藥師經疏 1

English (machine translation) 1

Language: English

1.1

[…] nature; third, distinction between host and retinue; […] fifth, analysis by questions and answers. First, explaining the name: As for 'pure land', 'pure' means […] 'land' means the place resided in by various pure persons; therefore it is called a pure land. Alternatively, departing [from defilement] is pure; hence it is called a pure land. However, this pure [land] has two kinds: first, purity of form, because the resided palaces are adorned with multiple wondrous seven jewels; second, purity of qualities, taking the great practice of mindfulness and wisdom as the path of traversal, taking the great mind's wondrous contemplation as the vehicle, and taking great emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness—the liberations—as the […] great gate. Such virtues cannot be fully described. Now, this pure land fully possesses both factors, making it a pure land. Second, identifying the essential nature: There are two aspects: first, the varieties and counts; second, identifying the essential nature based on the varieties. As for the varieties and counts: as in the Cheng weishi lun, the divisions of pure lands are of four kinds: 1. the land of the essential nature of dharmas (dharmatā-land), meaning the principle of the two emptinesses is the nature of all dharmas, and the dharmatā is itself the land, hence called the dharmatā-land; 2. the self-enjoyment land, meaning the wondrous forms of the seven jewels and all virtues pervading the dharmadhātu constitute the enjoyment land; 3. the other-enjoyment land, meaning the forms and so forth manifested by the Tathāgatas for the assemblies of bodhisattvas on the ten bhūmis; 4. the transformation land, meaning the pure lands transformed by the Tathāgatas to transform those prior to the bhūmis. If explained in detail, it is as stated in the tenth fascicle of the Cheng weishi lun and the seventh fascicle of the Buddhabhūmy-upadeśa. As for identifying the essential nature: in the dharmatā pure land, among the enumeration of dharmas, tathatā is its essential nature. Identifying the essential nature through the three categories: it is not subsumed under the aggregates; among āyatanas and dhātus, it takes the dharma-āyatana and the dharmadhātu as its intrinsic nature, because it is an object cognitive domain exclusively of the mano-vijñāna. Alternatively, it can generally take the six kinds of asaṃskṛta as its nature, since the five kinds of asaṃskṛta are all provisionally established based on tathatā. For the self-enjoyment land, among the hundred dharmas, sixty dharmas constitute its essential nature: namely, the eight pure consciousnesses such as the eye-[consciousness], the associated twenty-one mental factors—meaning the five omnipresent, the five object-specific, and the eleven wholesome—the eleven kinds of form, and twenty unassociated formations, excluding the nature of a pṛthagjana and the heaven of non-conception within non-concordance, [and] the six kinds of asaṃskṛta. However, the six asaṃskṛta are of two kinds: first, the six established based on dharmatā, five […] of dharmatā; second, the six subsumed by the pure eight consciousnesses—all six are the self-enjoyment land. For the other-enjoyment land and the transformation land, the identification of dharmic essential nature should be known to be likewise. Yet the distinction is: the self-enjoyment land takes real virtues as its essence; the remaining two lands are both transformations. Identifying the essential nature through the three categories: if it is the wondrous form land, it uses a portion of the form aggregate, namely four āyatanas and four dhātus—a portion of form, smell, taste, and tangibles—as its nature. If it generally subsumes virtues as pure, it uses the dharmas of the five aggregates, twelve āyatanas, and eighteen dhātus as its essential nature. This should be contemplated in accordance with reason. Third, the distinction between host and retinue: as stated in the tenth fascicle of the Cheng weishi lun, buddhas are of four kinds: 1. the svabhāvakāya, meaning the pure dharmadhātu of all Tathāgatas, the equal support of enjoyment and transformation, quiescent and free of signs, cut off from all conceptual proliferation, endowed with boundless, true and actual virtues, also called the dharmakāya, because it is the locus of reliance for the dharmas of great virtue. This svabhāvakāya relies on the svabhāva-land; although this body and land have no difference in essence, their characteristics differ in pertaining to the Buddha's dharmas. Both this buddha-body and land are excluded from form; they have only the host and no retinue. 2. The self-enjoyment body, meaning the boundless real virtues generated by all Tathāgatas throughout three incalculable eons by cultivating and accumulating immeasurable provisions of merit and wisdom, as well as the extremely perfect, pure, eternal, and all-pervading form body, continuous and serene, continually enjoying the vast Dharma-bliss for oneself through the end of the future. This body also relies on the self-enjoyment land, meaning the pure consciousness associated with the ādarśa-jñāna, perfected through the causes and conditions of the pure buddha-land of self-benefit and non-outflow cultivated in the past; from first attaining buddhahood through the end of the future, it continuously transforms into a pure buddha-land. The self-enjoyment body constantly relies on this land; it also has only the Buddha without an assembly of disciples, because it is generated solely by the Buddha's own wholesome [causes] of self-benefit. 3. The other-enjoyment body, meaning all Tathāgatas, by virtue of samatā-jñāna, manifest a subtle, wondrous body of pure virtues, dwelling in a pure land to reside in; for the assemblies of bodhisattvas on the ten bhūmis, they display great spiritual powers, turn the wheel of the True Dharma, resolve the net of doubts of the multitude, and enable them to enjoy the Dharma-bliss of the Mahāyāna. The other-enjoyment land takes this as its host, and the bodhisattvas of the ten bhūmis as its retinue. 4. The nirmāṇakāya, meaning all Tathāgatas, by virtue of kṛty-anuṣṭhāna-jñāna, transform and manifest immeasurable transformation bodies corresponding to various classes, dwelling in pure and defiled lands; for the assemblies of bodhisattvas who have not yet ascended the bhūmis, for those of the two vehicles, and for pṛthagjanas, they manifest spiritual penetrations and expound the Dharma in accord with their capacities, enabling each to obtain benefit and joy. This transformation pure land takes the transformation-body Buddha as its host, and bodhisattvas, the two vehicles, and various pṛthagjanas as its retinue. Fourth, the size of shape and measure: 1. The svabhāvakāya and its land, being free from form and signs, cannot be spoken of as having size of shape and measure; yet spoken of according to signs, they are immeasurable and boundless. Therefore, fascicle ten of the Cheng weishi lun states: 'Although their size of shape and measure cannot be spoken of, according to phenomenal signs their measure is boundless, just as empty space pervades all places.' 2. The self-enjoyment body and its pure land are boundless in shape and measure, because they are generated by boundless roots of goodness. Therefore the sūtra says: 'Perfect and circular without limit, their measure is difficult to fathom.' 3. The other-enjoyment body and its pure land: in accord with the suitability of the bodhisattvas dwelling on the ten bhūmis, it transforms into body and land—either large or small, either superior or inferior, changing back and forth. If it is the nirmāṇakāya, it relies on a transformation land or relies on a defiled land; its size is indeterminate in accord with their faculties and capacities. Fifth, analysis by questions and answers: Question: Do pṛthagjanas and those of the two vehicles take birth in the pure land or not? If you say they are born there, why does the Mahāyānasaṃgraha say that reciting the Buddha's name to be born in the pure land is an intention of another time? Furthermore, the Saṃdhinirmocana Sūtra and Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra ask: 'What kinds of persons are not born in the pure land?' and answer: 'Pṛthagjanas and those of the two vehicles.' If you say they are not born there, as texts such as the Amitābha Sūtra state, if for one day up to seven days one's mind is undistracted, one is immediately born in the pure land. Explanation: This meaning is extremely difficult; the various masters of the Western Country (India) have two different explanations. One says: Pṛthagjanas and the two vehicles are not born in the pure land; therefore the Mahāyānasaṃgraha says that being born in the pure land is stated with reference to the intention of another time. Because of this mindfulness of the Buddha, there is an initial causal condition; cultivating it repeatedly, one only attains birth there upon reaching the ten bhūmis. Therefore, when various sūtras speak of being born in the pure land, it is spoken with reference to another time. Furthermore, the Saṃdhinirmocana says that those of the two vehicles and pṛthagjanas are not born in the pure land. Furthermore, the Wangsheng lun states: 'Women, those deficient in faculties, and the lineage of the two vehicles are not born [there].' Another says: There are four kinds of pure lands. The dharmatā pure land is tathatā, so one cannot speak of birth or non-birth, as it is cut off from all characteristics. The self-enjoyment land is where only a buddha together with a buddha can be born. The other-enjoyment land is solely the birthplace of bodhisattvas of the ten bhūmis. As for its transformation land, pṛthagjanas, the two vehicles, and bodhisattvas prior to the bhūmis can all be reborn there. When the Mahāyānasaṃgraha and Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra speak of non-birth, they speak with reference to the other-enjoyment [land], not the transformation land. Question: Among the four kinds of lands, which land subsumes the Land of Utmost Bliss (Sukhāvatī)? Explanation: In the Western regions there are themselves two explanations: One says: It is the other-enjoyment body, because it has limits. Another says: Sukhāvatī has two kinds: 1. other-enjoyment, which is solely the birthplace of bodhisattvas on the bhūmis; 2. transformation land, which is where those already born and bodhisattvas prior to the bhūmis can all attain birth.

