分別功德論

The bodhisattva Maitreya praised: “Excellent! It is a portion of the great collection of Dharma comprising the six perfections. This is precisely the Bodhisattva Piṭaka.”

– Severing the fetters: This means eliminating the fetters and defilements arising from erroneous views. It is the attainment of the fruition of the Mahayana path together with omniscience.

– The Venerable Ananda said only that he had heard, not that he had seen: How could he possibly not have seen the Tathagata teach the Dharma? The reason he did not say “seen” was for the sake of the fourfold assembly in the future. Had he said “seen,” members of the fourfold assembly in later generations, following the Venerable Ananda, might also claim to have seen it, which would be false. Therefore, he stated only that he had heard and did not say that he had seen.

When the Dharma was first taught, the five men, Ajnata Kaundinya and the others, were liberated. In the land of Magadha, the three Kasyapa brothers were subdued. Sakya-simha refers to Kapilavastu.

– If the place where a sutra was taught is unknown, simply say that it was at Sravasti: This is because the Buddha resided at Sravasti for twenty-five years, longer than he stayed in any other land. He remained there so long because that land possessed scenery of unsurpassed beauty, many rare treasures, and a large population well versed in principles and meanings. At the monastery in Prince Jeta’s Grove, Anathapindika’s Park, wondrous spirits manifested signs of confirmation. Thus, whenever the Sangha assembled in the lecture hall, thousands of monkeys and apes came, roaming throughout the grounds, watching and listening in utter stillness without making a sound. Birds likewise seemed to fly in from everywhere and gather there. When the Sangha formally retired, all those flocks of birds returned to their dwelling places. As soon as the ghanta was struck, they assembled again. This was because that land had many benevolent people, beneath whose protection other species also took refuge. The Buddha might temporarily journey elsewhere to teach in response to an invitation, or he might travel by means of spiritual power and return to his original residence immediately after completing his teaching. Therefore, simply saying “Sravasti” sufficiently identifies the principal location.

– Jeta’s Grove and Anathapindika are mentioned separately because they are the names of two people: These two had passed away previously and were then dwelling in the heavenly realm, where they also gathered devas and taught and transformed them through the Dharma. At that time, they thought: “We were originally foremost among the benefactors of the Sangha; are our names now not to be mentioned?” To accord with their thought, the names of the two were therefore stated separately.

– The statement, “One should cultivate one Dharma”: This likewise does not follow chronological order. If considered according to the time when the Buddha had newly attained the path and first taught the Dharma, the teaching should begin at the Deer Park in Varanasi, where he first expounded the Four Noble Truths. Next, he went to Magadha and subdued the three Kasyapa brothers. Because the owner of the monastery was mentioned by name, the text immediately states: “One should cultivate one Dharma.” In the essential truth of their principles, this one Dharma does not differ from the four Dharmas. One Dharma also severs the fetters, and the four Dharmas also sever the fetters; both lead to nirvana—thus, “different paths return to the same destination.” The twenty-one fetters may be condensed or expanded into thirty-six; though the enumeration may be greater or smaller, they are all fetters. Ordinarily, there are one hundred and one phenomena, but when expanded there are eighty-four thousand. Therefore, one Dharma, like the thousands and tens of thousands of Dharmas, is equally a path leading to the Way. Because there is no difference in their profound meaning and principle, the teaching begins with one Dharma.

– Heedfulness: This is the central purport of the one Dharma. Some may ask: “Should not the precepts come first? One must first uphold the precepts and only afterward recollect the Three Honored Ones.” Others say: “This concerns beginners. They first recollect the Three Honored Ones, namely, take the Three Refuges, directing their minds toward the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha; afterward they receive the precepts.” According to this explanation, the precepts should come fourth, while mindfulness of breathing should come last.

– Explanation—calming the body and contemplating suffering: This means contemplating the thirty-six impure substances of the body, clearly perceiving its ugliness and foulness so as to awaken oneself and thereby attain the path. How may this be illustrated?

Long ago, a bhiksu practicing aranyaka discipline went on alms round and encountered the daughter of an elder, from whom he sought food. Both the bhiksu and the elder’s daughter were graceful and beautiful. When the woman saw the bhiksu, sensual desire arose in her.

When the bhiksu saw the woman, sensual desire also arose in him. His agitated mind caused his hand to tremble, and the rice he was placing in his bowl fell to the ground. The woman involuntarily smiled in surprise.

Seeing her white teeth, the bhiksu immediately awakened to the thought: “Inside this woman’s mouth there are only bones.” As the Buddha taught: The human body contains three hundred and twenty bones, six hundred joints, seven hundred thousand blood vessels, nine hundred thousand pores, one aperture of intake, and nine apertures of discharge, all exuding impure substances; there is nothing whatsoever in it worthy of craving.

He carefully contemplated the woman’s body as composed of the thirty-six impure substances. Suddenly overcome with sorrow, the hairs of his body stood on end. Concentrating his contemplation inwardly, he realized the emptiness of the body and attained the path of stream-entry.

He then thought: “Through this woman I have seen the Dharma; she is therefore my good spiritual friend. I should now repay her kindness.” He then taught her the contemplation of the body through which he had just attained realization. Her mind opened, and she too attained the path of stream-entry.

