六度集經

Chapter VI: THE INFINITE PERFECTION OF WISDOM

(Prajnaparamita)

83—Thus have I heard:

At one time, the Buddha was dwelling in Prince Jeta’s Grove, in Anathapindika’s Park, in the kingdom of Sravasti, together with one thousand two hundred bhiksus and ten thousand bodhisattvas, all seated in assembly. His foremost disciple, Sariputra, approached the Buddha, bowed his head, knelt, and addressed him:

—What meritorious deeds did Channa perform in former kalpas, such that when the Bodhisattva was still living at home and was to become a Wheel-Turning Emperor, he instead urged him to relinquish the kingdom, enter the mountains, and train in the Way; personally attain Buddhahood; rescue sentient beings; achieve sublime merit; and reach the realm of nirvana? I pray that the Blessed One will clearly explain the origin of this matter.

The Buddha praised him, saying:

—Excellent, excellent! Sariputra, you have asked well! The merit accumulated by Channa over many lifetimes and many kalpas is truly immeasurable. Listen attentively, and I shall explain it to you.

He replied:

—Yes, indeed.

The Buddha said:

—Long ago, when I was a bodhisattva in the kingdom of Ni-ha-bien, the king of that realm listened to the schemes proposed by others. Some said that cultivating the Way would enable one to ascend to heaven, while others said that worshiping spirits would enable one to ascend to heaven. From childhood onward, the king had constantly wished to ascend to heaven, but he did not yet know the method. There were more than forty thousand brahmins in that kingdom. The king summoned them and asked:

—What method must I use if I wish to ascend to heaven?

The eldest brahmin replied:

—Excellent is this question! Does Your Majesty wish to take this very body to heaven, or only your spirit?

The king said:

—I wish to ascend to heaven immediately, seated just as I am now.

The ascetic said:

—Then an exceedingly great altar must be erected to make offerings to the heavenly spirits.

The king was overjoyed and ordered that two thousand catties of gold and silver be bestowed upon the brahmins. Having obtained the treasure, they returned home and enjoyed themselves together. When the treasure was exhausted, they discussed among themselves: “We shall have the king select boys and girls of surpassing beauty, one hundred of each; elephants, horses, and other animals, likewise one hundred of each kind. First he shall provide us with food and drink; afterward, the people and animals shall be killed, and their bones and flesh used to construct a platform for ascending to heaven.”

Having agreed upon this, they reported the matter to the king. The king said:

—Very good.

The king immediately ordered the officials outside the palace to make all the necessary preparations without delay. All the selected people and animals were cast into prison, causing multitudes to weep and lament throughout the streets. The people of the kingdom all said:

—When a king abandons the true teachings of the Buddha and instead reveres evil and heterodox practices, this becomes the cause of his kingdom’s destruction.

The brahmins again reported:

—If all these living beings are killed and the king still fails to ascend to heaven, we shall undoubtedly be torn limb from limb and exposed in the marketplace!

They then plotted together once more:

—On Mount Gandhamadana there is a celestial courtesan named the Spirit Resembling a Human Form. Even holy spirits would find her difficult to capture. We should have the king seek her. If she cannot be found, the entire affair will come to an end, and we shall escape punishment.

They again went before the king and reported:

—On Mount Gandhamadana there is a celestial maiden skilled in music. Her blood must be obtained and combined with the people and animals to make the platform; only then can Your Majesty ascend to heaven.

The king joyfully said:

—Why did you not say so earlier? Four months have already passed, and only now do you tell me?

They replied:

—Such is the full course of our ritual art, from beginning to end. We ask Your Majesty to order the people throughout the kingdom to assemble and promise a great reward, with abundant wine and music, to whoever can find the divine maiden.

At that time, someone among the people who knew of the matter reported:

—Beyond the seventh mountain are two ascetics, one named Jali and the other Ubon, who know where that divine maiden dwells.

The king said:

—Summon them here.

The messengers obeyed the command and departed. After several days, they brought the ascetics back. The king joyfully held a banquet, with wine and music lasting seven days, and then said:

—If you capture the divine maiden and bring her here for me, once I have ascended to heaven, I shall give this kingdom to you.

They replied:

—We shall certainly exert ourselves to the utmost.

They returned to their dwelling and searched for more than two months. After passing through seven mountain ranges, they finally reached Mount Gandhamadana. There they saw a great lake measuring thirty leagues across in both directions.

On the level ground beside the lake stood a magnificent and imposing jeweled city, eighty leagues in length, breadth, and height. Jeweled trees surrounded the city, their brilliance illuminating the entire land. The lake was filled with lotuses, each flower having as many as one thousand petals.

The petals were of five colors and shone together with dazzling splendor, while many kinds of wondrous birds warbled and sang. The city had seven successive gates. Within it, towers, pavilions, palaces, and halls stood closely arrayed; banners and pennants fluttered resplendently; and bells and chimes rang out in the five tones.

The heavenly king dwelt in the palace, delighting himself with singing maidens. After seven days, Sakra went out to wander, came to bathe in the lake, and, when his enjoyment was complete, was due to return to heaven. Beneath a tree beside the lake was a holy brahmin, undefiled within and without, who had attained the clear insight of the five superknowledges.

The two ascetics approached, bowed their heads, and asked:

—This music is sublime. For whose pleasure is it being played?

He replied:

—The daughter of King Đầu Ma, together with more than one thousand others, is roaming here for pleasure. They have only just arrived; you should withdraw at once.

The two ascetics withdrew and found a place to hide. They discussed together:

—This brahmin possesses sacred spiritual virtue. What means can we use to approach the celestial maiden? Our only recourse is to employ a ghostly art: bind grass together, cast a spell over it, and throw it into the lake, causing the brahmin’s body to lie atop the celestial maiden’s body; then his spiritual power will vanish.

They immediately bound grass together, threw it into the water, and used a sorcerous incantation to cast a spell. Sakra escaped and returned to heaven, as did all the other devas; only the celestial maiden was unable to fly upward. The two ascetics leapt into the lake, removed their garments, and bound the celestial maiden.

The celestial maiden said:

—What do you intend to do with me?

The two ascetics answered her as described above. Keeping count by breaking pieces of bamboo, they traveled for seven days before returning to the kingdom.

They went directly to the royal palace and naturally saw a skull. When the king saw the celestial maiden, he was overjoyed. He held a banquet of food and drink to reward the ascetics and said:

—Once I have ascended to heaven, I shall give this kingdom to you.

The king’s eldest son, named Nan-la-thi, ruled another kingdom. He had a crown prince named Tu-la, born of his first wife. The prince was benevolent, gentle, intelligent, and thoroughly discerning. He foresaw events in the lives of sentient beings before they occurred; there was nothing profound that he did not perceive and nothing minute that he did not comprehend. The lofty practice of the six paramitas never departed from his heart. He vowed to seek attainment of the Tathagata’s state of Unattached, Right and True Awakening; Guide in the Dharma; Teacher of Devas and Humans; Well-Gone One; Knower of the World, reaching the source of emptiness. The king said:

—I am about to ascend to heaven. Summon my imperial grandson so that I may bid him farewell.

The imperial grandson arrived, bowed his head in homage, received the king’s farewell, and then withdrew to take his seat. The king asked:

—Are your parents and the people all safe and well?

The imperial grandson replied:

—Through the beneficent grace of the king, peace prevails everywhere.

The king’s grandson then said:

—If I do not ask for the celestial maiden to become my consort, the king will surely have her killed!

Someone heard this and reported it to the king. The king said:

—I intend to use the celestial maiden’s blood to construct the platform for ascending to heaven.

The imperial grandson immediately ceased eating. He withdrew in contemplation, his heart filled with sorrow.

Fearing that his grandson would die, the king gave him the celestial maiden as his consort. All within and beyond the palace rejoiced, and every calamity was dispelled. After four months, the brahmins again reported:

—Now a pit must be dug in which the animals are to be killed. The pit must be filled with their bodies, and then the divine maiden’s blood must be smeared around its rim. An auspicious day should then be chosen for the sacrifice to heaven.

The king said:

—Excellent!

He then ordered all the elders of the kingdom, together with the officials and the people, to attend the sacrificial rite. When the imperial grandson heard of this, he was deeply grieved and unhappy. He closely questioned the brahmins:

—From which sacred scripture does this sacrificial ritual originate?

They replied:

—Anyone who performs such sacrificial rites will ascend to heaven.

The royal grandson pointed out:

—Whenever one kills, one harms the lives of sentient beings. Taking the lives of sentient beings is foremost among heinous and evil offenses; the calamity it brings is endless. Their spirits undergo transformation and again harbor resentment toward one another, using poisoned blades to kill one another, life after life without cease. After death, they must enter the hell beneath Mount Tai, where they are burned, boiled, hacked, and minced, enduring every kind of torment. When they emerge, they may be born as animals and immediately die beneath the knife; or if they later become human, they must suffer the calamity of being dismembered. All these things arise from killing. How could anyone commit violence and cruelty yet ascend to heaven?

The brahmins replied:

—You have only just come of age. How far can your understanding reach, that you would refute us?

The royal grandson said:

—Throughout my former lives, for five hundred consecutive lifetimes I was born into brahmin households. I thoroughly know the scriptures and teachings of your path, which hold pure truth to be foremost. You practice cunning and deception; how could this accord with the scriptures’ wondrous meaning?

The brahmins said:

—If you know our path, why do you not expound it?

