根本說一切有部毘奈耶雜事

Fascicle Twelve

Next, the tenth recitation in the second special section (the causes and conditions concerning Nanda).

The Buddha said to Nanda:

– A fetus undergoes extreme suffering when it is newly born. Whether male or female, upon birth it is placed in another’s hands, wrapped in swaddling cloth, and kept throughout the day in the shade, or rocked in a cradle, or laid upon a bed and mat, or held in someone’s arms; thus it must endure much discomfort and suffering.

Nanda! It is like an ox that has been flayed: if it is near a wall, the insects in the wall gnaw at it; if it is near grass and trees, the insects in the grass and trees gnaw at it; and if it is in an open place, other kinds of insects gnaw at it. In every case it suffers pain. A newborn child is likewise. When washed with hot water, the infant must endure pain, like a leper whose skin is ulcerated and from whose sores blood and pus flow, who is then beaten with a staff and suffers immeasurable agony. A newborn child must drink its mother’s turbid blood in order to grow. Nanda! In the noble Dharma and Vinaya, a mother’s milk is called turbid blood.

Nanda! Such suffering is truly immeasurable, without the slightest happiness. What wise person would remain attached to this sea of suffering and continue revolving within it without respite? Seven days after birth, eighty thousand kinds of parasites range throughout the body, feeding and gnawing upon it.

Nanda! There is one kind of parasite called Hair-Eater, which lives at the roots of the hair and eats the hair. There are two kinds of parasites, one called Staff-Store and the other Coarse-Head, which live on the head and feed there.

There is one kind of parasite called Eye-Circler, which lives in the eyes and eats the eyes. There are four kinds of parasites: the first is called Driver, the second Runner, the third Shell-Dweller, and the fourth Fullness; they live in the brain and eat the brain. There is one kind of parasite called Leaf-Borer, which lives in the ears and eats the ears.

There is one kind of parasite called Hidden-Mouth, which lives in the nose and eats the nose. There are two kinds of parasites, one called Leaper and the other Universal-Leaper, which live on the lips and eat the lips. There is one kind of parasite called Honey-Leaf, which lives in the teeth and eats the teeth.

There is one kind of parasite called Wooden-Mouth, which lives at the roots of the teeth and eats the roots of the teeth. There is one kind of parasite called Needle-Mouth, which lives on the tongue and eats the tongue. There is one kind of parasite called Sharp-Mouth, which lives at the root of the tongue and eats the root of the tongue.

There is one kind of parasite called Hand-Ape, which lives among the teeth and feeds there. There are two kinds of parasites, one called Firm-Hand and the other Half-Bent, which live in the palms and eat the palms. There are two kinds of parasites, one called Short-String and the other Long-String, which live in the wrists and feed there.

There are two kinds of parasites, one called Far-Arm and the other Near-Arm, which live in the arms and eat the arms. There are two kinds of parasites, one called About-to-Swallow and the other Already-Swallowed, which live in the throat and eat the throat. There are two kinds of parasites, one called Enemy and the other Great Enemy, which live in the chest and feed upon the chest.

There are two kinds of parasites, one called Emaciated-Back and the other Emaciated-Mouth, which live in the flesh and eat the flesh. There are two kinds of parasites, one called Possessing-Form and the other Possessing-Strength, which live in the blood and drink the blood. There are two kinds of parasites, one called Valiant and the other Fragrant-Mouth, which live in the sinews and eat the sinews.

There are two kinds of parasites, one called Not-High and the other Downward-Mouth, which live in the spine and eat the spine. There are two kinds of parasites, both called Grease-Eaters, which live in the fat and eat the fat. There is one kind of parasite called Yellow, which lives in the yellow humor and feeds upon the yellow humor.

There is one kind of parasite called Pearl, which lives in the kidneys and eats the kidneys. There is one kind of parasite called Great Pearl, which lives in the waist and eats the waist. There is one kind of parasite called Flavor-Knower, which lives in the buttocks and eats the buttocks.

There are four kinds of parasites: the first is called Water-Life, the second Great Water-Life, the third Needle-Mouth, and the fourth Powerful-Mouth; they live in the intestines and eat the intestines. There are five kinds of parasites: the first is called Full-Moon, the second Moon-Face, the third Radiance, the fourth Radiant-Face, and the fifth Separate-Dweller; they live in the right flank and feed there. There are also five kinds of parasites bearing the same names as those above, which live in the left flank and feed there.

There are four kinds of parasites: the first is called Piercer-in-Front, the second Piercer-Behind, the third Piercer-of-the-Shoulder, and the fourth Piercing-Dweller; they live in the bones and eat the bones. There are four kinds of parasites: the first is called Great White, the second Little White, the third Worm-Cloud, and the fourth Foul-Breath; they live along the vessels and eat the vessels. There are four kinds of parasites: the first is Lion, the second Strength-Bearer, the third Swift-Arrow, and the fourth Lotus; they live in the raw viscera and eat the raw viscera.

There are two kinds of parasites, one called Reaching-in-Peace and the other Reaching-Near, which live in the cooked viscera and eat the cooked viscera. There are four kinds of parasites: the first is called Salt-Mouth, the second Aggregate-Mouth, the third Net-Mouth, and the fourth Sparrow-Mouth; they live in the urinary tract and subsist by consuming urine. There are four kinds of parasites: the first is called Should-Act, the second Great-Act, the third Small-Form, and the fourth Small-Thorn; they live in the passage of defecation and subsist by consuming feces.

There are two kinds of parasites, one called Black-Mouth and the other Great-Mouth, which live in the thighs and eat the thighs. There are two kinds of parasites, one called Scabby and the other Little Scabby, which live in the knees and eat the knees. There is one kind of parasite called Dull-Root, which lives in the calves and eats the calves.

There is one kind of parasite called Black-Shank, which lives beneath the feet and eats the undersides of the feet.

