四十二章經

PREFACE TO THE SUTRA

When the World-Honored One had attained the Way, he reflected within himself: "To forsake desire and craving, and to attain the truth of stillness and quiescence—this is supreme." He abided in the great meditative absorption and subdued all the hosts of Mara.

In the Deer Park near the city of Varanasi, he turned the Wheel of the Dharma and expounded the Four Noble Truths, liberating the five companions led by Kaundinya, who all attained the Way.

There were bhikshus who put forth questions about their doubts, and the Buddha thereupon instructed them, causing everyone to be awakened. All of them, with palms joined in reverence, complied with and followed the teaching of the Buddha.

CHAPTER ONE

LEAVING THE HOUSEHOLD LIFE AND REALIZING THE FRUIT

The Buddha said: "To take leave of one's kin, to forsake the household, to comprehend the principle of the mind, to reach the source and understand the Dharma of the unconditioned—this is called a shramana. The shramana who constantly keeps the two hundred and fifty precepts intact, all of whose conduct is pure, who practices according to the Four Truths, becomes an arhat. The arhat can fly through the open sky, manifest the transformations of spiritual powers, and his lifespan extends through the whole kalpa. Wherever such a one dwells, he moves heaven and earth.

The fruit lower than this is the anagamin. When the anagamin's life comes to an end, he is born into the nineteenth heaven and then realizes the fruit of arhatship.

The fruit lower than this is the sakridagamin. The sakridagamin is born once more into the heavenly realm and returns once more to the human realm, and then realizes the fruit of arhatship.

The fruit lower still is the srotapanna. The srotapanna undergoes seven more deaths and seven more births before he realizes the fruit of arhatship.

"When a person has severed desire and craving, that desire and craving is like limbs that have been cut off, never to be used again."

CHAPTER TWO

ELIMINATING DESIRE AND PUTTING AN END TO PASSION

The Buddha said: "The shramana who has left the household life severs sensual desire, forsakes attachment and affection, comprehends the source of his own mind, attains the profound and subtle principle of the Buddha, and understands the Dharma of the unconditioned. Within, there is nothing to be attained; without, there is nothing to be sought. The mind is not bound to the Way, nor does it produce further karmic fruit. There is nothing to be thought of, nothing to be contrived; there is no cultivation and no realization, no passing through the stages of fruition—naturally he rises to the utmost summit. This is what is called the Way."

CHAPTER THREE

PUTTING AN END TO GREED AND CRAVING

The Buddha said: "One who shaves off his beard and hair to become a shramana receives the Dharma teaching, forsakes worldly possessions, and begs for food sufficient only to eat. He eats but once a day and rests but one night beneath a tree, taking care not to repeat. This is because he knows that affection and craving make a person foolish and benighted."

CHAPTER FOUR

CLEARLY DISTINGUISHING GOOD AND EVIL

The Buddha said: "Living beings have ten things that are called good, and also ten things that are called evil. What are the ten? Three are produced by the body: killing, stealing, and lust. Four are produced by the mouth: duplicitous speech, harsh speech, lying, and ornate frivolous speech. Three are produced by the mind: covetousness, anger, and delusion. To do these ten things is not in accord with the path of the noble ones, and so they are called evil. If one can put a stop to these ten evil things, then they are called the ten good things."

CHAPTER FIVE

TRANSFORMING THE HEAVY INTO THE LIGHT

The Buddha said: "When people have faults and transgressions but do not know how to repent of themselves and put a stop to them at once, then offenses accumulate within their bodies, like waters flowing toward the sea, growing each day deeper and broader. But if a person who has faults knows his own error, forsakes evil, and does good, then the offenses dissolve of themselves; just as an illness from which one breaks out in sweat gradually finds relief."

CHAPTER SIX

ENDURING THE WICKED WITHOUT ANGER

The Buddha said: "The wicked, hearing of good deeds, come to cause disturbance. O bhikshus, remain silent and patiently endure; do not be angry or reproachful. The one who does evil thereby brings evil upon himself."

CHAPTER SEVEN

DOING EVIL MEETS WITH EVIL

The Buddha said: "There was a man who, hearing that the Buddha upheld the Way and was utterly benevolent, came on that account to revile and abuse him. The Buddha remained silent and did not reply. When the man had finished reviling, the Buddha asked him: 'If you bring a gift to offer to another, and that person does not accept it, does the gift then return to you?'

