大般涅槃經

Volume Two

CHAPTER ON CUNDA

PART II

At that time, within the assembly was an upasaka, the son of an artisan of the city of Kusinagara, named Cunda. Together with fifteen companions of his own calling, and wishing that the world might attain an excellent fruit, he set aside the customary deportment, rose from his seat, bared his right shoulder, knelt with his right knee upon the ground, joined his palms toward the Buddha, and, overwhelmed with sorrow and shedding tears, bowed at the Buddha’s feet and addressed him, saying:

“May the World-Honored One and the Sangha of bhiksus compassionately accept our final offering, for the sake of delivering immeasurable beings. World-Honored One! From this day onward, we shall have no master, no kinsman, no one to rescue us, no one to protect us, no refuge, and no destination.

Poor, hungry, distressed, and afflicted, we wish to follow the Tathagata and seek provisions for the future. May the Tathagata compassionately accept our meager offering and only thereafter enter nirvana! World-Honored One!

It is as though a ksatriya, brahmin, vaisya, or sudra, being impoverished, traveled to a distant land, exerted himself in farming, and obtained well-trained oxen and good, level fields, free of saline sand, harmful weeds, desolation, and filth, and then awaited only the falling of rain. The well-trained oxen symbolize wholesome bodily and verbal conduct. The good, level fields symbolize wisdom.

The removal of saline sand, harmful weeds, desolation, and filth symbolizes the removal of afflictions. World-Honored One! I now possess the trained ox of bodily conduct and the good field; I have cleared away the weeds and removed all impurity, and await only the Tathagata’s rain of the ambrosia of Dharma.

The impoverished person of the four castes is this very body of mine. Poverty means being poor in the treasure of the unsurpassed Dharma. May the World-Honored One compassionately put an end to our impoverishment, hardship, and suffering!

May he rescue immeasurable afflicted beings! Although my offering is meager, I wish it to provide abundantly for the Tathagata’s great assembly. I now have no master, no relatives, and no refuge.

May you bestow compassion upon me as you would upon Rahula.”

At that time, the World-Honored One, the Unsurpassed Tamer endowed with knowledge of all modes, said to Cunda:

“Excellent! Excellent! I shall now put an end to your poverty! I shall cause the rain of the unsurpassed Dharma to fall upon the field of your body, causing the sprouts of Dharma to arise! You now wish to seek from me longevity, physical beauty, strength, happiness, and unobstructed eloquence. I shall bestow upon you longevity, physical beauty, strength, happiness, and unobstructed eloquence. Why is this? Cunda! The giving of food produces two fruits whose rewards are no different. What are the two? The first is that, after accepting it, one attains unsurpassed complete enlightenment. The second is that, after accepting it, one enters nirvana. I now accept your final offering so that you may perfect the dana-paramita.”

Cunda then addressed the Buddha, saying:

“According to the Buddha’s statement, the rewards of these two acts of giving are no different. Yet this cannot be so. Why?

The one who accepted the former offering had not yet exhausted his afflictions, had not yet perfected knowledge of all modes, and was not yet able to enable beings to perfect the dana-paramita. The one who accepts the latter offering has exhausted his afflictions, has perfected knowledge of all modes, and can enable all beings to perfect the dana-paramita. The recipient of the former offering was still a sentient being, while the recipient of the latter is the god among gods.

The recipient of the former offering possessed a body sustained by mixed food, a body of afflictions, a body with a final limit, and an impermanent body. The recipient of the latter offering possesses a body free of afflictions, a vajra body, the eternal Dharma body, and a boundless body. Why, then, is it said that the rewards of these two acts of giving are equal and without difference?

The recipient of the former offering had not yet perfected the dana-paramita, and so forth through the prajnaparamita; he possessed only the physical eye and had not yet attained the Buddha-eye, and so forth through the wisdom-eye. The recipient of the latter offering has perfected the dana-paramita, and so forth through the prajnaparamita, and fully possesses the Buddha-eye, and so forth through the wisdom-eye. How, then, can the rewards of these two acts of giving be called equal and without distinction?

World-Honored One! After accepting the former offering, the recipient ate it; when it was digested, he gained longevity, physical beauty, strength, ease, and unobstructed eloquence. The recipient of the latter offering neither eats nor digests it and obtains none of these five results.

How, then, can the rewards of the two acts of giving be called equal and without difference?”

The Buddha said:

“Good man! For immeasurable, boundless asamkhya kalpas, the Tathagata has possessed neither a body sustained by food nor a body of afflictions, but a body without a final limit, an eternally abiding body, the Dharma body, and the vajra body. Good man!

One who has not yet seen Buddha-nature is said to possess a body of afflictions, a body sustained by mixed food, and a body with a final limit. At that time, after accepting the food and drink, the bodhisattva entered the Vajra Samadhi. When that food had been digested, he immediately saw Buddha-nature and attained unsurpassed complete enlightenment.

Therefore, I say that the rewards of the two acts of giving are equal and without distinction. At that time, the bodhisattva destroyed the four maras; now, in entering nirvana, he also destroys the four maras. Therefore, I say that the rewards of the two acts of giving are equal and without distinction.

At that time, although the bodhisattva did not extensively expound the twelve divisions of scripture, he had already comprehended them. Now, upon entering nirvana, he analyzes and expounds them extensively for sentient beings. Therefore, I say that the rewards of the two acts of giving are equal and without distinction.

Good man! For immeasurable asamkhya kalpas, the Tathagata’s body has not partaken of food or drink. For the sake of the sravakas, I said that I first accepted the offering of milk and sesame from the two cowherd maidens Nanda and Nandabala, and only thereafter attained unsurpassed complete enlightenment.

Yet in truth I did not eat it. I now accept your final offering universally for the sake of all in this great assembly, yet in truth I do not eat it.”

At that time, when the great assembly heard that the Buddha, the World-Honored One, had compassionately accepted Cunda’s final offering for the sake of the entire assembly, they rejoiced and leaped with joy, and praised him in unison, saying:

“Excellent! Excellent! How rare!

Cunda! The name you bear is no empty designation! The name Cunda means ‘one who understands the wondrous meaning.’ You have now established such a great meaning.

Thus, because your name was established in accordance with the true meaning, you are called Cunda. In this present life, you have obtained great renown and benefit, and your virtuous aspiration has been fulfilled. How extraordinary, Cunda!

Though born among human beings, you have obtained this unsurpassed benefit, which is so difficult to attain! Excellent, Cunda! Just as the udumbara flower rarely appears in the world, the appearance of a Buddha in the world is likewise exceedingly rare.

Encountering a Buddha’s appearance and faithfully hearing the Dharma are even more difficult. When the Buddha is about to enter nirvana, to make the final offering and be able to accomplish this deed is even more difficult! Homage to Cunda!

Homage to Cunda! You have now perfected the dana-paramita, like the autumn moon on the night of the fifteenth day—full and pure, unobscured by any clouds, and beheld with reverence by every sentient being! You are likewise the object of our reverence.

The Buddha has accepted your final offering, enabling you to perfect the dana-paramita. Homage to Cunda! Therefore, it is said that you are like the full moon, beheld with reverence by every sentient being.

Homage to Cunda! Although you have assumed a human body, your mind is like the mind of a Buddha. Cunda!

You are now truly a son of the Buddha, equal to Rahula and no different from him.”

