觀彌勒上生兜率天經贊 1.46

1.46

The Eulogy says: Second is the gathering of the assembly. There are three parts within this: first, the gathering of the fourfold assembly; next, the gathering of the twofold assembly; and finally, the gathering of the eight classes [of beings]. Within the first, there are four: first, the assembly of monks (bhikṣus); second, the assembly of nuns (bhikṣuṇīs); third, the assembly of laymen (upāsakas); fourth, the assembly of laywomen (upāsikās). Within the assembly of monks there are four: first, the assembly of the senior and venerable elders; second, the assembly of few desires and ascetic practices (dhūta); third, the assembly of supernatural powers transforming others externally; fourth, the assembly of inner virtues of wisdom. This is the first of them. In Sanskrit, Ājñāta means 'understanding much'. Kauṇḍinya is one of the Brahmin clan names. 'Jiaochenru' is an erroneous transliteration. When Prince Sarvārthasiddha (translated in the Tang as 'accomplisher of all aims', formerly called Siddhārtha, which is an erroneous abbreviation) climbed over the city wall, retired into the mountains, hid in the valleys, and devoted his body to the Dharma, his royal father, Śuddhodana, thereupon dispatched three persons of his clan: first, Aśvajit (rendered here as Ma-sheng, 'Horse-Conqueror'); second, Bhadrika; and third, Mahānāma-koli; and two persons of his maternal uncle's clan: first, Kauṇḍinya, and second, Daśabala-kāśyapa. The king said: 'My son has renounced home to train and study, wandering alone in the mountains and wilds. Therefore, I command you all to follow and know his whereabouts. Internally, you are his uncles; externally, you are sovereign and subjects. In all his movements and repose, you must know when to proceed and when to halt.' Bearing the royal order, the five kept watch on one another and guarded him. Thereupon, earnestly seeking, they wished to attain liberation from suffering, and each said to the others: 'In practicing the Way, does one realize the fruit through suffering? Or does one realize the fruit through pleasure?' The two maternal uncles said: 'The Way necessarily requires pleasure.' The three clan members said: 'Diligent suffering constitutes the Way.' The two and the three disputed with each other, unable to clarify it. The prince reflected on the principle: in order to subdue the non-Buddhists of asceticism, he ate only hemp and barley daily to sustain his body. The two maternal uncles said: 'What the prince practices is not true; he has lost the right path. The Way is realized through pleasure, yet now he undergoes diligent suffering; he is no disciple of ours.' Abandoning him, they fled far away to contemplate the realization of the fruit on their own. For six years, the prince practiced asceticism without realizing bodhi. Wishing to verify that asceticism was not true, he received milk-rice and realized the fruit. The three clan members said: 'His accomplishment was near completion. Shall he now regress? Six years of ascetic practice have in a single morning lost their merit!' Thereupon they also fled, abandoned him, followed one another, and went in search of the two maternal uncles. Having met them, they sat together and discussed: 'Formerly, we saw the prince leave the royal city and go to the deserted valleys, casting off precious garments to wear deerskin, diligently and resolutely seeking the unsurpassed Dharma. Now he has received the milk-rice of a cowherd girl, ruining the Way and defecting from his resolve; he is incapable of anything.' The two maternal uncles said: 'Sirs, how late is your insight! He is a madman. Having occupied a deep valley and enjoyed an exalted rank, he could not keep his resolve tranquil, but fled to the mountain forests; casting away the great treasures of a wheel-turning king, he has become a vile, mediocre person. How could he be worthy of regard?' Their words grew increasingly bitter. The prince bathed in the Nairañjanā River, sat under the bodhi tree, and attained equal and perfect awakening, titled the Teacher of Gods and Humans. Reflecting on who should be liberated, [he saw that] only Udraka Rāmaputra had attained the concentration of neither-perception-nor-non-perception and was fit to receive the wondrous Dharma. A deity in the sky announced: 'Seven days have now passed since he passed away.' The Tathāgata sighed with regret: 'How unfortunate that he was missed!' He investigated again: Ārāḍa Kālāma had attained the concentration of the sphere of nothingness and could be taught the ultimate principle. The devas again announced: 'It has already been five days since he passed away.' The Tathāgata sighed again, pitying his meager merit. He further closely observed who should receive the teaching: only the five persons in the Deer Park were fit to be guided first. The Buddha went from the tree of awakening toward the Deer Park, his deportment serene and his divine light resplendent, the curl between his brows holding a jade-like glow and his body gleaming with golden color, advancing peacefully to guide those five persons. Seeing him from afar, the five said to one another: 'The one coming there is Sarvārthasiddha. After so much time has passed, he has realized no fruit whatsoever; his heart's desire has repeatedly turned back, so he is seeking our group. We should all remain silent, and not rise to welcome him or pay respects.' As the Tathāgata drew near, compelled by his majestic spiritual power, the five forgot their restriction and each rose to pay respects, welcome, and attend upon the Tathāgata. The Tathāgata gradually guided and revealed to them the wondrous principle, turning the wheel of the Dharma in three turns through indicating the characteristics, exhorting practice, and providing verification. The Buddha asked: 'Do you understand?' Kauṇḍinya was then the first to answer: 'I understand.' The earth deities proclaimed, and the devas of the Śuddhāvāsa heaven also said: 'Kauṇḍinya has understood first.' In this manner, the sound spread throughout the trichiliocosm, and from this he was named 'Understanding' (Ājñāta). Kauṇḍinya, now together with his disciples, the venerable elders, seeing the resplendent light, the raining flowers, and the proclamation, arose from meditative concentration and proceeded to where the World-Honoured One was. Older sūtras sometimes say 'Venerable Liaobenji' ('He who understood the fundamental limit') or 'Understanding the Non-Wisdom'; all of these convey the meaning of Ājñāta without obtaining the correct name, and nor did they understand that Kauṇḍinya is a clan name.