大寶積經

Again, Nanda! You now understand the suffering of dwelling in the womb and the suffering at birth. You should know that all who undergo birth endure exceedingly great suffering and affliction.

At the time of birth, whether male or female, the newborn falls into a person's hands, or onto a cloth, mat, and so forth; whether exposed to sunlight or placed in the shade, whether in a carriage, on a bed, or in someone's arms, in every place it undergoes pain and suffering. It is like a flayed ox leaning against a wall and being swarmed by ants, or leaning against a tree and being bitten by insects; even if it stands in the open, the sun and wind cause it intense pain. A newborn child is likewise subjected to acute suffering when bathed in hot water.

After birth, the child grows by drinking its mother's milk.

Nanda! Since there are so many kinds of suffering and nothing worthy of delight, how could a wise person remain attached to samsara?

Seven days after birth, eighty thousand families of worms dwell throughout that body, feeding upon it.

There is one family of worms named Thực Phát, which dwells in the hair and feeds upon the hair.

There are two families of worms named Phục Tàng and Thô Đầu, which dwell in the head and feed upon the head.

There is one family of worms named Nhiễu Nhãn, which dwells in the eyes and feeds upon the eyes.

There are four families of worms named Khu Trục, Bôn Tẩu, Ốc Trạch, and Viên Mãn, which dwell in the brain and feed upon the brain.

There is one family of worms named Đạo Diệp, which dwells in the ears and feeds upon the ears.

There is one family of worms named Tàng Khẩu, which dwells in the nose and feeds upon the nose.

There are two families of worms named Dao Trịch and Biến Trịch, which dwell in the lips and feed upon the lips.

There is one family of worms named Mật Diệp, which dwells in the teeth and feeds upon the teeth.

There is one family of worms named Châm Khẩu, which dwells in the tongue and feeds upon the tongue.

There is one family of worms named Lợi Khẩu, which dwells at the root of the tongue and feeds upon the root of the tongue.

There is one family of worms named Thủ Viên, which dwells in the gums and feeds upon the gums.

There are two families of worms named Thủ Võng and Bán Khuất, which dwell in the palms and feed upon the palms.

There are two families of worms named Đoản Huyền and Trương Huyền, which dwell in the upper arms and feed upon the upper arms.

There are two families of worms named Cận Tý and Viễn Tý, which dwell in the arms and feed upon the arms.

There are two families of worms named Dục Thôn and Dĩ Thôn, which dwell in the throat and feed upon the throat.

There are two families of worms named Hữu Oán and Đại Oán, which dwell in the chest and feed upon the chest.

There are two families of worms named Loa Bối and Loa Khẩu, which dwell in the flesh and feed upon the flesh.

There are two families of worms named Hữu Sắc and Hữu Lực, which dwell in the blood and feed upon the blood.

There are two families of worms named Dũng Kiện and Hương Khẩu, which dwell in the sinews and feed upon the sinews.

There are two families of worms named Bất Cao and Hạ Khẩu, which dwell in the spine and feed upon the spine.

There are two families of worms, both named Chỉ Sắc, which dwell in the fat and feed upon the fat.

There is one family of worms named Hoàng Sắc, which dwells in the yellow bodily fluid and feeds upon the yellow bodily fluid.

There is one family of worms named Chơn Châu, which dwells in the kidneys and feeds upon the kidneys.

There is one family of worms named Đại Chơn Châu, which dwells in the loins and feeds upon the loins.

There is one family of worms named Vị Chí, which dwells in the spleen and feeds upon the spleen.

There are four families of worms named Thủy Mạng, Đại Thủy Mạng, Châm Khẩu, and Đao Khẩu, which dwell in the intestines and feed upon the intestines.

There are five families of worms named Nguyệt Mãn, Nguyệt Diện, Huy Diệu, Huy Diện, and Biệt Trụ, which dwell in the right flank and feed upon the right flank.

There are five families of worms bearing the same names as those above, which dwell in the left flank and feed upon the left flank.

There are four families of worms named Xuyên Tiền, Xuyên Hậu, Xuyên Kiên, and Xuyên Trụ, which dwell in the bones and feed upon the bones.

There are four families of worms named Đại Bạch, Tiểu Bạch, Trùng Vân, and Xú Khí, which dwell in the blood vessels and feed upon the blood vessels.

There are four families of worms named Sư Tử, Bị Lực, Cấp Tiễn, and Liên Hoa, which dwell in the organs that store undigested food and feed upon those organs.

There are two families of worms named An Chí and Cận Chí, which dwell in the organs that store digested food and feed upon those organs.

There are four families of worms named Diêm Khẩu, Uẩn Khẩu, Võng Khẩu, and Tước Khẩu, which dwell in the urinary tract and feed upon urine.

There are four families of worms named Ưng Tác, Đại Tác, Tiểu Hình, and Tiểu Thúc, which dwell in the large intestine and feed upon excrement.

There are two families of worms named Hắc Khẩu and Đại Khẩu, which dwell in the thighs and feed upon the thighs.

There are two families of worms named Lại and Tiểu Lại, which dwell in the knees and feed upon the knees.

There is one family of worms named Ngu Căn, which dwells in the calves and feeds upon the calves.

There is one family of worms named Hắc Hạng, which dwells in the feet and feeds upon the feet.

Nanda! This body is truly loathsome and fearsome. It constantly harbors eighty thousand families of worms that bite and devour it day and night, thereby causing the body to become feverish, afflicted, emaciated, exhausted, hungry, and thirsty.

Moreover, the mind undergoes many forms of suffering and affliction: anxiety, grief, and fainting. Many illnesses arise that no skilled physician can cure.

