法苑珠林 48
English (machine translation) 48
- Language
- English
48.1
Compiled by the Śramaṇa Shi Daoshi of Ximing Temple
48.2
Chapter 48: Admonitions and Exhortations (containing six sections)
48.3
Section on Expressing the Intent
Section on Admonition by Means of the Horse
Section on Admonition Regarding Study
Section on Admonition Regarding Theft
Section on Admonition Regarding Transgression
Section on Miscellaneous Admonitions
48.4
Section 1: Expressing the Intent
48.5
Setting up images to manifest truth is a constant instruction for transforming the mundane; pointing a finger as a snare for the moon is the standard regular rule for leaving the world. Yet, because false thoughts and inverted feelings flow with the stream and habits become entrenched, they do not think of reforming, but drift and sink following their karma. Therefore the Nirvāṇa-sūtra says: 'Those who do good and rise purely are likened to dust on a fingernail; those who do evil and stagnate in sinking are compared to the earth's dust.' This truly stems from the six thieves arriving together and the ten defilements becoming intertwined. Some compare [the body] to a walking latrine or a painted vase; others liken it to a precarious fortress or an unbaked vessel. Thus the decaying mansion about to collapse is ever blazing with the three fires; running to hide in an empty village, one is ever pursued by the five swords. The metaphor drawn from the well and the river presses the physical form in every kṣaṇa; the oxen and sheep at the slaughterhouse bring life to its end with each passing water clock. It is also like a rat entering an oily horn: arriving at the dead end, where can it turn? How much more so when the five turbidities intercross and the four mountains ever press in—how could one remain complacent and fail to give rise to sorrow and repentance? For this reason the Great Sage bequeathed his teachings, the gist of whose doctrines and metaphors terminates in admonition and restraint, so that body and mind do not drift into heedless desires, but reflect, exert themselves, and earnestly examine their faults. One sees only that when facing death, the light of the eyes fails, and as family members gather round, face to face they cannot save him. Alas! With tears flowing, one laments their sinking down! Already subject to such suffering, why not admonish oneself? Faults arise from oneself; reform depends on no one else. While one still possesses slight goodness to dwell in retribution as a human being, and moreover encounters the bequeathed Dharma and personally sees the Three Jewels—if one should fall into the evil destinies, even if right before one's eyes, one will not know it. By this grief and sorrow, there is no justification for laxity and indolence.
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Section 2: Admonition by Means of the Horse
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As the Madhyamāgama-sūtra says: At that time, there was a horse trainer named Keśin. He came to where the Buddha was, bowed his head at the Buddha's feet, withdrew to sit to one side, and said to the Buddha: 'World-Honoured One, I observe the world to be exceedingly shallow and frivolous, just like a flock of sheep. In this world, I alone am able to train wild, unruly, and vicious horses. By applying skillful means, I make all their faults and flaws appear in an instant; in accordance with their faults and flaws, I tame them by skillful means.' The Buddha asked the horse trainer: 'Village chief, with how many kinds of skillful means do you tame horses?' The horse trainer said to the Buddha: 'There are three kinds of methods to tame vicious horses. What are the three? The first is gentleness; the second is roughness; the third is both gentleness and roughness.' The Buddha asked the village chief: 'If you train a horse with these three skillful means and it still is not tamed, what should be done with it?' The horse trainer said to the Buddha: 'If there is one that is not tamed, I will kill it. Why is that? So as not to let it bring shame upon me.' The horse trainer said to the Buddha: 'The World-Honoured One is the unsurpassed trainer of men. With how many kinds of skillful means do you train men?' The Buddha told the village chief: 'I also train men with three kinds of skillful means. What are the three? The first is exclusively gentle; the second is exclusively rough; the third is both gentle and rough.' The Buddha told the village chief: 'As for that which is exclusively gentle, it is as you say: "This is good action of body; this is the retribution for good action of body. This is good action of speech and mind; this is the retribution for good action of speech and mind. This is called deva; this is called human; this is called apparitional birth in a good destiny; this is called nirvāṇa." This is gentleness. Second, as for that which is exclusively rough, it is as you say: "This is evil action of body; this is the retribution for evil action of body. This is evil action of speech and mind; this is the retribution for evil action of speech and mind. This is called hell; this is called animal; this is called hungry ghost; this is called evil destiny; this is called falling into an evil destiny." This is the Tathāgata's rough teaching. Third, as for that which combines both gentleness and roughness: that is to say, the Tathāgata sometimes speaks of good action of body; sometimes speaks of retribution for good action of body; sometimes speaks of good action of speech and mind; sometimes speaks of retribution for good action of speech and mind; sometimes speaks of evil action of body; sometimes speaks of retribution for evil action of body; sometimes speaks of evil action of speech and mind; sometimes speaks of retribution for evil action of speech and mind. Such is called deva; such is called human; such is called good destiny; such is called nirvāṇa; such is called hell; such is called animal or hungry ghost; such is called evil destiny; such is called falling into an evil destiny. This is the Tathāgata's teaching that is both gentle and rough.' The horse trainer said to the Buddha: 'World-Honoured One, if sentient beings are trained by the three skillful means, and there are those who are still not tamed, what should be done with them?' The Buddha told the village chief: 'I also kill them. Why is that? So as not to let them bring shame upon me.' The horse trainer said to the Buddha: 'Killing living beings is an impure act in the Dharma of the World-Honoured One, and in the Dharma of the World-Honoured One there is no killing of living beings. Now when you speak of killing, what does it mean?' The Buddha told the village chief: 'In the Tathāgata's Dharma there is indeed no killing of living beings. However, when those who receive the three kinds of instruction in the Tathāgata's Dharma are not tamed, I no longer speak with them, neither teaching nor admonishing them. Is that not death?' The horse trainer said to the Buddha: 'Truly so, World-Honoured One! No longer being spoken with, and never being taught or admonished, is truly death! For this reason, from this day forth I shall abandon all evil and unwholesome deeds.' Hearing what the Buddha spoke, he rejoiced and departed.
