Suryagarbha 2: Bam po 2

King Bimbisāra then asked, “Respected Blessed One, should monks with impaired discipline who engage in negative actions be allowed to reside within the saṅgha? Should they be allowed to use and avail themselves of the sacred Dharma robes, alms, bedding, seats, medicine, and tools?”

“Your Majesty,” replied the Blessed One, “imagine that one of your senior ministers or important officials, someone appointed by the king, a eunuch, a member of the kṣatriya class, a brāhmaṇa, or a householder were to transgress the laws of the government and commit crimes. Your Majesty, would you allow such a criminal to join your personal retinue during royal celebrations and festivals and enjoy him or herself, thus delighting and frolicking to his or her heart’s content?”

The king replied, “No, Respected Blessed One.”

“Similarly, Your Majesty,” continued the Blessed One, “such persons with impaired discipline who engage in negative actions, who are like a rotten tree, who pretend to be spiritual practitioners, and who pretend to observe pure conduct are harming all the blessed buddhas of the past, present, and future. They are not the Blessed One’s hearers—they have fallen under the influence of Māra. Those persons are following a degenerate path, and they will not be counted within the saṅgha of hearers in the future—they will not be able to enter it.

It is inappropriate for such people to consume even the husk of a sesame seed that has been dedicated to those monks who abide by the Dharma, so what need is there to speak of them residing within the saṅgha? Those persons will be rejected by the Dharma and Vinaya.”

King Bimbisāra then asked, “Respected Blessed One, what are the signs of behavior through which one knows that monks with impaired discipline who engage in negative actions are henceforth not worthy of remaining, residing, and living among monks who abide by the Dharma?”

“Your Majesty,” replied the Blessed One, “this is not something that can be known immediately by saying ‘These are the features through which their impaired discipline becomes apparent.’ Nevertheless, Your Majesty, the first of these signs is being disrespectful toward the Buddha as well as the Dharma, the Saṅgha, the preceptors, the teachers, and those who are exalted. It also involves renouncing the noble lineage, not delighting in spiritual contemplations, giving up modesty and humility, associating with householders, engaging in idle gossip, praising oneself, criticizing others, enjoying such behaviors, being caught in the trap of negative actions, following unwholesome paths, being arrogant, being haughty, being petty,²⁴ being conceited, being rude, being a hypocrite, being deceitful, being a cunning spiritual practitioner, being like an indolent monk, talking with the wish to cause disharmony in the saṅgha of monks, delighting in gain, honor, and praise, and enjoying the pleasure of entertainment. However, as long as their impaired discipline has not become apparent, one cannot immediately identify such signs in the monks with impaired discipline who engage in negative actions.

It is when such monks who engage in negative actions take possession of offerings related to houses, fields, and monastic compounds, as well as male and female servants, elephants, horses, camels, donkeys, and sheep, that their impaired discipline becomes apparent. Due to this, those evil monks will be banished from the saṅgha of monks; they will not be allowed to remain and live there, since they have violated and lost their status as monks, and they will not be able to regain this status in the future.

“Your Majesty, it is better to reside in the dwelling places of outcastes than to reside with vile and greedy monks who are filled with aggression, who have no consideration for what is beneficial, who reject the afterlife, who lack compassion, who are like great pits filled with excrement, who follow the path of Māra, who harm gods and humans, who deceive all the sages of the three times, who extinguish the Dharma lamp of the lineage of the Three Jewels, who dry up the ocean of the Dharma, who create dissension among Dharma preachers, who deceive almsgivers and benefactors, who hurt monks that abide by the Dharma, and who disrupt the harmony of the Saṅgha. Through their attitude of greed, such evil monks turn the king away from the path that leads to the higher realms, and they will do the same to members of the kṣatriya class and to brāhmaṇas, vaiśyas, śūdras, men, women, boys, and girls. Instead they establish them on the three paths that lead to the lower realms.