Therefore, it is said that mindfulness of the body is foremost.

– Mindfulness of death: This means contemplating how, when a person’s merit is exhausted and life comes to an end, omens appear. If the person sees hell, he is utterly terrified. Or he may see hungry ghosts or animals. In accordance with his karma, whatever realm appears before him inspires fear. Though he wishes to escape, he is drawn onward by what confronts him.

Or, when a person is about to be born, conception depends upon the union of father and mother. If the embryo is male, it feels desire for the woman; if the embryo is female, it instead feels desire for the man. Apart from impediments or afflictions, when the three conditions are without discrepancy, the being enters the womb.

Having undergone conception, it again takes what is present to be its own. Every seven days it undergoes subtle transformations, while the wind element shapes and carves it, until its form is completed after thirty-eight weeks. If one is to be born in a heavenly realm, celestial music welcomes one; delighting in what is not supreme, one forfeits a lesser benefit.

Omens of these five destinies appear, and in every case something is seen. One should contemplate death accordingly. As already explained in relation to the precepts, one should deeply reflect upon impermanence: life passes swiftly like a flash of lightning or the shadow of a cloud crossing the courtyard.

Old age, sickness, and death descend upon us, and nothing fails to end in dissolution and dispersal. Recollecting these changes in order to awaken oneself is called mindfulness of death. The first ten recollections were taught by the Buddha himself.

Since no one had asked about them, he did not explain them. Regarding the latter ten recollections, the bhiksus questioned the Buddha, and he expounded them for their sake; therefore, each recollection is fully explained.

– Foremost disciples: This refers to the five hundred arhats, each of whom had a particular excellence. One was foremost in wisdom; another in spiritual powers; another in eloquence; another in merit and virtue; another in keeping the precepts; another in contentment; and another in teaching the Dharma. Each attained foremost distinction.

– In discussing them, the elder brother is placed before the younger: This is because Ajnata Kaundinya was the eldest of all, while Subhadra was the youngest. This is the principal order followed in the Buddha’s Dharma. If those of penetrating wisdom and broad knowledge were placed first, that would instead be the way of the brahmins.

– The statement “one thousand two hundred and fifty”: This gives the number of those who regularly attended upon the Buddha. Elsewhere it says “five hundred people”: When the Buddha accepted the invitation of the naga king Anavatapta, he selected only five hundred who could immediately accompany him to the naga king’s palace. Why was this so? Because the spring of Anavatapta was not a place to which those still subject to the outflows and impeded by physical form could suitably travel and return.

At the time when Venerable Ananda “brought forth the scriptures,” he assembled eighty-four thousand arhats. Judging from this, their number was beyond calculation. This scripture now identifies one hundred of the foremost elders.

First, they were thoroughly versed in the four assemblies. Two hundred and twenty venerable ones were each foremost in their respective attainments. How, then, could all the rest possibly be enumerated?

It is said: This scripture originally contained one hundred sections. Venerable Ananda entrusted it to Venerable Uttara, as stated in the Ekottarika Agama. Twelve years later, Venerable Ananda entered parinirvana.

All the bhiksus practiced seated meditation and no longer recited and studied the scriptures, believing that among the Buddha’s three prescribed activities, seated meditation was foremost. Thus, for twelve years they abandoned the reading and recitation of the scriptures. Then the bhiksu Uttara also entered parinirvana, and consequently ninety sections of this scripture were lost.

According to the custom of foreign lands, masters and disciples transmitted the teaching to one another orally and entrusted it from person to person, not permitting it to be committed to writing. At that time, only eleven sections of this scripture remained in transmission. The text now extant has been handed down continuously from that time.

The Sarvastivada school, however, lacks both the introductory section and the final, eleventh section. As the scriptures were transmitted, dispersed, and passed through long ages, ever more portions were lost. The reason the Ekottarika Agama was separately entrusted to this disciple was that, since the time of the seven Buddhas, he had personally witnessed the separate compilation of the Ekottarika Agama.

The former noble sages had likewise entrusted this scripture to their successors. Therefore, when the Sage of the Sakya clan turned the Dharma wheel, he was all the more diligent, and that bhiksu was likewise so.

At that time, a disciple of Venerable Uttara named Suprabuddha received instruction from his master and recited precisely the eleven sections of the Ekottarika. After Venerable Uttara entered parinirvana, the present Tripitaka of foreign lands was transmitted entirely through Venerable Suprabuddha. Masters and disciples have passed it down to one another without alteration to this day.

The reason Venerable Kasyapa often called Venerable Ananda “a child” was that, for many kalpas, his fatherly concern for him had continually deepened.

At that time, Venerable Ananda’s younger sister, a bhiksuni, heard Venerable Kasyapa speak in this way and became extremely angry. She said, “Ananda is wise, learned, and relied upon by everyone. How can the Venerable One call him ‘a child’?” Venerable Kasyapa told the bhiksuni, “Younger sister!

Ananda has done two shameful things. Why, then, should you be angry? Ananda himself urged the Buddha to admit the Mother into the Order, causing the Buddha-Dharma to lose one thousand years of its duration.

This is the first matter. Ananda had sixty disciples, but recently thirty bhiksus returned to lay life. The Buddha taught that, when admitting disciples, if householders with faith come seeking the path, they should be placed on probation for seven days.

