法苑珠林 24

English (machine translation) 24

Language: English

24.1

Compiled by the Śramaṇa Shi Daoshi of Ximing Temple

24.2

Chapter 16: Preaching and Listening, Part Two

When a Dharma master ascends the seat, he must first pay homage to the Three Jewels and purify his own mind, observe the time and select the persons, and be endowed with the intention of loving-kindness and compassion to save living beings and benefit creatures; only then should he preach for them. Therefore, the *Bao’en jing* states: If the listener sits and the speaker stands, one should not preach for him. If the listener seeks the speaker’s faults, one should not preach for him. If the listener relies on the person and not on the Dharma, relies on the letter and not on the meaning, relies on sūtras of non-definitive meaning and not on sūtras of definitive meaning, or relies on consciousness and not on wisdom, for all such one should not preach. Why? Because such a person cannot venerate the pure Dharma of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas. If the speaker shows reverence toward the Dharma, the listener will also give rise to veneration, listening and receiving with utmost sincerity without generating contempt. This is called pure preaching. Therefore, an Āgama verse says:

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The listener upright in mind like one drinking in thirst, / Wholly concentrated, enters into the words and meaning; / Hearing the Dharma, he leaps with joy, his mind filled with sorrow and delight— / For such a person, one may preach.

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Furthermore, the *Five-Part Vinaya* states: Eliminate the greedy mind, do not have a mind of self-deprecation, do not have a mind that disdains the great assembly, and establish a mind of loving-kindness, a mind of joy, a mind to benefit, and an unshakeable mind. If one establishes these minds and expounds even a single four-line verse, causing the other person to understand it in accordance with reality, it will bring peace and happiness through the long night and boundless benefit.

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Furthermore, the *Nirvāṇa Sūtra* states: If anyone upholds, recites, copies, or expounds [it] at an improper time, in an improper country, or preaches without being requested, or preaches anywhere with a contemptuous mind, despising others and praising himself, he contrarily extinguishes the Buddha-Dharma, even causing immeasurable numbers of people to die and fall into hell; such a person is an evil companion to sentient beings.

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Furthermore, the *Ten Recitations Vinaya* states: There are five kinds of people for whom, when they ask about the Dharma, one should not preach: first, asking to test; second, asking without doubt; third, asking not for the sake of repenting an offense; fourth, asking without intending to accept the instruction; fifth, asking to interrogate and challenge. For all of these, one must not answer. If the person truly has good intentions, is devoid of the aforementioned intentions, and wishes to generate good and eliminate evil, the Dharma master should skillfully adapt to the capacity and with good intentions preach for him. If his own understanding is not yet clear, or if he harbors doubts regarding the Dharma, he must not preach, lest he cause the other person to suffer the error of misinterpreting and transmitting it falsely, so that both incur guilt.

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Furthermore, according to the *Sūtra of a Hundred Parables* and the Abhidharma treatises, there are four kinds of questions and answers. First, there is the categorical answer: for example, if someone asks, “Must all that is born die?”, this is answered categorically. Second, if someone asks, “Does one who dies necessarily take birth?”, this should be answered by distinguishing: for one whose craving is exhausted there is no birth; for one who has craving there is necessarily birth—this is called answering by distinguishing. Third, if someone asks, “Are humans supreme or not?”, to this one should respond with a counter-question, saying: “Do you ask in relation to the three evil destinies, or do you ask in relation to the devas? If you ask in relation to the three evil destinies, humans are indeed supreme. If you ask in relation to the devas, humans are certainly inferior.” Such an exposition is called answering by counter-question. Fourth, if someone asks the fourteen unanswerable questions, or asks whether the world and sentient beings are finite or infinite, or whether they have a beginning and end or no beginning and end—such issues are called answering by setting aside. The treatise asks: if one discusses the various non-Buddhists who are foolish yet take themselves to be wise, they are not conversant with the four modes of discourse, and only make a single distinguishing discourse.

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Furthermore, the Upāsakaśīla-sūtra says: The Buddha said, 'One who abides according to the Dharma can benefit both oneself and others; one who does not abide according to the Dharma cannot be said to benefit oneself and others. One who abides according to the Dharma possesses eight knowledges. What are the eight? First, knowledge of the Dharma; second, knowledge of meaning; third, knowledge of time; fourth, knowledge of contentment; fifth, knowledge of self and other; sixth, knowledge of assemblies; seventh, knowledge of faculties; eighth, knowledge of superior and inferior. Such a person is endowed with these eight knowledges. Whenever they preach, it is endowed with sixteen things: first, speaking in season; second, speaking with an earnest mind; third, speaking in proper sequence; fourth, speaking harmoniously; fifth, speaking in accordance with meaning; sixth, speaking with joy; seventh, speaking appropriately to the intention; eighth, speaking without despising the assembly; ninth, speaking without rebuking the assembly; tenth, speaking in accordance with the Dharma; eleventh, speaking for the benefit of both self and other; twelfth, speaking without distraction; thirteenth, speaking in accord with truth; fourteenth, speaking correctly and uprightly; fifteenth, not conceiving arrogance after speaking; sixteenth, not seeking future-life retribution after speaking. Such a person is capable of listening to others. When listening to others, they are endowed with sixteen things: first, listening in season; second, listening with delight; third, listening with an earnest mind; fourth, listening with reverence; fifth, listening without seeking faults; sixth, listening not for the sake of debate; seventh, listening not for the sake of triumph; eighth, when listening, not looking down on the speaker; ninth, when listening, not looking down on the Dharma; tenth, when listening, never looking down on oneself; eleventh, when listening, leaving the five hindrances far behind; twelfth, when listening, doing so to uphold, recite, and chant; thirteenth, when listening, doing so to eliminate the five desires; fourteenth, when listening, doing so to perfect faithful conviction; fifteenth, when listening, doing so to tame sentient beings; sixteenth, when listening, doing so to sever the roots of darkness. Good sons, one who possesses the eight knowledges can speak and can listen. Such a person can benefit both self and other. One who is not fully endowed with them cannot be said to benefit oneself and benefit others.'

