梵摩渝經

Thus have I heard:

At one time the Buddha was traveling in the country of Suide together with five hundred shramanas. At that time there was a Brahmin named Brahmayu, a man of the country of Mili, also called Misala. He was a venerable elder, one hundred and twenty years old, broadly learned in the scriptures, astrology, charts, and writings, and a master able to foretell all matters. Brahmayu heard it reported that the Buddha was the son of a king, born into the Shakya clan, who had renounced the honors of the kingdom, become a shramana, attained the Way, and become pure and supremely honored; together with five hundred shramanas, he was teaching and transforming sentient beings in the country of Suide. Brahmayu praised him highly, saying:

“The shramana Gautama is a towering sage, the Tathagata, Worthy One, Completely True One, Awakened in the Way, endowed with spiritual powers, a great man, an honored hero, charioteer of the Dharma, foremost among sages, and teacher of devas and humans. He has entirely removed the defilements of the mind and exhausted every evil. He has awakened by himself, and there is nothing he does not know. Amid shramanas, Brahmins, Shakras, Brahmas, nagas, and spirits, he teaches the Dharma whose beginning, middle, and end are all pure, profound, wondrous, and supremely excellent. All sages have heard his name.”

Brahmayu explained clearly and extensively to his disciples: “He is unsurpassed, perfectly awakened, truly the king of all sages. We should pay homage to him and seek his instruction.”

The Brahmin’s disciple, a near-sage named Manava, was also broadly versed in the scriptures and as intelligent as his teacher. He was able to examine all the secret marks and determine whether the Buddha’s body truly possessed the thirty-two extraordinary marks and whether he was indeed the peerless, supremely honored one. He was to contemplate them with his mind. His teacher told Manava:

“I have heard that Gautama is an unsurpassed holy being, honored by the devas, who speaks alone, walks alone, strides alone, and is the hero among sages. Go and see whether the dignity displayed in his conduct truly accords with the model for all people that others have praised. If you find it to be so, I shall go, bow before him, and honor him.”

Manava asked:

“What should I use as the basis of my observation?”

His teacher replied:

“Does the scripture not say that in a later age there will be a king named Shuddhodana and a queen named Mayadevi, both fully endowed with intelligence and virtue, who will give birth to a holy son, the Deva among devas, uniquely honored beneath heaven? His body will stand one zhang and six chi tall and possess the thirty-two excellent marks. If he becomes a king, he will be a wheel-turning emperor; if he renounces the household life, studies the Way, and becomes a shramana, he will certainly become a Buddha.”

Manava obeyed. He bowed at his teacher’s feet and went to the country of Suide. He immediately approached the Buddha, greeted him respectfully, withdrew to one side, sat down, composed his mind, and carefully examined the excellent marks on the Buddha’s body. Yet he did not see two marks:

1. The mark of a broad and long tongue;

2. The mark of the male organ enclosed in a sheath. Doubt arose in his mind.

The Buddha knew that doubt was present in Manava’s mind. Through spiritual power, he immediately manifested the mark of the sheathed male organ and then extended his broad, long tongue, covering his entire face and touching the rims of both his left and right ears. He then drew the tongue back into his mouth. He emitted five-colored rays of light that circled his body three times and disappeared at the crown of his head.

At that moment Manava’s mind trembled. Both joyful and fearful, he rejoiced and exclaimed:

“The shramana Gautama truly is the Buddha. He fully possesses the excellent marks and radiant light. This is exceedingly rare in the world, and he is indeed worthy of being called the Tathagata, the Worthy One, and the Perfectly Awakened One. I should respectfully follow him to learn his dignified conduct, dispel delusion, and report back to my teacher.”

Manava then followed the Blessed One wherever he meditated and wherever he taught and transformed beings throughout the land to rescue sentient beings. Whether resting or traveling, Manava remained with the Sangha and was never alone. Six months passed. Having followed the Buddha like a shadow following its form and having fully observed the Buddha’s towering virtue and spiritual transformations, Manava bowed at the Buddha’s feet, took his leave, and returned to his native land. When he reached his teacher, he bowed as before and then sat upon his seat.

His teacher asked:

“I instructed you to observe the excellent marks and spiritual transformations in the dignified conduct of the Venerable Gautama, honored by the devas. Are they truly as people praise? Are the reports untrue, or are they indeed so? Tell me, so that I may go bow at his feet, placing my face close to the ground to show my reverence.”

