Toh 344Thánh Kinh Nhân Duyên Phật: Câu Chuyện Tấm Gương về Đức Phật của Trí Nanika (Toh 344)

Summary

In the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, a god has reached the end of his life. He foresees his
rebirth as a pig and calls out to the Buddha to save him. The Buddha prompts him to seek refuge in
the Three Jewels and, as a result, the god finds himself reborn into a wealthy family in Vaiśālī. In
this life as a child named Jñānaka, he encounters the Buddha once more and invites him and his monks
for a midday meal. The Buddha prophesies to Ānanda that the meritorious offering made by Jñānaka
will eventually lead the child to awaken as the buddha known as King of Foremost Knowing.

Acknowledgements

Translated by the Subhashita Translation Group. The translation was produced by Lowell Cook
who also wrote the introduction. Benjamin Ewing and Ryan Damron checked the translation against the
Tibetan and edited the text and introduction.

The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the
Words of the Buddha.

Introduction

The Noble Sūtra of Jñānaka: An Exemplary Tale of the
Buddha is one of a number of avadānas (Tib. rtogs pa brjod
pa), or exemplary tales, preserved in the Kangyur. Avadāna is a narrative genre of Buddhist literature that describes how
virtuous actions play out across lifetimes. True to the avadāna genre, The
Sūtra of Jñānaka relates the otherwise unimaginable workings of karma across several
lifetimes, beginning with a god in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. This god has reached the end
of his life and foresees his rebirth in the womb of a pig in Vaiśālī, the Licchavi capital at
the time of the Buddha. Another god overhears his cries of agony and encourages him to call upon
the Buddha, who is staying in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three to give teachings to his mother,
who had passed away not long after his birth. The Buddha prompts the dying god to seek refuge in
the Three Jewels, and, instead of being reborn to the sow, the god finds himself born into a
merchant family in Vaiśālī. Immediately after his birth, he praises the Three Jewels, leading
his astounded parents to name him Jñānaka, “He Who Possesses Knowledge.” At the age of eight, Jñānaka
encounters the Buddha on an alms round. Recollecting his past life, he offers alms to the Buddha
and invites him and his monks to a midday meal at his parents’ home. Jñānaka’s parents make
elaborate preparations to receive the Buddha and his monks, which prompts the Buddha to prophesy
that Jñānaka’s offerings will act as the cause for his eventual awakening as the buddha known as
King of Foremost Knowing.

The basic narrative of The Sūtra of Jñānaka is similar to
that of the text that immediately follows it in the Kangyur, The
Exemplary Tale About a Sow (Toh 345: Sūkarikāvadāna; phag mo’i rtogs pa brjod pa), wherein another god similarly laments his imminent rebirth as a pig in Rājagṛha. His tearful laments prompt Śakra, lord of the gods, to instruct him to take refuge in the Three Jewels as a means to prevent such an unwelcome event. In this sūtra, the god does not take rebirth in the human realm as Jñānaka does, but rather in the Tuṣita heaven.

The Sūtra of Jñānaka survives only in Tibetan translation;
there are no extant Sanskrit witnesses, and it does not appear to have been translated into
Chinese. The Sūtra of Jñānaka is listed in the Denkarma (Tib.
ldan/lhan dkar ma) and Phanthangma (Tib. ’phang thang ma) catalogs, the two extant indexes
of translations from the Imperial Period (629–841 ce). The sūtra’s
colophon states that the sūtra was translated by the Tibetan monk and prolific translator Kawa
Paltsek (ca. eighth century) together with the Indian preceptors Vidyākarasiṃha and
Sarvajñādeva. This evidence allows us to date the Tibetan translation of The Sūtra of Jñānaka to approximately the eighth century.

This English translation is based on the Tibetan edition found in the Degé Kangyur,
which was read alongside the Comparative Edition (Tib. dpe bsdur
ma) and Stok Palace (Tib. stog pho brang) Kangyurs.
The Sūtra of Jñānaka has not previously been translated into
any Western languages nor has it received substantial scholarly treatment.