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Furthermore, among those who are able to explain the Dharma, there are two kinds: the first is pure, and the second is impure. The impure again has five matters: first, speaking for the sake of profit; second, speaking for the sake of retribution; third, speaking to surpass others; fourth, speaking for the sake of worldly reward; fifth, speaking with doubt.

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The pure speaker also has five matters: first, first giving food and only then speaking; second, speaking to increase the Three Jewels; third, speaking to sever afflictions in oneself and others; fourth, speaking to distinguish the heterodox from the orthodox; fifth, speaking so that listeners attain the supreme. Good sons, an impure preacher of the Dharma is called defiled, is called a seller of the Dharma, is also called a polluter, is also called an erroneous speaker, and is also called one who has lost their mind. (The pure speaker is simply the reverse of the above.)

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Furthermore, the Dharmapada-avadāna-sūtra says: Thereupon the World-Honoured One spoke the verse:

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"Though one chant a thousand chapters, / If the phrases and meanings are not correct, / It is not as good as a single essential: / Hearing it, one can extinguish mental [defilements]. / Though one chant a thousand words, / If they lack meaning, of what benefit are they? / It is not as good as a single meaningful phrase: / Hearing and practicing it, one can be delivered. / Though one recites many scriptures, / If one does not understand, of what benefit is it? / Understanding a single phrase of Dharma, / One can attain the Way through its practice."

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Furthermore, the Mahādīpa-dhāraṇī-sūtra says: If one who receives the Dharma wishes to perform the ritual of incantation so that the Dharma may not be cut off, when those Dharma teachers wish to expound the Dharma, they should compose their demeanour, sit upright, and first chant the dhāraṇī:

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At that time, surrounded by their retinue, the Dharma teacher immediately accomplishes this expedient of protective empowerment, causing that Dharma teacher's mind to be unagitated and unconfused, their exposition of the Dharma uninterrupted, extinguishing desire and grasping, and causing all the rākṣasīs and other such members of the listening assembly not to create obstruction or difficulty, and the necessities of the Dharma teacher to be unhindered.

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Section 6: Gradual and Sudden

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As the Sūtra of One Hundred Parables says: In the past there was a settlement five yojanas away from the royal city. In the village there was delicious water. The king commanded the villagers to constantly have people deliver that delicious water day after day. The villagers grew exhausted and distressed, and all wished to move away to avoid it, leaving this village far behind. Then the village headman said to them, 'Do not leave. I shall petition the king on your behalf to change five yojanas into three yojanas, so that it will be near for you and you will not be exhausted coming and going.' He went immediately to petition the king, and the king changed it to three yojanas for their sake. When the crowd heard this, they were greatly overjoyed. Someone said to them, 'This is still the original five yojanas; there is no difference whatsoever.' Even though they heard these words, because they believed the king's words, they were entirely unwilling to leave. Worldly people are also like this. Practicing the true Dharma, crossing the five destinies, and heading toward the city of nirvāṇa, their minds grow weary and they then wish to abandon it, arrested midway in saṃsāra and unable to advance further. The Tathāgata, the Dharma King, possesses great expedients: within the One Vehicle Dharma, he discriminatively expounds three. Those of the Hīnayāna hear this and are overjoyed, thinking it easy to practice; they cultivate goodness and advance in virtue, seeking deliverance from saṃsāra. Later, hearing people say that there are no three vehicles, that it is still just the One Vehicle, because they believe the Buddha's words, they are entirely unwilling to abandon it. They are just like those villagers.

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Furthermore, the Avataṃsaka-sūtra says: 'Disciples of the Buddha, it is like the sun rising: its light first shines upon all the kings of great mountains, next shines upon all the great mountains, next shines upon the diamond-jewel mountains, and only then shines universally upon the whole great earth. The sunlight does not think, "I ought to shine first upon all the kings of great mountains, and so forth in sequence until I universally shine upon the great earth." It is only because the mountains and the earth have high and low elevations that the illumination has an earlier and a later. The Tathāgata, Arhat, Samyaksaṃbuddha is also like this: having accomplished the sun-disk of wisdom that is of the immeasurable and boundless dharmadhātu, he constantly emits the immeasurable and unobstructed radiance of wisdom. Its light shines upon the kings of great mountains such as the bodhisattvas; next it shines upon the pratyekabuddhas; next it shines upon the śrāvakas; next it shines upon sentient beings of determined wholesome roots in accordance with how they should receive transformation; and only then does it shine universally upon all sentient beings, even down to those of the wrongly determined, creating causes and conditions for their future benefit. The sunlight of the Tathāgata's wisdom does not think, "I shall first shine upon the bodhisattvas down to those of the wrongly determined"; it merely emits the sunlight of great wisdom to shine universally upon all. Disciples of the Buddha, it is like the sun and moon appearing in the world: even deep mountains and secluded valleys are everywhere illuminated. The sun and moon of the Tathāgata's wisdom are also like this: they illuminate all universally with nothing left unclear. It is only because the aspirations and wholesome roots of sentient beings differ that the light of the Tathāgata's wisdom appears in various distinctions.'

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Section 7: Giving of the Dharma

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As the Daśabhūmika-vibhāṣā says: If a bodhisattva wishes to give the Dharma to sentient beings, they should, in accordance with the Mahāyāna Sūtra on the King of Determination, praise the merits of the Dharma teacher and cultivate and learn in accord with the meaning and precepts of preaching the Dharma. That is to say, the Dharma preacher should practice four dharmas. What are the four? First, being widely learned and erudite, able to retain all expressions, phrases, and sentences; second, being decisive, excelling at knowing the characteristics of arising and ceasing of mundane and supramundane dharmas; third, attaining meditative concentration and wisdom, being compliant and without dispute regarding all scriptures and teachings; fourth, neither adding nor detracting, practicing in accordance with what is preached.