48.8
Furthermore, the Dharmapada-avadāna Sūtra states: The Buddha asked an elephant trainer, "How many methods are there for taming elephants?" He replied, "There are three. What are the three? First, using an iron hook to hook the mouth and fastening on a halter; second, reducing food to keep it constantly hungry and lean; third, applying the stick and cane to inflict pain. Because an iron hook hooks the mouth, its stubborn mouth is curbed. Because food and drink are withheld, its wild body is controlled. Because the stick and cane are applied, its mind is subdued." The Buddha said to the householder, "I also have three [methods] with which I tame all [beings], and by which I also tame myself to attain unconditioned reality (asaṃskṛta). First, through utmost sincerity, I govern afflictions of speech. Second, through benevolence and chastity, I subdue physical stubbornness. Third, through wisdom, I extinguish the covering of delusion in the mind. Holding to these three matters, I liberate all [beings], causing them to leave the three wretched realms."
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Section 3: Admonitions on Training
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As the Ekottarika-āgama states: From within a single verse, the thirty-seven factors of awakening and the meanings of all phenomena are brought forth. Kāśyapa asked, "Which is it?" Then the venerable Ānanda spoke this verse:
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Do not commit any evil; / Cultivate all good; / Purify one's own mind: / This is the teaching of all Buddhas.
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Why is this so? 'Do not commit any evil' refers to the full precepts and clean, pure conduct. 'Cultivate all good' refers to the purification of the mind. 'Purify one's own mind' refers to removing false inversion. 'This is the teaching of all Buddhas' refers to banishing thoughts of delusion and confusion. How so, Kāśyapa? If the precepts are pure, how could the mind not be pure? When pure, there is no inversion; through the absence of inversion, thoughts of delusion and confusion are extinguished. The fruits of the thirty-seven factors of awakening are then realized. Having realized the fruits of the Path, are these not all the teachings?
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Section 4: Admonitions against Theft
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As the Saṃyuktāgama states: At that time there was a certain monk dwelling among men in a forest in the kingdom of Kośala. At that time, this monk suffered from an eye ailment, and received instructions from his master: "You should smell padma flowers." Having received the master's instruction, the monk went to the edge of a padma pool, sat upwind on the pool's bank, and caught the fragrance drifting with the wind. Then a deity presiding over the pool said to the monk, "Why are you stealing the flowers? You are a fragrance-thief!"
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Thereupon the monk spoke a verse in reply:
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I have not broken nor seized them; / Staying far off, I just smell the fragrance. / Why do you now say / That I am a fragrance-thief?
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Thereupon the deity spoke another verse:
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Taking without asking or giving / Is called a thief in the world. / Now, when people have not given it, / You take it entirely on your own: / This is known in the world / As a true fragrance-thief.
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At that time a man took lotus roots from the pool, loaded them on his back, and left. The monk then spoke a verse to the deity:
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Now, that man over there / Has cut down the puṇḍarīka flowers, / Pulled up the roots, and walked off heavily laden; / He is indeed a deceitful scoundrel! / Why did you not stop him, / Yet say that I steal fragrance?
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Then the deity spoke a verse in reply:
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A wild, frantic, deceitful person / Is like a wet nurse's soiled garment. / What is the point of adding words to him? / You, however, are fit to be spoken to. / A stain on a black robe does not show; / Black garments are not stained by blackness. / To deceitful, wicked people, / The world does not speak. / A fly's leg stains white silk; / A slight fault shows upon the clear and bright. / Like a speck of ink on mother-of-pearl, / Though small, it fully reveals itself.
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Then the monk spoke another verse:
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Well said, well said! / You have comforted me with meaning. / May you always, for my sake, / Frequently speak this verse.
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Then the deity spoke another verse:
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I am not a slave you purchased, / Nor was I given to you by another. / Why should I constantly follow you / And frequently offer you words? / You yourself must now recognize / Whatever things are beneficial.
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Section 5: Admonitions on Transgressions
48.28
As the Sūtra on King Yama's Five Messengers states: The Buddha told the monks: When people living in the world are unfilial to parents, disrespectful to śramaṇas, do not practice benevolence and righteousness, do not study the scriptures and precepts, and do not fear the afterlife—when such persons die, they fall into hell. The wardens seize and bring them to King Yama, reporting their offenses: 'This person has committed various faults such as unfilial conduct, has no merit, and had no fear of death. May the king alone punish them.' King Yama always first speaks calmly with upright words, manifesting the five messengers, and questions them: 'First: did you not see that when a person in the world is an infant, lying flat in feces and urine, unable to protect themselves, their mouth unable to speak, knowing neither good nor bad? Did you see this or not?' The person answers, 'I saw it.' The king says, 'Did you think you alone were not like that? Yet when human consciousness follows its deeds, at the end of life there is rebirth. Though you had not yet seen it, you should have constantly practiced good and straightened your three modes of action. How could you let your mind loose, indulge your desires, and commit offenses?' The person answers, 'I was ignorant and blind, and did not know.' The king says, 'You yourself were foolish, indulging your mind to commit evil; it was not the fault of your parents, teachers, elders, sovereign, gods, śramaṇas, or practitioners of the Way. The offense originated solely with you. How could you not enjoy it [before]? Now you must receive [its retribution].' This is King Yama revealing the first divine messenger.
