Buddha Dharma Practice

A Chanting and Recitation Book
BUDDHA
DHARMA
PRACTICE
Edited by
Bruce W. Park
Lotus Dharma Society

BUDDHA DHARMA PRACTICE
Copyright © 2008 by Bruce W. Park

Edited and translated by Bruce W. Park
Publisher: Lulu.com
Rights Owner: Lotus Dharma Society
Edition: Second Edition
As a not-for-profit organization for Buddhist activities,

Lotus Dharma Society is dedicated to the Buddha Dharma
for the sake of all living beings. We depend on sponsors
to help people to live with the teachings of the Buddha.
If you would like to make a contribution to Lotus Dharma
Society or receive more information, please write to us:
Lotus Dharma Society
200 East 58th Street, #15J
New York, NY 10022
http://lotusdharma.livejournal.com
ISBN: 978-0-557-01469-9
Printed in the United States of America

To my dharma friends
Acknowledgments
I have studied the Buddha Dharma for more than twenty years from
various monasteries and schools. In 1997, I founded Lotus Dharma
Society in New York so that ordinary people can practice the teachings of
the Buddha. Since then I’ve been teaching several sutras, including the
Dhammapada, the Heart Sutra, the Digha Nikaya, the Bodhi-
chariyavatara, the Majjhima Nikaya, the Diamond Sutra, and the
Avatamsaka Sutra.
My friends and students asked me a compilation of the Buddhist
scriptures for the daily practice. And I collected and translated some
scriptures into English. I have been assisted by many sources, including
Last Days of the Buddha, Sister Vajira & Francis Story; Vajra Prajna-
paramita Sutra, Buddha’s Light Publishing; The Threefold Lotus Sutra,
Kosei Publications; Plum Village Chanting and Recitation Book, Thich
Nhat Hanh; The Vimalakirti Sutra, Burton Watson; The Dhammapada,
Eknath Easwaran; The Land of Bliss, Luis O. Gomez.
I am also indebted to many teachers, students, and friends who offered
invaluable suggestions. In this compilation of the daily Dharma practice
I am especially grateful to Gerald B. Forbes, who offered insights of a
native English speaker unaffected by the typical Buddhist English
expressions.
This book would not have succeeded without the generous support and
trust of the members of Lotus Dharma Society. But I owed the most to my
wife who has been supporting my dharma project. I appreciate that she
understands my lifestyle that has been described as ‘unproductive.’
I dedicate this work to all who make me a good friend in this life.
New York BRUCE W. PARK

March, 2008 Dharma Coach
CONTENTS
1. I Am a Buddhist.........................................................................9
2. Five Precepts............................................................................10
3. Ten Virtues...............................................................................10
4. Dharma Mission........................................................................11
5. Certificate of Precepts..............................................................12
6. Homage to the Refuges........................................................... 14
7. Namo Amitabha.......................................................................15
8. Namo Arya-valokite-shvaraya................................................. 15
9. Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra.................................................... 16
10. Prajnâ Pâramitâ Hridayam Sûtra........................................... 18
11. Good Will...............................................................................19
12. Twin Verses............................................................................21
13. Great Dharani.........................................................................24
14. Meditation on Loving-kindness..............................................32
15. First Disciples.........................................................................34
16. First Discourse........................................................................36
17. Four Divine Abodes...............................................................42
18. Last Days of the Buddha........................................................44
19. Vimalakirti Sutra..................................................................135
20. Vajra Prajna Paramita Sutra.................................................156
21. Lotus Sutra...........................................................................177
22. Avalokiteshvara Sutra..........................................................212
23. Avatamsaka Sutra.................................................................222
24. Amita Sutra...........................................................................238
1. I Am a Buddhist
I am a Buddhist.
I learn Buddhism at Lotus Dharma Society.
I am proud and happy to be a Buddhist.
The Buddha is fully enlightened.

The Dharma is well proclaimed.
The Sangha is practicing the way.
As a Buddhist,
I go to the Buddha for refuge.
I go to the Dharma for refuge.
I go to the Sangha for refuge.
Buddham Saranam Gacchami.

Dhammam Saranam Gacchami.
Sangham Saranam Gacchami.
The Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha are the Triple Gem.
I vow to serve the Buddha so that all beings may arise

the awakening mind.
I vow to practice the Dharma so that all beings may attain

Buddhahood.
I vow to support the Sangha so that all beings may have

no obstacle.
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2. Five Precepts
I abstain from killing living beings.

I abstain from taking what is not given.
I abstain from sexual misconduct.
I abstain from telling lies.
I abstain from eating intoxicating food.
3. Ten Wholesomeness
I do not kill living beings.

I do not take what is not given.
I do not conduct sexual misconduct.
I do not speak false speech.

I do not speak malicious speech.
I do not speak harsh speech.
I do not speak senseless speech.
I do not be greedy.
I do not be hateful.
I do not be senseless.
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4. Dharma Mission [1]
Released am I, friends, from all ties whether human or divine.

