諸經要集

Editor-in-chief: Thích Nguyên Chơn

XII. ENCOURAGEMENT TO PRACTICE

This section consists of seven parts: Introduction, Admonition for Men, Admonition for Women, Encouragement to Practice, Kindred, Abandoning Attachment, and Instruction.

XII.1. Introduction

The three realms revolve ceaselessly, and beings drift through the six paths. Though the luminous intrinsic nature remains undiminished, the discriminating consciousness that thinks and deliberates is deluded and obscured. Suddenly born and suddenly dying, now coming and now going, we have cast aside this body and life more times than can ever be counted.

If all the bodies we have discarded were piled together, they would rise loftily like mountains and hills; if all the blood we have shed were gathered together, it would extend boundlessly like rivers and seas. Contemplated in this way, all sentient beings are our kindred. Although humans and ghosts differ in form, they are fundamentally alike in undergoing birth and death.

Bonds of affection always follow us as a shadow follows a form and an echo follows a sound. Yet because of ignorance, we fail to recognize who is close or distant, and so kill other beings to nourish our own bodies, harming one another, forming enmities and sowing resentment. Through many kalpas, hatred persists and painful retributions accumulate.

If one calmly reflects upon this, how could one's heart not be filled with sorrow?

XII.2. Admonition for Men

Men in this world fall into two opposing ranks, high and low: the wealthy and honored, and the poor and lowly. Those who are wealthy and honored are often self-indulgent and unrestrained, haughty and arrogant, and they scorn and insult those of lower station. Some rely upon authority and power, exalting themselves while belittling others; some, widely learned and knowledgeable, rely upon their talents to humiliate others; some are sharp-tongued and use their words to overpower others; some flaunt their wealth, status, and extravagance while despising others; some possess handsome bodies and imposing appearances, and, relying upon their beauty, insult everyone; some rely upon the fine, well-fed horses they ride and humiliate others;

some rely upon their abundant wealth and numerous servants and maids to insult others, and so forth.

Cases such as these are too numerous to recount. [58b] How truly pitiable are ignorant sentient beings! Unaware that impermanence is drawing near, they continually give rise to arrogance. The retributions of hell—boiling water, fiery furnaces, red-hot iron, cauldrons of oil, and so forth—await them, while the wardens of hell stand ready with tridents in hand.

Yet they feel no fear and think only of pursuing pleasure. How are they different from pigs and goats unaware that death is close at hand? How are they different from flies greedily clinging to a corpse?

Reflecting upon past and present, wealth and honor never endure; gain and loss occur in the blink of an eye, and noble and lowly alike become dust. Of the wealthy and honored, only desolate graves remain; the poor and lowly likewise turn to ashes. Knowing that birth and death press urgently upon us, we must be humble and respectful toward our superiors.

For intimacy and estrangement are not fixed, wealth and poverty do not endure; suffering and happiness may readily change, and ascent and decline shift even more easily.

Reflect further that wealth and poverty are impermanent, like water and fire alternating in succession, with cold and heat changing accordingly. Thus, the wealthy and honored are warmly clothed and well fed; without laboring to seek them, riches naturally come their way. By contrast, the poor suffer hunger and thirst and rush about in search of a livelihood, staying up late and rising early, their bodies haggard and their minds withered by sorrow. Even if they earn a few coins, these are soon scattered and lost in a hundred ways. All day long they yearn for wealth and honor, yet in reality never attain them; therefore, their afflictions and suffering continually accumulate. For this reason, I now encourage everyone to practice generosity and diligently cultivate merit.

Again, some people have beautiful clothing, clean and fragrant, and lack nothing as the four seasons change through warmth, cold, heat, and coolness. Yet others do not have even enough cloth to cover their bodies; their garments are torn, dusty, unsightly, and foul-smelling. In scorching weather, they dare not dream of silk trousers or gauze robes; in freezing cold, how could they even think of padded blankets and warm bedding?

Their bodies are not fully covered, and men and women go naked—a condition not only shameful but truly agonizing! Seeing this plight, how could one not wish to escape it? Therefore, I encourage everyone to cultivate merit by giving clothing and shelter.

How could it be that everyone else is wealthy while I alone possess nothing at all? Thus, one must practice with courageous vigor.

Again, for some people, rare delicacies are brought directly before them; dishes are laid out in row upon row, trays are piled high and vessels filled to the brim, and exquisite fragrances permeate the air. Yet others do not have even enough coarse brown rice for a full meal, nor do they have soups made from lê[1] or hoắc[2] to eat. Morning and evening, they lack even salted vegetables and pickles; for many days they see neither fish nor soup.

They must divide a single meal into two, alternating between thick and watery gruel, and making do in turn with ripe and unripe fruit. Worse still, their vegetables and herbs are yellow and withered, adding further to their misery until there is truly no means of relief. Seeing such suffering, how could one not wish to leave it far behind?

Therefore, I now encourage everyone to cultivate merit by giving food and drink. How could it be that everyone else enjoys abundance while I alone endure hardship? Thus, one must practice with courageous vigor.

[58c] Again, some people possess illustrious rank and renown, ride fine horses, wear silk robes, and enjoy carefree delight. When they travel, devas and humans welcome them; when they stand still, ghosts and spirits show them respect. Yet others are lowly and rustic, despised by everyone, who care nothing whether they live or die.

They dwell in misery beside drains and sewers and roll about amid filthy excrement. Even if they cry out loudly, they instead suffer the further pain of being beaten. Not only do ghosts and spirits show them no respect, but even dogs and cats seek to harm them.

Seeing such anguish, how could one not wish to escape it? Therefore, I now encourage everyone to cultivate merit, eliminate arrogance, and practice the virtue of humility. How could it be that everyone else remains wealthy and honored while I alone remain poor and lowly forever?

Thus, strive diligently in practice.

Again, some people are handsome in appearance and eloquent in speech; all who hear them are delighted. The rising and falling cadence of their voices often brings benefit to others; their loving-kindness extends universally, and their words do not harm any living being. Yet others have ugly faces and speak coarsely, caring only for their own benefit and giving no thought to others.

Others practice patience and consequently receive good results, while they themselves are filled with anger and consequently must endure bad results. Seeing such anguish, how could one not wish to leave it far behind? Therefore, I now encourage everyone to cultivate merit, eliminate anger, and diligently practice patience.

How could it be that everyone else always dwells in favorable circumstances while I alone remain forever submerged in evil conditions? Thus, one must practice with courageous vigor.

Again, some people possess strong resolve, are rarely ill, and constantly devote themselves to practice without the slightest hindrance. Yet others are sickly and emaciated, their vitality exhausted; walking and standing are difficult, while sitting and lying down bring no ease. Seeing such a grievous condition, one should indeed seek to relinquish it. Therefore, I now encourage everyone to cultivate merit, practice generosity, and offer timely aid with medicines and treatment. How could it be that everyone else is always robust and healthy while I alone remain forever beset by illness? Thus, one must strive diligently in practice.

Matters such as these are truly in great need of encouragement. If we do not encourage one another, those who study the Way may easily become indolent.

XII.3. Admonition for Women

A laywoman harbors much anger in her heart. The Buddha said that women’s nature of deceit, perversity, and flattery is more pronounced than that of men. Some powder themselves, apply fragrances, and adorn themselves elegantly; some wear silk trousers and flowered garments, solely to entice foolish men.

Some speak glibly, flutter their eyes, sing, and laugh; some sigh, chant verses, and cast restless glances; some bare their shoulders and expose their breasts, or veil their faces and conceal their heads; some walk with graceful steps, swaying and undulating; some cast flirtatious glances, now sorrowful, now joyful. All this is done to beguile men and cause desire and infatuation to arise in their minds. Such seductive and perverse arts are too numerous to recount.

Foolish men become infatuated and are all deluded by them. They are like treacherous thieves employing many cunning deceptions; like a beautiful vessel filled with filthy excrement that deceives people; [59a] like a high-spread net that traps birds and beasts; like a closely laid net waiting to catch shrimp and fish; like a blind person falling into a dark pit; like a moth plunging headlong into a flame; like flies delighting in a corpse.

Drawing near to them brings the ruin of one’s household and nation; touching them is like grasping a venomous snake. Outwardly they speak honeyed words, but inwardly their hearts are filled with poison. The distress of households is due to women; losing one’s life away from home is also due to women; discord between husband and wife is also due to women; the rebellion of sons and daughters is also due to women; the separation of brothers is also due to women; lawsuits among clans are also due to women; falling into the evil destinies is also due to women; failing to be born among gods and humans is also due to women; obstruction of wholesome karma is also due to women; failing to partake of the fruits of sainthood is also due to women…

Calamities such as these cannot be fully recounted.

Such sentient beings are truly fearsome. Though constantly scorched by the fire of desire, they do not abandon it. Thus, from the beginningless past until now, it has never ceased, and they must endure unending suffering and affliction.

The Sutra of the Woman Matanga[3] records: “At that time, after Ananda had completed his alms round carrying his bowl, he walked along a riverbank and saw a woman carrying water. The venerable one approached and asked her for water, which she immediately offered him. She followed him to the place where Ananda was resting, and afterward returned home, spoke to her mother Matanga, then lay down weeping and lamenting. Her mother asked:

– What has caused you to grieve and weep?

The woman replied:

– If Mother wishes to marry me off, do not give me to anyone else. When I went to draw water from the river, I met a sramana who came to ask for water. I asked his name, and he said his name was Ananda. I will consent only if I am given in marriage to Ananda. If Mother cannot arrange this, I will accept no one.

Her mother went to inquire about Ananda. Learning that Ananda was the Buddha’s attendant, she returned home and told her daughter:

– Ananda is a practitioner studying under the Buddha. He will not agree to become your husband.

The daughter wept and refused food. Her mother knew magical arts for bewitching people, so she invited Ananda to come and receive a meal. The daughter was overjoyed. The mother said to Ananda:

– My daughter wishes to become your wife.

Ananda replied:

– I observe the precepts and therefore do not take a wife.

The mother said:

– If my daughter cannot have you as her husband, she will kill herself at once.

Ananda said:

– My teacher is the Buddha, who does not permit association with women.

The mother went inside and explained this clearly to her daughter. The daughter wept, then told her mother to shut and lock the door, confining Ananda in the house and not allowing him to leave; by nightfall Ananda would surely have to consent to become her husband. The mother immediately shut the door and used her magical arts to bind Ananda. When evening came, the mother prepared a bed for her daughter. The daughter was overjoyed and immediately adorned herself beautifully, but Ananda did not come. The mother kindled a fire in the courtyard, tugged at Ananda’s robe, and said:

– If you refuse to become my daughter’s husband, I will throw you into this fire!

