大寶積經

5. CHAPTER ON THE FOREST-DWELLING BHIKSHU

The elder Mahākāśyapa again said: “World-Honored One! To what extent is one called a forest-dwelling bhikshu? To what extent is one called an alms-begging bhikshu? To what extent is one called a bhikshu who keeps rag robes? To what extent is one called a bhikshu who sits beneath a tree? To what extent is one called a bhikshu who dwells in a charnel ground? To what extent is one called a bhikshu who dwells in a charnel ground? To what extent is one called a bhikshu who dwells in the open air?”

The Buddha taught: “Mahākāśyapa! One called a forest-dwelling bhikshu must delight in secluded places and dwell in secluded places. A secluded place is one without loud sounds or the clamor of crowds, apart from monkeys, deer, tigers, wolves, and birds, far from thieves, robbers, and herdsmen—a place conducive to the practice of a śramaṇa. One should dwell in such a secluded place and cultivate the Path there.

When that bhikshu wishes to go to a secluded place, he must contemplate eight dharmas: First, I should relinquish my body. Second, I should relinquish my life. Third, I should relinquish gain and support. Fourth, I should leave behind everything I cherish. Fifth, if I die in the mountains, I shall be like a dead deer. Sixth, while dwelling in a secluded place, I shall undertake the forest-dwelling practice. Seventh, I shall sustain myself through the Dharma. Eighth, I shall not sustain myself through afflictions.

These are the eight forest-dwelling dharmas a bhikshu must contemplate. Having contemplated them, he should go to a secluded place.

Mahākāśyapa! After arriving at a secluded place, the forest-dwelling bhikshu practices the forest-dwelling Dharma and uses eight practices of loving-kindness to give rise to compassion for all sentient beings: First, loving-kindness that brings benefit. Second, loving-kindness that brings peace and happiness. Third, loving-kindness free from anger. Fourth, true and upright loving-kindness. Fifth, loving-kindness free from change and extinction. Sixth, compliant and harmonious loving-kindness. Seventh, loving-kindness that contemplates all dharmas. Eighth, loving-kindness pure as empty space. Through these eight practices, the bhikshu gives rise to a mind of loving-kindness toward sentient beings.

Mahākāśyapa! Having reached a secluded place, the forest-dwelling bhikshu should think: “Although I have come far away to dwell alone without companions, whether I act wholesomely or unwholesomely, there is no one here to admonish me.” He should then think: “Here there are devas, nāgas, ghosts, spirits, bodhisattvas, Buddhas, and World-Honored Ones who know that I am applying my mind. They will bear witness for me. Now that I dwell here cultivating the forest-dwelling Dharma, my unwholesome mind must not be allowed to arise freely.”

He should further reflect: “I have come to this remote place without companions, intimates, or possessions. I should remain vigilant against greed, anger, and delusion, and also against all other unwholesome dharmas. I must not be no different from those who delight in crowds, nor from those who enjoy being near villages. If I am no different from them yet call myself a forest dweller, I deceive the devas, nāgas, ghosts, and spirits. The Buddhas see me, and I myself would not be joyful. If I properly practice the forest-dwelling Dharma, the devas, nāgas, ghosts, and spirits will not reproach me. When the Buddhas see me, they will rejoice.”

Mahākāśyapa! A forest-dwelling bhikshu who dwells in a secluded place and practices the forest-dwelling Dharma single-mindedly and firmly observes the precepts of liberation. He skillfully protects the aggregate of precepts; purifies body, speech, and mind; does not act deceitfully or crookedly; purifies right livelihood; directs his mind toward right concentrations; remembers the Dharma he has heard; diligently practices right contemplation directed toward detachment, purity, cessation, and nirvana; fears the rounds of birth and death; contemplates the five skandhas as enemies, the four great elements as poisonous snakes, and the six ayatanas as an empty house; skillfully and expediently contemplates the twelve links of dependent origination;

abandons the views of annihilationism and eternalism; sees that there is no self, person, sentient being, or lifespan; understands the emptiness of dharmas and realizes signlessness; gradually reduces activity and practices non-action.