The Translation

The Noble Sūtra of Jñānaka

An Exemplary Tale of the Buddha

Homage to all buddhas and
bodhisattvas.

Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was staying among the gods of the Heaven of
the Thirty-Three for the benefit of his mother. He was seated in front of the Pāriyātra tree
upon the Pāṇḍukambala rock. There was a god there experiencing the five
ominous signs of death: his garlands had withered, his clothes had started to deteriorate, his
body had started to smell, sweat dripped from his armpits, and he felt unhappy on his seat. This god foresaw his rebirth in the womb of a pig in Vaiśālī, causing him to be
overcome with misery and cry out in woe. He beat his chest as he wept uncontrollably.

Another god approached him and asked, “Deva, is it death that you fear?”

“Indeed, fellow deva,” he responded, “it is death that I fear. Why? Well, fellow deva, I
have eaten divine foods, imbibed divine drinks, and worn divine garments here among the gods of
the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. Thus, as I behold my rebirth in the womb of a pig in Vaiśālī, I
see that I will eat excrement and be killed by a blade. These are the reasons, fellow deva, that
I fear death.”

“Do not be afraid of death, my fellow deva! Why? Well, fellow deva, the Blessed One—the
thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha—is residing here in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three for the
benefit of his mother. He is seated in front of the Pāriyātra tree upon the Pāṇḍukambala rock. Deva, you should by all means pay homage to the Blessed One. He will
come here to save you from the lower realms. Why? Fellow deva, the blessed Buddha has great
compassion and never forsakes beings.”

The god then rose from his seat, draped his upper robe over one shoulder, and knelt on
his right knee. With his palms joined, he bowed in the direction of the Blessed One and repeated
this entreaty three times:

“Homage to the blessed Thus-Gone One! Homage to the blessed Thus-Gone One! Out of love
for me, may the Blessed One please come here and save me from the lower realms!”

Aware of the sincere intent of that god, the Blessed One went to him and sat upon a seat
that had been prepared. After taking his seat, the Blessed One asked that god, “Deva, is it
death that you fear?”

“Indeed, Blessed One,” the god responded, “I am afraid to die. Why? Because I foresaw my
rebirth in the wretched womb of a pig in Vaiśālī. Once reborn there, I will eat excrement and be
killed by a blade. That is why, Blessed One, I am afraid to die.”

The Blessed One said, “Deva, do not be afraid of death! Why? Well, deva, it is not the
earth and water elements that transmigrate here and there, but rather your own actions. Come here,
deva. Take refuge in the Buddha. Take refuge in the Dharma and in the Saṅgha.”

The god then rose from his seat and addressed the Blessed One: “Yes, Blessed One, I
will. I take refuge in the Buddha! I take refuge in the Dharma and in the Saṅgha!”

The Blessed One responded to the god with the following stanza:

“Those who have taken refuge in the Buddha

Will be spared transmigrating to the lower realms.

As they relinquish their divine existence,

They will take up a human existence instead.”

The Blessed One then delivered a discourse on the Dharma to the god and ensured that the god retained it. Having
inspired the god and filled him with delight, the Blessed One rose from his seat and
departed.

Not long thereafter, the god passed away. He was immediately reborn in the womb of a
noble merchant’s wife in Vaiśālī. After nine months had come to pass, an adorable child with a
charming appearance and the most exquisite complexion was born. The moment he was born he
exclaimed, “Homage to the Buddha! Homage to the Dharma! Homage to the Saṅgha!”

At that moment, his parents thought, “This child knows of the Buddha, the Dharma, and
the Saṅgha. He possesses knowledge.”

Once, when this child Jñānaka was around eight years old, he and a group of Licchavi youths, who were in his company, arrived at a crossroads in a park. At that time the Blessed One was staying at a mansion
in the great grove of Vaiśālī. At dawn, the Blessed One donned his lower garment, dressed in his
robes, picked up his alms bowl, and went to Vaiśālī on an alms round. The child Jñānaka caught sight of the Blessed One, who was handsome, and so forth, up until shining. Filled with joy at seeing the Blessed
One, he happily went before the Blessed One and bowed his head to his feet, circled him three
times, and sat to one side. Seated to one side, the child Jñānaka spoke to the Blessed One in
verse:

“I have recollected a past life

In which the Lord of the World

Saved me from suffering

And delivered me from falling to the lower realms.