"He replied: 'Yes.'

"The Buddha said: 'Now you have come to revile me, and I do not accept it—that is, you yourself bear the calamity back upon yourself. It is like an echo answering a sound, like a shadow following a form—they never part from each other. Take care, then, and never do what is malicious and cruel.'"

CHAPTER EIGHT

HARMING ONESELF

The Buddha said: "The malicious person who harms the virtuous is like one who lifts his face toward the sky and spits. The spittle does not reach the sky but falls back upon himself. He is also like one who scatters dust against the wind. The dust does not reach the other person but clings to himself. Thus one cannot harm the virtuous and good, but the calamity will return upon the malicious one himself."

CHAPTER NINE

RETURNING TO THE SOURCE AND UNDERSTANDING THE WAY

The Buddha said: "To take wide learning and broad hearing and to be attached to the Way—this makes it hard to understand the Way. To hold firmly to one's resolve and serve in accordance with the Way—this is how one comes to comprehend that the Way is exceedingly deep and broad."

CHAPTER TEN

ASSISTING IN ALMSGIVING OBTAINS BLESSINGS

The Buddha said: "To see another's practice of giving and, with a heart of rejoicing, to assist therein—this obtains very great blessings."

A shramana put a question to the Buddha, saying: "Do these blessings come to an end?"

The Buddha said: "It is like the flame of a single torch: though hundreds of thousands of people all come to take a light from it to cook their food or to give themselves light, that torch remains as it was before. Blessings and merit are likewise."

CHAPTER ELEVEN

THE DIFFERENCES IN GIVING FOOD

The Buddha said: "To give food in alms to a hundred wicked people is not equal to giving food in alms to one good person.

"To give in alms to a thousand good people is not equal to giving to one person who keeps the five precepts.

"To give in alms to ten thousand who keep the five precepts is not equal to making offerings to one srotapanna.

"To make offerings to a million srotapannas is not equal to making offerings to one sakridagamin.

"To make offerings to ten million sakridagamins is not equal to making offerings to one anagamin.

"To make offerings to a hundred million anagamins is not equal to making offerings to one arhat.

"To make offerings to a billion arhats is not equal to making offerings to one pratyekabuddha.

"To make offerings to ten billion pratyekabuddhas is not equal to making offerings to one Buddha of the three ages.

"To make offerings to a hundred billion Buddhas of the three ages is not equal to making offerings to one person of no thought, no abiding, no cultivation, and no realization."

CHAPTER TWELVE

HARDSHIPS, AND WHY ONE SHOULD STRIVE TO CULTIVATE

The Buddha said: "People have twenty things that are hard to do and hard to obtain:

1. To be poor and destitute yet able to give in charity is hard.

2. To be wealthy, noble, and powerful yet able to learn the Way is hard.

3. To dare to give up one's life and enter the place of death is hard.

4. To be able to behold the sutras of the Buddha is hard.

5. To be born at a time when a Buddha appears in the world is hard.

6. To restrain oneself from craving for sensual desire is hard.

7. To see fine and beautiful things yet not crave them is hard.

8. To be insulted yet not become angry is hard.

9. To have power yet not lean upon it is hard.

10. To meet with affairs and respond with a mind that is impartial is hard.

11. To be widely learned yet still inquire and study much is hard.

12. To eliminate the nature of arrogance and pride is hard.

13. Not to look down upon those who have not yet learned is hard.

14. To keep the mind in equanimity is hard.

15. Not to speak of others' rights and wrongs is hard.

16. To meet with a good and wise friend is hard.

17. To perceive one's nature and learn the Way is hard.

18. To follow along and liberate other beings is hard.

19. To encounter circumstances yet not be moved in mind is hard.

20. To skillfully understand expedient means is hard."

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

A QUESTION ABOUT KNOWLEDGE OF PAST LIVES

A shramana put a question to the Buddha: "Through what causes and conditions can one come to know past lives and comprehend the principle of the Way?"

The Buddha said: "Keep the mind pure and the will firm, and then one can comprehend the principle of the Way. It is like polishing a mirror clean of all defilements, so that naturally it becomes bright and clear. If one severs sensual desire and craving and seeking, then one will surely come to know one's past lives."