At that time, the great assembly spoke these verses:

Though you were born in the human realm,

You have transcended the Sixth Dhyana

All of us assembled here

Now bow our heads and implore you.

Among men, you are the Supreme One;

The Buddha is now about to enter nirvana.

You should have compassion for the great assembly;

Please quickly entreat the World-Honored One

To remain long in this world

And benefit immeasurable beings.

Expound words that praise wisdom,

The unsurpassed Dharma of sweet nectar.

If you do not entreat the Buddha,

Our lives will not remain whole.

Therefore, you should go before him

And bowingly entreat the World-Honored One.

At that time, Chunda was filled with joy and delight. He was like someone whose parents had died but who, while performing their funeral rites, suddenly saw them return to life. Chunda's joy was just like this. He arose again, bowed to the Buddha, and spoke this verse:

How joyful! What benefit I have gained!

How excellent to have obtained a human body,

To extinguish greed, anger, and hatred,

And forever leave the three evil paths!

How joyful! What benefit I have gained!

I have encountered a treasury of gold,

I have met the Tamer,

And need not fear falling among animals!

The Buddha is like an udumbara flower;

Meeting him and giving rise to faith are difficult.

Having met him, one plants roots of goodness

And forever extinguishes the suffering of hungry ghosts;

One can also overcome

The various kinds of asuras.

As difficult as casting a mustard seed onto the point of a needle

Is the appearance of a Buddha in the world!

I have now perfected dana-paramita,

Delivering humans and devas from birth and death.

The Buddha is unstained by the world,

Like a lotus flower in water;

He skillfully severs what resembles the crest of water (?)

And crosses beyond the stream of birth and death.

To be born human in the world is difficult;

To encounter an age of the Buddha is harder still,

Like, in the midst of the great ocean,

A blind turtle encountering a plank with a hole.

I now offer this meal,

Vowing to attain the unsurpassed reward.

May all the bonds of affliction

Be utterly shattered, for they possess no solidity.

Here and now, I

Do not seek a human or heavenly body.

Even if I obtained such a body,

My heart would not delight in its pleasures.

The Tathagata accepts my offering;

My joy is immeasurable.

It is like the eranda flower

Giving forth the fragrance of sandalwood.

My body is like the eranda,

But when the Tathagata accepts my offering,

It gives forth the fragrance of sandalwood;

Therefore, I rejoice.

I have obtained a reward here and now,

Supremely wondrous and unsurpassed.

Brahma, Sakra, and all the devas

Have all come to make offerings to me.

All beings throughout the worlds

Give rise to great suffering and anguish,

For they know that the Buddha, the World-Honored One,

Now wishes to enter quiescent extinction—nirvana.

They cry aloud, saying:

“The world will have no Tamer!

You should not abandon sentient beings;

Regard them as your only child.”

Amid the Sangha, the Tathagata

Expounds the unsurpassed Dharma,

Like the jeweled Mount Sumeru

Standing serenely within the great ocean.

The Buddha's wisdom can shatter

The darkness of our ignorance,

Like clouds arising in the open sky

And bringing refreshing coolness.

The Tathagata skillfully dispels

All afflictions,

Like the rising sun

Dispersing the clouds and shining everywhere.

Today, all sentient beings,

Yearning for him, grow ever more sorrowful;

They are all swept along

In the waters of suffering, birth, and death.

Therefore, may the Buddha

Cause their faith to endure,

And, to end the suffering of birth and death,

Remain long in this world!

The Buddha said to Chunda:

“It is so! It is so! It is exactly as you have said! A Buddha's appearance in the world is as rare as an udumbara flower. To encounter a Buddha and give rise to faith is also exceedingly difficult. When the Buddha is about to enter nirvana, to offer him his final meal and thereby perfect dana-paramita is many times more difficult still. Chunda, do not grieve so deeply now! You should rejoice and feel profound happiness and good fortune that you have encountered the Tathagata, made the final offering to him, and fully perfected dana-paramita! You should not entreat the Buddha to remain long in the world! You must now contemplate that the realms of all Buddhas are impermanent, and that the nature and characteristics of all conditioned phenomena are likewise so.”

The Buddha then spoke this verse for Chunda:

Throughout all the worlds,

Whatever is born must return to death.

Though a lifespan may be immeasurable,

It must ultimately come to an end.

Flourishing must give way to decline;

Gathering is followed by separation.

Youth does not long remain;

Sickness overwhelms the bloom of life.

Life is swallowed by the spirit of death;

No phenomenon endures forever.

Kings who attain sovereignty,

Whose power is truly without peer,

All must pass away;

Their lifespans are likewise as described above.

The wheel of suffering has no shore;

It revolves without ever ceasing.

The three realms are all impermanent;

All forms of existence are not happiness.

The nature and characteristics of the various destinies

Are all empty and void.

Phenomena revolve, decay, and dissolve,

Ever attended by sorrow and distress.

All terrifying evils and faults,

Aging, sickness, death, decline, and affliction,

Are boundless.

Easily destroyed and oppressed by adversities,

Beings are bound by afflictions,

Like silkworms within their cocoons.

How could any person of penetrating wisdom

Delight in such a place?

This body is an accumulation of suffering;

It is entirely impure,

A mass of sores and bonds,

Fundamentally devoid of benefit or meaning.

Even the bodies of devas above

Are likewise the same.

All desires are impermanent;

Therefore, I do not cling to them.

Having wisely contemplated and left desire behind,

I realized the true Dharma.

Having finally severed every mode of existence,

Today I shall enter nirvana!

I cross to the farther shore beyond existence

And escape all suffering;

Therefore, today

I experience only supreme and wondrous bliss!

At that time, Chunda addressed the Buddha:

“World-Honored One! It is so! It is so!

It is truly as the Holy One has taught! My present wisdom is slight and shallow, like that of a mosquito or cicada; how could I possibly conceive or discuss the profound and subtle meaning of the Tathagata's nirvana? World-Honored One!

I now join the great dragon-elephant bodhisattva-mahasattvas, such as Manjusri, Prince of the Dharma, who have severed all bonds and outflows. World-Honored One! Suppose a young child has only just gone forth into homelessness.

Although he has not yet fully received the precepts, he is immediately counted among the Sangha. I am likewise so. Through the spiritual power of the Buddha and the bodhisattvas, I have been included among such great bodhisattvas.

Therefore, I now wish the Tathagata to remain in the world for a long time and not enter nirvana. Just as a hungry person certainly has nothing else to vomit forth, I pray that the World-Honored One will likewise remain forever in the world and not enter nirvana!”

At that time, Manjusri, Prince of the Dharma, said to Chunda:

“Chunda! You should not now speak such words, wishing the Tathagata to remain forever in the world and not enter nirvana, like that hungry person who has nothing else to vomit forth. You must now contemplate the nature and characteristics of all conditioned phenomena. Such is the contemplation of conditioned phenomena through the samadhi of complete emptiness. If you wish to seek the true Dharma, you must train in this way.”

Chunda asked:

“Venerable Manjusri! As for the Tathagata, among devas and humans he is the most honored and supreme. How, then, can anything be a conditioned activity of the Tathagata?

If it is conditioned activity, it is a phenomenon subject to arising and cessation, like a bubble that swiftly arises and swiftly perishes, coming and going, revolving like a wheel. All conditioned activities are likewise so. I have heard that the devas have exceedingly long lifespans.

