止觀輔行傳弘決 1.39

1.39

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.