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Furthermore, the Saddharmanityupasthāna-sūtra says: If there are sentient beings who rightly practice wholesome deeds, and for a person of wrong view they speak a single verse of Dharma causing them to have pure faith in the Buddha, at the end of their life they will be born in the Heaven of Responsive Sound and experience various pleasures; falling back from heaven, they wander according to their karma. If, for the sake of wealth and goods, one preaches the Dharma to others, not with a compassionate mind to benefit sentient beings, but taking wealth and goods and perhaps using it to drink wine, or to eat and drink together with women, like the ways of performers who genuinely seek wealth for themselves, then the fruit of such giving of the Dharma is extremely slight: they will be born in the heavens as a wise bird able to chant verses. This is called the inferior giving of the Dharma. What is called the middling giving of the Dharma? For the sake of fame and renown, to surpass others, or to surpass other great Dharma teachers, one preaches the Dharma to people, or preaches the Dharma to people with an envious mind. The retribution obtained from such giving of the Dharma is also slight: they are born in the heavens to receive middling retribution, or are born among humans. This is called the middling giving of the Dharma. What is called the superior giving of the Dharma? With a pure mind and desiring to increase the wisdom of sentient beings, one preaches the Dharma for them, not for wealth or profit, but to cause sentient beings of wrong views and the like to abide in the true Dharma. Such giving of the Dharma benefits both oneself and others, is supreme and foremost, and even up to nirvāṇa its blessings are never exhausted. This is called the superior giving of the Dharma.

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Furthermore, in the Kāśyapa-sūtra, at that time the World-Honoured One spoke the verse:

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"If a trichiliocosm / Were filled with rare jewels, / And one used them in giving, / The merit obtained would be slight. / If one expounds a single verse of Dharma, / The merit is exceedingly vast. / If all the pleasure-yielding things in the three realms / Were fully taken and given to one person, / It would not equal the gift of a single verse: / Its merit is the most supreme. / This merit surpasses that, / Being able to leave behind all suffering and affliction. / If worlds as numerous as the sands of the Ganges / Were filled with rare jewels, / And given to all Tathāgatas, / It would not equal a single gift of Dharma. / Although the blessings of giving jewels are many, / They do not equal a single gift of Dharma. / The blessings of one verse are already superior; / How much more so many, difficult to conceive!"

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Furthermore, the Daśabhūmika-vibhāṣā says: Householders should practice the giving of wealth; renunciants should practice the giving of the Dharma. Why? The Dharma giving of householders does not equal that of renunciants, because those who listen to and receive the Dharma have shallow faith in householders. Moreover, householders possess much wealth, whereas renunciants are thoroughly versed in chanting and understanding the scriptures and teachings, explaining them to others fearlessly among the multitude—something householders cannot equal. Furthermore, causing listeners to give rise to reverence does not equal that of renunciants; and wishing to expound the Dharma to subdue the minds of others also does not equal renunciants. As the verse says:

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"First cultivate the Dharma oneself, / And only then instruct other people; / Then one may make this statement: / 'You should follow what I practice.' / If one's own body practices unwholesomeness, / How can one cause others to be good? / If one has not attained tranquility oneself, / How can one cause others to be tranquil?"

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Furthermore, if renunciants practice the giving of wealth, it hinders other wholesome deeds: staying far away from āraṇya hermitages, they must inevitably visit settlements to consort with laypeople, engaging in much talk that gives rise to the three poisons, their minds growing weak regarding the six perfections and so forth, even craving the five desires, abandoning the precepts, and returning to secular life—hence it is called death. Or they might violate the precepts and readily give rise to grave sins; this is called being equal to death, along with various troubles and suffering of afflictions. For these reasons, the giving of the Dharma is praised in renunciants, and the giving of wealth is praised in householders.

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Furthermore, the Suvarṇaprabhāsa-sūtra says: Dharma preachers have five things: first, the giving of the Dharma benefits both the other and oneself, whereas the giving of wealth does not; second, the giving of the Dharma can cause sentient beings to transcend the three realms, whereas the giving of wealth does not transcend the desire realm; third, the giving of the Dharma benefits the dharmakāya, whereas the giving of wealth nurtures the physical body; fourth, the giving of the Dharma increases boundlessly, whereas the giving of wealth must inevitably be exhausted; fifth, the giving of the Dharma can sever ignorance, whereas the giving of wealth only suppresses greedy thoughts. Therefore, know that the giving of wealth does not equal the Dharma. Within the giving of the Dharma itself, there are stages and gradations: if one understands something but does not want others to know it, concealing it while preaching out of fear that others might surpass oneself, then in the future one will constantly fail to hear the Dharma.

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Furthermore, the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra says: If one is stingy with the Dharma, one will constantly be born in borderlands where there is no Buddhadharma. Because being stingy with the Dharma obstructs the luminous wisdom of others, this is inferior even to selling the Dharma, which other people, on the contrary, surpass.

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Furthermore, the Tattvasiddhi-śāstra says: If a person is merely able to preach the Dharma for others, this is called benefiting others. Although this person may not practice in accord with the Dharma themselves, because they preach it for others, they also obtain benefit themselves. In this gateway of charitable giving, there are briefly three grades: the inferior giving of the Dharma is speaking the teaching of giving without speaking of wisdom; the middling giving of the Dharma is speaking of upholding the precepts; the superior giving of the Dharma is speaking of wisdom. Because by speaking of wisdom, one teaches people to contemplate the principle, attain the severing of the two hindrances of afflictions and knowables, escape saṃsāra, and ultimately achieve the blissful fruits of bodhi and nirvāṇa. Even if one is only able to preach the Hīnayāna, transforming a single person and causing them to contemplate the emptiness of the individual, so that having faithful understanding and relying upon it in practice, although they have not yet attained the Way, this still surpasses transforming all sentient beings in the entire Jambudvīpa and causing them to practice the ten wholesome deeds. Because once a person of faithful understanding understands how to cultivate the noble path, they possess the cause of deliverance and will inevitably attain nirvāṇa.

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Furthermore, the Sarvadharmavajramalla-sūtra says: If all beings of water, land, and air throughout Jambudvīpa were entirely to attain human bodies, and if there were a person who instructed all these people, causing them to dwell peacefully in the five precepts and the ten wholesome deeds, the merit obtained would not equal that of a person who instructs a single individual and causes them to attain practice through faith.

