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Sūtra 54 (posted 03/2016; updated 02/2017) Book information on Home page
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Then Aṅgulimāla said to the Buddha, “Amazing! World-Honored One, pitying all sentient beings is the foremost difficult thing.”
The Buddha told Aṅgulimāla, “For a Tathāgata, that is not the foremost difficult thing. There are other foremost difficult things. During the remaining eighty years when the true Dharma abides in the world, to say comforting words about this Mahāyāna sūtra on the eternal and changeless Tathāgata store [tathāgata-garbha] will be very difficult. For sentient beings to uphold this sūtra will also be very difficult. For those who have heard a Tathāgata’s teaching on the eternal and changeless Tathāgata store, truly to follow it will also be very difficult.”
Aṅgulimāla asked the Buddha, “World-Honored One, how difficult are these things?”
The Buddha answered, “As an analogy, the great earth bears four heavy burdens. What are these four? They are (1) immense waters, (2) huge mountains, (3) grass and trees, and (4) sentient beings. These are the four burdens that the great earth bears.”
Aṅgulimāla agreed, “Indeed, World-Honored One.”
The Buddha told Aṅgulimāla, “It is not just the great earth that bears four heavy burdens. Why? Because there are people who bear heavy burdens.”
Aṅgulimāla asked the Buddha, “Who, World-Honored One?”
The Buddha told Aṅgulimāla, “During the remaining eighty years when the true Dharma [saddharma] abides in the world, every Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva who expounds to all sentient beings a Tathāgata’s teaching on the eternal and changeless Tathāgata store should bear four burdens. What are these four? When the evil kind wants to harm him, he should disregard his survival and even abandon his body and life, to expound a Tathāgata’s teaching on the eternal and changeless Tathāgata store. This is the first burden, which is heavier than the totality of all mountains. When the evil kind slanders him as an icchantika and scolds him, he should endure it. This is the second burden, which is heavier than the totality of all immense waters. If he cannot stay in prosperous and pleasurable cities or places, he should stay on their edges or in trouble-ridden places, where necessities, such as food, clothing, and medicine, are coarse, men are slanderous, women have little faith, and all his experiences are painful. This is the third burden, which is heavier than the totality of all grass and trees. If conditions do not permit him to expound the Tathāgata store to kings, ministers, strong warriors, and their retinues, he should endure in expounding it to the lowly, the handicapped, the poor, or the vagrant. This is the fourth burden, which is heavier than the totality of all sentient beings. Whoever can bear these four heavy burdens is called a Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva capable of bearing huge burdens.
“During the remaining eighty years as the true Dharma perishes, for a Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva who can abandon his body and life, to expound a Tathāgata’s teaching on the eternal and changeless Tathāgata store will be very difficult. For him to sustain [the belief of] sentient beings will also very difficult. For those who have heard a Tathāgata’s teaching on the eternal and changeless Tathāgata store, to elicit belief and delight will also very difficult.
“However, Aṅgulimāla, for a Tathāgata, those things are not the foremost difficult things. I now will tell you other difficult things. Suppose that a man has an immeasurable lifespan. For countless hundreds of thousands of koṭis of years, he uses the tip of a hair to take a drop of water from the immense ocean until it is depleted, like a puddle in a cow’s track. Is that difficult?”
Aṅgulimāla answered, “Very difficult, World-Honored One. That is indescribably difficult.”
The Buddha told Aṅgulimāla, “That is not difficult. There are truly difficult things.”
Aṅgulimāla asked, “Who [does them], World-Honored One?”
The Buddha told Aṅgulimāla, “During the remaining eighty years when the true Dharma abides in the world, for a Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva who can abandon his body and life, to expound a Tathāgata’s teaching on the eternal and changeless Tathāgata store will be very difficult.”
“However, Aṅgulimāla, for a Tathāgata, that is not the foremost difficult thing. There are other difficult things. Suppose that a man bears Mount Sumeru, the great earth, and the immense ocean for a hundred koṭi years. Is that the foremost difficult thing for a strong man?”
Aṅgulimāla said to the Buddha, “That is a Tathāgata’s state, and no voice-hearer or Pratyekabuddha can match it.”
The Buddha told Aṅgulimāla, “That would not be difficult for a strong man. Suppose that he divides each dust particle in the immense ocean into a hundred thousand koṭi pieces and takes away one dust particle every hundred thousand koṭi kalpas until [all dust particles] are depleted [and the ocean] resembles a cow’s track. And suppose that he can bear Mount Sumeru, the great earth, and the immense ocean for a hundred thousand koṭi kalpas. However, during the remaining eighty years when the true Dharma abides in the world, he cannot expound a Tathāgata’s teaching on the eternal and changeless Tathāgata store. Only a Bodhisattva who is a hero among men can expound it to protect and uphold the true Dharma. I say that he does the foremost difficult thing.”
“Moreover, Aṅgulimāla, suppose that a man can use water to extinguish the blazing fire of a Three-Thousand Large Thousandfold World. Is that man doing a very difficult thing?”
Aṅgulimāla answered, “World-Honored One, to extinguish the fire of even one [small] world is very difficult, much more a Three-Thousand Large Thousandfold World. It is very difficult.”
The Buddha said, “Indeed, Aṅgulimāla. In the future, those who observe the precepts will decrease, and those who violate the precepts will increase. During the remaining eighty years when the true Dharma abides in the world, if a Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva abandons his body and life, slaves and servants, cows and sheep, and material things, propagates with purity the true Dharma, and expounds a Tathāgata’s teaching on the eternal and changeless Tathāgata store, what kind of man is he?”
Aṅgulimāla answered, “Only a Buddha, not a voice-hearer or Pratyekabuddha, can know. At that time, supporting even worldly pure dharmas will be difficult, not to mention a Tathāgata’s supreme supra-worldly teaching on the eternal and changeless Tathāgata store. If that man can use water to extinguish the blazing fire of a Three-Thousand Large Thousandfold World, it is very difficult. In the future, during the remaining eighty years when the true Dharma abides in the world, if a Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva abandons his body and life to expound a Tathāgata’s teaching on the eternal and changeless Tathāgata store, he is [virtually] a Tathāgata.”
The Buddha told Aṅgulimāla, “Very good, very good! Good man, I say the same. All Tathāgatas say that all the difficult things done by that man cannot reach even the edge [of what this Bodhisattva does].”
“Moreover, good man, as an analogy, hundreds of rivers enter the immense ocean and no longer appear. Likewise, all men enter the wisdom acquired by one man and no longer appear.
