妙法蓮華經 3.63

3.63

“And then the Tathāgata Mahābhijñājñānābhibhū acceded to the request

made by all the great Brahmas from the ten directions and the sixteen princes.

He then immediately turned three times the Dharma wheel of twelve spokes

that no śrāmaṇas, brahmans, devamāras, Brahmas, or any other being in the world could turn. He taught:

This is suffering. This is the origination of suffering. This is the ces-

sation of suffering, and this is the path that leads to the cessation of

suffering. (i.e., the Four Noble Truths)

“He also extensively taught the Dharma of the twelve-linked chain of dependent origination, saying:

Conditioned states are dependent on ignorance. Consciousness is

dependent on conditioned states. Name and form are dependent on

consciousness. The six sense fields are dependent on name and form.

Contact is dependent on the six sense fields. Feelings are dependent

on contact. Craving is dependent on feelings. Grasping is dependent

on craving. Becoming is dependent on grasping. Birth is dependent

on becoming. And old age, illness, death, anxiety, sorrow, suffering,

and distress are dependent on birth.

When ignorance ceases, then conditioned states cease. When con-

ditioned states cease, then consciousness ceases. When consciousness

ceases, then name and form cease. When name and form cease, then

the six sense fields cease. When the six sense fields cease, then con-

tact ceases. When contact ceases, then feelings cease. When feelings

cease, then craving ceases. When craving ceases, then grasping ceases.

When grasping ceases, then becoming ceases. When becoming ceases,

then birth ceases. When birth ceases, then old age, illness, death, anx-

iety, sorrow, suffering, and distress cease.

“When the Buddha explained this Dharma to the great assembly of the devas and humans, at that time six hundred myriads of koṭis of nayutas of people, because they were not attached to any existent thing, became free of all corruption. All of them perfected profound meditations, the three sciences, the six transcendent powers, and were endowed with the eight liberations.

“When he taught the Dharma for the second, third, and fourth time, thousands of myriads of koṭis of nayutas of sentient beings, equal to the sands of the Ganges River, who were not attached to any existent thing, became free of all corruption. Innumerable, immeasurable, incalculable śrāvakas followed in their turn.

“At that time the sixteen princes who were still young renounced house-

hold life and became śrāmaṇeras. All their faculties were sharp, and their

wisdom was penetrating. They had paid homage to hundreds of thousands

of myriads of koṭis of buddhas, practiced the pure path of discipline and

integrity, and sought highest, complete enlightenment.

“They all spoke to the Buddha, saying:

O Bhagavat! All of these immeasurable thousands of myriads of koṭis

of śrāvakas of great merit have all attained perfection. O Bhagavat!

You should also expound the teaching of highest, complete enlight-

enment to us! Hearing it, we shall all practice it. O Bhagavat! We aspire

for the wisdom and insight of the Tathāgata. The Buddha himself knows

what is deep in our minds.

“At that time eight myriads of koṭis of people in the assembly who served

the noble emperor saw the sixteen princes renounce household life and

appealed to the emperor to allow their own renunciation. The emperor imme-

diately gave his permission.

“Then the Buddha accepted the request of the śrāmaṇeras. After twenty

thousand kalpas had passed he taught to the fourfold assembly this Mahayana

sutra called the Lotus Sutra, the instruction for bodhisattvas and treasured

lore of the buddhas.

“After the Buddha taught this sutra, all the sixteen śrāmaṇeras pre-