The royal grandson explained clearly:

—The great principle of the brahmins is that the realm of the sages is utterly pure, yet you are filthy and defiled, cruel, gluttonous, and deceitfully conduct perverse sacrifices. You kill people and harm creatures, drink wine and engage in sexual debauchery, deceive heaven and afflict the people, causing them to abandon the Buddha, violate the Dharma, and distance themselves from the virtuous. You exhaust your wealth in offerings to spirits that are not your kin, while your own relatives suffer hunger and cold. How could this accord with the sages’ intention and the lofty conduct of ascetics?

The brahmins bowed their heads in shame and withdrew. The royal grandson then expounded to his royal grandfather the teaching of sincere faith proclaimed by the Unsurpassed, Right, True, and Most Perfectly Enlightened One:

—Whoever wishes to ascend to heaven must take refuge in the Three Jewels, clearly understand the four impermanent things, completely relinquish greed and miserliness, nurture a pure resolve, forget oneself in order to save others, and extend beneficence to all sentient beings. This is the first.

Cherish every living being; broaden your heart to save others; remain ever content; do not take what is not yours; preserve chastity and refrain from sexual misconduct; be trustworthy and do not deceive. Wine is a disorienting poison that withers and destroys the way of filial devotion. Observe the ten virtues and guide your relatives by the right path. This is the second.

Patiently endure sentient beings; have compassion for those maddened by intoxication; when poison comes, let sorrow depart; rescue without harming; guide them by means of the Three Jewels; once they understand, immediately bring them joy; cherish, nurture, and assist them, with beneficence equal to heaven and earth. This is the third.

Strive diligently to discipline your resolve and devote yourself to seeking lofty conduct. This is the fourth.

Abandon error and eliminate defilements, making your resolve as tranquil as empty space. This is the fifth.

Study widely, allowing nothing to obstruct your aspiration to attain omniscience. This is the sixth.

Embrace and uphold these vast virtues, never transgressing from beginning to end, and seek to become the Dharma King of the three realms; then how could ascending to heaven be difficult? But if one violates the Buddha’s compassionate teaching, delights in ferocity and evil, kills sentient beings, indulges in licentious music, and performs perverse sacrifices, then while alive one will be abandoned by heaven, and after death one must enter the three evil paths. There, beings will again kill one another and bear endless calamity. To commit such evil and yet hope to ascend to heaven is like defying the king’s command while wishing to attain a high office.

The king said:

—Excellent indeed is this teaching of faith!

The king then opened the prisons and proclaimed a great amnesty, expelled all practitioners of false and demonic ways, and entrusted the treasures of the entire kingdom to his grandson so that he might cultivate merit. Upon receiving the treasures, the royal grandson distributed them all among the poor. He gave alms for seven days, and no destitute person failed to receive complete satisfaction.

After giving alms, he further exhorted the people to observe the precepts. Everyone experienced the blessing of his beneficence, and none failed to comply. Devas, dragons, spirits, and gods all praised him, raining down many kinds of jewels, silks, rice, grain, and crops.

The neighboring kingdoms admired his virtuous guidance and submitted to him, like rivers flowing into the great ocean. The royal grandson bade farewell to his relatives and returned with the consort.

After returning to his kingdom, the crown prince cared only to shut himself away, neglect his duties, and take pleasure with her. The ministers reported to the king:

—Unless he gives up that consort, the affairs of the kingdom will fall into ruin.

His royal father said:

—His wife was bestowed upon him by his grandfather. How could he cast her aside?

He then summoned the crown prince in order to confine him. When the consort heard of this, she became ashamed and immediately flew back to her former dwelling on the seventh mountain. When she saw Ubon and the others, she instructed them:

—If my husband comes, drive him away on my behalf.

She then left a gold ring as a token.

Only after the royal father heard that the consort had departed did he allow the crown prince to return to his residence. Unable to find his consort, the crown prince wept sorrowfully. The deity guarding the palace said:

—Crown prince, do not grieve. I will show you the way. The consort is now on the seventh mountain. Hurry there and seek her before it is too late.

The royal grandson heeded these words, immediately donned his jeweled robe, fastened on his sword, took up his bow, and departed at once. The precious robe shone for forty leagues. When he reached the seventh mountain, he saw that his wife had broken off branches and cast them upon the ground as signs to show the way. The crown prince first encountered two ascetics and asked:

—Did my consort pass this way?

They replied:

—She did.

They then gave him the gold ring and accompanied him to assist his journey. They used trees to make a bridge across a small river and reached the eighth mountain, where they saw a brahmin who had attained the four dhyanas. The crown prince immediately prostrated himself with all five limbs touching the ground, bowed his head in homage, and asked:

—Ascetic, did you see my wife pass this way?

He replied:

—She passed this way! Sit here for a moment, and I will show you where she is.

At that time, Sakra, Lord of the Devas, transformed himself into a great ape whose awe-inspiring spiritual power shook the entire mountain forest. The royal grandson became very afraid. The brahmin said:

—Do not be afraid. It has come to make an offering.

When the ape saw the three ascetics, it became suspicious and stopped, not daring to approach. The brahmin called:

—Come here.

The ape immediately approached and offered fruit. The brahmin accepted the fruit, and the four of them ate together. He then called to the ape and instructed it:

—Take these three men to the dwelling of the goddess Resembling Human Form.

The ape asked:

—Who is this man, that you would have him ascend to heaven?

The brahmin said:

—He is the king’s crown prince, foremost among bodhisattvas. He will become the Tathagata, the Unattached, Right and True One, the Supremely Enlightened One, the Guide in the Dharma, the Teacher of Devas and Humans. Through his great beneficence, sentient beings will return to the fundamental emptiness.

The ape praised him:

—Excellent, bodhisattva! If you attain Buddhahood, I vow to become your horse.

Of the two men accompanying Ubon, one vowed to become his servant, and the other vowed to become an arhat. The bodhisattva said:

—Very good!

Then they all ascended to heaven.

Along the way, five hundred pratyekabuddhas came and bowed before him. The bodhisattva sent the ape back to gather flowers, which he scattered as offerings to the Buddhas, making this vow:

—May I swiftly attain perfect enlightenment, guide sentient beings, bring birth and death entirely to an end, and enable consciousness to return to the fundamental emptiness.

The other three again made vows as before, each aspiring to become a Buddha. They bowed and continued onward. When they reached the gate of the city of the goddess Resembling Human Form, the ape bowed its head and asked leave to withdraw. The three men all sat down to rest. At that time, a woman dressed in blue came out to draw water. The bodhisattva asked:

—Elder sister, what is the water for?

She replied:

—I am drawing water for the princess to bathe.

The bodhisattva removed his ring and placed it in the water vessel. When the celestial maiden saw the ring, she stopped and did not bathe. She said to her parents:

—My husband has come seeking me and has now arrived here!

Her father, whose name was Dầu Ma, rejoiced and hurried out to meet him. The bodhisattva bowed his head in accordance with the rites of a son-in-law, while the two ascetics bowed in homage and withdrew. The king invited the bodhisattva inside, took his daughter by the hand, and gave her to him. More than a thousand maidservants surrounded them, while celestial music was played for their delight. After remaining there for seven years, the bodhisattva remembered the kindness of his parents who had given birth to and nurtured him. Choked with emotion, he bade farewell and asked to return to his kingdom. The heavenly king said:

—I now entrust this entire kingdom to you. How can you bear to depart?

The bodhisattva repeated his request as before. The king said:

—Remain here for another seven days so that we may fully enjoy one another’s company.

Seven days later, a great spirit king came to the heavenly king and offered his congratulations:

“Your Majesty’s daughter has returned and has also obtained a holy husband.”

The heavenly king said:

“My humble daughter has obtained a heroic and holy husband. He now remembers the relatives who gave birth to and raised him, so I must trouble you to arrange their departure.”

The spirit king respectfully obeyed. He then used heavenly jewels to fashion a palace with seven-storied halls and terraces, together with precious objects and celestial music rarely seen in the world. Bearing these in his hands, the spirit king escorted them back to their former kingdom, then bowed his head in farewell and departed. The Initiate was reunited with his parents and duly offered sincere inquiries after their well-being. His royal grandfather joyfully handed the throne over to him.

The heavenly maidens, spirits, and dragons all praised him. The crown prince granted a general pardon for all offenses and distributed all the wealth of the kingdom in generosity to the people throughout the four quarters and even to all sentient beings. He aided all who were poor or in want, satisfying each according to what they requested. Sentient beings rejoiced, and all sang his praises, extolling how the Buddha guided beings along the path of benevolence, with kindness more pervasive than heaven and earth. Those throughout the eight directions who esteemed virtue flocked into the kingdom like young children seeking refuge with a loving mother. After the royal grandfather’s life ended, he was immediately reborn in heaven.

The Buddha told the Venerable Thu Lộ Tử:

“That royal grandson was I in a former life. The brahmin who attained the four dhyanas was Thu Lộ Tử; Ưu-bôn was Mục-liên; Xà-lê was Xa-nặc; the god Śakra, who transformed himself into an ape, is now Kiền-đức, the horse Kiền-trắc; the royal father was Ca-diếp; the royal grandfather is now King Bạch Tịnh; the mother was Xá Diệu, My mother; and the wife was Câu-di.

“Throughout many lifetimes, the bodhisattva embraced loving-kindness and the four immeasurable minds, together with the six transcendent practices, to deliver sentient beings. This is exceedingly difficult to calculate or recount.”