“Moreover, good man, as an analogy, the immense ocean does not accept corpses. Likewise a man who never does non-dharmas should not associate with those who malign the Tathāgata store. To be such a man is very difficult. To sustain his group and those who hear the Dharma is also very difficult.”
Aṅgulimāla asked the Buddha, “World-Honored One, what things should a Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva achieve to indicate that he is not a novice?”
The Buddha answered, “Good man, if a Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva achieves the following eight things, he is not a novice. What are these eight? They are (1) know the Dharma, (2) ponder and uphold the Dharma, (3) support his parents, (4) acknowledge the kindness of his teachers, (5) reject the wrong views, (6) stay away from attitudes of disdain, and from unruly, evil, or impure things, (7) do not entertain thoughts of desire [objects], even in dreams, and (8) respect the precepts. If a Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva achieves these eight things, he is not a novice.
“Moreover, if a Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva achieves the following eight things, he is not a novice. What are these eight? They are (1) explain the Mahāyāna; (2) clearly expound the Tathāgata store, never tiring; (3) do not covet material things; (4) have lovingkindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, equability, and endurance; (5) regard all sentient beings as his only son; (6) stay close to beneficent learned friends; (7) stay far away from evil learned ones; (8) be content with worldly benefits. If a Bodhisattva achieves these eight things, he is not a novice.
“Moreover, if a Bodhisattva achieves the following eight things, he is not a novice. What are these eight? They are (1) speak comforting words well, (2) do not be mischievous, (3) endure slight afflictions, (4) endure in hearing all sūtras, (5) conquer the need for sleep, (6) do not be indolent, (7) be diligent and exercise self-restraint, and (8) delight in seeking [to accept] the precepts. If a Bodhisattva achieves these eight things, he is not a novice.
“Moreover, if a Bodhisattva achieves the following eight things, he is not a novice. What are these eight? They are (1) be truthful, (2) delight in doing pure things, (3) be radiant, (4) be civil, (5) stay far away from women, (6) stay far away from [attachment to] kin, (7) feel terrified, with body hair standing on end, when hearing evil, and (8) think compassionately of sentient beings. If a Bodhisattva achieves these eight things, he is not a novice.
“Moreover, if a Bodhisattva achieves the following eight things, he is not a novice. What are these eight? They are (1) know well what the Buddha says about māras and their differences, (2) have respect for those who know the sūtras, (3) know the differences between [the right] code of conduct and the wrong code, without concealment, (4) know well a Tathāgata’s veiled teachings, (5) know a Tathāgata’s secret, (6) know well how to follow worldly matters, (7) know well that a Tathāgata is eternal and changeless, and (8) know well that, according to time and place, a Bodhisattva’s [seeming] evil is not truly evil. If a Bodhisattva achieves these eight things, he is not a novice.
“If a Bodhisattva achieves these forty things, he is not a novice. If a good man or woman can acquire only half of these forty merits, it means that he or she neither abides in the Mahāyāna nor enters the status of a Bodhisattva. Therefore, Bodhisattva actions are very difficult. What are a Bodhisattva’s excellent virtues? If he has no thoughts of desire [objects], even in dreams, know that he has the virtues of all bodhi elements.[1]”
Then Mañjuśrī said to Aṅgulimāla, “What is meant by the Tathāgata store? If all sentient beings possess the Tathāgata store, they all will become Buddhas even if they have track records of evil karmas, such as killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and drinking alcohol. Why? Because all sentient beings have Buddha nature [buddha-dhātu or buddha-gotra] and will someday achieve deliverance. Because one has [and cannot lose] Buddha nature, should one commit the rebellious sins[2] or become an icchantika? If one had a self [ātman], its self-realm [ātman-dhātu] could deliver all in existence. However, one has neither a self nor its realm. Buddhas teach that all dharmas have no self.”
The Buddha told Mañjuśrī, “All sentient beings possess the Tathāgata store. However, like a lamp in a bottle, it is shrouded by countless afflictions. For example, Kāśyapa Tathāgata bestowed a prophecy upon a young [spiritual] trainee. He prophesied, ‘After seven years, you will become a Wheel-Turning King and use the true Dharma to rule and transform the world, while after seven days, I will enter parinirvāṇa.’ After hearing His prophecy, the young trainee exuberantly rejoiced and thought, ‘The one with all wisdom-knowledge prophesied that I will become a Wheel-Turning King. I have no doubt [that it will come true].’ He told his mother, ‘Get me various kinds of fine food, such as fish, meat, milk, cheese, sesame, and beans, to build up my strength.’ Then he ate all these things in a mixture and died an untimely death. Mañjuśrī, did that Buddha lie? Did He not have all wisdom-knowledge? Did that young trainee not have the roots of goodness to deserve the good requital of becoming a Wheel-Turning King?”
Mañjuśrī answered, “World-Honored One, his past evil karmas must have caused his death.”
The Buddha told Mañjuśrī, “Do not say so. His untimely death was not a requital for his past evil karmas. Mañjuśrī, how could that Buddha not know the requital for his past evil karmas and bestow upon him a prophecy [by mistake]? He had no past evil karmas, but lost his life because of his own doing. Mañjuśrī, a man or woman might think, ‘My body possesses the Tathāgata store. Because I will achieve deliverance, I now might as well do evil.’ If someone does evil, will he achieve deliverance because of his Buddha nature? In that story, the young trainee had the nature of a king, but failed to use it. Why? Because he abandoned self-restraint. Likewise sentient beings fail to reveal their Buddha nature because they abandon self-restraint. Do sentient beings not have Buddha nature? They truly do have it. Was that Buddha’s prophecy of the young trainee’s becoming a Wheel-Turning King a lie? Sentient beings tell lies and abandon self-restraint. Although they hear the Dharma, they abandon self-restraint. It is their own fault that they do not become Buddhas.”
Mañjuśrī asked the Buddha, “Do not all sentient beings have past karmas?”
