長阿含經 5

English (machine translation) 5

Language: English

5.2

Translated during the Hongshi era of the Later Qin by Buddhayaśas together with Zhu Fonian

5.3

(5) Section Two: First, Sūtra on the Small Origin, the first

5.5

At one time, the Buddha was staying in Śrāvastī, at the Hall of the Mother of Mṛgāra in the Pure-Faith Park, together with a great assembly of 1,250 bhikṣus.

At that time, there were two brāhmaṇas who, out of firm faith, went to the Buddha's place to leave the household life and practice the path. One was named Vāsiṣṭha, and the other was named Bhāradvāja. At that time, the Bhagavat emerged from his quiet chamber and was strolling up and down on the lecture hall. When Vāsiṣṭha saw the Buddha strolling, he immediately went quickly to Bhāradvāja and said to him: 'Do you know? The Tathāgata has now come out from his quiet chamber and is strolling on the hall. We may go together to the Bhagavat's place; perhaps we will hear the Tathāgata say something.' When Bhāradvāja heard his words, they went together to the Bhagavat's place, bowed their heads at his feet, and followed the Buddha as he strolled.

5.7

Then the Bhagavat said to Vāsiṣṭha: 'You two, born of the brāhmaṇa caste, did you leave the household life to practice the path in my Dharma out of firm faith?'

5.8

They replied: 'So it is!'

5.9

The Buddha said: 'Brāhmaṇas, now that you have left the household life to practice the path in my Dharma, do not the other brāhmaṇas resent and blame you?'

5.10

They replied: 'Indeed! Receiving the Buddha’s great grace, we have left the household life to practice the path, but we are truly resented and blamed by those brāhmaṇas.'

5.11

The Buddha said: 'For what matter do they resent and blame you?'

5.12

They immediately addressed the Buddha: 'They say: "Our brāhmaṇa caste is the foremost, and the others are base and inferior. Our caste is pure and white, while the others are dark and black. Our brāhmaṇa caste is born from Brahmā, born from Brahmā's mouth; in this present life we attain pure liberation, and hereafter we are also pure. Why have you forsaken the pure caste and entered that different dharma of Gautama?" Bhagavat, seeing us leave the household life to practice the path in the Buddha's Dharma, they scold and blame us with such words.'

5.13

The Buddha said to Vāsiṣṭha: 'Observe those people: ignorant and uncomprehending like beasts, they falsely claim: "The brāhmaṇa caste is the foremost, and the others are base and inferior. Our caste is pure and white, while the others are dark and black. Our brāhmaṇa caste is born from Brahmā, born from Brahmā's mouth; in the present we attain purity, and hereafter we are also pure." Vāsiṣṭha, now in my unsurpassed, true, and correct path, there is no need for caste, nor reliance on self-cherishing and pride. Worldly customs require this, but my Dharma does not. If there are śramaṇas or brāhmaṇas who rely on caste and harbor pride, they will never achieve the unsurpassed realization in my Dharma. If one can abandon caste and eliminate pride, then in my Dharma one will achieve the realization of the path and be capable of receiving the true Dharma. People despise what is low, but my Dharma is not like that.'

5.14

The Buddha said to Vāsiṣṭha: 'There are four castes in which good and evil reside, praised by the wise and blamed by the wise. What are the four? First, the kṣatriya caste; second, the brāhmaṇa caste; third, the gṛhapati caste; fourth, the śūdra caste. Vāsiṣṭha, listen! Among the kṣatriya caste, there are those who take life, steal, commit sexual misconduct, lie, use divisive speech, speak harsh words, engage in frivolous talk, are covetous, harbor jealousy, and hold wrong views. The brāhmaṇa caste, gṛhapati caste, and śūdra caste are also like this, mixed with the ten unwholesome actions. Vāsiṣṭha, unwholesome actions have unwholesome retributions; dark actions have dark retributions. If this retribution fell solely upon the kṣatriya, gṛhapati, and śūdra castes, and not upon the brāhmaṇa caste, then the brāhmaṇa caste might well claim: "Our brāhmaṇa caste is the foremost, and the others are base and inferior. Our caste is pure and white, while the others are dark and black. Our brāhmaṇa caste is born from Brahmā, born from Brahmā's mouth; in the present we attain purity, and hereafter we are also pure." But if committing unwholesome actions brings unwholesome retributions, and committing dark actions brings dark retributions invariably across the brāhmaṇa caste, the kṣatriya, the gṛhapati, and the śūdra castes, then the brāhmaṇas cannot exclusively claim: "Our caste is pure, the foremost."'