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

A QUESTION ABOUT WHAT IS GOOD

A shramana put a question to the Buddha: "What is good? What is greatest?"

The Buddha said: "To cultivate according to the Way and to hold fast to truthfulness—this is good. When the mind is in accord with the Way—this is called great."

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

STRENGTH AND BRIGHTNESS

A shramana put a question to the Buddha: "What is it to have great strength? What is it to be most luminous?"

The Buddha said: "Forbearance has great strength, for one harbors no malicious heart and thereby gains peace and well-being and health. The one who is forbearing does no evil and is therefore surely honored by others.

"When the mind has put an end to all defilement, pure and without the least taint, this is what is most luminous. From before there were heaven and earth until now, throughout all the ten directions, there is nothing that is not seen, not known, not heard—he accomplishes the All-Knowing Wisdom. Such a one may be called luminous."

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

FORSAKING ATTACHMENT AND ATTAINING THE WAY

The Buddha said: "People embrace attachment and craving, and so they cannot see the Way. It is like clear, settled water: if you now stir it up with your hand, then the people who come to it can none of them see the reflection of their own forms beneath the water. People allow attachment and craving to throw them into turmoil, and so the defilements within their hearts rise up, and they cannot see the Way. You shramanas should cast off attachment and craving. When desire and craving have been entirely removed, one can see the Way."

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

WHEN BRIGHTNESS COMES, DARKNESS DEPARTS

The Buddha said: "Whoever understands the Way is like a person who carries a torch into a dark room. The darkness at once disappears, and only the light remains. When one who studies the Way comprehends the truth, then foolishness and dark obscurity must cease, and only the bright wisdom remains."

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CONTEMPLATING THE PRINCIPLE OF EMPTINESS

The Buddha said: "In my Dharma teaching, one is mindful of the thought that is no-thought, practices the conduct that is non-action, speaks the words that are wordless, and cultivates at the place where there is no cultivation. Whoever understands this is near to the Way; whoever is deluded is far from the Way. Where speech and words are wholly exhausted, things too cannot bind. Deviate by but the slightest measure, and in an instant it is lost."

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CONTEMPLATING THE TRUE AND THE FALSE

The Buddha said: "Contemplate heaven and earth, and reflect upon the principle of impermanence. Contemplate the world, and reflect upon the principle of impermanence. Contemplate the spiritual awareness and see that it is bodhi. With insight and understanding such as this, one can swiftly attain the Way."

CHAPTER TWENTY

THE SELF IS FUNDAMENTALLY EMPTY

The Buddha said: "One should reflect that, of the four great elements within the body, each has its own name, yet in the end not one of them is the self. Since the self has no existence, it is but like a magical illusion."

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

CRAVING FAME DESTROYS THE ROOT

The Buddha said: "People follow along with sensual desire and seek after fame and renown. By the time they obtain fame, the body is no more. To crave fame in accord with worldly custom and to refuse to learn the Way only wastes one's effort and wears out the body. It is like burning incense: though one smells its fragrance, the incense has already burned away to ash. So too the flame that harms the body lies in wait ready behind us."

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

WEALTH AND SENSUAL DESIRE BRING ABOUT SUFFERING

The Buddha said: "When wealth and sensual desire come to a person and he will not let them go, it is like a blade smeared with a little honey, not enough to make a good meal: a child who licks it suffers the harm of cutting its tongue."

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

WIFE AND CHILDREN ARE BONDS

The Buddha said: "People are bound to wife, children, and household more tightly than confinement in a prison. A prison still has a set term for release, but from wife and children one cannot be apart for even a moment. As for the attachment and craving for beauty, what does it matter if one must run about? Even falling into the tiger's mouth, one willingly submits to it. One sinks oneself down into the mire, and this is why one is called an ordinary worldling. To pass through that gate is to be an arhat who has transcended the dust."

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

SENSUAL DESIRE OBSCURES THE WAY

The Buddha said: "Among all the kinds of craving and attachment, none is so deep and grave as beauty and sensual form. The desire that beauty gives rise to has nothing to equal it. Fortunately, there is only this one alone. Were there a second thing such as this, then nowhere in all the world would there be anyone able to follow the Way."