When the Buddha had finished teaching, the bodhisattvas, the four assemblies of disciples, the devas, dragons, spirits, gods, and the god Chất lượng all rejoiced, paid homage, and withdrew.

– *

*

84—The Sutra of the King of Già-La.

Long ago, the king of Già-la was deeply grieved because his chief queen had no child to continue the royal line. He ordered her:

“Return to your parents’ home and seek some means of obtaining an heir. If you return here, I will not hold you at fault.”

The queen tearfully took her leave and vowed to end her life. She cast herself down a steep mountain and fell into a dense forest. The god Śakra was moved and said:

“In a former life, this king’s queen was my elder sister. Now, because she has no heir, she must abandon her body upon this perilous mountain.”

Grieved and compassionate, Śakra suddenly appeared. He handed the queen a plate filled with fruit and said:

“Elder sister, eat the fruit on this plate and you will surely bear a holy son to continue the lineage, one who will become a hero of the world. If the king doubts you, show him this plate. This divine plate of the heavenly king will be the finest proof.”

The chief queen raised her head toward heaven and ate the fruit. Suddenly, Śakra was no longer there. She felt her body grow heavy and returned to the palace.

Upon meeting the king, she truthfully and fully reported everything that had happened. When her term was complete, she gave birth to a prince whose appearance was extraordinarily ugly, seldom seen in the world. Even in childhood, the crown prince revealed great intelligence and vast knowledge.

His resourcefulness surpassed that of others; his strength could bring down an elephant; he could pursue and catch a flying falcon; and when he spoke, his resonant voice was like the roar of a lion. His fame spread near and far, and he was praised throughout the eight directions. The king arranged for the crown prince to marry the daughter of the king of a neighboring country.

Her name was Nguyệt Quang. She was beautiful and proper, possessing every worldly virtue. She also had seven younger sisters, all exceedingly beautiful.

Fearing that Nguyệt Quang would dislike the crown prince’s appearance, the queen falsely told her:

“According to the ancient rites of our kingdom, husband and wife may not see one another during the day. Ritual propriety is of great importance, and you, Princess, must not violate this ancient custom.”

Nguyệt Quang replied:

“I respectfully obey and dare not forget this precious instruction.”

From then on, although the crown prince came and went, she never once saw his face. The crown prince secretly thought, “Our kingdom and seven other kingdoms are enemies. If we contend by force, matters will not turn out well, and the myriad people will suffer and lament. I must therefore employ expedient means to bring about peace.” He reflected within himself, “My physical appearance is extremely ugly. If my wife sees me, she will surely leave. If she leaves, the realm will be at peace and the people will live securely, fulfilling their duty of supporting their parents.”

He then joyfully asked the queen to let him see his wife once so that he might behold her countenance. The queen said:

“Your appearance is ugly, while your wife is radiant and lovely, as beautiful as a heavenly maiden. If she discovers the truth, she will surely leave at once, and you will remain alone for the rest of your life.”

The crown prince pleaded again. Out of love for her son, the queen had to grant his wish and took the princess out to view the horses. The crown prince disguised himself as a groom. When the princess saw him, she asked:

“Why is this groom so ugly?”

The queen said:

“He was a groom of the former king.”

Later, she took the princess to see the elephants. When the princess again saw the crown prince, she became suspicious and thought, “Wherever I go, I see this man. Could he perhaps be the crown prince?” She then said to the queen:

“Please allow me to see the crown prince’s face.”

The queen promptly devised an expedient and had the brothers travel throughout the kingdom. The crown prince went with the officials and a retinue of attendants. When the queen and the princess saw them, they felt somewhat pleased. Later, they entered the royal pleasure garden. The crown prince climbed a tree, picked a fruit, and threw it against his wife’s back. The princess said:

“This must certainly be the crown prince.”

That night, she waited until the crown prince was asleep, then quietly took a lamp and shone it upon him. When she saw his appearance, she was terrified and fled back to her own kingdom. The queen angrily said:

“How could you let your wife return home?”

The crown prince replied:

“My wife’s departure is the foundation for peace throughout the realm, so that the people may fully carry out their duty of supporting their parents.”

The crown prince then entered the palace, bowed in farewell to his royal father and the queen, and set out to seek his wife. Upon reaching the princess’s kingdom, he disguised himself as a potter and hired himself out to make pottery. The pottery he produced was the finest in the kingdom. When the owner of the pottery kiln saw how beautiful it was, he took it and presented it to the king. The king was delighted to receive such beautiful wares and bestowed them upon his youngest daughter. She then took them to show her elder sisters. Nguyệt Quang recognized that they had been made by her husband, so she cast them to the ground and shattered them.

The crown prince then entered the city and hired himself out to dye various silks and fabrics. He selected one bolt of silk and dyed it in many wondrously beautiful patterns, displaying consummate and exquisite craftsmanship rarely seen in the world. The owner of the dyehouse was delighted and amazed and again presented it to the king. The king was pleased once more and had it shown to his eight daughters. Nguyệt Quang recognized it as her husband’s work, so she went away without looking at it.

The crown prince then hired himself out as a groom to a great minister. He cared for the horses so skillfully that they became both plump and docile. The great minister asked:

“Do you possess any other skills?”

He replied:

“I am fully acquainted with every dish that a royal chef must prepare.”

The great minister told him to prepare dishes to present to the king. After eating them, the king asked:

“Who prepared these dishes?”

The great minister truthfully reported the matter. The king ordered that the crown prince be made a royal chef and placed in charge of the king’s meals.

One day, the crown prince carried soup into the inner palace to present to the king’s eight daughters. Wishing to accomplish his expedient design, he pretended to spill the soup upon himself. All the princesses were alarmed, but Nguyệt Quang alone did not deign even to look at him. The god Śakra rejoiced and praised him:

“Does the bodhisattva go so far in striving to deliver sentient beings? I must employ expedient means to assist him.”

He then incited the seven enemy kingdoms to assemble in the capital of the princess’s kingdom and said to the princess, “You yourself shall put an end to the root of calamity afflicting millions of people.”

Then he transformed himself into letters written in the hand of Moonlight’s royal father, promising Moonlight in marriage to seven kingdoms. All seven kingdoms prepared betrothal gifts and came to the capital of Moonlight’s kingdom to receive the bride. When they met, they asked one another why they had come. Each replied that he had come to seek the hand of the king’s daughter, Moonlight. A clamorous dispute broke out. They all produced the king’s handwritten letters and resentfully declared in unison:

“We shall exterminate your entire clan; there can be no mistake about this!”

They immediately had their envoys return the letters and demanded:

“You have used a single daughter to make sport of our seven kingdoms. All our kingdoms are enraged and will raise their armies. Your kingdom shall fall this very day!”

Terrified, the royal father said, “This calamity is immense! It must have arisen from karma created in a former life!” He then summoned Moonlight and told her:

“When a woman becomes another’s wife, whether her husband is wise or foolish, virtuous or wicked, handsome or ugly, it is all determined by past karma. Who can cast it aside? Yet you failed to remain chaste and single-hearted, faithfully and devotedly serving him, and instead abandoned your husband and returned to this kingdom, bringing such a calamity upon us! I must now cut your body into seven portions to make amends to the kings of the seven kingdoms.”

Moonlight wept and pleaded:

“Father, please spare my life for a little while, so that I may find a person of wisdom and ability who will surely be able to repel the calamities posed by those seven kingdoms...”

The king then proclaimed a reward:

“Whoever can avert this calamity shall be given Moonlight in marriage and supported with abundant wealth and blessings.”

The prince said:

“Quickly build a high platform, and I shall drive away all the enemies.”

When the high platform was finished, the prince pretended to be ill. He set one foot awkwardly upon the ground and said that only if Moonlight came and carried him could he repel the enemy armies. Moonlight was terrified and dreaded the sight of slaughter, so she had no choice but to support the prince up onto the platform, where she stood frozen in place. The prince loudly called out to the kings of the seven kingdoms. His voice resounded afar like a lion’s roar, shaking all around, and he admonished them with the Buddha’s teachings:

“To be sovereigns who watch over the multitudes, you must employ the way of benevolence. Yet now you have become enraged. Great anger brings great calamity; when the fire is great, the body is destroyed. Once the body is lost, the kingdom is lost. All of this arises from name and form!”

Among the mighty armies of the seven kingdoms, there was no one who did not stand dazed and motionless. After a moment they recovered, and all wished to return to their own kingdoms. The prince said to the king:

“No marriage alliances could surpass those with these kings. Why not give your seven daughters in marriage to the sons of those seven kings? With sons-in-law to protect you, Your Majesty will enjoy peace, the subjects will rejoice, and the parents will be cared for.”

The king said:

“Excellent! This is a cause for great rejoicing!”

He then summoned the seven kings and gave his seven daughters in marriage to them. The eight sons-in-law presented lavish gifts, and both ruler and ministers rejoiced. Only then did the king and his subjects learn that the prince was Moonlight’s former husband. The king selected worthy officials and warriors to accompany them, and everyone returned to their respective kingdoms. All nine kingdoms were peaceful and secure. The people danced and sang, and all proclaimed in praise:

“Heaven sent him down to be our father! The skillful means of a sage cannot be fathomed by ordinary people! Now that his virtue has accumulated and his work is accomplished, the truth is manifest, and no one disparages him.”