Nanda! What wise person would delight in this body of extreme suffering while dwelling in the ocean of samsara?

Furthermore, this body is seized by various spirits of disease: heavenly spirits, naga spirits, the spirits of the eight classes, ghosts, and the spirits called li and mei. Or it may be harmed by the sun, moon, and stars. These ghosts and spirits cause illness and affliction, tormenting body and mind beyond description.

Nanda! Who in samsara would delight in entering a mother's womb to undergo so much pain; to be born in this way and grow in this way; to drink the blood and milk of one's mother, and to consume food and drink while deludedly imagining them to be delicious, gradually reaching maturity? Even if one enjoys peace and happiness without illness, possesses abundant clothing and food, and lives for a hundred years, sleep consumes nearly half of that life. At first one is an infant, next a child, and then reaches adulthood, when one undergoes much sorrow, grief, adversity, illness, and pain. The countless hundreds of sufferings that torment this body are beyond description.

When the sufferings within the body become oppressive and unbearable, one no longer wishes to live and thinks of seeking death. Such a body has much suffering and little joy. Even though it may survive temporarily, in the end it must decay and perish.

Nanda! All who are born must die and cannot remain forever. Even if one takes nourishing medicines and extends one's lifespan by five years, ultimately one still cannot escape being slain by the spirit of death and borne away to the wilderness.

You should know that worldly life is not worthy of joy or delight. You must diligently gather provisions for the next life. Do not be heedless. Devote yourself to cultivating the holy life and do not be indolent. You should always delight in cultivating the various practices: beneficial conduct, Dharma practice, meritorious conduct, and wholly wholesome conduct. Constantly examine yourself, keeping in mind your wholesome and unwholesome karma, lest you later be compelled to speak words of remorse. At that time, everything you possess and cherish will fall away and be left behind, while you follow your wholesome and unwholesome karma into the next life.

Nanda! A lifespan of one hundred years has ten stages:

The first is infancy, when one lies in a cradle. The second is called childhood, when one is a young child at play. The third is called youth, when one experiences sensual pleasures.

The fourth is called young adulthood, when one is vigorous, valiant, and strong. The fifth is called maturity, when one possesses wisdom and engages in discussion. The sixth is called accomplishment, when one is skilled in preparing resources and adept at devising plans.

The seventh is called the beginning of decline, when one is well versed in established forms and conventions. The eighth is called decrepitude, when all one's faculties and activities grow feeble. The ninth is called extreme old age, when one can no longer do anything.

The tenth is called the hundredth year, which is precisely the stage of death.

Nanda! In summary, there are ten major divisions such as these. Reckoning four months as one season, in one hundred years there are three hundred seasons: spring, summer, and winter each have one hundred seasons.

A year has twelve months, making a total of one thousand two hundred months. Reckoning by half-months, there are altogether two thousand four hundred half-months. According to the three seasons, each separately has eight hundred half-months.

There are thirty-six thousand days and nights. If one eats two meals a day, there are seventy-two thousand meals. Even occasions when circumstances prevent one from eating are included in this number.

Such circumstances include not eating because of anger, because of encountering suffering, because what one seeks cannot be obtained, because of sleep, fasting, or play, because of business, or because of illness. Eating and not eating together amount to the total stated above, including the time of drinking one’s mother’s milk. The Buddha has fully explained the lifespan of a person who lives one hundred years.

You should become disenchanted with the years, months, days, nights, and the number of times one drinks and eats.

Nanda! As this body is born and grows, it is afflicted by many illnesses, such as diseases of the head, eyes, ears, nose, tongue, teeth, neck, throat, chest, abdomen, hands, and feet; leprosy, ulcerous disease, insanity, swelling, coughing and asthma, wind disorders, bilious fevers, phlegmatic disorders, malaria, and pain in the sinews and bones. The human body is subject to many painful illnesses such as these. Furthermore, there are one hundred and one wind disorders, one hundred and one bilious disorders, one hundred and one phlegmatic disorders, and one hundred and one disorders arising from their combination, making altogether four hundred and four illnesses that arise from within the body.

Nanda! The body is composed of abscesses, sores, and diseases. It never pauses even momentarily; thought after thought, it does not remain. Its nature is impermanent, suffering, empty, and without self. It is subject to decay, ever approaching death and dissolution, and cannot be preserved or cherished.

Nanda! Sentient beings also undergo suffering while alive, such as having their hands, feet, or heads cut off; their eyes gouged out, ears sliced off, or noses severed; being imprisoned, confined, shackled, beaten, and tortured; suffering hunger and thirst, cold and heat, rain and snow, mosquitoes and gnats, ants and lice, wind and dust, savage beasts, and venomous creatures. The many kinds of torment and suffering are measureless and boundless, impossible to recount fully.

Yet sentient beings, constantly dwelling amid such suffering, remain infatuated with and delighted by it. All sensual pleasures are rooted in suffering, but sentient beings do not know to abandon them and instead pursue them. Day and night, their bodies and minds are scorched by defilements, burning within without a moment’s rest.

Nanda! Those sentient beings merely abandon one suffering to seek another. There is only the arising of suffering and only the cessation of suffering. Conditioned formations arise successively through causes and conditions. The Tathagata clearly knows this and therefore teaches the Dharma concerning the birth and death of sentient beings. All conditioned formations are impermanent; they are not ultimate or true. They are subject to change and decay and cannot be held secure. One should seek contentment, become deeply disenchanted and fearful, and diligently seek liberation.

Nanda! Even sentient beings born through impure places of birth in the fortunate realms must endure many kinds of pain and suffering, too numerous to describe fully. How much more unbearable, then, are the countless sufferings of sentient beings in the three evil realms of hell beings, hungry ghosts, and animals!