Nanda! Such a body is truly repulsive. This material body constantly contains eighty thousand kinds of parasites that devour it day and night. Consequently, the body becomes feverish, emaciated, weary, hungry, and thirsty. Moreover, within the mind there are so many sufferings, anxieties, sorrows, and afflictions. These illnesses are present, yet no skilled physician can cure them.

Nanda! In the great ocean of cyclic existence there are sufferings such as these; why would anyone delight in dwelling therein? Moreover, life is seized by various spirits of disease, namely devas, nagas, the eight classes of beings, and various ghosts and spirits, including the Yeketa and Putana spirits. Or it may be seized by various birds, beasts, demons, and strange beings, or imperiled by the sun, moon, and stars. These various ghosts and spirits cause illness, tormenting the body and inflicting sufferings that cannot be fully described.

The Buddha said to Nanda:

– Who, regarding cyclic existence, would delight in entering a mother’s womb to endure immeasurable suffering? Born in this manner and raised in this manner, one drinks the blood that is one’s mother’s milk, deludedly imagining it to be delicious, and then drinks other things while gradually growing. Even if the body is healthy and free from illness, food and clothing are as one wishes, and one lives for a full hundred years, nearly half of that life is spent in sleep. First one is an infant; afterward, a child; and then one gradually matures, only to be oppressed by sorrow, grief, suffering, and adversity. Immeasurable afflictions trouble the body and cannot be fully described. When the sufferings within the body become unbearable, one no longer wishes to live and thinks only of death. Such a body has much suffering and little happiness. Though it may be sustained temporarily, it will certainly decay and perish.

Nanda! All who are born must die; none abides forever. Even if medicine and food are used to sustain life and prolong it for many years, in the end one still cannot escape being slain by the spirit of death and cast into the wilderness.

Therefore, this life is truly not worthy of delight. One should diligently accumulate provisions for the next life, refrain from heedlessness, and assiduously cultivate the holy life without indolence. One should always delight in cultivating beneficial conduct, conduct in accordance with the Dharma, meritorious conduct, and wholly wholesome conduct.

One should constantly examine one’s own wholesome and unwholesome karma and guard the mind, lest one suffer great remorse in the future. From all that is beloved one must be separated, and according to one’s wholesome and unwholesome karma, one proceeds to the next life.

Nanda! A lifespan of one hundred years has ten stages. 1—As a newborn infant, one lies in swaddling clothes. 2—As a child, one delights in playing with other children. 3—As a youth, one experiences sensual pleasures. 4—In young adulthood, one is healthy, strong, and vigorous. 5—In the prime of life, one possesses the wisdom to engage in discourse. 6—Having reached maturity, one is capable of sound reflection and skillful calculation. 7—One's skills and knowledge gradually decline. 8—In old age, all one's faculties weaken. 9—In extreme old age, one can do nothing. 10—At one hundred years, one awaits death.

Nanda! Broadly speaking, these are the major stages. If four months are counted as one season, then one hundred years contain three hundred seasons.

Spring, summer, and winter each occur one hundred times. A year has twelve months, so the total number of months in one hundred years is one thousand two hundred. If reckoned by half-months, the total is two thousand four hundred half-months.

Each of the three seasons contains eight hundred half-months. Altogether there are thirty-six thousand days and nights. If one eats twice each day, the total is seventy-two thousand meals; although there are times when one does not eat, these are still included in this number.

The reasons for not eating include: not eating because of anger, not eating when suffering, not eating because of longing, not eating while asleep, when observing a fast, while engaged in amusement, or because one is occupied with affairs.

Whether eating or not eating, the combined number is as stated above, together with the drinking of one's mother's milk. I have fully explained the number of years, months, days, nights, meals, and drinks in a human lifespan of one hundred years. You should give rise to disenchantment.

Nanda! Thus, from birth until maturity, the body is afflicted by many illnesses. These include illnesses of the head, eyes, ears, nose, tongue, teeth, throat, chest, abdomen, hands, and feet; sores, leprosy, madness, edema, coughing and asthma, disorders of wind and bile, heat in the heart, many kinds of malaria, and bodily aches and pains.

Nanda! Such are the painful illnesses found within the human body. There are also 101 illnesses arising from wind, 101 arising from bile, 101 arising from phlegm and heat, and 101 illnesses arising from combinations of these, making altogether 404 illnesses that arise internally. Nanda! Because of these illnesses, the body is like a wound pierced by an arrow, never finding respite for even a single moment. The body is impermanent, suffering, empty, and without self; it perpetually abides with the phenomena of decay and death. Therefore, it should neither be cherished nor guarded.

Nanda! Throughout their lives, sentient beings must undergo sufferings such as having their hands, feet, eyes, ears, noses, tongues, heads, and other limbs severed. They are also shackled, chained, beaten, and tortured in prison; tormented by hunger and thirst, cold and heat, rain and snow, flies and mosquitoes, wind and dust, and ferocious beasts; and harmed by contact with various poisons.

Their many sufferings are measureless and boundless and cannot be fully described. Sentient beings continually delight in and remain immersed in this enduring suffering. Sensual desires are the root of suffering, yet beings do not know to cast them aside and instead continue to seek them.

Day and night, these desires sear and oppress them, causing suffering in body and mind and burning them incessantly from within. Such are the suffering of birth, aging, illness, and death; the suffering of separation from those one loves; the suffering of encountering those one hates; the suffering of not obtaining what one seeks; and the suffering of the five clinging skandhas. In all four postures—walking, standing, sitting, and lying down—there is suffering.

If one continually walks without standing, sitting, or lying down, one experiences painful discomfort. If one only stands without walking, sitting, or lying down; only sits without walking, standing, or lying down; or only lies down without walking, standing, or sitting, one likewise experiences extreme suffering and no ease.

