exist together.

“Since the sinful body is frightful,

It is my enemy.

Those lacking wisdom and attached to sense objects,

Fools, always hold it dear.

“This impure body, which is like this,

Since it is like a decrepit city,

So tormented, day and night, by afflictions,

Wanders everywhere, not staying still for a moment.

“Bones act as the city wall.

It is plastered with flesh and blood.

Colored by lust, aversion, and ignorance,

It is embellished in all manner of ways.

“This nauseating city of bones,

Since it is a composite of flesh and blood joined together,

By beloved friends is always

Tormented with inner and outer suffering.

“Nanda, you should understand

Just as I have declared.

Always remember, day and night.

Do not think about objects of desire.

“If you wish to renounce desire,

Always meditate well in this way.

You should pursue liberation.

Quickly cross over the ocean of saṃsāra.”

When the Bhagavān spoke this Dharma discourse, “The Entry into the Womb,” the
venerable Nanda and those five hundred monks were overjoyed, and they praised what the
Bhagavān had taught.

At that time, the venerable Nanda passed far beyond the wilderness of the sea
of saṃsāra. Having gone to the place of ultimate bliss, nirvāṇa, and having obtained the
fruit of arhatship, he was exceedingly happy and spoke in verse:

“With a reverent mind, having donated a bath,

And offering clean water and scented ointment,

Since I have produced merit,

I have obtained this supreme fruit.”

Then the numerous retinues, having heard what he said, all became uncertain,
and in order to eliminate their uncertainty, asked the Great Teacher, “Venerable one,
what action did this venerable Nanda formerly do, as reward for which the color of his
body came to resemble the color of gold, he himself was adorned with the thirty marks,
and he became only four finger-widths shorter than the Bhagavān? Please tell us why the
Great Teacher took pity on Nanda for his strong attachment to desirable objects and,
having freed him with his power from the ocean of saṃsāra, established him with skill in
means in the final nirvāṇa?”

The Bhagavān replied, “Monks, everything happened due to the maturation of
the fruits produced by the monk Nanda’s past actions.” After speaking in detail, as was
taught elsewhere, he spoke in verse:

“Even if one hundred eons have passed,

Karma that is produced is never lost.

When causes and conditions come together,

Fruits mature for that very embodied one.

“Listen, you monks! In the past, ninety-one eons previously, when beings were
able to live for eighty thousand years, the tathāgata, arhat, completely and perfectly
awakened one, endowed with knowledge and conduct, the sugata, the knower of the world,
the unsurpassed charioteer of humans to be trained, the teacher of gods and humans, the
buddha and bhagavān named Vipaśyin appeared in the world. Wandering through the land
together with a saṅgha of sixty-two thousand monks, he went to the vicinity of the
palace of the ruler of the town Soft and stayed in Soft Grove. At that time, the Bhagavān
had a younger brother by a different mother. Due to the brother’s great attachment to
sensual objects and his greed, the tathāgata, arhat, perfectly awakened Buddha Vipaśyin
urged him to go forth in order to pass beyond the ocean of saṃsāra and, with skillful
means, established him in the state of final nirvāṇa.

“At that time, the lord of that place, who was named Soft, governed. In this
way, the king tamed the people with the Dharma. The many people flourished, and, having
a good harvest, they were happy. There were no cheaters or thieves, and they were free
from illness. Full of oxen, goats and sheep, rice, and sugarcane, the place flourished.
The king had a younger brother by a different mother, and he, too, had great attachment
to the objects of sense desires and was greedy. The king heard that the Bhagavān,
together with his retinue, was staying in Soft Grove, and, together with his queens, the
prince, the ministers, and a group of many people, he went to where the Bhagavān was.
Having paid homage with his head at the feet of the Bhagavān, he sat to one side, and
since the Bhagavān instructed the king and his retinue with a very excellent Dharma
sermon and encouraged them, they acquired exalted knowledge. The king’s younger brother,
being attached to sense pleasures, was not able to go forth from home, and the sons of
ministers and other friends with whom he had formerly played said, ‘Hey, friend,
remember—the king, the prince, the retinue of queens, the ministers, together with a
multitude of people, went to where the Tathāgata Vipaśyin is and, by listening with
reverence to the holy Dharma, acquired exalted knowledge. Thus, you, too, since you have
now obtained a human body that is exceedingly difficult to obtain, why, being attached
to sense pleasures and greedy, are you not able to even get out the door?’ Having heard
this scolding, the king’s younger brother became very ashamed. Following behind them, he
went with them.

