大寶積經

O Mahakasyapa! In the future age of the decline of the Dharma, there will be people who falsely present themselves as practicing the bodhisattva path and boast that they are superior to pratyekabuddhas and arhats. Such people act contrary to the Dharma and reason, and they cannot be corrected; they will fall into the evil destinies.

– O Mahakasyapa! In the future age of the decline of the Dharma, there will be people who engage in wrong conduct and travel everywhere for the sake of preaching the Dharma. They will practice only actions that resemble the six paramitas. If anyone expounds this sutra in accordance with reality, they will become jealous of and forsake that person. They will form wrong views concerning this sutra and slander it. These foolish people will not understand that this sutra censures the violation of precepts.

– O Mahakasyapa! In the future age of the decline of the Dharma, all will be defiled by the conduct of thieves. Therefore, these foolish people will not reflect upon their own faults and may destroy unsurpassed bodhi. Because they harbor transgressions, they will feel ashamed and consequently slander the unsurpassed fruit of Buddhahood.

– O Mahakasyapa! In the future age, many bhiksus will not conform to the Sangha and will not know how to repay kindness. They will habitually use clever words to deceive others in order to obtain offerings. They will not guard their speech and will disparage the Tathagata’s precepts of individual liberation. They will not restrain their deportment, but will dwell in impure places and then expound Dharma teachings for people who dwell in impure places.

– O Mahakasyapa! I perceive that in that period there will be as many as five hundred erroneous teachings. Those who do not practice will constantly follow them. Consequently, not even the slightest fraction of their five hundred afflictions will diminish. Their actions will be no different from those of lay householders. Gradually, many women will leave their husbands and enter monasteries to hear the Dharma. The bhiksus will preach to them something resembling nirvana. In that period there will be such exceedingly fearful circumstances, yet they will seek benefit amid them. For these reasons, those who seek the path to bodhi should not associate with bhiksunis, nor should they engage in such conduct. They must avoid all social entanglements. They should relinquish material gains and go on alms rounds. They should relinquish pleasing garments and wear robes made from discarded rags. They should relinquish mansions, rooms, beds, mattresses, blankets, and pillows, and dwell beside streams, in caves, or beneath trees. They should keep away from physicians and medicines and use old or decayed medicines.

Knowing clearly that all sentient beings were their relatives in former lives, they should cultivate a mind of great loving-kindness and compassion. They should always patiently endure beatings and abuse and never beat or abuse others.

They should keep away from the homes of relatives and from the homes of familiar donors and friends. They should accord with the wisdom and conduct of one who has gone forth and should not be like lay householders.

They should always follow and uphold the teachings of the pratimoksa.

– O Mahakasyapa! If anyone in the world forms a conception contrary to the precepts of individual liberation, that person has thereby conceived opposition to the Buddha’s powers and fearlessnesses. Having conceived opposition to the Buddha’s powers and fearlessnesses, that person has conceived opposition to all Buddhas of the three times. For this reason, in the future that person will undergo immeasurable painful retribution. Their suffering will exceed that of beings in hell by hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis of times, even by an upanisad number of times.

If one wishes to escape such suffering and anguish, one must keep far away from such bhiksus of evil conduct. Even if one is already a thousand yojanas away from them, one must distance oneself still farther, much more so when one is near them. If one hears even their names, one must put them out of mind, much more so should one keep away upon seeing their faces or hearing their voices.

One should become closely acquainted with one Dharma: that all dharmas have no existence anywhere. If one attains patient acceptance of the truth that dharmas have no existence anywhere, one will certainly not associate with, honor, or make offerings to such evil bhiksus.

Furthermore, one must closely follow two dharmas: first, seeking to awaken to and realize that dharmas originally have no existence anywhere; and second, seeking to awaken to and realize the Dharma-nature, while nevertheless not giving rise to a mind of seeking. How should one seek? Whatever one seeks is unobtainable. Within unobtainability, one should not give rise to a conception of unobtainability, just as one should not give rise to wrong views. In this way, one will relinquish every state of mind within the three realms and accord with the practice of bodhi; one will relinquish every state of mind that apprehends characteristics and accord with bodhisattva practice.

What was previously taught is precisely bodhisattva practice. Therefore, after hearing this Dharma, one must abandon wrong conduct. By doing so, one will be able to draw near to and serve the future Buddha Maitreya. Such a person’s mind will be neither arrogant nor abject. Seeing oneself joyful and at ease, one will escape the snare of Mara and the evil destinies.

– O Mahakasyapa! In the future, if anyone hears this scripture without becoming afraid, sees that their own conduct accords with its teachings, and is also able to resolve to accept and uphold it, the Buddha clearly sees that this person will certainly protect the true Dharma.

– O Mahakasyapa! Suppose a wealthy and eminent elder has a son who, upon seeing the objects in the house, even a water basin, thinks that they all belong to his father. Later, when the elder dies and his property is lost or ruined, his son happens to see the water basin. Remembering that it belonged to his father, he takes it and stores it away or carries it with him.

