法苑珠林 55
English (machine translation) 55
- Language
- English
55.1
Compiled by the śramaṇa Shi Daoshi of Ximing Temple
55.2
Section 62: Refuting the Heterodox (This has two parts)
55.3
Part 1: Setting Forth the Intent
55.4
It is heard that when the three vehicles opened their tracks, the children escaped the disaster of the burning house; when the eightfold noble path initiated its origin, the multitude of living beings awakened to the fruit of non-action. Therefore, the clouds of compassion rain moisture down without discriminating between wormwood and orchids; the sun of wisdom pours forth brilliance, how could it distinguish between riverbanks and valleys? Furthermore, establishing the teachings and handing down models exhausted the wondrous and probed the subtle; generating ultimate feelings of compassion, it is hard to measure and fathom. Though there are the Confucian arts of Zhou and Kong, and the mysterious ethos of Zhuang and Lao, if one seeks to compare them with this, they are entirely beyond comparison. As for the worthy gentlemen of imperial eras and the enlightened rulers of past and present, all together have revered it, without diverging in veneration. It aims to make jade and gravel differ in price, and the Jing and Wei rivers divide their flows; to subdue the six teachers and rectify the eight heterodoxies; to reverse the four inversions and return to the single flavour; to break the spontaneous nature posited by mundane defilements, and raise up the correct path of cause and effect; to break the empty horns of heterodox wisdom, and shut the false speech of deviant views; so that the precious heart seeking the pearl may open, and the false consciousness regarding the elephant may be rectified. Unless one's virtue equals the true limit and one's substance unites with the unborn, how could one tally with this mysterious gate and tread this single reality?
55.5
Part 2: Citing Testimonies
55.6
As the Ekottarika-āgama says: At that time, there was an elder named Anāthapiṇḍada, whose household was exceedingly wealthy beyond reckoning. At that time, in the city of Pūrṇa, there was an elder named Mancai, who was also exceedingly rich in wealth. He was also an old friend of Biṇḍi from their youth, and they respected and loved each other. Elder Biṇḍi regularly had tens of millions in precious goods sold in the city of Pūrṇa, employing elder Mancai to manage it. Elder Mancai likewise had tens of millions in treasures sold in the city of Śrāvastī, employing Biṇḍi to manage it. At this time, Biṇḍi had a daughter named Sumagadhā, whose countenance was upright and fair as the color of a peach blossom, rare in the world. At that time, Mancai saw the daughter Sumagadhā was upright and fair. Having seen her, he asked Biṇḍi, saying: 'Whose daughter is this?' Biṇḍi replied, saying: 'She is my offspring.' Mancai said: 'I have a young son who has not yet taken a mate. Could she marry into my poor home?' Then Biṇḍi replied, saying: 'It would not be fitting.' Mancai asked, saying: 'For what reason?' Biṇḍi replied, saying: 'Our clans and wealth are sufficient to match each other. But the shrines and deities we serve are not the same as mine. This girl serves the Buddha; you serve heterodox paths. For this reason, I cannot comply with your intention.' Mancai replied, saying: 'The deities we serve will naturally be worshiped separately; the one this girl serves will be given separate offerings.' Biṇḍi replied, saying: 'If my daughter were to marry into your house, both sides would provide treasures beyond reckoning.' Mancai asked, saying: 'How much treasure do you demand now?' Biṇḍi replied, saying: 'I now require sixty thousand ounces of gold.' At that time, the elder immediately gave sixty thousand ounces of gold. Biṇḍi used expedients to decline and turn it away, but still could not make him desist. He spoke to that elder, saying: 'If I marry my daughter off, I must go and ask the Buddha. If there are instructions, I shall follow them.' At that time, Anāthapiṇḍada immediately went to where the World-Honoured One was and addressed the World-Honoured One, saying: 'My daughter Sumagadhā has been sought by elder Mancai of the city of Pūrṇa. May I give her or not?' The World-Honoured One told him, saying: 'If your daughter Sumagadhā goes to that country, it will be of great benefit, delivering people beyond measure.' Having heard this, he bowed and withdrew, returning to his home. Together they prepared food and drink and gave it to elder Mancai. Mancai asked, saying: 'I do not need food; will you just give your daughter in marriage to me or not?' Biṇḍi replied, saying: 'If you wish it to be so, then after fifteen days you may have your son come here.' Having spoken these words, [Mancai] then withdrew and departed. At that time, elder Mancai prepared all that was necessary, rode in a carriage of precious feathers, and came from within eighty yojanas. Biṇḍi also adorned his daughter, rode in a carriage of precious feathers, and led his daughter to go meet him, encountering them midway. Mancai received the daughter and then led her along. The people of the city of Pūrṇa each had made a regulation: 'If a daughter from this city goes out to marry into another country, she shall be heavily punished. If one takes a wife from another country and brings her into the country, he shall also be heavily punished.' At that time, there were six thousand brāhmaṇas in that country whom the countrymen venerated. The regulation stated that one who violated it must feed the six thousand brāhmaṇas. The