增壹阿含經

XXXXII. CHAPTER ON THE EIGHT DIFFICULTIES (1)

1. Thus have I heard:

At one time the Buddha was dwelling in the country of Sravasti, in Jeta Grove, Anathapindika’s Park.

At that time, the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus:

“Unlearned ordinary people do not understand the proper time for hearing the Dharma. Bhikkhus, you should know that there are eight occasions when one cannot hear the Dharma and cannot practice. What are the eight?

“When a Tathagata appears in the world and extensively proclaims the teaching that leads to nirvana, fulfilling the work of a Tathagata, some beings are in the hells and can neither hear nor see him. This is the first difficulty.

“Again, when a Tathagata appears in the world and extensively proclaims the teaching, some beings are among the animals and can neither hear nor see him. This is the second difficulty.

“Again, when a Tathagata appears in the world and extensively proclaims the teaching, some beings are among the hungry ghosts and can neither hear nor see him. This is the third difficulty.

“Again, when a Tathagata appears in the world and extensively proclaims the teaching, some beings dwell in remote borderlands, malign the Noble Ones, and perform various wrong actions. This is the fifth difficulty.

“Again, when a Tathagata appears in the world and extensively proclaims the teaching that leads to nirvana, some beings, though dwelling in a central country, have incomplete six faculties and cannot distinguish wholesome from unwholesome teachings. This is the sixth difficulty.

“Again, when a Tathagata appears in the world and extensively proclaims the teaching that leads to nirvana, some beings, though dwelling in a central country with all six faculties complete and unimpaired, hold wrong views. They maintain that there is no giver, no recipient, and no result of wholesome or unwholesome deeds; that there is neither this life nor a future life, neither father nor mother; and that in the world there are no sramanas or brahmins who, practicing rightly, attain the fruit of arhatship, realize it personally, and dwell at ease. This is the seventh difficulty.

“Again, when no Tathagata appears in the world and no Tathagata teaches the Dharma leading to nirvana, some beings dwell in a central country, possess all six faculties, are capable of receiving the Dharma, are intelligent and highly gifted, immediately understand the Dharma upon hearing it, practice right view, and know that there are gifts, giving, recipients, and results of wholesome and unwholesome deeds; that there are this life and a future life; and that in the world there are sramanas, brahmins, and others who practice right view and attain arhatship. This is the eighth difficulty, when the holy life cannot be practiced. Bhikkhus, these are called the eight difficulties under which the holy life cannot be practiced.

“Bhikkhus, there is one occasion on which a person can practice the holy life. What is that one? It is when a Tathagata appears in the world and extensively proclaims the teaching that leads to nirvana, while that person is born in a central country, is discerning and eloquent in worldly knowledge, clearly understands whatever he sees, cultivates right view, skillfully distinguishes wholesome from unwholesome teachings, knows that there are this life and a future life, and knows that in the world there are sramanas and brahmins who practice right view and attain arhatship. Such a practitioner of the holy life cultivates this one condition and attains nirvana.”

The Blessed One then spoke these verses:

“Therefore, bhikkhus, seek skillful means to remain far from the eight difficulties, and do not aspire to dwell among them. Thus, bhikkhus, you should train yourselves.”

After the bhikkhus heard the Buddha’s teaching, they rejoiced and respectfully practiced it.

2. Thus have I heard:

At one time the Buddha was dwelling in the country of Sravasti, in Jeta Grove, Anathapindika’s Park.

At that time, the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus:

“There are eight great hells. What are the eight? The Reviving Hell, the Black-Rope Hell, the Equal Harm Hell, the Wailing Hell, the Great Wailing Hell, the Avici Hell, the Hot Hell, and the Great Hot Hell.

“Thus, bhikkhus, there are eight great hells.”

The Blessed One then spoke these verses:

“Because of the karmic retribution for beings’ offenses, those beings undergo immeasurable suffering there, until their flesh and blood are consumed and only their bones remain.

“Why is it called the Reviving Hell? The bodies of the beings there become rigid and unable to move. Tormented by suffering, they cannot stir, and no flesh or blood remains upon their bodies. Then they say to one another, ‘Beings, revive! Revive!’ At that moment, those beings immediately come back to life. For this reason, it is called the Reviving Hell.