Furthermore, Nanda! There are four kinds of persons who enter their mother’s womb:

First, a sentient being who enters, dwells in, and emerges from the womb with right mindfulness throughout.

Second, a sentient being who enters and dwells in the womb with right mindfulness but emerges without right mindfulness.

Third, a sentient being who enters the womb with right mindfulness but emerges without right mindfulness.

Fourth, a sentient being who enters, dwells in, and emerges from the womb without right mindfulness throughout.

Who is one who enters, dwells in, and emerges from the womb with right mindfulness throughout? There is a kind of sentient being whose nature delights in observing the precepts, who constantly cultivates wholesome conduct, delights in performing excellent deeds and creating merit, is highly skilled in self-restraint, upright and heedful, and possesses great wisdom. At the approach of death, that person has nothing to regret and immediately takes rebirth.

Such a person may be a Stream-enterer with seven lives remaining; one who goes from family to family, with from six to two lives remaining; a Once-returner; or one progressing toward Non-returning who has only one intervening life. Because that person formerly cultivated wholesome conduct, although suffering and distress arise at death, the mind does not become distracted. That person dies with right mindfulness and again enters the mother’s womb with right mindfulness, clearly knowing all phenomena.

Whenever rebirth is undergone through karma, it arises from causes and conditions, and one constantly dwells in the same place as the maras.

Nanda! You should know that this body is perpetually a cavern containing every impurity. Its nature does not endure; it is an object by which delusion deceives the confused.

This body has bones for its framework; its sinews and vessels are joined together and connect its cavities and acupoints. Fat, bones, flesh, and marrow are intertwined, while skin covers them to conceal their ugliness. It is filled with impurities.

Hair of the head, body hair, teeth, and nails each occupy their distinct places. Because one clings to self and what belongs to self, one is continually seized and dragged about, never gaining freedom. Mucus, nasal discharge, foul sweat, yellow fluid, sticky phlegm, grease, and putrid decay continually issue from it.

The kidneys, gallbladder, liver, lungs, large intestine, and small intestine, together with repulsive feces and urine, are infested everywhere by many kinds of worms. The upper and lower orifices constantly discharge foul impurities. The two receptacles for digested and undigested food are covered by a thin membrane and are no different from a cesspit.

Nanda! You should contemplate how, whenever food is eaten and swallowed, the teeth chew it and saliva moistens it; it is swallowed down the throat, mingles with marrow and brain fluids, and flows as bodily secretions into the abdomen. It is like a dog gnawing a dry bone and falsely imagining that it is delicious. Food that has entered the stomach is belched back up and then swallowed again.

Nanda! This body originally grows from impure substances such as kalala, arbuda, pesi, and so forth. From infancy it passes onward until old age and death, bound within samsara as though in a dark pit or a foul cesspool, constantly nourished by foods that are salty, bland, bitter, pungent, sweet, and sour. Moreover, the inner fire within the mother’s womb burns and cooks the bodily faculties. In that impure vessel of excrement, the fetus is continually tormented by heat. Whenever the mother walks, stands, lies down, or sits, it is as though bound at five points and scorched by fire. This is unbearable and beyond all comparison.

Nanda! Although that fetus undergoes acute suffering within the filthy pit of excrement, because its faculties are keen, its mind does not become distracted.

There is also another kind of sentient being of meager merit whose fetus lies crosswise or upside down in the mother’s womb. Because of the force of past-life karma, or because the mother unwisely consumes food and drink that are cold, hot, salty, or pungent without proper moderation, or drinks water to excess, engages excessively in sexual activity, suffers frequent illness, is often distressed and sorrowful, sometimes slips and falls, or is struck and beaten, the mother’s body consequently becomes increasingly hot.

Because her body is hot, the fetus feels as though it were being burned and suffers greatly. Because of this pain, the fetus moves and turns; through such movement, it may come to lie crosswise or face downward and cannot be delivered. A woman skilled in such matters anoints her hand with clarified butter, inserts it into the mother’s womb, and gently returns the fetus to its former position.

When her hand touches the fetus, the child suffers extreme pain, like a small child whose skin and flesh have been flayed and then sprinkled with ashes—a pain beyond description.

Although undergoing such torment, because the child possesses faculties of the highest acuity, right mindfulness remains undistracted. Such is the suffering endured by the fetus in the mother’s womb.

When birth approaches, the child emerges in pain. That karmic wind causes its two hands to clasp together and its sinews and bones to contract, bringing intense suffering. Its body becomes bruised and blue, as though swollen and too tender to touch.

Hunger and thirst oppress it; its heart is suspended in feverish anguish. Through the force of karma, a wind blows and thrusts it outward. Once it has emerged, contact with the air causes pain like being cut by knives or touched by burning coals.

The touch of human hands, cloth, or bedding all causes extreme pain. Although undergoing such suffering, because the child possesses faculties of the highest acuity, right mindfulness remains undistracted, and it knows that entering the womb, dwelling in the womb, and emerging from it are all exceedingly painful. What wise person would delight in entering a mother’s womb?

Nanda! Who enters and dwells in the womb with right mindfulness, yet lacks right mindfulness when emerging from it?

There are sentient beings whose nature inclines them to uphold the precepts and cultivate wholesome qualities. They constantly perform excellent deeds and create merit. Their minds are upright and heedful, and they possess some wisdom.

At the time of death, they feel no regret. Such a person may be a stream-enterer with seven lives remaining, one who goes from family to family with from six to two lives remaining, a once-returner, or a one-interval candidate for non-returning. Because this person previously cultivated wholesome conduct, although oppressed by suffering at the time of death, their mind is not confused.