A little more than a year after he returned to his kingdom, his royal father passed away. The prince succeeded to his father’s throne and proclaimed a general amnesty for all offenses. He taught the myriad people through the Five Precepts, the Six Paramitas, the Eight Fasting Precepts, and the Ten Wholesome Deeds.

All calamities ceased, the kingdom prospered, and the people lived in peace. The great transforming influence of the Dharma spread widely, and everyone revered and served the Three Jewels. Great virtue brought blessings, all his illnesses disappeared, and the prince’s countenance became radiant, surpassing even peach blossoms in beauty.

This occurred because of the bodhisattva’s former-life karma affecting his lifespan and appearance. In a past life, the husband and wife had gone together to plow the fields. One day, he sent his wife home to fetch their meal.

When he saw her returning in the company of a pratyekabuddha, they disappeared behind the mountainside and did not emerge for a long time. Suspicion arose in his mind. In anger, he seized a stick and went to beat them.

When he arrived, he saw his wife offering her portion of food to the shramana, after which she stepped back and stood with palms joined. When the shramana had finished eating, he tossed his bowl into the sky. The bowl emitted a dazzling radiance and flew away.

The husband felt both ashamed and remorseful, thinking, “My wife possesses virtue and therefore encountered such a venerable being! But I am exceedingly foolish and will surely suffer calamity.” He then called to his wife and said:

“Let me share in the merit of your offering. Let the two of us eat the food that remains. Please do not be angry!”

When their lives ended, each was born into a royal family. Because the wife had given with a pure and compassionate heart, she was beautiful and upright from birth. Because the husband had first become angry but afterward gave rise to loving-kindness, he was ugly at birth but later became handsome.

The Buddha told the bhikshus:

“Whenever people create karma by first giving something and later taking it back, in a future life they will be born wealthy but become poor as they grow older. If they first take something away and later give it back, in a future life they will first receive the retribution of poverty and lowly status, but as they grow older they will become rich and honored. That prince was I myself; his wife was Câu-di; his royal father was King Bạch Tịnh; his mother was Xá Diệu, who is now my mother; and Shakra, Lord of the Gods, was Maitreya. Life after life, bodhisattvas compassionately keep sentient beings in mind and devote themselves to rescuing them from suffering and distress.”

The bodhisattva’s far-reaching perfection of wisdom always manifests such penetrating clarity.

– *

*

85—Sutra of the Bodhisattva Who Used Wisdom to Leave His Demon Wife.

Long ago, when the bodhisattva was an ordinary person, at the age of sixteen he was intelligent by nature, learned, and widely experienced. There was no scripture he had not thoroughly understood. He diligently studied and deeply contemplated the teachings and methods of the various scriptures, examining which scripture was most correct and which path was most secure. Having reflected, he sighed and said:

“Only the Buddha’s scriptures are the most correct, and only the unconditioned path is the most secure.”

He further thought:

“I shall devote myself to upholding what is correct and dwelling in that secure place.”

His parents wished to arrange a marriage for him, but the bodhisattva sorrowfully said:

“Among the grievous calamities caused by demons, none is greater than sensual beauty. If the demon of desire comes, virtue and the path will be lost. If I do not flee, I shall surely be devoured by wolves!”

He therefore fled to another kingdom, where he hired out his labor to support himself. At that time, there was an elderly landowner who had no child to carry on his family line. One day, while out in the fields, he found a little girl of surpassing beauty. Delighted, he brought her home and raised her as his daughter. Later, he searched throughout the kingdom for a young man to whom he could give her in marriage, but found none. He had employed the bodhisattva for five years, and seeing that the young man had always conducted himself virtuously, he was delighted and said:

“Young man, my household possesses everything in abundance. I shall now give you my daughter in marriage, and you shall become my heir.”

The girl possessed supernatural powers and bewitched the bodhisattva’s mind. Not long after marrying her, the bodhisattva came to his senses and thought:

“I have clearly seen the Buddhas teach that sensual desire is fire and human beings are moths. Because moths crave the flame, their bodies are burned. Now this man has used the fire of sensual beauty to burn my body, used wealth as bait to hook my mouth, and used this defiled household life to bury my virtue.”

When night came, the bodhisattva quietly fled far away. After traveling more than a hundred li, he entered an empty roadside pavilion to spend the night. The pavilion keeper asked:

“Who are you?”

He replied:

“I am a traveler seeking lodging for the night.”

The keeper led him inside, where he saw beautiful beds and cushions and an array of dazzling jewels. There was also a woman whose appearance resembled that of his wife. She bewitched the bodhisattva’s mind, causing him to live together with her for five years. When clarity returned to his mind, the bodhisattva thought:

“Lust is a profound poison that destroys the body and imperils life. I strove to flee from it, yet now, through ill fortune, I have encountered it again.”

He then quietly fled in haste. Once more he encountered a palace and a woman just like before. Again she bewitched his mind, and he lived with her for ten years. Then clarity returned to the bodhisattva’s mind, and he understood and said:

“My calamity is exceedingly grave. Though I flee, I cannot escape it!”

He then made this solemn vow:

“For the rest of my life, I shall never again seek lodging for the night.”

Again he fled. From afar, he saw a large house and turned aside into the fields. The gatekeeper asked:

-Who is traveling at night?

He replied:

-I am going to the village ahead.

The gatekeeper said:

-There is an order forbidding anyone to pass.

Someone inside the house called him in, and the bodhisattva again saw what he had seen before. The woman said:

-For countless kalpas we have vowed to be husband and wife. Why do you flee from me?

The bodhisattva thought:

-Is the root of desire truly so difficult to uproot?

He immediately brought forth the four contemplations and said:

-I intend to use the Dharma-contemplation of impermanence, suffering, emptiness, and non-self to extinguish the defilements of the three realms. How, then, could I fail to eliminate this slight defilement of yours?

When he brought forth these four contemplations, the demon-wife immediately vanished, and his mind blazed with light. He then saw the Buddhas standing before him, clearly explaining the samadhis of emptiness, wishlessness, and signlessness. He received the precepts of a śramaṇa and became a supreme teacher.

The bodhisattva’s vast, all-pervading perfection of wisdom was ever manifested with such clarity.

– *

*

86- Sutra of the Prophecy Bestowed upon the Youthful Brahmin.

Long ago, the bodhisattva was born in the land of Bát-ma as a brahmin named Nho Đồng. He sought out teachers from whom to learn. He looked upward to study celestial patterns and studied texts on strategy and prophecy; whatever he heard or saw, he immediately understood. He upheld sincerity and esteemed filial devotion. All the scholars of the land praised him. One day, his teacher asked:

-Your attainment in the Way is now complete, and your skills are fully developed. Why do you not resolve to go forth and teach those who have only begun their studies?

The brahmin replied:

-I have always been poor and destitute and possess nothing with which to repay my teacher’s kindness; therefore, I dare not leave. Moreover, my mother is gravely ill and has no medicine for treatment. I ask permission to hire myself out as a laborer so that I may provide medicine for her.

The teacher said:

-Very good.

The brahmin bowed his head in homage to his teacher and departed. While traveling throughout a neighboring land, he saw five hundred brahmins assembled in a lecture hall. They had prepared a high seat and placed there a beautiful maiden and five hundred silver coins, saying:

-Whoever ascends this high seat will be questioned and challenged by all the scholars. If he proves to possess vast wisdom and profound attainment in the Way, we shall present him with this maiden and the silver.

The bodhisattva came to observe. Seeing that their wisdom was shallow and that, when closely questioned, they were all left speechless, he said to the scholars:

-I too am the son of a brahmin. May I take part in this discussion?

They all replied:

-You may.

The bodhisattva immediately ascended the high seat. When the scholars asked about shallow aspects of the Way, he answered with its profound principles; when they asked about narrow meanings, he explained their broader significance. The scholars said:

-This man’s attainment in the Way is lofty and his wisdom vast. He is fit to be a teacher.

They all bowed their heads and acknowledged defeat. The bodhisattva then asked leave to depart. The scholars said:

-Although this man’s wisdom is lofty and brilliant, he comes from another land. It would be improper for him to marry a daughter of our country. Let us instead add more money and present it to him.

The bodhisattva replied:

-One who is lofty in the Way possesses profound virtue. I seek the Way that is free from desire; what I seek is truly precious. Transmit the Way to those of spiritual power and entrust virtue to the sages. When sages and divine beings transmit them successively, the great foundation of the teaching will not perish, and they may rightly be called worthy successors. You wish to lose the Way and sever the roots of merit and virtue; you may be called men without posterity.

Having said this, he departed. The scholars were abashed and ashamed. The maiden said:

-That noble man is truly my husband.

She gathered up her robes and set out upon the road, following his tracks through many lands. Her feet aching and her strength exhausted, she fainted by the roadside. When she reached the land of Bát-ma, its king, named Chế Thắng, was making a tour of the border. Seeing the exhausted maiden lying unconscious, he asked:

-Who are you, and why are you lying beside the road?

The maiden related the entire cause. The king praised her resolve and felt great compassion for her. He commanded her:

-Come back to the palace with me. I shall accept you as my daughter.

The maiden replied:

-Their food and mine are different; how could I sit idle and eat? Please grant me some duty, and then I shall follow Your Majesty.

The king said:

-Gather precious flowers and present them to me as adornments.

The maiden respectfully accepted and followed the king back to the palace. Each day she gathered beautiful flowers and presented them for the king’s use.

Nho Đồng returned to his homeland. Along the road he saw people gathering to level mounds, fill hollows, and sweep everything clean. He asked a passerby:

-The people are filled with delight. Surely some joyful event is approaching?