elder, knowing he had violated the regulation, immediately fed the six thousand brāhmaṇas. What the brāhmaṇas ate was purely pork and heavily brewed wine. Furthermore, the clothes worn by the brāhmaṇas: some wore white cotton, some wore woollen clothes; wearing the clothes draped over the right shoulder, half their bodies were exposed. Then they announced that the time had arrived and entered the elder's house. When the elder saw them coming, he went forward on his knees to welcome them and respectfully made prostrations. The eldest brāhmaṇa raised his hand and praised him as good, embraced the elder's neck, and proceeded to the seating area; each took their seats in order. Then the elder spoke to the daughter Sumagadhā, saying: 'Adorn yourself and pay homage to my masters.' The daughter Sumagadhā replied, saying: 'Stop, stop, master! I cannot bear to pay homage to naked people.' The elder replied, saying: 'These are not naked; rather, the clothes they wear are their Dharma robes.' The daughter Sumagadhā replied, saying: 'These shameless people all expose their forms together; what use are they as Dharma robes? As the World-Honoured One said, what worldly people value is having shame and having conscience. If they lack these two, then the noble and lowly are no different, no different from pigs and dogs. I truly cannot bear to make prostrations to them.' Then Sumagadhā's husband spoke to his wife, saying: 'You may now arise and make prostrations to my masters. These people are all the gods I serve.' The wife replied, saying: 'Cease for now! I will not bow to these shameless naked people, making me pay homage to donkeys and dogs.' The husband said: 'Do not speak such words. Guard your mouth and do not transgress! These are neither donkeys nor dogs; rather, the clothes they wear are precisely Dharma robes.' At this time, the daughter Sumagadhā wept tears in sorrow, her countenance changing, and she spoke, saying: 'I would rather sever my life-faculty than ever fall into these deviant views!' At that time, the six thousand brāhmaṇas all raised their voices together: 'Why do you let this maidservant curse us like this?' These brāhmaṇas, having eaten a little, then departed. At that time, elder Mancai on the high tower was distressed, sorrowful, and aggrieved: 'Now that I have brought this one here, it has broken my household and disgraced my family gate.' At that time, there was a brāhmaṇa named Xiuba who had attained the five supernormal knowledges. He went to the elder's house, went up to the high tower, and met with the elder. The brāhmaṇa asked the elder, saying: 'Why are you worried and sorrowful?' The elder replied, saying: 'Yesterday, on account of taking a wife for my son...' and fully told of the previous circumstances. The brāhmaṇa replied, saying: 'The masters served by this girl are all persons of brahma-conduct. Living today, they are exceedingly wonderful and extraordinary.' The elder asked, saying: 'You are an adherent of heterodox, external teachings; why do you praise the śramaṇas, the sons of Śākya? What divine virtue do they have? What divine transformations do they have?' The brāhmaṇa replied, saying: 'If you wish to hear of their divine virtues, I will now briefly state the source. The youngest disciple of the master this girl serves is named the śrāmaṇera Cunda. Flying to the Anavatapta lake to wash his soiled robes, the great deity Anavatapta, devas, nāgas, ghosts, and spirits all arose, came forward to welcome him, and respectfully inquired after him: "Welcome, teacher of men! You may take this seat." Sitting back, he ate. Having finished eating, he rinsed his bowl upon a golden tray, sat cross-legged with an upright body, and sequentially entered the nine sequential meditative attainments. At that time, the devas, nāgas, ghosts, and spirits trampled and washed his robes, lifting them into the sky to dry them in the sun. At that time, that śrāmaṇera gathered his robes and then flew through the air, returning to his place. Elder, you should know: if the youngest disciple has such supernormal powers, how much more so the eldest? How much more so the Tathāgata, the supremely true and fully enlightened one, could he ever be equalled?' At this time, the elder spoke to the brāhmaṇa, saying: 'Can we manage to see the master this girl serves?' The brāhmaṇa replied, saying: 'You can return and ask this girl.' At this time, the elder asked the daughter Sumagadhā, saying: 'I now wish to see the master you serve. Can you make him come?' Hearing this, the girl was overjoyed beyond measure: 'Please prepare food and drink in time; tomorrow the Tathāgata will come here, along with the saṃgha of bhikṣus.' The elder replied, saying: 'You must invite him yourself; I do not understand the Dharma.' At this time, the elder's daughter bathed her body, held incense and fire in her hands, went up to the high tower, joined her palms toward the Tathāgata, and praised him, saying:
55.7
"Transformations beyond reckoning, / All establish [beings] in the correct path. / I now encounter distress again; / I only pray that the Honoured One deign to manifest your spirit." / At that time, incense [smoke] like clouds / Hung suspended in the empty sky, / Filling the Jetavana residence, / And abiding before the Tathāgata. / All the Śākyas in the empty sky / Rejoiced and made prostrations; / They also saw the incense before them, / Invited by Sumagadhā. / Raining down various flowers, / Impossible to measure, / Completely filling the Jetavana grove, / The Tathāgata smiled and emitted light.
