佛說懈怠耕者經

Thus have I heard! At one time the Buddha, together with one thousand two hundred and fifty great bhikṣus and a multitude of bodhisattvas, was dwelling at the Bamboo Grove in the land of Rājagṛha. At that time, the Buddha journeyed from Rājagṛha to Śrāvastī.

The bodhisattvas led the way before him. Śakra and Brahmā, in their robes and bodily form, were like the Four Great Heavenly Kings. The assembly of bhikṣus all followed behind the Buddha. The devas, nāgas, and spirits made offerings above.

Not far from the city, there was at that time a man plowing a field for sowing. From afar he beheld the Tathāgata and his attendant disciples, of features upright, fair, and surpassingly excellent, of lofty and majestic spiritual power, of beautiful countenance, like the moon amid the stars. From those auspicious marks blazed a golden radiance, and the thirty-two excellent marks all issued forth from those auspicious features.

Beholding the World-Honored One from afar, his mind at once became joyful, and he wished to go to the place where the Buddha was, to bow his head in homage at his feet and to learn the teaching of the Dharma. A Buddha's appearance in the world is very rare, appearing but once in a long, long while. Yet he thought to himself: "The plowing of the ground is not yet finished, the sowing of seed not yet done; only when I am at leisure shall I be able to see the Buddha."

At that time, the Buddha, knowing that the man had given rise to a mind of indolence, the World-Honored One then smiled and emitted a radiance of five colors. This radiance issued forth from his mouth and shone throughout the realms of the ten directions, bringing peace to the five paths; then the rays of radiance all gathered together and returned to the Buddha. In the hells there was respite, the hungry ghosts were filled and satisfied, the animals conceived wholesome thoughts, and humankind was delivered. The devas, nāgas, and spirits came to hear the teaching of the Way.

The worthy Ānanda, understanding clearly the seven seasons that accord with the Dharma, came together with the assembly to the place where the Buddha was, knelt upright with palms joined, and addressed the Buddha:

"World-Honored One! For what cause and condition do you smile? Having smiled, there must surely be a meaning to it."

The Buddha said to Ānanda:

"Do you see that man plowing?"

Ānanda replied:

"World-Honored One! I have seen him!"

The Buddha said:

"This man once dwelt in the Buddha-land of Vipaśyin, and for ninety-one kalpas he has plowed fields for sowing here. Each time he saw a Buddha, he would as usual indulge his indolence, putting it off until the next time, and then again busied himself with the work of plowing. Through the karmic offenses of birth-and-death, he did not understand the method of plowing; he had no good field. For more than six Buddhas now he has not been delivered. In this present age, seeing me, he again gave rise to a good mind; he then repented of his indolence in plowing the fields, transformed the roots of his offenses, and attained peace and joy."

At that time, the man, hearing this from afar, abandoned his plow and his field, came to the place where the Buddha was, bowed in homage with his head at the Buddha's feet, and of his own accord repented and reproached himself for his faults: foolish and without knowledge, his offenses were very deep and grave. He humbly begged for compassion and for the forgiveness of those offenses—foolish and benighted, indolent for so long until now—that, beholding a heart of forgiveness and rescue, he might escape from birth-and-death.

The Buddha said:

"Excellent! You are able to understand clearly the benefit that lies in the Dharma, and in the end you will do no harm."

The Buddha then expounded the sūtra for the plowman, revealing clearly the defilement of indolence and the benefit of diligence. The plowman manifested joy, and at that very moment attained the stage of non-retrogression. The devas, nāgas, and spirits, numbering countless thousands, all gave rise to the mind of Supreme, Perfect, True Enlightenment. Therefore one should resolve to study the Way, ever diligent and exerting effort, and not be borne along by indolence, drifting forever through birth-and-death across many numbers of kalpas.

When the Buddha had thus spoken, the worthy Ānanda, the devas, nāgas, spirits, kings, and asuras, having heard the sūtra, rejoiced; they made their reverence and withdrew.

THE SŪTRA SPOKEN BY THE BUDDHA ON THE INDOLENT PLOWMAN — The End.