Ananda was ashamed that, although he had followed the Buddha into the homeless life and become a sramana, he could not escape this calamity. [59b] The Buddha knew that Ananda was in peril, so he recited a mantra and rescued him. Ananda then related the entire matter to the Buddha.

Watching Ananda depart, the woman wept without ceasing, her heart constantly yearning for him. The following morning, she went in search of Ananda and again saw him walking on his alms round. She followed behind him, gazing first at his feet and then at his face. Ananda, feeling ashamed, turned aside in another direction, but she continued to follow him. Ananda reported to the Buddha:

– Today, the daughter of Matanga has kept following behind me.

The Buddha summoned the young woman and asked:

– Why do you follow Ananda?

She replied:

– I have heard that Ananda has no wife, and I have no husband, so I wish to become Ananda’s wife.

The Buddha said:

– Ananda has no hair, while you have hair. If you can shave your head, I will let Ananda become your husband.

The young woman replied:

– I am willing to shave my head!

The Buddha said:

– Return home and tell your mother. Once your head has been shaved, come back here!

The woman returned home and explained everything clearly to her mother. Her mother said:

– I gave birth to you and have carefully tended your hair. Why do you wish to take a sramana as your husband? There are many wealthy men in this kingdom; I can give you in marriage to one of them!

The daughter said:

– Whether I live or die, I will take only Ananda as my husband.

Her mother said:

– You have brought disgrace upon our lineage! Having said this, the mother immediately shaved her daughter’s head.

Afterward, the woman went to the Buddha and said:

– I have shaved my head!

The Buddha asked:

– What is it about Ananda that you love?

The young woman replied:

– I love Ananda’s eyes; I love his nose, his mouth, his ears, his voice, and the way he walks.

The Buddha said:

– The eyes contain only tears; the nose contains only mucus; the mouth contains only saliva; the ears contain only earwax; and the body is an impure place containing only foul-smelling feces and urine. When husband and wife live together, there must be an impure passage; from that impure passage children are born. Where there are children, there is death; where there is death, there is lamentation and weeping. Thus, what is precious about those bodily parts that you love?

The woman then contemplated the foul impurities within the body. Her lust immediately ceased, and at that very moment she attained the fruit of arhatship. Knowing that she had attained the path, the Buddha said:

– Rise and go to Ananda!

Ashamed, she knelt, bowed her head, and said to the Buddha:

– I was truly foolish and deluded, and so I pursued the venerable Ananda. Now my mind has awakened, like a lamp lit in a dark house; like a traveler in a boat who, when the boat is wrecked, succeeds in reaching the shore; like a blind person guided by another; like an elderly person supported by a staff. Now, through the Buddha’s instruction, my mind has been opened in this way.

The bhiksus asked the Buddha:

– Through what causes and conditions was this woman able to attain the path?

The Buddha taught:

– Five hundred lifetimes ago, this woman was Ananda’s wife. They loved and respected one another, and together attained the path within my teaching. Today, husband and wife have met again and regard one another with affection and respect like brother and sister. Thus, what could be unwholesome within the Buddha’s path? When the Buddha finished speaking, the bhiksus rejoiced greatly.”

[59c] The Sutra of Exemplary Emergence records: “Long ago, in the kingdom of Sravasti, a woman carrying her child in her arms brought a jar to a well to draw water. A handsome man was seated to the right of the well, delighting in playing music and singing. At that time, the woman gave rise to lust and became infatuated with the man; the man likewise gave rise to the fire of desire no less intensely and became enamored of the woman. Deluded by the fire of desire, the woman tied a rope around the child’s neck and suspended the child midway down the well. A short while later, she suddenly regained her senses and pulled the child back up, but the child was already dead. Overcome by grief and anguish, she wailed, wept, and cried out to heaven, and so forth…”

When the Buddha was traveling and teaching in the kingdom of Kauśāmbī, its king was named Udayana Kuru. In that kingdom lived a brahmin named Māgaṇḍiya, who had a daughter of surpassing beauty. Seeing that few in the kingdom could equal his daughter in beauty, the father named her Anupamā, “Peerless.” Kings, officials, ministers, and even members of noble families from neighboring kingdoms all wished to take her as a consort. Her father said:

– Only if a noble man possesses an appearance equal to that of my daughter will I consent.

At that time, the Buddha was traveling and teaching in that kingdom. When the brahmin saw that the Buddha possessed the thirty-two noble marks and the eighty excellent characteristics, that His body was the color of pure gold, tall and imposing, and that His radiant countenance was beyond compare, he rejoiced and said:

– This is indeed the husband for my daughter!

He returned home and told his wife:

– I have found a match for Anupamā! Quickly adorn her and bring her along.

Thus, the husband and wife together adorned their daughter. Anupamā walked gracefully, looking radiant and exquisitely beautiful in her ornaments. The brahmin and his wife led the young woman to where the Buddha was staying. Along the way, the wife saw the Buddha’s clearly imprinted footprints, bearing noble marks and a radiance rarely seen in the world. Knowing that He was one honored above the devas, she said to her husband:

– Here, in these footprints, are the beauty and noble marks of this man! Such marks are exceedingly rare in the world; He is truly an extraordinary being. This man must already be completely pure and no longer give rise to sensual desire. He will not accept our daughter. I cannot take part in this humiliating affair.

Her husband asked in bewilderment:

– How do you know this about Him so clearly?

His wife then recited this verse:

The lustful drag their footprints;

The angry leave footprints with broken toes;

The foolish tread obliquely upon the earth;

But these are the footprints of a noble one!

“You women know nothing! If you do not wish to go, then return home. I alone can take our daughter there.”

Thus, the father and daughter went together to where the Buddha was, bowed their heads in homage to Him, and the brahmin said:

– Benevolent One! You labor arduously in teaching others, yet no one attends upon You. I now offer You this unworthy daughter of mine. Please command her as You wish.

The Buddha said:

– Do you consider your daughter beautiful?

The brahmin replied:

– My daughter is of unsurpassed beauty; no one in this world can equal her. Kings and wealthy men have all come to seek her hand, but I would not give her to them. Now, having had the good fortune to see the Great One’s radiant marks and majestic, preeminent bearing, so rare in the world, I wish to offer her to You. For this reason, I have presumptuously brought her here!

The Buddha said:

– In what respect is this young woman beautiful?

The brahmin replied:

– From head to foot, when one looks upon her entire body, there is no part that is not beautiful.

The Buddha said:

[60a] - How deluded are fleshly eyes! When I now examine her from head to foot, there is not a single beautiful part. Look: upon her head is hair, yet hair is merely strands of fur, no different from the tails of oxen and horses.

Beneath the hair is a skull, and the skull is merely bone; it is just like a pig’s head in a butcher’s shop. Inside the head is the brain, which is like mud, reeking with the nauseating stench of flesh and fat. If it were accidentally split open and spilled onto the ground, no one would dare step upon it.

The eyes are pools filled entirely with rheum; the nose contains mucus; the mouth contains only saliva. The abdomen holds the heart, liver, intestines, lungs, and so forth, all foul-smelling things. The large intestine, small intestine, stomach, and bladder contain only feces and urine, whose stench is beyond description.

Thus, the abdomen is merely a leather bag filled with impurities. The two hands and two feet consist of bones joined to bones, bound by sinews and wrapped in skin, moving only by means of the breath. It is like a wooden puppet, which can move only when manipulated by its mechanisms.

Once the manipulation ceases and all its bodily parts are taken apart, its joints separate and its head and feet become jumbled together. The human body is the same. What is there to cherish, that you should say she has no equal?

Formerly, when I sat beneath the banyan tree,[4] Māra, king of the Heaven of Freely Enjoying Manifestations by Others, adorned three maidens of incomparable beauty, unequaled even in the heavenly realms, and brought them to destroy My resolve to attain the Way. I immediately revealed the impurities within their bodies, and they instantly became old women with hideous forms. Ashamed, they departed.

Now you bring this sack of excrement to Me—into what do you expect Me to transform it? Take her back at once! I will not accept her!

Hearing the Buddha’s words, the brahmin was deeply ashamed and stood speechless. After a while, he addressed the Buddha:

– If You will not accept her, may I give her in marriage to King Udayana?

The Buddha remained silent and did not answer. The brahmin then led his daughter away and offered her to King Udayana. Having obtained this beautiful young woman, the king was greatly delighted and immediately appointed the brahmin as grand preceptor.

Afterward, the king built a palace for the young woman and provided her with a thousand female entertainers and maidservants. The king’s chief queen had taken refuge in the Buddha and attained the fruit of stream-entry. Because this woman slandered the queen and the king was beguiled by her, he shot a hundred arrows at the queen.

Although the arrows were fired at her, the queen was not frightened and felt no anger whatsoever; she single-mindedly recollected the Buddha’s loving-kindness. She knelt upright facing the king, and the arrows circled her three times, then flew back and fell directly before the king. All one hundred arrows did the same.

The king suddenly came to his senses and, filled with sorrow and fear, immediately ordered his carriage prepared and hastened to where the Buddha was. Before reaching the place, the king hurriedly descended from his carriage. With palms joined from afar, he advanced step by step, bowed in homage at the Buddha’s feet, knelt upright, and declared:

– My offense is exceedingly grave, and I am truly ashamed before the Three Jewels. Because a base and lustful mind erupted within me, I gave rise to malicious thoughts against a member of the Buddha’s noble assembly and fired a hundred arrows at Your disciple. Upon witnessing what happened, my mind was overwhelmed with terror. [60b] Only the Buddha, the Supremely Honored One, possesses immeasurable loving-kindness. Since even a lay disciple has such power of loving-kindness and compassion, how much more so must the Buddha, the Unsurpassed Perfectly True One! I now bow my head and take refuge in the Three Jewels. I beseech the Buddha to extend His compassion and forgive my offense!

The Buddha praised him, saying:

– Excellent! Your Majesty now recognizes the evil and repents of the wrong you committed. This is the conduct of a wise person. I accept Your Majesty’s wholesome intention!

The king bowed in homage and repented in this manner three times, and three times the Buddha acknowledged the king’s act. The king bowed his head to the ground, withdrew to his seat, and said:

– Human nature is inherently unruly, violent, wicked, and unrestrained, lacking patience and forbearance. The three poisons remain uneradicated, and the mind delights in committing evil deeds. People crave only the splendid beauty of women, unaware that it is the very source of evil, and after death they will certainly fall into hell. I beseech the Buddha, out of compassion, to explain clearly the evils and beguiling qualities of women! Whoever falls into their net finds it difficult to escape. Having heard of these perils, I shall suddenly awaken and admonish myself, so that all the people in my kingdom, old and young alike, may cultivate virtuous conduct!