1.2

Sūtra: 'In that land...' to '...the treasury of the True Dharma.' Fourth, clarifying the upholding of the Dharma has two [parts]. As for 'bodhisattva mahāsattva', 'bodhisattva' is as before. Explaining 'mahāsattva', it is translated as 'great awakened being'. The second [fascicle] of the Buddhabhūmi[-upadeśa] states that a bodhisattva has three greatnesses, hence being called a mahāsattva: first, greatness of number, because they are immeasurable; second, greatness of virtue, meaning dwelling in the Mahāyāna, traversing the Mahāyāna, and so forth; third, greatness of activity, meaning quenching the various sufferings and afflictions of sentient beings. Benefiting and bringing joy to sentient beings is the activity of a bodhisattva. Due to these three meanings, they are called mahāsattvas. As for 'one named Sūryaprabha, the second named Candraprabha': the Song version says, 'one named Riyao, the second named Yuejing.' The Tang version says, 'one named Sūryaprabhāsa, the second named Candraprabhāsa.' They are the foremost, supreme leaders in that land, just like Maitreya and Mañjuśrī in this […] land.

1.3

Sūtra: 'Therefore...' to '...that Buddha's land.' Fifth, exhorting beings to vow to be born [there]. As for 'faith': the first fascicle of the Abhidharma-samuccaya-vyākhyā states: 'Regarding that which has reality, virtue, and capacity, approval, clarity, and aspiration constitute its essence; serving as the support for resolve constitutes its activity.' That is, regarding what genuinely exists in reality, one gives rise to faith of the practice of approval; regarding genuine virtue, one gives rise to faith of the practice of clarity; regarding genuine capacity, one gives rise to faith of the practice of aspiration—namely, that I have the power to attain and accomplish it. What is meant by 'good man, good woman'? The Zhaoming pusa fangbian jing states: being able to transform evil into good, being without enmity toward high or low, and having neither this nor that, is called a good man. If one can compassionately nurture the multitude of living beings like a mother raising a child, is chaste and avoids sensual desire, and is free of the marks of male and female, one is called a good woman.

1.4

Sūtra: 'At that time...' to '...do not wish to share and give.' Fourth, answering [regarding the benefits of] hearing [the name]. The sūtra text on eliminating obstacles is divided into five: 1. curing excessive greed; 2. curing broken morality; 3. curing jealousy; 4. curing discord; 5. curing indeterminacy. Within the first text, the text is divided into six: 1. stinginess when asked by others; 2. not relieving close kin; 3. taking birth according to karma; 4. hearing the name and going to save; 5. all having their vows fulfilled; 6. taking pleasure in giving without weariness. Within the first text, the text is divided into two parts: 1. discerning greed and delusion; 2. discerning anger. This then is the first. 'Not recognizing good and evil' is general. As for 'excessive greed without satiety': 'greed' is desiring others' wealth; 'begrudging' is stinginess with one's own property. The Sifen lü states: There was a monk practicing concentration by a pool. The pool's nāga revered his virtue and coiled around him with its body. The monk was displeased and wished to make the nāga leave, so he expediently spoke a verse demanding its jewel, saying: 'The radiant maṇi jewel necklace adorns your body; / If you can give it to me, you are called a good friend.' The pool's nāga was stingy and spoke a verse in reply, saying: 'I love the maṇi jewel more than your monk's body; / I shall never give it to you, whether you remain close or not.' On account of this matter, the Buddha further spoke a verse, saying: 'Excessive greed is detested by people; frequent begging estranges friends. / The monk begged for the nāga's jewel, and once gone, it never returned.' Therefore we know that greed and stinginess can alienate close friends. Thus the Devatāparipṛcchā Sūtra states: 'Stinginess and greed abandon close friends'—that is its meaning. Furthermore, due to guarding and stinginess, one does not practice giving. Moreover, due to greed, one desires only others' wealth; wherever one is born, one is poor and destitute, without father, mother, wife, or child, without good spiritual friends, and without relatives or friends. Furthermore, the fourth fascicle of the Huayan lun states: 'The sages and āryas spoke thus: Greed and jealousy are the vessels of greatest suffering. / Seeing a beggar, their minds become vexed and turbid; / Within that turbid kṣaṇa, they can commit base defilements; / Stupidity and stinginess without giving plant the roots of poverty.' Furthermore, regarding greed, the first fascicle of the Abhidharma-samuccaya-vyākhyā states: 'Attachment to the three realms constitutes its essence; generating manifold sufferings constitutes its activity.' 'Not knowing giving' means not recognizing the cause of practicing goodness. 'And the fruit and retribution of giving' means not recognizing that practicing good causes can induce good fruits. 'Foolish and without wisdom' reveals the preceding 'not recognizing good and evil'; because of being foolish and without wisdom, they do not recognize good and evil. The Abhidharma-samuccaya-vyākhyā states: 'Foolishness is ignorance. Ignorance takes lack of wisdom regarding the three realms as its essence, and serving as the support for the arising of defilements as its activity.' 'Lacking the faculty of faith' reveals the preceding 'not knowing giving and the fruit and retribution of giving.' As for lack of faith, the Abhidharma-samuccaya-vyākhyā states: 'A faction of foolishness toward wholesome dharmas: the mind not approving in faith, taking an unpurified mind and lack of aspiration as its essence, and serving as that upon which indolence relies as its activity.' 'Amassing wealth and guarding it stingily, not wishing to share and give' reveals the preceding 'excessive greed without satiety.'