Why, then, does the World-Honored One, the Deva of Devas, have so brief a lifespan, not even reaching one hundred years? Consider, for example, the powerful lord of a settlement who possesses sovereignty. By the power of his authority, he can subdue others.

When this person's merit is exhausted, he later becomes poor and lowly, is despised by everyone, and is harassed and ordered about by others. Why is this? Because he has lost his power.

The World-Honored One would likewise be the same as all conditioned phenomena. If one were the same as conditioned phenomena, one could not be called the Deva of Devas. Why?

Because conditioned phenomena are precisely the dharmas of birth and death. Therefore, Venerable Manjusri, do not regard the Tathagata as being the same as conditioned phenomena.”

Moreover, Venerable Manjusri! Do you speak knowingly or unknowingly when you say that the Tathagata is the same as conditioned phenomena? If the Tathagata were the same as conditioned phenomena, it could not be said that, within the three realms, the Tathagata is the Dharma King, the Sovereign One, the God among gods.

It is like a human king who has a mighty champion whose strength can contend against a thousand men. Since no one else can subdue him, this champion is called one who can withstand a thousand men. Thus the champion is cherished by the king, who bestows rank and emoluments upon him and spontaneously confers rewards.

Although he is called one who can contend against a thousand men, his strength may not actually equal that of a thousand men; rather, by employing all manner of skillful techniques, he is able to defeat a thousand men and is therefore called one who can withstand a thousand. The Tathagata is likewise: he has subdued the mara of afflictions, the mara of the skandhas, the heavenly mara, the mara of death, and so forth. Therefore, the Tathagata is called the Honored One of the three realms, just as that champion is one man who can withstand a thousand.

For this reason, because he has perfectly accomplished immeasurable true virtues of every kind, he is called the Tathagata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Enlightened One, and so forth. Venerable Manjusri! Today you should not conceive or discriminate that the Dharma of the Tathagata is the same as conditioned phenomena.

It is like an exceedingly wealthy householder who begets a son. A physiognomist examines the child and predicts that he bears the marks of a short life. Upon hearing this, the parents know that the child will be unable to bear responsibility for continuing the family line, so they no longer cherish or esteem him but regard him as grass or refuse.

In general, one who is short-lived does not receive the reverence or regard of sramanas, brahmins, men, women, adults, children, and so forth. If the Tathagata were the same as conditioned phenomena, he likewise would not receive the reverence and veneration of all humans, gods, and sentient beings throughout the world. What the Tathagata has taught is the true Dharma, unchanging and unvarying, and there is also no recipient.

Therefore, Venerable Manjusri, you should not say that the Tathagata is the same as all conditioned phenomena.

Moreover, Venerable Manjusri! It is like a poor woman who had no home and no one to protect her, and who was further oppressed by illness, suffering, hunger, and thirst. She wandered about begging and stopped at an inn, where she happened to give birth to a son.

The innkeeper drove her away. Carrying the child, she sought to reach another country, but on the way she encountered torrential rain and violent winds. Cold and suffering assailed her, while many mosquitoes, gadflies, venomous bees, and poisonous insects swarmed upon her and bit her.

When crossing the Ganges, the woman carried her child in her arms and waded through the water. The river flowed swiftly, yet she would not let go of her child. Thereupon, mother and child both drowned together.

Through the merit of her loving mindfulness, after her life ended, the woman was reborn in the Brahma heaven. Venerable Manjusri! If a good man wishes to protect the true Dharma, he should not say that the Tathagata is the same as conditioned phenomena or is not the same as conditioned phenomena.

He should only reproach himself, saying, “I am now ignorant and have not yet attained the wisdom-eye. The true Dharma of the Tathagata is inconceivable.” Therefore, one should not proclaim that the Tathagata is definitively conditioned or definitively unconditioned. One who possesses right view should say that the Tathagata is definitively unconditioned.

Why is this? Because this can give rise to wholesome Dharma for sentient beings and engender compassion, just as that poor woman, out of loving concern for her child at the Ganges, relinquished her own life. Good man!

A bodhisattva who protects the Dharma should do likewise: he would rather relinquish his own life than say that the Tathagata is the same as the conditioned; he should say that the Tathagata is the same as the unconditioned. By saying that the Tathagata is the same as the unconditioned, he attains unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment, just as that poor woman was reborn in the Brahma heaven. Why is this?

Because he protects the Dharma. What is meant by protecting the Dharma? It means declaring that the Tathagata is the same as the unconditioned.

Good man! Although such a person does not seek liberation, liberation comes to him of itself, just as that poor woman did not seek the Brahma heaven, yet the Brahma heaven came to her of itself. Venerable Manjusri!

It is like a traveler on a distant journey who becomes utterly exhausted along the road and lodges in another person’s house. While he lies asleep inside, a great fire suddenly breaks out in the house. He immediately awakens and thinks to himself, “Today I will certainly die; there can be no doubt!” Still possessing a sense of shame, he uses his robe to bind and cover his body.

His life then ends, and he is reborn in the Trayastrimsa heaven. Thereafter, he returns eighty times as the heavenly king Great Brahma, and for a full hundred thousand lifetimes he is born among humans as a Wheel-Turning King. He is never again born in the three evil destinies, but successively is always reborn in places of peace and happiness.

For this reason, Venerable Manjusri, if a good man possesses shame and moral dread, he should not regard the Buddha as the same as conditioned phenomena! Venerable Manjusri! Non-Buddhists of wrong view may say that the Tathagata is the same as the conditioned.

But a precept-observing bhiksu should not conceive of the Tathagata as conditioned in this way. If one says that the Tathagata is conditioned, one is speaking falsely. Know that after death such a person must enter hell, just as a person remains in his own dwelling.

Venerable Manjusri! The Tathagata is truly the unconditioned Dharma! One should never again say that he is conditioned.

From this day onward, amid birth and death, you should abandon ignorance and seek right wisdom! You should know that the Tathagata is the unconditioned. If one can contemplate the Tathagata in this way, one will be endowed with the thirty-two marks and swiftly attain unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment!

At that time, Manjusri, Prince of the Dharma, praised Cunda, saying:

“Excellent! Excellent, good man! Today you have created the causes and conditions for longevity and are able to know that the Tathagata is the eternally abiding Dharma, the unchanging Dharma, the unconditioned Dharma!

Today you have skillfully concealed the conditioned marks of the Tathagata, just as the man threatened by fire, out of shame, bound his body with his robe. Through that wholesome intention, he was reborn in the Trayastrimsa heaven and later became a Brahma King and a Wheel-Turning Sage King. He did not enter the evil destinies but always enjoyed peace and happiness.

You are likewise. Because you have skillfully concealed the conditioned marks of the Tathagata, in a future life you will certainly attain the thirty-two marks, the eighty excellent characteristics, and the complete eighteen unique qualities. Your lifespan will be immeasurable; you will not remain in birth and death but will always enjoy peace and happiness, and before long you will become a Worthy One, a Perfectly Enlightened One.

Cunda! The Tathagata will subsequently explain this himself in detail. Both you and I should conceal the conditioned aspect of the Tathagata.

Setting aside for the moment the conditioned and the unconditioned, you should now quickly offer the meal at the proper time! Such giving is supreme among all forms of giving! If bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas, or upasikas are weary and exhausted from traveling afar, whatever necessities they require should be pure and provided to them at the proper time.