Nanda! All these things amount to abandoning one suffering only to seek another; they are merely the arising and cessation of suffering. Through causes and conditions, conditioned formations arise in an unbroken succession. The Tathagata has fully understood this and therefore teaches the Dharma concerning the birth and death of sentient beings. Conditioned formations are impermanent; they are not ultimately real, but are subject to change and decay and cannot be preserved. Therefore, one should seek contentment, give rise to disenchantment, and diligently seek liberation.

Nanda! Even sentient beings in the wholesome destinies have such impure and intensely painful places of birth, together with innumerable deceptions that cannot be fully described. How much more so the other sentient beings—hungry ghosts, animals, and hell beings—in the three evil destinies, whose unbearable sufferings and afflictions cannot be exhaustively described.

Furthermore, Nanda! There are four ways of entering the womb. They are:

1—A sentient being enters mindfully, abides mindfully, and emerges from the womb mindfully.

2—One enters mindfully and abides mindfully in the womb, but does not emerge from the womb mindfully.

3—One enters the womb mindfully but neither abides nor emerges mindfully.

4—One is not mindful during any of the three stages.

Who remains mindful when entering, abiding in, and emerging from the womb? There may be a kind of ordinary sentient being whose nature delights in observing the precepts, who constantly cultivates wholesome dharmas, delights in excellent deeds, performs meritorious acts, guards oneself extremely well, always reflects truthfully, does not live heedlessly, and possesses great wisdom. At death, such a person has no remorse and is immediately reborn.

Or such a person may be a stream-enterer with seven more births, one who passes from family to family, a once-returner, or one with a single interval remaining. Because this person formerly cultivated wholesome conduct, although oppressed by suffering and enduring much pain at death, the mind does not become scattered, and the person dies with right mindfulness. That person also enters the mother's womb with right mindfulness, fully understanding that all dharmas born of karma arise through causes and conditions and continually serve as an abode for illnesses.

Nanda, you should know! This body is a pit containing every impurity. Its nature is impermanent; it is a foolish thing that deceives the deluded.

The body's main framework is the connected skeleton; sinews and vessels extend to its vital points; fat, flesh, bones, and marrow are bound together; and because a layer of skin covers them, their defects cannot be seen. Within this body, like a heated pit, impurities overflow. Hair of the head, body hair, nails, and teeth occupy their various places, yet we grasp them as self and belonging to self, and thus are constantly dragged about by them without freedom.

This body continually discharges nasal mucus, saliva, filth, yellow fluids, hot phlegm, grease, putrid sweat, and other impurities. The kidneys, gallbladder, liver, lungs, large intestine, small intestine, feces, and urine are truly repulsive, and many kinds of worms live throughout the interior. The upper and lower orifices continually discharge foul-smelling substances.

The two organs containing digested and undigested food are covered by a thin skin and serve as latrines; you should contemplate them. When food is chewed, the jaws and teeth crush it; it is moistened with saliva, swallowed through the throat, mixed with cerebral fluid, and flows into the abdomen. Although this body is merely a connected framework of large, dry bones, deluded thought imagines it to be beautiful.

Food that has been swallowed descends below the navel, is vomited upward, and is then swallowed down again.

Nanda! This body first develops from yết-la-lam, át-bộ-đà, bế-thi, kiện-nam, and bát-la-xa-khư—foul and impure substances. From infancy, it gradually proceeds toward old age and death, bound within samsara as though confined in a dark pit or a foul-smelling well. It is constantly nourished by foods with salty, bland, bitter, pungent, and sour tastes. Furthermore, the heat within the mother's womb scorches the fetus's bodily faculties, and within that cauldron of impurities it constantly suffers from heat. When the mother walks, stands, sits, or lies down, the fetus is as though bound in five places or roasted over a fire. This is truly unbearable and beyond comparison.

Nanda! Although the fetus dwells in such a filthy pit of excrement and undergoes much suffering, if it possesses keen faculties, its mind remains undistracted. There is also a kind of sentient being of little merit who lies crosswise or inverted in the mother’s womb.

Because of the force of karma created in a previous life, or because the mother eats foods that are cold or hot, salty, sour, sweet, pungent, or bitter without moderation, or drinks too much water, engages excessively in sexual intercourse, suffers from many illnesses or much sorrow, falls down, or is struck, the mother’s body becomes feverish. Because the mother’s body is feverish, the fetus also becomes hot and undergoes much torment from the heat.

Distressed by this suffering, the fetus moves and comes to lie crosswise, unable to emerge. Then a woman skilled in such methods anoints her hand with butter or oil, inserts it into that impure opening, and gently restores the fetus to its proper position. When touched by her hand, the fetus experiences excruciating pain.

Nanda! It is as though a young boy or girl had the skin and flesh cut open with a sharp knife and ashes sprinkled upon the wounds, causing intense agony. The suffering of the fetus is just like this. Although undergoing such pain, because it possesses keen faculties, it remains mindful and undistracted.

Nanda! Such is the extreme suffering this fetus endures within its mother’s womb. When birth approaches, its emergence from the mother is exceedingly painful.

Driven by the wind of its own karma, its hands clench and all its limbs curl up, causing intense pain. As it is about to leave the mother’s womb, its body becomes swollen and bluish, like an inflamed boil that cannot bear to be touched. It is tormented by hunger and thirst, and oppressive heat constrains its mind.

Through the causes and conditions of karma, the fetus is driven outward by the wind. Once it has emerged, the outer wind touches its body as though ashes were being rubbed into a wound. The touch of hands or clothing alike causes suffering.

Although it undergoes this pain, because it is one of superior keen faculties, it remains mindful and undistracted. Within the mother’s womb, a sentient being suffers when entering the womb, dwelling in it, and emerging from it. Nanda!

Who, then, would delight in entering such a womb?

Nanda! Who remains mindful when entering and dwelling in the womb but is not mindful when emerging from it? There is a kind of sentient being who by nature delights in observing the precepts and cultivating wholesome dharmas, and who regularly performs meritorious deeds for noble purposes.