If adherents of other schools come seeking the path, their probation should last four months. Why are these periods unequal? Those from the households of non-Buddhist teachers may harbor malicious intentions and seek to discover the strengths and weaknesses of the teaching.

Therefore, they must first undergo probation to determine whether they are sincere. Ananda did not act in this way. Whenever anyone came seeking the path, he ordained that person immediately.

This is the second shameful matter. These thirty bhiksus returned to lay life because they had originally heard that, among the ninety-six paths, Venerable Ananda was foremost in ‘universal knowledge.’ They therefore sought ordination under him, wishing to inquire about that knowledge. Yet Ananda did not explain it to them.

Since this failed to accord with their original intention, they returned to lay life. After returning to lay life, they inevitably disparaged Ananda, claiming that he possessed no universal knowledge. Admitting disciples is like a fish producing thousands upon thousands of millions of offspring: if it keeps them in mind, they live; if it does not, they are all destroyed.

Disciples are likewise. If one attentively instructs them, they attain accomplishment; if one does not attend to them, they fall back. Is this not shameful?” Because this bhiksuni directed an angry mind toward Venerable Kasyapa, she fell bodily into hell.

Because Venerable Ananda had these faults, Venerable Kasyapa called him “a child.”

In his defense, Venerable Ananda cited an ancient account in which he had once been a wheel-turning sage-king named Long Life. Having received the “final injunctions” of his royal father, he succeeded to the throne, governed the kingdom, and taught and transformed the myriad people. Intending to renounce the household life, he in turn entrusted Crown Prince Sudarsana with the kingdom and committed the affairs of government to him.

Thus the charge was transmitted successively without ever being altered. In the past, father and son inherited it from one another; now, master and disciple continued the succession. In former times, he did not lose even the conditioned teaching.

How much less would he now allow the wondrous, utterly true Dharma to be lost? He thus cited this account to demonstrate that his disciples would certainly be capable of receiving and transmitting the scriptures.

– One should recollect and revere the Dharma: The preceding verse established the Tripitaka and the four Agamas. The prose passage further states: If a single verse can encompass all the teachings of the Tripitaka, how could the “Ekottarika” not encompass all teachings? The reason this additional stanza was spoken was that this thought arose in the minds of the devas: “Is Venerable Ananda unable to compose verses for teaching the Dharma? Why, then, has he uttered these indistinct words?” Venerable Ananda discerned the devas’ thoughts and said to them, “Even if there were enough scriptures to fill eighty-four thousand elephant-loads and all had to be rendered in verse, I would be fully capable of composing those verses. How, then, could I be unable to versify this small portion of the Dharma?”

To accord with the intentions of the devas, he again used verse to recite the teachings and exhort the devas and all beings of keen faculties, who should hear the verses and clearly understand them. The Dharma referred to is that stated in the preceding chapter:

Commit no evil,

Practice every good,

Purify your own mind:

This is the teaching of all Buddhas.

Thus, it is said that this Dharma can bring the three vehicles to fulfillment, eliminate the three evil destinies, encompass all true fruits, and bring karmic recompense in the two lives. Because capacities are superior or inferior, he guided and encouraged them to advance. The verse says:

Those of highest capacity uphold the Tripitaka;

Next come those who uphold the four Agamas;

Or those who receive and uphold the Vinaya Pitaka—

These are the treasures of the Tathagata.

– The reason they are called treasures: It is like a king who possesses a treasury and does not allow outsiders to know of it. Only officials within the inner palace who are of one mind with the king are entrusted with guarding it. The precepts and Vinaya are likewise. Only those capable of receiving and upholding the two hundred and fifty or the five hundred rules are entrusted with them. Male and female lay devotees outside the Order cannot be permitted to inspect them. Therefore, they are likened to the king’s treasury.

If one’s capacity does not extend to the other two Pitakas and one upholds only the Abhidharma, one can still subdue the non-Buddhist teachers, so that none of the narrow paths of the ninety-six schools fails to return to the great source. Why is this? Because this is the unsurpassed wondrous wisdom that can resolve the most profound entanglements and lead to complete penetration of the path of truth. Although they may possess the five superknowledges and abide for an entire kalpa, they still cannot escape being brought under control by the four swiftly galloping horses. Therefore, adherents of other teachings dare not even cast a covetous glance at it.

The Venerable Ananda declared: The supreme exhortation contained in these ten verses was given precisely for the thirty thousand humans and devas present there. Formerly, when the Buddha had newly attained enlightenment, in the Deer Park at Varanasi, he turned the Dharma wheel for the five men headed by Ajnata Kaundinya, teaching the Four Truths. The Buddha said: “Kaundinya, you should know!

This is the truth of suffering, the truth of the accumulation of suffering, the truth of the cessation of suffering, and the truth of the essential path leading out of suffering.” Thus he directly taught those Four Truths. Kaundinya had long been fettered by existence; when he heard the teaching concerning wisdom, his mind still did not awaken. The Buddha then taught him emptiness: “Kaundinya, you should know!

All that is apprehended by the four kinds of wisdom is empty and impermanent, like an illusion or magical transformation—unreal and nonexistent!” Kaundinya immediately understood and attained the “trace of the Path.” The other four had not yet understood, so the Tathagata again contemplated the roots of their minds. Two of them suffered from conceptual attachment to contact; they thought longingly of household life and delighted in the five desires, clinging to them and refusing to relinquish them.

