Samyuktagama (Sanskrit fragments) 267

267.1

（二六七）

(267)

Thus I have heard: One time, the Buddha was staying at Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park in Jeta’s Grove of Śrāvastī.

267.2

如是我聞：

Thus have I heard:

267.3

一時，佛住舍衛國祇樹給孤獨園。

At one time, the Buddha was staying in the Jetavana Anāthapiṇḍadārāma at Śrāvastī.

267.4

爾時，世尊告諸比丘：「眾生於無始生死，無明所蓋，愛結所繫，長夜輪迴生死，不知苦際。諸比丘！譬如狗繩繫著柱，結繫不斷故，順柱而轉，若住、若臥，不離於柱。如是凡愚眾生，於色不離貪欲、不離愛、不離念、不離渴、輪迴於色，隨色轉，若住、若臥，不離於色。如是受、想、行、識，隨受、想、行、識轉，若住、若臥不離於識。

At that time, the Bhagavat addressed the bhikṣus: "In this saṃsāra without beginning, covered by ignorance and bound by the fetter of craving, beings wander through the long night in saṃsāra, not knowing the limit of duḥkha. Bhikṣus! Just as a dog tied to a post with a rope, because the binding knot is not cut, turns along with the post, whether standing or lying down, not departing from the post; even so foolish and unlearned beings do not depart from desire, do not depart from craving, do not depart from longing, do not depart from thirst regarding rūpa; they wander in rūpa, turn along with rūpa, and whether standing or lying down, do not depart from rūpa. In the same way regarding vedanā, saṃjñā, saṃskāras, and vijñāna: they turn along with vedanā, saṃjñā, saṃskāras, and vijñāna, and whether standing or lying down, do not depart from vijñāna.

It was then that the Buddha addressed the monks, “Sentient beings don’t know the extent of suffering who circulate through beginningless births and deaths while shrouded by ignorance and tied up by the bond of craving. Monks, take the example of a dog that’s tied to a post with a rope. Because it hasn’t broken that bond that ties it, the dog turns around the post. Whether it stands or lies down, it doesn’t leave the post. In this way, ordinary, foolish sentient beings circle form and turn around form while they aren’t free of greed, craving, thought, and thirst for form. Whether they stand or lie down, they don’t leave form. In this way, they turn around feeling … conception … volition … awareness. Whether they stand or lie down, they don’t leave awareness.

267.5

「諸比丘！當善思惟觀察於心。所以者何？長夜心為貪欲所染，瞋恚、愚癡所染故。比丘！心惱故眾生惱，心淨故眾生淨。比丘！我不見一色種種如斑色鳥，心復過是。所以者何？彼畜生心種種故，色種種。

"Bhikṣus! You should properly reflect upon and observe the mind. Why is that? Because for the long night the mind has been defiled by kāmarāga, defiled by ill-will, and defiled by delusion. Bhikṣus! When the mind is defiled, beings are defiled; when the mind is purified, beings are purified. Bhikṣus! I do not see any single form so manifold as the variegated bird; yet the mind is even more manifold than that. Why is that? Because that animal's mind is manifold, its form is manifold.

“Monks, one should contemplate and observe the mind well. Why is that? Because the mind has been affected by greed … hatred … affected by delusion for a long night. Monks, sentient beings are troubled because their minds are troubled, and sentient beings are purified because their minds are purified. Monks, I don’t see a single form as varied as that of a multi-colored bird, but its mind goes beyond that. Why is that? That animal’s form is diverse because its mind is diverse.

267.6

「是故，比丘！當善思惟觀察於心。諸比丘！長夜心貪欲所染，瞋恚、愚癡所染，心惱故眾生惱，心淨故眾生淨。比丘當知，汝見嗟蘭那鳥種種雜色不？」

"Therefore, bhikṣus, you should properly reflect upon and observe the mind. Bhikṣus! For the long night the mind has been defiled by kāmarāga, defiled by ill-will, and defiled by delusion; when the mind is defiled, beings are defiled; when the mind is purified, beings are purified. Bhikṣus, you should know: have you seen the caraṇa bird with its various diverse colours?"

“Therefore, monks, you should contemplate and observe the mind well. Monks, the mind has been affected by greed … hatred … affected by delusion for a long night. Sentient beings are troubled because their minds are troubled, and sentient beings are purified because their minds are purified. Monks, have you seen the diverse and varied colors of the cāraṇa bird?”

267.7

答言：「曾見。世尊！」

They replied: "We have seen it, Bhagavat!"

They answered, “We’ve seen it, Bhagavān.”

267.8

佛告比丘：「如嗟蘭那鳥種種雜色，我說彼心種種雜亦復如是。所以者何？彼嗟蘭那鳥心種種故其色種種。是故，當善觀察思惟於心，長夜種種貪欲、瞋恚、愚癡所染，心惱故眾生惱，心淨故眾生淨。

The Buddha addressed the bhikṣus: "Just as the caraṇa bird has various diverse colours, I say that its mind has diverse varieties in the same way. Why is that? Because that caraṇa bird's mind is diverse, its colours are diverse. Therefore, you should properly observe and reflect upon the mind: for the long night it has been defiled by diverse kāmarāga, ill-will, and delusion; when the mind is defiled, beings are defiled; when the mind is purified, beings are purified.

