佛說盂蘭盆經疏 2

English (machine translation) 2

Language: English

2.1

Composed by the Śramaṇa Zongmi of Chongguo.

Part Four: Explaining the Text of the Sūtra Proper (in two parts). 'Explaining the text of the sūtra proper' is further divided into two parts: first, explaining the title; second, explaining the main text.

First, explaining the title.

2.3

The Ullambana Sūtra Spoken by the Buddha

2.4

This sūtra has three translations in all: 1. During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Jin, Master Zhu Fahu (Dharmarakṣa) translated it, calling it the *Ullambana Sūtra*. 2. During the reign of Emperor Hui, Master Faju translated it, calling it the *Sūtra on Pouring at the End of the Retreat (Guanla jing)*, which corresponds to the passage here stating 'provide food of a hundred flavors and the five kinds of fruits, vessels for drawing and pouring, fragrant oil, lamps, and candles,' and so forth. 3. In the old separate catalogs, yet another master translated it as the *Sūtra on Repaying Kindness (Bao'en jing)*, establishing the name according to the practice performed. That which is explained now is the first translation.

Tripiṭaka Master Yijing said: 'Issued from my mouth, it eases their minds; because the teaching accords with the capacities [of beings], it is called "Spoken by the Buddha."' *Ullan* is a word of the Western Regions, rendered here as 'hanging upside down.' *Pen* (basin) is the sound of the Eastern Xia (China), and refers to the vessel of rescue. If following the local vernacular, it should be called 'the basin for rescuing from hanging upside down.' This arose because the soul of the Venerable One's mother was sunk in the dark paths; repeatedly hungry and thirsty, her life was like hanging upside down, and even with the awe-inspiring spiritual power of a holy son, there was no way to save her from the mire and ashes. The Buddha commanded that a basin be arranged with a hundred flavors as an offering to the Three Honored Ones, relying on the grace and light of the great assembly to rescue her from the distress of hanging upside down. The sūtra's name is established from this meaning.

As for 'sūtra' (*jing*), its correct name is 'thread' (*sūtra*), and its meaning is 'concordant thread' (*qijing*). A thread can string flowers; a warp thread can hold the woof; this means that the signified meaning resembles the woof and resembles flowers, and the signifying text can hold and string them together. Now, in accordance with the canonical records of this land, it is designated as a *jing*. Borrowing the meaning to aid the designation, the character *qi* ('concordant') is further added. This explanation conforms to the meaning of 'penetrating and stringing together' among the two meanings in the *Buddhabhūmi-śāstra*, and the meaning of 'binding garlands' among the five meanings in the *Saṃyuktābhidharma-hṛdaya-śāstra*.

2.5

Second, explaining the main text. Explaining the main text is divided into three parts: 1. The introductory section; 2. The central section; 3. The dissemination section. As the rise of the three sections was loftily determined by [Dao'an, whose fame] filled heaven, it subtly coincided with the Western Regions, and has been honored equally in ancient and modern times.

Within the first introductory section, sūtras mostly have two introductions: 1. The introduction verifying faith: namely, that 'such a dharma as this, I heard from the Buddha.' It clearly marks the time of preaching and the place of preaching, and that the great assembly heard it together without error, serving as evidence to cause all to have faith and accept it. Whether a sūtra is extensive or brief, without faith it cannot be transmitted; for this reason, the beginning of a sūtra must verify faith. Therefore, the *Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa* says: 'Stating the time, place, and persons is to give rise to faith.' 2. The initiating introduction: bringing to light and giving rise to faith in the dharma of the central doctrine. Such as the jeweled canopy in the *Vimalakīrti-nirdeśa* or the ray of light from between the brows in the *Lotus Sūtra*. However, the verification of faith is also called the general introduction, because all sūtras share it; it is also called the post-sūtra introduction, because it did not exist when the Buddha preached the dharma. The initiating introduction is also called the particular introduction, because sūtras differ; it is also called the pre-sūtra introduction, because the Buddha first initiates it himself and only then preaches the central doctrine.

2.6

First, the introduction verifying faith.

2.7

Thus have I heard: At one time, the Buddha was staying in Śrāvastī, in the Jeta Grove, in Anāthapiṇḍada's Park.

2.8

When the Buddha was about to enter extinction, Ānanda inquired about four matters, and the Buddha commanded that these words be placed [at the beginning]. The Buddha answered each of the four matters inquired about, namely: 1. Rely on the four stations of mindfulness; 2. Take the precepts as teacher; 3. Practice silent expulsion toward monks of bad character; 4. At the beginning of all sūtras, say: 'Thus have I heard: at one time the Buddha was at such-and-such place together with such-and-such number of people from such-and-such place.'

Sūtras mostly possess the six kinds of fulfillments; even if the text is omitted or abbreviated, the meaning is necessarily complete with them: namely, 1. Faith; 2. Hearing; 3. Time; 4. Host; 5. Place; 6. Assembly. If the six conditions are not complete, the teaching will not arise. Because they must be complete in all six, they are called 'fulfillments.' The present sūtra lacks the listing of the assembly. Furthermore, that hearing-fulfillment comes first, differing from other sūtras, is in each case due to the intention of the translator. That is, some say 'a dharma such as this, I heard from the Buddha,' and some say 'I heard such a dharma from the Buddha's presence'; these are all expressions pointing to the dharma. Not saying 'I' is intended to show that all holy ones realize the principle of non-self. When other sūtras have it, Ānanda is referring to the provisional self of the five aggregates, which is not the self conceived by emotional attachment, so there is also no fault.