“Again, why is it called the Black-Rope Hell? The sinews and vessels of those beings’ bodies turn into cords that cut through their flesh. Therefore, it is called the Black-Rope Hell.

“Again, why is it called the Equal Harm Hell? There, those beings gather in one place, where their heads are severed and then grow back. For this reason, it is called the Equal Harm Hell.

“Again, why is it called the Wailing Hell? The roots of goodness of those beings have been severed without even a hair’s breadth remaining. In that hell they undergo immeasurable suffering, crying out in anguish, their wails never ceasing. For this reason, it is called the Wailing Hell.

“Again, why is it called the Great Wailing Hell? The beings in that hell undergo immeasurable suffering beyond calculation. There they cry aloud, beat their breasts, strike themselves, and wail together in one voice. For this reason, it is called the Great Wailing Hell.

“Again, why is it called the Avici Hell? Beings who kill their fathers or mothers, destroy stupas of the Buddha, disrupt the Sangha, cultivate inverted wrong views, and remain in conformity with wrong views are altogether beyond remedy. Therefore, it is called the Avici Hell.

“Again, why is it called the Hot Hell? The bodies of the beings in that hell emit smoke and are all shattered and destroyed. Therefore, it is called the Hot Hell.

“Again, why is it called the Great Hot Hell? In that hell, not even the slightest trace of the offenders can be seen remaining. Therefore, it is called the Great Hot Hell.

“Thus, bhikkhus, for these reasons they are called the eight great hells. Each hell has sixteen lesser hells, named the Utpala Hell, Padma Hell, Kumuda Hell, Pundarika Hell, Never-Before-Existing Hell, Eternally Nonexistent Hell, Delusion Hell, Accumulation Hell, Mountain of Knives Hell, Boiling-Cauldron Hell, Fiery Mountain Hell, Ash-River Hell, Thorny Brambles Hell, Putrid Corpses Hell, Receiving Views Hell, and Hot Iron-Wheel Hell.

“These sixteen lesser hells are beyond measure and bring beings to birth in hell. Some beings reject right view, malign and abandon the True Dharma; after death, they are all born in the Reviving Hell.

“If beings delight in killing living creatures, they are born in the Black-Rope Hell.

“If beings slaughter cattle, sheep, and many other kinds of animals, after death they are born in the Equal Harm Hell.

“If beings take what has not been given and steal the possessions of others, they are born in the Wailing Hell.

“If beings constantly delight in sexual misconduct and also speak falsely, after death they are born in the Great Wailing Hell.

“If beings kill their fathers or mothers, destroy monasteries and shrines, disrupt the noble assembly, malign Noble Ones, and cultivate inverted wrong views, after death they are born in the Avici Hell.

“If beings hear words in one place and carry them to another, then hear words there and carry them back here, seeking means to expose the faults of others, after death they are born in the Hot Hell.

“If beings provoke conflict and disorder between two parties, covet the possessions of others, give rise to stinginess and jealousy, and harbor doubt and hesitation, after death they are born in the Great Hot Hell.

“If beings commit evil karma, after death they are born in the sixteen lesser hells. There, the hell wardens inflict suffering upon them beyond measure. They may cut off their hands, cut off their feet, or cut off both hands and feet; cut off their noses, slice off their ears, or cut off both ears and nose; crush them beneath wooden beams; stuff grass into their bellies; hang them upside down by their hair; flay their skin and gouge out their flesh; split them in two or sew them tightly shut; cut their bodies into five pieces; chop them apart and burn them with fire; pour molten iron over them; tear them into five pieces; stretch their bodies lengthwise; or sever their heads with sharp axes, whereupon they revive a moment later.

Only when the offenders’ karma in hell has been fully repaid can they leave.

“At times, the hell wardens seize those beings and pulverize their bodies with great pestles, or strip away their sinews and bones, then chase them up and down. At times, iron-beaked birds peck at and devour them. At other times, their five limbs are tightly bound so they cannot move, and they are thrown into great cauldrons of boiling water. Iron tridents are then used to injure their bodies; when wind blows over them, they revive as before. At times, the hell wardens force the beings to climb mountains of knives and mountains of fire, allowing them no rest. The suffering they undergo there is beyond calculation. Only when the karma of the deeds they have committed is exhausted can they leave.