Manava replied:

“The Buddha possesses excellent marks, and his spiritual virtue surpasses that of the devas, towering beyond all praise. Even Shakra or Brahma cannot fathom him. The sages cannot measure him; though the worthy were to praise him for a hundred million years, they could not express even one part of his qualities. How, then, could my wisdom, like the light of a firefly, praise them all? I shall speak only briefly of the Buddha’s thirty-two peerless marks. They are:

1. The shramana Gautama has level soles.

2. On the palms of his hands and the soles of his feet are wheels, each with one thousand spokes.

3. His bones are interlocked like hooks.

4. His fingers and toes are long.

5. His heels are full.

6. His hands and feet are soft and supple, and his palms can bend outward.

7. His hands and feet are webbed.

8. His thighs are like those of the king of deer.

9. His male organ is enclosed in a sheath.

10. His body is golden-purple in color, bright and radiant.

11. His body is like vajra and has not the slightest impurity.

12. His skin and flesh are delicate, and neither dust nor water adheres to his body.

13. From every pore grows a single hair.

14. His hairs are deep blue and curl to the right.

15. His body is upright and well proportioned.

16. His upper body is like that of a lion.

17. His body is not stooped but is like the body of Brahma.

18. His two shoulders join the neck in complete fullness.

19. When he stands erect, his hands reach his knees.

20. His jaw is like that of a lion.

21. He has forty teeth.

22. His teeth are square.

23. His teeth are even.

24. His teeth are brilliantly white, beyond compare.

25. His tongue is broad and long.

26. He has the most excellent sense of taste.

27. His voice is like the divine voice of Brahma.

28. Seven parts of his body—his two hands, two feet, two shoulders, and neck—are full and rounded.

29. The whites of his eyes have a deep blue hue.

30. The upper and lower portions at the corners of his eyes are full like those of a king of bulls.

31. Between his eyebrows is a single pure white hair.

32. On the crown of his head is an ushnisha, more radiant than the sun and moon.

“The shramana Gautama fully possesses these thirty-two sublime marks, without lacking a single one. His marvelous appearance is supreme, extraordinary, and precious, rare since ancient times. I observed that when Gautama walks, he first advances his right foot.

Whether his steps are long or short, slow or swift, they always accord with dignified conduct. As he walks, his heels do not strike each other. His body remains upright and his shoulders do not sway.

If he looks behind him, he does not exert himself; while standing upright, he suddenly turns to the rear without twisting his body. His head neither bends down nor tilts upward. His hands and feet remain straight.

He walks directly and never casts sidelong glances. Such is the dignity of his walking. When the shramana Gautama travels, the devas offer jeweled canopies and scatter flowers like snow.

Devas, nagas, and birds dare not fly above him. Sentient beings throughout the three realms cannot see the crown of his head. Devas make music and follow as an escort.

Naga spirits and terrestrial deities level the road so that it has neither high nor low places. When his feet tread upon the ground, they leave wheel-marks whose splendid radiance shines for seven days before fading. The trees of the forest bow in reverence like people kneeling in homage.

His actions accord with every invitation. Whether a lintel is high or low, he keeps his body erect as he enters; the lintel does not rise, yet Gautama does not bend down. When sitting, he sits in the middle of the couch, neither too far forward nor too far back.

He sits with his hands folded and never points or props up his chin. When descending from a couch, he need not bend his body but suddenly steps onto the ground. Even if Mara brings poison to harm him, his mind knows no fear.

Light issues from his face, and the poison neutralizes itself. With his loving-kindness and compassion for sentient beings, what poison would not dissolve?

“When he uses his bowl to take water, the bowl does not tilt to one side or bob upward, and the water is neither too much nor too little. When he washes his bowl, the water and bowl remain still, without the slightest sound of agitation. He never places his alms bowl on the ground.

When washing his hands, both his hands and bowl become clean. When pouring water from the bowl, whether the place is high or low, far or near, the stream falls precisely where he intends. When he receives rice in his bowl, the rice does not soil it.

When he brings rice to his mouth and chews, he moves it around his mouth three times before swallowing. Every grain he eats is crushed, and none sticks between his teeth. Whatever flavors the food contains, he distinguishes and knows them all.

He eats only enough to sustain his body, not for pleasure. Gautama takes food for eight reasons:

1. Not for amusement.

2. Without a mind of improper conduct.

3. With the resolve to be free from desire.

4. Without deceitful conduct.

5. To remain far removed from the afflictions of the three realms.

6. To cause his aspiration for the Way to become quiescent, relying upon merit to attain liberation and eliminate the former pain of the twelvefold sea of dependent origination.