Maintaining right mindfulness, they enter the mother’s womb and clearly know that all dharmas produced by karma arise entirely through causes and conditions. In the mother’s womb and when emerging from it, they undergo much suffering. Because their faculties are of intermediate acuity, they possess right mindfulness when entering and dwelling in the womb, but not when emerging from it.

What wise person would delight in entering a mother’s womb?

Nanda! Who enters the womb with right mindfulness, yet lacks it while dwelling in and emerging from the womb?

There are sentient beings whose nature inclines them to uphold the precepts and cultivate wholesome qualities. They constantly perform excellent deeds and create merit. Their minds are upright and unheedless, and they possess some wisdom.

At the time of death, they feel no regret. Such a person may be a stream-enterer with seven lives remaining, one who goes from family to family with from six to two lives remaining, a once-returner, or a one-interval candidate for non-returning. At the time of death, although they undergo much suffering, their mind is not scattered or confused.

Maintaining right mindfulness, they enter the mother’s womb. Yet because their faculties are of lesser acuity, they lack right mindfulness while dwelling in the womb and when emerging from it. What wise person would delight in entering a mother’s womb?

Nanda! Who lacks right mindfulness when entering, dwelling in, and emerging from the womb?

There are sentient beings who delight in breaking the precepts and do not cultivate wholesome qualities. They constantly commit evil deeds and create evil karma. Their minds are not upright; they are greatly heedless and devoid of wisdom.

Greedy for wealth and miserly, their hands are always clenched and cannot open to give to others. They are forever filled with cravings; their hearts are unruly, and their views and conduct are inverted. At the time of death, they regret their unwholesome karma, which then manifests before them.

As they are dying, intense and oppressive suffering causes their minds to become confused, so that they no longer know, “Who am I? From where have I come? Where am I now going?” This is called lacking right mindfulness during all three periods: entering the womb, dwelling in the womb, and emerging from the womb.

Nanda! Although those sentient beings who are born as humans undergo immeasurable suffering and anguish such as this, the human state is nevertheless a fortunate destination, for throughout immeasurable kalpas a human body is difficult to obtain.

Those born in the heavenly realms constantly fear falling from them and suffer the pain of separation from what they love. At the time of death, the devas say to them, “May you be reborn in a fortunate destination,” meaning among devas or humans.

The human path is difficult to attain, and freedom from the states of adversity and obstruction is even more difficult.

What are the evil destinies? The hell destiny, where beings constantly undergo excruciating suffering that is beyond comparison. Beings in the hungry-ghost destiny are by nature full of anger and hatred, without gentle hearts.

They deceive and kill; their hands are stained with blood, and they have no compassion. Their forms are ugly, and all who see them are terrified. Although they may draw near to humans, hunger and thirst perpetually obstruct them.

The animal destiny is immeasurable and boundless. Its beings perform meaningless deeds, meritless deeds, lawless deeds, unwholesome deeds, and impure deeds. They devour one another, and the strong oppress the weak.

Some animals, at birth, throughout life, and at death, always dwell amid impure filth, excrement, foul odors, and darkness. Some emerge briefly into the light, such as bees, butterflies, mosquitoes, flies, ants, termites, lice, and bedbugs. Beyond these are immeasurable and boundless species that are born and grow in perpetual darkness.

Because in former lives they were foolish, did not listen to the sutras and Dharma, indulged in the five desires, and created evil karma, they are born among these species and undergo the suffering of delusion and darkness.

Nanda! There are also immeasurable and boundless animal sentient beings that, upon smelling excrement and urine, immediately run toward it and take it as food and drink. These include pigs, goats, dogs, chickens, foxes, vultures, crows, flies, bluebottles, and dung beetles. Because of evil karma from former lives, they themselves experience this recompense.

Nanda! There are also immeasurable and boundless animal sentient beings that are born and live entirely in water, such as fish, shrimp, and other aquatic creatures. Because of evil karma from former lives, they themselves experience this recompense.

Nanda! There are also immeasurable and boundless animal sentient beings that habitually take grasses, plants, and various impure things as food and drink, such as elephants, horses, buffaloes, cattle, camels, and donkeys. Because of evil karma from former lives, they undergo this recompense.

Nanda! The ocean of suffering of birth and death is exceedingly painful, exceedingly painful. Its blazing fire burns, and there is not a single sentient being who is not scorched by it. Those sentient beings are consumed by the fiercely blazing flames of the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind as they crave the sense objects of form, sound, odor, taste, touch, and dharmas.

What are called the fiercely blazing flames?

Nanda! They are the flames of greed, anger, and delusion; the flames of birth, aging, illness, and death; and the flames of sorrow, lamentation, pain, anguish, and poisonous affliction. They perpetually burn beings from within, and no one escapes them.

Nanda! The indolent undergo much suffering. Bound by afflictions, they create evil karma; therefore, their wandering in samsara never ceases, and birth and death never come to an end. The diligent enjoy much peace and happiness. They arouse a courageous and vigorous resolve to eradicate afflictions, cultivate wholesome dharmas, and never abandon good deeds or cease their efforts for even a moment.

You should contemplate how this body—its skin, flesh, sinews, bones, blood vessels, marrow, and brain—will before long disintegrate. You should always remain single-minded and never lapse into indolence. Those who have not yet attained realization must diligently seek awakening. You should train yourselves in this way.

Nanda! The Buddha does not engage in disputes with the world, yet the world insists on disputing with the Buddha. Why is this?

Those who clearly understand all dharmas dispute with no one. Having departed from self and what belongs to self, who remains to dispute with whom?

Because worldly people lack vision and understanding and deludedly give rise to attachments, the Buddha, having realized complete and perfect enlightenment, declares that there is nothing among all dharmas that the Buddha does not clearly know.