You are also delivered from all fetters whether human or divine.
Go now for the welfare and happiness of many

out of compassion for the world,
for the gain, welfare and happiness of gods and humans.
Let not any two of you proceed in the same direction.

Teach the Dharma with the right meaning and phrasing
that is beautiful in the beginning,
beautiful in the middle, beautiful in the end.
Proclaim a spiritual life pure and perfect.
There are people with little dust in their eyes

who will be lost through not hearing the Dharma.
There are people who will understand the Dharma.
I shall go to Uruvela, to Senanigama to teach the Dharma.
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5. Certificate of Precepts [2]
Dharma Name: Sangha: Lotus Dharma Society

Dharma Teacher: Date:
THREE REFUGES
The Buddha is the guide showing me the way in this life.
The Dharma is the way leading to the Awakening.
The Sangha is the community practicing the way together.
FIVE PRECEPTS
1. Aware of the suffering caused by the destruction of life, I vow to
cultivate compassion and learn ways to protect the lives of people,
animals, plants, and minerals. I am determined not to kill, not to let others
kill, and not to condone any act of killing in the world, in my thinking, and
in my way of life.
2. Aware of the suffering caused by exploitation, social injustice, stealing,

and oppression, I vow to cultivate loving-kindness and learn ways to work
for the well-being of people, animals, plants, and minerals. I vow to
practice generosity by sharing my time, energy, and material resources
with those who are in real need. I am determined not to steal and not to
possess anything that should belong to others. I will respect the property
of others, but I will prevent others from profiting out of human suffering
or the suffering of other species on earth.
3. Aware of the suffering caused by sexual misconduct, I vow to cultivate

responsibility and learn ways to protect the safety and integrity of
individuals, couples, families, and society. I am determined not to engage
in sexual relations without love and a long-term commitment. To preserve
my own happiness and that of others, I am determined to respect my
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commitments and the commitments of others. I will do everything in my
power to protect children from sexual abuse and to prevent couples and
families from being broken by sexual misconduct.
4. Aware of the suffering caused by false speech and the inability to listen
to others, I vow to cultivate loving speech and deep listening in order to
bring joy and happiness to others and relieve them from their suffering.
Knowing that words can create happiness or suffering, I vow to learn to
speak truthfully, using words that inspire self-confidence, joy, and hope.
I am determined not to spread news that I do not know what is true and not
to criticize things of that I am not sure. I will refrain from uttering words
that can cause division or discord, or that can cause the family or the
community to break. I will make all efforts to reconcile and resolve all
conflicts, however small.
5. Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful consumption, I vow to

cultivate good health, both physical and mental, for myself, my family,
and my society by practicing mindful eating, drinking, and consuming. I
vow to ingest items that preserve peace, well-being, and joy in my body,
in my consciousness, and in the collective body and consciousness of my
family and society. I am determined not to use alcohol or any other
intoxicant or to ingest foods or other items that contain toxins, such as
certain TV programs, magazines, books, films, games, and conversations.
I am aware that to damage my body or my consciousness with these
poisons is to betray my ancestors, my parents, my society, and future
generations. I will work to transform violence, fear, anger, and confusion
in myself and in society by practicing a diet for myself and for society. I
understand that a proper diet is crucial for self-transformation and for the
transformation of society.
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6. Homage to the Refuges
(Leader)
With an incense of morality, of concentration, of wisdom,
of liberation, and of true knowledge, I am offering to the
Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.
Om Vajra Dhupaya Hum (3)
(All together)
1. Sakyamuni Buddha, a leader of the triple worlds,
Parenting all living beings, my primary teacher,
To whom I bow down with all my heart.
2. All the Buddhas, the enlightened ones,
Dwelling in the world of Indra Net
To the end of time and space,
3. All the Dharmas, ways to Enlightenment,
4. Manjushri, the Bodhisattva of great wisdom;
Samantabhadra, the Bodhisattva of great practice;
Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of great compassion;
Ksitigarbha, the Bodhisattva of great vow;
Maitreya, the future Buddha of loving-kindness;
To all of whom I bow down with all my heart.
5. All the Sanghas, the spiritual communities,
6. May I have the wonderful power of the Triple Gem
Granting me great love and compassion.
May we all at once attain Buddhahood.
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7. Namo Amitabha
Namo Amitabha
Namo Amitabha
Namo Amitabha
………
If you wish to know truly
All the Buddhas in the universe,
You should see the nature of all things
As created by mind alone.
8. Namo Arya-valokite-shvaraya
Namo Arya-valokite-shvaraya
Bodhisattvaya Mahasattvaya
Maha-karunikaya
Om Mani Padme Hum
………
If you wish to know truly
All the Buddhas in the universe,
You should see the nature of all things
As created by mind alone.
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9. Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra
1. Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva,
while practicing the profound prajna paramita,
clearly saw that all five skandhas were empty
and overcame all suffering.
2. Shariputra!
Form is no other than emptiness,
emptiness is no other than form.
Form is exactly emptiness,
emptiness is exactly form.
Feeling, perception, volition and
consciousness are also like this.
3. Shariputra! This is the emptiness of all dharmas:

they neither arise nor cease,
are neither defiled nor pure,
neither increase nor decrease.
4. For this reason in emptiness there is no form,

no feeling, perception, volition or consciousness.
No eye, ear, nose, tongue, body or mind.
No sight, sound, scent, taste, touch or thought.
No seeing, even no thinking.
No ignorance and no end of ignorance,
even no aging-death and no end of aging-death.
No suffering, origin, cessation or path.
No wisdom and no attainment.
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5. Because nothing is attained,
bodhisattvas rely on prajna paramita,
then their heart is without hindrance,
and since without hindrance, without fear,
escaping upside down, dream-like thinking,
and completely realizing nirvana.
All Buddhas of all times rely on prajna paramita,
thus attaining anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.
6. Hence, know that prajna paramita is

the all-powerful mantra, the great awakening mantra
the unexcelled mantra, the unequalled mantra,
able to remove all suffering.
This is true, not false.
7. Therefore, proclaim the prajna paramita mantra.

Recite the mantra thus:
Gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha
Gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha
Gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha.
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10. Prajn~ P~ramit~ Hridayam Sãtra
Âryâvalokiteshvara bodhisattvo gambhîrâyâm

prajnâ pâramitâyâm caryâm caramâno vyavalokayati sma:
panca skandhâh; tâmshca svabhâva-shûnyân pashyati sma.
Iha Shâriputra! Rûpam shûnyatâ shûnyataiva rûpam,
rûpân na prithak shûnyatâ, shûnyatâyâ na prithag rûpam,
yad rûpam sâ shûnyatâ, yâ shûnyatâ tad rûpam.
Evem eva vedanâ samjnâ samskâra vijnânâni.
Iha Shâriputra! Sarva dharmâh shûnyatâ lakshanâ,
anutpannâ, aniruddhâ, amalâ, na vimalâ, nonâ, na paripûrnâh.
Tasmâc Châriputra shûnyâtayâm
na rûpam na vedanâ na samjnâ na samskârâ na vijnânâni.
Na cakshuh shrotra ghrâna jihvâ kâya manâmsi.
Na rûpa-shabda gandha rasa sprashtavya dharmâh.
Na cakshurdhâtur yâvan na mano vijnâna dhâtuh.
Na vidyâ, nâvidyâ, na vidyâ kshayo, nâvidyâ kshayo,
yâvan na jarâ maranam na jarâmarana kshayo,
na duhkha samudaya nirodha mârgâ,
na jnânam, na prâptir, aprâptitvena.
Bodhisattvasya prajnâ pâramitâm âshritya viharaty acittâvaranah.
Cittâvarana nâstitvâd atrasto,
viparyâsâtikrânto nishtha nirvânah.
Tryadhva vyavasthitâh sarvabuddhâh prajnâ pâramitâm
âshrityânuttarâm samyaksambodhim abhisambuddhâh.
Tasmâj jnâtavyo prajnâ pâramitâ
mahâmantro mahâvidyâ mantro
anuttara mantro asamasama mantrah,
sarvadukha-prashamanah, satyam amithyatvât,
prajnâ pâramitâyâm ukto mantrah.
Tadyathâ
gate gate pâragate pârasamgate bodhi svâha.
Iti prajnâ pâramitâ hridayam samâptam.
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11. Good Will [3]
This is what should be done

By those who are skilled in goodness
And who know the path to peace:
You should be able and upright,

Straightforward, and gentle in speech,
Humble and not conceited, contented and easily satisfied.
Unburdened with duties, and frugal in their ways.
Peaceful and calm, wise and skillful,

Not proud and demanding in nature.
Not perform the slightest thing
That the wise would later reprove.
May all beings everywhere,

Strong or weak, great or mighty,
Medium, short or small,
May all beings everywhere,

Seen or unseen, living far off or nearby,
Born or to be born,
May all beings be happy and joyous.
Let no one deceive another.

Let no one despise another anywhere.
Let no one, out of anger or hatred,
Wish harm to another at all.
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Just as a mother would risk her own life
To protect her child, her only child, from harm,
So within yourself let grow
A boundless heart for all living beings.
Let your loving kindness flow to the whole universe,

To its height, its depth, its broad extent,
A limitless love, without hatred or enmity.
Then, as you stand or walk, sit or lie down,

As long as you awake, cultivate mindfulness;
Your life will bring heaven to earth.
Not holding to fixed views,

But endowed with clear vision,
Freed from sensual pleasures,
You never again will come to another state of being.
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12. Twin Verses [4]
1. Our life is shaped by our mind;

We become what we think.
Suffering follows an evil thought
As wheels of a cart follow the oxen that draw it.
2. Our life is shaped by our mind;

We become what we think.
Joy follows a good thought
Like a shadow that never leaves.
3. How will hatred leave him if you think,

‘He was angry with me, he hit me,
He defeated me, he robbed me’?
4. How will hatred touch him if you do not think,

‘He was angry with me, he hit me,
He defeated me, he robbed me’?
5. For hatred never destroys hatred;

Only love does.
This is an eternal law.
6. People forget that their lives will end soon;

Those who remember it do not argue.
7. As a strong wind blows down a weak tree,

Mara the Tempter overwhelms weak people who,
Eating too much and working too little,
21
Are caught in the frantic pursuit of pleasure.
8. As the strongest wind cannot shake a mountain,

Mara cannot shake those who are moderate, disciplined,
Full of faith, and active.
9. What good is a saffron robe if your mind is not pure?