55.8
At that time, the World-Honoured One addressed the bhikṣus endowed with supernatural powers—Mahāmaudgalyāyana, Mahākāśyapa, Aniruddha, and down to the śrāmaṇera Cunda: “Go forth first to that city using your supernatural powers.” The bhikṣus replied, “Yes, World-Honoured One.” At that time, a servant of the saṃgha named Kaṇṭhaka, carrying a large cauldron on his back the next morning, flew through the air and went to that city, circumambulated it three times, and proceeded to the elder's house. At that time, the śrāmaṇera Cunda transformed himself into five hundred flowering trees of various colours, all in luxuriant bloom. At that time, Panthaka transformed himself into five hundred oxen, all with blue hair, and rode seated upon an ox to that city. At that time, Rāhula transformed himself into five hundred peacocks of various colours, and rode seated upon one to that city. At that time, Kapphiṇa transformed himself into five hundred garuḍas, exceedingly ferocious, and rode seated upon one to that city. At that time, Uruvilvā-Kāśyapa transformed himself into five hundred nāgas, all with seven heads, and rode seated upon one to that city. At that time, Subhūti transformed himself into a mountain of vaiḍūrya, sat cross-legged within it, and went to that city. At that time, Mahākātyāyana transformed himself into five hundred cranes, all purely white, and went to that city. At that time, Revata transformed himself into five hundred tigers, and rode seated upon one to that city. At that time, Aniruddha transformed himself into five hundred lions, exceedingly ferocious, and rode seated upon one to that city. At that time, Mahākāśyapa transformed himself into five hundred horses, all with vermilion tails and adorned with gold and silver, and rode seated upon one to that city. At that time, Maudgalyāyana transformed himself into five hundred white elephants, all with six tusks and seven well-proportioned limbs, adorned with gold and silver, and rode seated upon one to that city. Manifesting such divine transformations, they all circumambulated the city three times and proceeded to the elder's house. At that time, the World-Honoured One, knowing that the time had arrived, was seven fathoms above the ground in the open air, with Ājñāta-Kauṇḍinya on the right, Śāriputra on the left, and Ānanda behind holding a fly-whisk. Surrounded before and behind by one thousand two hundred disciples, the Tathāgata was in their midst. The other devas, Śakra, and the various kings all manifested supernatural transformations and were all in the open air, performing tens of millions of kinds of music and singing, and raining down various heavenly flowers scattered over the Tathāgata. The people within the city of Śrāvastī all saw the Tathāgata in the air, seven fathoms above the ground, and were filled with joy beyond measure. At that time, the elder Pūrṇadhana gazed from afar upon the Tathāgata's marks and signs, like a mass of gold radiating great light. He questioned the maiden Sumagadhā in verse, and the maiden Sumagadhā replied to him in verse. The devas, humans, and brahmacārins all took refuge. At that time, seeing such supernatural transformations, six thousand brahmacārins said to one another, “Let us leave this country and go to another land,” like birds and beasts fleeing in all directions to where they might go. Hearing the Tathāgata's voice, these brahmacārins ran about, unable to calm themselves, unsettled by the Tathāgata's great power. At that time, the World-Honoured One withdrew his supernatural powers and entered the city, stepping on the threshold of the gate. At that moment, heaven and earth shook violently, and the deities scattered flowers. He went to the elder's house and took his seat. The World-Honoured One gradually expounded to the elder and eighty-four thousand people the discourse on morality, giving, and rebirth in heaven, rebuking desire as impure and praising renunciation as essential. There on their seats, their defilements exhausted, they obtained the purity of the Dharma-eye, took refuge in the Three Jewels, and received the five precepts. This maiden Sumagadhā and the eighty-four thousand people all, long ago under Kāśyapa Buddha, offered the four kinds of provisions: first, giving; second, affection and reverence; third, benefiting others; and fourth, equal benefit. [Praying,] “May we never fall into a poor household, and in a future age may we also encounter such an Honoured One, never change into a female body, and obtain the purity of the Dharma-eye.” At that time, the people of the city, hearing the daughter of King Aimīn make this vow, all rejoiced in this vow. King Aimīn at that time was none other than the present elder Sudatta; the king's daughter at that time was none other than the present maiden Sumagadhā; and the people of that kingdom were none other than the present eighty-four thousand people. Because of those vows, they now encountered my person, heard the Dharma, and attained the Way.
55.9
Furthermore, the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra states: There was a brahmacārin named Dīrghanakha (another sūtra gives his Sanskrit name as Laodouyou), who was a great debater in Jambudvīpa. He claimed that all doctrines could be refuted, all words could be dismantled, and all attachments could be overturned; there was no real phenomenon that could be believed or revered. He was the maternal uncle of Śāriputra, Mahākoṣṭhila. Having lost a debate to his elder sister, Śāri, Koṣṭhila reflected: “This is not my sister's own ability. She must be carrying a wise man, borrowing words through the mother's mouth. If it is already like this before he is born, what will it be like when he is born and grown up?” Having reflected thus, arrogance arose in his mind. In order to broaden his dialectical skills, he renounced home to become a brahmacārin. Entering South India, he began studying the scriptures. People asked him, “What is your goal?” Dīrghanakha replied, “I wish to read all of the eighteen great treatises.” The people told him, “Even if you exhaust your entire lifespan, you will not be able to know even one, let alone exhaust them all.” Dīrghanakha thought to himself, “Formerly I was arrogant and was bested by my sister; now these people slight and humiliate me again.” For these two reasons, he made a vow: “I will not cut my fingernails until I have read all of the eighteen kinds of treatises.” Seeing his long nails, people accordingly called him the Dīrghanakha Brahmacārin (Long-nailed Brahmacārin). With various scriptures, this man criticized and dissected right and wrong, breaking down the arguments of others, like a crazed elephant of great strength charging and trampling, whom no one could restrain. Having subdued all the debaters in this way, the Dīrghanakha Brahmacārin returned to the village of Nārada in Rājagṛha of Magadha, arriving at his birthplace. He asked the people, “Where is my sister's son now?” Someone told him, “Your sister's son had read all scriptures when he was only eight years old, and by age sixteen his debates surpassed all men. There is a renunciant of the Śākya clan, surnamed Gautama, and he has become his disciple.” Hearing this, Dīrghanakha immediately gave rise to arrogance, lacked faith, and said, “My sister's son is as brilliant as this; with what trick did he lure and deceive him into shaving his head to become a disciple?” Having spoken thus, he went straight to the Buddha's place.
55.10
At that time, Śāriputra had been ordained for half a month, standing in attendance beside the Buddha and fanning him with a fan. Dīrghanakha saw the Buddha, exchanged greetings, sat to one side, and thought: “All doctrines can be refuted, all words can be dismantled, and all attachments can be overturned. Among them, what is the real mark of all phenomena? What is the ultimate truth? Like trying to fathom the bottom of a great ocean, having sought it for so long, I have not found a single phenomenon. With what doctrine did he win over my sister's son?” Having thought thus, he said to the Buddha, “Gautama, I do not accept any dharmas.”
