佛說栴檀樹經

Thus have I heard: At one time, the Buddha and the bhikṣus were dwelling in the country of Vaiśālī. At that time, there was a layman named Kalavinka who deeply revered the Buddha and had faith in the Dharma, and he invited the Buddha to receive offerings. After the Buddha had finished pronouncing his blessing, Kalavinka came before the Buddha and reverently begged to hear the Dharma. At that moment, the Buddha gave a smile, and from his mouth there issued forth a light of five colors, which circled his body three times and then withdrew into the crown of his head. Seeing this, the venerable Ānanda straightened his robes, joined his palms, and addressed the Buddha:

– The World-Honored One never smiles without cause; when he smiles, he will surely expound the Dharma. I humbly beseech you to teach!

The Buddha said:

– Excellent! O Ānanda! You have a vast heart of compassion, for you wish that all may come to penetrate the bridge of the Dharma.[1] According to the way of the śramaṇa, you should understand this. Now I shall expound it; everyone must listen attentively and remember it well.

The Buddha taught:

– In a certain country there were five hundred people who went into the sea to gather pearls, which they loaded onto a boat to carry home. When the boat passed by a dense forest, the sun set, so they stopped to spend the night, and they agreed together to set out early the next morning. The following morning, four hundred and ninety-nine people awoke and set out together. One man, having overslept, was left behind. At that time, it happened that snow was falling, and the man, unable to see the road, lost his way and entered a dead end, going deep into the mountains, weeping and crying out to heaven. Now there was a great Candana sandalwood tree. The tree-spirit dwelling there said to the man who had lost his way: "You may rest here. I will provide you with food and clothing. Wait until spring comes, and then go." So the lost man stayed in that place. He remained there for three months. One day, the man said to the tree-spirit: "Thanks to your kindness I have kept my life whole, yet I have not repaid even the slightest part of it. I remember my parents who are in my native land, and I truly wish to return. Please show me the way!" The tree-spirit said: "Very well!" Then the tree-spirit gave the man a bar of gold the size of a cake and said: "You will come to a country not far from here, and from there you may return home."

As he was about to depart, the lost man asked the tree-spirit: "This tree has a fragrance pure and rare in the world. Now that I am about to part from it, please tell me its name!" The tree-spirit said: "You need not ask!" The man said: "I have taken shelter beneath this tree's shade for three full months. Now that I am about to depart, my heart is full of longing. When I return to my country, I shall praise the kindness of this tree!" The tree-spirit said: "This tree is named Candana. Its roots, trunk, branches, and leaves can cure a hundred illnesses, and its fragrance spreads far; it is precious and rare in the world. If anyone covetously seeks it, do not tell them of it!"

When the man returned to his country, everyone was greatly delighted. Not long afterward, the king fell ill with a headache. Though he prayed and offered sacrifices to heaven and earth, to the mountain spirits and the river spirits, the illness did not abate. At that time, a renowned physician came to examine the king's illness and reported: "If we can find the Candana sandalwood tree, the illness will be cured." The king sent men to search everywhere, but they could not find it. Therefore the king issued a decree throughout the whole country: "If anyone can find the Candana sandalwood tree, I shall confer upon him the title of marquis and give him the princess in marriage."

When the man heard that the king would bestow generous rewards and emoluments, he went into the palace and reported: "I know the place where the Candana sandalwood tree is!" Hearing this, the king at once sent a close minister to follow the man to that place to cut down the tree. Arriving there, the envoy saw that the tree was tall and straight, with luxuriant branches and twigs, and glistening flowers and fruit—truly a rare sight—so he could not bear to cut it down.

Yet if he did not cut it down, he would disobey the king's command and the king's illness could not be cured; but if he did cut it down, his heart was tormented. As he hesitated, wavering and not knowing what to do, he suddenly heard the voice of the tree-spirit speaking in the air: "Cut it down! But leave the stump behind.

After cutting it, smear it with human blood and cover it over with human entrails and liver, and the tree will naturally grow back as before!" When the envoy heard the tree-spirit instruct him thus, he ordered his men to cut it down. At that moment, the man was standing beneath the tree, and the falling branches struck swift as arrows and beat the man to death.

After the tree had been cut down, the envoy consulted with everyone: "Before cutting the tree, the tree-spirit gave this instruction: 'You must take human blood, entrails, and liver to make a sacrifice to the tree.' At that time my heart was grieved, for I did not know whom I should choose for that task. Now that this man has died, we should use him to make the offering to the tree." Then they cut open the man's belly, took out his entrails, liver, and blood, and did as the tree-spirit had instructed. In an instant the tree grew back as before. They loaded the tree onto a cart and carried it home.

At once the renowned physician applied the medicine to the king, and the king was immediately cured of his illness. Therefore the whole country rejoiced. At the same time, the king issued a decree to the people of the country that whoever had an illness should come to the palace gate, and the king would distribute the Candana sandalwood to them. Thanks to this, everyone was cured of their illnesses. From then on, the king was always healthy, the people were free of illness, the whole country was joyful and at peace, and the land was tranquil and prosperous.

Then the venerable Ānanda rose from his seat, came to the Buddha, bowed his head in homage, and asked:

– Why did that man not repay the kindness, and moreover break his promise to the tree-spirit?

The Buddha replied:

– In ages past, in the time of the Buddha Vipaśyin, there was a certain family of a father and two sons. The father upheld the five precepts, practiced the ten wholesome deeds, and received and observed the eight-precept fast, never once growing slack or abandoning it. The elder son would often go out into the middle of the courtyard to burn incense as an offering to the Buddhas of the ten directions. The younger son was foolish and ignorant, and did not know the Three Jewels, so he took a garment and threw it over the pile of incense.

At that time, the elder brother said: "This matter is most important. How dare you defile it?" The younger brother gave rise to an evil heart, and so he swore to cut off both his elder brother's legs. The elder brother in turn thought: "I shall kill this younger brother!" The father, hearing the two brothers quarreling, said: "You two are quarreling and giving me such a headache!" The elder brother replied: "I offer this very body of mine as medicine to cure my father's headache!"

A single word once spoken is never lost, and because of this one suffers retribution life after life. Because the younger brother gave rise to evil intent, wishing to cut off his brother's legs, he later led men to cut down the tree. The elder brother is now the tree-spirit; because he wished to kill his younger brother, he made use of the tree's body to beat the younger brother to death. The king who suffered the headache was none other than the father. Because he kept the precepts with diligent devotion, he attained honor and nobility. But because he had earlier said, "You give me a headache," he reaped the retribution of suffering a headache. In this way, each person, according to the verbal karma he has created, undergoes his own retribution.

The Buddha taught further:

– Sin and merit, retribution and reward, follow one like a shadow follows a form.

The Buddha then spoke of the precepts pertaining to body, speech, and mind. When Kalavinka heard the Buddha teach in this way, he immediately realized the fruit of Srotāpanna. He brought his wife and children, and offered up his household estate to the Buddha. Everyone made the vow to follow the Way.

When the Buddha had finished speaking this sūtra, Kalavinka, full of joy, bowed his head in homage.

Notes:

[1] The bridge of the Dharma (法橋): the bridge of the Dharma. The Buddha's teaching has the power to carry beings across the river of birth and death, just as a bridge carries people to the other shore.