Such prompt giving fulfills the fundamental seed of the dana-paramita. Cunda! If you are to make the final offering to the Buddha and the Sangha, whether it is much or little, sufficient or insufficient, you should quickly present it in time!

At that very moment, the Tathagata will enter nirvana!”

Cunda replied:

“Venerable Manjusri! Why today, out of concern for this meal, do you speak at such length about whether there is enough or not enough, and urge me to make the offering in time? Venerable Manjusri! In former days, the Tathagata practiced austerities for six years and was still able to sustain himself; how much more so for this brief interval today? Venerable Manjusri! Do you truly think that the perfectly enlightened Tathagata partakes of such food? Yet I know with certainty that the body of the Tathagata is the Dharma-body, not a body that consumes food!”

At that time, the Buddha said to Manjusri:

“Indeed! Indeed! It is exactly as Cunda has said! Excellent, Cunda! You have attained subtle and wondrous great wisdom and have skillfully entered the exceedingly profound Mahayana scriptures!”

Manjusri said to Cunda:

“You hold that the Tathagata is unconditioned, and therefore that the Tathagata’s body is everlasting. If you form such an understanding, would the Buddha be pleased and satisfied?”

Cunda replied:

“The Tathagata is not pleased and satisfied with me alone; he is likewise pleased and satisfied with all sentient beings.”

Manjusri said:

“Is the Tathagata pleased and satisfied with you, with me, and with all sentient beings?”

Cunda replied:

“You should not say that the Tathagata is pleased and satisfied! To speak of being pleased and satisfied is itself an inverted perception. Where there is inverted perception, there is samsara.

Where there is samsara, there are conditioned dharmas! Therefore, Venerable Manjusri, you should not consider the Tathagata to be conditioned. If it is said that the Tathagata is conditioned, then both you and I are practicing in an inverted manner.

Venerable Manjusri! The Tathagata has no thought of affectionate attachment! Affectionate attachment is like that of a milk cow for her calf: although hungry and thirsty, she goes in search of water and grass, whether enough or not enough, and then suddenly turns back.

The Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones, have no such thought, but regard everyone equally as they regard Rahula. Such a state of mind is precisely the sphere of the wisdom of the Buddhas. Venerable Manjusri!

Suppose a king were driving a chariot drawn by four horses and wished to make a donkey cart race fast enough to keep pace with it; that would be impossible. You and I are likewise: if we wish to comprehend fully the profound, subtle mysteries of the Tathagata, that too is impossible. Venerable Manjusri!

It is as when a golden-winged bird soars into the sky to an immeasurable height of yojanas and looks down upon the great ocean, seeing all aquatic creatures—fish, soft-shelled turtles, crocodiles, sea turtles, sea dragons, and others—and seeing its own reflection as one sees forms and images in a bright mirror. Ordinary people of little wisdom cannot fathom such vision. You and I are likewise unable to fathom the wisdom of the Tathagata.”

Manjusri said to Cunda:

“Indeed! Indeed! It is exactly as you have said! It is not that I fail to understand this matter; I merely wished to test directly your deeds as a bodhisattva!”

At that time, various rays of light issued from the countenance of the World-Honored One. Those rays illuminated Manjusri’s body. When Manjusri encountered that light, he immediately understood the matter and said to Cunda:

“Today the Tathagata has manifested this auspicious sign; before long, he will certainly enter nirvana. You have already prepared the final offering, so present it at once to the Buddha and the great assembly. Cunda! You should know that the Tathagata’s emission of these various rays of light is not without cause and condition.”

When Cunda heard this, he was overcome with grief and remained silent. The Buddha said:

“Cunda! Now is the time for you to make your offering to the Buddha and the great assembly! At that very time, the Tathagata will enter nirvana.”

He spoke thus a second and a third time. When Cunda heard the Buddha’s words, he cried aloud in grief and said chokingly:

“Alas! Alas! The world is empty!”

He then addressed the great assembly:

“Today, let us all cast our five limbs upon the ground and with one voice beseech the Buddha not to enter nirvana!”

At that time, the World-Honored One again said to Cunda:

“Do not cry aloud and thereby disturb your own mind! You should regard this body as being like a plantain tree, like bubbles upon boiling water, like an illusory city of the gandharvas, like an unbaked clay vessel, like a flash of lightning, like a picture drawn upon water, like a prisoner condemned to die, like ripe fruit, like flesh being cut apart, like the warp threads on a loom when they come to an end, or like the upper and lower stones of a pounding mill. You should contemplate all conditioned activities as being like food mixed with poison; conditioned dharmas are fraught with many faults, afflictions, and dangers!”

Cunda then again addressed the Buddha:

“If the Tathagata does not wish to remain long in the world, how could I refrain from crying out: ‘Alas! Alas! The world is empty!’ I pray that the World-Honored One, out of compassion for us and all sentient beings, will remain long in the world! Do not enter nirvana!”

The Buddha said to Cunda:

“You should not now utter such words as, ‘Out of compassion for me, remain long in the world.’ It is precisely out of compassion for you and for everyone that today I wish to enter nirvana. Why is this? Because such is the Dharma of all Buddhas! Conditioned dharmas are likewise so! Therefore, concerning all Buddhas, this verse is spoken:

These conditioned dharmas—

Their nature is impermanent;

Having arisen, they do not abide;

Quiescent cessation is greater bliss.

Cunda! You should now contemplate all compounded activities and all dharmas as without self, impermanent, and non-abiding. This body has immeasurable faults and afflictions and is like a bubble upon water. Therefore, you should not wail and weep.”

Cunda then again addressed the Buddha:

“Indeed! Indeed! It is exactly as the World-Honored One has taught! Although I know that the Tathagata expediently manifests entering nirvana, I cannot help but harbor grief and anguish. Yet when I reconsider and reflect, joy arises within me!”

The Buddha praised Cunda:

“Excellent! Excellent! You are able to understand that the Tathagata manifests himself as being the same as sentient beings and expediently enters nirvana!

Cunda! Listen now. Just as the tala-ta birds all gather together at Lake Anavatapta in the season of spring’s warmth, so too do all Buddhas come to this place.

Cunda! You should not now ponder whether the lives of the Buddhas are long or short! All dharmas bear the character of an illusion.

Dwelling among them, the Tathagata employs the power of skillful means and remains free from attachment. Why is this? Because such is the Dharma of all Buddhas.

Cunda! I now accept the offering you present because I wish to enable you to attain liberation from samsara and from all outflows. Any humans or devas who participate in making this final offering to me will attain an unmoving recompense and always enjoy peace and happiness.

Why is this? Because I am an excellent field of merit for sentient beings. If you wish to create a field of merit for all sentient beings, quickly prepare and present the offering; do not delay!”

At that time, wishing all sentient beings to attain liberation, Cunda bowed his head, swallowed his tears, and addressed the Buddha:

“Excellent, O World-Honored One! If I possessed sufficient strength to undertake the cultivation of the field of merit, I might clearly understand the Tathagata’s nirvana and non-nirvana. Today, however, the wisdom of us, the sravakas, and the pratyekabuddhas is like that of mosquitoes and cicadas; truly, we cannot fathom the Tathagata’s nirvana and non-nirvana.”

At that time, Cunda and his retinue, sorrowful and wailing, surrounded the Tathagata, burned incense, scattered flowers, and worshiped him with all their hearts. Then, together with Manjusri, they rose and departed to prepare and arrange the food offering.