7. To eliminate past transgressions and attain the power of the Way.

8. To maintain the empty and quiescent concentration of nonperception.

“Afterward, he washes his bowl as before. His mind neither dislikes nor clings to his Dharma robe and alms bowl. He gives blessings to those who offer alms; after teaching the sutras, he returns to the monastery and does not tell his disciples whether the food was good or bad.

After he has eaten, the food digests by itself, and there is no impurity from urination or defecation. When he enters his chamber, he remains silent and deeply contemplates the concentrations. After a short time, he emerges from concentration, never missing the proper time.

He does not sleep by day or night, yet never suffers from lack of sleep. He extensively distinguishes the illuminating Dharma to instruct and encourage his disciples, causing them to enter the Way. He does not use wealth and sensual pleasures—the practices that defile the Way—to teach them.

He expounds lofty and far-reaching Dharma that cannot be seen or heard in the writings of ancient sages, inspiring everyone to cultivate the Way in purity. While walking in meditation, he does not turn his head or cast sidelong glances. When he puts on his robe, it does not loosen from his body, and dust does not adhere to him.

Whether high or low, folded or flowing freely, his Dharma robe always looks beautiful upon him. When he enters the garden to wash his feet, they become clean by themselves without scrubbing. The color of his body shines like golden heaven.

“His mind does not cling to sensual desire but is like empty space. When he sits in meditative concentration, he suddenly becomes free of perception. The three poisons, four sufferings, five skandhas, six ayatanas, seven fetters, and eight disturbances—he destroys them all through unsurpassed wisdom.

Through the concentrations of emptiness, nonfixation, and signlessness, he eliminates the nine abodes of beings. Through the ten wholesome deeds, he eliminates the ten unwholesome deeds. He teaches the twelve divisions of scripture to uproot the twelve links of dependent origination, the sixty-two wrong views, sores, and grievous afflictions, bringing defiled thoughts to quiescence.

Through the four immeasurables of the Mahayana, he crosses over his own noble person and rescues sentient beings by teaching exemplary states. Before his disciples ask a question, he smiles of his own accord; a ray of light issues from his mouth, circles him three times, and gradually disappears.

“Venerable Ananda adjusts his robes, bows, and asks:

“‘How many kinds of voice are there in the great teaching of the Dharma?’

“The Buddha immediately replies:

“‘The voice of the great teaching of the Dharma has eight qualities: it is exceedingly pleasing, easy to understand, gentle, harmonious, worthy of reverence for its wisdom, unerring, profound and wondrous, and not feeble. Its words are neither dropped nor incomplete and contain no fault. Whenever the great sutra is taught, the beings of the twenty-four Brahma heavens, Shakra, the Four Heavenly Kings, the sun, moon, and stars, as well as their deities, emperors, people, nagas, and spirits—all are filled with admiration. They bow and depart, then uphold and practice it.’ The Buddha then enters his chamber and sits in silence. Never have I seen the unsurpassed Venerable among devas slight his disciples or any sentient being.

“For six months I followed the Venerable Gautama like a shadow following its form. I fully observed him while walking, dwelling, practicing walking meditation, entering his chamber, bathing, rinsing his mouth, eating and drinking, giving blessings, teaching sutras, encouraging disciples, and meditating...”

Manava said:

“Such are Gautama’s manner and dignified bearing. My account is like a single drop in the ocean. His profundity cannot be known even by the sages, cannot be fully understood by the devas, and cannot be discussed by heaven and earth. How towering is the Unsurpassed One! How vast and boundless—immeasurable, unfathomable, and impossible to describe completely!”

When Brahmayu heard his disciple speak of the virtue of the Teacher of devas, he was astonished and shed tears, saying:

“My life is like the sun about to set. I have only lived in vain and shall die in vain, without seeing the supremely luminous Teacher of devas.”

Brahmayu shed tears of joy and said:

“I should go meet him and behold the Buddha; then even if I die, it will be glorious.”

He then lamented:

“Though a fool might live as long as heaven and earth, how would he differ from earth and stone?”

He immediately rose, adjusted his robes, prostrated with all five limbs upon the ground, bowed three times, and said:

“I take refuge in the Buddha, take refuge in the Dharma, and entrust my life to the holy Sangha. May I, while some measure of life still remains, draw near, behold, and bow to the Blessed One, and may I receive his transforming guidance.”

With the light of the six superknowledges, the Buddha saw Brahmayu taking refuge in him and, from afar, bestowed a prediction upon him.