55.11
The Buddha asked Dīrghanakha: “You do not accept any dharmas; do you accept this view or not?” What the Buddha questioned, he had already comprehended. The poison of false views blazed within him, causing him to emit this toxic gas, saying, “I do not accept any dharmas.” “Do you accept this view or not?” At that moment, Dīrghanakha was like a fine horse that, seeing the shadow of the whip, senses danger and immediately takes to the right road. The brahmacārin Dīrghanakha, having received the Buddha's words, the shadow of the whip entered his mind; he at once abandoned his conceit, bowed his head in shame, and reflected: “The Buddha has placed me between two doors of defeat. If I say I accept this view, this door of defeat is coarse, so it is known to all. How could I say myself that I do not accept any dharmas, yet now accept this view? This is an overt falsehood, a coarse door of defeat known to many people. The second door of defeat is subtle; I would prefer to take it because few people know it.” Having thought thus, he replied to the Buddha, “Gautama, I do not accept any dharmas, nor do I accept this view.” The Buddha said to the brahmacārin: “If you do not accept any dharmas, and you do not accept this view either, then there is nothing to refute; you are no different from the multitude. What need is there to elevate yourself and give rise to arrogance like this?” Dīrghanakha was unable to answer the Buddha. Knowing that he had fallen into defeat, he immediately gave rise to reverence and faith in the Buddha's wisdom. He thought to himself: “I fell into defeat, yet the World-Honoured One did not expose it; he spoke neither of right nor wrong, nor did he hold it against me. The Buddha's mind is gentle and supremely pure; he has attained the extremely profound and most venerable; none surpasses the Buddha.” The Buddha expounded the Dharma for him and severed his false views. There on his seat, far removed from dust and defilement, he attained the purity of the Dharma-eye. At that time, when Śāriputra heard these words, he attained arhatship. This brahmacārin Dīrghanakha renounced home, became a śramaṇa, and attained arhatship.
55.12
Furthermore, the Fo shuo ruguang fo jing states: At that time, the Buddha, the World-Honoured One, had suffered a slight stroke and required cow's milk. At that time, in the country of Vaiśālī, there was a brahmacārin named Mayūri, who was a teacher to fifty thousand disciples, and was also revered by the king, ministers, and people. He was exceedingly wealthy, greedy, jealous, and did not believe in the Buddha-Dharma, having a fondness only for heterodox paths. Thereupon the Buddha told Ānanda: “Bearing the name of the Tathāgata, go to the house of the brahmacārin Mayūri and request cow's milk from him.” Ānanda received the instruction, donned his robes, took his bowl, and went to his gate. The brahmacārin Mayūri, accompanied by five hundred chief disciples, was just about to proceed to the palace to see the king. As he came out of his house, he encountered Ānanda, and thereupon asked, “Why have you come so early in the morning? What are you seeking?” Ānanda replied, “The Buddha, the World-Honoured One, is slightly unwell in body and has sent me to seek milk.” The brahmacārin remained silent and did not answer, thinking to himself: “If I do not give him cow's milk, they will say I am stingy. If I do give him milk, the other brahmacārins will say that I serve the Gautama's path. Moving forward or stepping back, each poses difficulties. Even so, I should direct him to a vicious cow and let him milk it himself, so that it gores him to death. This will humiliate their path, causing him to be cast aside, and I will once again be revered by the people. If he gets no milk, it will show that I was not stingy.” Having thus plotted, he said to Ānanda, “The cows were already released this morning into that ditch; go milk them yourself.” Mayūri ordered his son: “Lead Ānanda and show him where this cow is, but take care not to catch it for him.” When the five hundred disciples heard their teacher say this, they were all overjoyed.
55.13
At that time, Vimalakīrti was coming with the intention of going to the Buddha's place. Passing before the brahmacārin's gate on the road, he saw Ānanda and said, “Why are you holding your bowl and standing here in the early morning? What are you seeking?” Ānanda replied, “The Tathāgata's body has a slight wind disorder and requires cow's milk, which is why he sent me here.” Vimalakīrti immediately said to Ānanda: “Do not speak such words! The Tathāgata, the Fully Awakened One, has a body like a vajra; all evils have been eliminated and only all virtues remain. What illness could he possibly have? Go along in silence! Do not let outsiders slander the Tathāgata. Do not let devas, nāgas, or spirits hear these words. If bodhisattvas and arhats in the ten directions hear this statement—even a cakravartin holy king attains sovereign mastery, how much more so the Tathāgata! Ānanda, do not feel ashamed; quickly go seek the milk, and be careful not to say much.” When Ānanda heard this, he was filled with great shame and fear. Then a voice was heard in the air saying: “Ānanda, it is just as the elder says. It is only because the Tathāgata, in this world of the five degenerations, manifests the course of delivering all beings from the three poisons that he does so. Go now and fetch the milk; though Vimalakīrti spoke these words just now, do not feel ashamed.” Thereupon, hearing the voice in the air, the five hundred brahmacārins had no more doubts; all leaped for great joy, and all gave rise to the aspiration for unexcelled, correct, and true awakening.
55.14
At that time, Mayūrin's inner and outer kin, together with several thousand people from the village, all followed Ānanda to watch the cow. Ānanda stood beside the cow and thought to himself: "According to the precepts of the Master I now serve, I am not permitted to milk a cow with my own hands." No sooner had he finished speaking than Śakra, king of the gods of the second heaven, Trāyastriṃśa, came down from the heavens. He transformed himself into a young brahman wearing robes and stood beside the cow. Seeing him, Ānanda was delighted at heart and said to him: "Young brahman, please draw the milk." He immediately replied to Ānanda: "I am no brahman; I am Śakra, king of the gods. I heard that the Tathāgata desired cow's milk, and therefore I have come here." Ānanda said: "The king of the gods is of exalted status; how could you approach this foul, unclean cow?" Śakra replied: "Though I am exalted, how do I compare to the Tathāgata? Even that Honoured One never tires of establishing merit; how much less should an inferior god!" Ānanda said to Śakra: "Please draw the milk for me; pray do so at once." Śakra responded: "Very well." Immediately taking the vessel, he stepped forward to the cow. The cow then stood quietly and dared not move, so that all who had come to watch were amazed. Then Śakra spoke a verse:
55.15
"Now the Buddha shows a slight indisposition; / you must give me your milk.
Causing the Buddha to drink it and recover, / your merit will be boundless.