They replied:

-The Tathagata Định Quang, the Unattached, the Truly and Perfectly Enlightened One, Perfect in the Way, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed One, Guide of Beings, Teacher of Gods and Humans, is about to come here to teach and transform us. Therefore, the people are filled with delight.

Nho Đồng’s heart rejoiced. He quietly entered samadhi, his mind pure and undefiled, and saw that the Buddha was about to arrive. On the road he encountered the maiden from before, who was gathering flowers and placing them in a vase. He followed her and asked for five flowers. The king, queen, and common people were all personally repairing the road. The bodhisattva earnestly requested a small section that he might repair himself. The people said:

-There remains a small ravine where the water flows swiftly, and neither earth nor stones will remain in place.

The bodhisattva said:

-Could I use the power of meditation to bring down that small star and fill the ravine with it?

He then thought, “The proper manner of making an offering requires the use of the four great powers; it is best that I endure hardship myself.” He therefore left the star in place and hauled stones instead, filling the ravine with his own strength. When the power of his virtue had firmly secured them, only a small muddy channel remained, but the Buddha had already arrived. The bodhisattva took off the deerskin garment he was wearing and spread it over the muddy ground. He then cast the five flowers into the air as an offering to the Buddha. The flowers spread throughout the sky, as though seeds scattered by hand upon the earth had sprung forth. The Buddha called to the bodhisattva and said:

-Ninety-one kalpas from now, worthy one, you shall become a Buddha named the Tathagata Năng Nhân, the Unattached, the Truly and Perfectly Enlightened One, Perfect in the Way, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed One, Guide of Beings, Teacher of Gods and Humans. That age will be perverse and inverted: fathers and sons will be enemies, and royal government will bring harm to the people, as though the heavens were raining down swords and blades. Though the people strive to escape, it will be difficult for them to avoid calamity. In that world you shall rescue sentient beings, and the number of those delivered by you will be beyond calculation.

Nho Đồng rejoiced and leapt into the air to a height of seven fathoms above the ground. Descending from the sky, he spread his hair upon the earth for the Buddha to walk across. After the Blessed One had passed over it, he told the bhikshus:

-Do not tread upon that ground. This is because it is the place where the prophecy was received and is worthy of unsurpassed reverence. If a wise person erects a monastery here, it will be as though he too receives the prophecy.

The devas all said with one voice:

-We shall build a monastery here.

At that time, the son of an elder, named Hiền Càn, gathered a little kindling and arranged it upon that ground, saying:

-My monastery is already built!

The devas looked back and said among themselves:

-Can this ordinary child possess the wisdom of a supreme sage?

Hiền Càn then transported precious materials there and built a monastery upon that ground. Bowing his head, he said:

-May I become a Buddha and teach and transform beings just as you do today. Now that I have built this monastery, what will be the fruit of this merit?

The Blessed One said:

-When Nho Đồng becomes a Buddha, you shall receive a prophecy.

The Buddha told the Venerable Thu Lộ Tử:

-Nho Đồng was I myself; the flower-selling maiden is now Câu-di; and the elder’s son is Phi-la-dư, who is now seated in this assembly.

Phi-la-dư immediately bowed reverently at the Buddha’s feet. The Buddha bestowed upon him the prophecy that in the future he would become a Buddha named Khoái Kiên.

When the Buddha had finished teaching the sutra, the four assemblies of disciples, devas, humans, dragons, spirits, and all the others rejoiced. They paid homage and withdrew.

The bodhisattva’s vast, all-pervading perfection of wisdom was ever manifested with such clarity.

87- Sutra of King Ma-điều.

Thus have I heard:

At one time, the Blessed One was in the land of Vô-di, seated beneath a tree. His countenance shone more brilliantly than purple-gold. Joyfully, he smiled, and from his mouth issued rays of five-colored light. At that time, all who saw him were filled with delight and exclaimed in praise:

-He is truly the God Above Gods!

The Venerable Ānanda adjusted his robes, bowed his head, and said:

-The Blessed One’s smile must surely mean that he intends to deliver sentient beings from darkness?

The Buddha said:

“Excellent! It is just as the Venerable One has said. I do not smile without cause; it is to reveal the Dharma. Would the Venerable One like to know the meaning of that smile?”

Venerable Ananda replied:

“We always thirst for the sacred teachings and can never say that we have had enough.”

The Buddha said:

“In ancient times, there was a holy king named Ma-dieu. As a Wheel-Turning Emperor ruling the four continents beneath heaven, his heart was righteous and his conduct upright. None among the people harbored private resentment.

He was compassionate, joyful in rendering aid, and his heart was like that of Sakra, Lord of the Devas. At that time, the people lived as long as eighty thousand years. The king possessed seven treasures: a wheel of purple gold that revolved of itself, a white elephant that could fly, a divine azure horse, the divine Bright Moon jewel, a holy queen who was a jewel among women, a holy minister who oversaw the treasury, and a holy minister who commanded the army.

The emperor had one thousand sons, all handsome, benevolent, and pure, understanding the events of the past and able to foresee the future. No wise person failed to honor and admire them.

“Whenever the emperor wished to travel throughout the East, West, South, and North, as soon as the thought arose, the golden chariot appeared before him and carried him wherever he desired. The other seven treasures acted in the same manner. They flew ahead to guide the holy king, while devas, dragons, and benevolent spirits all followed to protect him, scattering precious flowers and wishing him immeasurable longevity. The emperor commanded the attendant responsible for grooming him:

“‘Whenever you see that the hair upon my head has turned white, you must report it to me immediately. When the hair turns white and the complexion deteriorates, it is proof that death is approaching. At that time, I wish to cast aside the defiled worldly affairs of my lineage and practice a life of austerity and purity.’

“The attendant obeyed the command. Later, when he saw that the king’s hair had turned white, he immediately reported it. The emperor rejoiced and summoned the crown prince, saying:

“‘My hair has turned white. White hair is a sign attesting to impermanence, and one should not give free rein to thoughts in this futile worldly life. I now appoint you emperor to rule the four continents beneath heaven. The lives of the subjects are entrusted to you; you must have compassion for them. If you follow the principles by which I have acted, you will avoid falling into the evil destinies. When your hair turns white, relinquish the kingdom and become a shramana. Appoint your son king and instruct him to place foremost the four immeasurable minds, the Five Precepts, and the Ten Wholesome Deeds.’

“As soon as these clear instructions were completed, the king abandoned the realm, went to a thatched hut beneath a tree, shaved off his hair and beard, donned the Dharma robe, and became a shramana. The ministers and people, united in their love for him, threw themselves down, weeping and lamenting in grief.... The descendants of Dharma King Ma-dieu succeeded one another for one thousand and eighty-four generations.

When the holy emperor’s True Dharma was about to decline in the final generation, Holy King Ma-dieu again departed from the heavenly realm, and his spirit descended to be born into the household of the last king. He too became a Wheel-Turning Emperor and was known as Nam. The True Dharma flourished once more.

The king issued a clear decree that the queen and noble ladies of the palace must observe the Eight Precepts and the six monthly fasting days. The Eight Precepts were:

1. One must possess loving-kindness and compassion, cherishing and valuing the lives of sentient beings.

2. One must carefully refrain from stealing, and those with wealth must aid the poor and needy.

3. One must preserve chastity and purity and follow the righteous path.

4. One must maintain sincerity and trustworthiness, speaking in accordance with the Buddha’s teachings.

5. One must be wholeheartedly filial and must not drink intoxicants.

6. One must not lie upon high beds or beneath brocade curtains.

7. After noon, no food may pass one’s lips.

8. One must carefully keep perfumes, flowers, cosmetics, and ointments away from oneself. Licentious songs and improper music must not be allowed to defile one’s virtue: the mind must not think of them, the mouth must not speak of them, and the body must not engage in them.

“The king further commanded the holy ministers, renowned scholars of virtuous practice, and all the common people, without distinction between noble and lowly, to observe the six fasting days, read and study the Eight Precepts, carry the text with them, and recite it three times each day. They were to be filial and obedient to their parents, reverently obey the elderly, honor them wholeheartedly, and bring them to hear the sutras.

Widowers, widows, orphans, and children who begged for food were all to receive aid and provisions. The sick were to be supplied with medicine, clothing, food, and drink. Those who were destitute and had nothing were instructed to come to the palace gates and request whatever they lacked.

Those who refused to heed these commands were assigned arduous labor. If one worthy person lived within a household, that household was joined with five others, so that the five might be transformed by the one. Whoever complied first was rewarded.

As for officials assisting in governance, worthy persons were selected and employed rather than members of the nobility.

“From the time the king’s luminous Dharma was put into practice, the people throughout the four continents beneath heaven treated one another with loving-kindness and harmony. The inclination to kill was completely extinguished, and everyone continually aided one another. Doors were left unlocked at night.

People were chaste and pure and did not desire anyone who was not their own spouse. Their speech was consistent, never saying one thing and then another. They spoke words of benevolence and compassion, and recognized impermanence as truth.

Their words were free from embellishment. When they saw others obtain blessings and benefits, their hearts rejoiced, and they spoke words of encouragement and support. They practiced and spread the great Way, and all cruelty and malice disappeared.

They had faith in the Buddha, faith in the Dharma, and faith in the shramanas. Their speech was no longer doubtful or evasive. King Nam’s benevolent grace permeated everywhere and reached every place.