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Furthermore, the Daśabhūmika-vibhāṣā-śāstra states: “There are four things that cause one to regress from and lose wisdom, which a bodhisattva should stay far away from. What are the four? First, not respecting the Dharma and the preacher of the Dharma. Second, secretly keeping and begrudging essential teachings. Third, creating obstacles for those who delight in the Dharma and destroying their intention to listen. Fourth, harboring arrogance, elevating oneself, and looking down on others. There are another four things by which one attains wisdom, which one should constantly cultivate. What are the four? First, revering the Dharma and the preacher of the Dharma. Second, preaching the Dharma to others as it was heard and recited, with a pure mind and without seeking gain or sustenance. Third, knowing that wisdom is attained through broad learning, and thus striving tirelessly to seek it as though extinguishing a fire on one's head. Fourth, upholding without forgetting the Dharma as it was heard, valuing practice in accordance with the teaching rather than mere words.”

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Section 8: Repaying Kindness

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As the Shan gongjing jing states: The Buddha told Ānanda, “If someone hears even a single four-line verse from another, and copies it or writes it on bamboo or silk, and for many kalpas carries that upādhyāya, ācārya, and others upon their shoulders, or carries them on their back, or bears them upon their head, constantly carrying them as they walk, and further presents all manner of musical instruments to make offerings to this teacher—even by doing such things, they would still not be able to fully repay the teacher's kindness. If in future ages one gives rise to a disrespectful mind toward their teacher and upādhyāya, constantly speaking of their faults, I call that folly; they will undergo immense suffering, and in future ages will certainly fall into the evil destinies. Therefore, Ānanda, I instruct you all to always practice a mind of reverence and respect. You will attain such supreme Dharma as this—namely, the profound Dharma of cherishing and honoring the Three Jewels.”

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Furthermore, the Brahmajāla Sūtra states: “If a disciple of the Buddha sees a Mahāyāna Dharma master of shared views and shared practice coming into a saṃghārāma, house, city, or town—even if coming from a hundred li or a thousand li away—they should welcome them as they come, escort them as they leave, and make prostrations and offerings to them. They should make offerings three times each day, [spending] three ounces of gold a day, offering delicacies of a hundred flavors and bed and seat to the Dharma master, providing all necessities to them in full. They should constantly request the Dharma master to preach the Dharma three times [a day], and make prostrations three times each day, without giving rise to a mind of anger or vexation, giving up their body for the Dharma to request the teaching. If one does not do so, one commits an offense of light defilement.”

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Furthermore, the Upāsaka-śīla Sūtra states: “If an upāsaka, having received and maintained the six major precepts, does not go to listen when there is a place expounding the Dharma within forty li, they incur an offense of neglect.”

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Furthermore, the Mahāvaipulya Dhāraṇī Sūtra states: The Buddha told Ānanda, “If there are parents, a wife, and children who do not permit this person to go to the place of practice, this person should burn various incenses before their parents and the others, kneel on both knees with palms joined, and say: ‘I now wish to go to the place of practice; please have pity and grant permission.’ They should also remonstrate and explain to them in various ways, preaching the Dharma as appropriate, and should also make the request three times. If they still do not grant permission, this person should quietly contemplate and recite and uphold the scriptures in their home.”

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Furthermore, the Saddharmasmṛtyupasthāna Sūtra states: “If someone makes offerings to a Dharma master who preaches the Dharma, you should know that this person is making offerings to the present World-Honoured One. As this person makes offerings in this way, the vows they make will be accomplished, up to attaining anuttarasamyaksaṃbodhi, because they are able to make offerings to the preacher of the Dharma. Why is this? Because by hearing the Dharma, the mind is subdued; because it is subdued, it can sever the darkness of ignorance and saṃsāra. Apart from hearing the Dharma, there is no single phenomenon that can subdue the mind.”

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Furthermore, the Viśeṣacintā-brahma-paripṛcchā-sūtra states: “Not giving rise to sinful karma, not giving rise to meritorious karma, and not giving rise to immovable karma—this is called making offerings to the Buddha.”

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Furthermore, the Kuśalamūlasaṃparigraha Sūtra states: “If one makes offerings of flowers, incense, clothing, food, and medicines to the Buddhas, this is not called true offering. One who is able to cultivate and train in accordance with the subtle Dharma attained by the Tathāgata when seated at the place of awakening—this is called true offering.” Therefore, a verse says:

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“If with flowers, scented paste,
Clothing, food, and medicines
One makes offerings to the Buddhas,
This is not called true offering.
The subtle Dharma attained
By the Tathāgata seated at the place of awakening—
If a person can cultivate and train in it,
This is truly making offerings to the Buddha.”

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Furthermore, the Daśabhūmika-vibhāṣā-śāstra states: The Buddha told Ānanda, “Raining divine incense and flowers is not called making offerings and showing reverence to the Tathāgata. If a monk, nun, upāsaka, or upāsikā, single-mindedly and without negligence, draws near to, cultivates, and gathers the noble Dharma, this is called truly making offerings to the Buddha.”

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Furthermore, the Ratnamegha Sūtra states: “One does not make offerings to the Buddha with material gifts. Why is this? The Tathāgata's dharmakāya does not depend on material gifts; one makes offerings to the Buddha only through the gift of the Dharma. To complete the Buddha path, making offerings with the Dharma is supreme and foremost.”