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

THE FIRE OF DESIRE BURNS THE BODY

The Buddha said: "One who is intoxicated with desire and craving is like a person who carries a torch against the wind: he is certain to suffer the calamity of burning his hands."

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

A HEAVENLY DEMON HARASSES THE BUDDHA

A heavenly demon brought a very beautiful girl to offer to the Buddha, wishing to corrupt the Buddha's resolve. The Buddha said: "You leather sack filled with filthy things, what have you come here to do? Go away. I have no use for it." The heavenly demon grew all the more reverent and respectful, and thereupon put questions about the principle of the Way. The Buddha expounded it for him to hear, and he forthwith realized the fruit of srotapanna.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

BEING UNATTACHED

The Buddha said: "One who seeks the Way is like a log of wood set adrift upon the water, floating along with the current. If it is not caught upon either bank, is not taken away by people, is not obstructed by ghosts and spirits, is not drawn into the whirlpools, and does not rot away, then I say for certain that this log will float out to the sea. If one who studies the Way is not deluded by sensual desire, is not harassed by the various kinds of wickedness and evil, and presses on diligently in accord with the unconditioned, then I say for certain that such a person will surely attain the Way."

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

DO NOT GIVE FREE REIN TO THE MIND

The Buddha said: "Do not trust in the mind; the mind cannot be relied upon. Take care not to come near sensual desire; to come near sensual desire surely gives rise to calamity. Only when one has realized the fruit of arhatship may one then trust in the mind."

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

RIGHT CONTEMPLATION ELIMINATES SENSUAL DESIRE

The Buddha said: "Take care not to gaze upon women, nor to speak or have dealings with them. If you must speak with them, keep a true and proper mind and reflect thus: 'I am a shramana; living in this world of evil and turbidity, I must be like the lotus flower, undefiled by the mire.' Toward an aged woman, think of her as your mother; toward a woman older than yourself, think of her as an elder sister; toward one younger, think of her as a younger sister; toward one much younger, think of her as your own daughter. Having thought thus, give rise to a mind that wishes to liberate them, and extinguish all evil thoughts."

CHAPTER THIRTY

KEEPING FAR FROM THE FIRE OF DESIRE

The Buddha said: "One who seeks the Way is like a person who wears clothing made of dry grass: when fire draws near, he must take care to flee from it. One who studies the Way, when he sees craving and desire, must take care to keep far away from it."

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

STILLING THE MIND TO ELIMINATE DESIRE

There was a man whose lustful desire would not cease, who wished to cut off his own organ with his own hand. The Buddha said to him: "If you cut off your organ, that is not as good as putting an end to the mind. For the mind is like an overseer: if the overseer stops, then his followers must also stop. If the deviant mind is not put to an end, what use is it to cut off the organ?"

The Buddha, for this man's sake, spoke a verse, saying:

Desire is born from intention,

Intention is born from thought.

When intention and thought are both stilled,

There is no form and no carnal act.

The Buddha said: "This verse was spoken by Kashyapa Buddha."

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

ELIMINATING THE SELF, THERE IS NO MORE FEAR

The Buddha said: "Because of desire and craving, people give rise to worry; because of worry, they give rise to fear. If one is freed from desire and craving, what is there to worry about, what is there to fear?"

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

BRIGHT WISDOM DESTROYS THE WICKED MARA

The Buddha said: "One who seeks the Way is like a single person doing battle against ten thousand. Putting on his armor he sets out upon the road; he may grow fearful in mind, or turn back halfway, or fight and die, or return victorious. The shramana who studies the Way should hold firm to his own resolve, press on with diligence and valor, fear nothing that is to come, destroy the hosts of Mara, and realize the fruit of the Way."

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

THE MIDDLE WAY

A shramana was reciting by night the Sutra of Bequeathed Teaching of Kashyapa Buddha. The sound of his recitation was mournful and hurried; in his heart he was full of regret and wished to give up his resolve. The Buddha asked: "When you were still at home, what did you used to do?"

He replied: "I was fond of plucking the stringed lute."

The Buddha asked: "When the strings were too slack, what then?"

He replied: "They would not sound."

"And when the strings were too taut?"

He replied: "The sound was lost."