Such a person is upright in mind, does not act heedlessly, possesses some wisdom, and has no regret when approaching death. This person may be a seven-lives-at-most stream-enterer, a family-to-family stream-enterer, a once-returner, or a one-interval practitioner. Having previously cultivated wholesome conduct, when approaching death this person may be assailed by suffering and undergo much affliction, yet the mind remains undistracted.

Upon taking rebirth, the person mindfully enters the mother’s womb, clearly knowing that all dharmas born through karma arise from causes and conditions ... as explained before ... until, when emerging from the womb, although undergoing much suffering, because this person possesses moderately keen faculties, there is mindfulness while entering and dwelling in the womb but no mindfulness while emerging from it ... as extensively explained above, up to: Who, then, would delight in entering the mother’s womb?

Nanda! Who is mindful when entering the womb but is not mindful while dwelling in it or emerging from it?

Nanda! There is a kind of ordinary sentient being who by nature observes the precepts and cultivates wholesome dharmas, and who regularly performs meritorious deeds for noble purposes ... as above ... up to having no regret when approaching death. This person may be a seven-lives-at-most stream-enterer ... When approaching death, the person is still assailed by various sufferings. Although undergoing intense pain, the mind remains undistracted, and the person mindfully takes immediate rebirth in the mother’s womb. Because this person possesses the lesser degree of keen faculties, there is awareness when entering the mother’s womb but no awareness while dwelling in it or emerging from it, as extensively explained above ... up to: Who would wish to enter such a womb?

Nanda! Who is not mindful when entering, dwelling in, or emerging from the womb? There is a kind of ordinary sentient being who delights in violating the pure precepts, does not cultivate wholesome dharmas, and constantly commits evil deeds for wicked purposes.

Such a person’s mind is insincere, conduct is habitually heedless, and wisdom is absent. Greedy for possessions, the person’s hands constantly clutch wealth and will not release it to give to others. Ever craving, with a confused mind, this person sees and acts perversely.

When approaching death, the person is filled with regret, and all unwholesome karma becomes manifest. At death the person experiences extreme pain and is assailed by agony; the mind becomes distracted. Because of these torments, the person cannot remember or know: ‘Who am I?

From where have I come here? Where am I going?’ Nanda! This is one who lacks mindfulness in all three stages, as extensively explained above.

Nanda! Although these sentient beings born among humans undergo such countless sufferings, the human state is nevertheless an excellent realm. Throughout immeasurable hundreds of thousands of koti kalpas, a human body is difficult to obtain. Those born in the heavens constantly fear falling from that state and suffering separation from what they love. When they are about to die, the other devas say to them: ‘May you be born in a good destination within the world.’

What is a good destination within the world? It is the realm of devas and humans. A human body is difficult to obtain, and freedom from the states of adversity is even more difficult.

What are the evil destinations? There are three evil destinations: In the hells, beings constantly undergo fierce, disagreeable, and dreadful suffering beyond all comparison. Hungry ghosts are deeply prone to anger, devoid of gentleness, deceitful, and murderous toward one another; their hands are smeared with blood, and they have no loving-kindness.

Their forms are hideous, and all who see them are afraid. Even if they come near human beings, they are obstructed by the constant suffering of hunger and thirst. Animals are immeasurable and boundless in number.

They engage in meaningless, unmeritorious, unlawful, unwholesome, and deceitful acts; they devour one another, and the strong oppress the weak. Some animals, from birth through growth until death, live entirely in dark and impure places amid filthy excrement and urine. Others see light only for a short time, such as bees, butterflies, flies, mosquitoes, fleas, lice, maggots ...

In addition, there are immeasurable and boundless kinds that are born and grow perpetually in darkness. In previous lives they were foolish people who did not listen to the sutras or the Dharma, gave free rein to body, speech, and mind, clung to the five sensual pleasures, and committed evil deeds. Born among these creatures, they undergo the suffering of delusion.

Nanda! There are also immeasurable and boundless animal beings born and raised in water. These include fish, soft-shelled turtles, turtles, terrapins, eels, leeches, mussels, clams, and frogs. In previous lives they committed evil through body, speech, and mind ... as explained before. Nanda, there are also immeasurable and boundless animal beings that, upon smelling excrement or urine, hasten there to eat and drink it. These include such birds and beasts as pigs, goats, chickens, dogs, foxes, cranes, hawks, vultures, crows, flies, and dung beetles. Because of the evil karma they created in previous lives, they now receive this retribution.

Nanda! There are also immeasurable and boundless kinds of animals that regularly feed on grasses, plants, and various impure substances, such as elephants, horses, camels, cattle, donkeys, and mules ... Until their deaths, they undergo this retribution because of their former evil karma. Furthermore, Nanda! How grievous and painful is birth and death in the ocean of existence, where blazing fires burn with searing heat and no sentient being escapes being scorched! All this is caused by the blazing fires of the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind, which burn because of craving for their respective objects of forms, sounds, odors, tastes, tangible objects, and dharmas.

Nanda! Why are they called blazing fires? They are the fires of greed, hatred, and delusion; the fires of birth, aging, illness, and death; and the poisonous fires of sorrow, lamentation, pain, and distress. They constantly consume beings from within, and no one escapes them.

Nanda! The indolent endure much suffering; bound by afflictions, they follow unwholesome ways, ceaselessly revolving in samsara, perpetually undergoing birth and death. The diligent attain much happiness; arousing a courageous and vigorous mind, they eliminate afflictions, cultivate wholesome Dharma, and never abandon what is good. Therefore, you should contemplate this body: before long, its skin, flesh, sinews, bones, blood vessels, and marrow will disintegrate. You should always remain single-minded and never be indolent; strive to realize what has not yet been realized. You should train in this way.

Nanda! I do not contend with the world, but the world insists on contending with Me. Why is this? Those who know the Dharma do not contend with others. Having become free from self and what belongs to self, for whose sake would they contend? Those without right understanding give rise to mistaken attachments. Having attained Perfect Awakening, I proclaim this because I have fully understood all dharmas. Nanda! Is there any discrepancy in what I say?