Nanda! Is there any error or discrepancy in what the Buddha says?

—World-Honored One! There is no error or discrepancy in what the Buddha says.

—Nanda! Excellent, excellent! What the Tathagata says is certainly free from error and discrepancy. The Tathagata speaks truth, speaks reality, speaks what is thus, and speaks without variance. He desires that all beings in the world forever enjoy peace and happiness and gain the greatest benefit. He knows the Path, understands the Path, teaches the Path, and opens the Path. He is the Great Guide, the Tathagata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Enlightened One, the One Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, the Well-Gone One, the Knower of the World, the Unsurpassed One, the Tamer of Men, the Teacher of Gods and Humans, the Buddha, the World-Honored One.

Worldly people, ignorant and without faith, are constantly enslaved by their faculties. They see only what lies in the palm of their hands and fail to perceive the great and genuine benefit. They do not cultivate what is easy, yet continually undertake what is difficult.

Nanda! Enough. Such is the domain of wisdom. You should now use your physical eyes to observe these things. To know that everything seen is false and illusory is called liberation.

Nanda! Do not believe merely because it is the Buddha; do not follow merely what the Buddha desires; do not rely merely upon the Buddha’s words; do not judge by the Buddha’s appearance; do not follow the views and understanding of an ascetic; do not give rise to reverence merely toward an ascetic; and do not say, “The ascetic Gautama is my great teacher.” Instead, with regard to the Dharma personally realized by the Buddha, you should dwell alone in a tranquil place, reflect upon it, contemplate it, and constantly cultivate it with diligence.

In accordance with the Dharma to which you have applied your mind in contemplation, contemplate that very Dharma until your practice is accomplished. Let right mindfulness abide securely therein. Make yourself an island and a refuge; make the Dharma your island and refuge.

There is no other island and no other refuge.

Nanda! How does a bhiksu make himself an island and a refuge?

Nanda! If a bhiksu contemplates the body internally, practicing diligently, maintaining mindfulness, and attaining right and clear comprehension, while constantly examining and subduing whatever anger and distress arise in relation to the world, this is called contemplating the body internally and recognizing it as suffering. The same applies to contemplating the body externally and both internally and externally.

Nanda! Having contemplated the arising of phenomena in the body, you abide therein; having contemplated their cessation, you abide therein. Again, having contemplated both their arising and cessation in the body, you abide therein. Thus, right mindfulness may be established with regard to this body. There may be bare knowledge, bare seeing, or bare mindfulness; or one may abide without dependence, knowing that nothing in this world can be grasped. This is called a bhiksu contemplating the body internally within his own body and abiding therein. The same applies to contemplating the body externally and both internally and externally.

Next, he contemplates feelings internally, externally, and both internally and externally, and abides therein. Next, he contemplates mind internally, externally, and both internally and externally, and abides therein. Next, he contemplates dharmas internally, externally, and both internally and externally, and abides therein.

Practicing diligently, maintaining mindfulness, and attaining right and clear comprehension, he constantly examines and subdues whatever anger and distress arise in relation to the world. Having contemplated the arising of phenomena, he abides therein; having contemplated their cessation, he abides therein; and having contemplated both their arising and cessation, he abides therein. Thus, right mindfulness may be established with regard to this body.

There may be bare knowledge, bare seeing, or bare mindfulness, and he knows that nothing in these worlds can be grasped.

This is called a bhiksu making himself an island and a refuge, and making the Dharma his island and refuge, with no other island or refuge.

Nanda! If a man is by nature upright and free from deceit and flattery, and comes to the Buddha early in the morning, the Buddha will instruct him in wholesome Dharma according to his capacities. By evening, that man will personally report what he has attained. Or, if instructed in the evening, he will report what he has attained by morning.

Nanda! The Buddha’s wholesome Dharma can be realized in this very life, removes feverish affliction, accords skillfully with the appropriate time and circumstances, and is easy to practice through skillful means. It is a Dharma to be personally awakened to and is well able to provide protection.

Those who personally hear the Buddha teach the Dharma in his presence hear that which accords with quiescence and cessation, nirvana, and which can lead to bodhi, perfect enlightenment. This is what the Buddha knows. Therefore, whatever dharmas you now perceive as benefiting oneself, benefiting others, or benefiting both oneself and others, you should constantly cultivate and study.

You should carefully practice the Dharma of renunciation and not let your life pass in vain. In this way, you will attain the supreme unconditioned fruit of peace and happiness, become worthy of offerings, and enable donors to gain great merit and benefit and receive exceedingly fine, noble, and vast karmic rewards. You should train yourselves in this way.

Furthermore, Nanda! There has never been any form that is worthy of attachment and delight and that will not later change and decay. There has never been any form that does not give rise to sorrow and grief or produce afflictions.

Nanda! Is form permanent or impermanent?

—World-Honored One! Its nature is impermanent.

—Nanda! Since it is impermanent, is it suffering?

—World-Honored One! It is suffering.

—Nanda! Since it is impermanent and suffering, it is therefore subject to change and decay. Do the Buddha’s learned disciples regard form as self, the self as possessing form, form as belonging to the self, or the self as dwelling within form?

—World-Honored One! They do not regard it in this way.

—Nanda! Are feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness permanent or impermanent?

—World-Honored One! They are impermanent.

—Nanda! Since they are impermanent, are feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness suffering?

—World-Honored One! They are all suffering.

—Nanda! Since they are impermanent and suffering, they are therefore subject to change and decay. Do the Buddha’s learned disciples regard feeling and so forth as self, the self as possessing feeling and so forth, feeling and so forth as belonging to the self, or the self as dwelling within feeling and so forth?