'Heard' means the ear faculty giving rise to consciousness to listen to that external sound. Next, saying 'thus' is the fulfillment of faith. For one who has faith says 'this matter is thus,' while one without faith says 'this matter is not thus.' Therefore Master Sengzhao says: 'It is an expression of faithful compliance.'

'At one time' means the meeting of teacher and disciple when preaching and listening are culminated; it is collectively called 'one time,' to distinguish it from other times. This means that when the Tathāgata expounds a sūtra, the times are immeasurable and cannot be separately enumerated; a single word briefly encompasses them, so it merely says 'one.' Because the divisions of time in various regions are of unfixed length, it simply says 'at one time.' However, as for why sūtras do not specify a fixed time but do specify a fixed place: some explanations invite objections, so they are not adopted here. Now, examining the intention: places did not exceed the dwelling places where he traveled and transformed throughout the sixteen states and had their fixed count, so they were easy to mark and point out. As for time, years, months, spring, autumn, cold, heat, day, night, *yin*, *mao*, and momentary instants change rapidly and accumulate in immeasurable numbers that cannot be spoken of or recorded, so they are difficult to mark and point out.

'Buddha' is the Sanskrit *buddha*, rendered here as 'awakened one,' meaning one who has awakened to the nature and characteristics of the true and the false. Awakening has three meanings: 1. Self-awakening to the emptiness of the self, distinguishing from ordinary beings; 2. Awakening others to the emptiness of dharmas, distinguishing from the two vehicles; 3. Awakening fulfilled and both [self and dharmas] empty, matching original awakening, termed ultimate awakening or termed great awakening and marvelous awakening, distinguishing from bodhisattvas.

'In Śrāvastī,' and so forth, is the fulfillment of place. The notes of Paramārtha state: 'There are two kinds of dwelling places: 1. The objective-realm place, which refers to transforming the worldly stream; 2. The reliance place, which refers to presiding over the assembly of renunciants. The first is Śrāvastī; the second is the Jeta Grove.' The *Mahāvibhāṣā-śāstra* says: 'Citing Śrāvastī is to let those far away know; citing the Jeta Grove is to let those nearby know.' Śrāvastī is translated here as 'hearing things,' meaning that it was replete with the goods of wealth and treasures, and people of broad learning and liberation, being heard of far away in various countries. Tripiṭaka Master Yijing's translation of the *Vajracchedikā* calls it 'the Great City of Renown.'

'The Jeta Grove,' and so forth, refers to the trees donated by Prince Jeta and the park purchased by Elder Anāthapiṇḍada. Jeta is translated here as 'victorious in battle'; he was the crown prince of King Prasenajit. At the time of his birth, the king was victorious in battle against a foreign country, so he was named after it. 'Anāthapiṇḍada' (Provider for the Destitute) is an official's title; his original name was Sudatta, which is translated here as 'good giver,' meaning that providing for the destitute is itself good giving. Moreover, because he constantly practiced giving, he was called Good Giver; the local people praised him with the title Provider for the Destitute. However, the park was purchased by Sudatta, and the trees were donated by Jeta; the park was general and the trees particular, so the park should properly have been indicated first, but now, by the propriety of distinguishing the noble and the base, the trees come first and the park after.

In Western countries, a monastery is called a *saṅghārāma*, which is translated here as 'community park.' When Buddhism flowed east and first arrived in China, [the monks] stayed in the Court of State Ceremonial (Honglusi) to host foreign monks; once the monks gradually increased, they were placed separately in other lodges, retaining their original designation, all being called *si* (monasteries). As for purchasing the park and donating the trees, the *Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra* explains: Elder Sudatta sought a wife for his son and went to Rājagṛha. Because of seeing the Buddha, he gave rise to the aspiration and invited him to enter Śrāvastī to preach the dharma. The Buddha instructed Śāriputra to return with him to first select a dwelling place. Having selected Prince Jeta's park, the Elder asked to purchase it; the Prince joked: 'Cover it sideways with yellow gold; when it is filled, I will sell it.' The Elder then wished to deliver it. The Prince said: 'Those were words spoken in jest.' Together they asked an arbitrator to judge it, and he judged that they must abide by the former words. The Elder transported the gold and spread it sideways, with only one corner short. Seeing that he did not begrudge wealth and treasures, the Prince knew the Buddha was extraordinary, and thereupon donated the remaining land to establish the gatehouse, and donated the trees in the park to provide shade. The two together completed the monastery and invited the Buddha to dwell there; hence it says 'the Jeta Grove,' and so forth.

Lacking the fulfillment of the assembly is merely an omission of the text, as in the *Anityatā-sūtra* and others. However, having that time, there must have been the retinue of followers; therefore the end of the sūtra says: 'The disciples of the four assemblies rejoiced and practiced accordingly.'

2.9

Second, the initiating introduction (in six parts). As for 'initiating': since this sūtra takes filial compliance and the relief of suffering as its central doctrine, it relies on the occasion of rescuing the mother to initiate it. The text is divided into six: 1. Maudgalyāyana's attainment of the Way; 2. Knowing kindness and wishing to repay it; 3. Yearning and searching everywhere; 4. Seeing her location; 5. Weeping bitterly and going to rescue her; 6. Evil habits manifesting.

2.10

First, Maudgalyāyana's attainment of the Way.

2.11

Mahāmaudgalyāyana had just attained the six spiritual penetrations.