The Buddha answered, “They have past karmas. However, if they have heard even a little of this sūtra, their countless asaṁkhyeyas of sins will be expunged. Why? Because throughout countless asaṁkhyeyas of kalpas the Tathāgata [Śākyamuni Buddha] made a great vow: ‘I will deliver all sentient beings that have not been delivered, and liberate all those who have not been liberated.’ Because of this vow and His roots of goodness, the radiance of the Tathāgata’s wisdom sunlight can expunge countless asaṁkhyeyas of sins. Moreover, Mañjuśrī, as an analogy, before sunrise, clouds and fogs cover the world. When the sun rises, all darkness in the world is dispelled. Likewise, before this sūtra-sun rises, all sentient beings transmigrate through [their cycles of] birth and death. When this sūtra-sun rises, the darkness of asaṁkhyeyas of one’s accumulated huge evil is dispelled in a finger snap. Even for someone who jokes about a Tathāgata’s teaching on the eternal and changeless Tathāgata store, or follows those on the wrong paths, his asaṁkhyeya sins, such as parājikas, and sins that would result in uninterrupted suffering in hell,[3] will be expunged in an instant. Why? Because whoever hears the name Śākyamuni Tathāgata, even if he has not yet activated the bodhi mind, is already a Bodhisattva. Why? Because the Tathāgata made a great vow to deliver all in the world who have not yet been delivered, to transform them by using the true Dharma, and to enable them to come to realization [of the truth]. Therefore, Mañjuśrī, whoever hears the name of the Tathāgata is a Bodhisattva. He not only can quickly remove his afflictions but also will realize the [dharma] body[4], just as I have realized it. Mañjuśrī, I now speak in verse:
I have described the path
That can pull out the poisonous thorns of care and sorrow.
You all should act
[In accordance with] the Tathāgata’s words.
“What is the path? There are two paths, the voice-hearer path and the Bodhisattva path. The voice-hearer path is the Eightfold Right Path. The Bodhisattva path is [the understanding] that all sentient beings possess the Tathāgata-store self and should, step by step, eradicate their afflictions and reveal their Buddha nature, which is motionless, delightful, and lovable. Those who do not eradicate [their afflictions] transmigrate forever through [their cycles of] birth and death. [In these lines] ‘I have described the path / That can pull out the poisonous thorns of care and sorrow,’ care and sorrow mean afflictions, and one who has pulled out poisonous thorns is a Tathāgata. I have eradicated countless afflictions and become a great medicine king. You should follow me and accept [my teachings], and I will indicate to you your Tathāgata store. ‘You all should act’ means that you should act in accordance with the veiled teachings in ‘the Tathāgata’s words,’ which never deceive you. The appearing of a Buddha in the world is like the appearing of an udumbara flower.[5] One’s belief in Him is like a speck of gold in the sands of the Ganges, also like a blind turtle chancing [to find] a hole in a piece of driftwood. If you encounter a Tathāgata, Arhat, Samyak-Saṁbuddha, who expounds a sūtra on the Tathāgata store and never deceives you about the consequences of one’s birth and death, then you can deliver yourselves from all your existences and affliction diseases. This is what is meant by ‘the Tathāgata’s words.’”
Diligently do good dharmas
And subjugate evil minds.
Whoever is tardy in acquiring merit
Has intentions [āśaya] attached to evil dharmas.
“I spoke this stanza for voice-hearers’ sake. [Teachings on] the Tathāgata store are hard to obtain. Nothing in the world is so hard to obtain as such teachings. Quickly observe how one’s intentions are attached to evils. A bhikṣu who emulates the faults of evil learned ones is surrounded by many afflictions, headed by the five filths that cover his inherent pure mind. What five filths are the root of afflictions that surround him? They are (1) greed, (2) anger, (3) stupor, (4) restlessness, and (5) doubt.[6] These five filths taint his mind. To remove these five filths and other afflictions, he should diligently use the power of his inherent pure mind as skillful means, in order not to malign sūtras, nor to become an icchantika, but to train to deliver himself [from his cycle of birth and death]. Because of this meaning, I say that he should quickly pull out the root of countless visitor-like afflictions [āgantuka kleśa][7] in his mind.”
One’s mind initiates [everything],
And one’s excellent mind produces dharmas.
If one’s mind has pure belief
While speaking or doing things,
Joy follows one,
Like the shadow of a form.
“This stanza explains to voice-hearers that the Tathāgata store means one’s inherent pure mind. As one’s Tathāgata store transcends all dharmas, all dharmas are one’s Tathāgata store. If one does things with pure belief and intention, it is because one has ended all one’s afflictions and seen one’s self-realm. As one has pure belief in one’s Tathāgata store whenever one speaks or does things, likewise after one attains Buddhahood, one will speak or do things to deliver all in the world. As one sees the shadow of a form, likewise one sees one’s Tathāgata store. That is why I say, ‘Like the shadow of a form.’”
One’s mind initiates [everything],
And one’s excellent mind produces intentions.
If one’s mind does evil
Through speaking or doing things,
Pains follow one,
Like wheels [of a cart] that follow a track.
“This stanza explains what is meant by afflictions. ‘One’s mind does evil’ means that one’s mind, shrouded by countless afflictions, initiates evildoing. So it is called evil. If one does not know that one’s inherent pure mind is the Tathāgata store, one succumbs to countless afflictions. Because one is restless and confused, whether one speaks or does things, pains endlessly follow. ‘Like wheels that follow a track’ means that evils accumulate as one transmigrates through [one’s cycle of] birth and death, and that evils drive sentient beings to take the three evil life-paths, like wheels that follow a track. That is why I say that whoever is tardy in acquiring merit delights in evil dharmas.
“Moreover, Mañjuśrī, because one knows that milk contains butter, one churns milk to get butter; because water contains no butter, one does not churn it. Likewise, Mañjuśrī, because one knows that one possesses the Tathāgata store, one diligently observes the pure precepts and practices the Brahma way of life. Moreover, because one knows that a mountain contains gold, one excavates the mountain to get gold; because a tree contains no gold, one does not excavate it. Likewise, Mañjuśrī, because one knows that one possesses the Tathāgata store, one diligently observes the pure precepts and practices the Brahma way of life, and declares, ‘I will definitely attain Buddha bodhi.’ Moreover, Mañjuśrī, if one had no Tathāgata store, practicing the Brahma way of life would be futile, like churning water for a kalpa but never getting butter.”
Mañjuśrī asked the Buddha, “World-Honored One, what is meant by the Brahma way of life? Why has the Tathāgata discarded the pleasures of the five desires?”
Aṅgulimāla said to Mañjuśrī, “Innumerable gods know that [desire] will cause them to fall, so they stay away from thoughts of desire.”
The Buddha told Aṅgulimāla, “Do not say so. All sentient beings possess the Tathāgata store. Therefore, all men are brothers, and all women are sisters.”
Aṅgulimāla asked the Buddha, “World-Honored One, if King Śuddhodana and Queen Māyā were brother and sister, how could they become the Buddha’s parents?”