– O Mahakasyapa! The bhiksus of the future will likewise be so. Upon hearing this sutra, they will think, “These words were spoken in the Tathagata’s pure, gentle, and wondrous voice.” They will correct the slandering bhiksus, saying, “This sutra was truly spoken by the Tathagata!” The bhiksus who uphold this Dharma will be few and without influence. They will preserve this scripture day and night while being repudiated by many people.

– O Mahakasyapa! I see and clearly know those bhiksus who will uphold the Dharma in the future. I entrust them to Buddha Maitreya. They will be the protectors of the Tathagata’s true Dharma during its final period, and afterward they will become great, unobstructed donors.

– O Mahakasyapa! If anyone hears this Dharma and practices according to their wisdom, enabling sentient beings to possess right view and right faith, then in the future that person will encounter Buddha Maitreya. At the first Dharma assembly, that person will perfect the pure life and will also protect the true Dharma during its final period.

– O Mahakasyapa! Surveying all beings everywhere, I see no one who, without having drawn near to me, could hear this scripture and accept, uphold, read, and recite it during the fifty-year period in the future without slandering it. If anyone now encounters me and reverently serves and makes offerings to me, that person will accept, uphold, and read this scripture during that fifty-year period in the future. These people will not need to wait for me to praise their merit; they themselves will attain omniscient wisdom. At that time, they will remember me, and with joyful hearts they will say, “How extraordinary! How exceedingly rare! Buddha Sakyamuni skillfully embraced, protected, and kept us in mind.”

– O Mahakasyapa! For these reasons, you and everyone else must train in this Dharma. For those who train in this Dharma, attaining all the merits they seek according to their aspirations will not be difficult.”

Mahakasyapa addressed the Buddha, saying, “World-Honored One! My task has been fulfilled and completed; I seek nothing further. With respect to this Dharma, I have retreated from the path to unsurpassed bodhi. I am fully content and can never attain omniscient wisdom.

World-Honored One! Unsurpassed bodhi is exceedingly rare. It is difficult for us sravakas to attain.”

The Buddha told Mahakasyapa, “I did not teach this Dharma for your sake. Yet because you have now asked, I have expounded it for others. Do not give rise to doubt concerning this Dharma. You too will soon attain unsurpassed bodhi.”

– O Mahakasyapa! If there are sentient beings who thirst for this Dharma and seek this Dharma, they will all gradually attain unsurpassed bodhi. Having attained it, they will then proclaim the true Dharma to sentient beings in order to put an end to every seeking mind.

– O Mahakasyapa! A bodhisattva should perfect four dharmas and arouse the mind of diligence.

What are these four dharmas? What is such diligence? It means not seeking form, feeling, perception, formations, or consciousness, but seeking the unconditioned Dharma. It is precisely no earth, water, fire, or wind, and it does not speak of earth, water, fire, or wind. All verbal expressions are called expedient designations. None of the dharmas designated in this way truly exist. A bodhisattva should not regard designated dharmas as true reality."

Mahakasyapa said: "World-Honored One! With regard to the Tathagata, we truly have no doubt.

If someone were to ask, ‘If these designated dharmas are not true reality, are the sounds and verbal designations spoken by the Buddha also false?’

World-Honored One! If someone were to ask this, how should we answer?"

The Buddha said: "O Mahakasyapa! In the future there will be bhiksus who do not cultivate body, morality, mind, or wisdom, who are greatly wrathful and speak harshly, and who are unable to receive, uphold, read, and recite this sutra. This is because they give rise to discriminating minds regarding form, feeling, perception, formations, and consciousness.

There will also be a class of bhiksus who abide in householders’ ways and do not seek the supreme meaning. They are like a person born blind who places a golden garland upon his head as an ornament but cannot see it himself. The bhiksus of the future will be just like this. Even when they hear this sutra, they will be unable to receive and uphold its words and verbal expressions, much less cultivate and realize the supreme meaning!

They are like small children who have been rebuked by adults and afterward become frightened whenever they hear the adults’ names. The bhiksus of the future will be just like this. When they hear this sutra truthfully describe their faults, they will not repent but will instead become afraid of this sutra.

They are like a frog tied to a monkey’s hand, to which the monkey does not even turn its face to look. The bhiksus of the future will be just like this. When they hear this sutra, they will oppose and disregard it and will not even consent to stand before it.

They are like jackals chased by dogs, which flee to burial grounds, into caves, or down into deep pits. The bhiksus of the future will be just like this. When they hear this sutra, they will flee and hide.

The foregoing account of jackals fleeing refers to those who violate the precepts and then slander this sutra. Having heard this sutra, they abandon the path and return home, pursuing objects of desire, women, quarrels, medicine, and litigation, and in the midst of these they violate many precepts.

I say that these people are like jackals fleeing into burial grounds. After death, they fall into the lower realms, like jackals entering caves. These people will descend into hell, like jackals falling into deep pits. These people fully conform to the ways of jackals. Unable to awaken to and enter this sutra, they can only slander it and extol faults. After death, they will fall into the great hells.