Accordingly, he prescribed medicine suited to their illness and taught the samadhi of non-perception: “All your perceptions shall return to complete cessation.” Because they had not relinquished their conceptual attachments, their minds, like horses, raced swiftly toward places of pleasure. Their perceptions then opened, and those two also attained the “trace of the Path.” The remaining two constantly aspired to be born in the Brahma heaven and to reign there as Brahma.

Their attachments had not been loosened and instead bound them ever more tightly. The Tathagata clearly perceived the thoughts present in their minds and therefore taught them wishlessness: “What you desire is to become a Brahma king, but this cannot lead you out. It all returns to complete cessation and is not everlasting.

You can relinquish what you seek and first choose the essential path leading out.” They too were immediately opened to understanding and attained the “trace of the Path.” Since the attachments of the five men were all different, the means by which they were released were likewise not the same.

– What is called the three wheels of the Four Truths means that within emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness, each contains the Four Truths. Truth refers to contemplation. Concentration refers to calming. Calming and contemplation practiced together jointly counteract the illnesses of delusion and craving within the skandhas, dhatus, and ayatanas.

The twelve refers to the destruction of the twelve links of dependent origination. Formerly, when the Buddha was in the world and taught the Dharma to the fourfold assembly, he sometimes taught the Four Truths and sometimes taught the six paramitas. According to what the beings to be transformed were capable of understanding, the Buddha expounded extensively for them on impermanence and other teachings. At times, kings, elders, householders, and brahmins respectfully invited him to receive offerings or came to ask questions.

Concerning the occasions on which these teachings could be delivered, the Venerable Ananda asked the Buddha: “Why should they be designated in this way? Should one speak of hearing, or should one speak of seeing?”

The Buddha told the Venerable Ananda: “In the future, when teaching the Dharma to the fourfold assembly, you should speak of hearing and must not speak of seeing. If you speak of seeing, it will be false. Why? Because hearing refers to what has passed in the past, whereas seeing refers to the present. Regarding the seven Buddhas of the past, one can rightly speak only of hearing and must not speak of seeing. You should likewise do so concerning these matters in the future. You should say, ‘Thus have I heard.’”

– The reason I earnestly entrust and enjoin this upon Ananda is that although the Buddhas of the past had attendants, none was like the Venerable Ananda in clearly understanding the Buddha’s intent. Since the distant past, he had made offerings to two billion Buddhas and always served as their attendant. He did not seek to exhaust the outflows but constantly vowed to attain universal wisdom and discern the Buddha’s intent; therefore, he now receives this blessed recompense. With a glance, he comprehends the intent and never departs from proper conduct. Among all the Buddhas, none was more vigorous and heroic than Sakyamuni. Among the brothers, Maitreya ought to have come first, yet now he comes afterward. Why? Long ago, thirty kalpas in the past, three bodhisattvas were traveling together through a mountainous forest when they saw a starving tigress about to eat her cubs. One of them thought: “This tiger is already an animal, yet she is about to eat her own offspring. After death, she will certainly undergo suffering, for although she is their mother, she has no loving-kindness. This present body of mine is composed of the four great elements and must ultimately return to death. I should use it to save the lives of those tiger cubs.” The second did not agree and wished instead to go to the market to buy meat to save the cubs’ lives. The remaining bodhisattva reflected and said: “If we travel from here to the market and return, the cubs will not survive. I should relinquish my body to save them.” He then cast himself from the high mountain down to the place below, directly before the tigress’s mouth. His body remained unharmed, and the tigress did not dare eat him. This was because, whenever one enters the samadhi of loving-kindness, no creature can cause one harm. The bodhisattva deliberately pierced his body with a bamboo thorn, and the tigress, becoming accustomed to the scent of blood, was then able to eat him. Through such heroic courage, he surpassed nine kalpas and therefore now precedes Maitreya. Accordingly, on the Path there is no first or last; resolute intent takes precedence. Thus, now that I have become a Buddha, I entrust the scriptures to Ananda. In the future, you shall declare, ‘Thus have I heard.’ Why, then, does one say ‘At one time’? Does it refer to a reckoning of days and months, or does it designate a person’s name? The answer is that it also refers to the reckoning of seasons, and it also occurs in personal designations. Some say there are also two designations: either kshatriya or brahmin. Again, there are two designations: either the lineage of an elder or the lineage of a householder. It may be in the heavens or among humans. Such alternatives do not refer to a single place, and therefore it is said, ‘At one time.’

– Bhagavat: This is an appellation of the World-Honored One. Because his fetters have all been exhausted and no one can surpass him, he is called Honored. Because all the devas of the three realms come to take refuge in and revere him, and the eight classes of ghosts and spirits likewise honor him as their master, he is called the World-Honored One. Because he can subdue Mara, he is also Honored. Such praises are beyond measure; therefore, his title is World-Honored One.