The Buddha said:

– Shall I answer only Your Majesty’s question, or shall I also explain other matters?

The king replied:

– It will not be too late to ask about other matters another day. For now, I beseech the Blessed One to explain the great calamities caused by being beguiled by women. If one does not clearly understand these calamities, how can one keep far away from them? I beseech the Buddha to explain clearly the conditions in hell and the evils of women!

The Buddha said:

– Listen well! A man of evil disposition becomes foolish, deluded, and violent when he sees a beautiful woman.

– Yes! I respectfully receive your instruction! - said the king.

The Buddha taught:

– There are four evil deeds of men that should be known:

1. In this world, there are lustful men whose minds constantly fantasize about women and whose thoughts always crave sweet words. They abandon the true Dharma, doubt truthful words, believe in what is false and perverse, fall into the net of desire, sink into delusion, and are driven by desire like servants afraid of their master.

Once they have become infatuated with female beauty, they pay no heed to the foul and filthy passages of the nine apertures. They wallow in desire like pigs in a sty, unaware of its stench, delighting in it and regarding it as a place of happiness, without considering that in a future life they will fall into the Avici Hell and undergo boundless suffering. Those whose minds are fixed on sexual desire constantly suck phlegm and saliva and immerse themselves in blood and pus, cherishing these as treasures and deeming them as sweet as honey.

Thus they are called men who have become servants of desire.

2. Parents raise their children, enduring the burden of pregnancy and the pain of childbirth. The kindness of their nurture is vast and boundless, and their hardship is inconceivable.

To raise their children to adulthood, they may even exhaust their household and ruin their fortune, wearing out their knees and feet. When the child reaches maturity, they must again seek a matchmaker and arrange a marriage for their son. Even if he lives in a distant place, his parents still travel to visit him, regardless of whether it is near or far and shrinking from no hardship.

Yet the son thinks only of sexual desire and completely forgets his aged father and feeble mother. Once he has obtained a wife, he cherishes her as a treasure and wishes only to enjoy pleasure together with her. He detests and abandons his parents, believes the seductive words of the woman he loves, and may even become embroiled in disputes and lawsuits, never considering whence his own body came and betraying the immeasurable kindness of both parents.

[60c] 3. In this world, there are men who labor in body and mind and earn much wealth. Originally, they reverently believe in the Buddha-Dharma, honor sramanas and brahmins, and clearly understand that the world is impermanent; therefore, they practice generosity and cultivate merit.

But after taking a wife, they become deluded by sexual passion and their minds are obscured by ignorance. They then abandon what is right and pursue what is perverse, all because of a woman’s schemes. Even if they intend to give alms, at most this remains mere words.

Intoxicated by female beauty, they lose their pure conduct and become base persons. They pay no heed to the admonitions in the Buddhist scriptures and care nothing for the consequences of calamity and blessing. If they allow lust to command them, they cast themselves into the net of delusion and will certainly fall into the evil realms, unable to escape even to the end of their lives.

4. A man may give no thought to the kindness of those who raised him. Though he has ample wealth, he does not support his parents but uses it only to roam everywhere in pursuit of sexual pleasure, hoarding treasures with which to entice women.

Or he slaughters animals as offerings to ghosts and spirits at shrines and temples; drinks wine; gathers men and women for singing and dancing; and indulges in pleasure throughout the day and all through the night. Outwardly, he pretends to seek blessings, but inwardly he solicits illicit relations. After becoming intoxicated, they enjoy themselves together and invite one another to satisfy their illicit passion.

When they find a partner, their joy is beyond compare, and, bound by the net of lust, they lose all awareness. At the very moment they act in this way, they consider it pleasurable, unaware of the stench of the evil realms and the agony of the hells. They are at once laughable and pitiable, like madmen unaware of their offenses.

Men who commit these four evil deeds fall into the three evil realms. Therefore, one should examine them and keep far away from them in order to escape suffering. Listen as I speak verses about the evils of women. The Buddha then said:

Driven onward by desire,

Their unrestrained minds know no peace;

Habitually committing evil deeds,

How could they be called virtuous?

Ever dwelling in the three evil realms,

They revolve like a turning wheel;

Though born in an age when a Buddha appears,

They still do not hear the Dharma.

Women are indeed evil;

They cannot be wholesome conditions.

Bound by affection and passion,

They lead people onto sinful paths.

What beauty is there in women?

They are entirely impure.

Why do you not examine this carefully,

But let them drive you mad with delusion?

Within, they are entirely foul and putrid;

Without, they adorn themselves beautifully.

They are also filled with venom,

As dangerous as dragons and snakes.

Like a fish that bites the hook,

Or a moth that plunges into a lamp,

You bind your mind to sensual beauty,

Unaware of the calamity to come!

When the Buddha had taught this, King Udayana rejoiced greatly. He immediately prostrated himself with all five limbs touching the ground and addressed the Buddha:

[61a] - World-Honored One! Truly, from the time of my birth until now, I have never heard that the evils of women were so great. Men, driven mad, pursue such evils without ever realizing it and are unable to restrain their minds. From this day forth and for the rest of my life, I repent and take refuge in the Three Jewels, and I dare not transgress again. Having spoken, the king bowed his head at the Buddha’s feet and joyfully withdrew.

The Book of Documents records: “Zhongni[5] admonished: ‘The trouble with keeping petty men and women is that, when they are near, one cannot live in harmony with them; when they are kept at a distance, they become resentful.’”

Therefore, the scripture teaches: “Beautiful and splendid women possess eighty-four bad traits. Among them are eight exceedingly bad traits detested by the wise: jealousy; anger without cause; abusive speech; curses; domineering behavior; stinginess; greed; and a fondness for adornment. Thus women possess much perversity and seductive charm. Therefore, one should vow to abandon perversity and evil, seek the true Dharma, and soon leave the household life to practice for the benefit of oneself and others.”

The Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom records: “It is in the nature of women that, if treated kindly, they become arrogant; if not treated kindly, they become anxious and afraid. Women constantly bring anxiety, affliction, and fear to others, so how could one draw close to them? The estrangement of relatives and friends is the fault of women. As the Story of Former Lives relates: ‘One day, a fisherman named Shulpaga was walking along the road when, from afar, he saw the face of Princess Kumuda through a window in a lofty pavilion. After returning home, he continually thought of the princess’s image. As days and months passed, he yearned for her so intensely that he ceased eating and drinking. Seeing this, his mother asked the reason, and he told her what had happened:

– Ever since I saw the princess, I have longed for her and cannot forget her!

His mother advised him:

– This cannot be! You are of lowly station, while the princess is of exalted rank!

The son replied:

– My heart has secretly fallen in love with her, and I cannot forget her. If my wish is not fulfilled, I no longer wish to live!

Because the mother loved her son, she took birds and fish into the palace as gifts for the princess. Finding this strange, the princess asked:

– What do you seek?

The mother said:

– Please have everyone withdraw, and I shall explain the whole matter! I have only one son, but because he admires the princess, his feelings have developed into a grave illness, and his life is now in danger. I humbly beg the princess to show compassion and save my son’s life!

The princess replied:

– Return home and tell your son to come to that shrine of the heavenly deity on the fifteenth day of each month and wait for me behind the deity’s image!

The mother returned and told her son:

– I have obtained what you sought! - She recounted what had happened and then told him to bathe thoroughly, put on new clothes, and go stand behind the deity’s image.

When the appointed day arrived, the princess said to her royal father:

– I am not at peace and wish to go to the shrine of the heavenly deity to pray for blessings!

The king said:

– Very well!

Then he had five hundred carts convey them to the temple of the deity. Upon arriving, the princess ordered all her attendants to remain outside the gate and entered the temple alone. [61b] The heavenly deity thought: “This must not be allowed. The king is the ruler of this realm; this lowly man cannot be permitted to dishonor the princess.” The heavenly deity immediately cast a spell upon him, causing him to sleep as soundly as though dead.

When the princess entered and saw him asleep, she tried several times to wake him, but he did not awaken. She therefore left beside him a jeweled necklace worth one hundred thousand taels of gold and departed. After awakening, the man saw the jeweled necklace and questioned everyone.

When he learned that the princess had come, yet his sexual desire had not been satisfied, he became sorrowful and angry. In the end, the fire of lust blazed up and burned him to death.” This is cited as proof that the minds of women make no distinction between noble and lowly, but merely follow desire.

The Sarvastivada Treatise states: “It would be better to place one’s bodily parts[6] into the mouth of a venomous snake than ever to transgress with a woman. A venomous snake harms people in three ways: by looking at them, by touching them, and by biting them. A woman likewise harms people in three ways: if one looks at a woman and desire arises, one immediately loses all wholesome qualities; if one touches a woman, one physically commits an offense of intermediate gravity and immediately loses all wholesome qualities; if one has sexual intercourse with her, one physically commits a grave offense and immediately loses all wholesome qualities. There are also seven ways in which she harms people:

1. If one is harmed by a venomous snake, it harms only this present body; but if one is harmed by a woman, she harms innumerable bodies.

2. If one is harmed by a venomous snake, it harms only the karmically indeterminate body of retribution; but if one is harmed by a woman, she harms the body of wholesome qualities.

3. If one is harmed by a venomous snake, it harms only the body of the five consciousnesses—the eye, ear, nose, tongue, and body consciousnesses; but if one is harmed by a woman, she harms the body of the six consciousnesses—the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mental consciousnesses.

4. If one is harmed by a venomous snake, one may still enter the pure assembly; but if one is harmed by a woman, one may not enter the Sangha.

5. If one is harmed by a venomous snake, one may still be reborn in the human or heavenly realm and encounter sages and noble ones; but if one is harmed by a woman, one falls into the three evil destinies.

6. If one is harmed by a venomous snake, one may still attain the four fruits of the śramaṇa; but if one is harmed by a woman, even cultivation of the Noble Eightfold Path will not be accomplished.

7. If one is harmed by a venomous snake, there will still be people who care for and rescue one; but if one is harmed by a woman, everyone will abandon one, and no one will regard one with favor. For these reasons, it would be better to place one’s bodily parts into the mouth of a venomous snake than ever to touch a woman throughout one’s entire life!”

The Ekottarika Agama Sutra states: “A woman has five powers that lead her to look down upon her husband:

1. The power of beauty.

2. The power of her relatives.

3. The power of wealth.

4. The power of children.

5. The power of self-protection.

Because of these five powers, a woman comes to look down upon her husband. The husband has only one power capable of eclipsing all the woman’s powers: the power of wealth and status. Mara Papiyan also possesses five powers: forms, sounds, odors, flavors, and tangible objects.