Nanda replied:

– Blessed One! No! There is no error in the Tathagata’s teaching.

The Buddha said:

– Excellent! Excellent, Nanda! The words of the Tathagata are certainly without error. The words of the Tathagata are right speech, truthful speech, exact speech, speech without discrepancy, and speech free from falsehood, intended to bring everlasting happiness and great benefit to the world. I am the Knower of the Path, the One Who Understands the Path, the Proclaimer of the Path, the Revealer of the Path, the Great Guide; I am the Tathagata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Awakened One, Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, the Well-Gone One, the Knower of the World, the Unsurpassed One, the Tamer of Persons to Be Tamed, the Teacher of Devas and Humans, the Buddha, the Blessed One.

Worldly people neither know nor believe, and thus they constantly remain slaves to their faculties. They see only what lies within the span of their hands and do not consider the greater benefit; they fail to correct what is easy and delight in doing what is difficult.

Nanda! Setting aside for the moment this realm of wisdom, use the vision of your physical eyes to contemplate. Clearly know that all seeing is illusory, and you will attain liberation.

Nanda! Do not believe merely because of My person; do not follow My wishes; do not rely merely on My words; do not dwell upon My physical appearance; do not depend upon the views of ascetics; and do not give rise to reverence merely because one is an ascetic. There is no need to say, “The ascetic Gautama is my teacher.” You need only take the Dharma that I have realized, dwell alone in a secluded place, reflect upon and contemplate it, and cultivate it constantly.

According to how you apply your mind to the Dharma that is to be contemplated, bring that Dharma to fulfillment through contemplation. Abide in right mindfulness, making yourself an island unto yourself and a refuge unto yourself; make the Dharma your island and the Dharma your refuge, with no other island or refuge upon which to depend.

Thus, Nanda, if a bhikshu contemplates the body in the body, diligently applies himself, establishes mindfulness, and attains right liberation, he constantly reflects upon how to subdue the anger and distress of the world. He contemplates suffering within the internal body; likewise, he contemplates the external body and the internal and external body. Next, he contemplates the arising of phenomena in the body and the cessation of phenomena in the body. He then contemplates both the arising and cessation of phenomena in the body. Thus, he continually maintains right mindfulness with respect to this very body, whether merely with knowledge, merely with vision, or merely with mindfulness. He dwells without depending upon anything and clearly knows that nothing in this world can be grasped.

Thus, Nanda, the bhikshu dwells contemplating the internal body; likewise, he contemplates the external body and the internal and external body. Next, he dwells contemplating internal feelings, external feelings, and internal and external feelings. He dwells contemplating the internal mind, the external mind, and the internal and external mind. He dwells contemplating internal dharmas, external dharmas, and internal and external dharmas; diligently applying himself and establishing mindfulness, he attains right liberation. With respect to the anger and afflictions of the world, he constantly reflects upon how to subdue them, dwelling in contemplation of the arising of phenomena and in contemplation of the cessation of phenomena.

Furthermore, he dwells contemplating dharmas in terms of both arising and cessation. With respect to this very body, he continually maintains right mindfulness, whether merely with knowledge, merely with vision, or merely with mindfulness, and clearly knows that nothing in the world can be grasped.

Thus, Nanda, the bhikshu makes himself an island unto himself and a refuge unto himself; he makes the true Dharma his island and the Dharma his refuge, having no other island and taking refuge nowhere else. Nanda! If any person is by nature upright and free from deceit and comes to see Me early in the morning, I shall teach him the Dharma according to his faculties. In the evening, he will personally report what he has attained. If taught in the evening, he will report what he has attained the following morning.

Nanda! My wholesome Dharma leads to realization here and now, eliminates afflictions, is well suited to the occasion, employs skillful means, is to be personally awakened to, affords complete protection, and is directly heard from Me as I teach it. It accords with tranquility, is capable of leading to bodhi, and is what I Myself have understood.

Therefore, whenever you see a Dharma that benefits yourself, benefits others, and benefits both, you should constantly train in that Dharma. You must carefully observe the practices of the renunciant life and not allow your life to pass in vain. You must attain the supreme unconditioned fruit of happiness.

When receiving offerings from others, such as food, robes, bedding, medicines, and so forth, you must enable the donors to gain great merit and benefit, and you must realize the great and noble supreme fruit.

Nanda, you must train in this way. Furthermore, Nanda! There is no pleasing form that will not subsequently disintegrate; nor is there any such form that does not give rise to sorrow, grief, and affliction.

Nanda! What do you think? Is form permanent or impermanent?

– Blessed One! The nature of form is impermanent.

– Nanda! Since its nature is impermanent, is it suffering?

– Blessed One! It is suffering.

– If what is impermanent and suffering is subject to change and disintegration, do My learned noble disciples regard form as self, the self as possessing forms, form as belonging to the self, or the self as existing within form?

– Blessed One! No.

– What do you think? Are feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness permanent or impermanent?

– Blessed One! They are all impermanent.

– Nanda! Since their nature is impermanent, are they suffering?

– Blessed One! They are suffering.

– If what is impermanent and suffering is subject to change, do My learned noble disciples regard feeling and the rest as self, the self as possessing feeling and the rest, feeling and the rest as belonging to the self, or the self as existing within feeling and the rest?

– Blessed One! No.

– Therefore, you should know that all forms—past, future, or present; internal or external; gross or subtle; superior or inferior; far or near—are not self; the self does not possess form; form does not belong to the self; and the self does not exist within form. Thus should they be carefully contemplated with right mindfulness and right wisdom. Feelings, perceptions, volitional formations, and consciousness—past, future, or present; internal or external; gross or subtle; superior or inferior; far or near—are not self; nor is the self identical with them; nor does the self exist within them. Thus should they be carefully contemplated with right mindfulness and right wisdom.