His mind is constantly fearful as he travels through the three realms. He practices continually as though extinguishing a fire on his head, always vigorously and never retreating. Contemplating the true characteristic of the body, he should think: “Through such contemplation of dharmas, one should know the origin of suffering, end every cause of accumulation, realize cessation, diligently cultivate the right path, practice loving-kindness, abide in the four foundations of mindfulness, abandon unwholesome dharmas, and enter the gates of wholesome Dharma.

One should abide in the four right efforts, enter the four bases of spiritual power, protect the four wholesome roots, gain mastery of the five powers, illuminate the seven factors of enlightenment, diligently practice the eightfold noble path, uphold meditative concentration, and use wisdom to discern the characteristics of all dharmas.”

Mahākāśyapa! Dharma such as this is taught to adorn the forest-dwelling practice. Having adorned himself in this way, the bhikshu dwells in mountains and forests. During the first and last watches of the night, he should diligently cultivate these practices and not sleep, but constantly remain mindful of his wish to attain the supramundane Dharma!

Mahākāśyapa! Wherever a forest-dwelling bhikshu stays, he should always accomplish the Path without adorning his body or robes. He gathers dry grass and spreads it as a seat, uses his own sitting cloth, and remains apart from the property of the resident Sangha and the Sangha of the four directions. While dwelling in seclusion, the bhikshu is content with robes sufficient merely to cover his body so that he may practice the noble path.

Mahākāśyapa! When a forest-dwelling bhikshu goes into a town or village to seek alms, he should think: “I have come from my secluded dwelling to this town or village. Whether or not I obtain food, my mind will be neither sorrowful nor joyful.” If he obtains nothing while seeking alms, he should give rise to joy and remember his karmic retribution from past lives: “Now I should diligently cultivate meritorious karma.” He should also remember that even the Tathagata did not always obtain food when seeking alms.

When a forest-dwelling bhikshu enters a town to seek alms, he must adorn himself with Dharma. Only after adorning himself with Dharma should he enter the town to seek alms. What is adornment with Dharma?

If he sees an agreeable form, he should not become attached. If he sees a disagreeable form, he should not give rise to anger or aversion. Likewise, toward sounds, odors, flavors, tangible objects, and dharmas, he should not give rise to greed or anger.

He should always gather in and protect his faculties, looking no farther than one fathom ahead. He should subdue his mind, not allowing the Dharma upon which he meditates to leave it, and not allowing food to defile his mind as he practices alms-begging. He should seek alms from each household in sequence.

Where he receives alms, he should not rejoice; where he receives none, he should not become angry. If he visits ten or more houses without obtaining food, he should not become sorrowful but should think: “The elders, brahmins, and householders have many matters demanding their attention and therefore have no leisure to bring me food. Moreover, these householders have never even thought of me, much less of giving me food.” If he can think in this way, the forest-dwelling bhikshu will never be afraid when seeking alms.

Mahākāśyapa! When a forest-dwelling bhikshu seeks alms in a town or village and sees men, women, boys, girls, or even animals, he should give rise to loving-kindness and compassion for all sentient beings and make this vow as he practices diligently: “May every sentient being who sees me and gives me food be reborn in the heavens.”

Mahākāśyapa! Whether the forest-dwelling bhikshu obtains good or poor food while seeking alms, he should look in the four directions and think: “Who here is destitute? I shall reduce my portion and give some to that person.” If he sees a destitute person, he should immediately divide his portion in half and give it to that person. If he sees no one, he should think: “To sentient beings whom my eyes cannot see, I offer the finest part of this food. I am the donor, and they are the recipients.”

Mahākāśyapa! After obtaining food through alms-begging, the forest-dwelling bhikshu carries it back to his secluded dwelling, washes his hands and feet, purifies the observances of a śramaṇa, and fulfills all practices of purity. In accordance with the Dharma, he gathers grass and spreads it as a seat, then sits cross-legged to eat. His mind is without craving, anger, pride, impurity, or confusion. As he is about to eat, he thinks: “There are eighty thousand protective organisms within this body. When they obtain food, they will surely be at ease and happy. I now gather in these protective organisms with food; when I attain Buddhahood, I shall gather them in through the Dharma.”

Mahākāśyapa! When the food is insufficient, the forest-dwelling bhikshu should contemplate: “My body is now light and can cultivate patience and eliminate evils. I will also produce less urine and excrement. Once the body is light, the mind will also become light. I will sleep less and will not give rise to desire.”