Throughout the eight directions, above and below, all praised his merit and virtue. The lord of the second heaven, the Four Heavenly Kings, the sun, the moon, the stars, sea dragons, and earth spirits discussed among themselves each day:

“‘The human king of the world possesses loving-kindness, practices generosity through the four immeasurable minds, and spreads his gracious virtue everywhere, surpassing even the devas!’

“Sakra said to the devas:

“‘Would you like to see King Nam?’

“The devas replied:

“‘That has long been our wish! We await your wise instruction!’

“In but an instant, Sakra arrived above King Nam’s Hall of Loving-Kindness and Wisdom. He paid audience to King Nam and said:

“‘O holy king of great virtue, the devas have long yearned to see you, and not a day has passed without their hoping to meet you. Would the holy king like to visit the Heaven of the Thirty-Three? There, everything arises naturally, and no wish goes unfulfilled.’

“King Nam said:

“‘Excellent. I too have been thinking that I would like to make such a journey.’

“Sakra returned to heaven and told his charioteer, Ma-lau:

“‘Take my precious thousand-horse chariot and bring King Nam here.’

“The charioteer obeyed the command, took the heavenly chariot, and went to receive King Nam. When the heavenly chariot arrived and stopped beneath the palace gate, all the ministers and people were astonished. They regarded it as an auspicious sign for their holy king and praised it as something never before seen. Together they proclaimed and extolled it, and the entire realm rejoiced:

“‘Our king’s loving-kindness is vast, and his gracious virtue permeates all sentient beings. He personally observes the Eight Precepts and undertakes the six fasting days each month, and he also teaches the people to do likewise. His merit and virtue are exceedingly great; therefore, Sakra reveres and loves him and has come to welcome him.’

“King Nam mounted the chariot, and both horses and chariot flew into the air. They lingered and circled so that the people could all behold them. The king said to the charioteer:

“‘Take me to see evildoers in the two destinies of hell beings and hungry ghosts, where they are burned, boiled, beaten, and tortured, undergoing punishment for their deeds in former lives.’

“After the charioteer had complied with the command, he conveyed the king up to heaven.

“Sakra rejoiced, descended from his palace, and came forth to welcome him, saying:

“‘You have wearied yourself traveling back and forth, laboring to liberate sentient beings and carrying out the vast undertaking of a bodhisattva through the four immeasurable minds and the six paramitas. Therefore, the devas have longed to meet you.’

“Sakra approached, took him by the hand, and sat together with him. King Nam’s body then became fragrant and pure, and his countenance handsome and upright, no different from Sakra’s. Exquisite and wondrous music was performed in the heavenly palace, its sounds reverberating beyond measure. Precious flowers and fragrant incense were scattered to welcome him—a sight exceedingly rare in the world. Sakra then said:

—Be cautious; do not cling regretfully to your dwelling in the world. A wheel-turning sage-king possesses every pleasure found in the world.

King Nam, intent on teaching and transforming his ignorant subjects, eradicating all those of deviant mind, and causing everyone to know how to revere the Three Jewels, replied to Sakra:

—It is like borrowing another person’s property: one must plan to return it to its owner. This heavenly throne is not my permanent abode. I ask leave to return temporarily to the human world to instruct my descendants, bringing them the Buddha’s radiant Dharma and governing the country with an upright mind, so that filial devotion may continue unbroken, their precepts may be complete, and their conduct exalted. When they relinquish their human bodies, they will be born in the heavenly realm and rejoice together with Sakra.

The Buddha told the Venerable Ananda:

—That King Nam was I in a former life. His descendants succeeded one another for one thousand and eighty-four generations: each father installed his son as king and then became a sramana.

The Venerable Ananda joyfully bowed his head and said:

—The Buddha has always shown compassion for sentient beings, extending his beneficence to such a degree. Because his merit and virtue are imperishable, he has now attained Buddhahood and become the Honored One of the three realms, whom devas, immortals, and sages all revere.

The bhiksus rejoiced, paid homage, and withdrew.

*

88—The Sutra of A-li-niem-di.

Thus have I heard:

At one time, the Buddha was staying in the village of U-le in Sravasti. At that time, after the midday meal, the bhiksus sat together in the lecture hall and conversed among themselves:

—Human life is brief, and the body remains secure for only a short while before it must pass into a future life! Among devas, humans, animals, and all other beings, nothing that is born escapes death. Ignorant and deluded people are miserly and do not practice generosity; they do not respectfully uphold the sutras and the Way. They believe that doing good brings no merit and that doing evil incurs no grave calamity. Indulging their hearts and giving free rein to their inclinations, there is no evil they will not commit. They defy the Buddha’s teachings; what benefit will there be if they later repent?

With his divine ear, the Buddha heard from afar the bhiksus discussing how nothing surpasses impermanence. The Blessed One immediately arose, went to the bhiksus, ascended the seat, sat down peacefully, and asked:

—What were you discussing just now?

The bhiksus knelt and replied:

—After our meal, we discussed among ourselves how human life passes in an instant and how, before long, one must enter a future life, as we have just explained.

The Blessed One praised them:

—Excellent! Excellent! Most admirable! Now that you have left home to learn the Way, your aspirations must be pure, and you should recollect only what is wholesome. Whether standing or sitting, a bhiksu must constantly keep two things in mind: first, expounding the sutras; and second, practicing meditation. Would you like to hear me expound a sutra?

The bhiksus replied:

—Yes, indeed. We gladly wish to receive and understand it.

The Blessed One related:

—Long ago, there was a king named Cau-lap. In his kingdom grew a great tree called Tu-ba-hoan. Its trunk measured five hundred and sixty miles in circumference; its roots extended eight hundred and forty miles beneath the ground in all four directions; it rose four thousand miles high; and its branches spread two thousand miles in all four directions. That tree had five sections:

From the first section, the king and the inhabitants of his palace ate. From the second, the hundred officials ate. From the third, the people ate. From the fourth, practitioners of the Way and sramanas ate. From the fifth, birds and beasts ate. The tree’s fruit was as large as a two-dou jar and tasted as sweet as honey. No one guarded it, yet no one trespassed upon it or damaged it. The people of that age all lived to eighty-four thousand years. They had nine kinds of illness: cold, heat, hunger, thirst, defecation and urination, sensual desire, overeating, old age, and bodily decline. They had these nine illnesses, and women did not marry until they reached the age of five hundred.

At that time, there was a wealthy householder named A-li-niem-di, whose riches were beyond measure. Niem-di thought to himself: “Life is very short, and nothing that is born escapes death. How could treasures truly belong to oneself?

Time and again, they bring calamity. It would be better for me to give them away to aid the poor, hungry, and destitute. Although a worldly life may be joyful, it does not last long.

It would be better for me to leave home, cast off every impurity, maintain pure conduct, don the kasaya, and become a sramana.” He then went to the Sangha and received the precepts of a sramana. Several thousand people who regularly saw Niem-di living as a sramana listened to the teachings of that sage and came to understand fully the principle of impermanence: wherever there is flourishing, there is decline; nothing endures forever without perishing; only the Way is worthy of esteem.

They therefore all asked to become sramanas and followed his instruction. Niem-di taught the sutra to his disciples:

—Human life is brief and becomes impermanent in an instant. One must relinquish this body and pass into a future life. Nothing that lives escapes death; how could it endure for long?

Therefore, you must utterly sever miserliness, give to the poor and destitute, restrain sensual desire, and commit no evil deed. While one lives in the world, human life passes with tremendous speed. Human life is like a drop of morning dew upon the tip of a blade of grass: it falls in but a moment.

How could human life endure for long? Human life is like rainwater falling from the sky: a bubble forms and immediately disappears. Life passes even more swiftly than a bubble.

Human life is like a sudden flash of lightning: it vanishes in an instant. Life passes even more swiftly than lightning. Human life is like striking water with a staff: as soon as the staff is lifted, the water closes again.

Life passes even more swiftly than this. Human life is like a little oil being heated over a fierce fire: in a moment, it is completely consumed. Life passes even more swiftly than that little quantity of burning oil.

Human life is like a loom: as the thread continually passes back and forth, it diminishes little by little until it is exhausted. Human life likewise wears away by day and night, filled with sorrow and suffering; how could it endure for long? Human life is like leading an ox to the market for slaughter: with every step the ox takes, it draws one step nearer to death.

A person living for one day is like the ox taking one step. Life passes even more swiftly than this. Human life is like water cascading down a mountain: day and night it rushes onward, never pausing for an instant.

Human life passes even more swiftly than this. By day and night, people hasten toward the realm of death, swiftly and without stopping. Those who dwell in the world endure much hardship and have many anxieties.

Human life is difficult to obtain. For that reason, you must follow the Right Path, uphold the precepts, listen to the sutras without disparaging or rejecting them, and give to the poor and destitute. Of all who live in the world, none escapes death.

Having instructed his disciples in this way, Niem-di continued:

—I abandoned lustful craving, anger, delusion, dancing, singing, playing musical instruments, indulgence in sleep, and perversity. I maintained a pure mind, remained far removed from sensual desire, and forsook evil conduct. Inwardly, I cleansed the mind of defilements; outwardly, I extinguished deluded thoughts.

Seeing good, I did not rejoice; encountering evil, I did not grieve. Neither suffering nor pleasure disturbed me. My conduct was pure, my mind unified and undistracted, and I attained the fourth dhyana.