“Your Majesty, behold the amount of distress that those evil monks will generate in gods and humans because of their greed! Your Majesty, the greedy monks and the monks who abide by the Dharma

and possess a wealth of qualities should therefore not reside together in the same monastic compound or the same temples. If they do reside together with those evil, haughty monks who have abandoned modesty and humility, the monks who abide by the Dharma should be loving and mindful in accordance with the Dharma. If those evil monks decide to leave those places, it is excellent, but if they do not, the monks who abide by the Dharma should then summon those members of the kṣatriya class, the brāhmaṇa class, the vaiśya class, and the śūdra class who govern over those cities, towns, villages, countries, or mountain areas. If the members of the kṣatriya class or the brāhmaṇas, vaiśyas, or śūdras expel the evil and greedy monks from those places, the monks who abide by the Dharma should remain there. If it is the case that, for the sake of food, beverages, or gains, the members of the kṣatriya, brāhmaṇa, vaiśya, or śūdra classes should take the side of the evil and greedy monks, the monks who abide by the Dharma should not show any aggression, attachment, or pride. Instead, they should leave those places without saying a word and go live elsewhere in the wilderness, in forests, in hills, or on mountain slopes, where they should remain silent, withdraw into meditative seclusion, and practice correct mental activity.”

Once again, King Bimbisāra shed tears and exclaimed, “Respected Blessed One, the members of the kṣatriya class, the brāhmaṇa class, the vaiśya class, and the śūdra class who, for the sake of food, beverages, or gains, take the side of the evil and greedy monks and let the monks who abide by the Dharma and possess a wealth of qualities leave their places are corrupt!

Respected Well-Gone One, they are extremely corrupt! It will be hard for them to achieve a human life again; for those beings who circle in saṃsāra this is the last time to achieve a human life! Even though countless and innumerable blessed buddhas endowed with great compassion—as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges—will appear in the world, those sentient beings who do not listen respectfully to the words of the monks who abide by the Dharma will not be liberated from the lower realms or established in the higher realms. Instead, they will possess such negative actions!”

“Your Majesty,” said the Blessed One, “in the future, there will be members of the kṣatriya class, the brāhmaṇa class, the vaiśya class, and the śūdra class who have strong faith in the monks who abide by the Dharma. They will build hermitages for them. In those temples and hermitages, they will also give offerings of houses and fields, male and female servants, and monastic compounds for their use and enjoyment. After they die, they will be born as members of the kṣatriya class who are like great sal trees, or in other states up to the gods of the sphere of neither perception nor nonperception. They will also be born within pure buddha realms where they will meet blessed buddhas, and before long those almsgivers and benefactors will awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood. They will support the monks who abide by the Dharma under my teachings.

“Your Majesty, imagine that one of your sons, siblings,

dignitaries, or senior officials were to engage in wrongdoing. Your Majesty, what do you think? While you partake in a variety of joys and pleasures during the celebrations and festivals that you, great king, offer, would that person be able to remain in front of you and feel happy and playful and experience different types of joy and pleasure?”

“No, respected Blessed One,” replied the king, “that person would dare not come in front of me, so there is no need to speak of him feeling happy and playful!”

“Similarly, Your Majesty,” continued the Blessed One, “if someone takes possession of male and female servants, offerings related to houses and fields, and everything else up to sheep, I am not the teacher of that person, and that person is not my hearer. That person harms all the perfect buddhas of the three times and does not deserve to reside, in accordance with the Dharma, in those places that have been dedicated to those who abide by the Dharma. All the members of the kṣatriya class, the brāhmaṇa class, the vaiśya class, and the śūdra class who benefit those evil and greedy monks and do not make them leave those places also cause great harm to all the blessed buddhas of the three times. Though they may have performed many acts of generosity, after they die they will be born within the great Hell of Unceasing Torment. Therefore, Your Majesty, since they only consider their own benefit, one should not side with those evil and greedy monks. Why? Because they harm all the gods and humans;

they do not benefit them, they cause them to fall into error, and they destroy the lineage of the Three Jewels.

“Your Majesty, if members of the kṣatriya class, the brāhmaṇa class, the vaiśya class, and the śūdra class remain on the side of the teaching of the monks who abide by the Dharma, and if they do not side with evil monks, even if they have not performed acts of generosity, since they side with the Dharma they are sublime benefactors of all the blessed buddhas of the three times. Since they protect the sacred Dharma, they should be regarded as the sacred upholders of the sacred Dharma. After they die they will be born within pure buddha realms, and before long they will awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood. Therefore, Your Majesty, wholesome member of the kṣatriya class, I entrust to you and place in your hands the followers of the Dharma and its teachings. Until the last five hundred years, support my Dharma followers! Thereby, my Dharma way and the lineage of the Three Jewels will endure for a long time, and the gods and humans will be benefited and experience happiness.”

Then King Bimbisāra asked the Blessed One, “Respected Blessed One, what are the criteria for someone to be called an attendant?”