1.5

Sūtra: 'When these living beings...' to '...like cutting the flesh of one's own body.' Second, discerning anger: Even when doing so out of necessity and practicing giving, meaning when forced and coerced to give by the powerful, it is like cutting the flesh of one's own body, giving rise to deep grief and begrudging.

1.6

Sūtra: “Moreover, there are immeasurable […] up to: and other beggars.” / Second: not aiding relatives or kin. Regarding “stinginess”: The Abhidharma-samuccaya-vyākhyā states: “Craving and clinging to gain and offerings with regard to the requisites of life, having greed as one part and begrudging as its intrinsic nature, with non-giving as that which it supports.” “Non-giving” means that, out of stinginess, even things that are not [necessary] utensils are constantly accumulated. That is, oneself does not enjoy them, nor does one aid relatives and family or those who come begging.

1.7

Sūtra: “Such sentient beings […] up to: the animal realm.” / Third: taking rebirth by driven by karma. / Question: What signs appear when someone dies in the human realm and is reborn into the hungry ghost realm? / Answer: The second fascicle of the Daweide tuoluoni jing states: “When that person is near death, there are ten signs: first, turning the tongue upward and licking the lower lip; second, heat and distress in the body, desiring to obtain water; third, speaking of food and drink yet only opening the mouth; fourth, the eyes turning green like the crest of a peacock; fifth, pupils becoming dry; sixth, involuntary defecation and urination; seventh, the right foot becoming cold first; eighth, saying from the mouth, ‘I am burning!’; ninth, clenching the right hand into a fist; tenth, because of such pervasive afflictions of stinginess and greed, dying without giving, and taking rebirth in the hungry ghost realm.” / Question: What signs appear when being reborn into the animal realm? / Answer: That sūtra states there are five signs: “First, the heart is drawn by love for wife and children; second, the fingers, toes, and limbs all curl and shrink; third, movement occurs above the abdomen; fourth, bleating like a white sheep; fifth, frothing at the mouth. When near the end of life, these five signs appear; one should know that rebirth in the animal realm is certain.” / Question: Creating what karma causes rebirth in these two destinies? / Answer: Due to stinginess and greed, one is born among hungry ghosts; due to delusion, one is born among animals. / Question: Why is one not born in hell? / Answer: Because one does not give rise to heavy anger that harms others, one is not born in hell.

1.8

Sūtra: “Because in their past human lives […] up to: momentarily present [in memory].” / Fourth: hearing the name and coming to the rescue. That is, formerly while in the human realm, they once had the opportunity to momentarily hear the name of Bhaiṣajyaguru Buddha. Later, meeting bad companions, they created the karma of not practicing generosity. Although born in bad destinies, by the seed-power of having heard the Buddha’s name, they are able again to remember Bhaiṣajyaguru Tathāgata.

1.9

Sūtra: “Right in […] up to: the human realm.” / Fifth: all receiving the fulfillment of their vows. By the power of recollecting the Buddha, they immediately abandon the bad destinies and are born among devas and humans. / Question: What superior benefit is there in momentarily recollecting the Buddha's name, such that it uproots such severe misfortunes of ghosts and animals? / Answer: The Milindapañha (Nāgasena-bhikṣu Sūtra) states: “Just as when a person in the world has done evil for a hundred years, yet hears the Buddha's name at the point of death—like dropping a small stone into water, it immediately sinks; but if a large stone is placed upon a boat, it floats and does not sink. Although one has done evil all one's life, because one hears the Buddha's name at one moment, one does not even suffer pain; how much less, when one mindfully focuses on it, would one again suffer [rebirth as] those hungry ghosts and animals?”

1.10

Sūtra: “They attain the knowledge of past lives […] up to: how much more so other wealth and goods.” / Sixth: delighting in generosity without weariness. Past lives [knowledge] has three kinds: first, obtained through cultivation; second, obtained through retribution; third, obtained through karma. That which is produced and attained by relying on the four fundamental dhyānas is called ‘obtained through cultivation’; the other two are easy to understand. Also, the fifth fascicle of the Dazhidulun states: “Constantly remembering past events: days, months, years, and ages, up to [the time] within the womb, and past lifetimes—from one life up to hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of lifetimes. Great arhats and pratyekabuddhas know eighty thousand great eons; great bodhisattvas and buddhas know immeasurable eons. This is called the supernormal power of the knowledge of past lives.” / Regarding “delighting in practicing generosity”: The second fascicle of the Mahālaṃkāra-śāstra states: “For one who can gladly extend the hand in giving, this hand is called adorned and superior; if the recipient can withdraw the hand, the adorned and superior again meets with that. If someone says, ‘I give [this],’ these words are of immeasurable value; if the recipient says, ‘I have enough,’ what is immeasurable again meets with that.” / Regarding “capable of giving all”: The first fascicle of the Abhidharma-samuccaya-vyākhyā states: “Because of relying on correct defilement without timidity or anxiety, one finally realizes the nature of abiding without effort of mind.” / Giving with the head is as described in the fifth fascicle of the Bao'en jing: King Prabhāsa and others. Giving for a cause is as described in that sūtra: Prince Kṣānti and others giving hands, feet, blood, flesh, and bodily members, as described in the twelfth fascicle of the Dazhidulun: Prince Candraprabha and others. / Question: What benefits does dāna have, up to giving one's head, eyes, hands, feet, blood, flesh, and bodily members to supplicants? / Answer: The eleventh fascicle of the Dazhidulun states: “Dāna is a precious treasury that constantly follows a person. Dāna breaks suffering and can give joy to people. Dāna is a good driver, showing the celestial path. Dāna is a good storehouse, capable of gathering good people. Dāna is peace and security; at the time of death, the mind is without fear. Dāna is a part of loving-kindness, capable of rescuing all. Dāna is a great general, capable of subduing the enemy of stinginess. Dāna is a wondrous fruit, beloved of gods and humans. Dāna is a pure path, traversed by the noble and sagely. Dāna is the accumulation of goodness, the gate of merit. Dāna destroys poverty and severs the three bad destinies. Dāna is the initial condition for nirvāṇa, the essential method for entering among good people, the profound storehouse of praise and acclaim, the merit of entering an assembly without difficulty, the dwelling place of a mind free from regret, the root of practicing the path of good qualities, the thicket of various delights, the field of merit for wealth and peace, the bridge and ferry to attaining the path and nirvāṇa. It is that which is practiced by sages, great beings, and the wise, and that which is emulated by other people of modest virtue and refined discernment.”