5.15

"Vāsiṣṭha, if among the kṣatriya caste there are those who do not kill, do not steal, do not commit sexual misconduct, do not lie, do not use divisive speech, do not speak harsh words, do not engage in frivolous talk, are not covetous, do not harbor jealousy, and do not hold wrong views; and the brāhmaṇa caste, the gṛhapatis, and the śūdras are also like this, together practicing the ten wholesome deeds—for practicing wholesome phenomena necessarily brings wholesome retributions, and practicing pure and white actions necessarily brings white retributions—if this retribution fell solely upon the brāhmaṇas and not upon the kṣatriyas, gṛhapatis, and śūdras, then the brāhmaṇa caste might well claim: 'Our caste is pure, the foremost.' But if the four castes equally have this retribution, then the brāhmaṇas cannot exclusively claim: 'Our caste is pure, the foremost.'"

5.16

The Buddha said to Vāsiṣṭha: 'Now one actually sees the brāhmaṇa caste marrying and giving birth, no different from the rest of the world, yet they make the false claim: "We are Brahmā's caste, born from Brahmā's mouth; in the present we attain purity, and hereafter we are also pure." Vāsiṣṭha, you should know that now my disciples, coming from different castes and originating from various backgrounds, leave the household life to practice the path in my Dharma. If someone asks: "To what caste do you belong?" they should answer: "I am a śramaṇa, an offspring of the Śākyas." They may also call themselves: "I am of Brahmā's caste, directly born from his mouth, born by transformation from the Dharma; in the present I attain purity, and hereafter I am also pure." Why is this? The name "Great Brahmā" is a title of the Tathāgata. The Tathāgata is the eye of the world, the knowledge of the world, the Dharma of the world, the Brahmā of the world, the Dharma-wheel of the world, the nectar (amṛta) of the world, and the Lord of the Dharma of the world.'

5.17

"Vāsiṣṭha, if among the kṣatriya caste there are those with deep faith in the Buddha, the Tathāgata, the arhat, the samyaksaṃbuddha, endowed with the ten titles; deep faith in the Dharma, trusting that the Tathāgata's Dharma is subtle, pure, presently practicable, timelessly expounded, showing the essentials of nirvāṇa, known by the wise, and not a teaching that ordinary fools can attain; deep faith in the Saṅgha, that its nature is good and upright, that it achieves the fruits of the path and achieves its retinue, being the Buddha's true disciples who bring Dharma after Dharma to fulfillment—what is called the Saṅgha is endowed with the aggregate of morality, the aggregate of concentration, the aggregate of wisdom, the aggregate of liberation, and the aggregate of the knowledge and vision of liberation; practicing towards srotāpanna, attaining srotāpanna; practicing towards sakṛdāgāmin, attaining sakṛdāgāmin; practicing towards anāgāmin, attaining anāgāmin; practicing towards arhat, attaining arhat; the four pairs and eight stages, which constitute the assembly of disciples of the Tathāgata, worthy of respect and honor, a field of merit for the world, deserving of offerings from people; deep faith in the precepts, endowed with the noble precepts that are without deficiency or flaw, without blemish, and without stain, praised by the wise, and fully endowed with excellent tranquility. Vāsiṣṭha, those of the brāhmaṇa caste, the gṛhapatis, and the śūdras should also likewise have deep faith in the Buddha, faith in the Dharma, faith in the Saṅgha, and achieve the noble precepts. Vāsiṣṭha, among the kṣatriya caste there are also those who make offerings to arhats, revering and bowing down to them; brāhmaṇas, gṛhapatis, and śūdras also all make offerings to arhats, revering and bowing down to them."

5.18

The Buddha said to Vāseṭṭha: "Now my kinsmen, the Śākyas, also serve King Prasenajit, honoring and revering him, yet King Prasenajit in turn comes to pay homage and make offerings to me. He does not think: 'The śramaṇa Gautama comes from a noble clan, while my clan is inferior; the śramaṇa Gautama comes from a family of great wealth and great majesty, while I was born of a lowly, poor, coarse, and petty family, and therefore I make offerings and pay homage to the Tathāgata.' King Prasenajit contemplates phenomena with respect to the Dharma, clearly discerning the genuine from the false, and therefore gives rise to pure faith and pays homage to the Tathāgata.

