法苑珠林 48.7

48.7

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.