[61c] Foolish people who cling to these five dharmas are beyond rescue. If a noble disciple perfects the single power of heedfulness and is not bound by them, that disciple can clearly discern the dharmas of birth, aging, illness, and death, overcome the five powers of Mara, avoid falling into Mara’s domain, and reach the shore of nirvana. The Buddha then spoke this verse:

Moral discipline is the path of security;

Heedlessness is the way of death.

Those free from craving do not die;

To lose the Path is to lose oneself.

The Buddha then told the bhiksus:

“A woman desires five things: first, to be born into a noble family; second, to be married into a wealthy and eminent household; third, to make her husband heed her words; fourth, to have many children; and fifth, to wield authority within the household. These are the five things women always desire.”

The Great Majestic Virtue Dharani Sutra states: “The Buddha told Ananda:

“Suppose there were a great heap of sand. If a single drop of water were placed upon it, the water could moisten it; likewise, a woman might take a thousand men to satisfy her desire and still not know contentment. A woman is insatiable in three matters: first, adorning herself; second, enjoying sensual pleasure with men; and third, delighting in speaking and hearing tender, plaintive words.

Ananda! A woman has five nests of ulcer-causing parasites that a man does not have. These five nests are within the vagina.

Each nest contains eighty parasites. These parasites have two heads, with mouths as sharp as needlepoints. When feeding, they constantly sting and bite the woman, causing her restless discomfort and compelling her to engage in sexual intercourse.

Because she is driven to sexual intercourse, it is said that a woman is afflicted by lust. This is a suffering peculiar to women. Because of karmic retribution, lustful conduct arises, and she becomes infatuated with men without ever tiring of them.

When a woman sees a man, she immediately speaks gentle words and gazes at him with infatuation, looking again and again. She surveys him from head to foot, and lustful thoughts arise. Her eyes stare fixedly at the man’s face; her teeth bite her lips; her face turns purple; and because she is scorched by the fire of desire, sweat flows from her forehead.

When standing, she does not wish to sit; when sitting, she does not wish to stand. She draws upon the ground with a twig and waves both hands about. Or she takes three steps and, upon the fourth, glances to either side.

Or she leans against a door bolt, furrows her brow and moans, writhes her body, raises her robe with her left hand, and pats her thigh with her right. She also picks at her teeth with her fingernails, uses grass to clean her teeth, raises her hand to scratch her head, exposes her lower legs, speaks in a childlike voice, staggers even upon level ground, and looks furtively all around. When such signs appear, one should know that the fire of desire is arising in that woman.

One must keep away and not allow it to arise, lest one be reborn in hell!”

[62a] The Sutra Explaining the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination in the Agamas states: “An arhat carefully contemplated with the divine eye and saw a great many women falling into hell. He therefore asked the Buddha the reason.

The Buddha taught:

“It is due to four causes and conditions: first, because of desire, they covet valuables, clothing, and so forth; second, because of jealousy and envy; third, because of excessive speech; and fourth, because of lust, they behave coquettishly. Because of these four causes and conditions, many women fall into hell!”

XII.4. Exhortation to the Path

Pride is found in both good and evil people; neither the wise nor the foolish are free from it, and neither the noble nor the lowly are without it. Here, however, only those whose pride is severe will be discussed. Worldly people possess extremely great pride. They delight in boasting of their own virtues with false words, faulting the virtuous, and disparaging sages of noble virtue…. Such are the things they habitually do all day long! They have never known shame, openly confessed and repented, directed their minds toward seeking the Path, or examined themselves. Thus, a secular text says: “Strive diligently to do good, so that the body may dwell in security; devote yourself wholeheartedly to filial care, so that your parents may rejoice.”

Many noble persons follow the Buddha’s Dharma and cultivate diligently. They are benevolent, incorruptible, humble, respectful, prudent, sincere, trustworthy, and compliant. All this is possible because they planted the causes in former lives, and therefore these qualities naturally manifest from their inherent character. How could this differ from the Path?

There are also those who have gone forth but do not rely upon the sacred teachings, transgress the precepts and discipline, refuse to study and learn, and remain as deluded as worldly people. Yet monastics and laypeople differ in outward form; their offenses may be grave or light, their transgressions few or many, and their minds ignorant or discerning. Therefore, before monastics commit any transgression, each thought accords with the Way; wholesome karma permeates them, and their foundation of merit is deep and firm. Although a sprout of evil may be small, through carelessness they may inadvertently create it. It will not become dangerous if, with shame and remorse, they repent, for they will then return to purity.

Worldly people feel no shame in body and no remorse in mind. They support wives and children; the five desires fill their homes; pungent delicacies, wine, and meat are available whenever they wish to consume them; and their attachment to sensual love is so deep that they have never relinquished it even briefly. Living amid such evil, how could they escape its retribution? Thus, the paths of light and darkness have already diverged, and good and evil are distinct. One should know that light can dispel darkness, but darkness cannot drive back light. Even the light of a small lamp is sufficient to illuminate a vast, dark house.

Although monastics may previously have committed minor offenses, as explained above, if they correct themselves and return to righteousness, their light may not grow more brilliant, but does not their original source of light continue to shine? It is like a lamp that still has sufficient wick and oil, or a farmer who possesses many oxen and fields.

Moreover, it is very difficult for monastics to do evil, like sailing a boat on land; it is easy for householders to commit faults, like sailing a boat upon the sea. Conversely, it is easy for monastics to train in the Way, like sailing a boat upon the sea; it is very difficult for householders to cultivate merit, like sailing a boat on land. The boats are the same, but the sea and the land differ, and therefore their speed is not the same. The difficulty or ease of cultivation and transgression is likewise. [62b] Evil is easily contracted, while goodness is difficult to accomplish. Quickly seek liberation for yourselves, and strive to arouse the resolve to go forth!

The Sutra of the Wise and the Foolish records: “The merit of going forth is exceedingly great. If one encourages servants or common people to go forth and train in the Way, or personally goes forth to train in the Way, one’s merit will be immeasurable and beyond compare. The merit of going forth is higher than Mount Sumeru, deeper than the great ocean, and vaster than empty space, for one who goes forth will certainly attain Buddhahood.

Long ago, while the Buddha was still in the world, there lived in the city of Shravasti a householder named Phuc Tang. He was already more than a hundred years old and was therefore scorned by everyone in his household, both old and young. When he heard that the merit of going forth was immeasurable, he immediately went to the Buddha and requested ordination. The Buddha happened to be away, so he went instead to the Venerable Shariputra. Seeing that he was too old, the Venerable Shariputra refused to ordain him, and all five hundred arhats did likewise. In sorrow, he stood before the monastery gate and wept aloud.

When the Buddha returned, he consoled him at length and then instructed the Venerable Maudgalyayana to ordain him. The Venerable Maudgalyayana conferred the precepts upon him. Afterward, he was frequently mocked by younger bhikshus, so he threw himself into a river.

Perceiving this, the Venerable Maudgalyayana used his spiritual powers to rescue him and bring him ashore. Having learned the reason, the venerable thought, ‘Unless he is admonished and frightened by the realities of birth and death, it will be difficult for him to attain the Way.’ The venerable then told him to focus his mind and firmly grasp the hem of his robe. They soared into the sky and flew to the seashore.

There he saw a beautiful woman who had only recently died. A maggot crawled from the corpse’s mouth and entered its nose, then crawled from its eye and burrowed into its ear. Maudgalyayana saw this and continued onward.

The old man asked:

– Who is this person?

The venerable replied:

– She was the wife of a great merchant in the city of Shravasti. Her beauty was rarely equaled in the world. She often adorned herself with three kinds of rare fragrant wood. When she saw her beauty in a mirror, she became proud and infatuated with herself. Her husband loved her dearly. One day, he took her with him to sea, but a violent sea and great waves shattered their vessel. She drowned, and her corpse washed ashore. Because she remained attached to and cherished her body, after death she became a maggot clinging to this corpse. When she relinquishes the body of that maggot, she will fall into a great hell and undergo immeasurable suffering.

The old man proceeded farther and saw a woman carrying a bronze cauldron on her head. She then poured water into it and brought it to a furious boil. The woman removed her clothes and jumped into the cauldron, causing her flesh to cook until it slipped from her bones. The boiling water cast the bones out of the cauldron. A wind outside then blew upon the skeleton and transformed it back into a person, who proceeded to eat her own flesh.

Phuc Tang asked his teacher:

– Who is that woman?

His teacher replied:

– [62c] In the city of Shravasti, there was an upasika who reverently believed in the Three Jewels and requested permission to make offerings to a bhikshu during the summer retreat. She erected a dwelling at the head of the road, prepared various fragrant flowers and delicious foods and beverages, and ordered a female servant to deliver them as offerings. The servant carried them to a secluded place, selected and ate all the finest food, and only then brought the remainder to the bhikshu. When her mistress discovered this, she asked:

– Did you secretly eat some of the offering?

The servant girl replied:

– No, madam. After the bhikshu finished eating, he gave me the leftovers to eat. If I ate before him, may I eat my own flesh life after life!

Because of those causes and conditions, she first undergoes this ripened retribution[7] and will afterward fall into hell.

The old man proceeded a little farther and saw a tree of flesh densely surrounded by insects that tore and gnawed at its flesh. Seeing this, he asked the Venerable Maudgalyayana:

– What tree is that?

Maudgalyayana replied:

– That is the bhikshu in charge of communal affairs[8], Thac-loi-tra. Because he squandered the property of the Sangha and gave its flowers, fruit, and food to laypeople, through those causes and conditions he now undergoes this ripened retribution and will afterward fall into hell. The maggots burrowing into and gnawing upon the tree of flesh are precisely the people who at that time accepted goods from that bhikshu.

The old man continued onward and saw a man whose entire body was covered with the heads of beasts. Malevolent ghosts and spirits held bows and crossbows loaded with three poisoned arrows. The arrowheads were tipped with iron, and all were ablaze. They competed to shoot the man, causing his entire body to burn away.

Phuc Tang asked his teacher:

– Who is that person?

Maudgalyayana replied:

– In a previous life, this person was a skilled hunter who killed many birds and beasts, and thus he undergoes this painful retribution. After death, he will fall into a great hell.

After they had traveled a little farther, Phuc Tang saw a great mountain. At its foot were many blades and swords. A man hurled himself down from the summit and was pierced and mangled by their points and edges. After plunging down, he climbed back up and repeated this without cease.

Phuc Tang asked his teacher:

– Who is that person?

He replied:

– He was the Great Battle General of the king of the city of Rajagriha. Because he was mighty and aggressive, the king frequently placed him in the vanguard, where he killed many living beings. He first undergoes this suffering and will afterward fall into hell.