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Furthermore, the Shan gongjing jing states: The Buddha said, “If there is a monk who, although having spent [many] rains-retreats, is unable to understand such Dharma phrases, he too should rely on another for guidance. Why is this? He himself does not yet understand, so how could he become a mentor upon whom others rely? Even if he is a senior monk of a hundred rains-retreats, if he cannot understand the confidential matters of a śramaṇa and does not understand the Dharma and Vinaya, he too should be said to require reliance. If there is a monk who receives the Dharma from another, he should give rise to an attitude of honor and reverence toward that teacher. When wishing to receive the Dharma, being before the teacher, he must not laugh lightly, must not expose his teeth, must not cross his legs, must not gaze at his feet, must not fidget with his feet, and must not swing his legs. If the teacher does not ask, he must not speak casually. Whatever he is sent to do, he must not disobey instructions. He must not stare at the teacher's face. Sitting three cubits away from the teacher, when told to sit he should sit immediately, not disobeying instructions. Toward that teacher, he should give rise to a mind of benevolence. If he has any doubt, he should first make an inquiry, and only when seeing that the teacher permits it may he request a resolution. You should know that three times a day he should pay respects to check on the teacher's comings and goings. If during the three periods of the day he does not pay respects to check on his comings and goings, the teacher should discipline him according to the Dharma. If he pays respects and does not see the teacher, he should take a clod of earth, a piece of wood, or grass as a token. If he sees the teacher inside the chamber, the student at that time should sincerely circumambulate the chamber three times, make prostrations to the teacher, and only then return. If he does not see the teacher, all tasks should be stopped and must not be done, except for urinating and defecating. Furthermore, a disciple must not speak coarsely to his teacher. When reprimanded by the teacher, he should not answer back. The bed and seat where the teacher sits or lies should first be spread and dusted to be free of dust, dirt, insects, ants, and the like. When the teacher sits or lies down, and until the teacher rises, he should cultivate his recitation practice. At that time, when the sun is in the east, that student should go to the teacher's place; being well aware of the proper time, he should frequently go to the teacher's side to inquire about necessities: ‘What shall I do?’ Furthermore, a disciple must not snivel or spit before the teacher. When walking inside the monastery, out of respect for the teacher, he should not cover both shoulders with his kāṣāya and must not cover his head. If the weather is hot, he should fan the teacher three times a day, offer water three times for bathing, and offer cold drinks three times. Whatever task the teacher undertakes, he should assist with all his physical strength.” The Buddha told Ānanda, “If in future ages there are monks who do not show reverence toward their teacher and speak of the shortcomings of their teacher or the saṃgha, that person is neither a srotāpanna nor an ordinary person. That foolish person should be disciplined in this way. Even if the teacher truly had faults, one would still not be permitted to speak of them, let alone when there are none! If there is a monk who is disrespectful toward his teacher, I say there is a separate minor hell named Huopu into which he will fall. Having fallen into that place, he will have one body and four heads, his body blazing all over like a mass of fire, emitting great fierce flames blazing without cessation, burning and burning again. In that hell, there are also worms named Gouzhi; those poisonous worms constantly gnaw at the root of his tongue. When that foolish person casts off his body from there, he will be born among animals—all because of the fault of his tongue root in reviling the teacher in the past—and will constantly eat excrement and urine. After casting off that body, although born among humans, he will constantly be born in borderlands, fully endowed with evil practices. Although obtaining a human body, his skin will not resemble a human's, and he will not be endowed with human features and complexion; he will constantly be utterly despised, slandered, and humiliated. Separated from the Buddha, the World-Honoured One, he will constantly lack wisdom. After dying there, he will fall back into hell, undergoing further immeasurable and boundless suffering.”

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Section 9: Benefits

24.47

As the Saddharmasmṛtyupasthāna Sūtra states: “Preaching the Dharma has ten merits and brings much benefit. What are the ten? First, possessing proper time and place. Second, analyzing so it is easy to understand. Third, being concordant with the Dharma. Fourth, not being for the sake of gain or sustenance. Fifth, being for the sake of subduing the mind. Sixth, preaching the Dharma in accordance [with capacity]. Seventh, preaching that giving has its retribution. Eighth, preaching that the nature of saṃsāra entails many obstacles. Ninth, preaching that gods fall and perish. Tenth, preaching that there are karmic results. If a preacher of the Dharma possesses these ten things, they cause the listeners of the Dharma to attain much merit, benefit, peace, and happiness, up to nirvāṇa. If, upon hearing the Dharma, one's merits accomplish a profound mind, with the faculty of faith purified and a single-mindedly pure mind having faith in the Three Jewels, and one goes to the place of listening to the Dharma in order to hear the true Dharma, with every single step taken one generates the merit of Brahmā.” Furthermore, the Mahābodhisattvapiṭaka Sūtra states: “One should give rise to deep love and delight toward bodhisattvas, just as toward the Great Master. Toward the true Dharma, give rise to a mind of love and delight, just as toward one's own body. Toward the Tathāgata, give rise to a mind of love and delight, just as toward one's own life. Toward a revered teacher, give rise to a mind of love and delight, just as toward one's parents. Toward all sentient beings, give rise to a mind of love and delight, viewing them like an only child. Toward the ācārya from whom one receives instruction, give rise to a mind of love and delight, revering them like one's own eyes. Toward all proper practices, give rise to a mind of love and delight, just as toward one's ears, eyes, body, and head. Toward the pāramitās, give rise to a mind of love and reverence, just as toward one's hands and feet. Toward the teacher who preaches the Dharma, give rise to a mind of love and delight, like a heap of precious jewels. Toward the true Dharma that is sought, give rise to a mind of love and delight, just as toward good medicine. Toward one who points out faults and reminds [one of the rules], give rise to a mind of love and delight, just as toward an excellent physician.”

24.48

Furthermore, the Saṅghāṭa Sūtra states: At that time, the Bodhisattva Sarvaśūra addressed the Buddha, saying, “World-Honoured One, if there are sentient beings who hear this Dharma, how many kalpas will their lifespan be?” The Buddha said, “Their lifespan will be a full eighty kalpas.” Sarvaśūra addressed the Buddha, saying, “By what measure is a kalpa?” The Buddha said, “Suppose there is a great city twelve yojanas in length and breadth and three yojanas in height, completely filled with sesame seeds. If a long-lived person, after every hundred years, takes away one seed, in this way the sesame seeds in the city would be completely exhausted, yet the kalpa would still not be exhausted. Furthermore, suppose there is a great mountain twenty-five yojanas in length and breadth and twelve yojanas in height. If a long-lived person, after every hundred years, brushes it once with a light silk cloth, in this way the mountain would be exhausted, yet the kalpa would still not be exhausted. This is called the measure of a kalpa.” Then the Bodhisattva Sarvaśūra addressed the Buddha, saying, “World-Honoured One, even by making a single vow one attains such a mass of merit and a lifespan of eighty kalpas, how much more so for broadly cultivating all practices within the Buddha's Dharma!”