“Your Majesty,” replied the Blessed One, “I have authorized two types of monks to be attendants. What are those two? They are worthy ones who cultivate the eight aspects of liberation and monks in training who have entered the stream. Your Majesty, I have authorized those two types of monks to perform the function of attendants.”

Chapter Two

The Messengers

When the Blessed One had begun this discourse with King Bimbisāra on how to protect all those monks who abide by the Dharma, in the eastern direction, beyond countless buddha realms as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges, there was a world called Absence of Torment, where the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Campaka Color was residing, thriving, living well, and teaching the Dharma. In that buddha realm, the bodhisattva great being named Quintessence of the Sun’s Energy was sitting in the assembly of the blessed thus-gone Campaka Color in order to listen to the Dharma. At one point, as the bodhisattva great being Quintessence of the Sun’s Energy looked upward, he saw in the sky above that innumerable and countless bodhisattva great beings were departing from the east and proceeding toward the west. When he looked toward the west where those bodhisattva great beings were going, he saw a brilliant light. At that moment, he bowed down with his palms joined together in the direction of the Buddha Campaka Color and asked, “Respected Blessed One, I have seen in the sky above that innumerable and countless bodhisattva great beings are departing from the east and proceeding toward the west. I have also seen a brilliant light in the western direction. Why is this so?”

The thus-gone Campaka Color replied to the bodhisattva great being Quintessence of the Sun’s Energy, “Noble son, in the western direction, beyond countless buddha realms as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges, in a place ripe with the five degenerations, there is a buddha realm called Sahā, where the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha Śākyamuni resides, thrives, and lives well. To ensure that the Dharma way and the lineage of the Three Jewels endure for a long time and that those who abide by the Dharma remain without interruption, he delivers to a great assembly Dharma teachings that are the gateways to the ascertainment of the three vehicles. He has gathered an assembly in that buddha realm of Sahā in order to destroy the domain of the māras, to cause them to lose their power, to raise the banner of the Dharma, and to ensure that the Dharma way endures for a long time. There, all the thus-gone ones have uttered the dhāraṇī mantra called jewel crest and then left after having engaged with that buddha realm. The thus-gone Śākyamuni has gathered a great assembly of bodhisattva great beings and great hearers. They possess the three eyes that are endowed with the four correct knowledges, and they display the sublime states. This retinue distinctly fills the earth and the sky of the buddha realm of Sahā, and it is insatiable with respect to the sacred Dharma teachings revealed by the thus-gone Śākyamuni.

“At one point, the thus-gone Śākyamuni, who is endowed with the most delightful voice, wished to explain the four means of attracting disciples, the practice of the Dharma of The Quintessence of the Sun, the section on the light rays that destroy the nāgas, the dhāraṇī mantra that exhausts the karmic actions of sentient beings. So he formed the following wish:

‘May all bodhisattva great beings who are practicing the six perfections within all the buddha realms of the ten directions—those who have reached emancipation over a hundred eons, who possess the eighteen unique qualities, who are not led astray by others, who have reached the level of nonregression, and who are experts in unobstructed wisdom—come to this buddha realm of Sahā! Once they have assembled here, may they employ their individual virtuous qualities and concentrations so that in this buddha realm this great earth may become highly favorable and nourishing and so that beings may be endowed with qualities, recall, diligence, and generosity—just as in other buddha realms!’

“This is why the bodhisattva great beings who have entered that buddha realm of Sahā are now sitting there absorbed in concentration in accordance with their own appropriate virtuous qualities, and this is why light is now radiating from the bodies of some of those meditators, as if from oil lamps. From the bodies of some of the others radiate light rays like the light emitted by many hundreds of thousands of suns and moons. The brilliant light emitted by the gathering of those numerous bodhisattva great beings is now pervading the buddha realm of Sahā. All those bodhisattva great beings who have arrived from all the buddha realms of the ten directions, none of whom had ever gone there before, arose from their absorptions and departed for the buddha realm of Sahā. Having arrived, they are now sitting cross-legged and revel in their individual concentrations. They pay homage to the thus-gone Śākyamuni and serve him, and they behold his great assembly. There, they also listen to the practice of the Dharma of The Quintessence of the Sun,

the section on the light rays that destroy the nāgas, the dhāraṇī mantra that exhausts the karmic actions of sentient beings.