2.12

This person's clan name was Mahāmaudgalyāyana, which in the language of Tang means the 'Mung-Bean Clan' (Luxiu shi). In that country, in high antiquity, there was an immortal who constantly ate mung beans; the Venerable One was of his lineage. His personal name was Nyagrodha (Nijulutuo), which is the name of a tree. Because the Venerable One's two parents gave birth to him after sacrificing to the spirit of this tree, he was named after it. He was the son of a prime minister in the city of Rājagṛha. The people of the time valued his lineage, which is why they referred to him by his clan name. As for 'just when he had attained the six superknowledges': 'just when' means at the very beginning. Having just attained the noble path, he immediately wished to deliver his two parents, because it was originally on account of his parents that he cultivated the path. Although the path is without difference, original vows are each distinct; hence, it is not necessarily so for all noble ones. As for the six superknowledges: first, the superknowledge of the domain of psychic power (ṛddhi-viṣaya-jñāna), because one realizes psychic domains through wisdom. It is also called the superknowledge of wish-fulfillment (ṛddhividhi-jñāna), because one's body conforms to one's wish, arriving wherever one intends to go. Second, the superknowledge of the divine eye (divya-cakṣus); third, the superknowledge of the divine ear (divya-śrotra), which means being able to see and hear forms and sounds, whether near or far, inside or outside obstructions. Fourth, the superknowledge of past lives (pūrvanivāsānusmṛti-jñāna), being able to know past lifetimes, original births, and past affairs. Fifth, the superknowledge of others' minds (paracitta-jñāna), which means being able to know all minds, whether in concentration or distraction, with outflows or without outflows. Sixth, the superknowledge of the exhaustion of outflows (āsravakṣaya-jñāna), which means being able to know that outflows within one's body are exhausted. Because all six are unimpeded, they are collectively called 'superknowledges' (abhijñā).

2.13

Second, recognizing kindness and wishing to repay it.

2.14

He wished to deliver his parents in order to repay the kindness of nursing and feeding.

2.15

'To deliver' means deliverance and liberation. However, the two words 'repay kindness' merely indicate an empty role in a general way; deliverance and liberation are precisely the actual repayment. 'Nursing' refers to mother's milk; 'feeding' is chewing food and feeding it. Now, parents may be distant or near, kindness may be light or heavy, and repayment may be partial or complete. 'Distant' refers to seven lifetimes and even many lifetimes; 'near' refers to this very body in the present life. As for 'seven lifetimes', this is upheld by non-Buddhist teachings. They take the physical form as the root, transmitting the bodily substance in continuity; taking the father, grandfather, and so forth upward as the seven generations, they therefore give special reverence to the father. What Buddhist teaching upholds is that human beings take the spiritual consciousness as the root, and the physical form of the four great elements is that upon which the spiritual consciousness relies. In lifetime after lifetime and birth after birth, there are always parents; taking the parents who gave birth to and raised this body backward up to the parents who gave birth to one in seven lifetimes constitutes the 'seven lifetimes'. However, the place of entrustment is solely within the mother's womb, and from birth onward, nursing, feeding, and cradling in the bosom are also mostly done by the mother; hence, special weight is given to the mother. For this reason, the sūtra only speaks of 'repaying the kindness of nursing and feeding'. As for 'even many lifetimes', among them it specifically takes all the physical parents who gave birth to one since taking refuge in the Buddha, because they were able to give birth to my body as a vessel for cultivating the path. When all Buddhas attain the path, their parents over many lifetimes all meet together, hear the Dharma, and obtain benefit. As for 'kindness may be light or heavy': the parents of this life are the weightiest, and the rest are progressively lighter. As for 'repayment may be partial or complete': serving and nurturing them for one lifetime is partial; delivering and liberating them across many lifetimes is complete. Therefore, a sūtra says: 'Even if one carried one's father on the left shoulder and one's mother on the right shoulder and walked all over the great earth, one still could not repay their kindness.' Thus we know that what is repaid in this life is partial; even if one were like the likes of Meng Zong, Dong An, or Dong Yong, it would still be partial. Now this sūtra says: 'He wished to deliver his parents'—the intention is to cause them to attain the path, making clear that it is complete. If one does not repay it at all, one is simply an unfilial sinner, not to mention committing rebellious acts. Furthermore, speaking broadly of kindness from all people, the Avataṃsaka Sūtra says: 'Those who do not recognize kindness often suffer untimely deaths.' The Sūtra on the Ocean of the Samādhi of the Visualization of the Buddha says: 'Having received kindness and not repaying it is a cause for Avīci.' If other kinds of kindness are still like this, how much more so with parents? The kindness of parents is beyond measure. Therefore, the Book of Odes says: 'Long and large grows the artemisia, / Yet it is not artemisia, but southernwood. / Alas, alas, my parents! / With what toil they gave me birth!' And further: 'Fatherless, whom can I rely on? / Motherless, whom can I depend on? / When I go out, I carry sorrow; / When I come in, there is nowhere to go. / Father, you gave me birth; / Mother, you nurtured me, / Caressed me and fed me, / Reared me and educated me, / Looked after me and sheltered me, / Going out and coming in, holding me in your bosom. / Wishing to repay this virtue, / It is like vast Heaven, boundless!' Therefore, the Tripiṭaka Master says: 'The righteousness of parents is as high as heaven and earth, their kindness as deep as the great ocean; for this reason, one binds one's thoughts to and looks up to the kindness of their looking after and holding one to their bosom, and thinks of responding to the virtue of their toilsome labor.' The Sūtra on the Heavy Kindness of Parents says: 'In the bosom of the parents, smiling without yet speaking, making harmonious babbling sounds; when hungry, needing food, without mother one is not fed; when thirsty, needing drink, without mother one is not suckled (and so forth). Considering and assessing the mother's kindness, it is like vast Heaven, boundless. Alas, kind mother, how can it ever be repaid? (and so forth). As for her walking back and forth to east and west, among neighbors, by the well, stove, mortar, and mill, not returning home on time: the mother's heart suddenly trembles and milk flows from both her breasts, and she immediately knows: "My child at home is longing for me." She then returns home at once.'