The Buddha is the Honoured One, teacher of gods and humans, / whose compassionate heart ever cares for all.
Every fluttering, wriggling creature— / he desires to deliver them all."
55.16
Then the mother cow spoke a verse for Śakra, king of the gods:
55.17
"This hand caresses me— / how delightfully pleasant it feels!
Take the milk from two of my teats, / and leave the remainder behind.
It should be kept for my calf, / who has had nothing to drink since morning.
Though I know great merit will come of this, / one's intentions must remain impartial."
55.18
Thereupon the calf spoke a verse for its mother:
55.19
"Throughout countless kalpas, / only today do I get to hear the Buddha's voice.
I say: take my share, / and offer it entirely to the Buddha.
The World-Honoured One is the teacher of all; / it is very hard to see him again.
Eating grass and drinking water, / I can satisfy myself for today.
Since the times I was born as a human, / I have drunk milk for so very long;
and while among the six domestic beasts, / likewise beyond counting.
The foolish people of the world / are also exceedingly numerous;
not knowing to give alms to the Buddha, / later remorse is of no avail.
In a former life / I was stingy and greedily aggressive;
moreover, following evil friends, / I did not believe the Buddha's sūtras and precepts.
This caused me to become an ox or a horse / for up to sixteen kalpas.
Only now do I know there is a Buddha, / like a sick person receiving medicine.
Take the milk I would drink, / and give it all to fill the bowl!
May this bring me wisdom, / and may I attain the Way just like the Buddha!"
55.20
Then Śakra, king of the gods, drew the milk and filled the bowl. Ānanda received the milk and was exceedingly joyful. Thereupon the brahmans who had come from the village, hearing what this cow and her calf said, were all astonished: "This cow was vicious and wicked, so that no one could approach her; why is she so gentle and docile today? Surely she has been moved by Ānanda. If a disciple of Gautama is like this, how much more so must be the Buddha's virtues, majesty, and supernatural transformations! Yet we did not believe his teachings." Then more than ten thousand brahman men and women rejoiced together; far from the dust and free from defilement, they attained the Dharma-eye. Ānanda carried the milk back to the Buddha and related the whole story. The Buddha said to Ānanda: "It is indeed as the cow and calf said. In a past life, this cow and calf were once a householder, immensely wealthy with vast riches, yet stingy and not giving, disbelieving the Buddha's precepts, and ignorant of saṃsāra. He always loved lending out wealth, and outsiders borrowed from him. When the appointed day came, he liked charging heavy interest without any fairness. Even when they had fully repaid the money, he would falsely contest it, claiming it was not yet paid. Solely for this reason he fell among beasts for sixteen kalpas. Why do they rejoice now upon hearing my name? Because their beastly retribution is also about to end. When this cow and calf's lives come to an end hereafter, they will be reborn seven times in Tuṣita Heaven and in the Brahmā heavens, and seven times in the human world. They will be born into wealthy households and will not go to the evil destinies. Wherever they are, they will always have recollection of past lives; they will make offerings to all Buddhas, burn incense, and uphold the scriptures. Through these causes and conditions, the mother cow will at last meet Maitreya Buddha, become a śramaṇa, and through diligent practice soon attain arhatship. The calf will likewise go through twenty kalpas of rebirths above and below, after which it will become a Buddha named Milk Radiance (Dugdhaprabha). The cow and her calf will both be delivered." In the assembly, five hundred sons of elders all generated the resolve for unsurpassed bodhi, and three thousand eight hundred brahmans immediately attained the fruit of stream-enterer (srotāpanna).
55.21
Furthermore, the Xinming jing (Sūtra on the Clearness of Mind) says: The Buddha was wandering near the Vulture Peak at Rājagṛha, accompanied by five hundred monks and the fourfold assembly, and went to a certain district to beg for food (piṇḍapāta). The devas, nāgas, and spirits followed above, waiting on him. Arriving outside the gate of a brahman's house, he stopped. The Buddha emitted a great light that illuminated the ten directions everywhere. At that time, the brahman's wife was tending the stove and cooking rice. Seeing the light illuminate her body, her body attained ease and comfort, and she was unboundedly delighted. Turning around, she saw the Buddha, handsome and upright, and her joy redoubled. Reflecting further within herself, she thought: "Now to see the Buddha and his disciples truly fulfills my past aspiration. I wish to offer food to the Fully Awakened One, but secretly observing my foolish husband, he has no faith in the Way and virtue, and his mind harbours heterodox doubts. If he sees me giving alms, he will surely harbour resentment. When one cannot act of one's own accord, what should be done?" Thereupon she filled a bowl with rice, took a ladle of broth, and offered it to the Buddha. By his supernatural power, the Buddha's bowl spontaneously filled with food of a hundred flavours. The Buddha then made a dedicatory offering (dakṣiṇā), uttering verses of praise from his mouth:
55.22
"Supposing with a hundred horses / adorned with saddles and bridles of gold and silver,
one gave them in charity to others— / that would not equal a ladle of rice broth.
Even if with carts of the seven jewels / loaded full of every rare treasure,
one gave a ladle of rice broth to the Buddha, / the merit thereof would surpass that.
If one gave a hundred white elephants / adorned with bright pearls and necklaces,
yet made an offering of a ladle of broth to the Buddha, / the merit thereof would far exceed it.
Even if like a wheel-turning sage king's / jade woman and queen, Puxian, / beautiful without peer, / her body adorned with necklaces of the seven jewels—
of such wondrous sorts, / there were a hundred of each,
and all were given to others, / that would not equal a ladle of broth."