“Noble son, since you have arisen from your absorption, you should, noble son, go to the Sahā world! Noble son, in that buddha realm of Sahā, sentient beings are bound by intense craving—they are referred to as those who have fallen into craving. In that buddha realm, women are unattractive and ugly, yet they are extremely conceited in terms of their appearance. They are smelly and unclean yet conceited due to their obsession with cleanliness. They are two-faced and lying yet proud of their pure conduct. They are stupid yet proud of their skills. They are miserly yet proudly consider themselves generous. They are unfaithful yet proudly consider themselves faithful. They are hypocritical and deceitful yet proudly consider themselves honest. They are envious yet proudly consider themselves free from envy. They are malicious yet proudly consider themselves loving. They create divisions yet proudly consider themselves harmonious. They have wrong views yet proudly consider their views to be correct. Even sacred beings who are great scholars, who possess magical powers, who revel in the higher perceptions, and who have trained in concentration can be overpowered by women in an instant. Through the faults of women, all their roots of virtue will be destroyed, and they will go to the lower realms and be born as hell beings.

“Noble son, if you would like to bring my words to the Sahā world in order to convey them to the thus-gone Śākyamuni, these words of mine will instill faith in the practice of the Dharma of The Quintessence of the Sun, the section on the light rays that destroy the domain of the nāgas,

the dhāraṇī mantra that exhausts the karmic actions of sentient beings. For that I shall confer the dhāraṇī mantra that accords with the truth. It is powerful and very beneficial. It exhausts all forms of attachment associated with the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm as well as all forms of pride, special pride, and pride that thinks ‘I am.’ It exhausts all forms of longing, covetousness, excitement, and ignorance. It exhausts the views related to the transitory collection, all the extremist views, all doubts, all the views that consider discipline and disciplined conduct to be supreme, and all the views of permanence and nihilism, as well as all the views related to sentient beings, obscurations, living beings, persons, creators, feeling subjects, forms, sounds, smells, tastes, textures, great marvels, birth, and abiding. This acceptance that accords with the truth induces complete and genuine understanding of all the aggregates, from the aggregate of form up to the aggregate of consciousness. It induces complete and genuine understanding of all the faculties, from the eye faculty up to the mind faculty.

It induces genuine understanding and abandonment of all the aggregates, the elements, and the sense sources. It liberates from desire related to any phenomenon, and it reveals the complete happiness of emancipation.

“Why will I do so? Because in those lands there are sentient beings who are like blind creatures, who are completely dull, who are like sheep, and who are intoxicated by sensual desire. This acceptance that accords with the truth eliminates all the views of those sentient beings and provides them with inexhaustible enjoyment. This acceptance that accords with the truth is the steadfast treasure of the entire Dharma. It subjugates all māras and enemies by converting them to the inconceivable Dharma, and it destroys the domain of all the māras. Furthermore, noble son, this acceptance that accords with the truth annihilates the māras and defeats the nāgas. It delights the gods, it pleases the hearts of the yakṣas, it causes the asuras to run away, it frightens the garuḍas, it generates faith in the kinnaras, and it terrifies the mahoragas. It subjugates the enemies, it generates sincere faith in the members of the kṣatriya class, it attracts the brāhmaṇas, and it pleases the vaiśyas and the śūdras. It frees women from their desires, it engenders weariness in the scholars, it delights the spiritual practitioners, and it cures all diseases. It pacifies and eliminates all struggle, famine, untimely death, hostile armies, untimely storms, untimely rain and flooding, untimely hurricanes,

untimely warm weather, snow, and heat waves, and it softens and purifies all substances that are harsh, rough, and hard to touch. It expands direct perception,²⁵ clarifies the way of the sacred Dharma, ensures that the lineage of the Three Jewels remains uninterrupted, and causes one to adhere to the teachings of the Buddha. It provides relief to those who are afraid of saṃsāra, generates the knowledge of exhaustion, causes one to realize the knowledge of the unborn, overcomes all the dense darkness of ignorance, and removes the burden of suffering.

syād yathedaṃ: vayevaya­parivāre vāhevāha­parivāre pṛthave pṛthavāparivāre āve āva parivāre tejeteja­parivāre mālemāla­parivāre khagekhaga­parivāri āloke āloka parivāre sthāmesthāma­parivāre rijerija­parivāre silesila­parivāre gamegama­parivāre āvopa avopa­parivāre mālamalama lamalama rālarālama vijñāna­bhūtagrahe bhūta­grahāparivāre cakṣugraha­parivāre śotragrahe śotra­grahāparivāre ghrāṇagrahe grāṇagrahā­parivāre jihvāgrahe jihvāgrahāparivāre kāyagrahe kāyagrahā­parivāre mangrahe mangrahā­parivāre sparśagrahe sparśa­grahāparivāre vedanāgrahe vedanāgrahā­parivāre tṛṣṇāgraha tṛṣṇāgrahā­parivāre upādānagrahe upādāna­grahāparivāre bhāvagrahe bhāva­grahāparivāre jātigrahe jāti­grahāparivāre jaramaraṇa­grahe jaramaraṇa­grahāparivāre duḥkhas antapāna­grahe duḥkhas antapāna­grahāparivāre ārapāradvijagrahe ārapāradvija­grahāparivāre avṛtavi­vṛtasya avaramu­pamasasya vegavini vṛti āryar asmi saṃve­gaśānti svāhā.