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"Second, King Yama asks again: 'When you were human, the divine messenger arrived next; were you able to perceive it or not?' The person answers, 'I did not perceive it.' The king says: 'Did you not see people in the world grown old, with white hair and fallen teeth, emaciated, bent over, walking low, leaning on a cane in their daily movements—did you not see this?' The person answers, 'There was such a thing.' The king says: 'Did you think you alone could escape and avoid aging? All who are born are subject to the principle of aging and decrepitude. One should constantly do good, straighten body, speech, and mind, and uphold the scriptures and precepts. How could you indulge yourself?' The person answers, 'It was because of my foolishness.' The king says: 'You yourself committed evil out of foolishness; it was not the fault of your parents, sovereign, gods, śramaṇas, or practitioners of the Way. The offense originated solely with you. How could you not enjoy it [before]? Now you must receive [its retribution].' This is King Yama revealing the second divine messenger.
48.30
"Third, King Yama asks again: 'When you were human, did you not see men and women in the world afflicted with bodily disease, experiencing physical suffering and pain, uneasy whether sitting or rising, their lives drawing short with worry, uncured by physicians—did you not see this?' The person answers, 'There was such a thing.' The king says: 'Could you alone avoid sickness? When humans grow old, they are all bound to fall sick. Hearing that your body was healthy, you should have striven to do good, uphold the scriptures and precepts, and straighten body, speech, and mind. How could you indulge yourself?' The person answers, 'It was because of my foolish blindness.' The king says: 'You yourself committed evil out of foolishness; it has nothing to do with your parents, sovereign, gods, śramaṇas, or practitioners of the Way. The offense originated solely with you. How could you not enjoy it [before]? Now you must receive [its retribution].' This is King Yama revealing the third divine messenger.
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"Fourth, King Yama asks again: 'When you were human, did you not see those who died in the world—either their corpses were buried or abandoned, and after seven days their flesh and muscle decomposed, and foxes and myriad birds gathered to eat them? When ordinary people die, their bodies rot and putrefy; did you not see this?' The person answers, 'There was such a thing.' The king says: 'Did you think you alone could strive and avoid death? All who are born are bound by principle to die. Hearing that you were in the world, you should have constantly done good, controlled your body, speech, and mind, and upheld the scriptures and precepts. How could you indulge yourself?' The person answers, 'It was because of my foolish blindness.' The king says: 'You yourself committed evil; it was not the fault of your parents, sovereign, gods, śramaṇas, or practitioners of the Way. The offense originated solely with you. How could you not enjoy it [before]? Now you must receive [its retribution].' This is King Yama revealing the fourth divine messenger.
48.32
"Fifth, King Yama asks again: 'When you were human, did you not see the corrupt people and wicked rogues of the world seized by officials, having their crimes investigated and the punishments of the law inflicted upon them: having hands or feet severed, ears or noses cut off, their forms burned, their heads hung exposed to the sun, or being slaughtered, dismembered, and subjected to various virulent agonies—did you not see this?' The person answers, 'There was such a thing.' The king says: 'Did you think that committing evil could alone be pardoned? Seeing with your own eyes that retribution for guilt and merit in the world is distinct and clear, why did you not maintain goodness, discipline your body, speech, and mind, and uphold the scriptures and precepts? Why did you seek your own pleasure?' The person answers, 'It was because of my foolish blindness.' The king says: 'You yourself directed your mind to act dishonestly and unjustly; it was not the fault of your parents, sovereign, gods, śramaṇas, or practitioners of the Way. For these calamities and transgressions now, you must bear them yourself.' This is King Yama revealing the fifth divine messenger.
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When the Buddha had spoken this scripture, all the disciples accepted his admonition, stepped forward to pay homage, and joyfully practiced it.
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Section 6: Miscellaneous Admonitions
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Verses from the Great Dharmapada Sūtra state (comprising eleven admonitions in total):
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Admonitions on Faith
48.37
When a person possesses the practice of faith, / They are praised by the noble ones. / Those who delight in the unconditioned / Are liberated from all bonds. / Compared with worldly gain, / Wisdom and faith are illumination; / They are the supreme treasure among wealth, / While household property is impermanent. / Wishing to see the true ones, / Delighting in listening to expositions of the Dharma, / Able to renounce stinginess and jealousy: / This is what is called faith. / Without faith, one does not train, / Fond of refuting upright words; / Like an inept person drawing water, / Who digs a well and stirs up mud. / The worthy person cultivates wisdom, / Delighting in looking up to purity; / Like one who draws water skillfully, / It is surely cold and undisturbed. / Faith is not stained by others; / Nothing is like this vehicle. / Just as a great elephant is tamed, / Self-taming is supreme. / The wealth of faith, the wealth of morality, / Moral shame and remorse are also wealth; / The wealth of hearing, the wealth of giving, / And wisdom constitute the seven wealths. / If one possesses this wealth in life, / Regardless of male or female, / They will ultimately be free of greed; / The wise person recognizes truth.