55.23
Thereupon the brahman stood quietly listening, and hearing the Buddha's praise, he felt doubt in his heart. Stepping forward, he asked the Buddha: "What is a ladle of rice broth worth, that you praise it above various gifts of jewels, saying they cannot equal the gift of a ladle of broth? This rice broth is not worth a single coin, yet you extol it several billion times over. Who could believe this?" Then the World-Honoured One immediately displayed his broad and long tongue, covering his face with it and reaching up to the Brahmā heaven. He said to the brahman: "Throughout countless hundreds of thousands of koṭis of kalpas, I have constantly practiced perfect truthfulness, and only thus did I obtain this tongue. Could one ever acquire it through falsehood? I wish to ask you a question; answer me truthfully. Have you ever traveled back and forth between Śrāvastī and Rājagṛha, and on the way is there a tree called the nyagrodha, which can shade a crowd of people with five hundred chariots?" He answered: "Yes, indeed, there is; I have seen it." The World-Honoured One asked again: "How large are its seeds?" He answered: "They are the size of a mustard seed." The Buddha said to the brahman: "You are truly speaking with a double tongue! If it is truly as small as a mustard seed, how could the tree be so vast?" He replied: "It is truly so; I dare not deceive you." The Buddha again told him: "A seed as small as a mustard seed grows into a vast tree; the earth's production of plants is such that nothing can contain it, and what it covers is exceedingly broad. How much more so the Tathāgata, the Unsurpassed Fully Awakened One, a supreme field of limitless merit! With great compassion and vast sympathy, there is none he does not deliver; the fortune and merit of offering him food are beyond reckoning." The brahman fell silent, unable to offer any further retort. The Buddha said to Ānanda: "When this woman's life ends, she will shed her female form, become a man, and be born in heaven. Born down as a human, she will understand the profound and wondrous Dharma, and after thirteen kalpas she will become a Buddha named Tathāgata Xinming (Cittaprabhāsa)." The brahman submitted at heart, cast his five limbs to the ground, reproached himself within, and took refuge in the Buddha. He begged for mercy and acceptance, requesting to leave the household life. The Buddha immediately received him as a śramaṇa. The Buddha taught the Four Truths, and his outflows were extinguished and his mind liberated. Furthermore, the Nirvāṇa Sūtra says: At that time, ten heterodox ṛṣis wished to compete in spiritual power with the Buddha. King Ajātaśatru told the non-Buddhists: "You now wish to scratch Mount Sumeru with your fingernails, and gnaw vajra with your teeth! Worthy sirs, it is like a fool who sees the king of lions sleeping when hungry and wishes to wake him; like a man putting his finger into the mouth of a venomous snake; like wishing to touch with one's hand a fire covered with ashes. You are now just like this. Good men, it is like a wild fox roaring like a lion; like a mosquito racing against a garuḍa; like a hare crossing the ocean and wishing to plumb its depths. You are now just like this. In conceiving this intention now, you are like moths throwing themselves into a blaze. Follow my advice, and speak of this no more!"
55.24
Furthermore, the Dazhuangyan lun (Kalpanāmaṇḍitikā) says: At that time, Kauśika spoke a verse to the non-Buddhists:
55.25
"What non-Buddhists do / is empty, false, and untrue,
like children at play / gathering dirt to make city walls.
A drunken elephant tramples them, / shattering and destroying them without a trace.
The Buddha's refutation of non-Buddhist treatises / is just like that."
55.26
Furthermore, the Baiyu jing (Sūtra of a Hundred Parables) says: In the past, there was a fool who was boiling dark molasses. A wealthy man came to his house. Then this fool took the molasses syrup to boil for the wealthy man, and right over the fire fanned it with a fan, hoping to make it cool. A bystander said to him: "You do not put out the fire below, yet keep fanning it incessantly; how can it cool?" At that time, all the people ridiculed him. This is just like non-Buddhists who do not extinguish the blazing fire of defilements, but undertake a few austerities such as lying on thorns, washing chaff and drinking the liquid, fasting to starve themselves, or scorching their bodies with five fires, hoping to attain the cool and tranquil Way—in the end, this is impossible. It merely brings the wonder and mockery of the wise; they suffer pain in the present, and disaster flows into future kalpas.
55.27
Furthermore, the Baiyu jing says: In the past, there was a foolish man whose wife was beautiful and whom he loved dearly. The wife had no true loyalty; later, in between, she had illicit relations with another man. Driven by intense lust, she wished to run off with her lover and abandon her husband. Thereupon she secretly said to an old woman: "After I leave, you should take the corpse of a dead woman, place it inside the room, and tell my husband that I have died." Afterwards, the old woman watched for a time when her husband was away, placed a corpse in his house, and when her husband returned, the old woman said to him: "Your wife has died." The husband went to see it, believed it was his wife, and wept with grief and sorrow. He gathered abundant firewood and oil, cremated the body to collect the bones, placed them in a bag, and carried them in his bosom day and night. Later on, the wife grew weary of her lover, returned home, and said to her husband: "I am your wife." The husband replied: "My wife died long ago! Who are you to falsely claim to be my wife?" Even after she repeated it two or three times, he still did not believe her. Just like those non-Buddhists who, hearing the false teachings of others, generate confusion and attachment in their minds, consider them to be true, and can never change; though they hear the correct teaching, they do not believe, accept, or uphold it.
55.28
Furthermore, the Baiyu jing says: In the past, two merchants were traveling together to trade. One sold pure gold, and the second sold tūla cotton. When someone came to buy the pure gold, he burned it to test it. The second merchant then stole the gold that had been burned and wrapped it in the tūla cotton. Because the gold was hot, it burned the cotton completely away. Once the deed was exposed, both things were lost. Just like those non-Buddhists who steal the Buddha's Dharma, insert it into their own teachings, and falsely claim it as their own rather than the Buddha's Dharma: on account of this, their heterodox texts are burned and destroyed, and do not circulate in the world. Just as that matter of stealing gold was exposed to sight, it is likewise so.