—World-Honored One! They do not regard any of them in this way.

– Nanda! Therefore, you should know that whatever form there may be—past, future, or present; internal or external; coarse or subtle; superior or inferior; near or far—all form is not self; the self possesses no form; form does not belong to the self; and the self does not abide within form. Thus should one contemplate with right mindfulness and right wisdom. Feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness should likewise be contemplated with right mindfulness and right wisdom. If a learned disciple of the Buddha contemplates in this way, he becomes disenchanted with form and disenchanted with feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness. Having become disenchanted, he is no longer attached and is thereby liberated. Once liberated, he knows for himself that he is liberated and declares: “My birth is ended, the holy life has been established, what had to be done has been done, and there will be no further existence.”

When the Buddha had taught this Dharma, the Venerable Nanda, freed from dust and defilement, attained the pure Dharma-eye, and the minds of five hundred bhiksus were liberated from the outflows.

The Blessed One then spoke these verses to Nanda:

“Nanda, one without right concentration

Has no purified wisdom

And cannot end the afflictions;

Therefore, you must diligently cultivate.

Constantly cultivate wondrous contemplation

And know the arising and cessation of the skandhas.

When purity is perfected,

The devas are all delightful and beautiful.

Socializing joyfully with friends,

Coming and going with mutual affection,

Coveting fame and becoming intoxicated by gain—

Nanda, these you must abandon.

Do not associate closely with householders

Or with such renunciants.

Be mindful of crossing the ocean of birth and death

And reaching the uttermost shore of suffering.

First comes the kalala,

Then it becomes a soft lump of flesh;

The lump of flesh becomes the pesi,

And the pesi becomes the ghana.

The ghana gradually transforms,

Producing the head and four limbs.

The bones join together to form the body;

All arise from karma.

The bones of the skull comprise nine pieces;

The jaw consists of two joined bones.

There are thirty-two teeth,

And the tooth sockets are likewise numbered.

The ear cavities and the bones of the neck,

The gum bones and the bridge of the nose,

The chest, flanks, and throat—

In all, there are twenty bones.

The framework of the face has four bones;

The two shoulders also have two pairs.

The two arms and the fingertips

Have fifty bones in all.

Behind the neck there are eight bones;

The spine has thirty-two.

All of them have their bases,

And their number is also divided into four parts.

The ribs on the right side,

Joined together, number thirteen;

Those formed and joined on the left side

Likewise number thirteen bones.

These bones spread out in this manner:

Threes are joined together,

Pairs hook and pull upon one another,

While the others are not joined together.

The two thighs and legs, left and right,

Together contain fifty bones.

In all there are three hundred and sixteen,

Supporting the body of flesh upright.

The joints of the bones hook together,

Forming the skeleton of a living being.

Thus has the Truthful One declared,

According to the knowledge of the Fully Awakened One.

From the feet up to the head,

It is foul and unclean, unstable and insecure.

From these components the body is formed,

Fragile as a thatched hut.

Without a roof, only bones stand,

Plastered throughout with blood and flesh,

Like a mechanical wooden puppet

Or like an illusory image.

Thus should this body be contemplated:

Sinews and vessels coil around it,

Moist skin enfolds and envelops it.

At nine places are open sores,

Constantly overflowing everywhere

With excrement, urine, and other impurities.

It is like a storehouse or a barrel

Holding grain, maize, and the like;

This body is also thus,

Filled within with foul impurities.

Its skeletal mechanism moves,

Fragile, unstable, and insecure.

Fools are constantly fond of it,

But the wise are not attached.

It continually discharges filthy mucus and saliva;

Pus and blood ever fill it.

Yellow fat mingles with milky fluid,

And the brain fills the skull.

Phlegm and fluids flow through the chest;

Within are the raw and digested viscera,

Grease, skin, and membranes,

The five organs, intestines, and stomach.

All these foul and putrid things,

All these impurities, dwell together.

This deeply blameworthy body is fearsome;

It is indeed an enemy.

The ignorant are infatuated with it,

And in their delusion constantly protect it.

Such a foul and filthy body

Is like a decaying fortress.

Day and night it is afflicted,

Drifting onward without a moment’s rest.

The body is a city; the bones, its walls;

Blood and flesh are the plastering mud.

It is painted in the colors of greed, hatred, and delusion,

And adorned wherever they arise.

Loathsome is this city of the skeletal body,

In which blood and flesh are joined together.

It is constantly beset by evil companions,

As suffering within and without burns one another.

Nanda, you should know

These words spoken by the Buddha.

Day and night, constantly gather in your mindfulness;

Do not think upon objects of desire.

If one wishes to leave them far behind,

One should constantly contemplate in this way,

Diligently seek the place of liberation,

And swiftly escape the ocean of birth and death.”

After the Blessed One had spoken this Sutra on Entering the Womb, the Venerable Nanda and the five hundred bhiksus all rejoiced greatly, faithfully accepted it, and practiced accordingly.

The bhiksu Nanda crossed beyond the perilous ocean of birth and death, reached the ultimate peace and security of nirvana, and attained the fruit of arhatship. Rejoicing in himself, he spoke these verses:

“With reverent heart, I offered bathing water,

Pure water and fragrant ointments,

And cultivated together with those fields of merit;

Thus have I obtained this supreme recompense.”

When the great assembly heard these verses, they all became doubtful. Wishing to resolve their doubts, they addressed the Buddha: “What karma did the bhiksu Nanda create in the past that he obtained a golden-hued body adorned with thirty major marks, appearing only four finger-widths shorter than the body of the Blessed One? He was deeply attached to sensual pleasures. Through the Buddha’s compassionate mercy, he was forcibly rescued from the ocean of birth and death and established in ultimate nirvana. May the Blessed One explain this to us.”