24.49

Furthermore, the Nirvāṇa Sūtra states: “If one could attain nirvāṇa apart from four things, that would be impossible. What are the four? First, drawing near to good friends. Second, single-mindedly listening to the Dharma. Third, focused contemplation. Fourth, practicing in accordance with the Dharma. For this reason, through the condition of listening to the Dharma, one draws close to Mahāparinirvāṇa. Why is this? Because it opens the Dharma eye. There are three kinds of people in the world: the first is without eyes (a metaphor for ordinary persons); the second has one eye (a metaphor for śrāvakas); the third has two eyes (a metaphor for bodhisattvas). One 'without eyes' never hears the Dharma. A person with 'one eye', although hearing the Dharma for a short while, their mind does not abide in it. A person with 'two eyes' single-mindedly listens and receives it, and practices as heard. It is through hearing the Dharma that one comes to know these three kinds of people in the world.”

24.50

Furthermore, the Dharmapada-avadāna-sūtra says: In the past, when the Buddha was at the Jetavana Vihāra in the country of Śrāvastī preaching the Dharma for gods and humans, King Prasenajit had a widowed daughter named Vajrā. Her parents pitied her and built her a fine, separate residence, giving her five hundred singing girls to entertain her. Together they had an elder bondwoman named Duśeng, who regularly went to the marketplace to buy rouge, powder, incense, and flowers. At that time, she saw an innumerable multitude of men and women, each carrying incense and flowers, going out of the city to visit the Buddha. She immediately asked the travelers, "Where do you wish to go?" The multitude replied, "The Buddha has appeared in the world. As the Venerable of the Tridhātu, he delivers all living beings so that they all attain nirvāṇa." Hearing this, Duśeng was glad of heart and delighted. She thought to herself, "Seeing the Buddha in my old age today is due to the blessing of past lives." She then set aside part of the incense money to buy fine flowers. Following the crowd, she went to the Buddha's place, paid homage, and withdrew to stand aside. Having scattered the flowers and burned the incense, she wholeheartedly listened to the Dharma; after that, she passed through the market to obtain the incense. Because of the merit of listening to the Dharma and pursued by past practices, the incense's fragrance was smelled afar and its weight was double that of before. [The women] were displeased that she was late and questioned her together. Duśeng, honouring the Way, spoke according to the facts: "In the world there is a holy master, the Venerable of the Tridhātu, who beats the unsurpassed Dharma drum, shaking the trichiliocosm. Innumerable people go to listen to the Dharma. In truth, I followed along to listen to the Dharma, and that is why I was delayed." When Vajrā and her companions heard that the World-Honoured One's Dharma discourse was wondrous and unheard of in the world, their hearts rejoiced in awe, and they sighed, saying, "What sin do we have that we alone are separated from hearing it?" They immediately said to Duśeng, "Try preaching it for us." Duśeng said, "My person is lowly and my mouth impure; I dare not declare it right away. The etiquette for preaching the Dharma is first to set up a high seat. If I receive your command, I will fully declare the holy intention." The five hundred attendants were all greatly delighted. Each took off a garment and piled them up to make a high seat. Duśeng bathed, and relying on the Buddha's spiritual power, preached the Dharma as appropriate. Vajrā and the five hundred attendants had their knots of doubt broken, destroyed badness, and attained the path of the srotāpanna. The preaching of the Dharma was so delightful that they did not notice a fire breaking out. They were burned to death at the same moment, and were immediately reborn in the heavens. The king led his retinue to rescue them from the fire, but seeing that it had already burned down, he gathered them for encoffining and completed the burial. He then went to the Buddha's place, paid homage to the Buddha, joined his palms, and said, "Vajrā was unfortunate; she did not notice the outbreak of fire, and great and small were completely burned up. We have just finished the encoffining. I do not know what sin caused them to meet with this calamity of fire. May the World-Honoured One make known what has not been heard." The Buddha told the great king: "In a past life, there was a city named Vārāṇasī. A householder's wife led five hundred court maidens to a great sacrificial altar outside the city. Its rule was strict and urgent: people of other families were not permitted to approach its edge, regardless of whether they were close or distant relatives; whoever came was thrown into the fire. At that time, there was a pratyekabuddha named Kāla living in the mountains. In the morning he came to beg for food (piṇḍapāta), and in the evening he always returned to the mountains. Kāla came begging for food and approached the suburban sacrificial altar. When the householder's wife saw him, she was infuriated and angry, and together they seized Kāla and threw him into the fire. His entire body was scorched and burned. He then displayed supernatural powers and flew up into empty space. The women were frightened, wept, and repented. Kneeling for a long time and raising their heads, they declared: 'We women are foolish and ignorant, failing to recognise the Ultimate Truth. Filled with delusion and growing arrogance, we insulted a divine spirit. Reflecting on our transgression, our sins are as high as a mountain. May your revered virtue descend to dispel our heavy calamity.' Following their voices, he immediately descended and entered parinirvāṇa. The women erected a stūpa and made offerings to his relics (śarīra)." The Buddha spoke a gāthā for the great king:

24.51

"The foolish commit evil,
Unable to understand themselves;
Calamity pursues and burns them.
When sins mature, they blaze fiercely.
Where the fool does not expect it,
Not considering that suffering approaches,
Only when facing the fall into a dire realm
Do they know it was unwholesome."

24.52

The Buddha told the great king: "The householder's wife at that time was none other than the king's daughter Vajrā today. The five hundred maidservants were none other than Duśeng and the other five hundred singing girls today. Sins and blessings pursue a person; after a long time, there is none that does not manifest. Good and evil follow a person just as a shadow follows the body." When this Dharma was preached, all who had come, both great and small, attained the path-track (srotāpanna).