What will the robe do, if truthfulness is lacking,
Self-control is denied?
10. Cast aside meanness, stand on virtue,

Learn discipline and speak the truth,
And the robe truly fits you.
11. Foolish to think that truth is in untruth,

Equally foolish that untruth is in truth—
Such thinking leads nowhere
12. Truth is always truth,

Untruth always untruth –
This is what matters, this is right desire.
13. As rain seeps through an ill-thatched hut,

Passion will seep through an untrained mind.
14. As rain cannot seep through a well-thatched hut,

Passion cannot seep through a well-trained mind.
15. Those who are selfish suffer here and hereafter;

They suffer in both worlds from the results of their own
actions.
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16. But those who are selfless rejoice here and hereafter.
They rejoice in both worlds from the results of their own
actions.
17. Those who are selfish suffer in this life and in the next.
They suffer seeing the results of the evil they have done,
And more suffering awaits them in the next life.
18. But those who are selfless rejoice

In this life and in the next.
They rejoice seeing the good that have done,
And more joy awaits them in the next life.
19. Those who recite many scriptures

But fail to practice their teachings
Are like a cowherd counting other’s cows.
They do not share in the joys of the spiritual life.
20. But those who know few scriptures

Yet practice their teachings,
Overcoming all lust, hatred, and delusion,
Live with a pure mind in the highest wisdom.
They stand without external supports
And share in the joys of the spiritual life.
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13. Great Dharani
1. (Opening the Sutra)

With water I am chanting the Sutra.
Om Paramitaya Om Paramitaya Om Paramitaya
Let me purify my speaking.

Sri Sri Mahasri Susri Svaha
Let me console the gods of the five directions.

Namo Samanta Bhutanam Om Turu Turu Jimi Svaha
The Dharma is profound, peaceful, and subtle.

It is hard to see and understand it all.
Now I hear it, study it, and practice it.
May I understand the true Dharma of the Buddha.
Let me open the doors of the Dharma.

Om Aranam Aradha
Om Aranam Aradha
Om Aranam Aradha
2. (Recalling the Title)

Now I open the Great Dharani
granting the great, perfect, unbound compassion
of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara
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saving this world with his thousand hands and eyes.
3. (Going with Avalokiteshvara)

Namo Arya-valokite-shvaraya Bodhisattvaya
May I know all dharmas soon.
May I get an eye of wisdom before long.
May I save all living beings soon.
May I attain good skillfulness before long.
May I board a ferry of wisdom soon.
May I cross the sea of suffering before long.
May I practice virtue and meditation soon.
May I climb the hill of nirvana before long.
May I enter a house of liberation soon.
May I join the Dharma body before long.
When I go to the hell of swords,

let them be destroyed by themselves.
When I go to the hell of hot metals,
let them be cooled by themselves.
When I go to the hell of sufferings,
25
let them be crashed by themselves.
When I see hungry ghosts,
let them be full of food by themselves.
When I see jealous gods,
let them be good by themselves.
When I see harsh animals,
let them be wise by themselves.
4. (Recollecting the Buddha)

Namo Amitabha
Namo Amitabha
Namo Amitabha
5. (Reciting the Great Dharani)

The Great Dharani is deep and lovely.
Namo Ra-tna Trayaya

Nama Arya-valokite-shvaraya
Bodhisattvaya Mahasattvaya Mahakarunikaya
Om Sarva Bhayesu Trana Karaya Tasmay
Namah Kritva Iman Arya-valokite-shvara Stavam
Nila Kantha Nama Hridayam Avartay Isyami
Sarvartha Sadhanam Shubham Ajeyam
Sarva Bhutanam Bhava Marga Vishuddhakam
Tadyatha
Om Aloke Aloka Mati Lokati Krante
He He Hare Mahabodhisattva
Smara Smara Hridayam
Kuru Kuru Karmam Sadhaya Sadhaya
26
Dhuru Dhuru Vijayante Mahavijayante
Dhara Dhara Dharendre Shvara
Chala Chala Mala Vimala Amala Mukte
Ehyehi Lokeshvara
Raga Visham Vinashaya
Dvesa Visham Vinashaya
Moha Jala Visham Vinashaya
Hulu Hulu Malla Hulu Hare
Padma Nabha
Sara Sara Siri Siri Sru Sru
Budhya Budhya Bodhaya Bodhaya
Maitreya Nila Kantha Kamasya Dharsinam
Prahladayam Manah Svaha
Siddhaya Svaha Mahasiddhaya Svaha
Siddha Yoge Shvaraya Svaha
Nila Kanthaya Svaha
Varaha Mukha Singha Mukhaya Svaha
Padma Hastaya Svaha
Chakra Yuktaya Svaha
Sankha Sabda Nibodhanaya Svaha
Mahala-kuta Dharaya Svaha
Vama S-kandha Disha Sthita Krishna Jinaya Svaha
Vyaghra Charma Niva Sanaya Svaha
Namo Ra-tna Trayaya
Nama Arya-valokite-shvaraya Svaha
Om Sidhyantu Mantra Padaya Svaha
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6. (Blessing Four Directions)
Now that all the worlds are free of dust,
All protectors come down to it.
Reciting the marvelous mantras,
May I receive their secret compassion.
7. (Confessing Karmas)
The wickedness I committed endlessly
Through greed, hatred, and ignorance,
With body, speech, and thoughts
I now repent it all with confession.
Confessing to having killed living beings,