5.19

"Vāseṭṭha! Now I shall explain to you the origin and conditions of the four castes. At the beginning and end of heaven and earth, when the kalpa is exhausted and dissolves, when sentient beings die, they are all reborn in the Ābhāsvara Heaven. They are spontaneously transformed into birth, take thought as food, their own radiance illuminates them, and they fly through the air by supernormal powers. Afterwards, this earth completely turns to water, with nowhere it does not pervade. At that time, there are no longer sun, moon, stars, or constellations, nor are there day and night, months, years, or numerical dates; there is only great darkness. Afterwards, this water turns into the great earth. The devas of the Ābhāsvara Heaven, when their merit is exhausted and their life ends, come and are reborn here. Although reborn here, they still feed on thought, fly through the air by supernormal powers, and their own bodily radiance illuminates them. Having dwelt here long, they each call out: 'Sentient beings! Sentient beings!' Afterwards, a sweet spring wells up from this earth, like ghee and honey in appearance. Among them, those newly arrived devas whose nature was frivolous and careless saw this spring and silently thought: 'What thing is this? Let me taste it.' Then, dipping a finger into the spring, they tasted it. Doing so repeatedly, they found it increasingly delicious, and thereupon scooped it with their hands and ate it greedily. Enjoying and clinging to it in this way, they became insatiable. The remaining sentient beings also imitated them and ate it. Doing so repeatedly, they likewise found it delicious and ate it without cease. Their bodies became increasingly coarse, their flesh hardened, they lost the exquisite color of devas, had no more supernormal powers, walked upon the ground, their bodily radiance gradually disappeared, and heaven and earth fell into great darkness.

5.20

"Vāseṭṭha! You should know that it is a constant rule of heaven and earth that after the great darkness, the sun, moon, and stellar forms must appear in the sky, and only then are there day, night, darkness, brightness, months, and years. At that time, sentient beings ate only the taste of the earth and dwelt long in the world. Those who ate much of it became coarse and ugly in appearance; those who ate little of it still had glowing and pleasing complexions. It was then that beauty and ugliness, handsome and hideous, first came to be. Those who were handsome gave rise to pride and looked down on the ugly; those who were ugly gave rise to jealousy and hatred, detesting the handsome. The sentient beings thereupon squabbled and quarreled with one another. At that time, the sweet spring naturally dried up, and afterwards the earth naturally produced earth-fat, complete with color and flavor, fragrant, clean, and edible. At that time, the sentient beings again took and ate it, dwelling long in the world. Those who ate much became coarse and ugly in appearance; those who ate little still had glowing and pleasing complexions. Those who were handsome gave rise to pride and looked down on the ugly; those who were ugly gave rise to jealousy and hatred, detesting the handsome. The sentient beings thereupon disputed and quarreled with one another, and at that time the earth-fat ceased to grow.

5.21

"Afterwards, this earth again produced a thick and coarse earth-fat, which was also fragrant, sweet, and edible, though not as good as the former. At that time, the sentient beings again took and ate it, dwelling long in the world. Those who ate much became increasingly coarse and ugly in appearance, while those who ate little still had glowing and pleasing complexions. Handsome and ugly blamed one another, which led to disputes and litigation. The earth-fat thereupon ceased to grow. Afterwards, this earth naturally produced non-glutinous rice, free of husks and chaff, complete with color and flavor, fragrant, clean, and edible. Sentient beings then took and ate it, dwelling long in the world. Then there were males and females, who looked at one another and gradually developed lustful desire, drawing closer to each other. The other sentient beings, upon seeing this, said to them: 'What you are doing is wrong! What you are doing is wrong!' They immediately ostracized and banished them outside human society, and only after three months had passed did they return."

5.22

The Buddha said to Vāseṭṭha: "What was previously deemed wrong is now deemed right. At that time, those sentient beings practiced what was unrighteous, abandoning themselves completely to passion and desire without regard to proper times. Because of shame, they eventually built houses, and it was then that dwellings first came to be in the world. Indulging in what was unrighteous, sexual lust steadily grew, and then there were gestations in the womb born from impurity. Womb births in the world first began from this. At that time, those sentient beings ate the naturally occurring non-glutinous rice; as soon as it was gathered it grew back, never to be exhausted. At that time, there was an indolent sentient being who silently thought: 'Gathering it in the morning to eat in the morning, and gathering it in the evening to eat in the evening, is too toilsome for me. Now I want to gather it all at once to last a full day.' Then he immediately gathered it all at once. Later, his companions called him to go gather rice together, and that person answered: 'I have already gathered it all at once to supply me for a day. If you wish to gather it, you may go as you please.' That other person then thought: 'This person is clever and able to store up in advance; now I also want to store grain to supply three days.' That person immediately stored three days of extra grain. Another sentient being came again and said: 'We can gather rice together.' He answered: 'I have already stored three days of extra grain in advance; if you wish to gather it, you may go and gather it yourself.' That person then thought: 'This person is clever, having stored extra grain in advance to supply three days; I should imitate him and store grain to supply five days.' He immediately went and gathered it.