2.16

Question: Examining this sūtra text, it is shallow and rustic, specifically warning the poor and lowly—why is this? Answer: The gentleman is naturally filial; therefore, it specifically warns the petty person. Moreover, the gentleman also experiences the poverty of a single bamboo dish and gourd ladle; what prevents him from engaging in tasks such as pounding and milling? Furthermore, it is only by specifically recounting words of hardship and toil that the labor of nurturing and rearing is truly made manifest.

2.17

It also says: 'The child sees the mother coming from afar; either in the railed cart shaking its head and tossing its brain, or crawling on its belly following along, crying out toward the mother. For her child, the mother bends her body down low, stretches out both hands, wipes away the dust and dirt, makes cooing sounds to its mouth, opens her bosom to bring forth milk, and nurses it with milk. The mother is delighted to see the child, and the child is joyful to see the mother; their two feelings intermingle, and their kindness, love, compassion, and affection are so weighty that nothing surpasses this (and so forth). Once grown to adulthood, following friends, combing the hair and rubbing the locks, desiring good clothes to cover their bodies, the parents wear the tattered and old garments themselves, while first giving the new and fine cotton and silk to their child. As for rushing about on official or private urgent matters, their hearts incline north and south, following their child east and west, the hairpin crooked upon the head. As the child gradually grows up, they seek a wife for him; having obtained another's daughter, he grows increasingly distant from his parents, speaking and rejoicing together inside the private bedchamber. When the parents are old and their strength has declined, from morning until evening he does not come to inquire after them. Or the father is solitary and the mother a widow, keeping lonely vigil in an empty room, just like guests staying temporarily in another's house, constantly devoid of love and kindness. Or having no jacket or quilt, suffering the bitterness of freezing cold, their hardships and distress are excessive. Old in age and withered in countenance, infested with many fleas and lice, through morning and night they do not sleep, groaning long and sighing: "What sin, what past transgression, has brought forth such an unfilial child?" Sometimes calling him, he glares with startled fury, entirely refusing to comply. Yet when wife and children scold him, he bows his head with an accommodating smile (and so forth). Śakra, the Brahmā kings, all the devas, and humans—all in the great assembly, having heard the sūtra, rejoiced, gave rise to the bodhicitta, wept and wailed shaking the earth, their tears falling like rain.' In evaluation, I say: Thinking carefully upon these matters, truly these words are so! Even if there are mothers not like this or children not like that, they are not one in a hundred. This is truly because sentient beings, through beginningless ignorance, are deluded about the real and cling to the false; since the root is inverted, the branches and twigs are all likewise without exception. How calamitous are the ordinary and foolish! How can they ever be delivered?

2.18

Third, looking up with longing and searching everywhere.

2.19

He immediately viewed the world with his eye of the path.

2.20

Viewing and searching for the place of rebirth is the superknowledge of the divine eye. Because it was obtained through realizing the path, it is called the 'eye of the path'. As for 'the world', there are two kinds: the three realms are the world of vessels (bhājana-loka), and the six destinies are the world of sentient beings (sattva-loka). However, on the day the Venerable One lost his parents, he was still an ordinary person and did not know into which destiny his parents had been born. Now, having attained the noble fruit, his power was sufficient to seek them out; therefore, with the divine eye, he viewed upward and downward, searching for their bodies among the six destinies within the three realms. Because he viewed immediately upon obtaining the superknowledge, the text says 'immediately'.

2.21

Fourth, obtaining sight of her location.

2.22

He saw his deceased mother born among the hungry ghosts, seeing no food or drink, her skin and bones clinging together.