After traveling a little farther, Phuc Tang saw a mountain of bones. It was seven yojanas high and so immense that it constantly obscured the sunlight, leaving the sea in darkness. At that time, the Venerable Maudgalyayana was walking back and forth upon a great rib bone on the mountain of bones.

Phuc Tang asked his teacher:

– What is this mountain of bones?

He replied:

– You should know that these are the bones of your own body from a previous life!

When Phuc Tang heard this, he was horrified. His hair stood on end, and sweat poured from his body. He said:

– I have now heard this, but my mind does not yet understand. I beseech you to explain the matter fully from beginning to end!

Maudgalyayana told him:

– Birth and death revolve endlessly without limit. The good and evil karma that has been created is never lost; thus, its retribution must certainly be endured. Listen carefully: “In the past, in Jambudvipa, there was a king named Dharma Increase. He delighted in giving, observing the precepts, and listening to the Dharma. He was deeply compassionate, did not harm the lives of any beings, and governed the country according to the true Dharma for twelve years. [63a] One day, while at leisure, the king was enjoying himself with everyone when his ministers reported that a man had committed murder. Being absorbed in his amusement at the time, the king immediately decreed:

– Deal with him according to the law of the land!

The official then acted according to the law of the land: because a murderer was liable to the death penalty, he had the man beheaded. When the amusement was over, the king asked:

– Where is the criminal?

The official replied:

– He has already been beheaded!

Upon hearing this, the king stamped his feet and fainted. Only after water was sprinkled on his face did he regain consciousness. Shedding tears, he said:

– The people in the palace, the courtesans, the elephants, horses, and seven treasures will all remain behind; I alone shall enter hell. Now I have killed a man. I am truly a butcher king, and I do not know where I shall be reborn from life to life. I have now resolved never to be king again!

The king immediately relinquished the throne and entered the mountains to live alone. After his death, he was reborn in the great ocean as a makara fish whose body was seven hundred yojanas long. The king’s chief ministers, relying on their power, had oppressed the people and slain countless beings. After death, they were all reborn as makara fish, with numerous insects burrowing into and gnawing their bodies. Because their bodies itched, the fish rubbed themselves against the mountains, causing the maggots to die. Their blood flowed for one hundred miles and dyed the entire sea red. A fish would sleep for as long as a year at a time. Upon awakening hungry and thirsty, it would suck in the water, which rushed into its mouth as though flowing into a great river.

At that time, five hundred merchants had entered the sea in search of precious jewels. When the fish opened its mouth, their ship was rapidly swept toward it. Terrified, everyone cried aloud. Just as they were about to drift into the fish’s mouth, someone suddenly invoked, ‘Namo Buddha.’ Upon hearing the word ‘Buddha,’ the fish immediately closed its mouth, and thus the merchants survived. The fish died of hunger and was reborn in the city of Rajagriha as your present body. After the fish died, yakshas and rakshasas carried its carcass to the seashore. When all its flesh had decomposed, the remaining bones formed a mountain of bones. The former King Dharma Increase is now you. Because of the causal condition of killing a person, you fell into the sea as a fish.”

Upon hearing this, Dharma Increase became profoundly fearful of samsara. Seeing his former body and clearly understanding impermanence, he attained the fruit of arhatship.

The Nirvana Sutra records: “Houses are like prisons; wives and children are like fetters; possessions are like heavy burdens; and relatives are like hostile adversaries. If a person can receive and uphold the pure precepts for one day and one night, perform prostrations and repentance during the six periods of the day, observe three months of abstinence each year and six days of abstinence each month, subsist on plain vegetables, guard body, speech, and mind so that they do not pursue sensory objects, single-mindedly aspire toward liberation, devote himself wholeheartedly to cultivating the Buddha-Dharma, maintain proper deportment while walking and standing without deficiency, remain mindful of the marks of the precepts while lying down and sitting, practice meditation at night,

study the Buddha-Dharma by day, respect shramanas, and have compassion for all beings—if he constantly acts in this way, then although he is a householder, he can soon attain liberation.

Therefore, the sutra says: ‘When the Buddha-Dharma is about to perish, householders who protect the Dharma and cultivate goodness will be born in the heavenly realms as abundantly as snowflakes flying through the air, while bhikshus who break the precepts and violate the fast will fall into the evil destinies as abundantly as rain falling to the earth.’” [63b] Thus, one should know that cultivating merit amid suffering produces exceedingly great merit, while committing offenses amid wealth and honor brings no slight retribution.

Therefore, one who passes from hardship into wealth and honor can scarcely fathom all the joy of pleasurable circumstances; but one who passes from pleasure into suffering immediately tastes every pain found in miserable circumstances. These words are truly worthy of contemplation! May everyone remain vigilant and awakened!

The Dharmapada records:

“Of fires, lust burns hottest;

Of poisons, anger is most virulent;

What suffering equals the suffering of the body?

What joy surpasses nirvana?”

After speaking this verse, the Buddha told the bhikshus: “In the distant past, countless kalpas ago, there was a bhikshu named Power of Diligence who had attained the five supernormal powers. He practiced meditation and sought the Way beneath a tree in the forest. At that time, four animals came to take refuge there and find safety: a pigeon, a crow, a venomous snake, and a deer. By day they went out in search of food, and by night they returned to sleep. One day, the four asked one another:

– What is the greatest suffering in the world?

The crow said:

– Hunger and thirst are the greatest suffering! When hungry and thirsty, the body becomes weak, the eyes grow dim, and the mind becomes confused. One will throw oneself into a net without regard for sharp blades. Our bodies are destroyed and our lives lost, all because of hunger and thirst. Therefore, I say that hunger and thirst are the greatest suffering!

The pigeon said:

– Lust is the greatest suffering! When desire blazes fiercely like a raging fire, one no longer remembers or considers anything. Endangering the body and losing one’s life all arise from lust!

The venomous snake said:

– Anger is the greatest suffering! As soon as a malicious thought arises, one disregards whether another is intimate or distant; anyone may be killed, and one may even harm oneself!

The deer said:

– Fear is the greatest suffering! Living in the wilderness, I must always remain vigilant, fearful of hunters, wolves, and other creatures. Upon faintly hearing any sound, I immediately flee headlong, sometimes even plunging over a precipice, causing mother and young to be separated and filling the heart with utter terror. Therefore, I say that fear is the greatest suffering!

After hearing them, the bhikshu said:

– What you have said is still incorrect, because you have not examined the root of suffering. Of all the sufferings under heaven, none equals that of having a body. The body is a vessel containing every suffering and giving rise to endless anxiety and fear. For this reason, I left the household life and trained in the path of liberation, eliminating deluded thoughts and remaining unattached to the four great elements. I did so because I wished to sever the root of suffering and direct my mind toward the liberation of nirvana!”

Thus, one should know that the body is the root of great suffering.

Therefore, Laozi said: “Of all great calamities, none is greater than having a body!”

XII.5. Relatives and Dependents

The Sutra of the Householder Sumati records: “When the Buddha was still in the world, there was a householder named Sumati in the kingdom of Shravasti. After he died, his parents, relatives, and acquaintances all mourned him, weeping, lamenting, sighing, and fainting to the ground. Some cried out for their parents and siblings; others called for their husbands, children, and so forth.

The house was filled with the spectacle of people vying with one another in their lamentations. [63c] Some smeared mud over their bodies, while others used knives to cut off their own hair. They writhed in agony as though poisoned arrows had pierced their hearts. Some covered their heads with the hems of their robes and wept bitterly, resembling a forest laid waste by a violent storm.

Others thrashed about on the ground like fish stranded on dry land. They lay scattered in disarray like trees that had been uprooted and stripped of their branches, or as though poisonous thorns had been driven into their bodies. At that time, although the Blessed One knew the circumstances clearly, he nevertheless asked the Venerable Ananda:

– Why are those people wailing and grieving so bitterly?

The Venerable Ananda explained the matter fully and then said:

– I beseech the Blessed One, out of compassion, to go to that house and guide those people! The Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, never teach without first being entreated. I now entreat the Blessed One on their behalf. Out of great compassion, please go and guide that family!

The Tathagata accepted the Venerable Ananda’s request and immediately went to that household. When the people saw the Blessed One approaching from afar, each raised a hand to wipe away the tears from his face and went forth to welcome the Buddha. As they drew near, they bowed at his feet. Stricken with grief, they choked with emotion and could not speak. They wished to lament aloud, but out of reverence and awe for the Tathagata, they stood motionless and scarcely dared to breathe. The Buddha then said to the householder’s parents:

– Why are you so overwhelmed by grief and sorrow, forever clinging to this provisional, illusory body!

Everyone spoke with one voice to the Buddha:

– World-Honored One! Throughout the city of Shravasti, there was only one man of outstanding intelligence and wisdom, handsome and accomplished, just twenty years of age, with no equal among the people of the city. He also possessed abundant wealth, treasuries, granaries, carriages, horses, clothing, servants, and so forth; he lacked nothing whatsoever. Yet this man suddenly lost his life, causing us immeasurable sorrow and regret, which we cannot restrain! We reverently beseech the World-Honored One to have compassion upon us and teach us how to overcome this grief, so that from this time onward we shall never again have to endure such suffering!

Hearing this, the Buddha said to the elder's parents and relatives and to everyone present:

– Have you ever seen anyone who was born yet did not undergo aging, illness, and death?

– Never, World-Honored One! – they replied.

The Buddha continued teaching:

– You wish to be freed from the grief, sorrow, and suffering of birth, aging, illness, and death, but have you ever considered that these arise because you are bound by attachment and affection? Hold right view and take refuge in the Three Jewels. Why? Because no one in the world surpasses the Buddha, for the Buddha skillfully guides those who are foolish, deluded, and confused. The Dharma taught by the Buddha is indeed excellent medicine.”

The Sutra of Parables from the Dhammapada records: “Long ago, there was a brahmin who left the household life to study the Way while still young, yet by the age of sixty he had still not attained the Way. According to the Brahmanical teachings, anyone who had practiced until the age of sixty without attaining the Way had to return to lay life. [64a] After returning home to live with his wife, he fathered a handsome and lovable son.

At the age of seven, the boy began his studies and proved exceptionally intelligent and eloquent. One day, this extraordinarily gifted child suddenly became gravely ill and died within a single night. Overcome with grief and unbearable anguish, the brahmin lay prostrate beside the body, but the boy had ceased breathing and could not return to life.

His relatives consoled him, then placed the child in a coffin and buried him outside the city. The father thought: ‘What benefit is there in my weeping and lamenting now? It would be better for me to go to King Yama and beg him to restore my son's life!’ With this thought, he bathed and purified himself, observed the fasting precepts, and set forth carrying flowers and incense.