55.29
The Sūtra of One Hundred Parables also says: In a past age, there was a mountain Qiang who stole items from the royal treasury and fled far away. At that time, the king sent men out in all four directions to search for and capture him, and he was brought before the king. The king immediately interrogated him about where he had obtained the clothes. The mountain Qiang replied, 'These clothes belonged to my grandfather.' The king ordered him to put the clothes on. Since they were not truly the mountain Qiang's original possessions, he did not know how to wear them: what belonged on the hands he wore on his feet, and what belonged at the waist he put on his head. Seeing the thief, the king gathered his ministers to deliberate on this matter together, and said to him: 'If these were clothes possessed by your grandfather down to yourself, you should know how to wear them. Why are you topsy-turvy, using what is above for below, and what is below for above? Because you do not understand, I know for certain that your clothes were stolen and are not your old possessions.' This is borrowed as a parable: The king is like the Buddha; the treasure house is like the Dharma; the foolish Qiang is like the non-Buddhists who steal the Buddha's words and put them into their own teachings, taking them to be their own. Yet because they do not understand, they arrange the Buddha's teachings in a muddle, confusing top and bottom without knowing the characteristics of dharmas. It is just like that mountain Qiang who obtained the king's precious robes, did not know the proper order, and wore them topsy-turvy.
55.30
The Sūtra of One Hundred Parables also says: Formerly, there was a man whose appearance was upright and handsome, who was fully endowed with wisdom, and who had abundant wealth; everyone in the world praised him. At that time, there was a foolish person who, seeing him like this, said, 'He is my elder brother.' Later, seeing that he was demanded to repay debts, he said, 'He is not my brother.' A bystander said to him, 'You are a foolish person! Why did you acknowledge someone else as your brother when you wanted wealth, and then when he was dunned for debts, say he is not your brother?' The fool replied, 'Because I wished to obtain his wealth, I recognized him as my brother. He is not truly my brother.' Hearing these words, everyone laughed at him. It is just like those non-Buddhists who hear the Buddha's good words, greedily steal them, and use them as their own. Even when bystanders urge them to cultivate the practice, they refuse to cultivate it, and make this statement: 'For the sake of gain and support, we stole what the Buddha taught to convert and guide sentient beings, but there is no reality to it. Why should we cultivate it?' This is just like that fool who, in order to get wealth, said, 'He is my brother,' and when debts were demanded, said again, 'He is not my brother.' This is also like that.
55.31
The verse says:
55.32
Orthodoxy and heterodoxy differ as light and dark; / Good and evil are distinguished by mutual contest.
Great Compassion subdued the brahmacārins; / Mounting the void, each manifested their sincerity.
Six thousand together abandoned their attachments; / The seven assemblies each attained auspicous omens.
Heterodox followers vainly resisted his resolve, / Plates strapped to their bellies, fruitlessly seeking fame.
Śāriputra possessed abundant skill and wisdom; / Transcending transformations, he illuminated the courtyard of aptitudes.
With the four unhindered eloquence nothing was impossible; / With the six superknowledges he roused his heroic spirit.
Availing himself of expedient means, he crushed divergent views; / Subduing heterodoxy, both the unseen and manifest [realms conformed].
Knowing that the firefly's light is inferior, / In vain do they vie with the brilliance of the sun.
55.33
Circumstances of Sympathetic Resonance (Briefly citing six verifications)
55.34
1. Discerning the True and False among Sages
2. The Mutual Overturning of the Heterodox and the Orthodox
3. Falsely Transmitting Heterodox Teachings
4. Demonic Delusions Confusing the Multitudes
5. The Daoist Teaching Venerating the Buddha
6. Renouncing Heterodoxy and Returning to Orthodoxy
55.35
1. Discerning the True and False among Sages
55.36
Indeed, when heterodoxy and orthodoxy encroach upon each other, disasters and blessings become entangled. Unless one is an ultimate sage, how could one enlighten and guide [beings]? Therefore, the ninety-five kinds [of heterodoxies] revere the Heavenly Venerable of the upper realm; the twenty-five principles posit the dark root of sentient beings. All set forth what they call true Dharma, and all claim great deliverance. Furthermore, in the state of Lu, Master Kong [Confucius] guided the nine provinces with rites and music; in the state of Chu, Li Dan [Laozi] opened up the void and profound across the Five Marchmounts. Each served as ministers and officials in governing affairs, and both branched off within their bounded domains. Their disputations and governance were contradictory, and the path of principle sank away, causing the net of delusion to cover minds, so that none knew where to turn. They are not like the Sovereignly Awakened One, who is impartial, whose path delivers all realms of existence, to whom both the unseen and visible realms turn their hearts, and before whom ordinary beings and sages bow their heads. Just as heaven has no two suns and a country has no two rulers, throughout heaven above and heaven below, he alone is proclaimed universally honoured; the three thousand great thousand [worlds] all proclaim him the Fully Awakened One. He is the foremost guide of the four modes of birth, and the ferryman across the six destinies.