1.11

Sūtra: “Furthermore […] up to: breaking right view.” / Second: curing the breaking of precepts. The text is divided into eight: first, constantly deficient in pure prohibitions; second, not desiring broad learning; third, relying on oneself and disparaging others; fourth, encountering disasters due to this; fifth, suffering distress for long eons; sixth, having heard the name formerly; seventh, wishes fulfilled in due time; eighth, diligently cultivating superior karma. This comes to the first. / That is, previously having received the prātimokṣa precepts within the Tathāgata's teaching through the motion and three proclamations (jñapti-caturtha-karman) is called ‘upholding the trainings’. ‘Breaking the precepts’: The new translation renders this śīla, while the old translation called it ‘coolness’. When physical or verbal karma is deficient or breached, this is called breaking the precepts. / ‘Breaking conduct’: According to the twenty-second fascicle of the Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra, it means: “Regarding deportment, precepts, duties performed, or the locus of preparation for wholesome qualities, one does not accomplish the rules of deportment, does not accord with the world but transgresses against the world, does not accord with the Vinaya but transgresses against the Vinaya. / What is called failing to accomplish the rules of deportment, up to transgressing against the Vinaya? That which should not be done is done just so, becoming mocked and disparaged by worldly people, and also reproved by virtuous and good persons—namely, vinaya-holders. As it is with walking, so it is with standing, sitting, and lying down. / What is called failing to accomplish the rules regarding duties performed, up to transgressing against the Vinaya? Regarding duties performed, whether matters of robes or washing bowls, doing that which should not be done, becoming mocked and disparaged by worldly people, and also reproved by virtuous and good persons—namely, vinaya-holders. / What is called failing to accomplish the rules regarding the locus of preparation for wholesome qualities, up to transgressing against the Vinaya? Regarding receiving, upholding, reciting, practicing respect toward teachers and elders, announcing, inquiring, fastening mindfulness, and contemplating various wholesome qualities—doing that which should not be done in non-preparations, becoming mocked and disparaged by worldly people, and also reproved by virtuous and good persons—namely, vinaya-holders. Such is called ‘breaking conduct’.” / ‘Breaking right view’: Hearing the Mahāyāna sūtras associated with emptiness, not understanding their meaning well, one wrongly grasps emptiness. According to the seventy-fifth fascicle of the Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra: “Within the Mahāyāna, there may be a class of people who, because of wrongly grasping emptiness, speak thus: ‘From [the standpoint of] conventional truth, all exists; from [the standpoint of] ultimate truth, all exists and does not exist.’ One should say to them: ‘Venerable one, what is conventional and what is ultimate?’ After asking this, if they answer: ‘If all dharmas are devoid of intrinsic nature, this is called ultimate. If within the lack of intrinsic nature of all dharmas, intrinsic nature is apprehensible, this is called conventional. Why? Because within non-existence, one establishes convention and sets up conventional designations to give rise to discourse.’ One should say to them: ‘What do you hold: does conventional designation exist from a cause with an apprehensible intrinsic nature, or is it stated to exist merely as conventional designation? If conventional designation exists from a cause, that conventional designation is born from a cause yet is not existent—this does not stand to reason. If it is stated to exist merely as conventional designation, that conventional designation exists without any real basis—this does not stand to reason.’ Furthermore, one should say to them: ‘Venerable one, due to what condition are those things that are apprehensible devoid of intrinsic nature?’ After asking this, if they answer: ‘Because of inverted matters,’ one should again say to them: ‘What do you hold: does this inverted matter exist or not exist? If you say it exists, stating that all dharmas are devoid of intrinsic nature from [the standpoint of] ultimate truth does not stand to reason. If you say it does not exist, then stating that because of inverted matters, those things that are apprehensible are devoid of intrinsic nature does not stand to reason.’ The Ratnakūṭa Sūtra states: ‘If one says that all dharmas are devoid of nature, I say that person is incurable.’ Such is called ‘breaking right view’.”

1.12

[Sūtra]: "Some observe the training rules... deep and profound meaning." / Second, not wishing for broad learning. "Guarding and maintaining the prohibitive precepts" means having no deficiency or leak in bodily, verbal, and mental actions. This is like what is said in the tenth roll of the Mahālaṃkāra-śāstra: There was a monk who, begging for food in order, came to the house of a pearl piercer and stood outside the gate. At that time, that pearl artisan was piercing a maṇi jewel for the king. The color of the monk's robe reflected onto the jewel, making its color crimson red. That pearl piercer then entered his house to fetch food for the monk. At that time, a goose saw the jewel; because of its red color, its shape resembled meat, and it immediately swallowed it. The pearl artisan brought the food to give as alms to the monk, and immediately looked for the jewel but did not know where it was. This jewel was priceless and belonged to the king. At that time, that pearl artisan, being poor and having lost the king's precious jewel, spoke anxiously to the monk, saying: "Give me back the jewel!" At that time, the monk thought: "Now this jewel was swallowed and eaten by the goose. If I tell that man, he will surely kill the goose to take the jewel. As my time of suffering has now arrived, what strategy should I devise to avoid this calamity?" He then spoke in verse: / "Now I protect another's life, and my body undergoes suffering and distress. / There is no other expedient means; I can only substitute my life for its. / I now abandon my bodily life for the sake of this goose's life. / Because I guard the precepts, through this cause I shall accomplish the path of liberation." / At that time, the pearl piercer, hearing this verse, spoke to the monk, saying: "Give me back the jewel! If you do not return it, you will suffer in vain; I will never let you go." The monk answered, saying: "Who took your jewel?" and stood in silence. The pearl artisan said to him: "There is no one else; who stole this jewel?" Relying on this, the pearl artisan then closed the doors and said to the monk: "Today you had better hold firm!" The monk immediately looked around in all four directions, but had nothing to rely on or trust in; like a deer entering an enclosure, not knowing where to turn, the monk without rescue was also like this. At that time, the monk then contracted his body and straightened his robes. That man again spoke to the monk, saying: "Do you now wish to fight with me?" The monk answered, saying: "I am not fighting with you; I am fighting against the thieves of the defilements. The reason for this is that I fear when being beaten my physical form will be exposed. Even when we monks are distressed and on the verge of death, we still cover and protect ourselves with our robes, not exposing our bodily form." At that time, the pearl artisan tied up the monk and beat him with a stick, asking the monk, saying: "Where is the jewel? Give me back the jewel!" The monk answered, saying: "I did not take the jewel." Then the pearl piercer wept, bowed his head to the monk, and addressed him, saying: "Grant me joy, and return the jewel to me!" The monk answered, saying: "I truly did not take it." Then that pearl artisan became even angrier and beat the monk. The monk thought: "All suffering in saṃsāra must be like this. I should remain firm and not violate the precepts. If I were to break the precepts and suffer the guilt of hell, it would surpass my present suffering." He then spoke in verse: / "In past lifetimes, for lust and theft I abandoned my bodily life; / as sheep, deer, and the six domestic beasts, my abandoned bodies are countless. / Abandoning bodily life for the precepts surpasses living while violating the prohibitions. / Even if one sought to preserve it, in the end it must perish. / It is better, for the sake of keeping precepts and protecting another's bodily life, / to cast aside this frail and brittle body to seek the life of liberation." / At that time, the pearl piercer wept in distress and spoke in verse: / "Although I beat and strike you, giving rise to immense suffering, / I fear the king will seek my jewel, so I wish to torment you. / Now, abandon this suffering, and also let me be free from evil. / You are a renunciant and should sever desire; / you ought to abandon your craving mind and return my jewel to me." / The monk smiled and replied in verse, saying: / "I wear robes of rags and make begging for food my livelihood; / I abide beneath trees—with this I am content. / Toward your maṇi jewel I truly have no mind of greed. / For what reason would I then become a thief?" / At that time, the pearl piercer spoke to the monk, saying: "What is the use of speaking so much?" He then bound him further and doubled the beating. Strangling his ears, eyes, mouth, and nose tightly with a rope, blood gushed forth from all of them. At that time, that goose came to drink the blood. In rage, the artisan struck the goose, and it died immediately. The monk asked, saying: "Is this goose dead or alive?" The artisan answered, saying: "Whether the goose is now dead or alive, why is it worth asking?" Then that monk went to the goose's place, and seeing that the goose was already dead, he wept unhappily and immediately spoke in verse: / "I endured all these distresses, hoping that this goose would live. / Now my life has not ended, yet the goose has died before me. / I hoped to protect your life and suffered this extreme, extraordinary pain; / why did you die first, leaving my retribution unfulfilled?" / At that time, the pearl piercer asked the monk, saying: "What relation does the goose have to you after all, that you are so grieved and distressed?" The monk answered, saying: "My vow was not fulfilled, which is why I am unhappy." He then spoke in verse: / "When the Bodhisattva in the past abandoned his body to ransom a dove, / I also had this intention, wishing to substitute my life for the dove's. / I attained the supreme mind, wishing to preserve this goose's life; / because you killed the goose, my heart's vow was not fulfilled." / The artisan asked, saying: "You speak like this, yet I still do not understand. You should explain the reason in full for me." At that time, the monk answered in verse, saying: / "I wore a red robe, which reflected on the jewel to look like the color of meat; / this goose thought it was meat and immediately swallowed and ate it. / I suffered this distress in order to protect that goose; / although pressed by extreme distress, I hoped that its life might be spared." / When that pearl artisan heard this verse, he immediately cut open the goose's belly and recovered the jewel. He then wept aloud and spoke to the monk, saying: "You protected the goose's life without sparing your own body, causing me to commit this unrighteous deed!" Then that pearl artisan clasped his hands with palms together, begged for forgiveness, and praised him in verse, saying: / "Homage to the pure conduct! Homage to firmly maintaining the precepts! / Encountering such extreme suffering and difficulty, you did not commit broken or deficient conduct. / If one does not encounter such evil, keeping precepts is not rare; / only when facing such suffering is one who can keep the precepts rare indeed!" / After that pearl artisan had repented, he escorted the monk back to his dwelling. / "Not seeking broad learning" means that regarding the profound meaning of the sūtras spoken by the Buddha, one is unable to comprehend it, and so abandons it without studying.