– O Mahakasyapa! If someone asks, ‘If designated dharmas are not true reality, then the Tathagata’s verbal expressions are also not true. But if the dharmas designated by the Buddha are true, then all designated dharmas must also be true, must they not?’ A wise person should question him in return: ‘What is it that the Venerable One now grasps? Do you grasp emptiness, or do you grasp designated dharmas?’

If he says that he grasps designated dharmas, one should tell him: ‘The Venerable One is a Buddha, because the Venerable One uses verbal expressions to designate dharmas.’

If he says that he grasps emptiness, one should tell him to indicate what emptiness he grasps, for mere words cannot be called emptiness.

If he grasps a designation and regards it as emptiness, or if, regarding self, what belongs to self, sentient being, or life principle, he grasps as empty what is not empty, then ask him whether he delights in the emptiness of all dharmas. If he says he does not delight in it, one should tell him: ‘You have long forgotten the proper duty of a sramana disciple of the Sakyan, for the Buddha taught that all is empty and without self. The Buddha did not teach that there is a self, a sentient being, a life principle, or a living entity.’

If he says that he delights in the emptiness of all dharmas, one should tell him: ‘Even your mind delights in the emptiness of all dharmas, how much more so the Tathagata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Enlightened One! Furthermore, Venerable One, is the eye the Tathagata, or are the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind the Tathagata?’ If he says that the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind are the Tathagata, one should tell him: ‘Then the Venerable One is also a Tathagata.’

If he says that the eye, nose, tongue, body, and mind are not the Tathagata, one should tell him: ‘The Venerable One says that the designations “eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind” are not the Tathagata; therefore, that which is not designated is precisely the Tathagata.’

If he says that the eye, ear, and so forth are not the Tathagata, yet neither is there a Tathagata apart from the eye, ear, and so forth, one should tell him: ‘The Tathagata taught the twelve ayatanas: the eye, ear, and so forth, and form, sound, and so forth. These are precisely the sentient being and the designation “sentient being.” Does the Venerable One now regard the eye as the Tathagata or as not the Tathagata? And so on, up to whether dharmas are the Tathagata or are not the Tathagata.’

If he says that the eye is the Tathagata, and so on, up to dharmas being the Tathagata, one should tell him: ‘According to the Venerable One’s words, all sentient beings, mountains, forests, trees, and the earth must all be the Tathagata!’

If he says that the eye is not the Tathagata, and so on, up to the mind not being the Tathagata, one should tell him: ‘According to the Venerable One’s words, is the Tathagata then Dharma and non-Dharma?’

If he further says that form is not the Tathagata, and so on, up to dharmas not being the Tathagata, one should tell him: ‘If that is so, could non-Dharma perhaps be the Tathagata?’

If he says that non-Dharma is the Tathagata, one should tell him: ‘If that is so, then sentient beings who are not filial toward their parents, who do not respect sramanas, brahmins, or teachers and elders, and those who kill, steal, hold wrong views, and so forth must all be Tathagatas.’

If he says that neither non-Dharma nor Dharma is the Tathagata, one should tell him: ‘If neither non-Dharma nor Dharma is the Tathagata, then there is no designation. Does the Venerable One regard the undesignated as the Tathagata?’ O Mahakasyapa! One should question and answer in this way to subdue foolish people.

I do not see among humans or devas anyone capable of debating with one who speaks correctly according to the Dharma in this way, except for those who are foolish and wrathful and refuse to accept the true Dharma. Even if it is revealed and explained to them, they still have no faith; they disparage the Dharma of emptiness and depart.

You should receive and uphold this sutra.

In the future, there will be bhiksus who receive and uphold this sutra, yet they will use three terms to designate it, saying that it teaches annihilationism: no things, no skandhas, and no reverence. This sutra will be slandered by them.

Observe that, in that period, they will neither revere the Buddha nor revere the Dharma. They will follow only nominal designations. They will bear the name Sangha in vain, without possessing true virtue. Although they recite the Buddha’s name, when someone reveals and explains the teaching to them, they will still be unable to understand it. How, then, could they uphold and serve the Tathagata? Although they expound the Dharma, they do not understand the Tathagata’s intent. How, then, could they be called skilled expounders of the Dharma?

The four pairs and eight individuals among the Buddha’s sravaka disciples know only those terms but do not know the true meaning of those qualities. For the sake of offerings of the four requisites, they slander the true Dharma.

Bodhisattvas must diligently receive, uphold, read, and recite this sutra, cherishing and revering it wholeheartedly, so that they may become guardians of the citadel of the true Dharma in the future.

– Great Kasyapa! I recall that throughout ninety-one kalpas in the past, during periods when the true Dharma did not exist, this scripture did not circulate.

I further recall that in the past there was a Buddha named Cessation of Affliction, who remained in the world for eighty-four thousand kalpas, teaching and transforming bodhisattvas and benefiting sentient beings.