The Buddha told the great assembly: “The karma created by the bhiksu Nanda in a former life has now ripened in its results, and all of it has become manifest.”

The Buddha then spoke this verse:

“Though a hundred kalpas may pass,

Karma once created is never lost.

When causes and conditions converge,

One must personally undergo its result.”

You should all listen carefully. Ninety-one kalpas ago, when the human lifespan was eighty thousand years, a Buddha appeared in the world named Vipasyin Tathagata, Worthy One, Perfectly Awakened 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. Together with sixty-two thousand bhiksus, he journeyed among the people and came to the city of Bodily Wisdom, where the king had established his capital.

That Buddha took up residence in the Forest of Bodily Wisdom. He had a younger half-brother who was deeply infatuated with sensual pleasures. The Buddha Vipasyin exhorted his younger brother to renounce the household life and escape the ocean of birth and death, and by skillful means established him in ultimate nirvana.

The king at that time was named Possessing a Body. He governed the realm according to the Dharma, and the populace was numerous, prosperous, well provided for, and secure. The king had a younger half-brother who was deeply infatuated with lustful passions. When the king heard that the Buddha and the great assembly had come to reside in the Forest of Bodily Wisdom, he brought the princes, attendants, palace women, and people to the Buddha. After bowing at the Buddha’s feet, they sat to one side.

For the sake of the king and the great assembly, the Buddha Vipasyin proclaimed the wondrous Dharma, instructing them so that they gained benefit, joy, and supreme understanding.

The king’s younger brother was so deeply infatuated with sensual pleasures that he refused to leave his door. The sons of the ministers and his spiritual friends came and said to him: “Good friend, do you not know? The king, the crown prince, the ladies of the inner palace, the ministers, and the people have now gone to the presence of Vipasyin Buddha to pay homage and hear the Dharma, thereby attaining surpassing understanding.

A human body is difficult to obtain, and you have obtained one; why, then, do you remain immersed in lust and refuse to leave your door?” Hearing his friends’ reproach, the king’s younger brother felt ashamed and reluctantly accompanied them. A bhiksu who was the Buddha’s younger brother met them and asked what had happened, and they related the circumstances. That bhiksu said: “I am the Buddha’s younger brother.

Formerly, when I lived at home, I too was infatuated with sensual objects. Fortunately, the Buddha compelled and guided me to leave the household life, and I peacefully reached the ultimate nirvana. Even now there are foolish people like the person I once was.

That you, out of compassion, have compelled and guided him to come with you is truly a deed of great goodness. When he reaches the Buddha’s presence, he will certainly develop profound faith.”

That group then went to the Buddha’s presence. Vipasyin Tathagata observed their faculties, dispositions, and inclinations and expounded the Dharma for them. After hearing the Dharma, the king’s younger brother developed profound faith. He bowed to the Buddha and said: “May the Blessed One and the noble Sangha come to my house tomorrow morning and enter the warm bathhouse to bathe.” The Buddha silently accepted the invitation.

Knowing that the Buddha had accepted, the king’s younger brother bowed at the Buddha’s feet and then went to the king and said: “I went to the Buddha’s presence, heard the Dharma, and developed faith; I have become weary of and detached from sensual pleasures. I have invited the Buddha and the Sangha to come to my house tomorrow morning and enter the warm bathhouse to bathe. The Tathagata, the Great Teacher, has compassionately accepted my invitation. The Buddha is worthy of offerings from gods and humans alike. Your Majesty should therefore have the roads swept and sprinkled and the city magnificently adorned.”

The king thought: “My younger brother was so infatuated with sensual pleasures that he was difficult to admonish, yet the Buddha has now subdued him. This is truly extraordinary. Since the Buddha will enter my city, I should adorn it.” The king replied: “Excellent. Return home and prepare all the necessities for the bathing. I shall adorn the city to the best of my ability.” The king’s younger brother rejoiced greatly, took his leave, and returned home.

The king told his officials: “Issue a proclamation to all the people that tomorrow morning the Blessed One will enter the city. Everyone should adorn the city according to their ability, sprinkle and sweep the roads, and carry incense and flowers to welcome the Great Teacher.”

When the people heard the proclamation, they immediately sprinkled, swept, and adorned every place. They sprinkled floral water, burned fragrant incense, hung banners and canopies, and scattered flowers as offerings, making the city resemble the Joyous Garden of Sakra, Lord of the Gods. The king’s younger brother prepared warm scented water and fragrant oils, adorned the bathhouse, and arranged seats.

The next morning, as Vipasyin Buddha was about to enter the city, the king led the great assembly out to welcome him. After bowing at the Buddha’s feet, they followed behind him into the city.

The king’s younger brother welcomed the Blessed One into the warm bathhouse and offered scented water for the Buddha to bathe. Seeing that the Buddha’s body was the color of gold, adorned with the thirty-two marks and eighty minor characteristics, and beautiful in every part, he rejoiced and developed profound faith. After the Buddha had finished bathing and put on his robes, the king’s younger brother bowed at his feet and made this vow: “Today I have had the good fortune to encounter the supreme field of merit and to present this humble offering.

May my body in a future life be the color of gold, like the Buddha’s. Just as the Buddha’s younger brother was infatuated with sensual objects and was compelled and guided by the Buddha to escape them and attain the secure abode of ultimate nirvana, may I in a future life become the younger brother of a Buddha and possess a body the color of gold. When I become infatuated with sensual objects, may the Buddha compel and guide me out of the deep river of craving and defilement to the peace and security of nirvana.”