1.13

[Sūtra]: "Or although possessing broad learning... become companions of Māra." / Third, relying on oneself to disparage others. "Overweening pride" means claiming to have attained what one has not attained, and claiming to have realized what one has not realized. According to the first roll of the Abhidharma-samuccaya-vyākhyā, pride has as its essence the elevation of the mind based on the view of individuality (satkāya-dṛṣṭi), and has as its function serving as the basis for disrespect and the arising of suffering. "Disrespect" means giving rise to arrogance toward teachers, elders, and the virtuous. "Arising of suffering" means because it gives birth to future existences. / "Affirming oneself and negating others": The first roll of the Dazhidulun says: "Because of attachment to one's own dharma, one defames the dharmas of others. Even if one is a practitioner who keeps the precepts, one will not escape the suffering of hell." Furthermore, the Āgama says: "Though one may recite the meditation sūtras, swords come out of one's mouth; fond of proclaiming others' faults and evils, one will quickly die and fall into hell; even an icchantika can become a Buddha, yet such a person has not yet escaped." / "Despising and slandering the true Dharma": As the second roll of the Lotus Sūtra says: "If a person does not believe and slanders this sūtra, they will sever all the Buddha-seeds of the world." Down to the text below telling Śāriputra: "If one speaks of the sin of slandering this sūtra, exhausted kalpas would not suffice," as expounded at length there. The Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra says: The Buddha told Subhūti, "If one destroys the perfection of wisdom, one then destroys the omniscient knowledge (sarvākārajñatā) of the Buddhas of the ten directions. Because omniscient knowledge is destroyed, the Buddha Jewel is destroyed; because the Buddha Jewel is destroyed, the Dharma Jewel is destroyed; because the Dharma Jewel is destroyed, the Saṅgha Jewel is destroyed; because the Saṅgha Jewel is destroyed, one then destroys the right view of the world, and so on." The Lotus Sūtra says: "If for the space of a kalpa one constantly harbors an unwholesome mind, alters one's countenance, and scolds the Buddha, one incurs immeasurable heavy guilt. If there is one who reads, recites, and upholds this Lotus Sūtra, and for a mere moment one directs evil words at them, the sin surpasses that." The Suvikrāntavikrāmi-paripṛcchā Sūtra says: "If the four continents were entirely turned into fine dust, each particle becoming a Buddha, and if an evil person were to kill so many Buddhas, would the sin incurred not be exceedingly countless and inconceivable? If someone obstructs this sūtra, slanders it, and does not believe, their sin is heavier than that. Even if all sentient beings in the trichiliocosm have entirely become Buddhas, such a sinful person still will not emerge from Avīci Hell."