He asked everyone where King Yama held court, but no one knew. Thus he continued ever onward. After traveling several thousand miles, he reached a deep forest where he saw many Brahmanical ascetics who had attained the Way.

As before, he asked them where King Yama held court. The ascetics asked:

– For what purpose do you seek the place where King Yama holds court?

He replied:

– I had a son whose intelligence and handsome appearance surpassed those of others, but he has just died. My anguish and grief are more than I can bear, so I wish to go to King Yama and beg that he be restored to life. I shall return home and raise him, hoping to rely upon him in my old age.

Taking pity on this foolish man, the ascetics said to him:

– The place where King Yama holds court is not somewhere the living can reach. We shall now show you a way: travel more than four hundred miles westward, and you will find a great river. Within that river stands a city. It is the city where divine spirits examine and preserve the records of deeds performed by people of the world in their former lives. Each year, on the fourth day of the fourth month, King Yama reviews and judges the good and evil conduct of humankind and must therefore visit this city. If you observe the fasting precepts and go there, you will certainly meet King Yama.

The brahmin was overjoyed and followed their directions to the river. In the middle of the river, he saw a magnificent fortified city whose palaces and dwellings resembled those of the Trayastrimsha Heaven. He went to the city gate, burned incense, and stood on tiptoe, begging to be granted an audience with King Yama. King Yama then ordered the gatekeeper to lead him inside. The brahmin petitioned:

– Late in life, I fathered a son who is now seven years old, and I had hoped to rely upon him in my old age. Unexpectedly, he died several days ago! I humbly beseech the Great King to show compassion and restore my son to life!

King Yama said:

– Your wish is a worthy one! Your son is now playing in the eastern garden. Go and lead him home!

The brahmin went there at once and saw his son playing happily with other children. He ran to him, embraced him, and sobbed, saying:

– Day and night, Father has thought of you, unable to eat or sleep in peace. Do you not think of the unrelenting anguish and suffering your parents have endured?

The child was astonished and bewildered and instead rebuked him:

– Oh! You foolish, senile old man understand nothing at all! Because I depended upon you for a brief while, you call me your son? Say no more; you had better leave quickly! I now have parents here. We have merely met by chance, so why do you embrace me?

[64b] Sorrowful and weeping, the brahmin departed, thinking: ‘I have heard that the shramana Gautama clearly understands the principles governing the transformations of human souls. I should go and ask him.’ He then went in search of the Buddha. At that time, the Buddha was teaching the Dharma to Brahmanical ascetics at Jetavana in the kingdom of Shravasti. The brahmin went before the Buddha, bowed his head in homage, and related the entire matter in detail. Then he wept and said:

– He truly was my son, yet he did not recognize me. Instead, he called me a foolish, senile old man and said that because he had depended upon me for only a brief while, I had mistakenly claimed him as my son. He felt no affection between father and son whatsoever! World-Honored One, why was this so?

The Buddha said:

– You are truly foolish! After a person dies, the consciousness immediately goes on to assume another body. Parents, spouses, and children meet one another through causes and conditions, like travelers who lodge together briefly and then depart. The foolish become attached, regard others as their personal possessions, and consequently grieve and suffer. Failing to understand the root of the matter, they remain submerged in samsara without respite. Only the wise, who are not infatuated by attachment and affection, recognize suffering and abandon ordinary sentimental habits. They diligently uphold the precepts, study the scriptures, extinguish deluded thoughts, and escape birth and death.

Upon hearing this, the brahmin's mind suddenly opened to clear understanding, and while still seated there he attained the fruit of arhatship.”

The Great Dharma Torch Sutra records: “The Buddha taught:

– All sentient beings are given names according to the forms of their particular kinds, such as sparrows and so forth. Yet beings among the hungry ghosts have no fixed names. Do not suppose that a deva is invariably a deva, a human invariably a human, or a hungry ghost invariably a hungry ghost. You should know that one thing may have many names, one person may have many names, and one deva may have many names; likewise, hungry ghosts and animals may also have many names. Thus, there are also many hungry ghosts that have no names at all, because in the time of a finger snap their forms have already changed, becoming myriad other bodily forms. How, then, could they be named? Among them, if the causes and conditions of their evil karma have not yet been exhausted, then within a single thought-moment they must undergo transformation into many different kinds of bodily forms.”

The Dhammapada Avadana Sutra records: “Long ago, when the Buddha was journeying and teaching in the kingdom of Sravasti, there was an exceedingly wealthy brahmin householder. Yet he was extremely miserly and took no pleasure in giving. Whenever he ate, he would order his household to shut all the doors tightly and allow no one to enter and beg for food.

One day, while the Buddha was teaching the Dharma to devas and humans, the householder, being at home and desiring a delicious meal, ordered his wife to prepare rice. He then killed a plump chicken, seasoned it with pepper, ginger, and other spices to suit his taste, and cooked it. When the food had been arranged in bowls upon the table, he told the servants to close the doors so that he and his wife could sit down and eat.

Their child sat between them and ate together with them. The parents tore off pieces of chicken and fed them to the child, leaving nothing uneaten. The Buddha knew that this householder possessed deep merit and virtue and that the proper time had come for him to be liberated. [64c] He therefore transformed himself into a sramana.

Knowing that the householder was seated at his meal, he appeared before him, pronounced a blessing over the food, and said:

– Whether one has little or much, one should practice giving; one will certainly gain great merit!

The householder raised his head and, seeing the sramana, immediately reviled him:

– You are a renunciant, yet you have no sense of shame! My family is eating; why have you barged in here?

The sramana replied:

– It is you who are foolish and without shame! I am one who begs for food; why should I be ashamed?

The householder asked:

– My family is enjoying happiness together. Why should we be ashamed?

The sramana replied:

– You kill your father and mother to nourish an enemy, yet you feel no shame. Instead, you revile a beggar for having no shame!

Thereupon, the Buddha spoke this verse:

The realm of birth remains unsevered,

While craving is further nourished;

Enmity piles ever higher,

And the fool’s heart knows no peace.

The iron leaves of hell

Cannot imprison the wise;

The fool beholds a beautiful wife,

And, overcome by passion, is confined.

The wise regard sensual affection

As a hell from which escape is hard;

Therefore, it must be eradicated—

Free from attachment, one finds peace.

Having heard the verse, the householder asked in astonishment:

– Why does the man of the Way speak in this manner?

The sramana replied:

– That chicken upon the table was your father in a former life. Because of miserliness and greed, he has repeatedly been born among chickens and eaten by you. This child was a raksasa in a former life. You were a great merchant who sailed out to sea. When your ship capsized, you were swept away and cast into the land of the raksasas, where a raksasa devoured you. This happened for five hundred lifetimes. When that raksasa’s lifespan ended, it was reborn as your child. Because the consequences of your former offenses have not yet been exhausted, it now seeks to harm you in this life. Your present wife was your mother in a former life. Because the bonds of affection were so deep, she has now returned as your wife. In your delusion, you fail to recognize your relatives from former lives; thus, you now kill your father and create enmity, while taking your mother as your wife. Birth and death revolve endlessly through the five destinies, and beings wander among the five kinds of existence, no longer able to recognize one another! Only the Teacher of the Way clearly sees this life and former lives. Fools do not understand—how could they not be ashamed?

At that moment, the hair on the householder’s body suddenly stood on end, and he became utterly terrified. The Buddha then manifested his spiritual power and enabled him to see his former lives. Through the Buddha’s awe-inspiring spiritual power, he clearly knew his past existences and begged to repent and confess his offenses. Afterward, he undertook and upheld the Five Precepts, and the Buddha taught him the Dharma and brought him to liberation. From then on, he cultivated the path and attained the fruit of stream-entry.”

The Sutra Spoken by the Buddha on the Householder’s Son Who Suffered in Three Places records: “At that time, in the city of Sravasti, there lived an exceedingly wealthy householder with innumerable possessions. Yet he had no children, so he feared that after his death his property would fall into the hands of the royal court. [65a] His principal wife devoted herself to offering prayers to the deities, taking refuge in the Three Jewels, and practicing diligently without indolence; thus, she became pregnant.

She was an intelligent woman who clearly understood five matters: first, she understood her husband’s intentions; second, she knew whether her husband was thinking or not thinking; third, she clearly understood the causes and conditions of her pregnancy; fourth, she could clearly distinguish whether the child was male or female; and fifth, she could clearly distinguish good from evil. Therefore, she informed her husband that she had conceived.

Upon hearing the news, the householder was overjoyed. When the full term had passed, she gave birth to a son. He immediately provided five wet nurses to carry and nurture the infant.

When the boy came of age, the householder sought and obtained a beautiful wife for him. One day, the young couple were strolling in the garden when they saw an asoka tree whose flowers were white and whose stamens were as smooth and red as fine silk. Seeing them, the wife said:

– I wish to have one of those flowers!

Her husband immediately climbed the tree. Wishing to pick the flower, he stepped upon a branch that was too slender and weak. It broke, and he fell to the ground and died. When his parents heard the news, they hurried there, cradled their son’s head in their laps, rubbed his body, shook him, and called out to him, but all hope was lost. Grief-stricken, the parents became gaunt and withered with sorrow. Their friends and relatives, seeing this, also shared their anguish. At that time, the Buddha and Ananda were entering the city. Seeing this scene, they felt compassion for the couple whose only son had fallen to his death.

The Buddha told the householder:

– Whoever is born must die; whatever comes into being must decay. Thus, when a person’s lifespan has ended, there is nowhere to hide or escape. Therefore, you should not grieve excessively or allow attachment to delude you.

The Buddha continued:

– This boy originally came from the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. When his lifespan there ended, he was born as your son. When his lifespan as a son in your household ended, he was immediately born among the dragons and was seized and devoured by a garuda. His parents in all three places wept for him at the same time. Whose son, then, was he?

The Buddha thereupon spoke this verse:

Was he a deva in the heavens,

Or was he your own son?

Or was he the child of dragons,

Born within the dragon palace?

Listen as I now explain:

He was not the child of devas,

Nor was he truly your son,

And still less was he a dragon’s child.

He arose solely through causes and conditions,

Impermanent and without true existence.

All things are unstable,

Like travelers merely passing by!

The Buddha told the householder:

– No one can escape death, and after dying, one cannot return to life!

The householder addressed the Buddha:

– What, then, were this child’s offenses and merits in his former life?

The Buddha taught:

– In a former life, this boy delighted greatly in giving and treated everyone with respect. Because of this merit and virtue, he was born into a wealthy family. Yet because he also delighted in hunting and harmed living beings, his lifespan in this life was short. Offenses and merit follow a person just as a shadow follows the body.”