CHAPTER: LAMENTATION

Not long after Cunda had departed, the earth shook in six ways. The same occurred even as far as the Brahma realm. There are two kinds of earth-shaking: the shaking of the earth and the great shaking of the earth.

A minor shaking is called the shaking of the earth; a major shaking is called the great shaking of the earth. A faint sound is called the shaking of the earth; a great sound is called the great shaking of the earth. When only the ground shakes, it is called the shaking of the earth; when all mountains, forests, rivers, and seas shake, it is called the great shaking of the earth.

When it shakes in one direction, it is called the shaking of the earth; when it revolves and shakes everywhere, it is called the great shaking of the earth. A mere shaking is called the shaking of the earth; when the shaking causes the minds of sentient beings to be stirred, it is called the great shaking of the earth. When the bodhisattva first descended from Tusita Heaven into Jambudvipa, it was called a great shaking of the earth.

When the bodhisattva was born, renounced the household life, attained unsurpassed perfect enlightenment, turned the wheel of the true Dharma, and entered nirvana, each was called a great shaking of the earth. Today, because the Tathagata is about to enter nirvana, the earth shakes so greatly.

When the devas, nagas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kimnaras, mahoragas, humans, and nonhumans heard these words, the hair on their bodies stood on end. Weeping sorrowfully with one voice, they spoke these verses:

We bow our heads before the Tamer;

Today we beseech and implore you.

If we are parted from the Sage among humans,

Never again shall we have a protector.

Now, seeing the Buddha enter nirvana,

We sink into the ocean of suffering;

Grieving with sorrowful attachment,

Like a calf that has lost its mother.

There is no one to rescue the destitute,

Like an afflicted, gravely ill man

Who, without a physician, follows his own will

And eats what ought not to be eaten.

Sentient beings are sick with afflictions,

Ever harmed by the various views;

Separated from the King of Dharma-medicine,

They drink the poison of heterodox paths.

Therefore, O Buddha, World-Honored One,

You should not abandon us.

Like a realm without a sovereign,

Whose people all suffer famine.

So too shall we be,

Deprived of shelter and the flavor of Dharma.

Now, hearing that the Buddha will enter nirvana,

Our minds become confused and distraught,

As when the great earth trembles and shakes

And we lose all sense of direction.

When the Great Sage enters nirvana,

The sun of the Buddha falls to the earth;

The waters of Dharma all dry up,

And we shall surely die.

When the Tathagata enters nirvana,

Sentient beings will suffer greatly,

Like the son of an elder

Whose parents have just been buried.

When the Tathagata enters nirvana,

It will be as though the child could never live again.

Sentient beings and all of us

Will have no one to protect us.

When the Tathagata enters nirvana,

Even creatures of the animal realm

Will all be filled with sorrow,

Their hearts scorched by anguish.

On this very day, how could we

Not be overcome by grief?

The Tathagata casts us aside

As though spitting out saliva.

Just as when the sun rises,

Its radiance shines brilliantly,

Enabling one to see oneself

And dispelling all darkness,

So does the light of the Tathagata’s spiritual powers

Remove our suffering and anguish.

Amid this great assembly,

You stand like Mount Sumeru.

“O World-Honored One! You are like a king who begets and raises children of handsome appearance and always cherishes them in his heart. First he teaches them arts and crafts, making them all intelligent and capable. Afterward, however, he abandons them and entrusts them to a candala. O World-Honored One! Today we are children of the King of Dharma. Through the Buddha’s instruction, we have acquired right view. We pray that you will not abandon us. If you abandon us, we shall be just like those princes. We pray that the Buddha will remain in the world for a long time and not enter nirvana.

“O World-Honored One! Suppose there were a person well versed in all the treatises, yet who became fearful of those very treatises. The Tathagata is likewise: we have comprehended all dharmas, yet we become fearful of those very dharmas. If the Tathagata were to remain in the world for a long time and expound the flavor of ambrosia, bringing fulfillment to all, then sentient beings would no longer fear falling into hell.

“O World-Honored One! Suppose a person newly learning a task were arrested by an official and confined in prison. Someone asked him, ‘What are you undergoing?’ He replied, ‘I am now enduring great sorrow and suffering!’ If that person were released, he would attain peace and happiness. The World-Honored One is likewise. For our sake, you cultivated arduous practices; yet while we have still not escaped the suffering of birth and death, how can the Tathagata enjoy peace and happiness?

“O World-Honored One! Suppose a king of physicians, skilled in understanding medicinal prescriptions, were partial and transmitted a secret formula only to his own son, refusing to teach that medicine to outsiders who wished to learn it. The Tathagata is likewise: you have privately taught the profound and secret treasury of Dharma solely to Manjusri, leaving us aside, without showing us the Buddha’s compassionate regard.

With respect to the Dharma, the Tathagata should not conceal or begrudge it, like that king of physicians who partiality teaches only his own son and refuses to instruct outsiders who come seeking to learn. The reason that king of physicians cannot teach everyone is that his feelings still distinguish between superior and inferior, and thus he continues to conceal and begrudge the teaching. The Tathagata’s mind certainly makes no distinction between superior and inferior, so why do we not see you instructing us in the same way?

We pray that the Tathagata will remain in the world for a long time and not enter nirvana!

“O World-Honored One! Suppose an aged person, suffering from few illnesses, abandoned a level road and entered a dangerous path. That perilous path would present many difficulties, and he would undergo every kind of suffering. Another person, seeing him, would take pity and reveal a fine, level road. O World-Honored One! I am likewise. ‘Few’ is said as an analogy for one whose Dharma-body has not yet developed. ‘Aged’ is said as an analogy for heavy afflictions. ‘Suffering from illness’ is an analogy for not yet having escaped birth and death. ‘Dangerous path’ is an analogy for the twenty-five realms of existence. We pray that the Tathagata will reveal the path and guide us onto the true road of ambrosia. Please remain in the world for a long time and do not enter nirvana!”

At that time, the World-Honored One said to the bhiksus:

“O bhiksus! Do not grieve and wail like ordinary humans, devas, and others! You should diligently apply yourselves with vigor and bind your minds to right mindfulness!”

When the devas, humans, asuras, and others heard the Buddha’s words, they restrained themselves and ceased their wailing, just as a person holding funeral rites for a beloved child, after escorting the child to burial, restrains his heart and ceases to weep. At that time, the World-Honored One spoke these verses for the great assembly:

Your minds should understand;

You should not grieve excessively.

Such is the nature of all Buddhas’ Dharma;

Therefore, you should remain tranquil.

Delight in the practice of heedfulness,

And preserve right recollection in your minds.

Having abandoned all that is contrary to Dharma,

Console yourselves and abide in happiness.

Moreover, O bhikkhus! If you have any doubts, you must ask about them all today! Whether empty or not empty, permanent or impermanent, suffering or not suffering, dependent or not dependent, going or not going, returning or not returning, everlasting or not everlasting, annihilated or eternal, a sentient being or not a sentient being, existent or nonexistent, real or unreal, true or untrue, extinguished or not extinguished, secret or not secret, dual or nondual...

If you have any doubts concerning the various dharmas such as these, you should inquire and seek understanding today. I shall respond in accordance with your needs and eliminate those doubts for you! I shall also first expound the ambrosial Dharma for you, and only afterward shall I enter nirvana.