1.14

Sūtra: “These [beings] ... shall fall into the hells.” / Fourth, regarding “due to these faults, they shall fall into the hells”: Chapter 11 of the Abhidharmakośa states: “The Sanskrit sound is naraka; here [in Chinese] it is translated as 'place of no pleasure' (不可樂處). Yet this 'place of no pleasure' is the prison itself. It lies twenty thousand yojanas beneath the earth. There are three kinds of hells: first, hot; second, cold; third, isolated (pratyeka). / The hot hells are eight: first, Saṃjīva (Reviving); second, Kālasūtra (Black Rope); third, Saṃghāta (Crushing); fourth, Raurava (Weeping); fifth, Mahāraurava (Great Weeping); sixth, Tapana (Heating); seventh, Pratāpana (Great Heating); eighth, Avīci (Uninterrupted). These eight are situated layered one beneath the other under Jambudvīpa. The first two have wardens (principal punishers); the next three have few wardens; the last three have no wardens. These eight are the root [hells]. Each and every one has sixteen annexes (utsada), four on each side. / First is the annex of hot embers (aṅgāra-utsada). In this annex, hot embers submerge one to the knees; when sentient beings wander through it, no sooner do they step down than their skin, flesh, and blood are scorched, rotten, and drop off; when they lift their feet, [the flesh] regrows, restored to what it was before. / Second is the annex of corpse filth (kuṇapa-utsada). In this annex, corpse filth and mud fill the interior, wherein there are many nyakuṭa (?) worms with points as sharp as needles, white-bodied with black heads; when sentient beings wander through it, all are bored through by these worms, which pierce the bone and suck and devour the marrow. / Third is the annex of blade edges (kṣuradhāra-utsada). In this annex there are further three kinds: first, the road of knife blades, wherein upturned knife blades form the great road; when sentient beings wander through it, no sooner do they step down than their skin, flesh, and blood are cut to pieces and drop off; when they lift their feet, [the flesh] regrows, restored to what it was before. Second, the forest of sword leaves (asipattravana), wherein this forest has exclusively sharp sword blades for leaves; when sentient beings wander through it and the wind blows, the leaves drop, cutting and piercing limbs and trunks so that bones and flesh fall apart, and wild birds and rushing dogs tear and pull them apart to devour them. Third, the forest of iron thorns (ayaḥśālmalīvana), wherein on this forest there are sharp iron thorns sixteen finger-widths long; when sentient beings are forced to climb up and down the trees, the sharp points of these thorns pierce them from below and above as they go up and down; iron-beaked birds peck into sentient beings' pupils, liver, and heart, competing to eat them. Although the three kinds such as the knife-blade road are distinct, because the iron weapons are the same, they are subsumed under one annex. / Fourth is the annex of the fierce river (vaitaraṇī-utsada). The measure of this annex is vast, filled inside with boiling brine; when sentient beings enter it, they either float or sink, go against the current or follow it, drift horizontally or whirl around; being suppressed and boiled, their bones and flesh are boiled to mush. Just as when a great cauldron is filled with lye and hemp, rice, and the like are placed within, with fierce fire burning beneath so that the hemp and the rest swirl up and down within, the whole mass boiling to mush—so it is with sentient beings. Even if they wish to flee, on both banks there are hell wardens holding knives and spears in their hands who fend them off and force them back, with no way to get out. This river is like a moat. / The first three are like gardens. These are called 'annexes' (utsada, 'augmented') because they are places where punishment and harm are intensified. Four sides total sixteen; together with the root [hell] they make seventeen. Eight times seventeen makes one hundred and thirty-six places where sinners undergo the suffering of hot torment. / The cold hells are eight: first, Arbuda: pressed by the suffering of cold, the flesh breaks out into blisters. Second, Nirarbuda: blown by the cold wind, the entire body becomes covered with blisters. Third, Aṭaṭa: because the lips cannot move and only the tongue can move, one makes this sound. Fourth, Hahava: because the tongue cannot move and only the lips can move, one makes this sound. Fifth, Huhuva: because neither lips nor tongue can move, one trembles and exhales, thus making this sound. Sixth, Utpala: this is the blue lotus; the fine cracks in the flesh resemble this flower opening. Seventh, Padma: this is the red lotus; because of the flesh's large cracks, it resembles this flower opening. Eighth, Puṇḍarīka: this is the white lotus; because of the cracks down to the white bone, it resembles this flower opening. / The first two receive their names from bodily signs; the next three receive their names from vocal signs; the last three receive their names from sore signs. Furthermore, the first two cry out clearly; the next three cry out unclearly; the last three do not cry out. These eight reside facing upward at the bottom of Mount Cakravāḍa between the four continents. Sinners undergo the suffering of freezing cold within them. / The isolated hells (pratyekanaraka) are three: first, in the mountains; second, on the waters; third, in the wilderness; they undergo the retribution of individual karma, experiencing a mixture of cold and heat.”

1.15

Sūtra: “These sentient beings ... shall transmigrate without an end.” / Fifth, calamity extending through long kalpas: this means that those who break the precepts, slander the Dharma, and so on, on account of their evil karma, ought to undergo boundless suffering in the hells.

1.16

Sūtra: “Because they obtained ... the name” / Sixth, due to having heard the name in the past: because they heard the name of Bhaiṣajyaguru Tathāgata, they abandon evil and practice good, and do not enter the bad destinies.

1.17

Sūtra: “In the hells ... they will be reborn again in the human realm.” / Seventh, their wishes are fulfilled in due time: because the five kinds of karmic action, such as breaking the precepts, differ in gravity. That is to say, although in the present they hear the name of Bhaiṣajyaguru Tathāgata, they are unable to abandon evil and practice good; when, due to evil karma, they fall into the bad destinies, by the augmented sovereign power of that Tathāgata, and furthermore because of the causal force of the seed from having heard the Tathāgata’s name in the past while in the human world, when they first enter the bad destinies it is made to manifest before them: temporarily hearing the name of Bhaiṣajyaguru Tathāgata, when their lives end in that bad destiny, they are reborn again in the human realm. / Question: Both equally heard the Buddha's name; why is there falling and not falling? / Answer: Karma has light and heavy, and faculties have sharp and dull. If the karma is light and faculties sharp, upon hearing the Buddha's name in the present they are immediately able to abandon evil and practice good, not falling into the bad destinies. If the karma is heavy and faculties dull, they must first fall into the bad destinies and deeply generate aversion and detachment; only when they hear the Buddha's name again will they be reborn in the human realm. / The Nirvāṇa Sūtra says: “When icchantikas and the like accumulate roots of goodness, there are two kinds: first, in the present they are able to accumulate roots of goodness; second, after dying and being born in the hells, they are able to accumulate roots of goodness. Regarding accumulating roots of goodness when born in the hells, there are further two kinds: first, when entering the hells, they are able to accumulate roots of goodness; second, when already born in the hells, they are able to accumulate roots of goodness.”