The Buddha answered, “[Their being my parents] was a skillful display to deliver sentient beings. Otherwise sentient beings could not be delivered. As an analogy, a great king has two thousand strong men. Then two men display skills and subjugate them all, to delight the king and entertain the multitude. Only they know [that it is a staged show], and others are unaware. Likewise a Buddha displays that He has parents as do humans, in order to deliver innumerable sentient beings and enable them to leave the boundless immense ocean of birth and death. However, sentient beings do not know this. As an analogy, an actor plays various roles to entertain the multitude. Likewise Buddha-Bhagavāns produce various manifestations to deliver sentient beings, but sentient beings do not know this. As an analogy, a magician manifests severing his body parts to entertain the multitude, but actually his body is unharmed. Likewise Buddha-Bhagavāns, like a magician, produce various manifestations to deliver sentient beings. Mañjuśrī, a Tathāgata possesses all wisdom-knowledge and knows everything. He observes all sentient beings in the world, and sees that without a beginning each appears as someone’s parent, brother, or sister, and repeatedly rises high or falls low [in station], just like an actor playing various roles. Therefore, a Tathāgata lives the Brahma way of pure life.
“Moreover, Mañjuśrī, for pleasure, a man and a woman enter each other’s realm. How can they experience pleasure? Know that such pleasure is an aggregate of tremendous suffering. As a woman possesses the Tathāgata store, so too does a man. As they have the same [Buddha] nature, why should they be attached to each other? Having the same nature, a Tathāgata lives the Brahma way of life and abides on His own ground, the no-regress ground, the Tathāgata ground.”
Mañjuśrī asked the Buddha, “World-Honored One, why does the Tathāgata not establish an upāsaka and an upāsikā in the Brahma way of life? Why, World-Honored One, do You say that a bhikṣu, a bhikṣuṇī, an upāsaka, and an upāsikā are like four pillars of a hall? An upāsaka or upāsikā lives an impure life [does not practice celibacy]. How can they be established in the way of the true Dharma?”
The Buddha answered, “This odd thought is called a worldly thought. The Tathāgata regards all sentient beings as Rāhula [His only son] and always wants to establish them on the Buddha ground without ranking or graduation. A Buddha’s thoughts are different from worldly thoughts. Your question is called a non-question.”
Mañjuśrī asked the Buddha, “World-Honored One, is it because the realms of all sentient beings are one realm that Buddhas refrain from killing?”
The Buddha answered, “Indeed, killing another in the world is like killing oneself because all are in the same realm.”
Mañjuśrī asked the Buddha, “World-Honored One, why do You regard all sentient beings as Rāhula, then teach people to tame and subjugate the evil kind in the same realm?”
The Buddha told Mañjuśrī, “Good man, do not say so. The Tathāgata regards all sentient beings as Rāhula. For example, a man usually eats more than one meal a day. However, because he loves the Dharma, he eats only one meal a day, which means starving 80,000 worms [bacteria in his body]. His act should be called killing, but it is not impure killing. Moreover, Mañjuśrī, a sage turns away from the pleasures of countless desire [objects]. To end his desire, he could kill himself, but he would be guilty of suicide. When his sexual desire blazes, he should go to someone and say, ‘Because my desire has arisen, I pray to be admonished to have a sense of shame, lest I should disregard my survival and commit suicide.’ Does it mean that he has destroyed his realm?”
Mañjuśrī answered, “No, World-Honored One, he has accumulated merits.”
The Buddha told Mañjuśrī, “Indeed. Mañjuśrī, why do [some] sages kill themselves? It is because of their venomous affliction snakes, not to mention other causes. Buddhas teach that if one’s afflictions are strong, one should teach the evil kind and those who sabotage the true Dharma, to do difficult things. This would be an offering to one’s realm. When one discards the pleasures of desire [objects], clothing, food, or even life, in order to seek the ultimate bliss, or lets oneself be harmed in order to tame another, it means that one knows well one’s Tathāgata store.”
Mañjuśrī asked the Buddha, “World-Honored One, is it because [all sentient beings possess] the Tathāgata store that Buddhas do not eat flesh?”
The Buddha said, “Indeed. Without a beginning, all sentient beings transmigrate through [their cycles of] birth and death. They have been parents, brothers, or sisters, just like an actor’s various roles. One’s flesh and others’ flesh are one flesh. Therefore, Buddhas do not eat flesh. Moreover, Mañjuśrī, one’s realm and the realms of all sentient beings are one realm, and all flesh is one flesh. Therefore, Buddhas do not eat flesh.”
Mañjuśrī asked the Buddha, “World-Honored One, are conch shells, bee wax, honey, leather, and soft silk not the flesh from some sentient beings’ realm?”
The Buddha told Mañjuśrī, “Do not say so. The Tathāgata stays away from worldly ways and does not eat flesh. It is not right to say that He stays close to worldly things. Using worldly things is a convenience. One can use anything that arrives through a chain of stations, but should not use it at its origin. One can touch anything that arrives through a chain of stations that do not involve killing.”
Mañjuśrī said to the Buddha, “In this city there is cobbler who makes leather shoes. If someone buys [shoes from him] and gives them to You as an offering, will the Buddha accept them because they arrive through a chain of stations? Moreover, if a cow dies from natural causes, and if its owner has a caṇḍāla [an outcaste] remove its hide and give it to a cobbler to make shoes, can someone who observes the precepts accept the shoes given to him as alms because they arrive through a chain of stations?”
The Buddha told Mañjuśrī, “You ask whether someone who observes the precepts should accept leather shoes made by a cobbler from the hide of a cow that died from natural causes, and offered by that cow’s owner. If he does not accept them, he complies with a bhikṣu’s way of life. If he accepts them, he has no compassion but does not violate the precepts.”
Mañjuśrī said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One, a bhikṣu should not accept food cooked with impure water.”
The Buddha told Mañjuśrī, “This is called a worldly thought. If a layperson is available, he should use pure [insect-free] water to cook food. If no layperson is available, what can a Buddha do? There are insects in the earth, the water, and the air. If purity is evil, how can the world cultivate purity? Your question is called a non-question.”
Mañjuśrī asked the Buddha, “World-Honored One, there are those in the world who decided long ago not to eat flesh.”
The Buddha told Mañjuśrī, “Those in the world who follow my words know that they are a Buddha’s words.”
Mañjuśrī said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One, some in the world talk about liberation, but their liberation is not [true] liberation. Only the Buddha Dharma leads to liberation. Some in the world talk about renouncing family life, but their renunciation is not [true] renunciation. Only the Buddha Dharma leads to renunciation of family life. World-Honored One, some in the world talk about not eating flesh, because they believe that they have no self that eats flesh. Only the Dharma of the World-Honored One reveals one’s [true] self, which definitely does not eat flesh.”
The Buddha asked Mañjuśrī, “Do you want to know the origins of the paths established outside the right path? I will tell you.”