O bhikkhus! It is difficult for a Buddha to appear in the world; it is difficult to obtain a human body; and it is also difficult to encounter a Buddha and give rise to faith. To be capable of patience is difficult, and to endure this matter is likewise difficult.

To perfect the precepts fully and without deficiency and attain the fruit of arhatship is as rare and difficult as finding gold dust in sand or the blossoming of the udumbara flower. O bhikkhus! It is difficult for you to escape the eight adversities and obtain a human body.

Having encountered me, you should not let this opportunity pass in vain! Long ago, I cultivated various ascetic practices, and now I have attained such an unsurpassed expedient means. For your sake, throughout immeasurable kalpas, I relinquished my body, hands, feet, head, eyes, brain, and marrow...

Therefore, you should not be heedless! O bhikkhus! What is meant by fully adorning the precious city of the true Dharma with the precious treasures of every virtue?

It is to make precepts, samadhi, and wisdom its walls and moat! Today, having encountered this precious city of the Buddha-Dharma, you should not choose worthless and false things! It is like a merchant chief who encounters a city filled with precious treasures but selects only shards and gravel to take home.

You are likewise: having encountered the precious city, you choose worthless and false things. O bhikkhus! Do not be satisfied because of an inferior aspiration!

Although today you have gone forth from the household life, you have not given rise to yearning for this Mahayana. O bhikkhus! Although your bodies are clothed in dyed kasayas, your minds have not yet been imbued with the pure Mahayana Dharma.

O bhikkhus! Although you travel through many places begging for food, you have never first sought the Dharma-food of the Mahayana. O bhikkhus!

Although you have shaved off your beards and hair, you have not yet cast off the fetters for the sake of the true Dharma. O bhikkhus! Today I shall instruct you truthfully!

Now, here in the present, the great assembly is harmonious, and the Dharma-nature of the Tathagata is true and not inverted. Therefore, you must diligently gather in your minds and courageously extinguish the fetters. Once the sun of wisdom endowed with the ten powers has disappeared, you will be shrouded by ignorance.

O bhikkhus! Just as the earth, mountains, herbs, and medicines are used by sentient beings, so too is my Dharma: it produces the wondrous and wholesome ambrosial flavor of the Dharma, serving as excellent medicine that cures the various afflictive illnesses of sentient beings. I shall now cause all sentient beings, together with my children—the fourfold assembly—to abide within the secret treasury.

I too shall abide therein and enter nirvana. What is called the secret treasury? It is like the letter i: if its three dots are arranged horizontally, they do not form the letter i; if arranged vertically, they also do not form it (?).

Only when they are like the three eyes upon the face of Mahesvara do they form the letter i. If the three dots are separate, they likewise cannot form it. So too with me: liberation alone is not nirvana; the body of the Tathagata alone is not nirvana; and maha-prajnaparamita alone is not nirvana.

If these three dharmas are separate from one another, that too is not nirvana. I now abide in these three dharmas, and for the sake of sentient beings this is called entering nirvana, just like the worldly letter i.

At that time, when the bhikkhus heard that the Buddha, the Blessed One, would certainly enter nirvana, they were all distressed and sorrowful. The hair on their bodies stood on end, tears streamed down their faces, and they bowed their heads at the Buddha’s feet, circumambulated him immeasurable times, and addressed the Buddha, saying:

“World-Honored One! I delight in speaking of impermanence, suffering, emptiness, and non-self. World-Honored One!

Just as, among the footprints of all living beings, the elephant’s footprint is foremost, so too is the perception of impermanence: among all perceptions, it is supreme. If one diligently cultivates it, one can eliminate all craving of the Desire Realm, as well as craving, ignorance, arrogance, and the perception of impermanence pertaining to the Form Realm and the Formless Realm. World-Honored One!

If the Tathagata has transcended the perception of impermanence, he should not enter nirvana today. If he has not transcended it, how can it be said that by cultivating the perception of impermanence one transcends craving, ignorance, arrogance, and the perception of impermanence of the three realms? World-Honored One!

It is like a farmer who, during the autumn season, deeply plows his land and can thereby remove all harmful weeds. The perception of impermanence is likewise: it can eliminate all craving of the Desire Realm, as well as craving, ignorance, arrogance, and the perception of impermanence of the Form Realm and the Formless Realm. World-Honored One!

Just as autumn is the best season for plowing fields, and just as the elephant’s footprint is the largest among all footprints, so is the perception of impermanence foremost among all perceptions. World-Honored One! It is like a sovereign who, knowing that his life is about to end, grants a general amnesty throughout the realm.

All those imprisoned, bound, or confined are set free, and only afterward does the king relinquish his life. The Tathagata today should likewise deliver all sentient beings—those who, through lack of knowledge and ignorance, are bound and confined—causing them all to attain liberation, and only afterward enter nirvana. We have not yet all been delivered today; how, then, can the Tathagata wish to abandon us and enter nirvana?

World-Honored One! It is like a person possessed by a demon who encounters a skilled master of spells. Through the power of the spell, the demon is immediately subdued and expelled.

The Tathagata is likewise: for the shravakas, he dispels the demon of ignorance and enables them to abide securely in the Dharma of liberation through the Great Prajnaparamita, and so forth, like the character ‘world-healer’ (?). World-Honored One! It is like a young fragrant elephant that has been captured and bound.

Although there is a skilled trainer, he cannot restrain it; the elephant shatters its fetters and goes wherever it wills. We have not yet escaped the bonds of the fifty-seven afflictions; how, then, can the Tathagata wish at once to abandon us and enter nirvana? World-Honored One!

It is like a person suffering from malaria who encounters a skilled physician and is thereby freed from suffering. We are likewise afflicted by many sufferings and ailments—wrong livelihood, feverish maladies, and so forth. Although we have encountered the Tathagata, our illnesses have not yet been cured, nor have we attained the unsurpassed peace and security of permanence and bliss.

How, then, can the Tathagata wish at once to abandon us and enter nirvana? World-Honored One! It is like a drunken person who is unaware of himself and cannot distinguish intimates from strangers, mother from daughter or elder sister from younger sister.

Bewildered, he engages in sexual misconduct, speaks without restraint, and lies in an impure place. A skilled physician gives him medicine and tells him to drink it. After drinking it, the man vomits, regains awareness and recognition, feels ashamed, restrains himself, and severely reproaches himself.

Alcohol is the root of all evil and unwholesomeness; if one can eliminate it, one will become distant from every transgression. World-Honored One! I am likewise.

From time immemorial until now, I have revolved through birth and death, intoxicated by sensual passions and delighting in the five desires. I have regarded one who was not my mother as my mother, one who was not my sister as my sister, one who was not my daughter as my daughter, and that which was not a sentient being as a sentient being. Therefore, I have revolved through birth and death and endured its suffering, like that drunken person lying in impurity.

Today the Tathagata will bestow upon me the medicine of the Dharma, causing me to vomit up the evil wine of the afflictions. Yet before my mind has awakened, how can the Tathagata wish at once to abandon me and enter nirvana? World-Honored One!

There can be no such thing as praising the banana tree as solid and substantial. World-Honored One! Sentient beings are likewise: there can be no such thing as declaring the self, person, sentient being, lifespan, nurturer, knower and seer, agent, experiencer, and so forth to be real!