1.18

Sūtra: "[Hold] right views, make energetic progress... up to... all the bodhisattva practices" — the eighth [benefit] is diligently cultivating superior karmic deeds. What are "right views"? According to the nineteenth fascicle of the Chengshi lun, right [views] are of two kinds: first, worldly; second, supramundane. Worldly [right views] mean seeing that there are sins, merits, and so forth. Supramundane [right views] mean being able to penetrate the truths of suffering and the rest. Furthermore, as a verse states: "Obtaining supreme worldly right view, though one wanders through birth and death for up to hundreds of thousands of lives, one will never fall into the evil destinies." Moreover, the twenty-first fascicle of the Yogācārabhūmi-śāstra states: "If one possesses superior worldly right views, though one passes through a thousand lives, one will not fall into the evil destinies." Furthermore, the thirteenth fascicle of the Abhidharma-samuccaya-vyākhyā states: "If one possesses the foremost superior worldly right views, though one experiences a thousand lives, one will not fall into the evil destinies." What is "energetic progress"? The Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra states: "Those of diligent, energetic progress are those who cherish, take delight in, rejoice in, and are glad of all wholesome dharmas. 'Cherishing dharmas' means giving rise to desire and seeking after this Dharma. 'Taking delight in dharmas' means praising its merits. 'Rejoicing in dharmas' means joyfully having faith in and accepting it. 'Being glad of dharmas' means delighting in cultivating it abundantly." The Sutra on Preaching the Practices of the Clergy and Laity states: "If one can make energetic progress, one is endowed with four dharmas: first, serving the Dharma day and night without ever slacking; second, preferring to lose life and limb rather than disobey the teachings of the Way; third, diligently reciting the scriptures without growing weary; fourth, broadly desiring to rescue those who are in danger and distress." The Milindapañha states: "Energetic progress can assist all wholesome dharmas, just as when soldiers in battle are weak, strong soldiers support them." Furthermore, as a treatise says: "Energetic progress broadly spurs on all gates to the perfections." The Sutra of the Buddha's Bequeathed Teaching states: "If one makes energetic progress, nothing will be difficult." According to the sixteenth fascicle of the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa: "A bodhisattva who has newly generated the mind [for awakening], gradually and sequentially cultivating bodhisattva practices among all wholesome dharmas, is called energetic progress." Question: Diligence in all wholesome dharmas—why is it not called energetic progress? Answer: The two vehicles and humans do not fully practice diligence, so it is not called energetic progress. Question: Why is it that when the two vehicles and humans practice diligence, it is not called energetic progress? Answer: They lack great compassion and abandon sentient beings. They do not seek the ten powers, the four fearlessnesses, the eighteen unique dharmas, or omniscience, unobstructed liberation, morality, concentration, wisdom, and all such wholesome dharmas. Bodhisattvas rest not and cease not; with single-mindedness they seek the Buddha and do not abandon sentient beings. One who practices like this is called [one of] energetic progress. Just as the Bodhisattva of Fine Giving, seeking the wish-fulfilling jewel, bailed the water of the great ocean: even if his sinews and bones were dried up and exhausted, he would never slacken and cease, and thus obtained the wish-fulfilling jewel to provide for sentient beings and relieve their bodily suffering. A bodhisattva doing what is difficult to do in this way is called energetic progress. Question: How many kinds of energetic progress are there? Answer: There are two kinds of energetic progress: giving and keeping precepts are called bodily energetic progress; diligence in concentration and wisdom is called mental energetic progress. Furthermore, diligently cultivating external activities is called bodily energetic progress; internal single-mindedness is called mental energetic progress. Furthermore, coarse energetic progress is called bodily; subtle energetic progress is called mental. Furthermore, energetic progress for merit is called bodily; energetic progress for wisdom is called mental. Furthermore, regarding bodily energetic progress, one undergoes various hardships without ever slacking or ceasing. For example, King Brahmadatta of the kingdom of Vārāṇasī went hunting in the forest and saw two herds of deer, each numbering five hundred. Both herds of deer each had a leader: one was the Bodhisattva Śākya[muni], and the other was Devadatta. The Bodhisattva Deer King had a body the color of the seven jewels. Seeing the king of men and his retinue, he gave rise to great compassion for his herd. He went forward to the king's presence. The king's men vied to shoot, and flying arrows fell like rain. The king saw this deer advancing directly toward him without fear or hesitation, and ordered his attendants: "Restrain your bows and arrows; do not obstruct its coming intention." Once the Deer King arrived, he knelt and addressed the king of men: "For a trivial matter of recreation and pleasure, Your Majesty causes all the herds of deer to suffer the agony of death at once. If it is to provide provisions for meals, we ought to arrange turns among ourselves: each day send one deer to supply the royal kitchen." The king approved of his words and granted permission according to his wish. Thereupon the two deer kings met together: each was to take turns day by day. In Devadatta's herd, a doe was pregnant with young; when her turn came to be sent, she came and addressed her king: "My body is due to be sent to death today, but I am pregnant with young, and the unborn child has not arrived at its turn. I beg you to hand down a judgment, so that the one who dies gets their proper turn and the unborn is not wrongfully killed." The deer king grew angry at her: "Who does not cherish life? When your turn comes, just go! How can you make excuses?" The mother deer reflected: "My king is unbenevolent; he does not consider me with reason and does not investigate my words. He gets unreasonably angry; he is not worth appealing to." She then went to where the Bodhisattva Deer King was and fully stated the circumstances. The king asked this deer: "What did your master say?" The mother deer answered, saying: "My king is unbenevolent; he does not judge according to reason, but exhibits anger. The Great King's benevolence extends to all; therefore I have come to take refuge. For me today, though heaven and earth are vast, I have nowhere to make an appeal." The Bodhisattva reflected: "This is deeply pitiable. If I do not attend to this, her young will be wrongfully killed. If I dispatch another out of turn whose turn has not yet arrived, how could that be sent? Only I can substitute for her." Having made up his mind, he sent himself and let the mother deer return: "I will now take your place; do not worry." The Deer King went directly to the king's gate. The crowd saw him, marveled that he had come on his own, and reported the matter. The lord king also marveled at it, and ordered him brought forward, asking: "Are all the deer exhausted? Why have you come?" The Deer King said: "The Great King's benevolence extends to the herds of deer, and no man harms them; they only flourish and multiply—how could they ever be exhausted? In another herd, a doe is pregnant, and because she is close to giving birth, her body is due to be chopped on the chopping block, and her fawn would also perish together with her. She came and reported to me. Taking pity on her, to select another out of turn was also impermissible; yet if she returned without being rescued, it would be no different from wood and stone. This body before long cannot avoid death; the merit of compassionate rescue from suffering and distress is immeasurable. If a person lacks compassion, they are no different from tigers and wolves." Having heard this, the king of men arose from his seat and spoke a verse: "I am truly a brute beast / named a human-headed deer. / You, though in a deer's body, / are named a deer-headed human. / Speaking according to principle, / one is not a human merely by outward form. / If one is capable of compassionate kindness, / though an animal, one is truly a human. / From this day forward, / I will not eat any meat. / I bestow fearlessness on you; / for now, set your mind at ease." The deer were granted safety, and the king attained benevolence and trustworthiness. All such [deeds] are called bodily energetic progress. Cultivating, having faith in, and taking delight in all wholesome dharmas without producing doubt or regret, and without indolence; seeking the Dharma without satiety from all noble ones down to ordinary mortals, like the ocean swallowing rivers—this is the bodhisattva's mental energetic progress. According to the Avataṃsaka Sūtra, there is energetic progress of the three types of karma: First, energetic progress of bodily karma: because one does not regress in revering and making offerings to the buddhas, bodhisattvas, and all fields of merit. Second, energetic progress of verbal karma: because one hears and upholds the true Dharma of all buddhas without ever forgetting, and praises the Tathāgatas and broadly expounds the Dharma to people according to what has been heard, without growing weary. Third, energetic progress of mental karma: because one skillfully enters into the dhyānas and samādhis of loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity, continuously and without regressing. Question: When a pure mind inwardly produces superior understanding, this is already manifested; why must one rely on renouncing the household life to seek the essential Way? Answer: Although knowing what is pure and wholesome and long awakened, dwelling in secular life is still like being in a prison, entangled in manifold affairs; therefore one renounces the household to study the Way. The eleventh fascicle of the Nirvāṇa Sūtra states: "Dwelling in the household is cramped like a prison; all afflictions arise from it. Renouncing the household is vast and spacious like empty space; all wholesome dharmas grow on account of it." Furthermore, the Ugraparipṛcchā Sūtra states: "The household is lowly; the renunciant life is noble. The household is the limit of birth and