Mañjuśrī answered, “Yes, World-Honored One, I would be delighted to hear.”
The Buddha told Mañjuśrī, “Countless asaṁkhyeya kalpas ago, a Buddha called Kucchandabhadra appeared in the world, in this city. At that time the world had no grit and no paths other than the Mahāyāna, and all sentient beings were happy. After that Tathāgata stayed in the world for a long time, he entered parinirvāṇa. After his parinirvāṇa, the true Dharma abided in the world for a long time. When it began to perish, those who observed the precepts decreased, and those who did non-dharmas increased.
“At that time in an araṇya [a temple in a remote place] lived a bhikṣu named Buddha Wisdom. A benevolent man gave him as alms a priceless robe. Out of pity for the almsgiver, that bhikṣu accepted it and showed it to hunters. When the hunters saw his fine garment, they decided to steal it. At night they took that bhikṣu deep into a mountain, beat him, bound his hands, and hung him naked from a tree. That night, a Brahmin went to that araṇya to pick flowers. When he saw a tiger, he was terrified and ran into the mountain. Then he saw that bhikṣu, with a beaten body and bound hands, hanging naked from a tree. Astonished, he said, ‘Alas! Earlier this śramaṇa wore a kaṣāya [yellowish red robe], and now he is naked. He must know that wearing a kaṣāya is not the cause of liberation. The ascetic practice of hanging himself from a tree is the right training to attain bodhi. How could he have abandoned good dharmas? This clearly is the liberation path.’ Mistaking it for the true Dharma, that Brahmin shed his clothes, pulled out his hair, and became a naked śramaṇa. This is the origin of naked śramaṇas.[8]
“After that bhikṣu was released from his fetters, to cover his body, he took tree barks, dyed them with [the pigment of] red stone, and made a grass duster to dispel mosquitoes. Then another flower-picking Brahmin saw him and thought, ‘This bhikṣu wore a fine robe, and now he wears this. How could he have abandoned good dharmas? This clearly is the liberation path.’ That Brahmin then followed suit. This is the origin of Brahmins’ renunciation of family life.
“At dusk that bhikṣu entered a river to bathe. To wash the lesions on his head, he used a wash cloth to cover them. And he took the ragged clothes discarded by a cow herder to cover his body. Then another Brahmin saw him and thought, ‘This bhikṣu wore a kaṣāya, and now he has discarded it. He must know that wearing a kaṣāya is not the cause of liberation. Therefore, he wears ragged clothes, bathes three times a day and night, and practices asceticism. How could he have abandoned good dharmas? This clearly is the liberation path.’ That Brahmin then followed suit. This is the origin of Brahmins’ practice of asceticism.
“After that bhikṣu bathed, he was plagued by flies biting the lesions on his body. So he smeared white ash on the lesions and used a wash cloth to cover his body. Another Brahmin who saw him thought that this was the way to attain bodhi, and followed suit. This is the origin of Brahmins’ smearing themselves with ash.
“Then that bhikṣu used fire to cauterize his lesions. When the pain became unbearable, he committed suicide by jumping off a cliff. The one who saw him thought, “This bhikṣu wore a fine robe, and now he has ended up like this. How could he have discarded good dharmas? Jumping off a cliff must be the liberation path.’ This is the origin of worshipping fire and jumping off a cliff.
“Thus ninety-six paths arose because people saw that bhikṣu in various appearances, entertained various thoughts, and formed their own views. As an analogy, people in a country look at one another and entertain violent thoughts. Then they kill one another. Likewise ninety-six paths were established on people’s different thoughts. As an analogy, a thirsty deer chases a mirage that looks like water, until the deer dies from exhaustion. Likewise, when the true Dharma is perishing, some people took that bhikṣu’s non-dharma behavior as the Dharma. When the true Dharma is perishing, such things happen. Then the true Dharma ends.
“Mañjuśrī, all things in the world, such as the precepts and the right deportments, are a Tathāgata’s manifestations. However, Mañjuśrī, people in the world hold wrong views and entertain strange thoughts about one’s true self, as they describe liberation and self. Those who seek the supra-worldly truth do not know a Tathāgata’s veiled teachings but claim that a Buddha has taught “no self” [only]. They ponder their words as did those who established the wrong paths. The world follows ignorance, and those who seek the supra-worldly truth have lost the wisdom-knowledge of making veiled statements. Therefore, a Tathāgata expounds the Middle Way[9] of the One Vehicle [Buddha Vehicle], which is apart from the two opposites, and reveals that one’s true self, the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha are true. Therefore, the Middle Way is called the Mahāyāna.”
Then Aṅgulimāla said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One, sentient beings do not know the Middle Way but fancy that they can expound it.”
The Buddha told Aṅgulimāla, “Few people who have heard this sūtra believe it. Most people in the future will malign this sūtra.”
Aṅgulimāla said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One, I pray that You will tell us how many sentient beings from which directions will malign this sūtra and how many sentient beings will become icchantikas. Where can one find those who can say comforting words to sentient beings? I pray that the Tathāgata, out of compassion, will tell us.”
The Buddha answered, “In the future, in the central region, 98 hundred thousand koṭi sentient beings will malign this sūtra, and 70 koṭi sentient beings will become icchantikas; in the east, 98 thousand koṭi sentient beings will malign this sūtra, and 60 koṭi sentient beings will become icchantikas. In the west, 98 hundred koṭi sentient beings will malign this sūtra, and 50 koṭi sentient beings will become icchantikas; in the south, 98 koṭi sentient beings will malign this sūtra, and 40 koṭi sentient beings will become icchantikas. The Kophen Kingdom [in present-day Kashmir] will preserve my remaining Dharma, and my Dharma will not perish in the Bharukaccha Kingdom [present-day Bharuch, in northwestern India], nor the kingdom of the Vindhya mountain range [in central India]. Half of the bhikṣus in Kophen will practice the Mahāyāna, and half of them will delight in the Mahāyāna and expound it. In the south, there will be those who, free from the eight evil ways, walk the firm path, train in a Tathāgata’s actions, and expound that a Tathāgata is eternal and changeless, in accordance with a Tathāgata’s store of teachings. Bodhisattva-Mahāsattvas, bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās will walk the firm path, and bear and uphold my Dharma.”