– Jeta Grove, Anathapindika’s Park: Prince Jeta was the son of the chief queen of King Prasenajit. He possessed a great park extending over eighty qing. Its ground was level, its trees luxuriant, and it contained many kinds of birds and beasts, which gathered together when the sun appeared. Jeta always kept the Buddha in mind and often wished to offer the park to the Buddha as a monastery. Before long, the elder Sudatta, Anathapindika, came to ask to purchase the park. Jeta rarely had occasion to associate closely with the elder, but whenever he was in high spirits, he liked to jest; thus, in jest, he said that he agreed to sell it. Hearing this, Sudatta, whose resolve was firm, rejoiced greatly. He turned and ordered his servants quickly to harness the horses to the carts and prepare the elephants as well, so that they might transport gold and cover the entire park with it. The servants obeyed, and the work proceeded. In only a short while, forty qing had been covered. Prince Jeta said: “Stop, stop! I spoke only in jest, but you have taken it seriously. There is no need to spread any more gold.” Sudatta then went with the prince before the king and reported the matter. The king said: “The law admits no two words. Once a promise has been firmly made, reason does not permit it to be withdrawn.” Jeta said to Sudatta: “I shall retain the trees, while you shall possess the land. By joining our efforts, we can establish the monastery together.” The monastery was then built, containing seventy-two lecture halls and one thousand two hundred and fifty rooms. All around it, the paths were level and peaceful; fruit trees were verdant, their branches laden heavily; streams flowed into bathing ponds, whose waters were always suitably cool or warm. Throughout the four months, everything appeared distinctly pure, and in both winter and summer it remained unchanged. When all the work was completed, they invited the World-Honored One. The World-Honored One then came with one thousand two hundred and fifty bhiksus and dwelt there. The donor provided offerings, and none of the four requisites was lacking. Because Anathapindika was an official of the kingdom, he yielded the place of precedence to the one of higher rank; therefore, the sutras commonly mention Jeta first. Because their merit was joined together, their names likewise must not be separated and are always combined as a single designation.

– The Buddha told the bhikshus: Why did he not address the male and female lay devotees, but addressed only the bhikshus? It is because, among the fourfold assembly, the bhikshus stand foremost. Moreover, they are masters in destroying evil, using the undefiled Dharma to eliminate every kind of defilement. Therefore, the bhikshus were addressed first. They are also called śramaṇas. A śramaṇa is one whose mind has come to rest, who has ceased turning within desire and existence, and who is quiescent and unattached. They are also called “removers of dearth.” Worldly people hunger and thirst for sensual pleasures; bhikshus eliminate such perceptions of hunger and thirst born of craving. When the Blessed One teaches the Dharma, bhikshus are able to receive it so as to bring birth and death to an end and reach the gateway of nirvana. Therefore, he addressed the bhikshus.

– One should cultivate a single practice: mindfulness of the Buddha. What does mindfulness of the Buddha entail? The Buddha’s body is adamantine and free of all defilements. When he walks, the soles of his feet remain four inches above the ground, yet the imprint of the “thousand-spoked wheel” mark appears distinctly upon the earth. Ants and other tiny creatures beneath his feet remain safe for seven days, and if they die, they are all reborn in the heavenly realms.

Long ago, there was a wicked bhikshu who had originally been a follower of an outside path. Wishing to feign submission in order to slander the Buddha, he followed the path along which the Buddha had walked, killed many flying insects, and placed them in the Buddha’s footprints, claiming that the Buddha had trampled them to death. Yet although those insects had died, as soon as they came into contact with the Buddha’s footprints, they returned to life.

When the Buddha entered a town or settlement and his foot had just touched its threshold, heaven and earth trembled, and hundreds of kinds of music sounded spontaneously without being played. The deaf, blind, mute, and speech-impaired, as well as those afflicted by hundreds of illnesses, were naturally healed. If anyone beheld his thirty-two excellent marks and eighty minor characteristics, that person could be delivered by following in his footsteps.

The merit of his teaching, transforming, rescuing, and assisting beings cannot be calculated. How could the radiance of his wisdom possibly be disparaged?

The Buddha is the master of all dharmas and the confluence of the myriad practices, foremost in bearing beings across. Such is the meaning of what is called mindfulness of the Buddha.

– What is mindfulness of the Dharma? The Dharma is the undefiled Dharma, the Dharma free from desire, the Dharma of the Path, and the unconditioned Dharma; it leads from desire to freedom from desire. The Buddha is the master of all dharmas, while the Dharma is master over the fetters. Someone may ask: Did the Dharma come first, or did the Buddha come first? The answer is: The Dharma came first. How can this be known? A sutra states: “The Dharma gives birth to all Buddhas. The Dharma gives birth to the Buddha-path.” According to this statement, the Dharma came first. One may ask further: If that is so, why is mindfulness of the Dharma not practiced first, and mindfulness of the Buddha practiced before it? The answer is: Although the Dharma is wondrous and subtle, if there is no one capable of recognizing it, it is like treasuries deep within the earth that contain many precious jewels. There is no place where such treasures do not exist, yet multitudes of poor and suffering people still lack wealth and necessities. Only when a person with spiritual powers reveals their location can the jewels be obtained to provide for oneself and aid those who are poor and destitute.

Someone may ask again: Are the treasures superior, or is the person superior? The answer is: The person is superior. Why is the person said to be superior? Although there are many treasuries within the earth, they cannot be seen without spiritual powers. It is through the person that wealth is obtained; how could the treasure hidden within the earth consider itself precious? The Dharma is likewise. Although its principle is profound and wondrous, without the Tathagata it could not be explained, and without the Blessed One it could not be fully comprehended. Therefore, mindfulness of the Buddha comes first, followed by mindfulness of the Dharma.