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Admonitions on Death
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That which is impermanent / Signifies the principle of rise and fall: / What is born must die; / The cessation of this is bliss. / Like a river's rapid flow, / Passing on, never to return, / Human life is just like this: / What has passed does not come back. / Day and night for living beings, / Life is pared away by a blade; / The vanishing of lifespan / Is like water in a small pool. / All that is permanent comes to an end; / All that is high must also fall. / Those who meet must part; / Those who are born must die. / Living beings harm each other, / Thereby destroying their lives; / Following the actions into which they fall, / They themselves suffer calamity. / Though one lives for a hundred years, / One still dies and passes away; / Wearied by old age, / Sickness suddenly arrives. / This day has already passed; / Life is reduced accordingly, / Like fish in dwindling water: / What joy is there in this? / In old age, complexion fades; / Beset by disease, one naturally breaks down; / The physical form rots and putrefies; / Such is the end of life. / What is the use of this body, / Constantly leaking foul substances, / Tormented by illness, / Afflicted with old age and death? / There are no children to rely on, / Nor father or brother; / Pressed by death, / There is no kin to depend upon. / Day and night indolent and careless, / In old age not halting lust, / Having wealth yet not giving, / Not accepting the Buddha's words: / Possessing these four obscurations, / One deceives and harms oneself.
48.40
Admonitions on Killing
48.41
Practicing benevolence without killing, / Always able to restrain one's body: / This is the realm of deathlessness; / Wherever one goes, there is no adversity. / Not killing is benevolence; / Guarding speech and protecting the mind: / This is the realm of deathlessness; / Wherever one goes, there is no adversity. / Though others are disordered, one is composed; / Maintaining benevolent conduct, / Able to endure when seeing anger: / This is holy conduct (brahmacarya). / Sincere and gentle, / With no harsh words in one's mouth, / Not feeling anger toward others: / This is called holy conduct. / Hands folded in non-action, / Not harming sentient beings, / Inflicting no torment: / This is called holy conduct. / Always acting with compassion, / Pure according to the Buddha's teaching, / Knowing contentment and knowing when to stop: / This crosses beyond birth and death. / Universally loving the worthy and excellent, / Extending pity to all sentient beings, / Constantly practicing a mind of benevolence, / One is at ease wherever one goes. / Day and night mindful of benevolence, / The mind free from malice, / Not harming sentient beings: / With this conduct, there are no enemies. / Sleeping peacefully and waking peacefully, / Seeing no nightmares; / Protected by gods, loved by humans, / Unharmed by poison or weapons, / Neither fire nor water brings ruin; / Gaining benefit wherever one is; / At death ascending to the Brahmā heaven, / Receiving bliss naturally. / Benevolence leaves the mind undisturbed; / Compassion is supreme in practice; / Having pity on sentient beings, / This merit is boundless.
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Admonitions on the Mind
48.43
Evil words and curses, / Arrogance and despising others: / When such deeds are aroused, / Hostility and resentment arise from them. / Modest words and submissive phrases, / Showing reverence toward others, / Renouncing malice and enduring evil: / Hostility and resentment vanish of themselves. / When a man is born, / An axe is within his mouth; / That which cuts down his body / Arises from his evil speech. / Contending for slight gain, / Is like losing wealth in gambling; / From this contention arises, / Causing the mind to turn toward evil. / Mind is the root of phenomena; / Mind is supreme, mind is the master. / If within the heart one conceives evil, / Suffering and guilt pursue one naturally. / Mind is the root of phenomena; / Mind is supreme, mind is the master. / If within the heart one conceives good, / Merit and joy follow one naturally. / Following the actions of a confused mind, / Bound by foolishness, one enters darkness; / Conceited and lawless, / How could one understand good words? / Following the actions of an upright mind, / One becomes enlightened, clear, and bright; / Free from jealousy, / One is swift in comprehending good words. / Being resentful toward enemies, / Never brings an end to enmity; / Free of resentment, it ends of itself: / This path can be venerated. / Not fond of blaming others, / Devote yourself to examining your own conduct; / If there be one who knows this, / Evils are extinguished forever without afflictions.
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Admonitions against Perversity
48.45
To take the unreal as real, / And to take the real as unreal, / This is wrong view; / One will never attain the true benefit. / Knowing the real as real, / And seeing the unreal and knowing it as unreal, / This is right view; / One will surely attain the true benefit. / When a house's walls are not tight, / If heaven rains, it leaks; / When the mind does not contemplate what is right, / It is pierced by deviant dharmas. / When a house's walls are well-sealed, / The rain will not leak through; / If one restrains the mind and ponders only the right, / Deviant secrets will not arise. / A base person defiling others / Is like drawing close to something foul: / Gradually all become accustomed to wrong, / Unconsciously turning into evil. / A worthy person influencing others / Is like drawing close to fragrant incense: / Advancing in wisdom and practicing goodness, / One's conduct becomes pure and bright. / When right mindfulness constantly arises, / Deviant dharmas naturally perish. / By restraining oneself according to the true Dharma, / One's good reputation grows daily. / One should contemplate the Way / And firmly maintain right practice; / The vigorous achieve crossing over, / Auspiciousness supreme. / Conquering oneself and tuning the mind, / One's conduct is without indolence. / Giving, morality, patience, and diligence, / Concentration and wisdom are ever luminous; / In life, one is not vexed, / And in death, one does not grieve. / The paths of misfortune and blessing diverge, / Rising and sinking along different destinies.
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Admonition on Foolishness
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The foolish cling to birth and death / And do not know the true Dharma. / Foolish, unenlightened, and lacking wisdom, / They are like dwelling in a dark room: / Whatever they contact, they run about in confusion, / Unable to distinguish cold from heat. / Though cultivating and training for long, / They still do not know the Dharma; / Even if they engage in practice, / They only incur calamity for themselves. / Pleasing their minds, they commit evil, / Bringing upon themselves heavy misfortune. / What the foolish hope for, / They do not think will lead to suffering; / Only on the verge of falling into perilous places / Do they realize it was not good. / The foolish and stupid commit evil, / Unable to understand it themselves; / Calamity pursues them, consuming them in flames, / Their guilt flaring ablaze. / Foolish people delight in slumber, / Sorrows and grief constantly arising, / In a dim, dark room, / Like a silkworm inside a cocoon. / The foolish delight in evil, / Not ceasing even unto death; / Though given good words, / They turn around and consider one an enemy. / While the crime is not yet ripe, / The fool takes it as a spectacle; / When the time of its ripening arrives, / They personally suffer great calamity. / The foolish are fond of wealth and lust, / Unsated day and night, / Like a parched mountain gorge / Where pouring water never fills it. / The foolish make many errors, / Met with wrath wherever they go; / Even if beaten with rods and canes, / They still will not stop themselves.