Thus do we cultivate the perception of non-self. World-Honored One! It is like turbid water full of sediment, which no one would use for drinking.

This body is likewise: it has no self and no master. World-Honored One! Just as a seven-petaled flower has no fragrance, so too does this body have no self and no master.

Thus, in our hearts, we constantly cultivate the perception of non-self. As the Buddha has said, ‘All dharmas are devoid of self and what belongs to self; bhikshus should constantly cultivate this contemplation.’ Having cultivated in this way, one eliminates self-conceit. Having abandoned self-conceit, one immediately enters nirvana.

World-Honored One! There can be no such thing as a bird’s tracks appearing in empty space! Likewise, there can be no such thing as one who cultivates the perception of non-self yet still possesses erroneous views!”

At that time, the World-Honored One praised the bhikshus, saying:

“Excellent! Excellent! You are well able to cultivate the perception of non-self!”

The bhikshus then addressed the Buddha, saying:

“World-Honored One! We do not cultivate only the perception of non-self; we also cultivate other perceptions, such as the perception of suffering, the perception of impermanence, and so forth. World-Honored One! It is like a drunken person whose mind is confused and disordered: when he looks upon mountains, rivers, city walls, palaces, the sun, the moon, the stars, and so forth, he sees them all revolving. World-Honored One! If a person does not cultivate the perception of suffering, the perception of impermanence, the perception of non-self, and so forth, such a person is not called a noble one, but is greatly heedless and continues to revolve through birth and death. World-Honored One! For this reason, we diligently cultivate such perceptions.”

At that time, the Buddha said to the bhikshus:

– Listen! Listen! You have turned to the analogy of the drunken man. You know it only in terms of the words, but have not yet grasped the meaning of that analogy. Just as the drunken man sees the sun and moon above: in truth they are not revolving, yet he gives rise to the perception that they are revolving. Sentient beings are likewise. Being obscured by afflictions and ignorance, they give rise to inverted views: they regard the self as non-self, the permanent as impermanent, the pure as impure, and bliss as suffering.... Because they are obscured by afflictions, although they give rise to these perceptions, they do not grasp their meaning, just as the drunken man perceives revolving where there is in fact no revolving. The self signifies the Buddha; the permanent signifies the Dharma-body; bliss signifies nirvana; and purity signifies the Dharma. O bhiksus! Why is it said that harboring the perception of self leads to arrogance and haughtiness and to wandering through birth and death? O you! If it is said that the self also cultivates the perceptions of impermanence, suffering, and non-self, then these three kinds of cultivation possess no true meaning. I shall now expound the three supreme practices. To regard suffering as bliss and bliss as suffering is an inverted view. To regard the impermanent as permanent and the permanent as impermanent is an inverted view. To regard non-self as self and self as non-self is an inverted view. To regard the impure as pure and the pure as impure is an inverted view. One who possesses these four inverted views does not know how to cultivate the Dharma correctly. O bhiksus! You give rise to the perception of bliss in what is suffering; to the perception of permanence in what is impermanent; to the perception of self in what is non-self; and to the perception of purity in what is impure. In the mundane world there are also Permanence, Bliss, Self, and Purity, and in the supramundane there are also Permanence, Bliss, Self, and Purity. Mundane teachings possess the words but not the meaning. Supramundane teachings possess both the words and the meaning. Why is this? Because mundane teachings contain the four inversions, people do not know their meaning. Why is this so? Because there are inverted perceptions, inverted thoughts, and inverted views. Owing to these three inversions, worldly people see suffering in bliss, impermanence in permanence, non-self in the self, and impurity in purity. This is called inversion. Because of these inversions, worldly people know the words but do not know their meaning. What is the meaning? Non-self is birth and death; the Self is the Tathagata. Impermanence pertains to sravakas and pratyekabuddhas; permanence is the Dharma-body of the Tathagata. Suffering pertains to all non-Buddhist paths; bliss is nirvana. Impurity is conditioned dharmas; purity is the True Dharma possessed by all Buddhas and bodhisattvas. This is called freedom from inversion. Because one is free from inversion, one knows both the words and the meaning. If anyone wishes to abandon the four inversions, that person should understand Permanence, Bliss, Self, and Purity in this way.

The bhiksus said to the Buddha:

– World-Honored One! As the Buddha has said, by abandoning the four inversions one clearly understands Permanence, Bliss, Self, and Purity. Today the Tathagata is forever free from the four inversions and thus clearly understands Permanence, Bliss, Self, and Purity. If he clearly understands Permanence, Bliss, Self, and Purity, why does the Tathagata not remain for a kalpa or half a kalpa to teach and guide us, enabling us to abandon the four inversions? Why does he instead forsake us and wish to enter nirvana? If the Tathagata compassionately considers and instructs us, we shall wholeheartedly receive his teaching and cultivate it. If the Tathagata must enter nirvana, how can we remain together with this poisonous body and cultivate the pure conduct? We too shall follow the Buddha, the World-Honored One, into nirvana!

At that time, the Buddha told the bhiksus:

– You should not speak such words! Today I entrust all my unsurpassed True Dharma to Mahakasyapa. This Kasyapa shall be a great refuge for you, just as the Tathagata is a refuge for sentient beings. Mahakasyapa shall likewise be a refuge for you. It is like a great king who governs many affairs. When he goes on a tour of inspection, he entrusts all affairs of state to a great minister. The Tathagata is likewise: I entrust the True Dharma I possess to Mahakasyapa. You should know that your former cultivation of the perceptions of impermanence and suffering was not true. It is as though, in springtime, some people were bathing and boating in a great pond when they dropped a precious vaidurya jewel, which sank deep into the water. At that time, everyone entered the water together to search for the treasure. They eagerly seized tiles, stones, grasses, pieces of wood, sand, and gravel, each thinking that he had obtained the vaidurya jewel. Joyfully they brought these objects out of the water, only then realizing that they were not the genuine jewel. At that time, the precious jewel still remained in the water, and through the power of the jewel the water became completely clear and still. Only then did the assembly see that the precious jewel remained beneath the water, just as one looks upward and sees the form of the moon in the empty sky. At that time, a wise person in the assembly, employing skillful means, slowly entered the water and immediately retrieved the jewel. O bhiksus! You should not cultivate the perceptions of impermanence, suffering, non-self, impurity, and so forth in this way and take them to be the true meaning, just as those people took tiles, stones, grasses, pieces of wood, sand, and gravel to be the precious jewel. You must skillfully learn expedient means, so that everywhere and at all times you cultivate the perceptions of Self, Permanence, Bliss, and Purity. You must further understand that the characteristics of the four teachings formerly cultivated are all inverted. One who wishes to attain the true body by cultivating these perceptions must be like that wise person who skillfully found the precious jewel, namely, the perceptions of Self, Permanence, Bliss, and Purity.

At that time, the bhiksus said to the Buddha:

– World-Honored One! As the Buddha previously said, all dharmas are without self, and you should cultivate and study this. Having cultivated and studied it, you will abandon the perception of self; having abandoned the perception of self, you will abandon arrogance; having abandoned arrogance, you will enter nirvana. What is the meaning of this?