"And when neither slack nor taut, kept at a moderate tension, what then?"

He replied: "All the notes rang out fully."

The Buddha said: "The shramana who studies the Way is just the same. If the mind is harmonized and kept moderate, then one can attain the Way. Toward the Way, if the mind is too forceful and excessive, the body must grow weary. When the body is weary, the will surely gives rise to vexation. If the will gives rise to vexation, one's practice surely retreats. When practice has retreated, offenses surely increase the more. Only be pure and at peace, and then the Way will not be lost."

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

ELIMINATING DEFILEMENT

The Buddha said: "It is like a person smelting iron: when the dross and impurities are removed and it is forged into an implement, that implement is surely of fine quality. So too, when one who studies the Way removes the defilements within the mind, he will surely attain pure conduct."

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

ATTAINING WHAT IS BETTER

The Buddha said: "For people to be freed from the evil destinies and to gain a human birth is hard.

"Having gained a human birth, to avoid the body of a woman and gain that of a man is hard.

"Having gained the body of a man, to be complete in the six faculties is hard.

"Being complete in the six faculties, to be born in a central land is hard.

"Being born in a central land, to meet with a Buddha appearing in the world is hard.

"Having met with a Buddha appearing in the world, to understand the principle of the Way is hard.

"Having understood the principle of the Way, to give rise to strong and resolute faith is hard.

"Having given rise to strong and resolute faith, to bring forth the bodhi-mind is hard.

"Having brought forth the bodhi-mind, to reach the state of no cultivation and no realization is hard."

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

KEEPING THE PRECEPTS DRAWS ONE NEAR THE WAY

The Buddha said: "Though a disciple of the Buddha may be many thousands of miles distant from the Buddha, if he constantly bears the precepts in mind, he is sure to realize the fruit. But as for one who is close at his side and constantly sees him, yet does not act according to the precepts, in the end he cannot attain the Way."

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

THERE IS ARISING AND THERE IS CESSATION

The Buddha asked a shramana: "How long is a person's life?" He replied: "A few days." The Buddha said: "You do not yet understand the Way."

The Buddha asked another shramana: "How long is a person's life?" He replied: "The space of a single meal." The Buddha said: "You do not yet understand the Way."

The Buddha asked yet another shramana: "How long is a person's life?" He replied: "Only the space of a single breath in and out."

The Buddha said: "Excellent! You have indeed understood the Way."

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

THE TEACHING IS WITHOUT ERROR

The Buddha said: "One who studies the Way of the Buddha should, toward all the words the Buddha teaches, receive them with faith. It is like eating honey: within and without, all is sweet in flavor. My scriptures are likewise."

CHAPTER FORTY

REVERENCE LIES IN THE MIND

The Buddha said: "When a shramana circumambulates in reverence, let him not be like an ox turning a millstone—the body going round while the mind does not follow along. If the mind is already reverent, then there is no need even for such circumambulation."

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

AN UPRIGHT HEART ELIMINATES DESIRE

The Buddha said: "One who studies the Way is like an ox bearing a heavy load through deep mire. Although it is utterly weary, it must keep its attention fixed and dare not look to either side. Only once it has come out of the mire can it then revive and rest. The shramana should contemplate that craving and desire are even more perilous than the mire; let him with an upright heart be mindful of the Way, and then he can escape from all sufferings."

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

KNOWING THE WORLD IS AN ILLUSION

The Buddha said: "I regard the rank of kings and rulers as dust passing through a crack; I regard precious treasures of gold and jade as broken tiles and pebbles; I regard fine silken garments as tattered rags; I regard the great-thousandfold world-system as a single jujube; I regard the waters of Lake Anavatapta as oil for anointing the feet.

"I regard the expedient gates that are set forth as treasures conjured into being by transformation; I regard the Unsurpassed Vehicle as gold and silk in a dream; I regard the Buddha's Way as a flower before the eyes; I regard meditative absorption as a pillar supporting Mount Sumeru; I regard nirvana as waking after a night's sleep; I regard views of right and wrong as six dragons soaring in dance; I regard the principle of equality as the one true and real ground; I regard the carrying out and practice of the Way as the trees and plants of the four seasons."

The great bhikshus, having heard the Buddha expound this sutra, were all filled with joy and put it into practice with reverence.