Having heard the Buddha’s explanation, the householder became joyful and serene at heart and immediately attained acceptance of the Dharma.

XII.6. Relinquishing Attachment

[65b] The Treatise on the Ten Stages—Vibhasa states: “Within the household, from relatives such as parents, brothers, wife, and children, and so forth, to possessions such as carriages and horses, all cause people’s craving and seeking to increase without ever being satisfied. The household is as difficult to fill as the ocean that gathers the waters of all rivers. The household is never satisfied, like a stove consuming firewood.

The household is a place of unceasing scrutiny and calculation. The household is inherently suffering, like an enemy pretending to be a loved one. The household obstructs the path to sagehood.

The household is a place of turmoil arising from conflict and contention. The household gives rise to much anger and criticism over what is good or bad. Although the household may endure for quite a long time, it nevertheless changes and is impermanent.

The household is a repository of accumulated suffering caused by seeking and guarding. The household is a cause for suspicion, like a bandit who cannot be trusted. The household is deluded, grasping, and deceitful.

The household is like a courtesan adorned with false ornaments. The household is a place of change, for wherever there is union, there will inevitably be separation. The household is merely borrowed and has no true existence.

The household is like a dream, for wealth and honor will eventually turn into poverty and hardship. The household is like morning dew, vanishing in an instant. The household is like a drop of honey, for its sweetness is very slight.

The household is like a field of thorns that seek to pierce and injure people. The household is like an iron worm, constantly gnawing away. The calamities of household life are so numerous that they cannot all be recounted.

Therefore, a householder bodhisattva should understand that wife and children, relatives, wealth, and so forth cannot save one, cannot lead one onto the right path, and are not good spiritual friends. One should therefore quickly relinquish them.

Moreover, since beginningless time, all sentient beings in the six realms have repeatedly been one another’s parents and children. What fixed distinction can there be between distant and close relations? A verse says:

Ignorance obscures wisdom;

Through many kalpas in samsara,

Coming and going countless times,

We have been parents and children to one another.

Attached to worldly pleasures,

We do not know a higher joy.

An enemy becomes a loved one,

And a loved one becomes an enemy.

Therefore, through skillful means, I teach:

Do not give rise to love or hatred.

If love and hatred arise,

One cannot fully comprehend the Dharma.

The Sutra of the Great Bodhisattva Treasury states: “Sariputra! If sentient beings are attached to sexual desire between men and women, you should know that they are attached to sandstorms, attached to the points of sharp blades, attached to red-hot iron balls, attached to red-hot iron beds, and attached to red-hot iron seats. Sariputra! If anyone delights in wearing garlands and anointing the body with pleasing fragrances, that person delights in wearing garlands of red-hot iron and also delights in smearing excrement and urine upon the body.

Sariputra! If anyone guards and protects a house, you should know that person is embracing a great vessel of red-hot iron. If anyone maintains servants, you should know that person is maintaining the cruel wardens of the hells. [65c] If anyone keeps elephants, horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, goats, pigs, and chickens, you should know that person is keeping the powerful, ferocious black dogs of hell and is also maintaining a hundred yojanas’ worth of armed guards.

In brief, to guard and maintain sexual objects—wives and children, men and women—is to guard and maintain the entire mass of suffering, including worry, anguish, sorrow, and grief.

Sariputra! It would be better to lie upon a great bed of red-hot iron a thousand yojanas in extent and allow the fire to burn the body to ashes than to accept as objects of sexual desire the women whom one’s parents give as principal or secondary wives. One should not even gaze at their forms from afar with a mind defiled by desire, much less draw near and embrace them.

Why is this? Sariputra! You should know that a wife is the root of all suffering; the root of all obstructions; the root of killing; the root of all bondage; the root of sorrow and anxiety; the root of enmity; and the root of blindness.

You should know that a wife causes her husband to lose the eye of wisdom. A wife is like red-hot iron flowers scattered across the ground upon which her husband must tread. A wife causes her husband’s habitual inclinations toward perversity to increase day by day.

Sariputra! For what reason is she called a wife? A wife increases one’s burden. Why is this? Because a wife constantly causes sentient beings to take up a burden; causes sentient beings to labor on account of that burden; causes sentient beings to hurry about everywhere carrying that burden; causes sentient beings’ hearts to become weary and distressed because of that burden; causes sentient beings to be scorched and oppressed by that burden; and causes sentient beings to be injured by that burden.

Sariputra! Again, for what reason is she called a wife? Because a wife is a recipient to whom sentient beings must offer their wealth and possessions, and a place of degradation for those enslaved by craving. For a man who submits to his wife, the wife is a tax collector. If the wife is beautiful, she is a source of delusion. If the wife is more capable than her husband, the husband is ordered about. If the wife is inferior to her husband, the husband becomes someone upon whom she depends. If the wife is permissive, she becomes an occasion for heedlessness. If one becomes a servant to one’s wife, the wife becomes a source of hardship. If one indulges the wife’s wishes, the wife becomes a source of instability. Sariputra! For such reasons, all these circumstances are called ‘wife.’”

The Samyukta Agama Sutra states: “At that time, the Buddha told the bhiksus:

– There are three kinds of children: first, a child who is as good as the parents; second, a child who is better than the parents; and third, a child who is worse than the parents.

1. What is a child who is as good as the parents? It means that when the parents observe the five precepts, the child follows the parents in observing the five precepts.

2. What is a child who is better than the parents? It means that although the parents do not observe the five precepts, the child always observes the five precepts.

3. What is a child who is worse than the parents? It means that when the parents do not observe the five precepts, the child likewise fails to observe the five precepts.”

XII.7. Admonition

[66a] The Madhyama Agama Sutra states: “At that time, a horse trainer named Zhi-shi came to the Buddha, bowed his head at the Buddha’s feet, sat to one side, and said:

– Blessed One! I see that people in the world are very deficient, like a herd of horses. In this world, I alone am capable of taming horses. When there are fierce and unruly horses, I have methods that cause them to reveal their dispositions in only a short while; then, according to the disposition of each horse, I employ a particular method to train it.

The Buddha asked the horse trainer:

– Headman! How many methods do you have for taming horses?

The horse trainer replied:

– I have three methods:

1. Gentle soothing

2. Stern punishment and beating

3. A combination of gentleness and sternness.

The Buddha said:

– If you use these three methods and a horse still cannot be tamed, what do you do?

The horse trainer said to the Buddha:

– If it cannot be tamed, I kill it, so that it will not damage my reputation.

The horse trainer then asked the Buddha:

– The Blessed One is an unsurpassed trainer. How many methods do you use to train others?

The Buddha replied:

– I also use three methods to train others. What are the three?

1. Pure gentleness

2. Pure sternness

3. A combination of gentleness and sternness.

The Buddha told the headman:

– Pure gentleness, as you call it, is this: bodily good conduct and the karmic result of bodily good conduct; wholesome speech, wholesome mental intentions, and the karmic results of wholesome speech and wholesome mental intentions. This is called the heavenly realm; this is called the human realm; this is called spontaneous birth in a wholesome realm; this is called nirvana. This is called teaching through pure gentleness.”

– Purely stern, as you have said, means that when a person’s body commits evil deeds, that person’s body undergoes evil retribution; when that person’s mouth speaks evil words and the mind gives rise to evil thoughts, the mouth and mind undergo evil retribution. This is called hell; this is called the realm of animals; this is called the realm of hungry ghosts; this is called an evil path; this is called falling into an evil destiny. This is called the Tathagata’s use of a stern method to discipline beings.

– Both gentle and stern means that the Tathagata sometimes speaks of the body performing good deeds; sometimes speaks of the retribution received by the body for performing good deeds; sometimes speaks of the mouth uttering wholesome words and the mind giving rise to wholesome thoughts; sometimes speaks of the retribution received by the mouth for uttering wholesome words and by the mind for giving rise to wholesome thoughts; sometimes speaks of the body performing evil deeds; sometimes speaks of the retribution received by the body for performing evil deeds; sometimes speaks of the mouth uttering evil words and the mind giving rise to evil thoughts; and sometimes speaks of the retribution received by the mouth for uttering evil words and by the mind for giving rise to evil thoughts. Thus it is called the heavenly realm; thus it is called the human realm; thus it is called a good destiny; thus it is called nirvana. [66b] Thus it is called hell; thus it is called the realm of animals and hungry ghosts; thus it is called an evil path. This is called being both gentle and stern.

The horse trainer said to the Buddha:

– Blessed One! You use these three methods to discipline sentient beings. But what do you do with those who cannot be disciplined?

The Buddha told the village headman:

– They too should be killed. Why? So that My authority will not be impaired.

The horse trainer said:

– Taking life is impure according to the Dharma of the Blessed One. Your Dharma prohibits killing, so why do You now speak of killing? What does this mean?

The Buddha told the village headman:

– The Dharma of the Tathagata does not permit killing, but the Dharma of the Tathagata also employs three methods of instruction. As for those who cannot be disciplined, I neither speak to them nor instruct them, nor do I exhort or admonish them. Are they not as good as dead?

The horse trainer said to the Buddha:

– Indeed, Blessed One. When one does not speak to them and forever neither admonishes nor instructs them, those people are truly as good as dead. For this reason, from this day forth I shall abandon all evil and all unwholesome karma.

After hearing the Buddha teach the Dharma, the horse trainer rejoiced, bowed his head in homage, and withdrew.”

The Sutra of the Parables of the Dhammapada records: “The Buddha asked the elephant keeper:

– How many methods are there for disciplining an elephant?

He replied:

– There are three methods: first, an iron hook is placed in its mouth and a rope is fastened to lead it; second, its ration of food is reduced, causing the elephant to become hungry and thin; third, it is struck with a staff, causing it pain. By placing the iron hook in its mouth, its vicious mouth is restrained; by withholding food, its body is disciplined; and by striking it with a staff, the elephant’s mind is disciplined.

The Buddha told the householder:

– I too use three methods to discipline all sentient beings and to discipline Myself, thereby attaining liberation:

1. I use a mind of utmost sincerity to discipline the calamities caused by the mouth.

2. I use a compassionate and pure mind to discipline the obstinate body.

3. I use wisdom to eradicate delusion.

By means of these three, I liberate all sentient beings from the three evil paths.”

The Sutra of King Yama’s Five Messengers records: “The Buddha told the bhiksus:

– People born into the world who are not filial toward their parents, do not respect sramanas, lack benevolence, do not study the sutras of the precepts, and do not fear the next life will fall into hell after death. The record keeper brings the offender before King Yama and reports:

– This sentient being is exceedingly evil, is neither filial nor respectful toward his parents, commits many offenses, possesses no merit or virtue, and has never feared death. May the King punish him.