2.23

Originally, he surveyed the world seeking both parents; his father had been born in a pleasant place, requiring no bestowal of effort, and since that is not the primary concern of the sūtra, it is not expounded here. His mother had been born in the realm of hungry ghosts, which already belongs to the three bad destinies, and moreover was amid starvation, which is the ultimate suffering among ghosts; and what delivers from suffering is only the Ullambana—the intention in initiating the main body of the text lies precisely in this. Being born among hungry ghosts is a maturation fruit (vipākaphala), recompensing projecting karma (ākṣepakarma). Not seeing food and drink is an outflow fruit (niṣyandaphala), recompensing completing karma (paripūrakakarma); it is the fruit of the karma of stinginess and greed. Skin and bones connected and standing is a sovereign fruit (adhipatiphala). According to the *Nyāyānusāra*, ghosts originally abide five hundred yojanas beneath this continent, extending the same in length and breadth. There is the realm of Yama, from which they gradually scatter and proceed to other regions. One month in the human world is one day [for them]; accumulating months and years on this basis, their lifespan is five hundred years. Now, there are three types of ghosts: first, ghosts without wealth, who obtain no food because they have no merit; second, ghosts with little wealth, who obtain a little pure and fine food and drink; third, ghosts with abundant wealth, who obtain much pure and fine food and drink. These three kinds of ghosts each have three sub-types. The three without wealth are: first, torch-mouthed ghosts, meaning blazing torches constantly issue from their mouths. Because in previous lives they burned villages and stockades or roasted worthy and good people to seek wealth thereby, they fell into hell, and upon emerging from hell fell among these ghosts. Thus the *Saddharmasmṛtyupasthāna Sūtra* says: 'If a person through greed and envy wrongfully seizes others' wealth, razes others' cities, and kills, pillages, and plunders to obtain wealth, presenting it to kings and ministers and growing ever more ferocious, they fall among blazing hungry ghosts.' Second, needle-throated ghosts, whose heads are as large as mountains and whose throats are like the eye of a needle. This is due to breaking the fast and eating at night, and stealing the food of the saṅgha. Thus the *Zhai fa qingjing jing* says: 'Maudgalyāyana encountered along the road hundreds of myriads of ghosts whose heads were like great mountains,' and so forth. Third, foul-mouthed ghosts, meaning their mouths are putrid and foul, and they suffer from loathing themselves. This is due to abundant greed for fame and gain, asserting themselves as right and others as wrong, praising evil people, and slandering the worthy and good. In view of these three, one would rather swallow iron pellets than eat the offerings of the faithful. The three with little wealth are: first, needle-haired ghosts, whose hair is sharp as needles and pierces them as they walk. Because of greedy desire for profit, they falsely performed acupuncture and moxibustion or pierced domestic animals, merely seeking wealth without curing illnesses. Second, foul-haired ghosts, whose hair is sharp and foul-smelling, and they pull it out themselves and suffer. Due to trading pigs and sheep, or slaughtering and cooking geese and ducks, scalding, burning, skinning, and peeling with unbearable pain, once their hell retribution ended they fell into this ghost destiny. Third, great-goiter ghosts, who have large goiters hanging from their throats, which they tear open themselves to eat the pus. This is due to being envious of others and constantly harboring hatred. The three with abundant wealth are: first, ghosts who obtain discarded food, meaning they constantly obtain food discarded from sacrificial offerings. Due to having many sins and little merit, giving little and being very stingy, only giving away things that were thrown away. Second, ghosts who obtain lost food, meaning they constantly obtain food dropped in streets and alleys. Because they constantly felt stingy attachment to their existing wealth, and would only abandon what they suspected was about to be lost. Third, powerful ghosts, meaning yakṣas, rākṣasas, piśācas, and so forth. The wealth and pleasure they enjoy is similar to humans and devas; they rely on forests, abide in mountain valleys, dwell in spirit shrines, or reside in empty palaces, walking upright, yet belonging to the destiny of ghosts. That their transformations are manifold is due to their mixed karmic actions in the causal stage, where sins and merits were imprecise and the causes of suffering and pleasure were mixed. The *Fu fazang zhuan* states: The monk Saṅghayaśas traveled to the shore of the great ocean and saw a wonderful palace, where the household had two ghosts shackled, and so forth. Now, the Venerable One's mother is a torch-mouthed ghost among those without wealth. There are also texts that say hungry ghosts are of three kinds: first, external obstructions, where upon encountering water they see persons holding swords and staves obstructing them; second, internal obstructions, where their mouths have torches of fire or their throats are like needles; third, unobstructed, who see rivers as raging fires, or eat excrement and filth, or cut and consume their own flesh. Now, the Venerable One's mother falls under internal obstructions. All the ghosts mentioned above are summoned by the causal actions of their own minds, and the retribution inevitably corresponds, just as shadows and echoes depend on form and sound; even the closest kin, parents, cannot substitute for one another. Therefore, all wise people should exert their minds; if they encounter good conditions, they must not let them pass in vain. Once one passes away in a morning, who will perform cultivation and honoring? Even if one entrusts it to children and grandchildren, one receives only one part in seven; how much more so if there is no filial child—how can regret and remorse catch up? Furthermore, commoners in this defiled world rarely cherish benevolence and filial piety; they worry only about wives and children, how could they think of spirits in the dark realm? The poor and lowly are pressed by hunger and cold, while the rich and noble run wild with wealth and sex; even if they can perform merit for the deceased, most grow tired of the task; those who exhaust their strength and pour out their hearts are not one in ten thousand. Witnessed directly in the ways of the world, is this not obvious? Thus the *Enzhong jing* says: 'Husband and wife unite in harmony to commit the five heinous transgressions together; when she calls, he scurries to do her bidding. Yet to his parents' words, he disobeys nine times out of ten, refusing to comply and glaring with abuse.' If this is so during life, how much more so after death! If one is not benevolent oneself, how could one's child be filial? Thus in ancient times there was one who carried his father to the wilds, and [his son] brought back the carriage. Viewing the present in light of the past, though the paths and traces differ, the mind is the same.

2.24

Fifth, weeping bitterly and going to rescue her.

2.25

Maudgalyāyana was filled with sorrow, and immediately took a bowl filled with rice and went to feed his mother.

2.26

'Filled with sorrow' means that the debt of gratitude for giving birth and raising him is heavy, as set forth above. After parting in death and being separated across lifetimes, suddenly seeing her again, even if her countenance had remained unchanged, one would still weep with grief, not to mention beholding her ghost form with skin and bones connected and standing, smoke and flame in her throat, empty inside her belly, suffering as if hung upside down, her life reduced to faint gasps—how could he not break his body, beat his breast, leap about, and wail with all his breath, lamenting that one burdened with sinful transgressions should temporarily live in vain, and agonizing over his loving mother's suffering? The sūtra marks the general meaning simply as 'filled with sorrow'; yet closely examining the situation at that time, how could it not have been so? Thus the Tripiṭaka Master's outline says 'heartbroken and distressed', explaining: 'Stirred to the very marrow of his bones, his wailing moved heaven and earth.' As for 'took a bowl filled with rice and went to feed her': his mother's breath was already as faint as an evening drip, her distress like that of morning starvation; being hungry and thirsty, she reasonably needed rescue, and to relieve such an emergency, food and drink come first, which is why he filled a bowl with rice and took it to feed his mother.