“At times, unable to endure such agony, the offenders seek instead to enter the Hot-Ash Hell, where they undergo immeasurable suffering. Emerging from there, they enter the Reverse-Splitting Hell, where the wind inflicts unbearable pain upon them.

“Emerging again, they enter the Hot-Feces Hell. In that hell, minute worms gnaw away their flesh and bones. At times, unable to endure the agony, the beings are moved into the Sword-Tree Hell, where their bodies are shattered and the pain is unbearable. At times, the hell wardens ask those beings:

“‘Offenders, from where have you come?’

“The offenders answer:

“‘We do not know from where we have come.’

“‘And where are you going?’

“‘We also do not know where we shall go.’

“‘What do you desire now?’

“‘We are extremely hungry and thirsty.’

“The hell wardens then pour red-hot iron pellets into the offenders’ mouths, burning and destroying their bodies with unbearable pain. Only after their former offenses have been fully repaid can they die. Thus, those offenders pass back and forth through many hells, undergoing suffering there for thousands upon tens of thousands of years before they can leave.

“Bhikkhus, you should know that King Yama then thinks: ‘Beings throughout the realms who commit evil with body, speech, and mind will undergo all such punishments. Beings throughout the realms who do good with body, speech, and mind will be born in the Abhasvara Heaven.’”

The Blessed One then spoke these verses:

“At that time, the offenders hear King Yama proclaim this instruction: ‘When all the offenses committed here have finally been exhausted, you will die and obtain a human body. You will be born in a central country, encounter good spiritual friends, and have parents who reverently believe in the Buddha-Dharma. You will leave home to study the Way within the Tathagata’s assembly and, in this very life, completely end the outflows and attain the state without outflows.

“‘I now admonish you once again: You must take heed. Free yourselves from the eight difficulties, be born in a central land, encounter good spiritual friends, practice the holy life, fulfill your original aspiration, and do not forsake your former vow.’

“Therefore, bhikkhus, if good men and good women wish to remain far from the eight great hells and the sixteen lesser hells, they should seek skillful means to cultivate the Noble Eightfold Path. Thus, bhikkhus, you should train yourselves.”

After the bhikkhus heard the Buddha’s teaching, they rejoiced and respectfully practiced it.

3. Thus have I heard:

At one time the Buddha was dwelling in the country of Vaisali, in the Mango Grove of Ambapali, together with a great assembly of five hundred bhikkhus. They gradually traveled about teaching among the people.

At that time, the Blessed One looked back at the city of Vaisali and, after a long while, spoke this verse:

When the people in the city of Vaisali heard this verse, they all became distressed and sorrowful. Following behind the Blessed One, each shed tears and said to one another, “Before long, the Tathagata will enter final nirvana, and the world will lose its light.”

The Blessed One said:

“Enough, enough! Do not grieve. It is utterly impossible for something subject to decay and destruction not to decay and be destroyed. Formerly, I taught you four matters by means of which realization may be attained. I have also taught these four matters among the fourfold assembly. What are the four? All formations are impermanent—this is the first teaching. All formations are suffering—this is the second teaching. All formations are without self—this is the third teaching. Nirvana is complete cessation—this is the fourth teaching. Thus, before long the Tathagata will enter final nirvana. You should understand these four fundamental teachings and expound their meaning widely to all beings.”

The Blessed One then wished to cause the people of Vaisali to return home, so he manifested a great chasm. The Blessed One led the assembly of bhikkhus to the farther bank, while the people of the country remained on the nearer bank. The Blessed One then cast his bowl into the air toward the people of that city and told them:

“You should make offerings well to this bowl. You should also make offerings to highly gifted Dharma teachers, thereby gaining immeasurable and enduring merit.”

After giving them the bowl, the Blessed One proceeded to the country of Kusinagara. At that time, more than five hundred strongmen of Kusinagara had assembled in one place and were discussing this matter:

“Let us perform an extraordinary deed so that after our deaths our fame will endure and our descendants will pass down the saying: ‘Long ago, the strongmen of Kusinagara possessed incomparable might.’”

After a while, they again thought, “What deed should we perform?”

Not far from the city of Kusinagara was a great square boulder, one hundred and twenty paces long and sixty paces wide. They said, “Together, we shall set it upright.” They exerted all their strength, but the boulder did not shift or move, much less stand upright. The Blessed One then came to where they were and asked:

“Young men, what are you trying to do?”