“Foremost of humans, would you be so kind

As to accept this gift of alms?

Please accept this midday meal today

For having saved me so.

“Please think kindly as I invite you

To my parents’ home tomorrow.

Together with all of your monks

Please come to partake of a midday meal.”

The Blessed One remained silent, signaling his acceptance of the child Jñānaka’s
request. Aware that the Blessed One had accepted by not speaking, the child Jñānaka went before
his parents and announced, “Dear father and mother, I offered alms to the Blessed One and have
invited him tomorrow for a midday meal.”

The parents of the child Jñānaka were pleased and rejoiced, full of happiness and
delight. Filled with joy and elation, they arranged a spread of delicious foods and tasty
delicacies that very night. They had the entire city of Vaiśālī swept clean and strung with silk
tassels. They lit incense in incense burners, sprinkled fragrant water, and elegantly scattered
flowers. When the night had passed and the appropriate time had come, they went to the Blessed
One and said, “Honorable One, Blessed One, it is time for the midday meal. The food is ready.”

At dawn, the Blessed One donned his lower garment, dressed in his robes, and picked up
his alms bowl. Escorted and encircled by an assembly of monks, he went to the home of Jñānaka’s
parents where they sat upon seats that had been prepared for them. Noticing that the Blessed One
and the saṅgha of monks were seated, the child Jñānaka brought forth many delicious foods and
tasty delicacies, offering them carefully with his own hands. Seeing that the Blessed One had
finished his midday meal, he presented a set of cotton robes and a pair of sandals to each
member of the saṅgha, and three new robes and a pair of new shoes to the Blessed One. He scattered gold and silver
flowers that, through the power of the Buddha, immediately transformed above the Blessed One’s
head into a glistening, elegant mansion with four corners and four rooms. Within this mansion,
the child Jñānaka beheld the figure of the Thus-Gone One sitting cross-legged and teaching the
Dharma.

As he observed the Blessed One’s inconceivable form, miracles, and supernatural powers,
the child Jñānaka was joyful, elated, and filled with happiness. He said to the Blessed One,
“Blessed One, I dedicate my roots of virtue to unsurpassed and completely perfect awakening. May
these roots of virtue lead me to awaken, teach the Dharma, and sustain the saṅgha just like the
present Blessed One.”

Aware of the intent of the child Jñānaka, the Blessed One smiled, and so forth, up until the light dissolved into the crown of his head. The venerable Ānanda saw this and thought to himself, “There is nothing that the Blessed One does without purpose,” and so forth, up until “What is the reason?”

The Blessed One then addressed the venerable Ānanda with these verses:

“Ānanda, by making offerings to the Thus-Gone One like this,

Jñānaka will not fall to lower states for nine hundred million eons.

He will, at that point, take rebirth and appear in the world as a guide,

As a buddha by the name of King of Foremost Knowing.

“This exemplary tale of the Buddha delights the learned

And engenders great virtue in the wise people who hear it.

Not so trivial are the results of gifts offered with lucid faith

To the thus-gone Buddha, who is limitless like the extent of the ocean.”

After the Blessed One had spoken these words, the child Jñānaka, the monks, and the world with its gods
rejoiced and praised what the Blessed One had taught.

This completes “The Sūtra of Jñānaka: An Exemplary Tale of the Buddha.”

Colophon

This was translated, edited, and finalized by the Indian preceptors Vidyākarasiṃha and
Sarvajñādeva, and the chief editor-translator, the venerable monk Paltsek.

Notes

Bibliography

King of Foremost Knowing

mkhyen gtso rgyal po
མཁྱེན་གཙོ་རྒྱལ་པོ།

Paltsek

dpal brtsegs
དཔལ་བརྩེགས།