55.37
Thus, historical records state: The Grand Chancellor Pi asked Confucius, 'Is the Master a sage?' He replied, 'I am broadly learned and have a strong memory; I am no sage.' He asked again, 'Were the Three Kings sages?' He replied, 'The Three Kings were good at using wisdom and courage; whether they were sages is not known to Qiu.' He asked again, 'Were the Five Thearchs sages?' He replied, 'The Five Thearchs were good at using benevolence and righteousness; whether they were sages is not known to Qiu.' He asked again, 'Were the Three Sovereigns sages?' He replied, 'The Three Sovereigns were good at using seasonal governance; whether they were sages is not known to Qiu.' The Grand Chancellor, greatly astonished, said, 'Then who is a sage?' The Master's expression changed, and he replied, 'Qiu has heard that in the western regions there is a sage. Without ruling, there is no disorder; without speaking, he is naturally trusted; without transforming, [the teaching] is naturally practiced. So vast is he that the people cannot find a name for him!' Judging from this, Confucius well knew that the Buddha was the Great Sage. Because the conditions of the times had not yet matured, he silently kept it in mind; when there was an opportune occasion, he raised it, yet he could not openly proclaim its full purport. Furthermore, in the Later Han, the discerning scholar Fu Yi opened up and manifested the Buddha's conversion. The Neizhuan on the Origin of the Dharma says: In the third year of the Yongping reign of Emperor Ming of the Han, the Sovereign dreamt of a divine person, sixteen feet in golden body, with a halo of sunlight behind his neck. Upon awakening, he questioned his ministers. Fu Yi responded to the imperial query: 'There is a Buddha who appeared in India.' Thereupon messengers were dispatched to seek him, and they obtained scriptures, images, and two monks. The Emperor then established a Buddhist monastery for them and painted murals. A thousand chariots and ten thousand cavalry circled the stūpa three times. In addition, standing images of the Buddha were painted on the Qingliang Terrace of the Southern Palace and above the Gaoyang Gate at the Xianjie Tomb, and the Scripture in Forty-Two Sections was stored in the stone chamber of the Orchid Terrace, as detailed fully in the previous chapter on 'Revering the Three Jewels'. The biography says: At that time, there were the śramaṇas Kāśyapa Mātaṅga and Dharmaratna, whose spiritual stages and practices were difficult to fathom, and whose aim was to enlighten and convert. When Cai Yin's mission arrived, he invited Mātaṅga to travel east. Not confined to one region, they accompanied him to Luoyang, making clear the sentiments of beings and honouring the basis of faith. The Emperor asked Mātaṅga, 'When the Dharma King appeared in the world, why did his conversion not reach this place?' He replied, 'Kapilavastu is the centre of the three thousand great thousand worlds, of a hundred million suns and moons. All Buddhas of the three periods are born there. Even heavenly dragons, ghosts, and spirits who possess vows and practices are all born there, receive the Buddha's correct conversion, and all attain awakening to the Way. Sentient beings in other places have not the karmic conditions to move the Buddha; thus the Buddha does not go there. Although the Buddha does not go there, wherever his radiant light reaches—whether in five hundred years, or one thousand years, or beyond one thousand years—there are always sages who transmit the Buddha's voice and teachings to convert and guide them.'
55.38
The account says: On the first day of the first month in the fourteenth year of Yongping of the Han, while the Daoist masters of the Five Marchmounts and various mountains were attending the New Year court assembly, they said among themselves, 'The Son of Heaven has abandoned our Daoist teachings to seek the barbarian religion from afar. Today, taking advantage of the court assembly, we may present a memorial to challenge it.' Their memorial said in brief: 'The 690 disciples of the Supreme Three Caverns from the Abbeys of the Eighteen Mountains across the Five Marchmounts, including Chu Shanxin, are capable of all esoteric arts and methods. We wish to compete with the western monks to determine what is true and what is false. If we are inferior in the contest, we submit to whatever severe punishment may be decided; if we prevail, we beg that the falsehood be eliminated.' An imperial decree sent the Prefect of the Masters of Writing, Song Xiang, to usher them into the Changle Palace, and [ordered that] on the fifteenth day of this month they should assemble at Baima Temple. The Daoist masters then set up three altars, each altar having twenty-four gates opened. The Daoists of the Five Marchmounts each brought Daoist scriptures and placed them upon the three altars. The Emperor went in person to the traveling palace at the south gate of the temple. The Buddha's relics, scriptures, and images were placed to the west of the path. On the fifteenth day, when the fast was concluded, the Daoists, using firewood and reeds mixed with eaglewood and sandalwood incense as torches, circumambulated the scriptures weeping tears, prayed to the Heavenly Venerable for a verification, and set fire to burn the scriptures. Following the fire, the scriptures were transformed completely into ashes. The Daoists of the Five Marchmounts looked at one another and lost colour, seized by great dread. The Daoist Fei Shucai of the Southern Marchmount died of self-reproach. The Grand Tutor Zhang Yan said to Chu Xin, 'What you tested has yielded no verification; it is therefore false. You should submit to the true Dharma that has come from the west.' Chu Xin said, 'Mao Chengzi said that the Supreme One is the Heavenly Venerable of Numinous Treasure. The work of creation is called Grand Simplicity. How could this be false?' Yan said, 'Grand Simplicity has the reputation of prizing virtue, but no claim to having spoken teachings. Now you claim it has spoken teachings, which is itself false.' Hearing this, Xin remained silent and did not reply. At that time, the Buddha's relics emitted five-coloured light, rising straight into the air and whirling like a canopy, completely covering the great assembly and outshining the sunlight. Dharma Master Mātaṅga leapt high into the air, sitting and reclining in the sky, broadly manifesting divine transformations. At that time, heavenly jeweled flowers rained down upon the Buddha and monks, and heavenly music was heard, deeply moving people's hearts. The great assembly all rejoiced, marveling at what had never been before. They all gathered around Dharmaratna, listening to his exposition of the essentials of the Dharma and his intoning of Sanskrit sounds praising the Buddha's virtues. For the first time, a Buddhist temple was established, equal in the measure of Brahmā's merit. Liu Jun, Minister of Works and Marquis of Yangcheng, together with more than one thousand officials and commoners, left the household life. Over 620 Daoists of the Four Marchmounts, including Lü Huitong, left the household life. Lady Yin, the Handsome Lady Wang, and others, together with 230 palace ladies and women, left the household life. Thereupon, ten monasteries were established: seven outside the city to settle monks, and three within the city to settle nuns. From this time onward, [the Dharma] spread widely throughout the realm. The transmission consists of five scrolls, and is not recorded here in full. Some have doubted that this transmission appeared in recent times, and that originally there was no such contest. However, examining the History of Wu, it clearly states that Fei Shucai died of remorse; thus the transmission is an authentic record and not fictitious.
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Linked texts (1)
- 法苑珠林 — 道世, Classical Chinese