Mahākāśyapa! If he obtains abundant food through alms-begging, the forest-dwelling bhikshu should contemplate contentment. He should take out one handful, place it upon a clean stone slab, and think: “I offer this to any bird or animal able to eat it; they are the recipients.”

Mahākāśyapa! After eating, the forest-dwelling bhikshu washes his bowl, wipes it clean and dry, rinses his mouth, washes his hands, puts away his saṃghāṭī, and, in accordance with the forest-dwelling practice, remains at his original dwelling and contemplates the characteristics of dharmas.

Mahākāśyapa! While practicing the forest-dwelling discipline, if that bhikshu is an ordinary person who has not yet attained the fruit of a śramaṇa and tigers or wolves approach, he should not become afraid but should contemplate: “Before coming to this secluded place, I had already resolved to relinquish body and life, so I shall not fear. Instead, I should arouse loving-kindness and compassion and eliminate every evil. If those tigers or wolves kill and eat me, I shall gain great benefit, exchanging this impermanent body for an enduring body. After eating my flesh, those tigers and wolves will gain peace and happiness in body and mind.”

A forest-dwelling bhikshu who practices the forest-dwelling Dharma should contemplate relinquishing body and life in this manner.

Mahākāśyapa! If, while a forest-dwelling bhikshu is practicing the forest-dwelling Dharma, nonhuman beings come and manifest attractive or terrifying forms, the bhikshu should give rise neither to affection nor to anger toward them.

If devas who have previously seen a Buddha come to pose questions, then after they have asked, the forest-dwelling bhikshu should explain the Dharma to them according to the extent of his understanding. If the devas ask about profound Dharma and he cannot answer, the forest-dwelling bhikshu should not become arrogant but should say: “I have not studied extensively. Please do not despise me. I shall now diligently study the Buddha-Dharma. When I have penetrated the Buddha-Dharma, I shall answer everything.” He should also ask the devas to explain the Dharma to him so that he may receive it, and should thank them, saying: “Please do not be troubled on my account.”

Furthermore, Mahākāśyapa! A forest-dwelling bhikshu who practices the forest-dwelling Dharma should skillfully cultivate the perception of the secluded place as being like grass, trees, tiles, and stones, without owner, self, or possession. This body is likewise without self, person, sentient being, or lifespan. These dharmas do not contend; they all arise through the convergence of conditions. If I contemplate these dharmas skillfully, I shall end all views and attachments. Therefore, I should constantly contemplate emptiness, signlessness, and non-action.

Mahākāśyapa! When cultivating the forest-dwelling Dharma, a forest-dwelling bhikshu examines flowers, fruits, medicinal herbs, and forests of trees: How do they come together? How do they disperse and perish? These external things have no owner, self, or possessor and engage in no contention. They arise and perish on their own; no one causes them to arise or perish. Just as grass and trees have no owner, self, or possession, this body likewise has no self, person, sentient being, or lifespan and engages in no contention. It arises from conditions and perishes when conditions disperse. Within such a principle of cessation, there is not a single dharma that either arises or perishes.

The forest-dwelling bhikshu who goes to a secluded place should cultivate the Dharma described above.

Mahākāśyapa! If a forest-dwelling bhikshu practices such Dharma and studies the Śrāvaka Vehicle, he will quickly realize the fruit of a śramaṇa. If karmic obstructions prevent him from attaining the fruit of a śramaṇa in the present life, after seeing no more than one, two, or three Buddhas, he will exhaust all outflows. If he studies the Bodhisattva Vehicle, he will attain the patient acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas and the unobstructed Dharma in the present life, will certainly see future Buddhas, and will swiftly attain unsurpassed bodhi.”

When the Buddha taught the forest-dwelling Dharma, five hundred bhikshus exhausted all outflows and liberated their minds.

6. CHAPTER ON THE ALMS-BEGGING BHIKSHU

The Buddha told the elder Mahākāśyapa: “What is an alms-begging bhikshu?

Mahākāśyapa! If a bhikshu first abides in his original vow: ‘I went forth relying upon alms-begging; now I abide in my original vow,’ that bhikshu remains mindful of whether he harbors deceit or not, abandons all invitations to meals, abandons all offerings within the Sangha, and firmly adorns himself. Regarding every flavor, an alms-begging bhikshu should not contemplate fine taste.