The Buddha traveled from the country of Suide to the country of Midi and sat beneath a tree. The king, ministers, Brahmins, and householders gradually passed word among themselves:

“The shramana Gautama was born into the Shakya clan, the son of a sovereign. He once lived in his royal residence, but is now pure, tranquil in disposition, and free from the defilement of lust, the poison of anger, and the darkness of ignorance. He is supreme among sages, as the moon is among the stars.

His spiritual virtue showers down everywhere, and the devas revere him. He is the Tathagata, the Worthy One, and the Completely and Perfectly Awakened One. He has exhausted the defilement of ignorance, and his radiant wisdom shines alone.

Though holy beings are many, none can equal him. Standing between heaven and earth, he perceives the intricate matters and subtle attachments throughout the ten directions, as well as the seeds of future things not yet born; there is nothing he does not know. All the fine and beautiful words he speaks are true.”

The king, ministers, Brahmins, and eminent men all suddenly said:

“How fortunate that during our lives we may meet the Teacher of devas, the Venerable One whom we should honor and bear upon our heads. We should go pay homage to him and be steeped in his pure transforming influence.”

They therefore assembled together, some traveling by carriage or horseback, some on foot, and went personally to bow at the Buddha’s feet. They knelt with palms joined, each announced his own name, and then all sat silently.

When Brahmayu heard that the Buddha and the holy assembly had arrived together, he was overjoyed and instructed his disciples to accompany him to the Buddha. Upon reaching the edge of the forest, he thought: “First I should send someone to express my sincere devotion to the Buddha. Would it be contrary to propriety if I went directly to him myself?”

He then told a disciple:

“Go in my name and bow at the Buddha’s feet. Say: ‘The Brahmin Brahmayu, now one hundred and twenty years old, thirsts for the Sage’s teaching and wishes to behold the refreshing breeze of virtue. Venerable Gautama, is your body always peaceful and at ease, tranquil and free from desire? I have now come to seek an audience.’”

The disciple bowed to his teacher, immediately went to the Buddha, and, after paying homage, fully conveyed his teacher’s request. Facing the Buddha, he then praised his teacher:

“The national preceptor Brahmayu is broadly versed in the scriptures and thoroughly understands the essentials of secret prophecies. Dwelling quietly in his chamber, he foretells matters of astronomy, charts, writings, good fortune, and misfortune; there is nothing he does not know. Yet because in this world there is now the Teacher of devas, whose body stands one zhang and six chi tall, whose skin is golden-purple, who possesses the thirty-two excellent marks and eighty minor characteristics, who is the Deva among devas and king among sages, my teacher has now come to entrust his life to the Three Honored Ones. He presently stands near the outer edge of the forest and has not dared approach on his own. He hopes to behold the Blessed One and pay him reverence.”

The Blessed One immediately said:

“Excellent! Invite him in.”

The disciples obeyed, went back out, and fully conveyed the Buddha’s clear instruction to their teacher. The teacher immediately bowed toward the ground and entered joyfully. When the Brahmins, elders, and householders of the country saw their teacher enter from afar, they respectfully folded their hands and bowed their heads. Brahmayu told everyone:

“Remain seated. I shall now sit to one side near the Dharma charioteer, the Blessed Gautama.”

He immediately prostrated with all five limbs upon the ground, bowed at the Buddha’s feet, and sat down respectfully. Silently composing his mind, he carefully examined the Buddha’s marks. He saw the Buddha’s thirty-two wondrous marks, but two were not manifest. Doubt arose in him, and, bowing to the ground, he questioned the Buddha in verse:

In the Brahmins’ scriptures,

Prophecies record the essential matter:

In a defiled age, King Shuddhodana,

And the queen named Mayadevi,

Would have a prince named Siddhartha,

Whose bodily color would be golden-purple,

Whose body would bear the marks of the Venerable among devas,

Who would leave the world and follow the right path.

Does the sign of the unsurpassed, completely true one

Include all thirty-two marks?

Is he pure, with the male organ enclosed in a sheath,

Extraordinarily free from desire?

Does he possess a broad and long tongue,

Covering his face and reaching the rims of his ears?

Does his teaching surpass that of all sages,

Rarely heard even by Brahma and Shakra?

Is he the guide of devas and humans,

Able to eliminate every doubt?

Maintaining the Way and dwelling at ease,

Will he become a Buddha in a future life?

Having realized nirvana,

Is the Buddha far removed from the three realms?