With a mind of loving-kindness, I taught and transformed humans and animals, enabling them to know the path of goodness and be born in the heavenly realms. With compassion, I cherished and pitied them, fearing that they might fall into evil realms. I attained the four dhyanas and all pure dharmas, comprehending everything and abiding in joy.

I used what I had realized to teach and transform the myriad beings, enabling them to perceive the profound Dharma of meditation and the work of the Buddha. If anyone attained realization, I likewise rejoiced and aided that person. I nurtured and supported all beings just as I cared for my own body.

By practicing these four things, the mind becomes upright and impartial. When the eyes see beautiful or ugly forms; the ears hear praise or blame; the nose smells fragrant or foul odors; the tongue tastes delicious sweetness or bitter pungency; and the body touches what is smooth or coarse—whether one’s wishes are fulfilled or afflictions run contrary to one’s heart—one neither delights in what is good nor resents what is bad.

Maintain these six practices until you attain unsurpassed, right, and true enlightenment. You, too, must devote yourselves to practicing these six disciplines in order to attain the fruit of arhatship.

Niệm-di was the revered teacher of the sages throughout the three realms. His wisdom penetrated all things, and there was no profundity he did not fully comprehend. Although his disciples did not immediately attain the path of arhatship, they were certain to be reborn in the heavens after the end of their lives.

Those whose minds were tranquil, whose resolve was serene, and who delighted in meditative concentration were all reborn in the Brahma heaven. Next came rebirth in the Heaven of the Sounds of Responsive Transformation; next, rebirth in the Heaven Free from Arrogant Pleasure; next, rebirth in the Trayastrimsa heaven; next, rebirth in the First Heaven; and after that, rebirth into the families of kings and nobles in the human world.

Those whose conduct was lofty attained lofty states, while those whose conduct was lowly attained lowly states. Wealth or poverty, nobility or baseness, long life or premature death—all arose from previous lives. Those who observed the precepts taught by Niệm-di were no longer afflicted by suffering.

That Niệm-di was I myself. Sramanas who practice diligently should escape the suffering of birth, old age, illness, death, sorrow, and distress, and realize the great path of liberation through arhatship. Those without sufficient capacity to complete the practice should at least attain the paths of stream-enterer, once-returner, or non-returner.

A wise person reflects deeply: “Human life is impermanent and swiftly passes, lasting but a short while. Some people live to one hundred years, while others do not. One hundred years comprises three hundred seasons: spring, summer, and winter, each occurring one hundred times.

Again, among the one thousand two hundred months, the seasons of spring, summer, and winter each comprise four hundred months. Among thirty-six thousand days, spring comprises twelve thousand days. During one hundred years, if one ordinarily eats two meals each day, there are seventy-two thousand meals; spring, summer, and winter each account for twenty-four thousand meals.

The time of early childhood, when one drinks only milk and cannot yet eat; the times when one abstains from food because of illness, anger, meditation, fasting and precept observance, or destitution and lack of food—all are included within those seventy-two thousand meals. In one hundred years, subtract fifty years for sleep at night, ten years for childhood, ten years for illness, and twenty years for worries over household and other affairs; thus, even if a person lives for one hundred years, only about ten years are spent in happiness.”

The Buddha told the bhiksus:

“I have spoken about human life and the body; I have spoken about years, months, and days, about food and drink, and about the span of life. Everything that I ought to teach you bhiksus has now been taught, and everything sought by my resolve has been accomplished. What you bhiksus seek and aspire to will likewise be accomplished. Whether among mountains and marshes or at ancestral shrines, you must teach the sutras and remain mindful of the path, without indolence. One who has firmly resolved upon the future has nothing to regret.”

When the Buddha had finished teaching the sutra, all the bhiksus rejoiced, bowed to the Buddha, and withdrew.

– *

89—The Sutra of King Mirror-Face

Thus have I heard:

At one time, the Buddha was staying in Prince Jeta’s Grove, in Anathapindika’s park, in the kingdom of Sravasti. When it was time to eat, the community of bhiksus took their alms bowls and entered the city to seek alms. Since the sun had not yet reached midday, they all thought, “We have entered the city too early. We should go to the lecture hall of the brahmins who follow other paths and rest there for a short while.” Everyone said, “Very well.” They then went there, exchanged greetings with the brahmins, and sat down. At that time, the brahmins were arguing among themselves over their scriptures. Unable to resolve the difficult points, they became resentful, refuted one another, and said:

“I know that Dharma; what Dharma do you know? What I know accords with the path, while what you know does not accord with the path. My teaching should be practiced, while your teaching is difficult to approach. What ought to be said first, you say afterward; what ought to be said afterward, you say first. Many of the teachings you proclaim are erroneous, like a burden too heavy to lift. I explain their meaning for you, yet you cannot understand. You know nothing and have attained nothing at all! Why do you harass me?”

In replying, they reviled one another with their tongues and thus harmed each other; when assailed with one venomous statement, they answered with three.

The bhiksus heard them utter such malicious words. They did not agree with such speech, yet neither could they establish which statements were correct. They all rose and entered the city of Sravasti to seek alms. After receiving and eating their meal, they put away their bowls, returned to Prince Jeta’s Grove, bowed to the Buddha, and sat to one side. They reported the matter to the Buddha, reflecting that those brahmins tormented themselves with learning of that kind. The Buddha told the bhiksus:

“When will they ever understand? Those followers of other teachings have not been foolish and benighted in this life alone.

“Bhiksus, in the distant past, in this realm of Jambudvipa, there was a king named Mirror-Face. He constantly read and recited the important sutras of the Buddha, and his wisdom was as abundant as the sands of the Ganges. Most of his subjects did not read or recite them, but delighted instead in frivolous books. They trusted the glimmering traces of fireflies while doubting the far-reaching light of the sun and moon. The king therefore used blind men as an illustration, wishing his people to leave behind a tiny puddle and enter the great ocean. He ordered his envoys to travel throughout the kingdom, seize all those blind from birth, and bring them to the palace gate. The envoys obeyed his command and brought all the blind people in the kingdom to the palace. They then reported to the king:

“‘Your servants have gathered the blind men, and they are now waiting below the hall.’

“The king said:

“‘Take them to examine an elephant.’

“The official obeyed the king’s command, led the blind men to the elephant, and guided their hands so they could examine it. Among them, one touched the elephant’s leg, one touched the tip of its tail, one touched its belly, one touched its side, one touched its back, one touched its ear, one touched its head, one touched its tusk, and one touched its trunk. There beside the elephant, the blind men quarreled noisily. Each maintained that he was right and the others were wrong. The envoy led them back and brought them before the king. The king asked:

“‘Have you seen the elephant?’

“They replied:

“‘We have all seen it.’

“The king asked:

“‘What is the elephant like?’

“The man who had touched its leg replied:

“‘Your enlightened majesty, it is like a barrel coated with lacquer.’

“The man who had touched the end of its tail replied:

“‘The elephant is like a broom for sweeping refuse.’

“The man who had touched the base of its tail replied:

“‘The elephant is like a staff.’

“The man who had touched its belly replied:

“‘The elephant is like a drum.’

“The man who had touched its flank replied:

“‘The elephant is like a wall.’

“The man who had touched its back replied:

“‘The elephant is like a high bench.’

“The man who had grasped its ear replied:

“‘The elephant is like a winnowing basket for rice.’

“The man who had touched its head replied:

“‘The elephant is like a large dipper.’

“The man who had grasped its tusk replied:

“‘The elephant is like a horn.’

“The man who had touched the elephant’s trunk replied:

“‘Your enlightened majesty, the elephant is like a great hauling rope.’

“They then began quarreling with one another again before the king, each declaring:

“‘The elephant is exactly as I have described it.’

“King Mirror-Face laughed and said to them:

“‘Blind men! Blind men! You are just like those who do not understand the Buddha’s sutras.’

“He then spoke this verse:

These blind men gathered here today

Argue vainly, each claiming to be right;

Seeing one part, they call the others wrong,

Sitting by one elephant, they resent one another.

“The king further said:

“‘Those who devote themselves to collections of frivolous and erroneous writings cannot behold the Buddha’s sutras, which are boundless, unsurpassed, true, and towering to the heavens, with nothing that can obscure them. They are no different from people without eyes.’

“From then on, everyone throughout the kingdom, high and low, old and young, read and recited the Buddha’s sutras.”

The Buddha told the bhiksus:

“That King Mirror-Face was I myself, while those blind men were the brahmins in the lecture hall. At that time, lacking wisdom and being blind, they quarreled with one another; now, because they remain benighted, they likewise sit and argue together to no purpose.”

At that time, the Buddha thoroughly examined that text and had his disciples explain it, making it clear for future generations so that the Dharma of the sutras might long abide in the world.

The Buddha then spoke this sutra of complete meaning:

Blind oneself, yet saying others cannot equal one;

Daily sinking deeper into delusion—when will clarity come?

Possessing no Way, yet claiming to have learned it all;

Confused and without cultivation—when will understanding dawn?

Those who constantly practice noble conduct know for themselves;

Conduct personally seen and heard is difficult to equal.

Already fallen among the five households, bound by worldly life,

How could embroidered falsehood surpass the upright person?

Embracing delusion while standing and gazing toward the path of goodness,

Studying what is wrong yet hoping to attain deliverance;

Regarding the truth, see, hear, and reflect;

Though observing the precepts, do not cling to them.

On seeing worldly affairs, do not follow and perform them;

Only wisdom and mindfulness should be cherished.

The four immeasurables should be reverently upheld;

Do not conceive the thought that you are inferior to others.