24.53

Furthermore, the Aśokāvadāna says: In the past, King Aśoka had a man of the Way preach the Dharma. At that time, a folding screen was used to shield the women so that they could listen to the Dharma. Then the Dharma master preached the Dharma for the women, always preaching on giving, on morality, and on birth in the heavens. There was a woman who was willing to violate the king's law: lifting the screen, she approached the Dharma master and asked him, "When the Tathāgata, the Great Awakened One, awakened to all dharmas beneath the Bodhi tree, did he awaken to giving and morality, or did he also awaken to other dharmas?" The Dharma master replied, "The Buddha awakened to the truth that all contaminated phenomena are suffering, like molten iron; the cause of this suffering arises from accumulation (samudaya), like a poisonous tree; and by cultivating the Noble Eightfold Path, suffering and accumulation are eradicated." Hearing these words, the woman attained the path of the srotāpanna. Tying a sword to her neck, she went to the king's place and addressed the king, "Today I have violated the king's heavy law. May the king punish me according to the law." The king asked, "What offense did you commit?" She replied, "I breached the king's prohibition and went before the man of the Way. Just as a thirsty ox does not avoid death, I was truly thirsty for the Buddha-Dharma, and for that reason I rashly intruded to listen to the Dharma." The king asked, "When you listened to the Dharma, did you attain anything?" She replied, "I attained the Dharma, saw the Four Noble Truths, understood the aggregates, sensory bases, elements, and the great elements, and knew that they are all non-self. Thereby I obtained the Dharma-eye." Hearing these words, the king leaped with joy and immediately paid homage to her. He then issued a proclamation saying, "From this day forward, screening barriers shall not be permitted. Those who take joy in listening to the Dharma are permitted to go straight before the Dharma master and listen to the Dharma face to face." He sighed, "How wonderful! From within my palace has emerged a human jewel." By this condition, one should know that listening to the Dharma brings great benefit.

24.54

Furthermore, the Za baozang jing says: At that time, the kingdom of Pañcāla presented five hundred white geese to King Prasenajit. The king ordered them sent to the Jetavana Vihāra. When the assembly of monks ate, each person begged for food. Seeing the assembly of monks, the geese came and stood before them. The Buddha preached the Dharma with a single voice, and living beings each understood according to their kind. At that time, the flock of geese also understood the monks' speech. Hearing the Dharma, they were delighted; calling in harmony with one another, they returned to the pond water. Later, as their feathers grew longer, they flew to another place. A hunter covered them all with a net and killed them. One goose made a call and all the geese harmonised, making the sounds from when they listened to the Dharma. Riding on this wholesome thought, they were born in the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven. According to the law of heavenly rebirth, there are three mindfulnesses: first, minding where one originally came from; second, minding where one is definitely born; third, minding what karma one previously performed to be born in heaven. They then reflected and saw their own past causes: there was no other wholesome deed, only listening to the Dharma beside the Buddha and the saṃgha. Having had these thoughts, the five hundred sons of the gods immediately descended beside the Tathāgata. The Buddha preached the Dharma for them, and they all attained the srotāpanna fruit. King Prasenajit happened to visit the Buddha's place. He had regularly seen the five hundred geese lined up before the Buddha, but on this day he did not see them. He then asked the Buddha, "Where have the geese here gone?" The Buddha said, "If you wish to see those geese, earlier the geese flew to another place and were killed by a hunter. At the end of their lives, they were born in heaven. Today, these five hundred sons of the gods wearing fine celestial crowns, handsome and extraordinary, are they; through listening to the Dharma today, they have all attained the srotāpanna fruit." The king asked the Buddha, "Due to what karmic conditions did these geese fall into the animal realm, and then at the end of their lives be born in heaven and today attain the path?" The Buddha said, "In the past, at the time of Kāśyapa Buddha, five hundred women all took the precepts together. Because their minds were not firm, they broke the precepts they had received. Due to the conditions of breaking the precepts, they fell into the animal realm and took on these goose bodies. Because they had received the precepts, they met the Tathāgata, heard the Dharma, and attained the path. Due to the condition of listening to the Dharma in goose bodies, they were born in the heavens."

24.55

Furthermore, the Old Sūtra of Miscellaneous Parables says: In the past, a śramaṇa chanted the scriptures day and night. A dog lay beneath the bed, wholeheartedly listening to the scriptures, no longer thinking of food. In this way years accumulated. When its life ended, it attained human form and was born as a woman in the country of Śrāvastī. When she grew up and saw a śramaṇa begging for food (piṇḍapāta), she ran and personally brought food to give to the śramaṇa with joy. Later she became a bhikṣuṇī and attained the path of the Arhat.

24.56

The verse says:

24.57

"The kingly plan regulates without;
The divine way pacifies within.
The correct Dharma of the August Awakened One
Is the ultimate guiding teacher.
Respectfully inheriting the profound teaching,
Exalting virtue, shaking forth radiance.
Teacher and pupil expound and transmit,
Fragrant leaves growing lush and flourishing.
Awakened to the Four Truths,
Rejoicing in the Threefold Knowledge.
Revealing the realm on golden tablets,
Unfolding instruction to the divine capacity.
Emptiness and existence are equally forgotten;
The profound gate deeply penetrates subtlety.
Dismissing into what cannot be dismissed,
The ultimate Way is never remote."

24.58

Circumstances of Sympathetic Resonances (Briefly citing nine verifications):

24.59

Śramaṇa Zhu Daosheng of the Song;
Layman Fei Chongxian of the Song;
Śramaṇa Ratnamati of the Northern Wei;
Śramaṇa Shi Sengfan of the Qi;
Śramaṇa Shi Tanyan of the Sui;
Śramaṇa Shi Huiyuan of the Sui;
Śramaṇa Shi Fayan of the Sui;
Śramaṇa Shi Daozong of the Tang;
Śramaṇa Shi Daohui of the Tang.

