佛為年少比丘說正事經

Thus have I heard.

At one time, the Buddha was dwelling for the summer rains-retreat at Jeta's Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika's Park, in the country of Śrāvastī. At that time, among the assembly there were many elder Śrāvaka disciples dwelling on both sides of the World-Honored One, in caves and beneath the roots of trees, observing the rains-retreat.

At that time there was a group consisting of many young bhikṣus who came to where the Buddha was, bowed their heads to the Buddha's feet, and then withdrew to sit at one side. For the sake of the young bhikṣus, the Buddha spoke many discourses on the Dharma, revealing, instructing, illuminating, and gladdening them.[2] Having revealed, instructed, illuminated, and gladdened them, he abided in silence. When the young bhikṣus had heard the Buddha expound the Dharma, they rejoiced with sympathetic joy, rose from their seats, bowed in reverence, and withdrew.

The young bhikṣus went to where the elder bhikṣus were,[3] bowed at the feet of the elders, and then sat to one side. At that time the elder bhikṣus gave rise to this thought: "We ought to receive these young bhikṣus—either one person receiving one, or one person receiving two, three, or many." Having thought thus, they then received them—either one person receiving one, or receiving two, three, or many—and there were some elders who received as many as sixty.

At that time it was the day of the full moon, and the World-Honored One, during the poṣadha, spread out his seat before the great assembly and sat. Then the World-Honored One observed the bhikṣus and said to the bhikṣus: "Excellent! Excellent! I now rejoice that the bhikṣus have practiced what is truly right. Therefore, bhikṣus, you must be diligent and exert yourselves."

In the country of Śrāvastī at this time, when the month of Kārttika[4] had drawn to a close, the bhikṣus dwelling in the various villages[5] heard: "The World-Honored One has observed the rains-retreat in the country of Śrāvastī; the month of Kārttika has come to an end, the sewing of robes is complete, and, robed and carrying his bowl, he is journeying through the human world in the country of Śrāvastī." Those bhikṣus gradually made their way to the country of Śrāvastī; when they had put away their robes and bowls and washed their feet, they went to where the World-Honored One was, bowed their heads at his feet, and then withdrew to sit at one side.

At that time the World-Honored One, for the sake of the bhikṣus from the human world, expounded various Dharma teachings, revealing, instructing, illuminating, and gladdening them; then he fell silent.

At that time, the bhikṣus from the human world, having heard the Buddha expound the Dharma, rejoiced with sympathetic joy, rose from their seats, bowed in reverence, and departed. They went to where the elder bhikṣus were, bowed their heads at their feet, and then withdrew to sit at one side. At that time, the elders thought thus: "We ought to receive these bhikṣus from the human world—either one person receiving one, or two, three, up to many"—and they then received them. Either one person received one, or two, three, or there were those who received sixty. Those elder bhikṣus received the bhikṣus from the human world, instructing them in the precepts and the Dharma, serving as models, well understanding the sequence of things, from beginning to end.

At that time it was the day of the full moon, and the World-Honored One, during the poṣadha, spread out his seat before the great assembly and sat. Observing the bhikṣus, he said to the bhikṣus: "Excellent! Excellent!

Bhikṣus, I rejoice that you have done what is truly right. Bhikṣus! The Buddhas of the past also had assemblies of bhikṣus who did what is truly right, just as this assembly does today.

The Buddhas of the future will also have great assemblies just as there is today, doing what is truly right, just like the great assembly of this present day. Why is this so? Because today, in this assembly, among the elder bhikṣus there are those who have attained the first dhyāna, the second dhyāna, the third dhyāna, the fourth dhyāna; loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity; the sphere of the infinity of space, the sphere of the infinity of consciousness, the sphere of nothingness, the sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception—abiding therein fully.

There are bhikṣus who, having utterly exhausted the three fetters,[6] have attained the fruit of stream-entry (srota-āpanna), not falling into evil destinies, with the Dharma settled and headed toward supreme enlightenment (sambodhi),[7] still to be born among gods and humans seven more times[8] before reaching the ultimate end of suffering. There are bhikṣus who, the three fetters being utterly exhausted and greed, hatred, and delusion diminished, have attained the fruit of once-returning (sakṛd-āgāmin).

There are bhikṣus who, the five lower fetters[9] being utterly exhausted, have attained the fruit of non-returning (anāgāmin), being born to attain parinirvāṇa[10] there, never again to return to this world. There are bhikṣus who have attained the immeasurable realms of spiritual power: the divine ear, the knowledge of others' minds, the knowledge of past lives, the knowledge of the death and rebirth of beings, and the knowledge of the exhaustion of the taints.

There are bhikṣus who cultivate the contemplation of impurity to sever greed and desire, who cultivate the mind of loving-kindness and compassion to sever hatred, who cultivate the contemplation of impermanence to sever conceit, and who cultivate the mindfulness of ānāpāna[11] to sever the various perceptions of thought.[12] How does a bhikṣu cultivate the mindfulness of ānāpāna to sever the perceptions of thought? It is when a bhikṣu, relying upon a village to dwell, up to contemplating the cessation of the out-breath, truly and clearly knows, contemplating the cessation of the out-breath.

This is called cultivating the mindfulness of ānāpāna to sever the various perceptions of thought."

When the Buddha had finished speaking this sūtra, the bhikṣus, having heard what the Buddha said, rejoiced and reverently put it into practice.

The Sūtra Spoken by the Buddha to the Young Bhikṣus on the Practice of What Is Truly Right