– What is mindfulness of the Sangha? The Sangha consists of those in the four directions and those who have attained the four fruits—the twelve worthy ones. They have relinquished all worldly greed and contention, open the way to merit, and lead the way to the heavenly and human realms; there is nothing that does not arise through them. Thus, they are the foremost and excellent field of merit for sentient beings. What can demonstrate that the Sangha is an excellent field of merit? Long ago, there was a bhikshu of meager merit named Brahmadatta. When he was among an assembly of one thousand two hundred and fifty monks, his presence prevented the Sangha from receiving its meal, yet no one knew who was at fault. The Buddha then divided the Sangha into two groups, and one of those groups was still unable to eat. He divided that group into two again, and when one half was set apart from the other, that half was still unable to eat. In this way, he repeatedly divided the group in half. Even when only two people remained, they were still unable to eat. At last, when only a single person remained, the one without merit was identified. When the food was being served, it was present, but as soon as it reached his bowl, it naturally vanished. Taking pity on him in this plight, the Buddha personally placed food in his bowl and, through his spiritual power, restrained it so that it no longer disappeared. Wishing to enable that bhikshu to acquire merit in his present body, the Buddha instructed two bhikshus on either side of him to enter the samadhi of cessation, and had him offer food to those two bhikshus abiding in the attainment of cessation. Whenever an offering is made to one abiding in the samadhi of cessation, merit is immediately acquired. Next, the Buddha instructed the two bhikshus beside him to enter the samadhi of loving-kindness. He then had them enter, in turn, the samadhis of compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity, causing each of the four immeasurable states of mind to be practiced completely. At that time, King Prasenajit heard that this bhikshu had little merit and that the Buddha, taking pity on him, had bestowed food upon him. The king thought: “I too should now create merit for him.” He immediately ordered an attendant to pound rice until it was white. At that moment, a crow flew down, seized a grain of rice, and flew away. The king’s attendant rebuked it: “The king is creating merit for the bhikshu Brahmadatta. Why have you carried away the rice?” The crow immediately brought the grain of rice back to its original place. This happened because the bhikshu had obtained the power of merit from the Sangha, and therefore birds and beasts of every kind could not harm what was intended for him. This event demonstrates that the Sangha is an excellent field of merit. Having delivered themselves, its members are also able to deliver others to the paths of the Three Vehicles. Such is the meaning of the practice of mindfulness of the Sangha.

– Next is mindfulness of the precepts. What is its meaning?

From the five precepts and the ten precepts to the two hundred and fifty precepts and the five hundred precepts, all serve to restrain body and speech, prevent every kind of deviant and wrongful conduct, discipline the six sense faculties, and bring thoughts of desire to an end. When inward purity is manifested, one accords with the essential nature of the precepts.

Long ago, two bhikshus were traveling together to the Buddha’s dwelling place. On their journey, they had to cross a vast, dry marshland where there was no water to drink. Only a small pool remained, and its water was filled with tiny creatures.

One bhikshu reflected deeply upon the precepts and discipline, regarding freedom from transgression as foremost: “If I drink this water, I will kill a great many living beings. I would rather preserve the precepts perfectly and relinquish my life without regret.” He then died and was immediately reborn in a heavenly realm. The other bhikshu thought to himself: “I should drink the water and preserve my life so that I may reach the Buddha.

Who knows in what realm my fellow bhikshu will be reborn after his death?” He therefore drank the water containing living creatures and killed a great many of them. Although he succeeded in seeing the Buddha, he remained very far from the Buddha’s teaching. This bhikshu wept and addressed the Buddha, saying: “My companion has died.” The Buddha pointed toward the heavens and said: “Do you recognize this deva?

He is your companion. Through the merit of observing the precepts, he was immediately reborn in a heavenly realm after his death, and now he is present here once again. Although you have succeeded in seeing me, you remain very far from me.

Although this bhikshu has died, he is always here in my presence. You have now come here and seen me, but in truth you see only my physical body. How could you know the wondrous precepts that embody the ultimate truth?”

Therefore it is said that if one upholds the precepts without transgression, one’s aspirations will be fulfilled. Among the ten recollections, recollection of the precepts comes first, whereas among the six paramitas, giving comes first. The order differs because, among the ten recollections, the precepts are those of the sravakas.

The Dharma of the sravakas takes restraint and discipline of the body as primary; therefore, the precepts come first. The Dharma of the Great Beings gives foremost importance to generous giving. Why is this?

Great Beings who are born in the realms of gods and humans constantly keep in mind the work of deliverance and benefiting others. In the essential work of deliverance and benefiting others, without giving, no one can be saved. For living beings to sustain their lives, food and clothing are the first necessities.

Therefore, material gifts are first used to relieve their bodily needs, and afterward the Dharma is used to gather them in and guide their minds. Thus, Great Beings take giving as foremost.

There are two kinds of precepts: worldly precepts and precepts of the Path. The five precepts and the ten wholesome deeds are worldly precepts. The three samadhis are precepts of the Path, which transcends the world.