death; the renunciant life is the limit of nirvāṇa." Furthermore, the fifth fascicle of the Mahākāruṇika Sūtra on Repaying the Buddha's Kindness states: At that time, the Śākya women had their ears and noses cut off and their hands and feet severed by King Virūḍhaka, and were abandoned in a charnel ground. By the Buddha's mighty supernatural power, they were restored as before. The women reflected: "We now wish to repay the Buddha's kindness; we ought together to renounce the household, cultivate and uphold the prohibitive precepts, and protect and uphold the true Dharma." Having so reflected, they at once sought robes and bowls and went to the royal park, to the nunnery to seek renunciation. At that time, the group-of-six nuns saw the Śākya women: their age was youthful, and their beauty was shapely and fair. "How can they now abandon what is difficult to abandon and seek to renounce the household? We should speak to them of the worldly pleasures of the five desires: wait until your years are advanced and then renounce the household—would that not be delightful? If they return to secular life, they will surely offer their robes and bowls to us." Having so reflected, they went before the Śākya women and stated the above matters to them. When the women heard this, their minds were distressed: "Why is there great terror in this peaceful place? It is like fine delicacies mixed with poison. The many faults and perils of the worldly five desires are already fully known to us; why do they instead praise their beauty?" Having spoken these words, they wept aloud and left the monastery. There was a nun named Utpalavarṇā, who asked the women: "Why are you crying?" The women answered: "Our wish has not been realized." The nun said: "What is your wish?" The women answered the nun: "We wish to renounce the household, but were not granted permission." Then the nun Utpalavarṇā asked: "If you women wish to renounce the household, I can deliver you." When the women heard this, their hearts were filled with joy; they followed her at once, and she delivered them as disciples. When the Śākya women received permission, grief and joy mingled together, and they said: "Upādhyāyikā, you should know that when we were in the household, our manifold sufferings were not single: our kin died, our ears and noses were sliced off, our hands and feet severed, and our calamities were exceedingly severe." At that time, the upādhyāyikā informed her disciples: "What you have suffered is hardly worth mentioning! When I was in the household, the manifold sufferings I bore were far more numerous." Then the meditating women knelt and addressed their master: "We pray you will tell of the causes and conditions of the manifold sufferings in the household." Then the nun Utpalavarṇā entered samādhi, and with the power of supernatural abilities, emitted a great light, gathering the great assembly who had karmic connections. When they had gathered, she spoke herself: "When I was in the household, I was a native of the city of Śrāvastī. My parents married me to a man of the north. According to the custom of that land, when a woman is pregnant and close to giving birth, she returns to her parents' home. In this sequential manner, over several years, after giving birth to children, I was again pregnant and near the day of delivery. Riding on a chariot and horses, husband and wife together returned toward my parents' home. Midway there was a river whose waters were in sudden flood; the road was desolate, with many dangers from bandits. Having reached the river, we were unable to cross and lodged on the bank. In the first watch of the night, my belly suddenly pained me; I at once sat up, and before long was delivered of a baby boy. In the grass beside the cliff, there was a great venomous snake. Smelling the fragrance of fresh blood, it came toward me. Before reaching my place, my husband and a servant were sleeping on the path. The snake reached the servant and immediately bit and killed him; it went forward to my husband, who was asleep and unaware, and bit and killed him as well. I shouted out: 'A snake has come! A snake has come!' When I called, there was no answer; husband and servant were already dead. At that time, the venomous snake also bit the oxen and horses. By the time the sun came out, the bodies of my husband and the servant were bloated, rotting with worms, their bones already dismembered and strewn across the ground. In grief, sorrow, and terror, I fainted and fell to the earth, weeping aloud, beating my breast with my hands and tearing my hair. Dust covered my body; immediately I fainted again, casting my whole body onto the bones. Because of such sorrow, I lingered for several days alone on the bank. The water gradually subsided. Bearing the young child on my back, I held him with my hand; the newborn I placed in the skirt of my robe, holding it in my mouth. I then entered the water, and just as I reached the middle of the river, I looked back at the elder child and saw a ferocious tiger running in pursuit. Opening my mouth to shout, my mouth let slip the skirt, and the infant sank into the water. Reaching out with my hands to catch him, I ultimately failed to grasp him. The one on my back slipped from my hand and fell into the water, quickly sinking and lost; the one on the bank was eaten by the tiger. Seeing this, my heart and liver split apart; I vomited hot blood and cried out loudly: 'How horrific! How horrific! Today I have met with such cruel catastrophe all at once!' Reaching the bank, I fainted and fell to the ground. Before long, a caravan arrived. In the caravan there was an elder who was an old acquaintance of my parents. I went forward and asked news of my parents. The elder answered me: 'Last night your parents' home caught fire and was burned entirely to ashes; your parents also perished.' Hearing this, I fainted and fell to the ground; only after a long time did I revive. Before long, a band of five hundred robbers broke the caravan. The robber chief took me away to be his wife. The rule for the robber chief's wife was always to guard the gate; if there was an emergency and he was pursued by others, she had to open the gate swiftly. Later, at one time, my husband went out with the robbers to plunder. The king and the villagers joined forces to pursue them and chased him to his home. At that time, his wife was inside the house, giving birth to a child. Outside the gate, her husband called repeatedly, but no one inside opened the gate. Then the robber chief thought: 'Now this woman wishes to harm me.' Having so thought, he climbed over the wall, entered, and said to his wife: 'For what reason did you not open the gate?' The wife said: 'Because of giving birth, I could not make it in time.' Seeing this, the robber chief's anger slightly abated. He said to his wife: 'A person who has a body will have children. Because of giving birth, you harmed me! What use is this child? Go quickly and kill it!' The wife felt pity in her heart and could not bear to kill it. Then the robber chief drew his sword, hacked the child to pieces, severed its hands and feet, and said to his wife: 'You eat it! If you do not eat it, I will cut off your head.' Through terror, the wife ate it. When she had eaten it, his anger abated. Her husband later continued to rob and steal, and was captured by the king, who punished his crime. According to the law for punishing bandits, he had to be executed, and his wife buried alive with him. At that time, my body was adorned with exquisite necklaces. Someone lusted after my necklaces, and in the late night opened the grave, took my necklaces, and carried me off. After a short time, the royal investigators kept watch, caught him, and judged him according to the law. Just as with the punishment for bandits, he was executed, and his wife buried alive with him. They did not bury me securely; in the late night, many tigers and wolves dug open the grave to eat the corpses. Because of this, I was soon able to get out. Having gotten out, I was bewildered and dazed, not knowing east from west. Running along the road, I saw many people and asked: 'You people should know, I am now in agony; where can my worries be dispelled and my calamities eliminated?' Thereupon elder Brahmins and others, out of pity, said to me: 'In the Dharma of Śākyamuni Buddha there is much peace and security, free from decay and distress.' Hearing this, I rejoiced in my heart. Under the bhikṣuṇī Mahāprajāpatī Gautamī, I renounced the household, cultivated step by step, and attained the fruits of the Way, the three knowledges, the six supernatural powers, and full possession of the eight liberations. Due to these causes and conditions, you should know that when I was in the household, my suffering was like this. Through these causes and conditions, I myself arrived at the attainment of the Way." When the Śākya women heard this preaching, their hearts rejoiced greatly, and they attained the purity of the Dharma-eye. Question: What superior benefits are there in renouncing the household to study the Way? Answer: The Mahāsāṃghika Vinaya states: "If someone offers gifts to arhats for a hundred thousand years, it is not as good as renouncing the household to practice the pure life for a single day and night." Furthermore, the third fascicle of the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa states: "Though a peacock has colors adorning its body, it is not as good as the wild goose that can fly far. Though the white-robed [laity] have the power of wealth and nobility, they are not as good as the superior merit of the renunciant." Furthermore, the Abhiniṣkramaṇa Sūtra states: "Even if loved ones dwell together for long, when the time comes and life ends, they must separate; seeing this impermanence of a mere moment, therefore I now seek liberation." Furthermore, the Sūtra on the Merits of Renouncing the Household states: "If someone were to build precious stūpas throughout Jambudvīpa, eaves touching eaves all the way up to the Brahma heaven, the merit obtained would not be as good as someone releasing a single servant or slave to renounce the household and study the Way. If someone were to release servants and slaves to renounce the household throughout Jambudvīpa as numerous as rice, hemp, bamboo, and reeds, the merit obtained would not be as good as someone releasing a single son or daughter to renounce the household for the Way"—as broadly explained in the sūtras.

First 18 of 123 passages. Read on

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藥師經疏 — Classical Chinese