The young men said to the Buddha:

“Previously, we discussed this matter and wished to move this boulder so that our fame might be praised and transmitted from generation to generation. We have exerted ourselves for seven days, yet we have been unable to make it move.”

The Buddha told the young men:

“Would you like the Tathagata to set this boulder upright?”

The young men replied:

“Now is indeed the proper time. We beseech the Blessed One to arrange this boulder.”

The Blessed One then lifted the boulder with one hand, passed it to his left hand, and cast it into the air. The boulder soared as high as the Brahma Heaven. Unable to see it, the strongmen of Kusinagara said to the Buddha:

“Where is the boulder now? None of us can see it.”

The Blessed One said:

“This boulder is now in the Brahma Heaven.”

The young men all said to the Buddha:

“When will it fall back to Jambudvipa?”

The Blessed One said:

“I shall now give you an analogy, for wise people understand through analogies. Suppose someone ascended to the Brahma Heaven, lifted that boulder, and cast it down toward Jambudvipa. It would take twelve years to arrive. Yet now, through the spiritual might of the Tathagata, it will fall immediately.”

When the Buddha had said this, the boulder immediately fell, while hundreds of thousands of kinds of celestial flowers rained down through the air. Seeing the boulder falling from afar, the more than five hundred young men scattered and fled, not daring to remain where they had been. The Buddha told them:

“Do not be afraid. The Tathagata himself knows the proper time.”

The Blessed One caught the boulder with his left hand, transferred it to his right hand, and set it upright. At that time, the three-thousand-great-thousand world-system trembled in six ways. Wondrous deities in the sky scattered various utpala lotuses. The five hundred young men all exclaimed in praise:

“This is truly unprecedented, exceedingly wondrous and extraordinary! The spiritual might of the Tathagata is indeed beyond comparison. This boulder is one hundred and twenty paces long and sixty paces wide, yet the Blessed One arranged it with only one hand.”

The five hundred young men then said to the Buddha:

“What spiritual power did the Tathagata use to move this boulder? Did he arrange it through the power of spiritual abilities or through the power of wisdom?”

The Buddha told the young men:

“I did not use the power of spiritual abilities, nor did I use the power of wisdom. I arranged this boulder using only the strength derived from my parents.”

The young men all said to the Buddha:

“We do not understand what the Tathagata means by the strength derived from his parents.”

The Buddha said:

“I shall now give you an analogy, for wise people understand through analogies. You should know that the strength of ten camels does not equal the strength of one ordinary elephant. Moreover, the combined strength of ten camels and one ordinary elephant does not equal the strength of one Kalalaka elephant.

The combined strength of ten camels, one ordinary elephant, and one Kalalaka elephant does not equal the strength of one Kudatyana elephant. Even the combined strength of ten camels, one ordinary elephant, and all the others up to one Kudatyana elephant does not equal the strength of one Vamana elephant. The strength of that elephant, in turn, does not equal the strength of one Kaniru elephant.

The total strength of all the foregoing elephants does not equal the strength of one Utpala elephant. The total strength of all those elephants does not equal the strength of one Padma elephant. The combined and compared strength of all those elephants does not equal the strength of one Kunida elephant.

Gathered and compared together, it does not equal the strength of one Pundarika elephant. Gathered and compared together, it does not equal the strength of one fragrant elephant. Gathered and compared together, it does not equal the strength of one Mahanagnaka.

Gathered and compared together, it does not equal the strength of one Narayana. Gathered and compared together, it does not equal the strength of one Wheel-Turning Sage King. Gathered and compared together, it does not equal the strength of one avaivartika, a non-retrogressing bodhisattva.

Gathered and compared together, it does not equal the strength of one bodhisattva in his final existence. Gathered and compared together, it does not equal the strength of one bodhisattva seated beneath the tree of enlightenment. Compared again, it does not equal the strength of a Tathagata’s physical body born of his parents.

Today, I arranged this boulder using the strength derived from my parents.”

The five hundred young men again said to the Buddha:

“What is the power of the Tathagata’s spiritual abilities like?”