When encountering exquisite flavors, that bhikshu should admonish his mind and think: ‘I am like a caṇḍāla. I must purify body and mind and should not seek purity in food and drink. Why?

Once delicious food has been eaten, it becomes foul and filthy. I should not seek delicious food.’ After subduing his mind, when he enters a town or village and seeks alms from each household in sequence, he should not think: ‘May a man give to me rather than a woman; may a woman give to me rather than a man; may a boy give rather than a girl, or a girl rather than a boy. May I obtain good rather than poor food; delicious rather than unpleasant food.

May it be given deliberately rather than unintentionally; easily rather than with difficulty; quickly rather than slowly. May I receive respect rather than disrespect; fresh rather than old food; food from a wealthy household rather than a poor one. May everyone come out to welcome me.’ An alms-begging bhikshu should not contemplate any of these unwholesome dharmas.

He must adorn himself in this manner. This is the customary Dharma practiced by an alms-begging bhikshu.

Whether or not he obtains food while seeking alms, that bhikshu should give rise to neither sorrow nor joy and should not consider whether the food is good or poor. Why? Many sentient beings crave delicious food and thereby create evil karma and fall into evil destinies. One who is content should relinquish good food and accept poor food, eliminating the tongue’s attachment to food. His mind should always be content, and he should remain content even upon obtaining extremely poor food. If that person dies, he will be reborn among devas or humans; reborn in the heavens, he will eat delicious celestial food.

Mahākāśyapa! An alms-begging bhikshu who thus abandons attachment to food and subdues his mind will not become troubled even if for seven days he must eat beans and roots. Why? Because they are sufficient merely to sustain life. ‘Now I eat only so that I may practice the Path. It is for the sake of practicing the Path that I eat.’

Mahākāśyapa! When an alms-begging bhikshu receives a portion of food in his bowl—food obtained in accordance with the Dharma, support obtained in accordance with the Dharma—he should share that portion with fellow bhikshus who practice brahmacarya.

At times an alms-begging bhikshu may become ill, have no attendant, and be unable to seek alms. He should then subdue his mind in this way: ‘I am solitary, without companion, and have gone forth alone. The true Dharma is my companion; I must be mindful of the true Dharma. Now I suffer from illness. As the World-Honored One taught, a bhikshu must remain mindful of the Dharma. I should skillfully contemplate the Dharma I have heard.’ What is skillful contemplation? It is contemplating the body according to reality. Having contemplated the body according to reality, a person endowed with wisdom who achieves one-pointedness may attain the first dhyana and its joy. For one to seven days, he may take meditative joy as food, and his mind will rejoice.

Practicing the Dharma in this manner, if the ill bhikshu does not attain dhyana, he should diligently cultivate and abide in wholesome Dharma. Many will come to know of him, and devas, nāgas, ghosts, and spirits will bring him food. This is the retribution of freedom from suffering and adversity.

Mahākāśyapa! If an alms-begging bhikshu encounters heavy rain or much wind and dust and cannot go out to seek alms, he should then take loving-kindness as food with which to adorn himself and should abide in contemplation of the Dharma he cultivates. If he has not eaten for two or three nights, he should think: ‘Many sentient beings have fallen into the realm of hungry ghosts. Because they created evil karma, they are oppressed by hunger and suffering and cannot swallow even a little saliva for a hundred years. I now abide within the Dharma gates. Though my body and mind are weak, I can still endure hunger and thirst and diligently cultivate the noble path without retreating.’

Mahākāśyapa! An alms-begging bhikshu should not become intimate with laypeople, whether men, women, boys, or girls.

If an alms-begging bhikshu asks laypeople to remove impurities from food, he should remain seated there and explain the Dharma to them. When the food has been purified, he should accept it, rise, and leave.

Mahākāśyapa! An alms-begging bhikshu should not present himself deceitfully. What does it mean to present oneself deceitfully?

If a bhikshu says to others: ‘Today I obtained only poor, unpleasant food, which was not even sufficient and had to be shared among many people. I eat little; now I am hungry and thirsty, and my body is weak.’ This is presenting oneself deceitfully, which an alms-begging bhikshu must abandon.