I make my body pure with compassion.
Confessing to having taken what is not given,
I make my body pure with generosity.
Confessing to having done sexual misconduct,
I make my body pure with contentment.
Confessing to having spoken false speech,
I make my mouth clean with truthful words.
Confessing to having spoken malicious speech,
I make my mouth clean with harmonious words.
Confessing to having spoken harsh speech,
I make my mouth clean with gentle words.
Confessing to having spoken gossip,
I make my mouth clean with meaningful words.
Confessing to having been greedy,
I make my mind clear with open-heartedness.
Confessing to having been hateful,
28
I make my mind clear with loving-kindness.
Confessing to having been senseless,
I make my mind clear with understanding.
Let me purify all my faults.

Om Sarva Buddha Bodhisattvaya Svaha
8. (Taking the Chundi Mantras)

Namo Mahachundi Bodhisattvaya Mahasattvaya
Om Ram Om Ram Om Ram
Om Chilim Om Chilim Om Chilim
Om Mani Padme Hum

Om Mani Padme Hum
Om Mani Padme Hum
Namo Saptanam Samyak Sambuddha Kotinam Tadyatha.

Om Chale Chole Chundi Svaha Bhurim
9. (Following the Great Vows)

May I stay out of the three evil states.
May I cut off greed, hatred, and delusion.
May I follow the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.
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May I cultivate morality, concentration, and wisdom.
May I study the Dharma of all Buddhas.
May I hold the awakening mind.
May I get reborn in the Pure Land.
May I greet the Buddha Amitabha.
May I launch myself everywhere.
May I save all beings without weariness.
All beings I vow to liberate, however countless.

All fetters I vow to abandon, however limitless.
All Dharmas I vow to learn, however measureless.
Buddhahood I vow to attain, however peerless.
I should liberate all beings within.

I should abandon all fetters within.
I should learn all Dharmas within.
I should attain Buddhahood within.
10. (Taking Three Treasures)

I go to the Buddha for refuge.
I go to the Dharma for refuge.
I go to the Sangha for refuge.
Buddham Saranam Gaccami

Dhammam Saranam Gaccami
Sangham Saranam Gaccami
Namo Buddhaya
Namo Dharmaya
Namo Sanghaya
30
31
14. Meditation on Loving-kindness
1. May I be well, joyous, and peaceful.

May no harm come to me.
May no difficulties come to me.
May I always meet with success.
May I also have patience, courage, understanding, and
determination to overcome apparent difficulties, problems, and
failures in life.
2. May my parents be well, joyous, and peaceful.

May no harm come to them.
May no difficulties come to them.
May they always meet with success.
May they also have patience, courage, understanding, and
failures in life.
3. May my teachers be well, joyous, and peaceful.

failures in life.
4. May my family be well, joyous, and peaceful.

32
failures in life.
5. May my friends be well, joyous, and peaceful.

failures in life.
6. May those unfriendly to me be well, joyous, and peaceful.

failures in life.
7. May all living beings be well, joyous, and peaceful.

failures in life.
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15. First Disciples [5]
1. At the time of the past Buddha Padumuttara, two brothers were

reborn in a good family in Hamsavati. One day, after listening to the
Tathagata’s Dharma and witnessing his establishment of two lay
disciples as “foremost of those taking refuge,” those two brothers
made a formal resolution to attain the same status for themselves in
the future.
2. For one hundred thousand eons, they were reborn repeatedly in

samsara, in the realms of gods and humans. Just before our Buddha
Gotama’s attainment of full enlightenment, they were reborn in the
good family in the city of Asitanjana. The elder was called Tappassu
and the younger Bhallika. As householders they owned five hundred
oxen and did the business of merchants.
3. When our bodhisattva obtained omniscience, he remained near

the seat of enlightenment in Bodhgaya for seven weeks,
contemplating his achievement. In the eighth week, he sat at the foot
of the tree Rajayatana. Then, those two merchants came to that
place, along with their five hundred oxen.
4. Now their mother in a previous life had been reborn in that place
as a divinity. She reflected: “Buddhas ought to be given food.
Indeed, this one should not go much further without any. My two
sons coming to this place should make offerings to the Buddha.”
And she made the five hundred yoked oxen to stop in their tracks.
5. “What’s this?” thought the brothers as they contemplated the

omen.
34
6. The divinity then took on the form of a man and said to them,
“Do not be afraid! I am not different from you; I am not a demon or
a naga. Indeed, in a past life I was your mother. And I have become
the local deity of this place. Now the Buddha sits at the foot of the
Rajayatana tree. You should offer most excellent food to him.”
7. When they heard this, the brothers rejoiced, and approached the
Tathagata, making alms of rice cakes and sweets on a gold platter.
“Good sir, please take this food.”
8. The Tathagata considered what had been done by previous

Buddhas and resolved to accept their offering. But he realized he had
no bowl. So, the four great divine kings came and offered him bowls
made of stone. The Tathagata, saying, “May the merit of their deed
be great,” declared that the four bowls should become one, and that
is what happened. The merchants placed the rice cakes and sweets
into the bowl of the Tathagata and offered him water when he was
finished. And at the end of his meal, they saluted the Tathagata and
sat down to one side.
9. And then, the Tathagata taught the Dharma to them. After the
discourse they took double refuge in the Buddha and the Dharma.
They saluted the Tathagata. Wishing to return to their own city, they
said, “Good sir, give us a memento of yourself that we can worship.”
10. The Tathagata rubbed his head with his right hand and gave the
two men eight handfuls of hair relics. The two men made golden
boxes for the relics. They took them to their own city, Asitanjana,
and built a shrine for the living hair relics at the city gate. On every
festival day, a blue ray of light still issues forth from the shrine.
35
16. First Discourse [6]
Setting the Wheel of Dhamma in Motion
1. Thus have I heard:

On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling at Baranasi in the
Deer Park at Isipatana.
Two Extremes
2. Then the Buddha addressed the five ascetics: “bhikkhus, one who
has gone forth faithfully from home life into a holy life should not
indulge in two extremes. What are they? First, there is indulgence in
sensual pleasures, which is low, common, worldly, ignoble,
unworthy, and unprofitable; and second, there is devotion to self-
mortification, which is painful, unworthy, and unprofitable.
Middle Way
3. “Bhikkhus, avoiding these extremes, the Tathagata has realized
the middle way. It produces insight and knowledge, and leads to
serenity, supernormal knowledge, full enlightenment, and nibbana.
4. “And what is the middle way, bhikkhus, that the Tathagata has
realized? It is simply the noble eightfold path, namely: right view,
right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort,
right mindfulness, right concentration. This is the middle way that
the Tathagata has realized, which produces insight and knowledge,
and which leads to serenity, supernormal knowledge, full
enlightenment, and nibbana.
Four Noble Truths
36
5. “This, bhikkhus, is the noble truth of suffering (dukkha). Birth is
suffering, aging is suffering, sickness is suffering, death is suffering;
sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, and despair are suffering,
association with the unloved or unpleasant condition is suffering,
separation from the beloved or pleasant condition is suffering, not
getting what one wants is suffering; in short, the five clinging
aggregates are suffering.
6. “This, bhikkhus, is the noble truth of the origin (samudaya) of

Suffering. It is craving that produces rebirth, bound up with pleasure
and greed. It finds delight in this and that, in other words, craving for
sensual pleasures, craving for existence or becoming and craving for
nonexistence or non-becoming.
7. “This, bhikkhus, is the noble truth of the cessation (nirodha) of

suffering. It is the complete cessation of suffering; abandonment,
renouncing, relinquishing, detaching from craving.
8. “This, bhikkhus, is the noble truth of the way (magga) to the

cessation of suffering. It is simply the noble eightfold path, namely:
right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood,
right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.
Twelve Aspects of Wisdom

9. “This is the noble truth of suffering. Thus, bhikkhus, concerning
things not heard before, there arose in me the vision, the knowledge,
the wisdom, the insight, and the awakening.
10. “This is the noble truth of suffering, which should be fully

understood. Thus, bhikkhus, concerning things not heard before,
37
there arose in me the vision, the knowledge, the wisdom, the insight,
and the awakening.
11. “This is the noble truth of suffering, which has been understood.
Thus, bhikkhus, concerning things not heard before, there arose in
me the vision, the knowledge, the wisdom, the insight, and the
awakening.
12. “This is the noble truth of the origin of suffering. Thus,

bhikkhus, concerning things not heard before, there arose in me the
vision, the knowledge, the wisdom, the insight, and the awakening.
13. “This is the noble truth of the origin of suffering, which should
be abandoned. Thus, bhikkhus, concerning things not heard before,
and the awakening.
14. “This is the noble truth of the origin of suffering, which has been
abandoned. Thus, bhikkhus, concerning things not heard before,
and the awakening.
15. “This is the noble truth of the cessation of suffering. Thus,

bhikkhus, concerning things not heard before, there arose in me the
vision, the knowledge, the wisdom, the insight, and the awakening.
16. “This is the noble truth of the cessation of suffering, which

should be realized. Thus, bhikkhus, concerning things not heard
before, there arose in me the vision, the knowledge, the wisdom, the
insight, and the awakening.
38
17. “This is the noble truth of the cessation of suffering, which has
been realized. Thus, bhikkhus, concerning things not heard before,
and the awakening.
18. “This is the noble truth of the path to the cessation of suffering.
Thus, bhikkhus, concerning things not heard before, there arose in
me the vision, the knowledge, the wisdom, the insight, and the
awakening.
19. “This is the noble truth of the path to the cessation of suffering,
which should be developed. Thus, bhikkhus, concerning things not
heard before, there arose in me the vision, the knowledge, the
wisdom, the insight, and the awakening.
20. “This is the noble truth of the path to the cessation of suffering,
which has been developed. Thus, bhikkhus, concerning things not
heard before, there arose in me the vision, the knowledge, the
wisdom, the insight, and the awakening.
Enlightenment Not Yet Claimed

21. “As long, bhikkhus, as my vision of true knowledge was not
fully clear in these three aspects and twelve ways regarding the four
noble truths, I did not claim to have realized the perfect
enlightenment that is supreme in the world with its devas, maras and
brahmas, in this world with its recluses and brahmanas, with its
princes and men.
Enlightenment Claimed
22. “But when, bhikkhus, my vision of true knowledge was fully
39
clear in these three aspects and twelve ways regarding the four noble
truths, then I claimed to have realized the perfect enlightenment that
is supreme in the world with its devas, maras and brahmas, in this
world with its recluses and brahmanas, with its princes and men.
23. “Indeed, a vision of true knowledge arose in me thus:

My deliverance is unshakeable.
This is my last birth.
Now there is no more becoming.”
Reflections on the Dhamma

24. Thus the Buddha spoke. The group of five bhikkhus was glad
and acclaimed his words. While this doctrine was being expounded,
there arose in the Venerable Kondanna the pure vision of the truth
and he realized,
‘Whatever is subject to causation
is also subject to cessation.’
25. When the Buddha expounded the discourse, thus putting into
motion the turning of the wheel of the Dhamma, the devas of the
earth exclaimed: “This excellent wheel of the Dhamma, which could
not be expounded by any ascetic, brahmana, deva, mara or brahma
in this world, has been put into motion by the Sublime One at Deer
Park, in Isipatana, near Varanasi.”
Hearing this, the devas Catumaharajika, Tavatimsa, Yama,
Tussita, Nimmanati, Paranimmitavasavati, and the brahmas of
Brahmaparisajja, Brahmapurohita, Mahabrahma, Parittabha,
Appamanabha, Abhassara, Parittasubha, Appamanasubha,
Subhakinna, Vehapphala, Aviha, Atappa, Sudassa, Sudassi, and
40
Akanittha all rejoiced what the Buddha said.
Then, at that very moment, their joy extended as far as the
Brahma realm. These ten thousand world systems quaked, tottered,
and trembled violently. A radiant light, surpassing the radiance of
the devas appeared in the world.
26. Then the Buddha said, “Bhikkhus, Kondanna has indeed

understood. Bhikkhus, Kondanna has indeed understood.”
Therefore, the Venerable Kondanna was named Annasi
Kondanna—‘Kondanna who understands.’
41
17. Four Divine Abodes [7]
22. The Brahmin student Subha, Todeyya’s son, said to the Blessed
One: “Master Gotama, I have heard that the ascetic Gotama knows
the path to the company of Brahma.”
“What do you think, student? Is the village of Nalakara near
here, not far from here?”
“Yes, sir, the village of Nalakara is near here, not far from here.”
“What do you think, student? Suppose there was a man born and
raised in the village of Nalakara, and as soon as he had left Nalakara
they asked him about the path to the village. Would that man be
slow or hesitant in answering?”
“No, Master Gotama. Why is that? Because that man has been
born and raised in Nalakara, and is well acquainted with all the paths
to the village.”
“Still, a man born and raised in the village of Nalakara might be
slow or hesitant in answering when asked about the path to the
village, but a Tathagata, when asked about the brahma world or the
way leading to the brahma world, would never be slow or hesitant
in answering. I understand Brahma, and I understand the brahma
world, and I understand the way leading to the brahma world, and I
understand how one should practice to be reborn in the brahma
world.”
23. “Master Gotama, I have heard that the ascetic Gotama teaches
the path to the company of Brahma. It would be good if Master
Gotama would teach me the path to the company of Brahma.”
“Then, student, listen and attend closely to what I shall say.”
42
“Yes, sir,” he replied. The Blessed One said this:
24. “What, student, is the path to the company of Brahma? Here a

friend dwells pervading one quarter with a mind imbued with
loving-kindness, likewise the second, likewise the third, likewise the
fourth; so above, below, around, and everywhere, and to all as to
himself, he dwells pervading the all-encompassing world with a
mind imbued with loving-kindness, abundant, exalted,
immeasurable, without hostility, and without ill will. When the
liberation of mind by loving-kindness is developed in this way, no
limiting action remains there, none persists there. Just as a vigorous
trumpeter could make himself heard without difficulty in the four
quarters, so too, when the liberation of mind by loving-kindness is
developed in this way, no limiting action remains there, none
persists there. This is the path to the company of Brahma.
25-7. “Again, a friend dwells pervading one quarter with a mind