The two hundred and fifty precepts, up to the five hundred precepts, are also worldly precepts. The wondrous wisdom of the Four Noble Truths constitutes the precepts of the Path. Merely practicing the precepts and dwelling in peace does not lead beyond the three realms.

Only when wisdom guides the precepts and causes them to become undefiled do they accord with the precepts of the Path. The precepts of the sravakas are like a flower placed upon the knee: as soon as there is movement, it falls. The precepts of the Great Beings are like a flower worn upon the head: whether walking or standing, it does not move.

Why is this? The Lesser Vehicle is constrained by outward form; with any movement, one may overstep the rules of deportment. Great Beings govern the mind and are not confined by external regulations.

The standards of the Great and Lesser Vehicles differ because one emphasizes outward form while the other emphasizes the inner mind. Although outward and inward practice differ, both proceed toward nirvana; therefore, this is called recollection of the precepts.

– Recollection of giving leads to nirvana for this reason: Giving consists of material giving and the giving of Dharma. Through material giving, one attains the giving of Dharma; by perfecting the boundless perfection of dana—the Perfection of Giving—one reaches nirvana.

– Recollection of the gods: These are the gods of the three realms of Desire, Form, and Formlessness. There are two kinds of gods: gods who enjoy merit and gods who possess the virtue of the Path. The stream-enterer gods of the Desire Realm have forever departed from the three evil destinies and advance toward the Path. The gods of the eight Pure Abodes in the Form Realm and Formless Realm increasingly cultivate calm abiding and insight and advance to the undefiled state; they attain nirvana there and do not return to the world. As for ordinary gods, through the ten wholesome deeds, the four dhyanas, and the four formless attainments, they enjoy merit in those realms; when their merit is exhausted, they fall back into the ceaseless cycle of transmigration. Recollection of the gods means recollecting those gods who have attained the Path, single-mindedly emulating them and reverently aspiring to follow their course of practice, without allowing the mind to wander or become distracted. One thereby also reaches nirvana. Therefore, it is called recollection of the gods.

– Recollection of cessation: This means that the perceptions of the mind and thought cease and the five desires do not arise. Being tranquil and completely concentrated is called cessation. Cessation is also of two kinds: brahmins of non-Buddhist paths who constrain their bodies in pursuit of merit also regard this as cessation. Only when those who have attained the four fruits of the sramana have forever eliminated all fetters is it true cessation. How is this known?

Long ago, there was a bhiksu named Surata who went to the city of Sravasti and taught throughout the region. At that time, west of Sravasti was the land of Angulimala, where people could be slain. The land was level and broad, with many trees. There was then a brahmin meditating beneath the shade of a tree. He ate none of the five kinds of grain, consuming only fruits and grasses; when there was no fruit, he ate grass and vegetables merely to sustain his vital energy. He wore garments of leaves, and his body was emaciated, reduced to the bare minimum needed to support himself.

At that time, Surata was passing by. Seeing him from afar, he took him to be a practitioner of the Path. He then sat in meditation and examined the man to learn whether his mind was truly concentrated. He saw that the man’s underlying aspiration was to become king of that land, and thought, “Could this man be a great brigand? If I leave now, I fear that he will later fall into wrongdoing. Yet if I try to teach him, he will surely refuse to heed my words. I must therefore devise an expedient means to deliver him.”

He then went beneath a nearby tree and sat in meditation, not moving at all for seven days. After seven days, Surata arose, went before the brahmin, snapped his fingers to gain his attention, and said, “Companion, how do you feel within yourself?” After a long while, the brahmin slowly raised his head and replied, “What could one destitute person have to exchange with another?”

The bhiksu said, “Today I shall give you something.” He immediately conjured a chicken and said, “You may kill this chicken and eat it.”

The brahmin was alarmed and said, “I would not kill even lice or fleas; how could I possibly kill this chicken?”

The bhiksu said, “Your fundamental intention is precisely to kill countless people. Compared with that, what significance would there be in killing this one chicken?”

The brahmin replied, “Why would I kill countless people?”

The bhiksu answered, “While you were meditating, your underlying intention was to seek to become king of this land. As a king who governs a country, how many people might you kill each day? How then can you say that you would not kill? This chicken is the discriminating consciousness within your own mind. Only by killing this chicken can you attain the great unconditioned Path; you cannot attain it by becoming a king.”

The brahmin then reflected, “This bhiksu knows the thoughts in my mind; he must be a holy person.” He therefore followed the bhiksu’s teaching. The bhiksu then expounded the Dharma to the brahmin, who immediately attained the fruit of stream-entry.

Although this brahmin’s body was still, his mind had not ceased. Only after he had slain the chicken of discriminating consciousness could it be called cessation. Therefore, the subsequent explanation calls it the cessation of the perceptions of the mind and thought.

– Recollection of the body: This is to contemplate the body’s thirty-six impure constituents, clearly revealing its foulness. By recollecting and examining it correctly, without confusion, one also attains nirvana. How is this known?

Long ago, there was a bhiksu who established an aranya dwelling. He regularly went on alms rounds and ate on the bank of a river, washing his bowl when he had finished. At that time, there was a cemetery on the bank upstream.

A woman had recently died there, and the wind suddenly blew some hair from her head into his bowl. The bhiksu picked up the hair with his hand and examined it carefully. It was exceedingly smooth and fine.