The Buddha said:

“In the past, I had a disciple named Maudgalyayana, foremost among those possessing spiritual abilities. At that time, Maudgalyayana and I were traveling and teaching in the Bamboo-Grove village of Veranja. The country was then in peril; people preyed upon one another, and bones lay exposed along the roads. It was difficult for renunciants to obtain alms. The noble assembly was emaciated, and its strength had declined. Furthermore, all the people in the village suffered from hunger and had nowhere to turn. Then Mahamaudgalyayana came to me and said:

“‘This village of Veranja now suffers grievously from famine. There is nowhere to obtain alms, and the people are destitute, without any means of sustaining life. I have also heard the Tathagata teach that beneath the present layer of earth there is naturally fertile soil, exceedingly fragrant and delicious. I beseech the Blessed One to permit me to turn that delicious layer of earth to the surface, so that the people may obtain food and the noble assembly may also regain its strength.’

“I said to Maudgalyayana:

“‘Where will you place the tiny creatures living within the earth?’

“Maudgalyayana replied:

“‘I shall transform one of my hands to resemble this layer of earth and use the other hand to turn the fertile soil upward, so that all the tiny creatures may remain secure in their own places.’

“I then said to Maudgalyayana:

“‘What do you think, that you wish to overturn this earth?’

“Maudgalyayana replied:

“‘I can overturn this earth as a strongman turns over a leaf, without any difficulty.’

“I again told Maudgalyayana:

“‘Enough, enough, Maudgalyayana! There is no need to overturn this fertile earth. Why? Beings who saw such a thing would be terrified, the hairs on their bodies would stand on end, and the monasteries and shrines of the Buddhas would be destroyed.’

“Maudgalyayana then came before the Buddha and said:

“‘I beseech the Blessed One to permit the noble assembly to go to Uttarakuru to seek alms.’

“The Buddha told Maudgalyayana:

“‘How will those in this great assembly who lack spiritual abilities go there to seek alms?’

“Maudgalyayana said to the Buddha:

“‘I shall transport those without spiritual abilities to that land.’

“The Buddha told Maudgalyayana:

“‘Enough, enough, Maudgalyayana! There is no need for the noble assembly to go there to seek alms. Why?

In future ages there will likewise be famines, alms will be difficult to obtain, and people will be haggard. At that time, brahmins, elders, and householders will say to the bhikkhus: “Why do you not go to Uttarakuru to seek alms? Long ago, the disciples of the Sakyan clan possessed great spiritual abilities.

Whenever they encountered such famine and hardship, they all went together to Uttarakuru to seek alms and save themselves. The disciples of Sakyamuni today possess neither spiritual abilities nor the spiritually majestic conduct of sramanas.” They will despise the bhikkhus, causing those elders and householders to harbor arrogance and incur immeasurable offenses. Maudgalyayana, you should know that, for this reason, the assembly of bhikkhus should not all go there to seek alms.’

“Young men, you should know that Maudgalyayana’s spiritual abilities possessed such power. Even if the power of Maudgalyayana’s spiritual abilities pervaded every place throughout the three-thousand-great-thousand world-system, leaving nowhere untouched or deficient, it would still not equal the Tathagata’s spiritual power, which surpasses it a hundredfold, a thousandfold, and hundreds of millions of times. No analogy can compare with the Tathagata’s spiritual abilities, whose power is immeasurable.”

The young men said to the Buddha:

“What is the power of the Tathagata’s wisdom like?”

The Buddha said:

“In the past, I also had a disciple named Sariputra, foremost among those possessing wisdom. The great ocean is eighty-four thousand yojanas deep and broad, and what is submerged within the sea is likewise. The land of Jambudvipa extends twenty-one thousand yojanas from north to south and seven thousand yojanas from east to west.

Now consider this comparison: Let the waters of the four seas be ink, Mount Sumeru be paper, and all the grasses and trees presently growing in Jambudvipa be writing brushes. Then let every person throughout the three-thousand-great-thousand world-system write in an effort to describe the wisdom of the bhikkhu Sariputra completely. Yet, young men, you should know that the ink from the waters of the four great seas would gradually be exhausted and all those holding the brushes would gradually die, but they still could not exhaustively describe the wisdom of the bhikkhu Sariputra.

Thus, young men, among my disciples foremost in wisdom, none surpasses Sariputra. Even if the power of the bhikkhu Sariputra’s wisdom pervaded the entire three-thousand-great-thousand world-system, leaving no place untouched or empty, in comparison with the power of the Tathagata’s wisdom it would not equal even one hundredth, one thousandth, or one hundred-millionth part; no analogy can adequately compare them. Such is the power of the Tathagata’s wisdom.”