5.23

"At that time, after those sentient beings vied to store it up, the non-glutinous rice became wild and defiled, gradually producing husks and chaff, and once harvested it did not grow back. At that time, the sentient beings saw this and were displeased, falling into sorrow and confusion. They each thought to themselves: 'Originally, when we were first born, we took thought as food, flew through the air by supernormal powers, and our own bodily radiance illuminated us, dwelling in the world for a long time. Afterwards, a sweet spring welled up from this earth, like ghee and honey in appearance, fragrant, sweet, and edible, and at that time we ate it together. As we ate it for longer, those who ate much became coarse and ugly in appearance; those who ate little still had glowing and pleasing complexions. It was due to this food that our complexions differed. Sentient beings thereupon harbored thoughts of right and wrong, and mutually detested and envied one another. At that time, the sweet spring naturally dried up. Afterwards, this earth naturally produced earth-fat, complete with color and flavor, fragrant, sweet, and edible, and we then took and ate it. Those who ate much became coarse and ugly in appearance; those who ate little had glowing and pleasing complexions. Sentient beings thereupon again harbored thoughts of right and wrong, and mutually detested and envied one another. At that time, the earth-fat ceased to grow. Afterwards, it again produced a thick and coarse earth-fat, also fragrant, sweet, and edible, and we then took and ate it. Those who ate much became coarse in appearance; those who ate little had glowing complexions. Again, thoughts of right and wrong arose, and they mutually detested and envied one another. At that time, the earth-fat ceased to appear. It further produced naturally occurring non-glutinous rice, free of husks and chaff, and we then took and ate it, dwelling long in the world. Those who were indolent vied to store it up, and because of this the non-glutinous rice became wild and defiled, gradually producing husks and chaff, and once harvested it did not grow back. What should we do now?' They again said to one another: 'We should divide the land together and set up separate boundary markers.' They immediately divided the land and set up separate boundary markers.

5.24

"Vāseṭṭha! Due to these causes and conditions, the term 'fields and land' first arose. At that time, sentient beings separately enclosed fields and land, each establishing boundaries. Gradually, the intention to steal arose, and they stole others' crops. The other sentient beings, upon seeing this, said: 'What you are doing is wrong! What you are doing is wrong! You have your own fields and land, yet you take another's property. From now on, do not do so again.' That sentient being still stole without ceasing. The other sentient beings rebuked him again, yet he still did not stop, so they struck him with their hands and told everyone: 'This person has his own crops and fields, yet steals another's property.' That person in turn reported: 'This person hit me.' At that time, the people saw the two men quarreling, and were grieved, distressed, and lamented, saying: 'Sentient beings have grown increasingly evil; such unwholesome things have appeared in the world, giving rise to defilement and impurity. This is the origin of birth, old age, sickness, and death; the painful retribution of afflictions causes one to fall into the three bad destinations; and having fields and land has brought about these disputes and litigation. Now, we had better establish one person as a ruler to govern them, to protect those who should be protected, to reprimand those who should be reprimanded, while we all contribute a portion of rice to provide for him and have him settle disputes and litigation.'

5.25

"At that time, from among that assembly, they selected one person whose body was tall and large, whose appearance was handsome, and who possessed majesty and virtue, and said to him: 'Now be our impartial ruler, protecting those who should be protected, reprimanding those who should be reprimanded, and banishing those who should be banished. We will gather rice together to provide for you.' At that time, that one person, having heard the words of the multitude, then acted as their ruler, judging and settling disputes and litigation, and the multitude together gathered rice to provide for him. At that time, that one person also consoled the multitude with kind words. The people, having heard them, were all greatly rejoiced, and all acclaimed him, saying: 'Excellent, Great King! Excellent, Great King!' Thereupon, the title 'king' came to be in the world. Because he governed the people with the true Dharma, he was called a kṣatriya; thus the name 'kṣatriya' first arose in the world.