If My learned noble disciples contemplate in this way, they become disenchanted with form and disenchanted with feeling, perception, volitional formations, and consciousness. Having become disenchanted, they are no longer attached. Being unattached, they are liberated. Once liberated, they personally know that they are liberated and declare: “Birth is exhausted, the holy life has been established, what had to be done has been done, and there will be no further existence born of karma.”

When the Blessed One had finished teaching this Dharma, the Venerable Nanda, freed from dust and defilement, attained the pure Dharma-eye. The minds of five hundred bhikshus were liberated from the outflows. The Blessed One then spoke this verse to Nanda:

One whose mind is not concentrated

Then wisdom is not purified,

And cannot eliminate the outflows.

Therefore, you should diligently cultivate;

Constantly practice sublime contemplation.

When you know the arising and cessation of the skandhas,

Purity will be perfected.

All the devas will rejoice,

And your relatives and friends will be delighted;

Coming and going, they will cherish one another.

Those who crave fame and covet gain—

Nanda! You should keep far away from them.

Do not associate with householders;

You should remain close to renunciants.

Mindfulness will carry you across the ocean of samsara,

Until you reach the end of suffering’s shore.

First there is the kalala,

Which swells into a lump of flesh.

From the lump of flesh arises the pesi;

From the pesi arises the ghana.

The ghana gradually develops,

Producing a head and four limbs.

The bones join together to form the body;

All that exists arises through karma.

The skull consists of nine bones,

Firmly joined to the two jawbones.

There are thirty-two teeth;

The faculties are likewise formed.

The bones of the eye faculties and the neck,

The dental bones and the bridge of the nose,

The breastbone and the throat—

Together comprise twelve bones.

The eye sockets have four bones,

And the shoulder bones also form two pairs.

The two hands and all their fingers

Together comprise fifty bones.

The back of the neck has eight bones,

And the spine has thirty-two.

From this foundation there are in addition

Forty-eight subsidiary bones.

The ribs on the right are joined together,

Thirteen in number.

The ribs on the left are joined together,

Likewise thirteen in number.

These bones are joined together:

Three connected with three,

Two hooked onto two,

While the others are not continuous.

The two legs, left and right,

Together comprise fifty bones.

Altogether there are three hundred and sixteen,

Distributed throughout and supporting the body.

The bones hook onto and hold one another,

Together forming the body of a sentient being.

This is explained clearly and truthfully

By the knowledge of the Fully Awakened One.

From the crown of the head down to the feet,

It is impure and exceedingly fragile.

Combined together, these form this body,

As perilous as a thatched hut.

It is supported only by bones,

With blood and flesh covering the outside,

Like a wooden automaton,

And also like an illusory image.

One should contemplate this body:

Its sinews and vessels entwine one another,

Covered over by moist skin.

Its nine ulcerous openings

Constantly discharge

Feces, urine, and every impurity.

Just as a granary or grain bin

Is filled with various grains,

So too is this body,

Filled within with assorted filth.

Its framework of bones moves,

Perilous and unstable.

Fools constantly cherish it;

The wise are not attached to it.

Phlegm, saliva, and mucus continually flow;

Blood and pus ever fill it.

Yellow fat is mingled with chyle,

And the skull is filled with brain.

The chest and diaphragm contain hot pus;

Within are the raw and digested viscera,

Grease, fat, and membranes,

The intestines, stomach, and five viscera.

Within them all are contained

Putrid and impure substances.

This sinful body is dreadful;

It is truly an enemy.

Those without understanding, consumed by desire,

Foolishly protect it at all times.

This foul and filthy body

Is like a ruined fortress,

Oppressed by afflictions day and night,

Changing ceaselessly without pause.

In the city of the body, bones are the walls,

Plastered over with blood and flesh,

Painted with greed, hatred, and delusion,

And ornamented in every place.

The city of the body is truly loathsome,

Formed by bones, blood, and flesh.

It is constantly beset by evil companions,

And scorched by suffering within and without.

Nanda! You should understand,

And follow the words I have taught.

Remember them throughout day and night;

Do not think upon objects of sensual desire.

Whoever wishes to abandon desire

Should constantly contemplate in this way,

Diligently seeking the state of liberation,

And swiftly cross the ocean of samsara.

When the Blessed One had finished teaching this Sutra on Entering the Womb, the Venerable Nanda and the five hundred bhiksus all rejoiced greatly, accepted it with faith, and practiced it accordingly.

The bhiksu Nanda crossed the ocean of samsara, escaped its perilous places, reached the secure state of ultimate nirvana, and attained arhatship. Rejoicing, he spoke this verse of celebration:

Through reverently offering bathing requisites,

Pure water and fragrant substances,

And cultivating causes of merit,

I have attained this supreme fruit.

Upon hearing this, the bhiksus all became doubtful. Wishing to dispel their doubts, they addressed the Great Teacher:

“Venerable Sir! What karma did the bhiksu Nanda perform in the past, through which he has now obtained a golden-hued body adorned with thirty excellent marks, standing only four finger-widths shorter than the Blessed One? Moreover, he was deeply attached to sensual pleasures, yet the Great Teacher compassionately rescued him from the ocean of samsara and safely brought him to ultimate nirvana. We pray that you will explain this to us.” The Buddha told the bhiksus:

“The karma that the bhiksu Nanda performed in the past has now fully ripened and manifested...” and so forth, as explained extensively above.

The Blessed One spoke this verse:

Though a hundred kalpas may pass,

Karma once performed is never lost.

When causes and conditions converge,

One personally receives its result.

“Bhiksus, ninety-one kalpas ago in the past, when the human lifespan was eighty thousand years, the Buddha Vipasyin appeared in the world—a Tathagata, Worthy One, Perfectly Awakened One, Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed One, Tamer of Persons, Teacher of Devas and Humans, Buddha, Blessed One. Accompanied by sixty-two thousand bhiksus, he journeyed through the human realm until he reached the royal capital, the city of Bandhumati, where he stayed in the Bandhumati Grove.

