[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [止觀輔行傳弘決](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1912) › 1.39 # 止觀輔行傳弘決 1.39 止觀輔行傳弘決 1.39 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [1.39](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1912.1.39) 次明付法之益。初總標。「金口」者，此是如來黃金色身口業所記。問曰：此諸尊者為何位行？答：准四依位。初依屬凡，不得名聖。傳中既不的判其位而云並是聖人，故多是第四依人。亦可通於第三第二，是故文云並是聖人。「昔王不立至貨髑髏」等者，此明付法得益之相。廐者，《說文》云「馬舍也。」屠者，殺也。傳中列付法人竟，云「親近賢善，聽聞正法，遠益來世。如昔華氏國有一白象，氣力勇健能滅怨敵，若有罪人令象踏殺。後時象廐為火所燒，移在異處近一精舍。有一比丘誦《法句》偈曰『為善生天，為惡入淵。』心便柔和，起慈悲意。後付罪人，但覩而不害，嗅舐而已。王見斯事心大惶怖，召諸智臣共謀此事。時有一臣即白王言：『此象繫處近精舍邊，必聞妙法，是故爾耳。今可令繫近於屠坊，彼覩殺害，惡心當盛。』王聞其言，繫象屠所。象見殺戮，惡心猛熾，殘害增甚。以是當知，眾生之類其性不定。畜生尚乃聞法生慈、見惡為害，況復人乎而不染習近善知識。」「婆羅門化髑髏」者，傳云「昔有婆羅門持人髑髏，其數甚多，詣華氏城遍行衒賣。經歷多時都無買者，便極瞋恚高聲唱言：『此城中人若不買者，吾當為汝作惡名聲，言汝諸人愚癡暗鈍。』爾時城中諸優婆塞畏其毀謗，皆就買之。即以銅鉒貫穿其耳，若徹之者便多與價，其半徹者與價漸少，都不通者都不與直。時婆羅門問優婆塞：『我此髑髏皆悉不異，何故與價而有差別？』優婆塞言：『其通徹者，其人生時聽受妙法，智慧高貴，故與多價。其半徹者，雖曾聽法，未善分別，以是因緣與汝少直。全不通者，斯人往昔不曾聽法。』諸優婆塞持此聽法人髑髏，起塔供養，命終生天。當知大法有大功能，以聽法人髑髏供養尚生天上，況能至心供養持經人者。」聞法既有如是深益，故佛付法，令至後世展轉聞之。致使龍樹之後妙觀斯在，良由於此。 > Next, the benefits of transmitting the Dharma are explained. First, an overall heading. As for "the golden mouth," this refers to what was predicted by the physical vocal karma of the Tathāgata's golden-hued body. Question: What stage of practice do these venerable ones belong to? Answer: According to the stages of the four reliances. The first reliance belongs to ordinary beings and cannot be called noble. Since the transmission text does not definitively determine their stage but states that they were all noble ones, they mostly belong to people of the fourth reliance. It may also extend to the third and second reliances; therefore the text says they were all noble ones. As for "In the past, a king was not established... up to the selling of human skulls," and so forth, this illustrates the aspect of obtaining benefits through the transmission of the Dharma. An "\[elephant\] stable" (jiu): the Shuowen says, "It is a shed for horses." A "butcher": to slaughter. After listing the persons who transmitted the Dharma, the transmission states: "Approaching the virtuous and good and listening to the true Dharma yields distant benefits in future lives. For example, long ago in the kingdom of Pāṭaliputra there was a white elephant whose physical strength was mighty and robust, capable of destroying enemies. If there were criminals, the king would order the elephant to trample them to death. Later, the elephant stable was burned down by fire, and it was moved to another place near a monastery. There was a monk reciting a verse from the Dharmapada: 'Doing good results in birth in heaven; doing evil leads into the abyss.' The elephant's mind thereupon became gentle and aroused thoughts of loving-kindness and compassion. Later, when criminals were delivered to it, it merely looked at them and did not harm them, only sniffing and licking them. Seeing this, the king was greatly terrified and summoned his wise ministers to confer on this matter. At that time, a minister said to the king: 'The place where this elephant was tied was close to the edge of the monastery; it must have heard the wondrous Dharma, and that is why it is so. Now you should order it to be tied near a slaughterhouse; seeing slaughter and harm, its evil mind will flare up.' Hearing his words, the king had the elephant tied at the slaughterhouse. Seeing slaughter, the elephant's evil mind blazed up fiercely, and its cruelty increased greatly. From this one should know that among sentient beings, their nature is not fixed. Even beasts, upon hearing the Dharma, give rise to loving-kindness, and upon seeing evil, do harm—how much more so for human beings not to be influenced by practice when drawing near to good spiritual friends!" As for "a brahmin transforming skulls," the transmission says: "Long ago there was a brahmin carrying human skulls, very many in number. He went to the city of Pāṭaliputra and peddled them everywhere. After a long time, no one bought them at all. He then became extremely angry and shouted loudly: 'If the people of this city do not buy them, I shall spread a bad reputation for you, saying that all of you are foolish, dull, and obtuse.' At that time, the upāsakas in the city, fearing his slander, all came to buy them. They then used a copper wire to pierce through their ears: if it passed completely through, they paid a high price; if it passed halfway through, they gradually paid less; if it did not pass through at all, they gave no price whatsoever. Then the brahmin asked the upāsakas: 'These skulls of mine are all no different; why do you differentiate the prices given?' The upāsakas replied: 'As for the one that passes completely through, during that person's life he listened to and received the wondrous Dharma, and his wisdom was exalted and noble; therefore we give a high price. As for the one that passes halfway through, although he once listened to the Dharma, he did not discern it well; due to this condition we give you a low price. As for the one that does not pass through at all, this person in the past never listened to the Dharma.' The upāsakas took these skulls of people who had listened to the Dharma, erected stupas, and made offerings to them; when their lives ended, they were born in heaven. One should know that the great Dharma has great efficacy: if even making offerings to the skulls of people who listened to the Dharma still brings rebirth in heaven, how much more so for those who can make offerings with utmost sincerity to those who uphold the sutras!" Since listening to the Dharma has such profound benefits, the Buddha transmitted the Dharma, causing it to be heard successively down to later generations. It is truly due to this that, after Nāgārjuna, this wondrous contemplation exists. > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 1.38](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1912.1.38) - [Next: 1.40](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1912.1.40) - [Up: 1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1912.1) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1912~en-mt.1.39) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1912.1.39](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1912.1.39) · Pramāṇa