འཕགས་པ་དཔལ་སྦས་ཞས་བྱ་བའ་མད 24

24

reconsider. I myself, at that time, was Suvarṇāvabhāsa, the peacock king who lived on the southern slope of the snowy king of mountains. Householder, if you suspect or have doubts that the five hundred peacocks were some other beings, reconsider. The five hundred excellent monks in my retinue here were the five hundred peacocks at that time.

“Householder, poison could not physically affect me even then, when I was born as an animal; how much less so now that I am a completely awakened buddha? There is no basis for poison to physically affect me. Therefore, householder, listen carefully and retain the following verses. I will teach them to you; remember them carefully and recite them three times over the food, and then distribute it to the assembly of monks.

“Attachment, anger, and delusion:
These are the three worldly poisons.
The blessed Buddha is without poison;
The Buddha’s truth conquers poison.

“Attachment, anger, and delusion:
These are the three worldly poisons.
The blessed Dharma is without poison;
The Dharma’s truth conquers poison.

“Attachment, anger, and delusion:
These are the three worldly poisons.
The blessed Saṅgha is without poison;
The Saṅgha’s truth conquers poison.

“By the truth of these words—
The truth that I am a buddha,
Unsurpassed in the world—
May poison not harm me!

“By the truth of these words—
The truth that my Dharma
Is unsurpassed in the world—
May poison not harm me!

“By the truth of these words—
The truth that my Saṅgha
Is unsurpassed in the world—
May poison not harm me!

“All the poisonous trees
And all the poisonous animals
Arise from the poison of desire;
Desire is the worst poison.

“All the poisonous trees
And all the poisonous animals