2.27

Sixth, her bad habit manifests.

2.28

His mother received the bowl of rice, and then screened the bowl with her left hand and grasped food with her right hand. Before the food could enter her mouth, it transformed into burning charcoal, and she could not eat it.

2.29

Objects transform according to the mind, and fruits are formed dependent on karma. When the cause of hunger has not been removed, how could conditions for satiety arrive? As a ghost, she was torch-mouthed, so when food drew near her mouth it flared up, just as water turns to solid ice, and ice hardens even more near boiling soup. Thus one knows that spiritual power cannot withstand karmic power; to remove hunger, one must first remove stinginess. Therefore, going to feed her with the six superknowledges invited calamity, and arraying the basin with a hundred delicacies brought forth suffering. How momentous is the ripening of karma! It should indeed be contemplated! Now, screening the bowl with her left hand was out of stinginess, fearing others would encroach upon it. Grasping food with her right hand was out of greed to feed herself. With stinginess and greed so fiercely manifesting, how could the inferior condition of food and drink provide relief? Thus it transformed into fire, and she could not eat. The introductory section above is concluded.

2.30

Second, the main section (two parts). The main section is divided into two: first, Maudgalyāyana sorrowfully recounts her distress; second, the Tathāgata broadly explains the causes and conditions.

2.31

First, Maudgalyāyana sorrowfully recounts her distress.

2.32

Maudgalyāyana cried out loudly, wailed, and wept; he rushed back to report to the Buddha, detailing everything in this manner.

2.33

A child in urgent need appeals to the father; a minister in urgent need appeals to the lord. When one's own power is insufficient, it is right to turn to the Buddha. The disciple had diligently contemplated the four truths and already realized the three knowledges, capable of overturning mountains and rivers and revolving the sun and moon. How could he have anticipated that his mother would be entangled in ultimate suffering, her life as if hung upside down, and that exhausting his filial sincerity and using all his supernormal transformations would nevertheless fail to eliminate her evil retribution and temporarily relieve her starving belly? This is why he rushed back crying and weeping, fully expressing his mournful plea.

2.34

Second, the Tathāgata broadly explains the causes and conditions (eight parts). The Tathāgata broadly explains the causes and conditions, following the Tripiṭaka Master's division into eight sections: first, revealing the mother's deep offenses; second, clarifying that the son's virtue is insufficient; third, rebuking the heterodox for having no power; fourth, showing that the orthodox have the ability; fifth, promising the method of rescue; sixth, demonstrating the proper dharma; seventh, the filial son understanding and awakening; eighth, the loving mother obtaining benefit.

2.35

First, revealing the mother's deep offenses.

2.36

The Buddha said: 'Your mother's roots of offenses are deeply tied.'

2.37

There is a sūtra that says: At the time of Dīpaṅkara Buddha, Maudgalyāyana was named Luobu, and his mother was named Qingti. When Luobu was about to travel, he enjoined his mother, saying, 'If guests arrive, mother should prepare a meal.' After he left, guests arrived, but the mother did not provide for them; moreover, she falsely set up an empty banquet table. When the son returned, he asked, 'When guests arrived yesterday, how did you provide for them?' The mother said, 'Did you not see the place where food was set out?' From then on, through five hundred lifetimes, stinginess succeeded stinginess, and therefore it is said that the roots of offenses are deeply tied. 'Offenses' refers to the karma of body and speech; 'roots' refers to the mind of stinginess and greed. Continuity through many lifetimes is 'deep'; being firmly entwined and difficult to untie is 'tied'. Everything that arose from stinginess is sinful karma, not merely that single false speech back then. Stinginess and greed are the root of suffering, what is done is the karma of suffering, and the hungry ghost is the fruit of suffering—these are the three matters. According to the ten grave precepts, stinginess is also karma, and only greed is the root, because it gives rise to sinful karma.

2.38

Question: In those five hundred lifetimes of stinginess, was she human or ghost? Answer: Humans and ghosts alternated; creating [karma] and receiving [retribution] supported each other. If it were only human rebirths, it would not be called evil retribution; if it were only ghost rebirths, she would not have created karma. Or she may have been an animal; in principle there is no obstacle to this. As long as the habit of stinginess was not eradicated, it is termed continuous.

2.39

Question: Since the time of Dīpaṅkara Buddha, Maudgalyāyana's mothers through various lives were not one and the same; why did he rescue only that Qingti? Answer: Qingti had deep affinities with Maudgalyāyana, and became his mother again in this lifetime. He was merely rescuing the mother who gave birth to him in this life, not rescuing that Qingti of distant lifetimes. Other treatises' claims are all due to a lack of understanding.

2.40

Second, clarifying that the son's virtue is insufficient.

2.41

'It is not something the power of you alone can do anything about.'

2.42

Your mother's stingy mind was stingy toward everyone. Through many lifetimes and involving many people, how could the power of you alone rescue and deliver her?

2.43

Third, rebuking the heterodox for having no power.

2.44

'Although your filial piety and compliance move heaven and earth with your cries, the heavenly spirits, earthly deities, demonic spirits, non-Buddhist religious masters, and spirits of the Four Heavenly Kings cannot do anything either.'