The young men again said to the Buddha:

“Is there any power greater than this power?”

The Buddha replied:

“There is indeed a power that surpasses the foregoing powers. What is it? It is the power of impermanence. At midnight tonight, between the twin sala trees, the power of impermanence will bring the Tathagata to final nirvana.”

The young men all shed tears and lamented:

“How swiftly the Tathagata will enter final nirvana! The world will lose its eye.”

At that time, there was a bhikkhuni named Kundalahetu, the daughter of the elder Bharata. This bhikkhuni thought, “I have heard that the Blessed One will enter final nirvana before long. His appointed time is now ending. I should go to the Blessed One to draw near and inquire after him.”

The bhikkhuni then left the city of Vaisali and went to the Blessed One. From afar, she saw the Tathagata leading the assembly of bhikkhus and the five hundred young men toward the grove of twin sala trees. The bhikkhuni approached the Blessed One, bowed her head at the Buddha’s feet, and said:

“I have heard that the Blessed One is about to enter final nirvana and will not remain in the world much longer.”

The Buddha replied:

“At midnight tonight, the Tathagata will enter final nirvana.”

The bhikkhuni said to the Buddha:

“I have left home to study the Way, yet I have not fulfilled the aim of my aspiration. Now the Blessed One is abandoning me and entering final nirvana. I beseech you to teach me the subtle and wondrous Dharma so that I may fulfill my aspiration.”

The Buddha said:

“Bhikkhuni, you should contemplate the origin of suffering.”

The bhikkhuni again said to the Buddha:

“Blessed One, it is truly suffering! Tathagata, it is truly suffering!”

The Buddha asked:

“Bhikkhuni, what meanings have you contemplated that cause you to call it suffering?”

The bhikkhuni said to the Buddha:

“Birth is suffering; aging is suffering; illness is suffering; death is suffering; sorrow and distress are suffering; encountering those one hates is suffering; separation from those one loves is suffering. In brief, the five clinging skandhas are suffering. Blessed One, having contemplated these meanings, I therefore call it suffering.”

Having reflected upon this meaning, the bhikkhuni immediately attained the threefold knowledge while still seated. She said to the Buddha:

“I cannot bear to witness the Blessed One’s final nirvana. I beseech you to permit me to enter final nirvana first.”

The Blessed One silently gave his consent.

The bhikkhuni immediately rose from her seat, bowed at the Buddha’s feet, and, before the Buddha, soared into the air and performed the eighteen transformations. She walked, sat, and practiced walking meditation in the air; her body emitted smoke and fire; she appeared and disappeared freely and without obstruction; and she emitted fire and water that filled the sky. After performing innumerable spiritual transformations, the bhikkhuni entered final nirvana in the realm of nirvana without remainder. On that very day, when the bhikkhuni entered final nirvana, eighty thousand devas attained the pure Dharma eye.

The Blessed One then addressed the bhikkhus:

“Among my sravakas, the foremost bhikkhuni in swiftly attaining wisdom is the bhikkhuni Kundalahetu.”

The Blessed One told the Venerable Ananda:

“Go between the twin sala trees and prepare a couch for the Tathagata, with its head toward the north.”

“Yes, Blessed One.”

Obeying the Buddha’s instruction, Ananda went between the twin sala trees and prepared a couch for the Tathagata. He then returned to the Buddha, bowed his head at the Buddha’s feet, and said:

“The couch has been prepared with its head toward the north. The Blessed One may know that the proper time has come.”

The Blessed One then went between the twin sala trees and lay upon the prepared couch. The Venerable Ananda asked the Buddha:

“For what reason did the Tathagata instruct me to prepare the couch with its head toward the north?”

The Buddha told Ananda:

“After I enter final nirvana, the Buddha-Dharma will abide in northern India. For this reason, I instructed you to prepare the couch facing north.”

The Blessed One then arranged his three robes. Ananda asked the Buddha:

“For what reason does the Tathagata arrange his three robes today?”

At that moment, five-colored light issued from the Blessed One’s mouth.