“At that time, the monk who was the Bhagavān’s younger brother saw those many
people going together in
a group and asked them, ‘Hey, why do you go together in a group leading this solitary
man?’ They told him in detail what had happened. The monk then said, ‘I am the
Bhagavān’s younger brother. Formerly, when I was a layman, because I was very attached
to the objects of sense desires and greedy, the Great Teacher, thinking of me with
compassion, delivered me from saṃsāra with his power and established me in final
nirvāṇa. Furthermore, since there is this sort of foolish person, just like me, it is
very good that, out of compassion, you have come together, leading him. Now, lead him to
the place where the Bhagavān, the unsurpassed great teacher, is, and he will undoubtedly
give rise to great faith.’

“After the monk said that, they went together to the place where the Bhagavān
was and the Bhagavān, seeing them, correctly taught them according to their faculties
and their resolve. As they listened, he gave rise to great faith. He got up from his
seat, removed his robe from one shoulder, joined his hands together, and said to the
Bhagavān, ‘Bhagavān, Great Teacher, will you agree to come, together with the noble
saṅgha, to bathe in the bathhouse in my home tomorrow at noon?’ The Bhagavān, saying
nothing, agreed to go. Knowing that he had agreed to come, the king’s younger brother
paid homage at the Bhagavān’s feet and left.

“Then he arrived at the place where the king was, and respectfully paying
homage to the king, he said, ‘Great king, having gone to where the Bhagavān is, I
listened to the Dharma, and, having given rise to great faith, I gave rise to a mental
state of disillusionment with the objects of sense desires. Then I asked the Bhagavān to
come, together with the saṅgha of śrāvakas, to bathe in the bathhouse in my home
tomorrow at noon. The Great Teacher, the Tathāgata, thought of me compassionately and
agreed to come. The Bhagavān is worthy of being honored by gods and humans. This being
so, it is right that Your Majesty should sweep the paths and roads of the city and sprinkle them with
water and make it beautiful.’

“The king thought, ‘If the Bhagavān comes to the city, I must make my city
beautiful, but, since my younger brother is attached to sense pleasures and is difficult
to reform, it would really be wonderful if the Bhagavān would now tame him.’ The king
said, ‘Very good, younger brother. Go and prepare whatever articles are necessary for
the bath. And I must decorate the city as much as possible.’ The king’s younger brother
was overjoyed, and he paid homage to the king, got up, and left. Then the king
instructed his ministers, ‘Hey, you. Now make an announcement in the city. Tell the
people living in the city and those from various places that the Bhagavān will come to
the city tomorrow and that they should each make the city as beautiful as possible and
sweep the paths and roads, sprinkle them with water, and, taking flowers and incense and
perfume, go welcome the Great Teacher.’

“ ‘It will be done according to Your Majesty’s command,’ said the
ministers.

“Conveying the king’s orders, they commanded everyone to understand, making
the announcement, and the people removed the stones, pottery shards, and clods of dirt
in the city. Having sprinkled the ground all over with perfumed water, they burned
excellent incense; they raised many umbrellas, victory banners, and flags; and, by strewing flowers, they made the city resemble the pleasure
garden of Śakra, lord of the gods.

“At that time, the king’s younger brother prepared fragrant water, fragrant
oil, and so forth, and, having made the bathhouse beautiful, he prepared a seat and
spread out a mat. The Tathāgata Vipaśyin gradually approached the city, and the king,
the prince, the ministers, the queens, the queens’ attendants, and a multitude of people
came out from the city. After welcoming the Tathāgata, they paid homage from a distance
and attended upon him and entered the city. At that time, the king’s younger brother
invited the Bhagavān to come to his bathhouse. He offered fragrant water and so forth
and invited him to bathe. He saw the Bhagavān’s gold-colored body adorned with the
thirty-two marks and the eighty minor marks, and, overjoyed, he gave rise to a very pure faith.
After bathing, the Bhagavān got dressed. Having paid homage with his head at the two
feet of the Bhagavān, the younger brother, making an aspiration, said, ‘Now I have
performed a trifling act of worship to the most excellent field of merit. Due to this
root of virtue, may I obtain in the future a golden body no different from that of the
Bhagavān. Just as the Bhagavān’s brother was delivered from his attachment to the
objects of sense desires and his greed by the Bhagavān’s power and led to the final
nirvāṇa, in the same way, in the future, may I, too, becoming the younger brother of the
Tathāgata, obtain a golden body. When I am attached to the objects of sense desires and
greedy, may I too be delivered by the Bhagavān’s power from the deep river of craving
and established in the bliss of nirvāṇa.’