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Admonition on Evil
48.49
Contemplate deeply good and evil, / And in the mind know what to fear and avoid. / Fearing it and not transgressing, / One will ultimately have good fortune and no sorrow. / Therefore the world possesses blessings; / Remember, contemplate, and carry forward the practice. / Goodness fulfills one's wishes, / And fortune and blessings become ever superior. / Trust goodness and generate blessings, / Accumulating goodness without satiety. / Truly know that hidden virtue / In time will surely become apparent. / Delighting in the Dharma, one sleeps in peace, / Mind joyful and intention clear. / When sages expound the Dharma, / The wise ever delight in practicing it. / Worthies and wise people / Observe the precepts and uphold the Way; / Like the moon amidst the stars, / They illuminate the world. / Bow-makers tune horn; / Watermen tune boats; / Craftsmen tune wood; / The wise tune their bodies. / Just as a solid boulder / Cannot be moved by the wind, / The mind of the wise is weighty, / Neither defamed nor praised will it waver. / Just as a deep spring / Is tranquil, clear, and bright, / When wise people hear the Way, / Their minds are pure and joyful. / Cut off the five aggregates, / Silently contemplate wisdom; / One can rescue oneself, / Revealing principle and clarifying the truth. / Curb passions and desires, / Directing one's aspirations to delight in the unconditioned. / Receive and uphold the correct teaching, / Wishing that the Dharma endure forever.
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Admonition on Fetters
48.51
Leaving sorrow and suffering far behind, / Liberated from everything, / One's fetters and knots already untied, / Dissipated, one is naturally at peace. / With pure mind one attains mindfulness, / With nothing craved or enjoyed; / Having crossed over the dried and desiccated, / Like wild geese abandoning a pool. / Measure one's belly to eat, / Amassing and storing nothing; / With an empty mind free of conceptualization, / Near and far are without obstruction. / Measure one's body to clothe it, / Seeking no excess or superfluity; / Diminish affairs and abide in the unconditioned, / Without anything to tether or bind. / Curb thoughts and follow the right, / Like a horse well-trained and mastered; / Cast aside arrogance and abandon conceit, / Becoming revered by the devas. / Free from anger like the earth, / Unmoving like a mountain, / The true person is without defilement, / Birth and death eternally cut off from the world. / The mind has already found rest, / Words and deeds have also ceased; / Through the right, liberation is attained, / Returning in tranquility to cessation. / Abandoning evil, free from attachment, / Shattering the three realms, / Passions and sensory forms forever severed: / This is called supreme wisdom. / Whether in a village or in the wilds, / Abiding in defilement without being defiled, / Praised by the arhats, / There is none who does not receive their blessing. / Constantly delighting in secluded leisure, / Beyond the reach of ordinary people— / How delightful is the superior person, / Revered by devas and humans!
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Admonition on Recitation
48.53
Though one recites a thousand words, / If one does not practice, what is the benefit? / It is not as good as hearing once, / Diligently cultivating and attaining benefit. / Though one recites a thousand words, / If the phrases and meanings are not right, / It is not as good as one essential point, / Which, when heard, can extinguish [deluded] thoughts. / Though one recites a thousand words, / If there is no righteousness, what is the benefit? / It is not as good as a single meaning, / Which, when heard and practiced, brings salvation. / Though one recites a thousand words, / If there is no respect, what is the benefit? / It is not as good as a single practice, / Joyfully upheld and cultivated. / Though one recites a thousand words, / If the notion of 'I' is not eradicated, / It is not as good as a single sentence / Abandoning arrogance and indolence. / Though one recites a thousand words, / Seeking fame ever more clinging, / It is not as good as a single exposition / Relinquishing attachment and parting from grasping. / Though one recites a thousand words, / If one does not wish to eliminate sins, / It is not as good as a single text / For parting from birth and death. / Though one recites a thousand words, / If physical passions grow even firmer, / It is not as good as a single realization / In which mind and objective realm forget all thought. / Though one recites a thousand words, / Without seeking to transcend the world, / It is not as good as a single awakening / Utterly severing oneself from the three realms. / Though one recites a thousand words, / Free of compassion and wisdom, / It is not as good as hearing once, / Benefiting both oneself and others.
48.54
Admonition on Practice
48.55
A person might live a hundred years, / Their stinginess and greed growing ever fiercer; / This is not as good as a single day / Relinquishing wealth and sensual desires. / A person might live a hundred years, / Delighting in not upholding the precepts; / This is not as good as a single day / Purifying the mind and observing the precepts. / A person might live a hundred years, / Full of anger and incapable of patience; / This is not as good as a single day / Harboring joy and free of wrath. / A person might live a hundred years, / Indolent and lacking diligence; / This is not as good as a single day / Exerting body and mind. / A person might live a hundred years, / Their emotions delighting in heedlessness; / This is not as good as a single day / Directing the mind to emptiness and stillness. / A person might live a hundred years, / With a dark and confounded consciousness; / This is not as good as a single day / Thoroughly awakening from ignorance. / A person might live a hundred years, / Clumsily steering body and mind; / This is not as good as a single day / Utilizing skillful means. / A person might live a hundred years, / Constantly harboring timidity and weakness; / This is not as good as a single day / With courageous strength of wisdom. / A person might live a hundred years, / Never giving rise to good vows; / This is not as good as a single day / Generating the practice of the four great vows. / A person might live a hundred years, / Without producing a single wisdom; / This is not as good as a single day / Where the nature of wisdom is keen and bright.