The Buddha told the bhiksus:

“Excellent! Excellent! Today, by being able to inquire into this meaning, you have already dispelled your own doubts. Suppose there were a foolish and dull-witted king of little wisdom who had a physician of an obstinate and conceited disposition, to whom the king alone granted a generous stipend. In treating every illness, he invariably used milk as medicine, yet he did not know the causes from which illnesses arose. Although he knew of milk medicine, he was not skilled in curing illnesses caused by wind, cold, or heat. For every illness, he instructed the patient to drink milk. The king was unable to discern whether this physician understood the beneficial and harmful, wholesome and unwholesome properties of milk.

“Then there came from a distant land an enlightened physician, well versed in the eight branches of the healing arts, skilled in treating every illness, and knowledgeable about medicinal prescriptions. At that time, the former physician did not know enough to learn from him; instead, he became arrogant and treated him with contempt. The enlightened physician then approached him, requested to take him as his teacher, and inquired about the profound secrets of medical practice, saying to the former physician: ‘I now ask you to be my teacher! I beseech you to expound and explain these matters for me.’

“The former physician replied: ‘If you can serve as my attendant for forty-eight years, only then will I teach you the art of medicine.’

“The enlightened physician accepted this instruction and said: ‘I shall do so! I shall do so! According to my abilities, I shall provide for you and submit to your commands.’

“The former physician then took the visiting physician with him to an audience with the king. Thereupon, the visiting physician explained to the king various medical methods and other arts, saying: ‘Great King, you should know that these matters must be properly distinguished. Such-and-such a method may be used to govern the realm, while such-and-such a method may be used to cure illness.’

“When the king heard these words, he realized that the former physician was ignorant, deluded, and devoid of wisdom. He immediately dismissed him and ordered him expelled beyond the borders of the kingdom. Thereafter, he showed redoubled reverence to the visiting physician.

“The visiting physician then thought: ‘If I wish to instruct and transform the king, now is the time.’ He said to the king: ‘Great King, if you truly cherish me, I would ask you to grant me one wish.’

“The king replied:

“‘From my right shoulder to every other part of my body, whatever you wish to ask for, I shall give it all to you.’

“The visiting physician said:

“‘Although the king has promised to give me every part of his body, I would not dare ask for so much. My request today is that the king issue an edict throughout the entire realm, commanding that from this day onward no one may drink the former physician’s milk medicine. Why is this? Because that medicine is harmful and poisonous, causing extensive injury. If anyone continues to drink it, that person shall be beheaded. Once milk medicine has been prohibited, no one will ever again die unjustly, and the people will always live in peace and happiness. This is the wish I ask you to grant!’

“The king replied:

“‘Your request hardly needs to be spoken!’

“The king then issued an edict throughout the realm that no sick person was permitted to use milk as medicine. Anyone who used it medicinally would be beheaded.

“At that time, the visiting physician compounded various medicines, including pungent, bitter, salty, sweet, and sour ingredients, and used them to treat every kind of illness. There was no illness that was not cured. Before long, however, the king himself fell ill and commanded the physician: ‘I am now gravely afflicted by illness. How should it be treated?’

“After examining the king’s illness, the physician saw that milk medicine should be used. He therefore addressed the king:

“‘According to the nature of Your Majesty’s illness, you must drink milk. My earlier prohibition of milk medicine was not an entirely true statement. If you drink it today, your illness can certainly be cured. Your Majesty’s present fever should indeed be treated by drinking milk!’

“The king said to the physician:

“‘Have you gone mad? Are you yourself feverish, that you say drinking milk can cure this illness? Previously, you declared it poisonous; why do you now tell me to drink it? Are you trying to deceive me? The former physician praised milk, while you considered it poisonous and caused me to expel him. Yet today you again claim that milk is excellent and can cure illness. Judging by your words, my former physician must certainly have been superior to you.’

“The visiting physician then said to the king:

“‘Your Majesty should not speak in this way! Suppose wood-boring insects happen to produce shapes resembling written characters. The insects themselves do not know whether these are characters or not. When wise people see the characters, they do not suppose that the insects understand writing, nor are they astonished or perplexed. Great King, you should know that the former physician was the same. He did not distinguish among illnesses, but prescribed milk medicine for all of them, just as wood-boring insects happen by chance to form written characters. That former physician did not understand the beneficial and harmful, wholesome and unwholesome properties of milk medicine.’

“The king asked:

“‘What do you mean when you say that he did not understand?’

“The visiting physician replied to the king:

“‘Milk medicine may be both a harmful poison and amrita. Under what conditions is milk called amrita? If the cow from which the milk is obtained has not eaten distillers’ lees, barren grass, or straw; if her calf is tractable and gentle in nature; if her pasture is neither on high ground nor in low, damp terrain; if she drinks clear water; if she is not made to gallop or run about; if bulls are not kept together with the cows; if her food and drink are balanced and appropriate; and if her movements and resting places are suitable—then the milk of such a cow can cure illnesses. Such milk is called the wondrous medicine of amrita. Apart from milk of this kind, all other milk is called harmful poison.’

“When the great king heard these words, he praised the physician, saying:

“‘Great physician, excellent! Excellent! Only today have I come to understand the wholesome and unwholesome, beneficial and harmful properties of milk medicine.’

“The king then drank the milk medicine, and his illness was cured. He immediately issued an edict throughout the entire realm commanding that from that day onward the people should drink milk medicine. When the citizens heard this decree, they all became angry and said to one another: ‘Has the king now been possessed by a demon, or has he gone mad? Why does he deceive us and again command us to drink milk?’

“All the people harbored anger and assembled before the king. The king said:

“‘You should not become angry with me! Whether this milk medicine should be drunk or not is determined by the physician’s instruction. It is not my fault!’

“Thereupon, the great king and all the people leapt for joy and showed redoubled reverence and made offerings to the physician. All those who were ill drank the milk medicine, and every one of their illnesses was completely cured.

“The Buddha said:”

– O bhikshus! You should know that the Tathagata, Worthy One, Perfectly Enlightened One, Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed One, Tamer of Persons, Teacher of Devas and Humans, Buddha, Blessed One, is likewise the Great King of Physicians who appears in the world and subdues all non-Buddhist teachers and heterodox physicians. Amid the four assemblies, he proclaims: “I am the King of Physicians!” Wishing to subdue the non-Buddhist teachers, I proclaimed: “There is no self, no person, no sentient being, no life span, no one who nurtures, no knower or seer, no agent, and no experiencer.” O bhikshus! You should know that the assertions of these non-Buddhist teachers concerning a self are like marks made by wood-boring insects that happen by chance to form characters. Therefore, within the Buddha-Dharma, the Tathagata proclaims non-self in order to discipline sentient beings and because he knows the proper time. Although I have thus taught non-self, under certain causes and conditions I also teach that there is a self, just as that skilled physician knew well when milk was medicine and when it was not. This is not the self conceived by ordinary people. In their ignorance, ordinary people conceive of the self, and some say it is as large as a thumb, others that it is like a mustard seed, and still others that it is like a mote of dust. The self spoken of by the Tathagata is none of these. Thus it is said that all dharmas are without self, yet in truth they are not devoid of self. What is the Self? If a dharma is real, true, permanent, sovereign, a foundation, and of an unchanging nature, it is called the Self. Just as that great physician skillfully understood the medicinal use of milk, so too does the Tathagata, for the sake of sentient beings, teach that within all true dharmas there is the Self. You of the four assemblies should cultivate this Dharma in this manner.

THE GREAT PARINIRVANA SUTRA

– End of the Second Fascicle -