“Monks, if you think that the one who was, at that time, the younger brother
of King Soft, who was attached to sense pleasures, was
someone else, do not see it that way. He was the monk Nanda himself. In the past, he
invited the Tathāgata Vipaśyin to come to his bathhouse to bathe with fragrant water and
so forth. With very pure faith, he made an aspiration, and due to his roots of virtue,
he has now become the Tathāgata’s younger brother, and his body has become like gold in
color. With my power, I have rescued him from his attachment to the objects of sense
desires and his greed. He has gone forth from his home into homelessness, and he has
arrived at final nirvāṇa, the state of total bliss.”

Then, the numerous retinues became uncertain and again asked the Bhagavān,
“Venerable one, what did the venerable Nanda do in the past that he should obtain the
thirty marks of a great man?”

The Bhagavān replied, “Monks, it is due to the karma that he produced”
and so forth, in detail just as before.

“In the past, in an outlying village, lived a rich householder with a great
deal of wealth, not
lacking in necessities. He had a pleasure garden full of flowers and fruit, a fountain,
a waterfall, and trees, suitable for a monk’s hermitage. At that time, there were
pratyekabuddhas who, because of their compassion for beings, appeared in the world and
lived in solitary places. At that time, when no buddha had arisen in the world, they
were the only fields of merit. A pratyekabuddha, wandering through the
country, arrived at that outlying village and looked all over. Having searched for a
place to stay, he arrived at the pleasure garden. The man who guarded the pleasure
garden, having seen the noble one, said, ‘Did you travel safely? Noble one, please stay
here to recover from your weariness.’

“At midnight, he was absorbed in equipoise on the fire element, and the man
who guarded the pleasure garden saw him and thought, ‘This great venerable one is one
who has perfected this sort of outstanding practice.’ Therefore, he got up during the
night and, going to the place where the householder was, said, ‘Great householder, now
give rise to great joy. A noble one came to me in the pleasure garden and stayed the
night. He is engaged in a sublime practice and, since he possesses great magical power,
he emits a great light and it illuminates the pleasure garden.’

“The householder heard what he said and quickly hurried to the pleasure
garden. Paying homage at the pratyekabuddha’s two feet, he said, ‘Noble one, since you
wish for alms and I seek merit, think compassionately of me and please stay in this
pleasure garden. I will always provide you with alms.’ The pratyekabuddha, seeing that
the householder was entreating him reverently, consented, and, dwelling in that pleasure
garden, entered into equipoise in meditative concentration and the supreme
liberation and experienced bliss.

“At another time, the pratyekabuddha thought, ‘This putrid body of mine has
been cycling in saṃsāra. Since I have achieved what was to be done, it is appropriate
for me to enter nirvāṇa, the state of peace, and actualize never being born again.’
Thinking this, he rose up into the sky. He entered into equipoise on the fire element and
revealed his supernormal abilities. He radiated great rays of light. Above, he displayed
flame and heat, below, a flow of water, and so forth. Having abandoned this body, his
consciousness was not born again, and he completely transcended suffering in the state
of nirvāṇa without remainder. Then the householder took his bones and cremated them with entirely fragrant wood. He put the fire out
with milk, gathered the remaining bones, put them in a new urn, and built a stūpa. He
planted parasols, banners, and flags. With very pure faith, he sprinkled them with
sublimely fragrant water thirty times. He made a great aspiration: ‘May I have the
excellent marks.’

“Monks, listen carefully. If you think that the one who was, at that time,
the householder was someone else, do not see it that way. He was Nanda himself. Due to
the karma of making the best offerings and producing reverence and very pure faith, now
he experiences the fruit of obtaining the thirty exalted, excellent marks.”