48.56
Admonition on the Mouth
48.57
The Saṃyuktāgama states that the devas spoke a gāthā, saying:
48.58
When a person is born into the world, / An axe is born in their mouth; / With it they strike their own body, / And this is due to their evil speech. / What should be censured, they praise; / What should be praised, they censure. / Such guilt is born of the mouth; / At death, they fall into the evil destinies.
48.59
The encomium states:
48.60
Set one's resolve and admonish foolishness of mind, / Longing on high and delighting in luminous companions. / Together let us establish vast vows, / Renounce the worldly, and yearn for tranquil hills. / Disengaged and leisurely beyond human society, / Bright and luminous, free from entanglement. / In stillness seeking truth and sincerity, / Unwearied, encouraging gentleness of mind. / Stirring and urging the cultivation of the three types of action, / Striving ardently to clarify the four currents. / Generating the mind to vow vast resolves, / Steering the compassionate boat to rescue the drowning. / The auspicious term will return to wondrous awakening, / In fine assembly cultivating nirvāṇa. / Keeping the mind on the noble eightfold path, / Setting one's resolve to rest after the three asaṃkhyeya kalpas.
48.61
Circumstances of Sympathetic Resonance (briefly citing four verifications)
48.62
Śramaṇa Shi Zhidun of the Jin;
Śramaṇa Shi Wangming of the Zhou;
Śramaṇa Shi Dao'an of the Zhou;
Śramaṇa Shi Sengfan of the Qi.
48.63
In the Jin dynasty, at Mount Wozhou in Shan, there was Zhidun, style Daolin. His original surname was Guan, and he was a native of Chenliu; some say he was a native of Linlü in Hedong. In youth he possessed divine comprehension, being sharp-witted and exceptionally clear. When Wang Xizhi of the Jin observed Dun's literary brilliance, he was amazed beyond measure, finding him without peer; thereupon he loosened his lapels and untied his sash, lingering with him without pause. He then invited him to reside at Lingjia Temple, wishing to be near him. Dun also took refuge at Mount Shan, establishing a temple on the minor peak of Wozhou to practice the Way. A monastic community of over a hundred people constantly followed and learned from him. As some were occasionally lax, Dun composed a motto inscribed to the right of his seat to admonish them, saying: 'Strive, strive! The ultimate Way does not brook dawdling. Why linger and stagnate, sinking and destroying what is marvelous and divine? Vast is the triple realm; remote and unending is the long exile. Troubles and toils converge from without; the benighted mind gallops within. Sacrificing oneself, pursuing thirst and longing, distant and far, forgetting fatigue. A person's single lifetime is as tiny as a hanging drop of dew. My body is not me—so all this endless bustle, for whom is it deployed? The attained person cherishes virtue, knowing that peace is inevitably accompanied by danger. In solitary stillness, soaring purely, cleansing defilements in the pool of dhyāna. Carefully observe the luminous prohibitions; gracefully speak of the profound rules. Calm the mind in the spiritual Way; raise one's aspiration to the unconditioned. Clear and bright, dispel the three obscurations; melt away the six defects. Empty the five aggregates; open wide the four limbs. The non-pointer is illustrated by pointers; distinct, yet do not depart from it. Once wondrous awakening is unfolded, make one's knowledge even more profound. Yielding and compliant, entrust oneself to balance, moving in step with things. Beyond this, neither think nor deliberate.'
48.64
During the Zhou dynasty, Dharma Master Wangming, a śramaṇa of the Wei riverbank, admonished himself, saying: 'Even with the power to turn back heaven and overturn the sun, in a single morning one withers like grass. Even with the solidity of the boulders of Mount Tai, in an instant they are reduced to ashes. One definitely knows that worldly marks are impermanent, and floating life is illusory. Like the morning dew, how long can it stay? When a great person lives, they should conquer Māra; when they die, they should feed tigers. If not so, what is the use of living in vain? It is better to cultivate dhyāna concentration, which is sufficient to nourish one's aspiration, and read and recite the scriptures, which is sufficient to amuse oneself. Wealth, honor, and reputation only toil a person in vain.' He thereupon discarded his hairpins and caps, shaved his beard and hair, wore patched robes and carried a pewter staff, listening to lectures and discussing the profound. Because the warring states were not yet pacified, he had no place to settle himself. Despising his physical frame worse than shackles, he wished to sever the root of suffering but did not know its ferry. A Mahāyāna scripture states: 'One who practices as spoken is called a sage, not merely through what the mouth speaks.' A Hīnayāna gāthā says:
48.65
"One who can practice speaks what is right; / If one does not practice, what is there to speak? / If one speaks but cannot practice, / One is not called a wise person."