The Buddha said:

“I have just had this thought: Before attaining the Way, I dwelt in the hells for a long time, eating red-hot iron pellets. At other times, I ate plants and grasses to sustain the four great elements of my body. At times, I became a donkey, camel, elephant, horse, pig, or goat. At times, I became a hungry ghost, or took a human body and underwent gestation. At other times, through heavenly merit, I naturally consumed the flavor of amrta. Now that I have become a Tathagata, I have perfected the body of a Tathagata through the five faculties, the five powers, the seven factors of awakening, and the Noble Eightfold Path. For this reason, five-colored light has issued from my mouth.”

A moment later, a subtle and wondrous radiance, surpassing the previous light, issued from the Buddha’s mouth. Ananda asked the Buddha:

“For what reason has the Tathagata again emitted a radiance more excellent than the former one?”

The Buddha said:

“I have just had this thought: ‘After the Buddhas, the Blessed Ones of the past, entered final nirvana, the Dharma they left behind did not long remain in the world.’ I then considered further: ‘By what skillful means can I cause my Dharma to remain in the world for a long time?’ The body of the Tathagata is a vajra body. I intend that this body be ground into particles as small as mustard seeds and distributed throughout the world, so that those who behold representations of the Tathagata may make offerings there.

Through the meritorious retribution arising from this cause and condition, they will be born into families of the four castes; be born in the Heaven of the Four Great Kings, the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, the Yama Heaven, the Tusita Heaven, the Heaven of Delight in Creation, or the Heaven of Mastery over Others’ Creations. Through this merit, they may be born in the desire realm, form realm, or formless realm; or they may attain the fruit of stream-entry, once-returning, non-returning, or arhatship; become a pratyekabuddha; or attain Buddhahood.

For this reason, that radiance has issued forth.”

The Blessed One personally folded his sanghati robe into four and lay down on his right side, with his legs extended and one foot resting upon the other. The Venerable Ananda wept and shed tears, unable to restrain himself. He reproached himself, saying, “I have not yet attained the Way and am still bound by the fetters, yet now the Blessed One is abandoning me and entering final nirvana. Upon whom shall I rely?”

The Blessed One knew this and asked the bhikkhus:

“Where is the bhikkhu Ananda now?”

The bhikkhus replied:

“The bhikkhu Ananda is now standing behind the Tathagata’s couch, grieving, weeping, and shedding tears, unable to restrain himself. He reproaches himself for not having attained the Way and not having severed the fetters, while the Blessed One now abandons him and enters nirvana.”

The Blessed One then told Ananda:

“Enough, enough, Ananda. Do not grieve. Things in the world that are subject to dissolution cannot be kept from changing. You must exert yourself diligently, recollect and cultivate the True Dharma, and before long you will reach the end of suffering and perfect the practice without outflows. The Tathagatas, Worthy Ones, Perfectly Awakened Ones of the past also had attendants such as you. Even the future Buddhas, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, will have attendants like Ananda.

“A Wheel-Turning Sage King possesses four unprecedented qualities. What are the four? When a Wheel-Turning Sage King is about to leave the country, all the people who see him rejoice. When the Wheel-Turning Sage King gives an instruction, all who hear it rejoice. They never tire of hearing the Wheel-Turning Sage King’s instructions. When the Wheel-Turning Sage King remains silent, the people also rejoice merely upon seeing him silent. Bhikkhus, these are the four unprecedented qualities possessed by a Wheel-Turning Sage King.

“Bhikkhus, you should know that Ananda today also possesses four unprecedented qualities. What are the four? When the bhikkhu Ananda silently enters an assembly, everyone who sees him rejoices. If the bhikkhu Ananda speaks, all who hear his words rejoice; if he remains silent, they rejoice as well. When the bhikkhu Ananda enters any of the fourfold assemblies—whether an assembly of ksatriyas or brahmins, kings or householders—everyone rejoices, gives rise to reverence, and never tires of gazing upon Ananda. If the bhikkhu Ananda speaks, those who hear and respectfully follow his Dharma teaching never weary of it. Bhikkhus, these are his four unprecedented qualities.”

The Venerable Ananda then said to the Blessed One:

“How should we conduct ourselves when encountering women? Bhikkhus now robe themselves at the proper time, carry their bowls, and go from house to house seeking alms, creating merit and delivering beings.”

The Buddha told Ananda:

“Do not meet with them. If you do meet them, do not converse with them. If you must converse with them, guard your mind and remain single-mindedly attentive.”

The Blessed One then spoke these verses: