受新歲經

Thus have I heard. At one time the Buddha was dwelling in the Park of Mṛgāra's Mother in the Eastern Grove of the country of Śrāvastī, together with a full assembly of five hundred great bhikṣus. At that time, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, the World-Honored One spread out his sitting-mat upon an open piece of ground, with the assembly of bhikṣus surrounding him before and behind. The Buddha said to the Venerable Ānanda: "Now upon this open ground, you should at once strike the sound of the gaṇḍī. Why is this so? Because today is the fifteenth day of the seventh month, which is precisely the day of receiving the new year."

Then the Venerable Ānanda knelt with his right knee upon the ground, joined his palms together, and recited this verse:

Who can equal the One of Pure Eye,

Who, free of affairs, makes no discrimination,

Whose wisdom is unstained by attachment?

What is this "receiving the year"?

The World-Honored One answered the Venerable Ānanda:

Receiving the year: the three karmas are purified—

What is produced by body, speech, and mind.

Two bhikṣus, facing one another,

Themselves lay bare their faults,

And then declare their own names and years.

Today the assembly receives the year;

I too, with purified mind, receive it,

Wishing only to see my faults.

The Venerable Ānanda, by means of a verse, asked about the rite of receiving the year:

The Buddhas of the past, numerous as the sands of the Ganges,

The Pratyekabuddhas and the Śrāvakas—

Did all such Buddhas as these do this,

Or is it only Śākyamuni?

The World-Honored One answered the Venerable Ānanda:

The Buddhas of the past, numerous as the Ganges' sands,

Whose disciples were pure in mind,

All possessed these Buddha-dharmas—

How could it be only Śākyamuni?

The Pratyekabuddha has not this dharma:

Without year, without disciple,

Alone, without companion,

He does not expound the dharma to others.

The Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones yet to come,

As many as the sands of the Ganges,

They too will receive this year,

Just as does now the dharma of Gautama.

At that time the Venerable Ānanda, having heard these words, was joyful and delighted, unable to contain himself. He then ascended the lecture hall, took the gaṇḍī in his hand, and spoke thus: "Now I strike the drum of faith of the Tathāgata. Let all the disciples now present of the Tathāgata gather together." Then the Venerable Ānanda again spoke this verse:

Subduing the power and enmity of Māra,

Wiping away the fetters utterly clean,

I strike the gaṇḍī upon the open ground;

Let the bhikṣus, hearing it, gather together.

Whoever wishes to hear the dharma,

To cross over the sea of birth and death,

Hearing this subtle and wondrous sound,

Let them all swiftly gather together.

At that time the Venerable Ānanda, having finished striking the sound of the gaṇḍī, went to where the World-Honored One was, bowed his head at the Buddha's feet, stood to one side, and said to the World-Honored One: "Now the time has come. I humbly wish that the World-Honored One might have some instruction to give us." Then the World-Honored One said to the Venerable Ānanda: "All of you, sit down in proper order; the Tathāgata himself knows the time." Then the World-Honored One, seated upon a seat of grass, said to the bhikṣus: "Let all of you sit upon seats of grass." The bhikṣus replied: "Yes indeed, World-Honored One." Then the bhikṣus all sat down upon seats of grass.

At that time the World-Honored One, having silently observed the bhikṣus, then said to the bhikṣus: "Now I wish to receive the new year. Have I committed any fault toward all of you? And have I not committed any fault of body, speech, or mind?"

When the Tathāgata had spoken thus, the bhikṣus remained silent and said nothing. Then the Tathāgata a second and a third time again said to the bhikṣus: "Now I wish to receive the year; yet have I committed no fault toward all of you?" Then the Venerable Śāriputra rose from his seat, knelt down, joined his palms, and said to the World-Honored One: "The assembly of bhikṣus, having observed the body, speech, and mind of the Tathāgata, find no fault whatsoever.

Why is this so? Because this very day the World-Honored One has delivered those who had not yet been delivered, has liberated those who had not yet been liberated, has brought to Nirvāṇa those who had not yet attained Nirvāṇa, has rescued those who had not yet been rescued; he makes the blind to see clearly; he is the King of Physicians to those who are ill; he is the One uniquely honored throughout the three realms, whom none can match.

He is the most honored and supreme. Whoever has not yet aroused the resolve for the Way, he causes them to give rise to the resolve for the Way; those who have not yet awakened, he causes to awaken; whoever has not yet heard the dharma, he causes them to hear it. To the deluded he points out the direct path, leading them to the right dharma.

By reason of these causes and conditions, the Tathāgata has no fault whatsoever toward anyone, nor any fault whatsoever of body, speech, or mind."

At that time the Venerable Śāriputra said to the World-Honored One: "Now I too turn toward the Tathāgata to lay myself bare. Have I, then, committed any fault toward the Tathāgata and the assembly of bhikṣus?" The World-Honored One said: "Śāriputra, now you have utterly no unlawful conduct of body, speech, or mind. Why is this so?

Because now you have attained wisdom that none can equal—manifold wisdom, immeasurable wisdom, boundless wisdom, wisdom that none can equal, quick wisdom, sharp wisdom, profound wisdom, impartial wisdom; you delight in having few desires and knowing contentment; you have many skillful means; your mindfulness is without error or distraction; you have the dhāraṇī-samādhi, the root and source of the complete precepts; you have accomplished samādhi, accomplished wisdom, accomplished liberation, accomplished the knowledge and vision of liberation, accomplished extraordinary valor; you can bear with slander and abuse; you know that evil is unlawful; your mind and nature are a model of conduct;

you do no cruelty—just as the Crown Prince of a Wheel-Turning Sage King will succeed to the throne of the king and turn the precious wheel.

So too is it with Śāriputra: you turn the pure, unsurpassed wheel of the dharma, which the devas, human beings, the dragon-kind, the spirits and ghosts, or even the Heavenly Māra cannot do. Now the things you have spoken, ever discoursing in accordance with the dharma, have never erred from the truth."

At that time the Venerable Śāriputra said to the Buddha: "These five hundred bhikṣus all (beg to) receive the year. Have these five hundred bhikṣus all committed no fault whatsoever toward the Tathāgata?" The World-Honored One said: "I too have no reproach whatsoever for the actions of body, speech, or mind of these five hundred bhikṣus. Why is this so? Śāriputra, in this great assembly all are utterly pure, without any stain or defilement. Now in this assembly even the least one of the lowest seat has attained the fruit of the Way of the Srotāpanna, and will surely advance and turn the wheel of the dharma without regression. For this reason I have nothing for which to reproach this assembly."

Then Vaṅgīśa, who was within this assembly, rose at once from his seat, came before the World-Honored One, bowed his head and face at the feet of the World-Honored One, and said: "Now I have something I wish to discuss concerning this matter." The World-Honored One said: "If you have something you wish to say, now the time is right."

Vaṅgīśa then, before the Buddha, praised the Buddha and the assembly of bhikṣus, and thereupon spoke this verse:

On the fifteenth day, in purity,

Five hundred bhikṣus are gathered;

All bonds are loosed,

Without craving and without birth.

The great holy Wheel-Turning King,

Surrounded by his ministers,

Pervading the whole world,

In the heavens above and in the world below—

A great general leading all people,

The Teacher of humankind;

His disciples delight to take refuge in him,

Having attained the Three Knowledges and the Six Penetrations.

All are true sons of the Buddha,

Having wiped clean the dust of defilement,

Having severed the thorns of craving and desire.

This day I take refuge of myself.

At that time the World-Honored One accepted what Vaṅgīśa had said. Then Vaṅgīśa thought: "This very day the Tathāgata has accepted what I have said," and so the venerable one was exceedingly joyful, glad beyond all telling. He then rose from his seat, bowed in homage to the World-Honored One, and withdrew to his place. At that time the World-Honored One said to the bhikṣus: "Foremost among the disciples in my assembly of Śrāvakas in composing verses is precisely the bhikṣu Vaṅgīśa; and the one who has spoken words free of all doubt and difficulty is likewise precisely the bhikṣu Vaṅgīśa." Then the bhikṣus, having heard what the Buddha taught, were joyful and respectfully practiced it.

THE BUDDHA SPEAKS THE SŪTRA OF RECEIVING THE NEW YEAR.