Then the numerous retinues again became uncertain and asked the Bhagavān,
“Venerable one, what action did the venerable Nanda perform by doing which, if he did
not go forth but remained a layman, he would doubtlessly become a powerful universal
monarch?”

The Bhagavān said, “Monks, when the fruit of the karma that the venerable
Nanda produced in previous lives matures, he himself will doubtlessly experience it,”
and so forth. (This is again to be supplied in detail as it was given in
detail above.)

“Monks, in the past, in this Good Eon, when beings could live to the age of
twenty thousand years, the tathāgata, arhat, complete and perfect buddha named Kāśyapa,
who possessed the thirty marks, appeared in the world. He stayed at Ṛṣipatana Deer Park in Vārāṇasī. At that
time, King Kṛkin was king in the city. Taming the people by means of the Dharma, he
ruled according to the Dharma, and so forth. (The rest is to be supplied in
detail as above.) The king had three sons, oldest, middle, and youngest.

“After the awakened deeds of the tathāgata, arhat, complete and perfect
Buddha Kāśyapa were finished, he totally transcended suffering in the state of nirvāṇa
without remainder, and the king, with a reverent mind, took the Tathāgata’s body and
cremated it with fragrant wood, such as sandalwood, white sandalwood, and divine
perfumed wood. He put out the fire with milk, gathered the relics, and placed them
inside a jeweled urn. He made a stūpa out of four types of jewels, one yojana around and
half a yojana high. When it was time to erect the wheels, the middle son of the king
climbed up and erected the middle wheel.

“Monks, if you think that the one who was, at that time, the king’s middle
son was someone else, do not see it that way. He was Nanda himself. Through the virtue
in the past of making offerings with a reverent mind and erecting the middle wheel, for
twenty-five thousand lifetimes he became a powerful universal monarch who constantly
controls one continent. In this lifetime, if he had not gone forth, he would in the same
way have wielded power as a powerful universal monarch with great authority.”

Then the numerous retinues became uncertain and again asked the Bhagavān,
“Venerable one, please explain what the venerable Nanda did in the past so that he is
the best among the śrāvakas at controlling the doors of the senses.”

The Bhagavān replied, “This is through the power of a past aspiration. Monks,
in the past, Nanda went forth from home into homelessness in the dispensation of the
tathāgata, arhat, complete and perfect Buddha Kāśyapa. His preceptor was praised as the best in the
dispensation of that Bhagavān at controlling the doors of the senses. As long as he
lived, he practiced perfect conduct, but in that lifetime, he did not achieve any
realizations, and at the time of his death, he said, ‘Under the dispensation of the
Tathāgata, I practiced perfect conduct for as long as I lived, but in this lifetime, I
did not have any realizations. Due to this root of virtue of practicing perfect conduct,
the Bhagavān Kāśyapa prophesied that, in the future, this brahmin boy named Superior
would fully awaken to complete and perfect awakening and
would be named Śākyamuni, and I, in the dispensation of that bhagavān, would go forth
from home into homelessness. Having abandoned the afflictions, I will obtain the fruit
of arhatship. Just as my preceptor, in the dispensation of this bhagavān, was the best
at controlling the doors of the senses, in the same way, let me, too, be best in the
dispensation of that bhagavān at controlling the doors of the senses.’ Having made such
an aspiration, by the force of that aspiration, now, here in my dispensation, he has
become the best among the śrāvakas at controlling the doors of the senses.

“Thus, monks, the fruition of a totally black action will also be totally
black. The fruition of a totally white action will also be totally white. As for an
action that is mixed, its fruition will also be experienced as mixed. Therefore, you
should abandon totally black and mixed actions and perform totally white actions.”

This concludes the collection of “The Teaching on Dwelling in the
Womb,” the thirteenth collection, from the one hundred thousand sections of the Dharma
discourse of the noble Great Heap of Jewels.

Notes

Abbreviations

C
Choné Kangyur

D
Degé Kangyur

F
Phukdrak MS

J
Lithang

L
London Kangyur

N
Narthang Kangyur

S
Stok Palace MS

Y
Yongle

Bibliography

Tibetan Sources

Chinese Sources

Secondary Sources

physical form

śramaṇa
śramaṇa