24.60

Under the Song dynasty, there was Zhu Daosheng of Longguang Temple in Chang'an. His original surname was Wei, and he was a native of Julu. Leaving home as a young child, he was perceptive, keen, and endowed with divine anomaly. While still in his youth, he mounted the Dharma seat, producing speech resonant as the pentatonic scale; clergy and laity alike bowed in deep submission. By the time he reached the age of full ordination, his capacity and discernment deepened day by day. His temperament was alert, and his spirit was serene and august. At first he entered Mount Lu, residing in seclusion for seven years to pursue his aspiration. Always regarding wise understanding as the foundation and essential gate for entering the Way, he delved into the scriptures and weighed the treatises, following the Dharma across ten thousand li without dreading weariness or hardship. Later he traveled together with Hui-rui and Huiyan to Chang'an, receiving instruction under Kumārajīva; the Saṃgha in the Guanzhong region all considered him divinely awakened. Later he returned to the capital and stayed at Qingyuan Temple. Emperor Wen, Taizu of the Song, held him in the highest admiration and esteem. Afterward, Taizu hosted a feast; the Emperor personally joined the assembly, seated on mats upon the ground. The food having been served for quite some time, the assembly all suspected that noon had passed. The Emperor said, 'It is just noon.' Daosheng said, 'The bright sun hangs in the sky, and Heaven says it is just noon; how could it not be noon?' He then took his bowl and ate, whereupon the entire assembly followed suit; none failed to praise how his opportune tact hit the mark. Later, collating the ultimate and the conventional, and pondering causes and effects, he established that good deeds receive no retribution, and that one attains Buddhahood through sudden enlightenment. He also composed the *Treatise on the Two Truths*, the *Treatise on the Buddha-nature Being Inherent*, the *Treatise on the Dharmakāya Being Formless*, the *Treatise on the Buddha Having No Pure Land*, and the *Treatise on the Responsive Body Having Conditions*, encompassing past teachings with profound and sublime tenets. Yet those bound to the letter of texts mostly grew resentful and jealous, and voices of criticism and contention arose in clamour. Furthermore, when the six-fascicle *Nirvāṇa Sūtra* first arrived at the capital, Daosheng analyzed its principles, penetrating its profound depths, and declared that even icchantikas can all attain Buddhahood. At that time, the expanded version had not yet arrived; his solitary insight came forth first, and his singular view ran counter to the multitude. Thereupon the old scholars regarded it as heterodox teaching, their indignation growing ever fiercer, and they ultimately banished him openly from the Great Assembly. Daosheng, maintaining a solemn countenance before the Great Assembly, swore an oath: 'If what I have spoken runs contrary to the scriptural meaning, may I manifest leprosy in this very body; but if it does not deviate from dharmatā, I vow that at the time I cast off this life, I shall occupy the lion seat.' Having spoken, he shook his robes and departed. He initially headed to Tiger Hill in Wu, where within ten days disciples numbered several hundred. That summer, thunder roared; from the Buddha hall of Qingyuan Temple a dragon ascended into the sky, casting light on the west wall. Hence the temple was renamed Longguang. People of the time sighed and said, 'Now that the dragon has gone, Daosheng will surely depart.' Soon he made his way to Mount Lu, vanishing among the crags and cliffs; the monks in the mountain all revered and submitted to him. Later, when the expanded version of the *Nirvāṇa Sūtra* arrived in Nanjing, it indeed stated that icchantikas all possess Buddha-nature, matching what he had previously spoken like the two halves of a tally. Having obtained this sūtra, Daosheng immediately lectured on it. In the eleventh year of the Yuanjia era of the Song, in winter, on the gengzi day of the eleventh month, he ascended the Dharma seat in the Mount Lu monastery. His spirit was radiant, and his virtuous voice flowed deep. He debated several rounds, exhausting the subtleties of principle; among the audience, none failed to be awakened and delighted. As the Dharma session was drawing to a close, suddenly his deer-tail whisk dropped down. Sitting upright with a composed countenance, he leaned against the armrest and passed away. His facial complexion was unchanged, appearing as though he had entered samādhi. Clergy and laity sighed in awe, and those near and far wept in grief. Thereupon the monks of the capital were inwardly ashamed of their past resentment, and followed after him in faithful submission. His divine discernment was so supreme, and its auspicious omens were like this; he was then buried on a mound of Mount Lu. Earlier, Master Rui and Yan Guan were fellow students of equal renown; hence people of the time assessed them, saying: 'Sheng and Rui draw forth the heavenly true; Yan and Guan obtain the flowing downpour. Huiyi advances vigorously; Kouyuan is silently blocked.' Daosheng and Master Rui alone were marked with the designation of the heavenly true, standing out preeminently among all scholars. Earlier, Sengzhao in Guanzhong had first annotated the *Vimalakīrti-nirdeśa*, which the world all savoured; Daosheng then brought forth even deeper tenets, elucidating new and rare insights, and his commentaries on various sūtras were all treasured by the world. Wang Wei compared Daosheng to Guo Linzong, composing a biography for him to illustrate his remaining virtue. People of the time held that Daosheng's deduction of icchantikas attaining Buddhahood had scriptural basis, and his teachings of sudden enlightenment and good deeds receiving no retribution were also emulated in that age. Song Taizu once expounded Daosheng's doctrine of sudden enlightenment, and monks such as Sengbi posed immense challenges. The Emperor said, 'If the departed could be brought back, could he ever be subdued by you gentlemen?' Longguang Temple also had the śramaṇa Baolin, who had originally studied in Chang'an and later continued the various doctrines of Master Daosheng; people of the time called him Shixuan. Daosheng composed the *Record of the Nirvāṇa*, an annotation of the *Samayabhedoparacanacakra*, and a proclamation denouncing Māra. Baolin's disciple Fabao was also versed in both Buddhist and non-Buddhist learning, and composed the *Treatise on the Final Mind of the Vajra*, likewise carrying forward Daosheng's doctrines. In recent times, there was also Shi Huisheng, who likewise resided at Longguang Temple; he observed a vegetarian diet, was skilled in numerous sūtras, and was also proficient in cursive and clerical script. Because they succeeded one another in the same temple, people called them the Elder and Younger Sheng. (This single verification is extracted from the Liang *Biographies of Eminent Monks*.)

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法苑珠林 — 道世, Classical Chinese