[66c] King Yama first speaks gently and truthfully, successively presenting the five messengers, and asks:

– First, when people in the world are newly born, they lie upon a bed and urinate on it, yet cannot clean it themselves. Their mouths cannot speak, and they do not know what is good or bad. Have you seen this?

The offender replies:

– Yes, I have seen it.

The King says:

– Did you think that you were not once like this? A person’s consciousness follows such a body: whenever there is death, there is birth. Although as an infant one does not yet understand anything, one should always perform good deeds to cultivate the three right karmas. Why, then, did you let your mind run free and commit many offenses?

The offender replies:

– Because I was ignorant and did not understand.

The King says:

– You yourself were foolish and indulged in evil. That fault does not belong to your father, mother, king, teacher, the gods, sramanas, renunciants, and so forth. How could you not accept responsibility for your offenses? Therefore, you must now undergo suffering. This is King Yama presenting the first divine messenger to admonish the offender.

Second, Yama again asks:

– When you were a human being, another divine messenger came. Were you aware of it?

The offender replies:

– No, I was not aware.

The King says:

– Did you see people in the world who, upon growing old, had white hair, lost their teeth, became frail and weak, walked with stooped and bent backs, and could not stand without leaning upon a staff?

The offender replies:

– Yes, I saw them.

The King says:

– Did you think that you alone could escape old age? All who are born as human beings must undergo aging and death. Therefore, you should always have performed good deeds to cultivate the three right karmas and uphold the prohibitory precepts. Why did you abandon yourself to heedlessness?

The offender replies:

– My foolishness led me to this.

The King says:

– You yourself were foolish and committed evil; it is not the fault of your parents, the king, the gods, sramanas, renunciants, and so forth. Your offenses were committed by you alone; how could you refuse to accept them? Therefore, you must now undergo their retribution. This is King Yama presenting the second divine messenger to admonish the offender.

Third, King Yama again says:

– When you were a human being, did you not see men and women in the world whose bodies were afflicted by illness and pain, who could find no ease whether standing or sitting, who became distressed as death drew near, and whom physicians could not cure despite treating them?

He replies:

– Yes, I saw them.

The King says:

– Did you think that you could remain free from illness? Since human beings undergo aging, they all must also undergo illness. While seeing your body in good health, you should have diligently performed good deeds, upheld the prohibitory precepts, and made the three karmas right. Why did you abandon yourself to heedlessness?

The offender replies:

– My ignorance led me to this.

The King says:

– Because of your ignorance, you committed evil. This fault has nothing to do with your father, mother, the king, the gods, sramanas, or renunciants. Your offenses were committed by you alone; how could you refuse to accept them? Therefore, you must now undergo their retribution. This is King Yama presenting the third divine messenger to admonish the offender.

[67a] Fourth, King Yama again asks:

– When you were a human being, did you not see the dead being buried or their corpses being abandoned in desolate places to decay on their own? After as many as seven days, their skin and flesh disintegrated, and jackals, foxes, and many kinds of birds came to devour them. Whenever a person dies, the body becomes filthy, foul-smelling, and decomposed. Did you not see this?

The offender replies:

– Yes, I saw it.

The King says:

– Did you think that you alone could escape death? Whenever human beings are born, they must die. Knowing that you were still living in the world, you should always have performed good deeds, guarded the three karmas, and received and upheld the prohibitory precepts. Why did you abandon yourself to heedlessness?

The offender replies:

– My ignorance led me to this.

The King says:

– You yourself committed evil. It is not the fault of your father, mother, the king, the gods, sramanas, renunciants, and so forth. Your offenses were committed by you alone; how could you refuse to accept them? Therefore, you must now undergo their retribution. This is King Yama presenting the fourth divine messenger to admonish the offender.

Fifth, King Yama again asks:

– When you were a human being, did you not see wicked and evil people pursued and arrested by guards, brought before the authorities, and then punished—some having their hands or feet severed; some having their ears or noses cut off; some having their bodies burned; some having their heads suspended high to be scorched by the sun; some having their four limbs dismembered—and undergoing many other painful and agonizing punishments?

The sinner replied:

– Yes, I did see them.

The King said:

– Did you think that you alone could commit evil and escape punishment? Seeing clearly with your own eyes the consequences of transgression and merit in the world, why did you not practice goodness, guard the three kinds of karma, and follow the precepts taught in the scriptures? Why did you delight in doing evil?

The sinner replied:

– Because of my ignorance, I came to this.

The King said:

– You deliberately committed improper deeds. This was not the fault of your father, mother, king, the heavens, śramaṇas, monastics, or anyone else. You must now personally undergo the karmic obstacles resulting from them. This is the fifth divine messenger presented by King Yama to admonish sinners.

When the Buddha had finished teaching the sutra, the disciples approached the Buddha, bowed their heads at his feet in homage, and joyfully accepted and practiced the teaching.”

The Great Dharmapada Sutra contains these verses:

Though one recites a thousand fine words,

What benefit is there without practice?

Better merely to hear one teaching

And diligently cultivate it to gain benefit.

Though one recites a thousand words,

If their meaning is misunderstood,

It is not as good as grasping the true meaning;

Having heard it, the mind becomes pure.

Though one recites a thousand fine words,

What benefit is there if they are meaningless?

Better to hear a single truth

And, practicing it, attain liberation.

Though one recites a thousand words,

What benefit is there without reverence?

Better to undertake a single practice

And joyfully vow to carry it out.

Though one recites a thousand words,

If attachment to self is not extinguished,

Better to understand a single sentence

And abandon pride and heedlessness.

Though one recites a thousand words,

Seeking fame only increases attachment;

Better to hear a single teaching

And relinquish attachment and craving.

Though one recites a thousand words,

If one does not wish to remove karmic obstacles,

Better to understand a single sentence

And leave far behind the path of birth and death.

Though one recites a thousand words,

If sensual desire only grows more firmly rooted,

Better to understand a single meaning

And end the delusions of mind and objects.

Though one recites a thousand words,

If one does not seek the supramundane path,

Better to awaken to a single Dharma

And forever transcend the three realms.

Though one recites a thousand words,

If compassion and wisdom are not maintained,

Better to hear a single teaching

And benefit oneself and others.

Though a person lives a hundred years,

If stinginess and craving tighten day by day,

It is not as good as living for a single day

And relinquishing wealth and sensual pleasures.

Though a person lives a hundred years,

[67b] If one takes no delight in strictly observing the precepts,

It is not as good as living for a single day

With a pure mind, maintaining the precepts.

Though a person lives a hundred years,

If prone to anger and lacking patience,

It is not as good as living for a single day

Joyful and free from anger.

Though a person lives a hundred years,

If indolent and lacking diligence,

It is not as good as living for a single day

With both body and mind vigorous in practice.

Though a person lives a hundred years,

If the mind delights in dissipation,

It is not as good as living for a single day

And bringing the mind back to stillness.

Though a person lives a hundred years,

If the mind remains deluded,

It is not as good as living for a single day

Awakened and free from ignorance.

Though a person lives a hundred years,

If unskilled in disciplining body and mind,

It is not as good as living for a single day

Skillfully disciplining the mind and transforming one’s intentions.

Though a person lives a hundred years,

If one’s aspiration is small and weak,

It is not as good as living for a single day

With the mighty power of wisdom.

Though a person lives a hundred years,

If unable to form wholesome vows,

It is not as good as living for a single day

And bringing forth the four great vows[9].

Though a person lives a full hundred years,

If wisdom does not arise,

It is not as good as living for a single day

With keen and penetrating wisdom.

The Saṃyukta Āgama Sutra records that the devas spoke these verses:

For people dwelling in this world,

An axe is born from the mouth;

It turns back and hews their own bodies—

Such is the consequence of evil speech.

They praise those deserving blame

And blame those deserving praise;

That transgression arises from the mouth,

And at death they fall into evil destinies.

Verses:

Set firm resolve and restrain the deluded mind;

Delight in befriending the virtuous.

Together establish vast vows;

Forsake the mundane and cherish the sublime.

Release attachment to people and possessions;

Be at ease, free from fetters.

In serene stillness, seek to return to the truth;

Rouse the faint and feeble mind.

Remain vigilant and cultivate the three kinds of karma;

Resolve to still the four currents[10].

Bring forth vast and mighty vows;

With the boat of compassion, rescue those who are drowning.

Joyfully aspire toward wondrous enlightenment[11];

Skillfully understand the cultivation of liberation.

Guard the mind and cultivate the right path[12];

Vow never to rest until Buddhahood is attained.

Notes:

[1] Lì 莉: the name of a kind of grass.

[2] Huò 藿: the leaf of the bean plant.

[3] The Sutra of the Mātaṅga Woman (Mātaṅga Sutra 摩登伽經): a sutra in two fascicles, translated by the masters Zhu Lüyan of Wu. Its contents concern the Buddha’s deliverance of Mātaṅgī and his teaching about the stars and other matters.

[4] The pattra tree (abbreviated: pattra leaf 貝多羅葉; S: pattra): a kind of tree whose leaves were used for writing records or scriptural texts. Before paper was invented, ancient Indians used these leaves in place of paper.

[5] Zhongni 仲尼: Confucius.

[6] Bodily member 身分: the male organ.

[7] Flower retribution 華報: a flower blossoms before it bears fruit. Sentient beings plant the karmic causes of good and evil; the result obtained from these karmic causes is called fruit retribution, while that which precedes the fruit retribution is called flower retribution. For example, when cultivating goodness and being mindful of the Buddha serve as karmic causes, rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss is the flower retribution, while subsequently attaining great bodhi is the fruit retribution.

[8] A bhikṣu in charge of affairs (營事比丘): a bhikṣu specifically responsible for managing the affairs of the Sangha in a monastery.

[9] The four great vows (四弘誓願): four vast vows that all bodhisattvas should bring forth while still on the causal stage: Sentient beings are boundless; I vow to deliver them. Afflictions are inexhaustible; I vow to end them. Dharma gates are immeasurable; I vow to learn them. The Buddha Way is unsurpassed; I vow to accomplish it.

[10] The four currents (四流): the currents of views, sensual desire, existence, and ignorance.

[11] Wondrous enlightenment 妙覺: to awaken oneself and enable others to awaken, bringing both activities to perfect fulfillment, is called wondrous enlightenment. It refers to the fruition stage of Buddhahood.

[12] The right path 正道 (also called: the Noble Eightfold Path; S: āryāṣṭāṅgika-mārga): the eight noble paths, namely right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.