“At that time, that Blessed One had a younger half-brother who was deeply attached to sensual pleasures. The Tathagata Vipasyin, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Awakened One, encouraged him to renounce the household life so that he might escape the ocean of samsara, and by skillful means led him to ultimate nirvana. At that time, the king was named Bandhuma.

He governed the realm according to the Dharma, and the people flourished in wealth, peace, and happiness. There was no deceit, theft, or disease, and cattle, goats, grain, and sugarcane abounded throughout the kingdom. The king had a younger half-brother who was addicted to sensual pleasures.

Hearing that the Buddha and the Sangha were staying in the Bandhumati Grove, the king went together with the princes, guards, ministers, palace women, and people to the Buddha. They bowed with their heads at his feet and sat to one side. The Buddha then taught the Dharma to the king’s assembly, proclaiming the sublime Dharma, instructing them, benefiting them, bringing them joy, and enabling them to gain supreme understanding.

The younger brother who was addicted to sensual pleasures refused to leave the city. At that time, the sons of ministers and his other acquaintances, who had shaken off the dust of defilements, went and said to him:

“‘Do you not know? The king, the princes, the ministers, and the people of the palace have gone to see the Buddha Vipasyin, to pay homage to him, hear and receive the sublime Dharma, and gain supreme understanding. A human body is difficult to obtain. You have obtained a human body, so why do you remain addicted to sensual pleasures and refuse even to go out through the gate?’

“On hearing this rebuke, he became ashamed and reluctantly went with his friends. When the bhiksu who was the Buddha’s younger brother saw a group of people approaching together, he asked:

“‘Why are all of you bringing this friend along?’ His companions related the matter just as described above.

“The bhiksu said:

“‘I am the Buddha’s younger brother. When I was still at home, I was deeply addicted to sensual pleasures. Fortunately, the Great Teacher compelled me to renounce the household life and safely led me onward to ultimate nirvana. Here is another foolish person just like I was. It is excellent that, out of compassion, all of you have brought him along. Go and meet the Unsurpassed Great Teacher. Once he sees the Buddha, he will surely develop profound faith.’

“At that time, the king’s younger brother went with his friends to see the Buddha. The Buddha observed his faculties, inclinations, and disposition, and taught the Dharma accordingly. After hearing the Dharma, he developed profound faith. Rising from his seat, he bared his right shoulder, joined his palms toward the Buddha, and said:

“‘Blessed One! I pray that the Great Teacher and the noble assembly will come to my home tomorrow to bathe in the warm bathing chamber.’

“The Buddha silently accepted the invitation. Knowing that the Buddha had accepted, he bowed with his head at the Buddha’s feet, took his leave, and departed. He then went to the king and respectfully reported:

“‘Great King! I went to see the Buddha, heard the Dharma, and developed faith. I have therefore become disenchanted with sensual pleasures and have invited the Buddha and the Sangha to come to my home tomorrow to bathe in the warm bathing chamber. The Great Teacher, the Tathagata, has compassionately accepted my invitation. The Buddha is one whom devas and humans should honor with offerings. I beseech Your Majesty to have the roads swept and the city adorned.’

After reflecting, “The Buddha is entering the city, so I must adorn it. Yet my younger brother’s craving for sensual pleasures has been difficult to restrain; now that the Buddha has been able to tame him, it is truly marvelous,” the king replied:

“Excellent! Go and prepare the bathing place and all the necessary articles. I shall adorn the city to the best of my ability.”

The younger brother was overjoyed and, taking leave of his elder brother, departed. The king commanded his ministers:

“Proclaim this order to all the people: tomorrow morning the Blessed One will enter the city. Whether they have long resided in the city or have come from afar, everyone shall adorn the city according to their ability, sweep and clean the roads, and bring incense and flowers to welcome the Great Teacher.”

The officials obeyed the king and proclaimed his decree everywhere. The people of the city then cleared away bricks and stones, sprinkled fragrant water everywhere, burned incense, hung banners and parasols, and scattered flowers as offerings, making the city resemble the Joyous Garden of Śakra, Lord of the Devas. Meanwhile, the king’s younger brother prepared fragrant water and perfumed oil, adorned the bathing chamber, and arranged the beds and seats properly.

When Buddha Vipaśyin was about to enter the city, the king, together with his officials, the crown prince, queens and consorts, palace attendants, court ladies, and all the people, went forth to welcome him. They bowed at the Buddha’s feet and escorted him into the city. When the king’s younger brother led the Buddha, the Blessed One, into the bathing chamber and offered him fragrant water and all else required for bathing, he beheld the Blessed One’s golden body, majestically adorned with the thirty-two marks and eighty excellent characteristics.

Filled with joy, he gave rise to profound faith. After the bath, when he saw that the Buddha had put on his robes, the king’s younger brother bowed with his head at the Buddha’s feet and made this vow:

“Today I have had the good fortune to encounter the unsurpassed field of merit and personally make this modest offering. By virtue of this wholesome cause, may I in a future life obtain a golden-colored body like that of the Buddha. Just as the Blessed One’s younger brother, though deeply attached to sensual objects, was rescued from them and brought to the ultimate peace of nirvana, so may I in a future life become the Buddha’s younger brother and possess such a golden-colored body. When I am submerged in sensual pleasures, may he firmly draw me out of the deep river of defiled craving and bring me to the peaceful realm of nirvana.”

Bhikṣus, do not think otherwise. The younger brother of King Śarīrabuddhi who was intoxicated by sensual pleasures is now the bhikṣu Nanda. Because in a former life he invited Buddha Vipaśyin into the bathing chamber, bathed him with fragrant water, and with a pure mind made that vow, thereby planting that wholesome cause, he has now become the Buddha’s younger brother and possesses a golden-colored body. I drew him out of his infatuation with lust, caused him to renounce household life and go forth, and brought him to the ultimate peace of nirvana.