Cut off the world, and karma in future lives will cease;

Abandon deluded thoughts and walk on your own.

Do not suppose that your own knowledge is illumination;

Though seeing and hearing, devote yourself solely to contemplation.

Toward both aspects, remain entirely without aspiration;

Womb-born and non-womb-born alike are left far behind.

In neither place is there anywhere to abide;

Through devoted contemplation, one comprehends all dharmas.

Whatever is seen or heard, whatever the mind receives and performs—

Never entertain paths of wrong mindfulness.

Let wisdom contemplating dharmas accord with the mind;

From there, relinquish all, and the end of worldly existence is not far away.

When the self does not exist, what place is there to await?

Rooted in practice, seek the wondrous Dharma.

Devoted observance of precepts is not yet wisdom;

Having crossed beyond the shore, one does not swiftly cross again.

– *

*

90- The Sutra of King Sat Vi.

Long ago, the bodhisattva was the king of a great nation named Sat Vi. His resolve was pure in conduct, and he took refuge solely in the Three Jewels. He read the Buddha’s sutras, calmed his mind, and understood their meaning, clearly perceiving that the fundamental origin of human beings is itself unborn. The strong primary energy is earth; the soft and yielding is water; heat is fire; movement is wind. When these four combine, consciousness arises. Those of superior wisdom can understand this and therefore bring desire to rest, empty the mind, and return consciousness to its original emptiness. Thereupon, he made this vow:

“I must awaken those who do not understand: ‘Consciousness is established in dependence upon these four. Those of great benevolence become devas; those of lesser benevolence become human beings; those whose conduct is defiled and impure become the various creatures that crawl, fly, move, and stir. Because beings receive bodies according to their karma, they assume myriad forms. Consciousness, together with the subtle energy of aspiration, is difficult to perceive. Since it has not the slightest shape or form, who could grasp it? Yet this consciousness abandons an old body and receives a new one, in a succession that truly has no end.’”

The king explained to his ministers that the spirit transforms into impermanent bodies and revolves through the five paths in an unbroken succession. But they were too benighted to understand and still harbored doubts. They said:

“When the body dies and the spirit is reborn to receive another body, very few of us know anything of our former lives.”

The king said:

“If your discussion does not fully examine every principle, how could you know the events of many lives? When no trace can be seen, who could behold the transformations of the spirit?”

One day, during a time of leisure, the king put on coarse cloth garments and left the palace. He encountered an old cobbler and jokingly asked:

“Among all the people in the kingdom, who is the happiest?”

The old man replied:

“Only the king is happy.”

The king asked:

“Why do you consider him happy?”

The old man replied:

“The king is served by all his officials and receives offerings from the multitudes. Whatever he desires, he obtains. Is that not happiness?”

The king said:

“Let us see whether what you say is true.”

The king then gave him grape wine until he was utterly drunk and knew nothing. He had him carried back and placed inside the palace, then summoned the queen and said:

“This old cobbler considers being king a happy thing. Today I wish to play a jest. Dress him in the royal robes and have him attend to the affairs of state. None of you should be afraid.”

The queen replied:

“Reverently, I obey.”

When the old man awoke from his drunkenness, the palace maids pretended to say:

“Your Majesty has just awakened from intoxication. Many affairs have accumulated and must be examined. It is nearly time to attend the royal court.”

All the officials pressed him to conduct affairs, but he stared about in bewilderment, knowing nothing of what was happening. The royal historian recorded his errors, and meritorious ministers raised complaints. After sitting upon the throne all day, his entire body ached, food had no flavor for him, and he grew thinner day by day. The palace attendants pretended to say:

“Your Majesty’s complexion appears somewhat wasted. Why is this?”

He replied:

“I dreamed that I was an old cobbler, exhausting my body to earn a living. The hardship was indescribable, and so I became ill.”

There was no one who did not secretly laugh. At night he lay awake, turning the matter over in his mind: “Am I the old cobbler, or am I truly the Son of Heaven? If I am the Son of Heaven, why is my skin so coarse and ugly? If I was originally the old cobbler, why am I now in the royal palace? Has my mind become confused, or have my eyes become disordered? My body seems to be in two places, and I do not know which is real!”

The queen pretended to say:

“Your Majesty is unhappy. I request that music be performed and grape wine be offered.”

Once again, the old man became utterly drunk and knew nothing. They dressed him again in his old clothes, carried him home, and laid him upon his coarse, wretched bed. When he awoke from his drunkenness, he saw that he was in his dilapidated house, dressed in the same shabby clothes as before, while his entire body ached as though he had been beaten. Several days later, the king came again. The old man said:

“The other day I drank your wine and became so deeply intoxicated that I knew nothing at all. Only now have I awakened. While drunk, I dreamed that I occupied the king’s throne, judged the officials, had my errors recorded by the royal historian, and heard the complaints of the ministers. My heart was terrified, and my whole body ached as though I had been flogged, so that I could not rise. If even the dream was like that, how much more so would it be to become a real king! What I told you the other day was certainly untrue.”

The king returned to the palace and related this incident to his ministers, all of whom laughed heartily. The king summoned them and said:

“With only this single body, while still able to see and hear, this man could not even know himself. How much less could one know another life, when one abandons the old body and receives a new one, undergoes many hardships, is obstructed and obscured by demons and spirits, and suffers pain, distress, and adversity? Would it not be difficult to claim knowledge of the place where the spirit goes to receive another body? The sutra teaches: ‘A foolish person who harbors wrong views yet wishes to see the spirit is no different from someone walking in the darkness of night and raising his head to gaze at the moon and stars. He merely exhausts himself until death; when could he ever see them?’”

From that time onward, the ministers and all the people throughout the kingdom came to understand that the spirit joins with the primary energies, is reborn after death, and revolves without end. Thus, they believed that birth and death, misfortune and blessings, each have their respective destinations.

The Buddha told the bhiksus:

“The king at that time was I.”

The bodhisattva’s universally encompassing perfection of wisdom, prajnaparamita, always manifested such clarity.

– *

*

91- The Sutra of King Pham Ma.

Thus have I heard:

At one time, the Buddha was staying in Jeta’s Grove, Anathapindika’s Park, in the kingdom of Sravasti. The Buddha told the bhiksus:

“If you cultivate virtue and faithfully practice wholesome deeds, you will certainly obtain great merit. It is like a farmer who first possesses good fields, plows and harrows them thoroughly, receives fitting and seasonable rain, sows his seed at the proper time, encounters favorable seasons when the shoots emerge, clears away weeds and refuse, and suffers no calamity. Why should he worry that he will not reap a fine harvest?

“Long ago, in a former life, before I attained Buddhahood, my loving-kindness extended broadly and universally, and I aided sentient beings as a loving mother nurtures her newborn child. I acted in this way for seven years. Because the merit of my benevolent heart became manifest, when my life ended, my spirit was reborn as a king of the Brahma heavens named Pham Ma.

In that heavenly station, I passed through seven cycles of the formation and destruction of heaven and earth. When the kalpa was about to end, I was immediately reborn in the fifteenth heaven, called Uoc Tinh. After that existence changed, I returned to the pure Brahma heaven, free from desire.

I dwelt there in peace, and afterward descended to the Trayastrimsa Heaven, where I became king thirty-six times. My palaces were made of the seven precious substances, and my food, drink, clothing, and music were all sources of ease and contentment.

“Then I returned to the human world and became a Flying Emperor. The seven treasures were always at my side:

1. A revolving wheel of purple gold.

2. The divine Bright Moon jewel.

3. A white elephant capable of flight.

4. A blue-coated horse with a red mane.

5. A wife who was a jewel maiden.”

6. The official charged with safeguarding the treasures.

7. The sagely officials who rendered assistance.

There were eighty-four thousand of each kind. The king had one thousand sons, all upright, handsome, benevolent, and valiant; any one of them could withstand a thousand men. The king governed the country according to five teachings and guided the people to follow them: First, to be benevolent and refrain from killing, extending kindness universally to all living beings.

Second, to be pure and forbearing, neither stealing nor taking what was not given, and to forget oneself in order to save others. Third, to be chaste and upright, neither engaging in sexual misconduct nor transgressing through sensual desires. Fourth, to be sincere and trustworthy, neither deceiving others nor indulging in embellished speech.

Fifth, to uphold filial conduct, refrain from intoxication, and keep one’s conduct undefiled.

At that time, no prisons were built, nor were whips or clubs used to punish anyone. Rain and wind came in their proper seasons, the five grains were abundant, calamities did not arise, the realm enjoyed peace, and the people throughout the four continents led one another in preserving the Way. They believed that doing good brought blessings and doing evil brought misfortune. Therefore, after death they were all reborn in the heavenly realms, and no one fell into the three evil destinies. The Buddha told the bhiksus:

“Long ago, in a former life, I devoted myself to practicing the four immeasurable minds. Through the merit accumulated during those seven years, I ascended to become the Brahma King in the heavens, descended to become Sakra, and returned to the human world as a Wheel-Turning Emperor, ruling the four continents for hundreds of thousands of lifetimes. When my merit became complete, all evils subsided and perished, and all virtues gathered together, I attained Buddhahood in the world. I alone walked supreme, and was held in the highest honor throughout the three realms.”

After hearing the sutra, the bhiksus rejoiced, bowed to the Buddha, and withdrew.

The bodhisattva’s all-pervasive perfection of wisdom is ever manifested with such clarity.