Then Mañjuśrī said to the Buddha, “Amazing! World-Honored One, the Buddha Dharma will abide in the south.[10]”
The Buddha told Mañjuśrī, “Indeed, indeed. When my Dharma abides in the south for a while, you Bodhisattvas who practice asceticism should not spare your bodies and lives and, to comfort all sentient beings, should expound a Tathāgata’s teaching on the eternal and changeless Tathāgata store. As other Buddhas do not delight in being born here to bear innumerable sentient beings in this Three-Thousand Large Thousandfold World, I alone have come here to deliver them. Likewise, during the remaining eighty years as the true Dharma perishes, [most] Bodhisattva-Mahāsattvas will not delight in bearing and upholding the true Dharma. However, you and other Bodhisattvas will bear and uphold the true Dharma in Jambudvīpa [the southern continent] and other continents. Not sparing your bodies and lives, you all will expound a Tathāgata’s teaching on the eternal and changeless Tathāgata store. At that time, whether or not sentient beings believe it, you Bodhisattvas should think, ‘Even if my [physical] body is chopped into pieces, I will realize the ever-abiding body.’
“Therefore, for you and innumerable other Bodhisattva-Mahāsattvas to bear and uphold the true Dharma in the south is the foremost difficult thing. Therefore, I often praise the south as the final place to expound the Dharma. Because of the power of Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva’s awesome virtue and renown, or because of fear or a sense of shame, sentient beings in Jambudvīpa and other continents will turn to [the Dharma]. As an analogy, a king hears other kings’ ways in order to rule his country. Likewise [some people in] Khopen and Bharukaccha, out of fear or a sense of shame, will expound the secret store in the Mahāyāna. However, they will not expound a Tathāgata’s teaching on the eternal and changeless Tathāgata store.
“Mañjuśrī, as an analogy, when grassland is set on fire, it burns in the middle, not the edges. Likewise the firm path in my birthplace is gone, but my remaining Dharma will abide on the edges of the south because Bodhisattvas there will bear and uphold the true Dharma. Know that a Tathāgata will [virtually] be in their midst.”
Then the god-king Śakro-Devānām-Indra and his retinue from the Thirty-three Heavens [Trayastriṁśa Heaven] bowed down at the Buddha’s feet. After making great offerings, he said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One, together we will protect and uphold this sūtra. We request Your permission, and pray that, out of compassion for all sentient beings, You will tell us the name of this sūtra.”
The Buddha told the god-king Śakra, “Kauśika, this sūtra is called Aṅgulimālika. Uphold it as such. Kauśika, this sūtra is as hard to acquire as is an udumbara flower.”
Then Abhimaṁru,[11] the god-king Śakra’s eldest son, bowed down at the Buddha’s feet and said, “World-Honored One, when my father-king battles asuras, he tells his chariot driver, ‘You should gloriously subjugate the asura army.’ The driver says to him, ‘Have no worry. I will never let the king die before I die. I am resolved to fight to my death. Others will also do their best, not sparing their bodies.’ Likewise, World-Honored One, during the remaining eighty years as the true Dharma perishes, Bodhisattva-Mahāsattvas who will expound a Tathāgata’s teaching on the eternal and changeless Tathāgata store might think, ‘When I expound the Dharma, many sentient beings cannot endure hearing it. So I will not expound it.’ At that time, do not allow good men who hear about difficulties to quit. [They should] know how to drive well the majestic Dharma vehicle [to deliver teachings on] the Tathāgata store, and know that a Tathāgata, who is eternal, quiet, and changeless, widely expounds [the Dharma] in the world. At that time, if a good man will expound a Tathāgata’s teaching on the eternal and changeless Tathāgata store, I will become a bhikṣu to protect him, not sparing my body and life.”
Then the god-king Śakra’s many children, male and female, and other gods bowed down at the Buddha’s feet and vowed, ‘I will become a bhikṣu, a bhikṣuṇī, an upāsaka, or an upāsikā to protect him, not sparing my body and life.’
Then the Buddha praised, “Very good, very good! Good men, you all are seekers of the true Dharma. I too will protect those who delight in the Dharma. Like a skillful [chariot] driver, I will go before them. You all should stand firm, acknowledge a Tathāgata’s kindness, and widely expound a Tathāgata’s permanence, eternity, quietness, and changelessness.”
Then King Prasenajit, commander of the four types of troops, told his ministers, “Now someone like a rākṣasa has killed nine hundred ninety-nine people, short of a thousand by only one, made a garland with their fingers, and smeared his body with their blood. Bold and agile, he has devastated this area. He is now forty cows’ bellows from this city. Maybe he will kill me and my ministers to make his quota. Together we should eliminate this killer. In this city, men and women dare not leave their homes, and even birds and animals are too scared of him to come forth. You now should announce inside and outside [the city]: ‘King Prasenjit is leading the four types of troops to crush that rākṣasa Aṅgulimāla. All of you should take up arms and fight him with all your strength. Whether or not you can kill him, you will receive a reward according to your merit. You will be rewarded with elephants, horses, treasures, cities, or land. You will be given whatever you want.’
However, people were terrified of Aṅgulimāla’s evil name, and no one responded to the announcement, except the king’s attendants, who had no choice but to obey, because of their respect for the king. Then his queen and concubines wept and pleaded, “We would rather that you lose the position of a king than go to battle in person.”
Then King Prasenajit summoned divinators and inquired about the favorable or unfavorable outcome. He asked, “Will I be able to subjugate Aṅgulimāla?” And all divinations stated: “He will perish.”
Although the king received these words, he still disbelieved them. He took his four types of troops to visit the Buddha. Upon arrival, he bowed down at the Buddha’s feet. Looking fearful and with sweat flowing down his forehead, he sat aside.
Although the World-Honored One, who possessed all wisdom-knowledge, knew everything, He purposely asked, “Great King, why do you perspire?”
The King answered, “Now there is a rākṣasa called Aṅgulimāla. He has killed a thousand people, short only by one, made a garland with their fingers, and smeared his body with their blood. I fear that he will attack me. The people in my entire kingdom are terrified. Afraid to go outside their doors, they have neglected their work. Even birds and animals dare not go near him. I will lead these four types of troops to battle him.”
The Buddha asked the king, “Does the great king want to battle him today?”
The king answered, “I now single-mindedly place my faith at the Buddha’s feet.”
While the four types of troops were in huge fear, the king withheld his fear because he relied on the Buddha’s awesome virtue. The king said to the Buddha, “If he comes, he will be by himself.”
Then the World-Honored One pointed at Aṅgulimāla and said, “This is the ever-victorious Aṅgulimāla.”