I further recall that in the past there was the Tathagata Infinite Power, who remained in the world for two billion kalpas and practiced the bodhisattva path for two billion kalpas before finally attaining unsurpassed bodhi! Great Kasyapa! Consider how many difficult practices the Buddhas cultivated for the benefit of sentient beings!

– Great Kasyapa! In this evil and defiled age of the Dharma’s decline, we should not treat our own lives lightly. For in an evil and defiled age, if even one person, through me, gains faith in and understanding of this Dharma, that is exceedingly rare. That no sentient being harms me is also exceedingly rare.

3For this Dharma is the wholesome Dharma of a great being. That is, amid all conditioned phenomena, not grasping even wholesome dharmas—this is difficult to understand and difficult to know.

If one holds the view of self, the view of sentient beings, the view of a life principle, or the view of a person; if one sees things as truly existent—precepts, great learning, the Buddha, the Dharma, or nirvana—or if one grasps nirvana as existent, the Buddha calls this a wrong view. For even with regard to nirvana, the Buddha remains free from discrimination and attainment. Therefore, whenever there is discrimination or a sense of attainment concerning nirvana, the Buddha calls it all wrong view.

What is wrong view is called ignorance. What is ignorance causes harm. One who causes harm is called a foolish ordinary person. A foolish ordinary person takes no delight in great bodhi and also departs far from the supreme path, even becoming separated from rebirth in the heavenly realms.

– Great Kasyapa! In the future there will be bhiksus who adorn their robes on account of seniority in age. Although they shave off their beards and hair, they impair the deportment, possess no dignified radiance, and incline toward false teachings. Because their minds are obstructed by wrongdoing, they may falsely display dignified conduct, falsely appear to cultivate the pure life, or proclaim that no one is their equal. They use these three things to suggest that they have attained realization. They fall into the fault of overweening pride. As death approaches, they reflect upon the transgressions they have committed. Knowing themselves to have been indolent and not diligent in practice, their hearts are filled with remorse and anguish. After death, they must fall into hell.

– Great Kasyapa! The Buddha now plainly declares to you: the Buddha is your true good spiritual friend, who always cherishes you and wishes to benefit you, so that later you will not have to suffer in the three evil destinies.

– Great Kasyapa! The Buddha never permits those who cling to the view of self, the view of sentient beings, the view of a lifespan, or the view of a person to go forth under the Buddha’s true Dharma. If, though the Buddha has not permitted them, they nevertheless insist on going forth, they are all thieves living upon the faithful offerings of donors, and they cannot become true bhiksus.

– Great Kasyapa! It would be better to abstain entirely from food than, having gone forth under the true Dharma and living upon the faithful offerings of donors, to cling to self, sentient beings, lifespan, or person, or even to cling to nirvana.

Therefore, bodhisattvas must arouse diligent resolve. They should not hold views that grasp at self, sentient beings, a life principle, or a person, nor should they grasp at nirvana. They must teach the Dharma in order to eliminate all attachments to views.

– Great Kasyapa! The Buddha now entrusts this scripture to the bodhisattvas. Because the aspirations of the bodhisattvas accord with those of the Buddha, because they are the Buddha’s companions, they are able to accept the Buddha’s entrustment."

At that time, the Buddha spoke these verses:

"The multitudes of beings are oppressed by suffering;

No one can protect and save them completely.

They can rely only upon the Great Guide,

The One who has forever transcended conceptual proliferation.

Those sentient beings submerged in suffering and distress

Train in inferior, misguided paths;

Their defiled desires, greed, and anger gradually increase,

And because of this, they must enter the three evil destinies.

With no one to guide them and no one to save them,

They remain long in remote and dangerous places,

Proceeding straight into delusion and clinging to false paths,

Never finding any place of peace or joy.

They are like merchants who set forth with borrowed capital,

Hoping for great profit, they hasten along distant roads.

Midway upon their journey, bandits suddenly attack,

Robbing all their money and all their merchandise.

Having lost their property, they return empty-handed,

Their hearts aching bitterly over their lost wealth.

Even the capital they borrowed has all been lost,

And pressed by creditors, their grief increases further.

Sentient beings in future ages will be the same:

For the Dharma’s sake, they resolve to go forth,

Yet all the teachings they have received and upheld,

Together with their wholesome karma, will utterly disappear.

They succeed only in shaving off beard and hair,

But in their foolishness enter among false paths.

They cling to self, a life principle, and sentient beings,

And also grasp at persons as truly existent.

When bhiksus who accord with the true Dharma

Teach the Dharma of emptiness, free from attachment to self or person,

They refuse to believe, but malign and disparage them;

Through wrong views, they fall into hell.

Moreover, because of anger and jealousy,

They seek grounds to attack one another.

Having themselves committed faults, they fear others will discover them,

And so falsely accuse others of wrongdoing.

Their bodily deeds are evil, and their speech still more evil;

Their mental karma is filled with unwholesome thoughts.

Continually confused and following attachments to wrong views,

People of this kind will certainly enter the evil destinies.

Having created a great abundance of evil karma,

They will swiftly arrive at the gates of the three woeful realms.