The Buddha told the monks, “I say that cāraṇa bird has diverse and varied colors because its mind is diverse and varied, too. Why is that? Because its mind is diverse, that cāraṇa bird’s color is diverse. Therefore, you should examine and contemplate the mind well, for it has been affected by diverse greeds, hatreds, and delusions for a long night. Sentient beings are troubled because their minds are troubled, and sentient beings are purified because their minds are purified.

267.9

譬如畫師、畫師弟子，善治素地，具眾彩色，隨意圖畫種種像類。

"Just as a painter or a painter's apprentice, having well prepared a clean ground and equipped with various colours, paints various images according to his wish.

They’re like an artist or an artist’s apprentice who skillfully arranges a white cloth on the ground, prepares a variety of pigments, and paints a variety of images as he likes.

267.10

「如是，比丘！凡愚眾生不如實知色、色集、色滅、色味、色患、色離，於色不如實知故，樂著於色；樂著色故，復生未來諸色。如是凡愚不如實知受、想、行、識、識集、識滅、識味、識患、識離。不如實知故，樂著於識；樂著識故，復生未來諸識。當生未來色、受、想、行、識故，於色不解脫，受、想、行、識不解脫，我說彼不解脫生、老、病、死、憂、悲、惱、苦。

"Even so, bhikṣus, foolish beings do not know as it really is rūpa, the origination of rūpa, the cessation of rūpa, the gratification of rūpa, the danger of rūpa, and the escape from rūpa; because they do not know rūpa as it really is, they take delight in and cling to rūpa; because they take delight in and cling to rūpa, they again produce future rūpas. In the same way, fools do not know as it really is vedanā, saṃjñā, saṃskāras, and vijñāna, the origination of vijñāna, the cessation of vijñāna, the gratification of vijñāna, the danger of vijñāna, and the escape from vijñāna. Because they do not know as it really is, they take delight in and cling to vijñāna; because they take delight in and cling to vijñāna, they again produce future vijñānas. Because future rūpa, vedanā, saṃjñā, saṃskāras, and vijñāna will be produced, they are not freed from rūpa, and not freed from vedanā, saṃjñā, saṃskāras, and vijñāna; I say they are not freed from birth, aging, illness, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, and duḥkha.

“In this way, monks, ordinary sentient beings don’t truly know form, the formation of form, cessation of form, trouble of form, or escape from form. Because they don’t truly know form, they delight in form. Because they delight in form, they are reborn with future forms. In this way, ordinary, foolish sentient beings don’t truly know feeling … conception … volition … awareness, the formation of awareness, cessation of awareness, trouble of awareness, and escape from awareness. Because they don’t truly know awareness, they delight in awareness. Because they delight in awareness, they are reborn with future instances of awareness. Because they will be born with future form … feeling … conception … volition … awareness, they aren’t freed from form … feeling … conception … volition … aren’t freed from awareness. I say that they aren’t freed from birth, old age, illness, death, sorrow, lamentation, trouble, and pain.

267.11

「有多聞聖弟子如實知色、色集、色滅、色味、色患、色離。如實知故，不樂著於色；以不樂著故，不生未來色。如實知受、想、行、識、識集、識滅、識味、識患、識離。如實知故，不染著於識；不樂著故，不生未來諸識。不樂著於色、受、想、行、識故，於色得解脫，受、想、行、識得解脫，我說彼等解脫生、老、病、死、憂、悲、惱、苦。」

"There is the learned āryaśrāvaka who has yathābhūtaprajñāna of rūpa, the origination of rūpa, the cessation of rūpa, the gratification of rūpa, the danger of rūpa, and the escape from rūpa. Because of yathābhūtaprajñāna, he does not take delight in or cling to rūpa; because he does not take delight in or cling to it, he does not produce future rūpa. He has yathābhūtaprajñāna of vedanā, saṃjñā, saṃskāras, and vijñāna, the origination of vijñāna, the cessation of vijñāna, the gratification of vijñāna, the danger of vijñāna, and the escape from vijñāna. Because of yathābhūtaprajñāna, he is not defiled by or clinging to vijñāna; because he does not take delight in it, he does not produce future vijñānas. Because he does not take delight in rūpa, vedanā, saṃjñā, saṃskāras, and vijñāna, he attains vimukti from rūpa, and attains vimukti from vedanā, saṃjñā, saṃskāras, and vijñāna; I say they attain vimukti from birth, aging, illness, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, and duḥkha."

“There are well-versed noble disciples who truly know form, the formation of form, cessation of form, trouble of form, and escape from form. Because they truly know form, they don’t delight in form. Because they don’t delight in form, they aren’t reborn with future forms. In this way, they truly know feeling … conception … volition … awareness, the formation of awareness, cessation of awareness, trouble of awareness, and escape from awareness. Because they truly know awareness, they don’t delight in awareness. Because they don’t delight in awareness, they aren’t reborn with future instances of awareness. Because they won’t be born with future form … feeling … conception … volition … awareness, they are freed from form … feeling … conception … volition … freed from awareness. I say that they are freed from birth, old age, illness, death, sorrow, lamentation, trouble, and pain.”

267.12

佛說此經已，時諸比丘聞佛所說，歡喜奉行。

When the Buddha had spoken this sūtra, the bhikṣus heard what the Buddha said, and were delighted and practiced accordingly.

After he taught this sūtra, the monks who heard what the Buddha taught rejoiced and approved.