The king stared at Aṅgulimāla without a blink. Observing his body, blood-shot eyes, and commanding bearing, the king was astounded, and his hair stood on end, as if he were seized by a non-human. His courage dissipated, and his saber fell to the ground. He drew near the Tathāgata’s lion throne, earnestly taking refuge in the Tathāgata, who regarded all as Rāhula. Meanwhile the four types of troops were even more terrified. In confusion and disorder, they scurried away. Then, to comfort sentient beings, the Tathāgata emitted the radiance of fearlessness, illuminating sentient beings and bringing them peace and joy. King Prasenajit, his retinues inside and outside [the city], and his people in the city thought, “Aṅgulimāla must have been subjugated by the World-Honored One.”
King Prasenajit praised, “Amazing! World-Honored One, You are truly the foremost yoke [of a cart]. You are truly the unsurpassed teacher of gods and humans, who has skillfully established in the true Dharma such a violent man who did huge, evil karmas.”
Then the World-Honored One praised in verse:
If someone who abandoned self-restraint
Has quit his violation [of the precepts],
He illuminates the world,
Like the moon after the clouds are gone.
“If a Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva first displays abandonment of self-restraint, then displays his merit, he illuminates the world, like the moon after the clouds are gone. He delivers innumerable sentient beings to display a Tathāgata’s merit. Great King, know that he is not an evil man, but a Bodhisattva versed in using skillful means.”
The king asked the Buddha, “Why do You say that he is not an evil man? He ravaged his teacher’s wife, then followed his evil teacher’s command to act like a piśāca.”
The Buddha told the king, “He did not ravage his teacher’s wife. That teacher and wife were a manifestation to convert his mind because he delighted in learning from his teacher and in speaking pure words. Great King, know that this event is extraordinary. As an analogy, the thrust of a dragon elephant[12] is beyond that of a donkey. Indeed, Great King, a Tathāgata is a great elephant-king. He gives veiled teachings in secret words, which are beyond voice-hearers and Pratyekabuddhas. Only Buddhas can do so.
“Great King, south of here, past worlds as numerous as the sands of sixty-two Ganges Rivers, there is a world called Adorned with All Treasures, whose Buddha is called Superior Great Energetic Progress That the World Is Delighted to See, the Tathāgata, Arhat, Samyak-Saṁbuddha. He teaches in that world, where there is neither the Voice-Hearer Vehicle nor the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle. The Mahāyāna is the only vehicle, and even the names of other vehicles do not exist. The sentient beings there have no aging, illness, or suffering. Enjoying only happiness, they have an immeasurable lifespan and immeasurable radiance. The wonderful things there are beyond analogies in all worlds. That is why that world is called Adorned with All Treasures and why its Buddha is called Superior Great Energetic Progress That the World Is Delighted to See. Great King, you should express sympathetic joy and join your palms in reverence. Is that Tathāgata a different person? Aṅgulimāla is none other than [the self-manifestation of] that Buddha. Know that Buddhas’ states are inconceivable.”
Then King Prasenajit said to the divinators, “All you said is a lie. You should quickly go far way. Do not lie again.”
Then gods, humans, dragons, voice-hearers, Bodhisattvas, King Prasenajit, and people from all cities and villages, through the Buddha’s awesome spiritual power, gathered there. They bowed down at Aṅgulimāla’s feet and, with one voice, praised in verse:
Namo the Tathāgata with a boundless body.
Namo Aṅgulimāla, who uses skillful means.
I now bow down at the holy one’s feet
And repent at the honored one’s soft feet.
I now repent to the honored Tathāgata Aṅgulimāla,
Whose body lives a double life.
For our sake, he has come here
And manifested a Buddha’s image in superb flaming radiance,
To illuminate sentient beings and give teachings.
I repeatedly repent to the immeasurable body of a Samyak-Saṁbuddha,
Who serves as the reliance for those without reliance
And as the kin for those without kin.
Amazing! Two Buddhas have appeared in the world.
What never before happened in the world has now happened.
It is extraordinary to see two Buddhas in the world,
Like a lotus flower born from fire.
Then the World-Honored One told King Prasenajit, “North of here, past worlds as numerous as the sands of forty-two Ganges Rivers, there is a world called Constant Joy, whose Buddha is called Joy Store Jewel Accumulation, the Tathāgata, Arhat, Samyak-Saṁbuddha. He teaches in that world, where there is neither the Voice-Hearer Vehicle nor the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle. The Mahāyāna is the only vehicle, and even the names of other vehicles do not exist. The sentient beings there have no aging, illness, or suffering. Enjoying only happiness, they have an immeasurable lifespan and immeasurable radiance. The wonderful things there are beyond analogies in all worlds. That is why that world is called Constant Joy and why its Buddha is called Joy Store Jewel Accumulation. Great King, you should express sympathetic joy and join your palms in reverence. Is that Tathāgata a different person? Mañjuśrī is none other than that Buddha [His self-manifestation].
“If one reverently pays respects to Aṅgulimāla and Mañjuśrī and has heard their names, one will see the world Constant Joy as if seeing one’s own home. Because one has heard their names, one can close the door to the four evil life-paths. Even if one jokes, follows others for fame and profit, follows those on the wrong paths, violates the grave prohibitions,[13] or commits sins that will result in suffering in the hell of the five no interruptions, one also can close the door to the four evil life-paths. If good men or women use these two names for protection, in their present and future lives, they will be protected in wilderness and perilous or terrifying places, and will have no fear anywhere. Even gods, dragons, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṁnaras, mahoragas, and piśācas will not disturb them.”
Then the World-Honored One told King Prasenajit, “A Tathāgata’s words have such great, awesome virtues. A Bodhisattva’s actions also have such great, awesome virtues. Mañjuśrī and Aṅgulimāla also have such great, awesome virtues. If one expresses sympathetic joy over their virtues, one can take a Bodhisattva’s immeasurable actions. Great King, you should make an offering to Aṅgulimāla’s mother. Do not forget that his mother is protected by my skillful means.”
Then Aṅgulimāla’s mother ascended into the sky, to a height of seven tāla [palm] trees, and spoke in verse:
A Tathāgata’s manifestations
Are unknown to sentient beings.
The illusions manifested by a Tathāgata
Are the king of illusions.
A Tathāgata can manifest
A huge or skillful-means body.
After speaking this stanza, she vanished. Then King Prasenajit asked the Buddha, “World-Honored One, was that an illusion?”
The Buddha told the great king, “It was a manifested mother. As this manifested mother said, likewise are Bodhisattva actions.”
Then Aṅgulimāla’s teacher, Maṇibhadra, ascended into the sky, to the height of seven tāla trees, and spoke in verse:
Suppose that a jackal
Often roams with a lion.
Although it stays near the lion,
Its voice can never compare with the lion’s.