Countless pains will scorch and burn them;

Their suffering will be extreme, with no one able to save them.

In future ages, there will be communities of bhiksus

Whose hearts are impetuous, filled with anger and resentment.

They will torment those who have truly gone forth

And have aroused the resolve for unsurpassed bodhi.

These are people who inspire dread and fear:

They reject and denounce the Mahayana scriptures,

And have no wish to receive with reverence and faith

The teachings of Buddha Sakyamuni.

Angry with and jealous of one another,

They will inflict suffering and hardship upon each other.

They will also publicize and expose one another’s faults,

Causing vile reputations to spread everywhere.

They will slander others with false accusations of evil deeds,

While shamefully concealing their own faults.

The gentle are weak and few in number;

The wicked are numerous and powerful.

Seeing this, know that the true Dharma is declining,

And that evil people are gaining ever greater power.

The pitiable disciples of the Buddha—

This refers precisely to the wholesome bhiksus—

Must lead one another in seeking a suitable place,

Avoiding the wicked and dwelling somewhere secure.

Having escaped calamity, they should arouse compassion.

It is difficult for the gentle to live together with such people.

They must contemplate the scriptural teachings

And strive to practice according to the Buddha’s words.

If someone says, ‘This is an evil place;

You should not remain here but must quickly depart,’

They should swiftly travel to the sacred seat of awakening,

The place where the Buddha attained unsurpassed enlightenment.

Or if a well-intentioned person offers them guidance,

Saying, ‘Venerable ones, these are indeed wholesome words.

Walk in meditation around the stupa to seek the truth;

This truly accords with the World-Honored One’s teaching.’

The wholesome bhiksus should journey there together,

And practice securely at the seat of awakening.

They should not continue dwelling here,

Enduring the harsh oppression of evil and falsehood.

Arriving at the seat of awakening and seeing the Buddha’s traces,

They should recall how the Buddha once practiced walking meditation there:

‘At this very place the Buddha dwelt and practiced,

Attained awakening, and turned the unsurpassed Dharma wheel.

Conditioned phenomena are impermanent and subject to decay;

Where now can the scenes of former times be seen?

Devas, nagas, the eight classes of beings, humans and nonhumans,

Bodhisattvas and sravakas all heard the Dharma together.’

When the wholesome bhiksus have assembled together,

They should collect their minds and contemplate in accordance with principle:

‘At this very place the Buddha attained the Way,

Routed Mara’s armies, and subdued false non-Buddhist teachings.

After contemplating the bodhi tree of awakening,

For the sake of the five, led by Ajnata Kaundinya,

He turned the Dharma wheel of the Four Noble Truths in three turnings;

Thus the Buddha proceeded to the Deer Park.

And there stand the twin sala trees,

The final place where the Buddha entered nirvana.

His golden body became diamond-like relics,

Forever benefiting the multitudes of beings.

How worthy of reverence and love—the Great Sage, the World-Honored One!

How heartrending that the Buddha entered nirvana!

Now we can only hear the Buddha’s name;

Not encountering the Buddha is truly lamentable.

Because the Buddha’s wisdom saw far and knew extensively,

At the very end he once more liberated Subhadra.

This was his final act of teaching and transformation;

When conditions were fulfilled, he manifested quiescent cessation."

While the Buddha remains in the world, those who practice rightly,

Whether they die while cultivating or when first arousing the aspiration,

Or die after having undertaken the practice,

Will all be reborn in wholesome realms.

In the age of the decline of the Dharma, where can the true Dharma be found?

Receiving offerings without regard to whether one transgresses or observes the precepts,

And making excessive use of what has been given,

After death, one will certainly enter the evil destinies.

Kasyapa! You should contemplate

How bhiksus are divided into the wholesome and the unwholesome.

Those who truly practice, even in a later age,

Will still enjoy the wholesome fruits of merit and wisdom.

Bodhisattvas, those of great wisdom,

Who possess loving-kindness and benefit sentient beings,

Should diligently study and cultivate this sutra,

Their minds peaceful, joyful, and delighted.

Having done so, they will thereafter attain Buddhahood;

Before long, they will meet the Honored Maitreya,

Hear the wholesome Dharma, and reverently make offerings,

And Maitreya will stroke their heads and bestow predictions upon them.

Kasyapa! I now speak truthfully,

Uttering words of reassurance for good people.

Although in the future they will not see me,

It will be no different from meeting the Buddha face to face.

I also address the women of future ages:

If they arouse the aspiration for unsurpassed bodhi,

I, together with the Buddhas of the ten directions,

Will remain mindful of and protect them, bestowing words of reassurance.

They will soon leave the female body,

Attain male bodies, and meet the Honored Maitreya;

They will attend upon Maitreya and reverently make offerings,

And all their heartfelt wishes will be fulfilled.

I enjoin my disciples of future ages

To emulate wise renunciants,

With profound faith and firm resolve,

Understanding the true Dharma and steadfastly observing the precepts,

So that later they may attend the Dragon Flower Assembly

And receive Maitreya’s touch upon their heads and his prediction.