Mahākāśyapa! An alms-begging bhikshu must give rise to a mind of relinquishment toward everything. Whatever food falls into his bowl—good or poor, delicious or unpleasant, pure or impure, much or little—he should accept it all without sorrow or joy. He should constantly preserve a pure mind, contemplate the characteristics of dharmas, and accept food merely to sustain the body so that he may practice the noble path.

Mahākāśyapa! If an alms-begging bhikshu enters a town or village, seeks alms from each household in sequence, and returns with an empty bowl, he should remember: ‘The Tathagata, possessing great awesome virtue, relinquished the throne of a wheel-turning king, went forth, ended all evil dharmas, and perfected all wholesome dharmas. Yet when he entered a village to seek alms, he sometimes returned with an empty bowl.

How much more might I, poor in merit and having failed to plant roots of goodness, return with an empty bowl!’ For this reason he should not become troubled. Why? Without planting roots of goodness, one will never obtain either good or poor food.

Or perhaps I have obtained no food because Māra himself, one sent by Māra, or Māra’s obstruction has prevented the brahmins and householders from giving me alms. I should diligently cultivate, depart from the four Māras, and end all afflictions. If I diligently cultivate the Dharma of the Path in this way, neither Māra Pāpīyān nor Māra’s messengers will be able to obstruct me.

Mahākāśyapa! An alms-begging bhikshu should uphold the noble lineage in this manner.”

7. CHAPTER ON THE BHIKSHU WHO WEARS RAG ROBES

The Buddha told the elder Mahākāśyapa: “A bhikshu who wears rag robes keeps rag robes and gathers discarded cloth, contemplating: ‘This is for a sense of shame and moral dread, not to adorn myself with robes; it is to protect against wind, burning sunlight, mosquitoes, gnats, and biting insects; it is to abide in the Buddha’s teaching, not to seek cleanliness and beauty.’ That bhikshu gathers discarded material from refuse heaps.

When taking it, he should give rise to two perceptions: first, the perception of contentment; second, the perception of being easy to support. There are two further perceptions: first, the perception of freedom from pride; second, the perception of upholding the noble lineage. There are two further perceptions: first, that he does not use it to adorn his body; second, that it causes his mind to become pure.

Mahākāśyapa! When a bhikshu who wears rag robes is gathering discarded material from a refuse heap, if he sees friends or acquaintances, he should not cease gathering it while thinking: ‘These people may reproach me as filthy.’

Mahākāśyapa! I say that such a bhikshu has not attained pure conduct. Why? Because the mind of a bhikshu who wears rag robes should be firm as stone, so that external things can neither enter nor disturb it.

Mahākāśyapa! After gathering discarded material, a bhikshu who wears rag robes should wash away all its filth. Once it is clean, he should dye it thoroughly. After dyeing it, he should sew it into a saṃghāṭī, skillfully joining, patching, and sewing it. He should properly receive it, and after receiving it, he should wear it rather than fold it away and allow it to deteriorate.

Mahākāśyapa! A bhikshu who wears rag robes abides in contemplation of impurity and wears rag robes in order to abandon desire. He cultivates loving-kindness and wears rag robes in order to abandon anger. He contemplates the twelve links of dependent origination and wears rag robes in order to abandon delusion. He practices right contemplation and wears rag robes in order to end all afflictions. He gathers in and protects the faculties and wears rag robes in order to clearly know the six ayatanas. He is free from deceit and wears rag robes in order to delight the devas, nāgas, ghosts, and spirits.

Mahākāśyapa! Why are they called rag robes?

They are like a corpse, for which no one feels desire or gives rise to a sense of possession and which should naturally be discarded. Likewise, rag robes are neither self nor belonging to self. They are easily obtained, do not involve false pride, require no begging from others or observation of their expressions, and are discarded objects no different from refuse. Nor do they belong to anyone. Therefore, they are called rag robes.

Mahākāśyapa! Rag robes are the banners of the Dharma, because their wearers are great seers, belong to the lineage of noble beings, abide through the noble lineage, concentrate upon the wholesome observances of the Dharma, skillfully protect the aggregate of precepts, proceed toward the aggregate of concentration, abide in the aggregate of wisdom, embody the aggregate of liberation, and accord with the Dharma of the knowledge and vision of liberation.

Mahākāśyapa! A bhikshu who wears rag robes has great merit. He seeks nothing, clings to nothing, can abandon pride, and can lay down the heavy burden.