“O bhiksus! The younger brother of King Thân Huệ, who was infatuated with sensual pleasures, was none other than the present Nanda. Because in the past he planted wholesome causes by making offerings to Vipasyin Buddha and forming this virtuous vow, he now possesses a body the color of gold and has been compelled and guided by the Buddha to escape sensual pleasures and reach the peace and security of ultimate nirvana.”

The bhiksus still had doubts, so they asked the Buddha: “What karma did the bhiksu Nanda create that enabled him to acquire the thirty-two marks of a great man?”

The Buddha told the bhiksus: “The karma he created may be explained at length as before. In the past, there lived in a village a wealthy householder who possessed abundant riches and lacked none of the necessities. He had a garden lush with flowers and fruit, flowing streams, bathing ponds, and dense groves of trees. It was suitable as a secluded place of cultivation for renunciants.

“At that time, a pratyekabuddha appeared in the world. Out of compassion for sentient beings, he dwelt in a quiet place. When no Buddha is present in the world, only such a one is a field of merit.

“One venerable pratyekabuddha traveled among the people and came to that village. After looking throughout the area, he arrived at the garden. When the gardener saw the Venerable One, he invited him to rest in the garden. In the middle of the night, the Venerable One entered the samadhi of fiery radiance. Seeing this, the gardener returned and informed the householder of this surpassing, extraordinary, and joyful event. Upon hearing the report, the householder hurried to the garden, bowed at the Venerable One’s feet, and said: ‘By going on almsround, you serve as a field of merit for me. I pray that you remain in this garden, and I shall always make offerings to you.’

“Seeing the householder’s earnestness, the Venerable One accepted his invitation and remained in the garden, where he entered the sublime liberation of right concentration. The Venerable One then thought: ‘This foul-smelling body revolves through birth and death. What had to be done has now been accomplished. I should now enter final nirvana and forever realize the unborn.’ Having thought this, the Venerable One flew into the sky, entered the samadhi of fiery radiance, and manifested various spiritual transformations, emitting a great light. Blazing flames shone above him while clear water flowed below. Having relinquished that body, his consciousness arose no more, and he forever realized the nirvana-dhatu without remainder.

“The householder gathered the remains and cremated them with fragrant oil, then extinguished the fire with milk. He collected the remaining bones, placed them in a new vessel, built a stupa, and hung banners and canopies. With a heart filled with reverence and faith, he sprinkled thirty kinds of scented water and made a great vow to attain the excellent marks and characteristics.

“O bhiksus! That householder of the past was none other than the present Nanda. Because of the karma of reverent faith and offerings, he now receives the corresponding fruit and has acquired thirty surpassingly sublime marks.”

The great assembly still had doubts and again asked the Buddha: “Blessed One, what karma did the bhiksu Nanda formerly create such that, had he not left the household life and renounced worldly life, he would certainly have succeeded to the throne of a wheel-turning king?”

The Buddha told the bhiksus: “In the past, during this Fortunate Eon, when the human lifespan was twenty thousand years, the Buddha Kasyapa appeared in the world, fully endowed with the ten epithets, and dwelt in the Deer Park. In that city there was a king named Krkin, who governed the people according to the Dharma and was a great Dharma King. He had three princes.

When the work of teaching and transforming beings was complete, the Buddha Kasyapa entered great nirvana. With reverent faith, the king performed the cremation using fragrant woods such as sandalwood, agarwood, seashore incense, ox-head sandalwood, and heavenly wood incense. He extinguished the fire by sprinkling it with fragrant milk, gathered the Buddha’s relics and placed them in a precious golden vessel, and built a stupa of the four precious substances, one yojana in both length and breadth and half a yojana in height.

When the crowning wheel was placed upon the stupa, the second prince personally suspended a parasol at its center.

“O bhiksus! The second prince at that time was none other than Nanda. Because in the past he reverently made an offering by suspending a parasol at the center of the stupa, that wholesome karma caused him, for two thousand five hundred lifetimes, always to become a Bala Wheel-Turning King who ruled over one continent. In this life, had he not renounced the household life, Nanda would once again have become a Bala Wheel-Turning King possessing great sovereignty.”

Some in the great assembly still had doubts and addressed the Buddha: “World-Honored One! What karma did the bhiksu Nanda formerly create that now, among the Buddha’s disciples, he is foremost in carefully guarding the sense faculties?”

The Buddha taught: “O bhiksus! This is due to the power of his vow. In the time of the Buddha Kasyapa, Nanda, in a former life, relinquished the household life and went forth.

His personal preceptor, within the Dharma of the Buddha Kasyapa, was renowned as foremost in carefully guarding the sense faculties. Nanda himself maintained the pure conduct throughout his life, but in that lifetime he did not attain realization. As he approached death, he made this vow: ‘In the presence of the Buddha, I maintained the practice throughout my life, yet did not attain realization.

I vow that through the roots of goodness cultivated by this practice, when the Buddha Sakyamuni appears in the world, I shall renounce the household life and go forth within that Buddha’s teaching, bring all afflictions to an end, and attain the fruit of arhatship. My personal preceptor is foremost in carefully guarding the sense faculties. I vow that in the future, within the teaching of the Buddha Sakyamuni, I too shall be foremost in carefully guarding the sense faculties.’

“Because of the power of that vow, Nanda is now foremost among the Buddha’s disciples in carefully guarding the sense faculties.

“O bhiksus! If one performs purely evil karma, one will experience purely evil results. If one performs purely wholesome karma, one will experience purely wholesome results. If one performs mixed karma, one will experience mixed results. Therefore, you must abandon purely evil karma and mixed karma and cultivate purely wholesome karma. Thus should you practice.”