經律異相 18.26

18.26

When the Buddha was at the vihāra in Śrāvastī, four monks sat under a tree and asked one another, “In all the world, what is the greatest suffering?” One said, “Of all the suffering in the world, nothing exceeds sexual desire.” Another said, “Of the suffering in the world, nothing exceeds hunger and thirst.” Another said, “Of the suffering in the world, nothing exceeds anger.” Another said, “Of all the suffering in the world, nothing exceeds fright.” As they debated the meaning of suffering without ceasing, the Buddha, knowing what they were discussing, went to their place and asked about their discourse. They reported the matter to the Buddha. The Buddha said, “What you have discussed does not reach the ultimate meaning of suffering. Of all the suffering in the world, nothing exceeds having a physical body. Hunger, thirst, cold, heat, anger, fright, sensual lust, enmities, and disasters all arise from the body. Now, the body is the root of all suffering, a vessel of affliction and disaster. It wearies the mind, exhausts all thought, and brings countless anxieties and fears. The wriggling creatures of the three realms harm and prey upon one another; bound and clinging to self and others, birth and death never cease—all arising because of the body. If one wishes to leave the world’s suffering, one must seek extinction (nirodha). Gathering the mind, maintaining rectitude, and resting tranquil and free of conceptual thought, one may attain nirvāṇa. This is the supreme bliss.” The Buddha then spoke a verse and addressed the monks: “Long ago, incalculable ages past, there was a monk endowed with the five supernatural powers named Viryabala (Vigor of Diligence), who sought the Way in seclusion under a mountain tree. At that time, four animals relied on his presence and always enjoyed peace and security: the first was a pigeon, the second a crow, the third a venomous snake, and the fourth a deer. These four animals ranged about by day seeking food and returned at dusk to roost. One night, the four animals asked one another, ‘Of the world’s sufferings, which is the gravest?’ The crow said, ‘In times of hunger and thirst, the body is emaciated, the eyes are dimmed, and the consciousness is restless. One flings oneself into nets, heedless of sharp blades. None of our kind loses life except through this. Thus considered, hunger and thirst are suffering.’ The pigeon said, ‘When sensual lust blazes fiercely, one cares for and regards nothing. None of our kind imperils the body and destroys life except through this.’ The venomous snake said, ‘Once an angry thought arises, it spares neither kin nor stranger; it can kill others and can also kill oneself.’ The deer said, ‘Living in the forest, my heart is ever terrified. I fear hunters and tigers and wolves; at the faintest sound, I flee into ravines and pits. Mother and child abandon each other, their hearts trembling with dread. Thus considered, fright is suffering.’ Then Viryabala answered them, ‘What you have discussed is not yet it; it does not reach the root of suffering. Of the great suffering in the world, nothing exceeds conditioned existence (saṃskṛta). This is a vessel of suffering, bearing immeasurable anxieties and fears. For this reason, I left the secular world to study the Way, extinguishing mind and severing thought, without craving for the four elements, wishing to cut off the source of suffering and setting my aspiration on nirvāṇa. The Way of nirvāṇa is tranquil extinction without form, wherein anxiety and calamity are forever ended; only then is there great peace.’ Hearing this, the four animals immediately opened their minds and understood.” The Buddha told the monks, “The monk endowed with the five supernatural powers at that time was myself; the four animals of that time were you four men. In a previous life you had already heard the doctrine of the root of suffering—why do you now debate it again?” Hearing this, the monks were ashamed, reproached themselves, and immediately attained the Way of arhatship before the Buddha (from the fourth fascicle of the *Dharmapada-avadāna-sūtra*).