He said to himself, “If this were a horse’s tail, these hairs would be extremely fine. If it were a man’s hair, it would be even finer and softer. If I tie it and it does not come undone, it must be a woman’s hair.” He tied it, and it did not come undone.

He therefore conceived the thought, “A woman with hair like this must surely be beautiful. Her face would be the color of peach blossoms, her eyes like lustrous jewels, her nose like a finely shaped bamboo tube, her mouth as though holding vermilion, her brows like silkworm moths, and her cheeks powdered.”

Having made such discriminations, he immediately gave rise to desire and followed the river upstream to search for her, thinking that he would behold a beauty worthy of his efforts. Instead, he saw only a woman whose body had been half devoured by jackals and wolves and was now putrefying, although her hair remained. He took the hair and compared it; its length was similar. The lustful perception that had just arisen suddenly vanished.

The bhiksu contemplated once more, reflecting and discerning: “While this woman was alive, her appearance was beautiful; now it has decayed, as anyone can plainly see. The thought that just arose in me sought only to crave a body and sensual desire; hence that perception arose. Her body has become thus; how is my body any different? Upon careful examination, this body is formed by the conjunction of the four great elements. When merit is exhausted and conditions disperse, it naturally disintegrates.” Seeing this transformation, his mind awakened, and he immediately attained stream-entry. Therefore, it is said that recollection of the body leads to the fruit of the sramana.

– Recollection of death: This means recollecting that the life of a practitioner flows onward without pause, that the faculties deteriorate like decaying wood, and that the faculty of life will be severed. One should therefore remain mindful of impermanence and awaken oneself.

In former times, there was a bhikshu named Vakkali who practiced the path and cultivated meditation. Although many years passed, he had not eliminated the outflows. Troubled by his own body, he regarded it as a great burden.

Whenever he reflected upon it, he became disgusted with himself, thinking: “The reason people cannot attain the unsurpassed path is precisely that this body continues endlessly in samsara. When will it ever cease?” He then took a knife in his hand and prepared to stab himself in the neck. He reflected once more: “The Blessed One has admonished his disciples that they must not take their own lives.

Nevertheless, I now seek nirvana, and in nirvana there is no body. Therefore, by first casting off this body, I am indeed choosing liberation.” He then raised the knife and stabbed himself in the neck. His head fell away and his heart was pierced, whereupon he immediately attained arhatship.

The Buddha knew that the bhikshu had attained the path and therefore instructed the bhikshus to cremate his remains. Thus, mindfulness of death can also lead to nirvana.

The Buddha first taught the ten recollections in general terms for beings of sharp faculties. He later taught them again for beings of dull faculties, thereby clearly explaining their meaning.

– Honor: This means subsequently becoming a Wheel-Turning Sage King.

– Receiving great karmic recompense: This means subsequently becoming Shakra, Lord of the Devas.

– All wholesome things come together from every direction: This means subsequently receiving the karmic recompense of rebirth as a Brahma deva.

– Attaining the flavor of the deathless nectar: This means subsequently attaining the fruit of a pratyekabuddha.

– Reaching the unconditioned realm: This means subsequently attaining the fruit of an arhat.

The preceding teaching on the ten recollections did not contain these five statements. These karmic fruits are now added in order to clarify the profound principle underlying the meaning of recollection of the Buddha.

The Buddha said: “Whenever my disciples enter parinirvana, it is in recompense for past conditions; each enters nirvana in accordance with the causes pertaining to that person. Venerable Maudgalyayana was beaten. Venerable Shariputra suffered from an intestinal illness. In this way, all five hundred disciples of the Buddha entered cessation because of past conditions. Only Venerable Ananda’s entry into nirvana was the most excellent of all.”

When Venerable Ananda was about to enter nirvana, he first manifested the auspicious sign of radiance. There was a brahmin who studied mathematics under Venerable Ananda. Seeing the Venerable’s countenance shining, he immediately reported to King Ajatashatru: “Venerable Ananda’s countenance is extraordinary. Could he be about to enter parinirvana?” The king immediately dispatched men to seek Venerable Ananda.

By then, the Venerable had already led five hundred disciples to a place midway along the bank of the Ganges. They boarded a boat and were about to cross the river. Just as they reached midstream, King Ajatashatru’s men arrived at the bank. When Vaishali learned that Venerable Ananda had arrived, it likewise sent five hundred youths to welcome him. Wishing to satisfy both countries, Venerable Ananda used his spiritual power to hold the boat motionless in the middle of the river.

At that time, among the disciples he had brought to liberation, one was named Majjhantika and another was named Madhyantika. Venerable Ananda told Majjhantika: “Go to the land of Kashmir and establish the Buddha’s Dharma there. That land does not yet possess the true Dharma; skillfully cause the Buddha’s Dharma to spread far and wide.” He then told Madhyantika: “Go to the island kingdom of Simhala and propagate the teachings, causing the Buddha’s Dharma to flourish.”

Having given these instructions, the Venerable manifested eighteen spiritual transformations and emitted fire that consumed his body. He divided his sharira in the middle so that both countries could make offerings to them. Because of the wondrous power of recollection of the Buddha, he attained such mastery.

END OF FASCICLE TWO