Can mind, thought, consciousness, and spirit

Be extinguished so that every suffering ends?

The Brahmin had stated the doubts within his mind. The Buddha clearly knew that he doubted the two marks. Through spiritual power, he immediately manifested the mark of the male organ enclosed in a sheath. He then extended his broad and long tongue, covering his whole face and touching the rims of both ears. Light from his mouth illuminated the entire country of Midi, circled his body three times, and then returned into his mouth. The Buddha immediately answered:

“You asked whether the body of a Great Being possesses the thirty-two marks. My bodily marks include them all, without lacking a single one. For innumerable kalpas, I practiced the four immeasurable minds, generosity, morality, patience, diligence, meditative concentration, and wisdom.

I rescued sentient beings as I would rescue myself, ended craving, contemplated emptiness, maintained the concentration of nonperception, and entirely removed the defilements of mind so that they exist no more. Since I began cultivating these practices, all calamities have been eliminated and the myriad virtues accumulated, thereby forming the body of a Buddha, with excellent marks and radiant light. I walk alone throughout the three realms, forever removed from the darkness of ignorance in the five destinies, and have attained unsurpassed, supremely honored illumination; therefore I am called Buddha.

If even the slightest thread or hair’s breadth of the poison of lust, anger, or ignorance, or of the darkness of the five skandhas and six sense-objects, remained in the mind, one still could not accomplish the Buddha Way. No person or being can equal the Buddha. If there were anything about the thoughts of today’s sentient beings, the direction from which they came, or their intricate and profound course through innumerable kalpas that he did not know, he would not be a Buddha.

If even one of the four fearlessnesses, eight qualities of voice, ten powers, eighteen exclusive qualities, thirty-two excellent marks, or eighty minor characteristics were lacking, he would not be a Buddha. I now possess them all, lacking nothing; therefore I am called Buddha.

“A shramana who has attained the Way of the Worthy One can divide one body into ten bodies, ten bodies into a hundred, a hundred into a thousand, a thousand into ten thousand, and ten thousand into innumerable bodies. He can then unite those innumerable bodies again into one. If he presses a toe upon the ground, the entire three-thousand-great-thousand world system shakes. This ability comes from the mind’s attainment of desireless concentration; how much more is this true of a Buddha? The virtues contained in a single mark—the hair between the Buddha’s eyebrows—could be known through merits as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, yet the merit of the mark between his eyebrows is itself difficult to calculate. How much more so the virtues of his entire body?

“Furthermore, Brahmin, if you have faith in the Buddha and the Three Honored Ones, you will attain peace in this present life and be born in heaven when your life ends. Rest whenever you wish; ask whatever you doubt. Do not hesitate because it seems difficult.”

The Brahmin thought: “The teachings spoken by the shramana Gautama are mysterious and profound. There is nothing more I need ask.” Then he thought: “Should I ask about matters of this life, or about the next life?” Again he thought: “Only the Buddha clearly knows the essential matters of the three times. How could seers, sages, or learned scholars know them?” The Brahmin asked:

“What is called a Brahmin? What is called one who has penetrative understanding? What is called purity? What is called quiescence? What is called a Buddha?”

The Buddha replied to the Brahmin:

“I have true words with which to explain these matters to you. Compose your mind and listen. One who has attained the three spiritual powers is called a Brahmin.

One who clearly knows former events, distinguishes the places of birth, sees mountains and rocks with the eye of the Way without being obstructed by them, decisively cuts through darkness, resolves doubts, and penetrates the three times is called one of penetrative understanding. One who, through attaining the six superknowledges, has entirely removed the mind’s defilements is called quiescent. One who has extinguished the three poisons and whose mind is like heavenly gold is called pure.

One in whom the root of ignorance that produces birth and death has been entirely extinguished, whose pure practice of the Way pervades the three realms, who has found all delusions, who has attained everything without exception, and who has attained omniscience bears the honored title Buddha.”

The Brahmin joyfully rose and prostrated with all five limbs upon the ground. With his head and face he bowed at the Buddha’s feet, kissed the Buddha’s feet with his mouth, and stroked them with his hands. He then announced his own name:

“I am Brahmayu, a Brahmin. I entrust my life to the Buddha, entrust my life to the Dharma, and entrust my life to the Sangha.”

Shedding tears, he said:

“We sentient beings are obscured by the six forms of decline. Seeing the Buddha, we do not honor him; seeing the scriptures, we do not read them; seeing shramanas, we have no loving reverence for them. Because we do not seek support from spiritual transformation, we remain forever in decline.”