Disciples who have heard of these benefits

Will give rise to faith and cultivate virtuous conduct,

Their minds steadfast and their aspirations lofty and far-reaching,

Gathering in all classes of sentient beings until the end of the future.

Kasyapa! Who here can attain this?

Listen carefully, and I shall now explain:

For those diligent in cultivating wisdom,

Immediate realization of the unsurpassed fruit will not be difficult.

Diligently cultivate vast loving-kindness and compassion,

Remain far removed from flattery and deceit,

And delight in secluded places of ease and quiet;

This indeed is the great path to bodhi.

Those who neither believe in nor accept this true Dharma,

Who merely speak empty words and cannot truly practice,

Yet receive the reverence and offerings of everyone,

Are terrifying thieves and rebels.

If there are also those who, for food and clothing,

Seek abundant gains and offerings,

And for that reason uphold this sutra of the true Dharma,

Passing it among themselves, discussing and expounding it,

They are wicked people who live by wrong livelihood,

And are also said merely to pass their days in vain.

After abandoning and losing the human body,

They will certainly fall into the three evil destinies and undergo suffering.

There may be those who enter the Buddha-Dharma

And falsely style themselves Venerable Bhiksus.

They do not believe in the sutras and slander them,

Yet are skilled in explaining the prohibitory precepts,

Saying, “I fully proclaim

The pratimoksa precepts.”

Although such people bear the appearance of bhiksus,

They will ultimately fall and lose rebirth in the wholesome destinies.

If anyone disparages the wholesome path

And also maligns wholesome omniscience,

That person slanders the wheel of the true Dharma;

This offense is even graver than the former one.

If anyone carefully guards body and mind,

And also guards speech, free from fault and error,

Staying far from evil karma and increasing wholesome conduct,

That person will certainly attain the excellent fruit of nirvana.”

The Buddha said to Mahakasyapa: “After the Tathagata has entered parinirvana, those bhiksus who planted deep roots of virtue in the presence of the Buddha will also have entered nirvana, and all sentient beings endowed with supreme aspiration will likewise have passed away. When the age of the true Dharma has ended, five hundred years thereafter, there will be bhiksus whose minds are filled with greed and deluded attachment, who delight in divisive speech that afflicts and harms others, and whose words are coarse, harsh, and cruel.

They will constantly engage in three things: the practice of medicine, commerce, and association with women. Because they engage in these three things, they will lose four things: they will lose moral discipline, lose the wholesome path, lose fruits of realization, and lose the ability to see the Buddha in accordance with reality.

“Because they lose these four things, four other things will flourish: flourishing jealousy, envy, and resentment; flourishing anger and malicious intent; flourishing attachment to clans and families; and flourishing attachment to food and drink, hoarding provisions, and delighting in garments stored away in chests. Because these four things flourish, they will not attain the Dharma of a sramana, nor will the fruits of a sramana arise in them.

When they hear this sutra, they will fall into four errors: first, they will slander the true Dharma; second, they will expound things that the Buddha did not permit; third, they will teach essential Dharma especially for women alone; fourth, they will slander the Tathagata’s pratimoksa precepts. When these bhiksus hear this scripture, their intention to destroy the true Dharma will grow even stronger, and their evil karma will increase.

“Mahakasyapa! Suppose bitter honey were dripped into the nose of a vicious dog. What would happen to that dog? Would it become even more vicious?”

“Blessed One, the vicious dog would become still more vicious.”

“Mahakasyapa! The wicked people mentioned above are like vicious dogs and pisaca demons. When they see a bhiksu who practices genuinely, whose moral discipline is pure, who accepts and upholds this sutra-Dharma and expounds it, who has few desires and knows contentment, and who praises having few desires and knowing contentment, they immediately become jealous and angry, thinking that they have been despised and disparaged. Therefore, when they hear this sutra-Dharma being taught, they immediately slander it, saying that it was not spoken by the Buddha.

“Mahakasyapa! The Buddha uses many expressions to praise those who have few desires and know contentment: those who are easy to support, those who are easily satisfied, those who are pure, those who practice the dhutanga disciplines, and those of most dignified bearing. The Buddha also praises those who dwell in aranyas, those who arouse diligent effort, and those whose livelihood is pure.

“You should not hoard things in many chests and cabinets, but should cultivate the practice of having few desires. You should not be like copper cymbals that merely produce empty noise, but should accord with and cultivate the Dharma taught here by the Tathagata. Nor should you increase anger or attachment to things; you should abide where there are no affairs and no possessions.

“You should not cling to your dwelling place, but should abide nowhere.

“You should not boast about yourselves, nor should you raise cattle, donkeys, and the like.

“You should not give rise to indolence, negligence, or laziness, but should arouse diligent effort, abandon evil dharmas, and cultivate wholesome dharmas.

“Mahakasyapa! The Buddha always praises the tranquil solitude of the aranya, far removed from clamor. The Buddha now clearly teaches the most pure practice of relinquishment.