“Noble son, with this practice of the Dharma of The Quintessence of the Sun, the section on the light rays that destroy the nāgas,

the dhāraṇī that exhausts the karmic actions of sentient beings, I will instill faith in others and confer upon them the acceptance that accords with the truth. Therefore, arise, and go to the buddha realm of Sahā! Present my words to the thus-gone Śākyamuni. Ask him if he has any ills or problems and whether he is healthy and well. Tell him, ‘In the eastern direction, beyond countless buddha realms as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges, there is a world called Absence of Torment. In that buddha realm, the thus-gone Campaka Color resides, thrives, lives well, and teaches the Dharma. That thus-gone one has sent me here to ask these questions to the Blessed One: “Respected Blessed One, are you well and free from ills? Are the members of your retinue comfortable and in good health? Are they eager to listen to the sacred Dharma? Do they apply the Dharma in the way they hear it? Do they persevere in the Dharma? Do they abide by the Dharma? Are the domains of the māras and the nāgas subjugated in your buddha realm? Is this the domain of the Buddha alone? Are you turning the Dharma wheel without obstruction in this place?” For those who turn a wheel of non-Dharma in this buddha realm, the thus-gone Campaka Color instills faith by granting the practice of the Dharma of The Quintessence of the Sun, the section on the light rays that destroy the nāgas, the dhāraṇī mantra that exhausts the karmic actions of sentient beings. He confers upon them this powerful and beneficial dhāraṇī mantra that accords with the truth. It exhausts all forms of attachment associated with the desire realm, the form realm,

and the formless realm. […]²⁶ It overcomes all the dense darkness of ignorance, and it removes the burden of suffering.’ ”

The bodhisattva great being Quintessence of the Sun’s Energy then said, “Respected Blessed One, when I consider this beneficial acceptance that accords with the Dharma and is filled with qualities, I am utterly afraid to go to the buddha realm of Sahā! Why? Because I have just heard about that realm from the Blessed One, and I am now aware that in the buddha realm of Sahā sentient beings are predominantly under the influence of desire and like blind persons. There, the women are unattractive and ugly yet extremely conceited in terms of their appearance. […] Even sacred beings who are great scholars, who have trained in concentration, and who revel in the higher perceptions can be overpowered by women. Through the faults of women, all their roots of virtue will be destroyed, and they will go to the lower realms and be born as hell beings.”

The blessed thus-gone Campaka Color replied to the bodhisattva great being Quintessence of the Sun’s Energy, “Noble son, you do not speak for your own sake, and you do not act for your own benefit. Noble son, you speak and act for the sake of all sentient beings. Noble son, who is the lay practitioner named Vimalakīrti who appears in the buddha realm of Sahā, within the retinue of the thus-gone Śākyamuni?

Is that not you?”

He remained silent.

“In that buddha realm and in countless trillions of buddha realms in between, I, the thus-gone Campaka Color, also sometimes manifest in the physical form of Brahmā to ripen beings. To ripen beings, I sometimes manifest in the physical form of Īśvara, of a spiritual practitioner, of Śakra, of a god, of the lord of the nāgas, of the lord of the asuras, of the lord of the garuḍas, of the lord of kinnaras, of the lord of humans, of a solitary buddha, of a hearer, of a member of the kṣatriya class, of a brāhmaṇa, of a householder, of a woman, of a boy, of a girl, of an animal, of a preta, and of a hell being.

“There are eighty thousand bodhisattva great beings in this retinue who are absorbed in attainment and arise from that state together with me. In this retinue, there are also some bodhisattvas whose minds are wavering and unsettled, and they strongly wish to behold the thus-gone Śākyamuni, to pay homage to him, to serve him, and to behold his great assembly. They also strongly wish to hear The Great Assembly from the thus-gone Śākyamuni.