As it is scared to death by the lion’s sound,
How can it mimic a lion’s roar?
I am like that small animal.
Although I have long been Aṅgulimāla’s teacher,
I can never emit
The fearless sounds of a hero among men.
If he did not use skillful means,
I would be dead.
I am like a jackal.
How can I accept his offerings?
My actions are foolish,
And Bodhisattvas stay far away from me.
Regarding all sentient beings
Equally as His only son,
The Buddha manifests countless illusions,
But sentient beings cannot know this.
Even if He manifests a hundred thousand koṭi
Brahmin teachers,
Sentient beings cannot know this.
Only a Buddha knows another Buddha’s illusions.
Know that a Buddha-Bhagavān
Is the king of illusions.
Then Maṇibhadra’s wife spoke in verse:
Alas! Sentient beings do not know a Buddha’s virtues.
They say that the Ciñcā-mānavika was real,[14]
Because they do not know that she was manifested by the Tathāgata.
He manifested my body,
Which is an illusion.
Great King should know that
A Buddha’s body is inconceivable.
Caṇḍālas [outcaste] cannot get near the king
Because they constantly fear death,
Not to mention speaking to the king.
Although they are humans,
They dare not get near another human,
Not to mention gods or a Buddha.
Innumerable gods, dragons, and other protectors of the Dharma[15]
Constantly make offerings to the Tathāgata.
They end the lives of
Those who have evil intentions toward the Buddha.
The Buddha uses skillful means
To display various illusions
In order to restrain future sentient beings
From doing countless non-dharmas.
As a Buddha’s manifestations are a great illusion,
So too is His skillful-means body.
After speaking these words, she vanished. King Prasenajit, after hearing and seeing these extraordinary things, exuberantly rejoiced. He asked the Buddha, “Was that an illusion?”
The Buddha said, “Great King, know that Aṅgulimāla’s mother, teacher, and teacher’s wife [who each just spoke and vanished] were manifested by me. The way I display manifestations is inconceivable as I teach and transform Aṅgulimāla, in order to deliver innumerable sentient beings.”
Then King Prasenajit said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One, I will give great alms for seven days because Aṅgulimāla Tathāgata is a fortune field.[16]”
The Buddha approved, “Indeed, indeed.”
Then gods, dragons, and other protectors of the Dharma spoke together in verse:
Namo the king of illusions,
Who displays great energetic progress.
A Tathāgata’s skillful-means body
Is an appearance of skillful means.
He enters parinirvāṇa by skillful means
And displays distribution of His relics [śarīra].
A Tathāgata has a boundless body,
Boundless wisdom,
Countless good names,
And countless strong guards.
As a Tathāgata’s body is boundless,
So too are His secret marks.
As His words are boundless,
So too are His veiled statements.
As He boundlessly illuminates the world,
His radiance is boundless.
His merits are beyond number,
Description, and measure.
With hindrance-free wisdom like the open sky,
And a body like the open sky,
The Tathāgata comforts Mañjuśrī
And all of us.
Because of Aṅgulimāla,
The Buddha-Bhagavān has come.
Whether or not He comes
Is not something we can know.
The Tathāgata regards all
Equally as Rāhula.
After the World-Honored One pronounced this sūtra, all in the assembly, such as gods, dragons, other protectors of the Dharma, voice-hearers, Bodhisattvas, and King Prasenajit, admired the actions of Aṅgulimāla and Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva. Wishing to be born in their Buddha Lands, the multitude activated the anuttara-samyak-saṁbodhi mind and exuberantly rejoiced.
1. See Thirty-seven Elements of Bodhi in the glossary. (Return to text)
2. See “five rebellious sinsfive rebellious sins” and “ten evil karmas” in the glossary. (Return to text)
3. See “hell of the five no interruptions” in the glossary. (Return to text)
4. See “dharma body” in the glossary’s “three bodies of a Buddha.” (Return to text)
5. Udumbara, the ficus glomerata, a tree that produces fruit with hidden flowers. Hence the appearance of its bloom is likened to the rare appearance of a Buddha. (Return to text)
6. In other texts, these five filths are called “five coverings.” See “five coverings” in the glossary. (Return to text)
7. See note 39 in Sūtra 51 on this website. (Return to text)
8. Some followers of Jainism are also naked śramaṇas. The Jain community is divided into two denominations: the Digambara, clad in no clothes, and the śvetāmbara, clad in white clothes. See Nirgranthaputra in the glossary, who is the 24th and last patriarch of the Jain School, and revered as the Mahāvīra (great hero). (Return to text)
9. The word middle does not mean a midpoint or a compromise between opposites, nor is it their union. The Middle Way (Mādhyamaka) means that emptiness is non-dual, above the plane of polar opposites, which are illusory appearances of dharmas through illusory causes and conditions, all with false names. Emptiness is also a false name. Although the Buddha often likens emptiness to the open sky, one should not take emptiness as nothingness or as a metaphysical base for saṁskṛta dharmas (Rulu 2012a, 25). (Return to text)
10. In fascicle 2 of text 270 (T09n0270), the Chinese version of the Sūtra of the Great Dharma Drum (Mahā-bherīhāraka-parivarta-sūtra), the Buddha says that during the last eighty years as the Dharma perishes, a youth of the Licchavi clan, called Entire World Is Delighted to See, will be reborn in the south as a bhikṣu to uphold the Dharma and pronounce the Sūtra of the Great Dharma Drum. The English translation of text 270 appears in Teachings of the Buddha (Rulu 2012a, 151–83). (Return to text)
11. The name Abhimaṁru is phonetically translated from Chinese. Maybe it should be Abhimanyu, which is a well-known Sanskrit name. (Return to text)
12. A large elephant is called a dragon elephant, as a title of respect. (Return to text)
13. See “four grave prohibitions” in the glossary. (Return to text)
14. The Sanskrit word mānavikrayin means selling one’s honor. Ciñcā-mānavika refers to the Brahmin woman who attempted to hinder the Buddha’s delivering the multitude. Hiding a wooden bowl inside her clothes, she entered the ashram in Jetavana Park, where the Buddha was giving teachings, and declared that she was pregnant with the Buddha’s child. Then the god-king Śakra manifested himself as a white mouse, entered her clothes, chewed off the string that tied the bowl to her clothes, and exposed the bowl. As the multitude was relieved of its doubts, the earth cracked open, and that woman fell into Avīci Hell (Buddha’s Light Dictionary 1988, 4119a). (Return to text)
15. See “eight classes of Dharma protectors” in the glossary. (Return to text)
16. See “three fortune fields” in the glossary. (Return to text)