“Those who do not carry out the most pure practice of relinquishment, those of many desires, and those who commit evil deeds will certainly slander those who practice the most pure relinquishment.

“Mahakasyapa! It is like a fool who, in the middle of the fourth month, drank ghee and became thirsty, then went to someone and asked for water. The person said, ‘You have just drunk ghee; do not drink water, for it may endanger your life.’ The fool became angry and reviled him, refusing to heed his advice. He drank the water and then died.

“Mahakasyapa! In the same way, in the future age there will be bhiksus who delight in attachment to existence and enjoy evil deeds. If someone who upholds the true Dharma tells them, ‘This should be done; this should not be done,’ they will become angry, rebuke and revile that person, and slander this scripture.

“Even now there are many who contend with the Tathagata; how much more so in the future age! Bhiksu Bhadrapala, for example: the Buddha established the precept requiring bhiksus to undertake the practice of eating only once while seated, and Bhadrapala remained angry and resentful throughout the entire three-month summer retreat and refused to come before the Buddha.

“Mahakasyapa! Even now, in the Buddha’s presence, there are those who despise and disparage the pure life; how much more so after the Buddha’s parinirvana, when there will be those greedy for food, clothing, medicines, and sleep, whose anger and resentment continually increase! On hearing this sutra-Dharma, such people will not even honor the Tathagata, the Great Teacher; how much less will they honor a bhiksu who observes the precepts!

“Mahakasyapa! Such people are called unwholesome and are also called exceedingly evil. This Dharma treasure will disappear.”

In the evil and defiled age to come, during a time when good people will be exceedingly difficult to find, if any good man or good woman wishes to obtain great benefit, believes in the Buddha’s teaching, and, after hearing this exceedingly profound Dharma scripture, wishes to expound it, that person should teach it to those who accord with right principle and possess faith, and should not teach it to those who do not accord with right principle and have no faith. Even now, the Buddha teaches only those who accord with right principle and possess faith.

– O Mahakasyapa! Just as an inferior, unruly horse refuses to wear armor, and if it is made to wear armor like a fine horse, it will surely become terrified—how much less could it endure the sound of conches and drums!

– O Mahakasyapa! A bhiksu who breaks the precepts never delights in wholesome Dharma. Even when such people hear it taught that all dharmas are without attachment to self and without the perception of self, they immediately become frightened and repudiate it—how much more so when they hear of wholesome Dharma! If one practices wholesome Dharma, one can subdue tens of billions of Mara’s armies and remain entirely free from contention.

Good bhiksus should don the armor of diligence, not squander the merit of the dhuta practices, completely eradicate the roots of greed, anger, and delusion, be free from jealousy, abandon desire, delight in seclusion and tranquility, remain ever wakeful, seek nothing with regard to requisites, arouse the mind of unsurpassed bodhi, and form no attachment to dharmas, nor to self, beings, living entities, persons, or sentient beings. They should hold no views regarding male or female; earth, water, fire, or wind; the desire realm, form realm, or formless realm; keeping the precepts or breaking the precepts; the nature of emptiness, and so forth. In brief, they should have no attachment to anything and no perception of anything, for all perceptions are unobtainable.

– O Mahakasyapa! If greed is present, a bhiksu must clearly recognize it and immediately eliminate the mind of craving. One does not attain non-abiding merely by remaining in a single place! Only a liar would claim otherwise.

For this reason, the Tathagata is called the One Who Speaks Truth.

The Tathagata teaches that every form of craving is not the self. Dharmas such as these are the dharmas of a sramana. All the dharmas of a sramana are unobtainable.

If anyone still entertains perceptions and grasps at dharmas, that person’s attachments to self, beings, and so forth are as great as Mount Sumeru, and that person has fallen away from the noble teaching. The Dharma of a sramana cannot be found in such a person, nor can that person abide in the Dharma of a sramana.

This vast and supremely excellent Dharma should not be taught to those foolish people, even in the smallest measure. For if they become attached to it, they will certainly have to suffer in hell for an entire kalpa.

– O Mahakasyapa! Consider the bhiksus Kokalika, Devadatta, Khandhadatta, Kalotilun, Mudattara, Asvaka, Punarvasu, and Sukhidatra. These bhiksus constantly remained near the Buddha, heard the Buddha teach the Dharma, saw the Buddha walking in meditation, saw the Buddha seated upright, saw the Buddha display spiritual powers by walking and standing in midair, saw the Buddha subdue thousands of non-Buddhist practitioners, and saw the Buddha eradicate false teachings in the midst of the great assembly; yet they still had no faithful devotion toward the Buddha. Because they continually sought to slander the Buddha, their evil karma increased day by day.

If anyone hears the Buddha’s name and firmly believes that the Buddha is real, everyone should make offerings to that person of flowers and incense piled as high as Mount Sumeru and banners and canopies covering the entire great trichiliocosm, because that person has faith in the Buddha. How much more so one who, having faith in the Buddha, renounces sensual pleasures, leaves the household life, holds no fixed views, and cultivates the various gateways of meditative concentration!