48.66
Therefore, Yan Hui loved learning and diligently corrected previous faults; Jilu had not yet cultivated and feared hearing later words. When exertion of merit and disturbances of knowledge exhaust the spirit and harm life, then in practicing the Way one decreases daily—what need is there for much knowledge? Vowing to make his body like dried wood and his thoughts like dead ashes, he subdued these troubles and burdens to seek the void and tranquility. He then composed the 'Admonition on Cutting Off Learning', also named 'Praise on Restful Mind', modeled after the Zhou temple bronze figure. Its inscription stated:
48.67
'Within the Dharma realm, there is a wish-fulfilling jewel man. Nine times sealed was his mouth, and inscribed upon his chest it read: "A man of antiquity who restrained the mind. Beware, beware! Do not brood much, do not know much. Knowing much leads to many affairs; it is better to rest the mind. Brooding much leads to many failures; it is better to preserve oneness. When brooding is excessive, the will is scattered; when knowledge is excessive, the mind is disordered. When the mind is disordered, afflictions arise; when the will is scattered, the Way is obstructed. Do not say, 'What harm is there?' Its suffering will be long and enduring. Do not say, 'What is there to fear?' Its disaster will boil like a cauldron. If drops of water do not cease, the four seas will become full; if fine dust is not swept away, the five peaks will be formed. Guard against the end by attending to the root; though small, do not take it lightly. Close your seven apertures, shut your six emotions. Do not peer at sights; do not listen to sounds. Those who listen to sounds become deaf; those who look at sights become blind. A single piece of writing or a single art is like a small midge in the air; a single craft or a single ability is like a solitary lamp beneath the sun. Talents and arts of the brilliant and worthy are folly and defect. Abandoning simplicity and getting addicted to luxuriant beauty, the horse of consciousness easily bolts, and the monkey of the mind is difficult to restrain. Once the spirit is toiled, the body will surely deteriorate and die. Deviant paths will ultimately lead astray; the long journey will forever be bogged in mud. Talents and abilities of the brilliant and worthy are called confusion and ignorance. When the dirty and clumsy envy cleverness, their virtue is not vast. When fame is thick and conduct is thin, their high position quickly collapses. Smearing books and dirtying scrolls, their use is not lasting. Inwardly harboring pride and self-praise, outwardly they incur resentment and hatred. Whether spoken with the mouth or written with the hand, to fish for people's good praise is exceedingly ugly. What the ordinary call auspicious, the sages consider a fault. Pleasure and joy are fleeting; sorrow and grief are enduring. Fearing shadows and fearing footprints, the more severely one runs, the more one suffers; sit upright in the shade of a tree, and footprints disappear and shadows sink away. Despising life and suffering old age, as thoughts arise, karmic actions are created; if mental conceptions are extinguished, birth and death are forever severed. Neither dying nor being born, without marks and without name, the one Way is empty and tranquil, all things are equalized. What is superior, what is inferior? What is heavy, what is light? What is noble, what is base? What is disgrace, what is glory? Let the clear sky be ashamed before purity, and the bright sun blush before brilliance. Steady as Mount Tai, solid as a metal rampart. Respectfully bequeathed to worthies and sages: this Way is beneficial and steadfast."'
48.68
During the Zhou dynasty, Shi Dao'an of the Great Zhongxing Temple in the capital had the surname Yao and was a native of the old city of Fengyi. Awakening to the profound truth, he entered the Dharma gate early. His spiritual demeanor was lofty and clear, holding himself with pure detachment. He thereupon composed 'Nine Chapters of Bequeathed Admonitions' to instruct his disciples. The words said:
48.69
I respectfully address all my disciples. Leaving household life to practice the Way is supremely grave and supremely difficult. One must not take oneself lightly; one must not make it easy on oneself. As for what is called 'grave': it is to shoulder the Way and wear virtue, to encompass benevolence and bear righteousness, to uphold the pure precepts until death, and how much longer? As for what is called 'difficult': it is to sever worldly ties and leave mundane life, to cut off affection for kin forever, to alter one's passions and change one's nature, being unlike the multitude; to practice what others cannot practice, to forsake what others cannot forsake, to endure hardship and suffer humiliation, discarding one's body and life. The one for whom this is called difficult is termed a 'person of the Way' (daoren). A person of the Way is one of benevolence: their deeds can certainly be walked; their words can certainly be taken as models; donning the robes of the renunciant, their every movement becomes a norm. They are not greedy, do not dispute, do not slander, and do not conceal. Their learning is lofty and far-reaching, their aspiration set on the mystery and silence. This is to have a name that joins the ranks of the Three Jewels, transcending worthies and entering sagehood, cleansing the spirit and soul. Thus sovereign lords do not expect recompense from them, and parents do not expect labor from them. Under all heaven there is no one who does not take refuge in them, abandoning wives and reducing their own sustenance to make offerings of food and clothing, bending their bodies and bowing down without complaining of the toil. If one should harbor resentment [over their devotion], it is because their aspiration and conduct are pure and clear, penetrating to the divine spirits, serene, detached, empty and luminous, rare and precious. Yet from recent times of turmoil, the principles of the Way have steadily deteriorated. Beginners have not grasped the norms: turning away from error to cling to correctness, they expect its reality; taking small cunning as wisdom, they consider slight reverence sufficient; gorging themselves all day long, they put their minds to nothing. Reflecting back on oneself, this is truly lamentable. Considering those who have left household life today: some have had years and seasons, yet their scriptural practice is not mastered and the texts are unresolved. In vain they squander an entire lifetime, achieving no renown. Such matters must not be thought of lightly. The limit of impermanence comes either in the morning or in the evening. The sufferings of the three destinies spare neither the strong nor the weak. The bond between master and disciple is profound, and for this reason I express this to you. Let the stream of sentient beings take this as a perpetual admonition.
(The first says:) You have already left household life, forever departing from those who gave you birth. You have shaved your hair and altered your appearance, cloaking your form in the robes of the Dharma. On the day you took leave of your kin, tears fell from high and low. Severing affection and honoring the Way, your intention was to soar above the Grand Purity. You ought to abide by this intention, cultivating brightness in the scriptures and the Way. Why then have you become thoughtless, still dwelling in forms and sounds? Drifting idle throughout the day, your scriptural study remains unaccomplished; your virtuous conduct diminishes daily, and impure traces steadily accumulate. Masters and companions feel shame, and the common folk hold you in contempt. Leaving household life in this manner merely brings disgrace upon your own name. I instruct and encourage you now: you ought to be devoted and refined.