Mahākāśyapa! If a bhikshu wears rag robes out of contentment, devas, nāgas, ghosts, and spirits delight in seeing him. If he enters meditative concentration, Śakra, Brahmā, and the Four Heavenly Kings kneel with joined palms and bow their heads at his feet, to say nothing of lesser devas.

Mahākāśyapa! If an evil bhikshu diligently seeks robes to adorn his body, outwardly displays pure conduct, yet inwardly is filled with desire and anger, then although he adorns his body beautifully, devas, nāgas, ghosts, and spirits will not come to revere him or make offerings. Why? They know that although the bhikshu adorns his body beautifully, he does not eliminate the impurities of mind and mental factors. Knowing this, they stay far away.

Mahākāśyapa! You have seen the novice Cunda gather discarded material from a refuse heap while seeking alms. After eating, Cunda went to Lake Anavatapta to wash it. The devas and spirits who always dwelt beside the lake all came to welcome and revere him. Those devas and spirits delighted in purity, yet they took Cunda’s impure rag robes and washed away their filth. They even used the water in which the robes had been washed to bathe their own bodies. Those devas and spirits knew that Cunda skillfully upheld the pure precepts, entered the dhyanas, and possessed great awesome virtue; therefore, they welcomed and revered him.

Mahākāśyapa! You have also seen the brahmin Subhadra wearing clean new robes. After seeking alms, he wished to go to Lake Anavatapta. The devas and spirits who always dwelt beside the lake went five miles out in all four directions to stop that brahmin and prevent him from approaching the lake. They feared that impure or leftover food would pollute its waters.

Mahākāśyapa! You have now personally seen this. Such was the resulting retribution of the noble one’s right conduct and awesome virtue. Although the novice Cunda gathered impure material from a refuse heap, the devas took it and washed it for him, and even used the wash-water to bathe their bodies. Yet they stopped the brahmin Subhadra five miles from the lake and would not allow him to approach.

Mahākāśyapa! Who, after hearing this, would not diligently study and cultivate the noble Dharma? Such noble beings are revered and offered gifts by devas and humans alike.

Mahākāśyapa! One wears rag robes in order to seek such noble virtue. A bhikshu who wears rag robes and abides in the noble lineage should not give rise to sorrow. He should perceive rag robes as a Buddha stupa, as the World-Honored One, and as supramundane, without self or possession. Having contemplated them in this way, he should wear rag robes and thus subdue his mind. Because the mind is pure, the body becomes pure; purity of the mind is not attained merely through purity of the body. Therefore, purify your own mind and do not adorn the body. Why? Because through purity of mind one is called a practitioner of pure conduct within the Buddha-Dharma.

Mahākāśyapa! A bhikshu who wears rag robes and studies in this manner studies from me and also from you. When you can wear rough and poor robes in this way, that is contentment and the practice of the noble lineage.

Mahākāśyapa! When your saṃghāṭī is placed upon your bed or seat while you wear your uttarāsaṅga and practice walking meditation, tens of millions of devas come to revere your saṃghāṭī. That saṃghāṭī is a robe worn upon the body of one who has cultivated the precepts, concentration, and wisdom. You should know that even your robe receives such honor and reverence, to say nothing of your body.

Mahākāśyapa! I relinquished the throne of a wheel-turning king and went forth. Formerly, I wore exquisite, beautiful, and superior robes. Now, content and practicing the noble lineage, for the sake of others I have relinquished fine robes and wear rag robes gathered from charnel grounds. In the future, any bhikshu who follows this Dharma of mine will be studying from me.

Mahākāśyapa! You once had a superior robe woven with gold and offered it to me. I accepted that robe for your sake, not out of greed and not to adorn my body.

Mahākāśyapa! There are evil bhikshus who cannot study from me and do not study from you. They greedily accumulate many robes and bowls and store food and drink without relinquishing them. They also accumulate gold, silver, beryl, rice, grain, cattle, goats, chickens, pigs, donkeys, horses, carts, plows, and household implements; they seek to acquire and store them all.

Mahākāśyapa! A wise person living at home can increase wholesome dharmas, while a foolish person who has gone forth has no share in such wholesome dharmas.

How does a wise layperson increase wholesome dharmas?