– O Mahakasyapa! Whoever believes in and delights in this Dharma scripture should be called exceedingly rare. Such a person can skillfully uphold the precepts established by the Buddha and can clearly understand this ambrosial Dharma.

Suppose that, before a great assembly, foul-smelling hides and other filthy, malodorous substances were fashioned together into human figures or various masks, then painted and adorned until they appeared exceedingly beautiful. Someone might put these things upon the face or wrap them up and carry them away. Could they be called good merely because of their appearance? Once their foul and filthy nature was clearly known, they would be cast aside in disgust.

So too, evil bhiksus must be examined in light of the Tathagata’s awe-inspiring virtue and dignified conduct; only then can it be known that they are exceedingly wicked. Because they cling to self and person, craving arises in their minds. If people clearly understand that attachment to self is unreal, then upon hearing this scripture they will surely delight and rejoice.

Whoever clings to attachments holds wrong views. Having wrong views, that person will neither believe nor delight in the true and proper teaching contained in this scripture. Because one clings to self, resentment arises.

If members of the fourfold assembly hear this Dharma scripture and respond with anger, hatred, and slander, they are not sramanas. Although they bear the name of sramana, they are not disciples of the Buddha, nor am I their teacher. For disciples of the Buddha do not speak falsely, and the Buddha is not the teacher of liars.

You should know that the Buddha is the One Who Speaks Truth and can truthfully teach the emptiness of all dharmas. O Mahakasyapa! Whoever disputes with the Tathagata is called an evil Mara. The Tathagata does not permit Mara’s followers to leave the household life and receive full ordination.

What do you think? Suppose someone said that a blue sparrow had given birth to a great dragon. Would that statement be credible, and would they be of the same kind?

World-Honored One, that statement would not be credible, nor would they be of the same kind.

Suppose someone said that a garuda had given birth to an ordinary bird. What do you think?

World-Honored One, that statement would not be credible, nor would they be of the same kind.

Suppose someone said that a firefly carried Mount Sumeru and flew into the sky. What do you think?

World-Honored One, that statement would not be credible, nor would they be of the same kind.

O Mahakasyapa! Those evil people mentioned above, who cling to self and even cling to nirvana, yet call the Buddha their teacher, are even less of the same kind.

O Mahakasyapa! Suppose there were a sovereign king who ruled his country and led his people to boundless peace and happiness. At the king’s side were ministers who obediently carried out his righteous governance.

At that time, there was an unknown man who, for the sake of fame and gain, learned the mannerisms of an official. Without receiving any command from the king, he entered among the officials and falsely proclaimed royal decrees, telling everyone, “You must remain here and act in this manner.”

In the same way, the Tathagata, the Dharma King, governs the entire great trichiliocosm, gathers and transforms all beings of the Three Vehicles, possesses the ten powers of wisdom, perfects all virtues, and performs Buddha deeds that bring boundless peace and happiness.

There is a class of people previously unknown to the great assembly who, for the sake of their livelihood, teach the characteristics of self, beings, and so forth, even as far as nirvana. They do not follow the Tathagata’s noble teaching of non-self, but falsely declare, “The Buddha said that this should be done and that this should not be done.”

Within the great assembly are people who faithfully follow the Buddhadharma. Upon hearing the statements above, they regard such persons as pure fields of merit and respectfully offer them wealth and possessions, continuing to do so as long as they remain unaware of their errors and wrongdoing!

These evil people are like the man in the parable who falsely proclaimed the king’s commands. After they have finished eating and drinking, they habitually discuss, in crowded places, matters concerning kings, bandits, food and clothing, sexual indulgence, women, medicine, wine and tea, solar and lunar eclipses, the king’s comings and goings, family lineages, auspicious and inauspicious days, and so forth. Day and night, they continually ponder and discuss such matters.

They have neither right mindfulness nor right wisdom, and they have lost all dignified conduct. They sleep deeply, rolling about with saliva and mucus flowing from their mouths. Whatever they think about while awake, they dream about while asleep.

When they awaken, they gather together to discuss whether their dreams were auspicious or inauspicious. In walking, standing, and acting, they are no different from ordinary worldly people. They speak at improper times, their minds are heedless, and they delight in visiting crowded villages and the homes of the wealthy and eminent.

They cannot uphold the Buddha’s precepts. They privately teach the Dharma to women. While teaching the Dharma, defiled thoughts arise in them; when they receive abundant offerings, they become greedily attached and infatuated, without knowing remorse.

When they receive fine donations, they praise the donors; when they do not, they criticize them.

When they met, they would compare the offerings each had received. They would ask one another, “What did the donor offer today? To whom? Were the money and goods plentiful or scant?”

These are called those who do not cultivate the practice; their faults also include slandering the true Dharma.

– O Mahakasyapa! You should have compassion for the foolish and evil people described above, for they will have to undergo extremely painful karmic retribution.”

This Vietnamese translation entirely omits the verse passage from line 21 on page 12, folio a, through the end of the fascicle at line 3 on page 13, folio a, comprising a total of 688 Chinese characters.