2.45

The Tripiṭaka Master says: 'Even if you move the heavenly spirits of the upper realms and stir the earthly deities of the lower regions, even if you draw in demonic spirits and broadly gather non-Buddhists, unifying the six directions as a single family and combining the eight classes of beings as one assembly, uniting their spiritual powers would still be of no avail.' 'Non-Buddhist religious masters' means religious masters among the non-Buddhists, distinguished from religious masters within the Buddhist path. When Buddhism was first transmitted to this land, monks were called religious masters (daoshi). The 'Four Heavenly Kings' are Vaiśravaṇa and the others who protect and maintain the world.

2.46

Fourth, showing that the orthodox have the ability.

2.47

'It must rely on the power of the awe-inspiring authority of the saṅgha of the ten directions to attain liberation.'

2.48

The Tripiṭaka Master says: 'A single thread cannot restrain an elephant; it must rely on many strands. A single person cannot eliminate karma; it must depend on the multitude of virtues.' Now, carefully examining the earlier and later texts of the sūtra, when contrasting heterodox and orthodox, single and many, there are four propositions: First, orthodox but not many: this cannot rescue, hence the earlier 'it is not something the power of you alone can do anything about.' Second, many but not orthodox: this also cannot rescue, namely the aforementioned 'spirits, deities, demonic spirits, non-Buddhists,' and so forth. Third, both many and orthodox: only then can rescue take place, namely the saṅgha of the ten directions. Fourth, neither many nor orthodox: evidently impossible, hence there is no sūtra text [for it].

2.49

Fifth, promising the method of rescue.

2.50

'I shall now expound the method of rescue, so that all those in difficulty may leave behind grief and suffering.'

2.51

'Shall now expound' is precisely the phrasing of a promise. 'The method of rescue' is the matter promised. 'So that all...', and so forth: a crossbow of a thousand jun is not released solely for a tiny field mouse; how could the Honored One of the Three Realms cause only your mother to be free from suffering?

2.52

6. Revealing the correct Dharma. In revealing the correct Dharma, there are two parts: first, teaching the filial child the method of presenting offerings; second, teaching the saṅgha the ritual of receiving offerings. The first part further has five [aspects]: 1. determining the superior time; 2. generating the superior intention; 3. preparing superior offerings; 4. praising the superior field; 5. obtaining superior benefits. That is, the day of pravāraṇā is the superior time, like the months of spring sunshine. The filial mind is the superior intention, like fine, fresh seeds. The hundred delicacies, the five fruits, and so forth are superior offerings, like good oxen and plows. Making offerings with them is like skillfully plowing and tilling. The worthy and holy ones are the superior field, like fertile, rich soil. Living and deceased parents, the six relatives and family members, and even seven generations escaping suffering and being born in heaven are the superior benefits, like thousands of bins and tens of thousands of bushels harvested in autumn and stored in winter. How could the thrust of the sūtra text be otherwise? A wise person examining it sees it as clearly as pointing at the palm of their hand.

2.53

First, teaching the filial child the method of presenting offerings (five [aspects]). 1. Determining the superior time.

2.54

The Buddha told Maudgalyāyana: "The saṅgha of the ten directions, on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, at the time of the saṅgha's pravāraṇā,"

2.55

In Sanskrit it is called saṅgha; here [in Chinese] it is translated as a harmonious assembly. If there are many people but they are not harmonious, like groups of merchants, clerks, or troops, they are not called the Saṅgha Jewel. If there is harmony but not a multitude, like two people of one mind, they are likewise not the Saṅgha Jewel. A multitude in harmony, serving as a cause of merit, is only then called the Saṅgha Jewel. As for harmony, there are six kinds: physical harmony in sharing the same activities, verbal harmony in maintaining silence together, mental harmony in bearing forbearance together, moral harmony in practicing the same precepts, view-based harmony in understanding alike, and material harmony in sharing benefits equally. The Confucians speak of petty men and noble persons as being either harmonious or uniform; here the Buddha's sons, the monks, are both harmonious and unified. Now, "of the ten directions" indicates that the Dharma has no limits or boundaries; how could it discriminate between close and distant? "The saṅgha" (眾僧) is a redundancy of Chinese and Sanskrit, a clumsiness on the part of the translator. "On the fifteenth day of the seventh month": the previous three months of the summer retreat having ended, pravāraṇā can therefore be held. There are three days for pravāraṇā: either the fourteenth, fifteenth, or sixteenth; here the middle one is cited. Here the character "saṅgha" (僧) is redundant; yet if it were removed, the phrasing would be incomplete, which is also a lapse by the translator—why not say "the time of communal pravāraṇā"? Pravāraṇā (自恣) means to allow others freely to point out one's own faults. That is to say, throughout the ninety days of intensive practice in the single summer retreat, even if one has not attained the four fruits, one has still attained the four dhyānas; such was the Buddha's original intention in establishing this teaching. This holds true for the saṅgha in the True, Semblance, and Final Dharma periods alike, because even in the final five hundred years there are still those who uphold the precepts and cultivate merit. Yet when about to cross the sea of suffering, one carefully protects the floating buoy; still fearing that those directly involved may be blind to their own faults, one must rely on bystanders to judge success and failure. Even if one does not sever delusions to realize the fruits, one still hopes that sins will be extinguished and merit produced. Therefore, baring one's shoulder among the assembly, one addresses the venerable elders: "Whether you have seen my fault, heard of my transgression, or suspect my offense, I invite you freely to point it out. Out of pity speak to me, and I shall repent." In this way, body and mind become pure as lapis lazuli, and meditative concentration and liberation may perhaps be attained. The efficacy of making offerings to such ones can well be known: how could it fail to deliver departed ancestors and nurture and perfume the living? Thus the Tripiṭaka Master says: "On the day when monks receive their monastic year and the great assembly conducts pravāraṇā, the saṅgha mostly realizes the path of the four fruits; hence they can rescue seven generations from distress."