5.26

"At that time, there was a single person among that assembly who thought like this: 'The home is a great affliction, the home is a poisonous thorn. Now I would rather abandon this household life and dwell alone in the mountain forests, peacefully cultivating the path in quietude.' He immediately abandoned household life, entered the mountain forests, and contemplated in silence. When the time came, he took his bowl, entered the village, and begged for food. When the people saw him, they all delighted in making offerings to him, and rejoiced in praising him: 'Excellent! This person has been able to abandon household life, dwell alone in the mountain forests, quietly cultivate the path, and cast off all evils.' Thereupon, the name 'brāhmaṇa' first arose in the world. Among those brāhmaṇas, there were some who did not delight in quiet sitting in dhyāna and contemplation, but entered human society and took recitation and study as their occupation, and also declared of themselves: 'I am a non-dhyāna person!' Thereupon, the people of the world called them 'non-dhyāna brāhmaṇas.' Because they entered human society, they were called 'worldly brāhmaṇas.' Thereupon, the brāhmaṇa caste came to be in the world. Among those sentient beings, there were those who were fond of managing household occupations and accumulating much wealth and treasure; because of this, the people named them gṛhapatis. Among those sentient beings, there were those of much craft and skill who manufactured many things; thereupon, the name of the śūdra artisans first arose in the world.

5.27

"Vāseṭṭha! Now in this world there are four names, and fifth, the name of the śramaṇa assembly. Why is this? Vāseṭṭha! Among the kṣatriya assembly, there was sometimes a person who grew disgusted with his own station, shaved off beard and hair, and donned the Dharma robes; thus the name 'śramaṇa' first arose. Among the brāhmaṇa caste, the gṛhapati caste, and the śūdra caste, there was sometimes a person who grew disgusted with his own station, shaved off beard and hair, donned the Dharma robes, and cultivated the path, being called a śramaṇa. Vāseṭṭha! If among the kṣatriya caste someone performs bad bodily actions, bad verbal actions, and bad mental actions, upon the breakup of the body at death, they will surely experience painful retribution. If among the brāhmaṇa caste, the gṛhapati caste, or the śūdra caste, someone performs bad bodily actions, bad verbal actions, and bad mental actions, upon the breakup of the body at death, they will surely experience painful retribution. Vāseṭṭha! If among the kṣatriya caste there is someone who performs good bodily actions, and good verbal and mental actions, upon the breakup of the body at death, they will surely experience pleasant retribution. If among the brāhmaṇa, gṛhapati, or śūdra castes someone performs good bodily actions, and good verbal and mental actions, upon the breakup of the body at death, they will surely experience pleasant retribution. Vāseṭṭha! If among the kṣatriya assembly someone performs both kinds of bodily actions, and both kinds of verbal and mental actions, upon the breakup of the body at death, they will experience both painful and pleasant retribution. If among the brāhmaṇa caste, the gṛhapati caste, or the śūdra caste, someone performs both kinds of bodily actions, and both kinds of verbal and mental actions, upon the breakup of the body at death, they will experience both painful and pleasant retribution.

5.28

"Vāsiṣṭha, among the kṣatriya class, there are those who shave off hair and beard, don the Dharma robes, cultivate the path, and practice the seven factors of awakening (sapta bodhyaṅgāni), attaining the path before long. Why is that? Such sons of good family don the Dharma robes and go forth into homelessness (pravrajyā) to cultivate the unsurpassed holy life (brahmacarya), realizing for themselves in this very life: 'Birth and death are ended, the holy life is established, what was to be done has been done, and there will be no further rebirth.' Among the brāhmaṇa, gṛhapati, and śūdra classes as well, there are those who shave off hair and beard, don the Dharma robes, cultivate the path, and practice the seven factors of awakening, attaining the path before long. Why is that? Such sons of good family don the Dharma robes and go forth into homelessness to cultivate the unsurpassed holy life, realizing for themselves in this very life: 'Birth and death are ended, the holy life is established, what was to be done has been done, and there will be no further rebirth.' Vāsiṣṭha, from among all four of these classes come arhats endowed with knowledge and conduct (vidyācaraṇasaṃpanna), and among the five classes they are the foremost of all."

Translations (1)

The Long Discourses (selected sūtras) — Charles Patton, English

Linked texts (1)

長阿含經 — Classical Chinese