The bhikṣus then had another doubt and said to the Blessed One:

“Venerable Sir! What karma did the bhikṣu Nanda formerly perform that he now possesses thirty of the marks of a great man?”

The Buddha said:

“Bhikṣus, the karma he created ... was as explained before. In the past, in a certain village, there lived a wealthy elder who possessed abundant property and enjoyed a prosperous livelihood. He owned a garden luxuriant with flowers and fruit, flowing streams, ponds, and dense groves, a place very suitable for renunciants to dwell in seclusion. At that time, a pratyekabuddha appeared in the world. Out of compassion for sentient beings, he delighted in dwelling in tranquil places. When no Fully Awakened Buddha is present in the world, such a one is a field of merit. A venerable pratyekabuddha, while journeying among the people, came to that village. After looking about, he stayed in the garden. When the gardener saw the venerable one, he said:

“Welcome! You have only just arrived; please rest and recover from your weariness.”

That night, the venerable one stayed there and entered the Fire-Radiance Samādhi. Seeing this, the gardener thought, “This venerable sir has accomplished such a supreme practice.”

That very night he went to the owner’s house and said:

“Master! You should now give rise to a joyful heart. A venerable sir has come to spend the night in the flower garden. He has fully accomplished wondrous practices and possesses spiritual powers, and he radiates a brilliant light that illuminates the entire garden.”

On hearing this, the elder hurried to the garden, bowed with his head at the feet of the pratyekabuddha, and said:

“Noble One! If you require food, please allow me to cultivate merit. I pray that you will remain in this garden so that I may offer you food.”

Seeing the man’s earnestness, the pratyekabuddha accepted his invitation. He remained in the garden, entered the sublime meditative absorptions, and enjoyed the bliss of liberation. He then reflected, “This foul-smelling body of mine has wandered through the cycle of birth and death. I have completed what had to be done, and should now enter final nirvana, forever free from further birth and death.”

Having reflected thus, he rose into the sky, entered the Fire-Radiance Samādhi, and manifested various spiritual transformations. He emitted a great light; above, he blazed red like a torch, while below, clear water streamed forth. After relinquishing his body, his consciousness did not arise again, and he forever entered the wondrous realm of nirvana without remainder. The elder then cremated the pratyekabuddha’s body with fragrant wood, extinguished the fire by pouring milk over it, gathered the relics and placed them in a new vessel, and built a stupa. He hung banners and parasols and, with a reverent and faithful heart, poured thirty kinds of fragrant water over the stupa as an offering, making a great vow that he might obtain the excellent marks.

“Bhikṣus, do not harbor any doubt. The elder of that former time is now Nanda. Because he performed that supremely wondrous act of offering with reverence and faith, he has now received the karmic result of possessing thirty extraordinary excellent marks.”

The bhikṣus then had another doubt and asked the Blessed One:

“Venerable Sir! What karma did the bhikṣu Nanda perform such that, had he not renounced household life and gone forth, he would certainly have inherited the position of a Balacakravartin?”

The Buddha told the bhikṣus:

“The karma Nanda performed in the past, when its result ripened, necessarily had to be experienced by him, as explained before. In the past, during this Auspicious Eon, when the human lifespan was twenty thousand years, Buddha Kāśyapa appeared in the world, endowed with the ten epithets. He dwelt in the Deer Park, the Place Where the Seers Fell, near Vārāṇasī.

In that city was a king named Kṛkin, a great Dharma king who governed his people in accordance with the Dharma ... as described above. The king had three sons: the eldest, the middle son, and the youngest. After his work of teaching and transforming beings was complete, Buddha Kāśyapa entered nirvana like a fire going out.

With a heart of reverence and faith, the king received the Buddha’s body and cremated it using various fragrant woods, such as sandalwood, agarwood, seashore wood, ox-head sandalwood, and celestial wood. He extinguished the fire by pouring milk over it, gathered the relics and placed them in a precious golden vessel, and built a great stupa of the seven treasures, measuring one yojana in both length and breadth and half a yojana in height.

When the Dharma-wheel emblem was installed, the king’s middle son personally erected the central parasol.

“Bhikṣus, do not harbor any doubt. The king’s middle son is now Nanda. Because in the past he reverently made the offering of installing the central parasol, by virtue of this wholesome karma he regularly became a Balacakravartin ruling over one continent for five hundred lifetimes. In this present life, had he not gone forth, he would certainly have become a Balacakravartin of great power.”

The bhikṣus then had another doubt and asked the Blessed One:

“Venerable Sir! What karma did the bhikṣu Nanda formerly perform that he is now foremost among the Buddha’s disciples in guarding the sense faculties?”

The Buddha taught:

— This was due to the power of karma. In the time of Buddha Kasyapa, Nanda left the household life and went forth. His personal preceptor was praised as foremost in skillfully guarding the sense doors.

Throughout his life, Nanda preserved the pure conduct, but in that very lifetime he did not attain realization. As he approached death, he made this vow: “I have lived within the Buddha’s teaching and preserved the pure conduct throughout my life, yet in this very body I have not attained realization. By the wholesome roots cultivated through this practice, may I be present when this Blessed One’s prediction is fulfilled: that in a future age a young man will attain perfect awakening with the name Sakyamuni.

May I leave the household life and go forth in that Buddha’s teaching, eliminate all afflictions, and attain the fruit of arhatship. My personal preceptor was foremost in guarding the sense doors in this Buddha’s teaching. Likewise, in the teaching of that Buddha, may I be foremost in skillfully guarding the sense doors.” Because of the power of that vow, now, within My teaching, he is foremost among My disciples in skillfully guarding the sense doors.

Thus, bhiksus, wholly dark karma brings wholly dark results; wholly white karma brings wholly white results; and mixed karma brings mixed results. Therefore, you should abandon dark and mixed karma and cultivate wholly white karma. You should train yourselves in this way.

MULASARVASTIVADA

VINAYA: MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS

Here ends the twelfth fascicle.