2.56

2. Generating the superior intention.

2.57

"should, for the sake of the parents of seven lifetimes as well as present parents in distress,"

2.58

"Should, for the sake of" refers to the mind capable of rescuing. From "parents of seven lifetimes" downward is the realm to be rescued. Clarifying the mind in reference to the realm is why it is called "superior." "Seven lifetimes" refers to the parents who gave birth to one, unlike Confucian teaching which takes remote ancestors. "In distress" applies to both the living and the dead: the dead in the hells, hungry ghosts, and animals; the living in illness, pain, cangues, and imprisonment—all are called "distress." Although the parents of seven lifetimes seem progressively more distant, all of them gave birth to me as a vessel for cultivating the path. Having received their nurture, how could one turn one's back on such deep kindness? Thus the Tripiṭaka Master says: "Heaven and earth cover and support, shrinking from no toil; sinking in the unseen or manifest, reason demands repaying the boundlessness [of their kindness]."

2.59

3. Preparing superior offerings.

2.60

"prepare rice of a hundred delicacies, the five fruits, washbasins and vessels, incense, oil, lamp-stands, candles, beddings and mattresses, gathering all the sweetest delicacies of the world to place in the basin, and offer them to the venerable saṅgha of the ten directions."

2.61

"Prepare rice of a hundred delicacies" is a general heading. Just as when someone prepares a sumptuous banquet to invite guests, they merely say "to eat rice," so "rice" is the general term encompassing the hundred delicacies. "A hundred" is a large round number, not fixed at precisely one hundred. "The five fruits" are: first, stone fruits, such as dates, apricots, peaches, and plums; second, flesh fruits, such as melons, pears, crabapples, and mulberries; third, shell fruits, such as walnuts and pomegranates; fourth, seed fruits, such as perilla and sesame; fifth, pod fruits, such as water caltrops and beans. All of the above are tasted by the tongue. "Washbasins and vessels" are used for bathing and the like, and along with "beddings and mattresses" below, they are all felt by the body. "Incense" is smelled by the nose. "Oil, lamp-stands, and candles" are used for illumination and are seen by the eye. It may also be that fragrant oil is applied to the body, which would also fall under touch; such is the custom in the Western Regions. "All the sweetest delicacies of the world" also belongs to taste. In the five sensory objects discussed above, only sound is missing. As for the words "all the... of the world," examining their import reveals two ways of "all": the wealthy and noble must exhaust all that exists in the world, seeking it out if it exists; the poor and lowly must exhaust the reach of their own strength, seeking it out if it is within their power. Thus we know it does not depend on having few or many items, but lies solely in exhausting one's sincerity. This is also akin to [the ancient saying that] "the sacrifice lies in sincerity, the fragrance lies in illustrious virtue." "To place in the basin" is a translator's error; how could beds and the like be placed in a basin? It should say, "place in the midst of the Ullambana offering assembly." The two phrases on "offering" directly clarify the practice. According to the original intent of the sūtra, one simply offers usable goods to the venerable monks; there is no need for carved gold and jade, cut silks and ribbons, or towering racks and stands. Thus the Tripiṭaka Master says: "You should take the finest of things for the four requisites and the basin's delicacy of eight treasures, extend your contemplation through the ten directions, and make offerings with a purified, single mind."

2.62

4. Praising the superior field.

2.63

"On this day, all the holy assembly—whether practicing dhyāna in the mountains, having attained the four fruits of the path, pacing in walking meditation beneath trees, freely using the six supernormal powers to instruct and transform śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, or great bodhisattvas of the ten grounds provisionally appearing as monks amid the great assembly—all with one mind receive the rice in the pātra. The path of the holy assembly endowed with pure precepts has vast and boundless virtue."

2.64

The first two phrases praise the time in terms of the persons as a general heading; the last two phrases praise the persons through their deportment as a general conclusion. In between, persons and teachings form five pairs, though the text is not in strict order: as for places, there is the pair of mountain retreats and beneath trees; as for realization, the pair of the four fruits and the six supernormal powers; as for practice, the pair of self-benefit and benefiting others; as for learning, the pair of precepts and concentration; as for persons, the pair of the great and small [vehicles], also called the pair of provisional and real. Taken together, they do not go beyond persons and teachings, namely the pair of the three trainings and the three vehicles. From the beginning up to the four fruits is dhyāna-concentration. Next, from "whether beneath" down to "freely... instruct and transform" is wisdom. The three phrases from "all with one..." downward are pure precepts. The three vehicles are śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and the great beings of the ten grounds. "All with one mind" is mental harmony, meaning that when receiving offerings they all generate a mind of shame and earnest respect, a mind of compassion, repaying kindness, and rescuing. Though persons differ in status as ordinary or holy, and in virtue as superior or inferior, the mind they generate is uniform and without difference; hence it says "one." "Receive the rice in the pātra": rice within the alms-bowl. In Sanskrit it is called pātra, which here is translated as "vessel of appropriate measure"; the character he (和) is an error. Today we simply say bo (鉢), which is an abbreviation. The "basin" in the sūtra title is just this bowl. At the time of translation, following popular usage, the title called it a basin; since both a basin and a bowl are vessels, the Tripiṭaka Master, in explaining the title, translated it as "rescue vessel." This single sūtra phrase directly explains the venerable ones of pravāraṇā receiving the Ullambana offering.

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Linked texts (1)

佛說盂蘭盆經疏 — Classical Chinese