三歸五戒慈心厭離功德經
Chinese title:三歸五戒慈心厭離功德經
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Thus have I heard:
At one time, the Buddha was dwelling in the Jeta Grove, the Garden of Anāthapiṇḍika, in the city of Śrāvastī.
At that time, the Buddha, for the sake of the elder Anāthapiṇḍika, taught thus:
"In a remote past age long ago, there was a brāhmaṇa possessed of very great wealth and treasures, named Velāma.
He gave away in charity 84,000 golden bowls filled with silver ingots, and 84,000 silver bowls filled with golden ingots. Furthermore, he gave away in charity 84,000 bathing basins made of gold and silver. Furthermore, he gave away in charity 84,000 oxen with horns sheathed in gold and silver.
Furthermore, he gave away in charity 84,000 jade maidens adorned with magnificent ornaments. Furthermore, he gave away in charity 84,000 cushioned beds draped with many ribbons. Furthermore, he gave away in charity 84,000 garments.
Furthermore, he gave away in charity 84,000 elephants and horses, their saddles all made of gold and silver. Furthermore, he gave away in charity 84,000 dwellings. Moreover, before the four gates of the city, according to the wishes of each person who came to beg, he gave to all of them.
Furthermore, he gave away in charity a dwelling for the Saṅgha of the four directions.
The merit of the charity described above does not equal the merit of upholding the Three Refuges.
Why is this so? Because whoever upholds the Three Refuges thereby bestows the gift of fearlessness upon all sentient beings. Therefore, the merit of taking refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha cannot be measured or reckoned.
The merit of the charity described above, together with the merit of upholding the Three Refuges, does not equal the merit of one who upholds the Five Precepts. That merit is full and complete, and surpasses those other merits.
The merit of the charity described above, together with the merit of upholding the Three Refuges and the Five Precepts, does not equal the merit of one who, with a heart of loving-kindness, remembers and contemplates sentient beings for even the brief moment of a finger-snap.
Yet the merit of the charity described above, together with the merit of upholding the Three Refuges and the Five Precepts, and the loving-kindness of remembering and contemplating sentient beings, does not equal the merit of one who gives rise to the contemplation of disenchantment—that all matters of the world can bring no peace and joy.
Why is this so? Because if one gives rise to the contemplation of disenchantment—that all matters of the world can bring no peace and joy—then it can enable the practitioner to extinguish the suffering and bondage of birth and death, and in the end to accomplish the Way of the Buddha. Therefore, that merit is supreme."
When they heard the Buddha's teaching, the elder rejoiced and reverently put it into practice.
The Sūtra Spoken by the Buddha on the Merit of the Three Refuges, the Five Precepts, Loving-Kindness, and Disenchantment
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