(The second says:) You have already left household life, abandoning the secular and parting from the sovereign. You ought to admonish and encourage yourself, setting your will upon the clear clouds. Pay no heed to wealth and beauty, and do not herd with the world. Value not gold and jade; cherish only the Way. Restrain yourself and hold to moral integrity, sweetening hardships and delighting in poverty. Advance virtue to deliver yourself, and likewise be able to deliver others. Why have you altered your conduct, scurrying through the mundane dust? Not sitting long enough to warm the mat, galloping about on errands east and west, worse than conscript labor driven by county officials. Scriptural understanding is blocked, and precept-virtue is incomplete. Friends mock and tease, and fellow students cast you aside. Leaving household life in this manner merely squanders your natural lifespan. I instruct and encourage you now: you ought each to take pity on yourselves.
(The third says:) You have already left household life, forever bidding farewell to your clan and kin. Without favorites or strangers, pure and free from desire; rejoicing not in good fortune, weeping not in calamity; detached and composed, broad-minded and departing from the mundane. Set your mind on the profound and subtle, taking the truth as your standard and guarding simplicity; obtaining deliverance to broadly cross over others, so all receive the increase of merit. Why then have you become thoughtless, still clinging to defiled contacts? Sizing up lengths in emptiness and stillness, disputing over ounces and pints, competing with the world for profit—how are you any different from servants and slaves? The scriptures and the Way are unclear, and virtuous conduct is deficient. Leaving household life in this manner merely invites your own ruin and disgrace. I instruct and admonish you now: you ought to wash and cleanse yourselves.
(The fourth says:) You have already left household life and are titled a 'person of the Way'. Parents do not receive your homage, and emperors and kings do not make you their subject. All under heaven revere you alike, serving you like a spirit; bowing their heads and paying reverence, regardless of rich or poor. They esteem your pure cultivation, which benefits yourself and benefits others. Such reduction and sacrifice is weighty: a single grain of rice weighs seven catties. Why are you indolent, unable to repay such kindness? Indulging in wandering and leisure, your body and mind are fruitlessly vexed. Lacking precepts while eating offerings, at death you will enter Mount Tai; eating burning iron as food, molten copper will be poured down your throat. Suffering such as this is set forth in the Dharmapada. I instruct and restrict you now: you ought to reform and renew yourselves.
(The fifth says:) You have already left household life and are titled 'one who stills the mind'. Touching no defilements or mixtures, you admire only the Way. Aspiration partakes of purity, like jade and like ice. You ought to cultivate scriptures and precepts to rescue spirit and soul, so that sentient beings receive protection and kin are delivered as well. Why are you thoughtless, drifting and sinking with the mundane? Giving rein to your four great elements, indulging your five sense faculties. Virtue and the Way steadily grow shallow, while worldly affairs grow deeper still. Leaving household life in this manner makes you one with the dust of the world. I admonish and restrict you now: may you awaken your spirits.
(The sixth says:) You have already left household life, relinquishing the worldly body and form. You should strive to exhaust your passions, matching with nirvāṇa. Why are you unsettled, taking no joy in tranquil retirement? The scriptures and the Way dwindle, while worldly affairs abound. Not treading the pure and luminous, you plunge instead into mud and mire. A life like a shadow passing through a chink may last but an instant. The torments of hell can hardly be recorded in full. I admonish and encourage you now: you ought to venerate the canonical models.
(The seventh says:) You have already left household life; you must not indulge yourselves. Though your form may be coarse and ugly, your deeds and conduct must be worthy of contemplation. Though your clothes may be coarse, let your sitting and rising be dignified. Though your food may be sparse, let the words you speak be worthy of ingestion. In summer endure the heat, in winter be able to bear the cold. Be able to guard your integrity, drinking not from the Stolen Spring. In assemblies of the unworthy, let your feet not advance. Remaining long in a private room, act as if facing the Supreme Sovereign. Though your learning may not be extensive, you can equal the superior worthies. Leaving household life in this manner is sufficient to repay both parents, and your clan, teachers, and acquaintances will all receive grace. I admonish you now: you ought each to cultivate earnestness.
(The eighth says:) You have already left household life; natures have the dull and the bright. In learning it matters not whether much or little; the essential lies in devotion and refinement. Superior persons sit in meditation; middling persons recite scriptures; lower persons tend shrines and manage stupas and temples. How can you kill the days, achieving not a single thing? To establish oneself without renown can be called a wasted life. I instruct you now: you ought to rectify your intentions.
(The ninth says:) You have already left household life, forever departing from both parents. The principles of the Way reform your nature; secular clothes leave your body. On the day you took leave of your kin, now sorrowful, now joyous; distant and detached from the mundane, transcending the dust and dirt. You ought to cultivate scriptures and the Way, restraining yourself and walking in truth. Why are you thoughtless, becoming tainted again with worldly causes? The scriptures and the Way are already slighted, and your practice lacks even a hair's breadth. Your words are not worthy of value, your virtue not worthy of cherish. Masters and companions bear your burdens, and their anger and resentment wax daily. Leaving household life in this manner harms the Dharma and disgraces the body. Ponder this! Reflect on this! Guide your conduct well.
First 69 of 72 passages. Read on
Linked texts (1)
- 法苑珠林 — 道世, Classical Chinese