無垢優婆夷問經

Thus have I heard:

At one time the Buddha was dwelling in a quiet palace at the Storeyed Pavilion lecture hall in the city of Śrāvastī. At that time, the upāsikā Vimalā, the upāsikā Bhadrā, and other upāsikās came together to the place where the Buddha was, bowed their heads at the Buddha's feet, and withdrew to sit to one side. The Buddha asked the upāsikās:

"Do you not practice heedlessness, and are your minds not slothful?"

"Reverend World-Honored One! We are not slothful, nor do we practice heedlessness."

The Buddha asked the upāsikā Vimalā:

"How do you constantly remain free from sloth, and how do you remain free from the practice of heedlessness?"

The upāsikā Vimalā addressed the Buddha:

"Reverend World-Honored One! Early each morning I sweep the stūpa. When the sweeping is done, I tidy and cleanse the four directions and four corners of the Buddha's stūpa, making them clean, and then I scatter flowers and burn incense.

"Having performed such offerings, I afterwards enter my chamber and engage in meditation, cultivating the four brahma-vihāras, never forsaking the Three Refuges, and upholding the Five Precepts. I am always thus, without sloth, without the conduct of heedlessness."

The upāsikā Vimalā again asked the Buddha:

"World-Honored One! I do not yet know: in sweeping the Buddha's stūpa, what wholesome roots and what merit-reward are obtained? In tidying and wiping clean the four corners of the stūpa, what wholesome roots and what merit-reward are obtained? In scattering flowers and burning incense as an offering to the Buddha's stūpa, what wholesome roots and what merit-reward are obtained? In entering meditation, cultivating the four brahma-vihāras, and upholding the Three Refuges and Five Precepts, what wholesome roots and what merit-reward are obtained? I beseech the World-Honored One to explain this for me."

The Buddha told the upāsikā Vimalā:

"In sweeping the Buddha's stūpa, five kinds of merit-reward are obtained: 1. One's own mind becomes pure, and others who see it also give rise to a pure mind; 2. One is beloved by others; 3. The devas give rise to a mind of joy; 4. One accumulates the karma of an upright appearance; 5. When one's life ends, one is reborn among the devas in the good destinies. Vimalā, you should know that sweeping the Buddha's stūpa obtains such merit-reward.

"Vimalā! If anyone has faith in the Buddha and makes a round form (the round form symbolizing the water element), tidies the ground of the Buddha's stūpa, scatters flowers and burns incense, performing such offerings—I say that when this person's body breaks up and life ends, he will be reborn in Pūrvavideha, wealthy and self-possessed, and when his lifespan there is exhausted, he will be reborn in the Nirmāṇarati Heaven.

"Vimalā, you should know: if anyone has faith in the Buddha and forms a half-moon shape (the half-moon shape symbolizing the wind element), sweeps and cleans the ground of the Buddha's stūpa, scatters flowers and burns incense—performing such offerings—I say that when this person's body breaks up and life ends, he will be reborn in Godānīya, wealthy, at peace and self-possessed. When his lifespan there is exhausted, he will be reborn in the Tuṣita Heaven.

"Vimalā, you should know! If anyone has faith in the Buddha and, beside the Buddha's stūpa, sweeps and wipes clean the four directions, burns incense, scatters flowers, making such offerings, I say that when this person's body breaks up and life ends, he will be reborn in Uttarakuru, blissful and self-possessed; and when his lifespan there is exhausted, he will be reborn in the Yāma Heaven.

"Vimalā, you should know! If anyone has faith in the Buddha and makes a human-face form (the square form symbolizing the earth element), sweeps and cleans the Buddha's stūpa, scatters flowers and burns incense—performing such offerings—I say that when this person's body breaks up and life ends, he will be reborn in Jambudvīpa, blissful, wealthy and self-possessed. When his lifespan there is exhausted, he will be reborn in the Heaven of the Thirty-three. Vimalā, you should know! If one sweeps and cleans the ground of that stūpa, scatters flowers and burns incense, then one possesses wholesome roots that obtain such fruits of reward.

"Vimalā, you should know: if anyone enters meditation and cultivates the four brahma-vihāras, takes refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha, and upholds the Five Precepts, I say that this person obtains immeasurable, innumerable wholesome roots, merit-reward without limit and without end, and afterwards attains Nirvāṇa. Vimalā, you should know: if anyone takes refuge in the Śrāvaka and Pratyekabuddha vehicles and cultivates the aggregate of precepts, he cannot in this way realize the inexhaustible Nirvāṇa. Why is this? Because upholding the Five Precepts and the meditation of the four brahma-vihāras only obtains the fruit-reward of abundant merit, but Nirvāṇa is not thereby obtained."

Although the World-Honored One spoke thus, the upāsikā Vimalā still had doubt in her mind, and remained silent without speaking. The World-Honored One, knowing the thought in Vimalā's mind, extended from his mouth the mark of a broad, long tongue, which covered his entire face, both hands, both eyes, both nostrils, and even covered all of empty space. Thereafter, the Buddha withdrew the mark of the tongue back into his mouth, and then said to the upāsikā Vimalā:

"Have you ever seen anyone who speaks falsehood, who speaks with a double tongue, who speaks harsh words, who speaks idle and ornamented speech, possess such a tongue-mark as this?"

The upāsikā Vimalā, hearing the Buddha's question, rose from her seat, joined her palms toward the Buddha, and said:

"Reverend World-Honored One! I have never seen such a person. One who speaks truthful words still does not possess that tongue-mark—how much less one who speaks false words. Only the Tathāgata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Enlightened One, who from of old until now has spoken truthful words, can obtain such a tongue-mark."

At that time, the upāsikā Vimalā, knowing that the Buddha spoke truthfully and having no more doubt, was greatly delighted in mind, and uttered a verse in praise, saying:

The World-Honored One spoke in verse:

When the World-Honored One had finished speaking the verse, the upāsikā Vimalā was immeasurably joyful in mind. And the entire assembly—bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, upāsikās, devas, humans, asuras, gandharvas, and the rest—hearing what the Buddha had spoken, together uttered a verse in praise:

The merit of translating this sūtra
We universally bestow upon all beings.
May they swiftly cultivate the cause of the human path,
And attain the human realm, the deva realm, and Nirvāṇa…