Mahākāśyapa! A certain person who has gone forth merely wraps a robe around his neck, lacks the conduct of a śramaṇa, becomes entangled in many affairs and various bonds, and seeks fine clothing and food. Once he dons the kāṣāya, laypeople see him and immediately revere him and make offerings, providing robes, food and drink, bedding, and medicines, and welcoming and seeing him off as he comes and goes. Mahākāśyapa, the laypeople possess such wholesome Dharma, while that person who has gone forth does not. Why? Because that person who has gone forth seeks many possessions and cannot give them away to others.

Mahākāśyapa! In the future there will be bhikshus who accumulate many robes and bowls and possess many articles. Most laypeople will revere, honor, and praise them. Why? They will think: ‘These bhikshus receive many donated articles and may give some to me. Whenever I need something, these bhikshus can always provide it.’

Mahākāśyapa! In the future there may be a bhikshu who upholds the precepts, sees the faults and perils of the world, and therefore diligently cultivates wholesome Dharma to abandon all outflows, as though extinguishing a fire on his head. In his heart he is content, involved in few affairs, and diligently cultivates his own benefit, abandoning every evil condition and association.

Yet no one visits this bhikshu’s dwelling, draws near to him, reveres him, honors him, or praises him. Why? Because the laypeople are frivolous and shallow.

They see only present benefit and not benefit in future lives. They think: ‘There is no benefit to be gained from this bhikshu, so why approach, revere, honor, or praise him?’ Apart from the poor who possess few roots of goodness and those with past affinities who therefore revere him, it is these people who approach, revere, honor, and praise the bhikshu who upholds the precepts, regarding him as a good spiritual friend.

Mahākāśyapa! What has been said pleases two kinds of people: first, those who see the Four Noble Truths; second, those who see the faults and perils of birth and death. There are another two kinds: first, those who diligently cultivate because they wish to abandon the four evils; second, those who wish to attain the fruit of a śramaṇa. There are another two kinds: first, those who concentrate upon karma and its results; second, those who wish to understand the meaning of the characteristics of dharmas.

Mahākāśyapa! I now close and seal the door against all the indolent: those who do not understand karma or its results; those who have abandoned wholesome observances; those who, being hard as vajra, do not see the evil sufferings of future lives; those who see present benefit but not benefit in future lives; and those who do not give rise to even a single thought directed toward the gate of liberation.

Mahākāśyapa! I now say that those evil bhikshus should not seek this. When such Dharma is spoken, when they encounter such Dharma and hear it, they know themselves to be untrained and unable to understand the profound Dharma, and therefore slander it. They claim that this profound Dharma was not spoken by the Buddha but was composed by treatise masters, or that Māra spoke it to instruct others. Those evil bhikshus thus harm themselves and also harm others. They defile themselves and also defile others. Those evil bhikshus can benefit neither themselves nor others.”

The elder Mahākāśyapa said: “World-Honored One! Out of great compassion, the Buddhas teach bhikshus to cultivate single-mindedly and attain mastery of all dharmas. The Tathagata has now fully explained this in this scripture.

World-Honored One! If sentient beings hear this scripture, believe and understand it, read and recite it, and proceed toward Dharma as it truly is, one should know that those sentient beings have been gathered in and protected by the Buddhas.”

The Buddha told Ānanda: “Ānanda! Those who receive and retain this scripture have planted roots of goodness in the presence of past Buddhas. Therefore, they now wish to obtain this scripture and read and recite it. Those who have not mastered it wish to attain liberation. Good men and good women, whether laypeople or those who have gone forth, who study this Dharma gate can end the outflows and also attain nirvana.”

Venerable Ānanda said: “World-Honored One! What is the name of this scripture, and how should I receive and retain it?”

The Buddha instructed: “Ānanda! This scripture is called Selection of All Dharma Jewels. It is also called Observances for Abiding in the Noble Lineage. It is also called Gathering In Those Who Uphold the Precepts. It is also called Admonishing Those Who Break the Precepts. It is also called the Jeweled Beam. It is also called the Jeweled Collection. It is also called the Jeweled Treasury. It is also called the Dharma Gate of All Jewels.”

When the elder Mahākāśyapa had finished asking about the Mahayana Scripture of the Jeweled Beam, the assembly of bhikshus rejoiced upon hearing the Buddha’s teaching and respectfully practiced it.