When the Brahmin’s disciples saw their teacher’s utter sincerity, they looked at one another and said:

“Our honored teacher has penetrated the scriptures, having examined every book. His fame resounds throughout the four countries, and learned scholars all honor him. Yet now he humbles himself, joins his palms, and bows at Gautama’s feet. How much more should we do so?”

The Buddha told the Brahmin:

“Sit down again. I shall illuminate your mind so that you possess true faith and wisdom directed toward the Tathagata.”

He accepted the teaching and sat down. The Buddha then taught the merit of maintaining the precepts and the blessed rewards of generosity, urged him to abandon the defiled impurities of household life, and praised the supreme practice of aspiration for the Way. The Buddha knew that the Brahmin was a superior person whose mind was joyful and whose understanding was broad.

He taught him the most essential principle of the Way: the myriad forms of suffering all arise from the body. A person of wisdom who illuminates deeply knows this to be delusion; tracing the stream backward to its source, he attains the root of emptiness. Such a person is called a superior one whose wisdom illuminates the ultimate truth.

The many sufferings of the body are not understood; suffering is born from accumulation. The superior person knows this, and this clear knowledge is the ultimate truth. The three realms are like an illusion.

Whatever comes together must separate; what can flourish without declining? When causes and conditions unite, calamity arises; when causes and conditions separate, suffering ceases. The superior person observes the very foundation and then knows that it was originally empty.

This clear knowledge is the ultimate truth. Through knowing original emptiness, one establishes the three realms and the three emptinesses, practices quiescence, does not seek sensual desires, and attains the concentration of nonperception. One need only keep the Three Honored Ones in one’s mind.

The Brahmin’s mind opened like a piece of pure white cloth without stain that readily takes on dye. So too was the Brahmin’s mind. For many kalpas he had constantly honored the Buddhas and maintained pure precepts. Therefore, on now hearing the Blessed One’s teaching, he understood the unsurpassed, completely true awakening of the Way. His mental defilements were entirely extinguished; he entered the three gates of liberation and forever left all suffering. He again addressed the Buddha:

“Before I saw the Buddha, I cherished utterly mistaken conduct. Blinded and obscured, I trusted mad fools and called their doctrine the ultimate truth. Only now, upon meeting the Buddha, has my madness ended.

My blind sight, deaf hearing, mute speech, and hunched body—like a person confined in prison—have been freed. I was a suffering, deluded person, living and dying in vain, never tasting the flavor of the true Way of the Venerable among devas, but remaining always amid burning fire and pain. How painful my life has been!

Now, fortunately, I have met the Buddha, who has taught me the most essential principle of the Way and enabled me to return to the enduring, unconditioned foundation. From this day forward, I take refuge in the Buddha, take refuge in the Dharma, and take refuge in the bhikshu Sangha. I vow to become a faithful layman, maintaining loving-kindness and not killing; living contentedly and not stealing; remaining chaste and not engaging in sexual misconduct; keeping faith and not lying; practicing wholehearted filial devotion; and not drinking intoxicating liquor.

May the Venerable among devas have compassion for me! Tomorrow morning I invite you and the holy assembly to condescend to accept the simple meal I shall offer.”

The Buddha silently accepted the invitation.

The Brahmin rejoiced in his heart, bowed at the Buddha’s feet, and returned home to prepare a meal of a hundred delicious and nourishing flavors. At dawn, he went to the Buddha, paid homage, knelt, and respectfully addressed him:

“The proper time has now arrived. I humbly pray that the Blessed One will condescend to come.”

The Buddha donned his Dharma robe and went with the holy assembly to the Brahmin’s home. All sat upon Dharma seats. The Brahmin personally poured water for washing and made offerings with utmost reverence. He continued in this way for seven days.

After teaching the Dharma and transforming him, the Buddha returned to the country of Suide. Not long afterward, the Brahmin’s life ended. Having heard this, the bhikshus together asked the Buddha:

“Blessed One, where will this Brahmin be reborn after death?”

The Blessed One replied:

“This Brahmin was a sage whose mind possessed broad understanding. He will attain the fruit of non-returning. The five hindrances have been exhausted, and he is pure like heavenly gold. There he will become purified, attain the fruit of the true and worthy arhat, and proceed to the unconditioned, nirvana.”

When the Buddha had finished speaking this sutra, the bhikshus rejoiced.

THE BUDDHA’S DISCOURSE ON THE BRAHMAYU SUTRA