imbued with compassion … with a mind imbued with altruistic joy
… with a mind imbued with equanimity, likewise the second,
likewise the third, likewise the fourth; so above, below, around, and
everywhere, and to all as to himself, he dwells pervading the all-
encompassing world with a mind imbued with equanimity,
abundant, exalted, immeasurable, without hostility, and without ill
will. When the liberation of mind by equanimity is developed in this
way, no limiting action remains there, none persists there. Just as a
vigorous trumpeter could make himself heard without difficulty in
the four quarters, so too, when the liberation of mind by equanimity
is developed in this way, no limiting action remains there, none
persists there. This too is the path to the company of Brahma.”
43
18. Last Days of the Buddha [8 ]
PART ONE: IN MAGADHA

1. Thus have I heard. Once the Blessed One dwelt at Rajagaha, on
the hill called Vultures' Peak. At that time the king of Magadha,
Ajatasattu, son of the Videhi queen, desired to wage war against the
Vajjis. He spoke in this fashion: "These Vajjis, powerful and
glorious as they are, I shall annihilate them, I shall make them
perish, I shall utterly destroy them."
2. And Ajatasattu, the king of Magadha, addressed his chief

minister, the brahmin Vassakara, saying: "Come, brahmin, go to the
Blessed One, pay homage in my name at his feet, wish him good
health, strength, ease, vigor, and comfort, and speak thus: 'O Lord,
Ajatasattu, the king of Magadha, desires to wage war against the
Vajjis. He has spoken in this fashion: "These Vajjis, powerful and
glorious as they are, I shall annihilate them, I shall make them
perish, I shall utterly destroy them."' And whatever the Blessed One
should answer you, keep it well in mind and inform me; for
Tathagatas do not speak falsely."
3. "Very well, sire," said the brahmin Vassakara in assent to

Ajatasattu, king of Magadha. And he ordered a large number of
magnificent carriages to be made ready, mounted one himself, and
accompanied by the rest, drove out to Rajagaha towards Vultures'
Peak. He went by carriage as far as the carriage could go, then
dismounting, he approached the Blessed One on foot. After
exchanging courteous greetings with the Blessed One, together with
44
many pleasant words, he sat down at one side and addressed the
Blessed One thus: "Venerable Gotama, Ajatasattu, the king of
Magadha, pays homage at the feet of the Venerable Gotama and
wishes him good health, strength, ease, vigor, and comfort. He
desires to wage war against the Vajjis, and he has spoken in this
fashion: 'These Vajjis, powerful and glorious as they are, I shall
annihilate them, I shall make them perish, I shall utterly destroy
them.'"
Conditions of a Nation's Welfare

4. At that time the Venerable Ananda was standing behind the
Blessed One, fanning him, and the Blessed One addressed the
Venerable Ananda thus: "What have you heard, Ananda: do the
Vajjis have frequent gatherings, and are their meetings well
attended?"
"I have heard, Lord, that this is so."
"So long, Ananda, as this is the case, the growth of the Vajjis is
to be expected, not their decline.
"What have you heard, Ananda: do the Vajjis assemble and
disperse peacefully and attend to their affairs in concord?"
"I have heard, Lord, that they do."
"What have you heard, Ananda: do the Vajjis neither enact new
decrees nor abolish existing ones, but proceed in accordance with
their ancient constitutions?"
45
"What have you heard, Ananda: do the Vajjis show respect,
honor, esteem, and veneration towards their elders and think it
worthwhile to listen to them?"
"What have you heard, Ananda: do the Vajjis refrain from
abducting women and maidens of good families and from detaining
them?"
"I have heard, Lord, that they refrain from doing so."
"What have you heard, Ananda: do the Vajjis show respect,
honor, esteem, and veneration towards their shrines, both those
within the city and those outside it, and do not deprive them of the
due offerings as given and made to them formerly?"
"I have heard, Lord, that they do venerate their shrines, and that
they do not deprive them of their offerings."
"What have you heard, Ananda: do the Vajjis duly protect and
guard the arahats, so that those who have not come to the realm yet
might do so, and those who have already come might live there in
peace?"
to be expected, not their decline."
46
5. And the Blessed One addressed the brahmin Vassakara in these
words: "Once, brahmin, I dwelt at Vesali, at the Sarandada shrine,
and there it was that I taught the Vajjis these seven conditions
leading to (a nation's) welfare. So long, brahmin, as these endure
among the Vajjis, and the Vajjis are known for it, their growth is to
be expected, not their decline."
Thereupon the brahmin Vassakara spoke thus to the Blessed
One: "If the Vajjis, Venerable Gotama, were endowed with only one
or another of these conditions leading to welfare, their growth would
have to be expected, not their decline. What then of all the seven?
No harm, indeed, can be done to the Vajjis in battle by Magadha's
king, Ajatasattu, except through treachery or discord. Well, then,
Venerable Gotama, we will take our leave, for we have much to
perform, much work to do."
"Do as now seems fit to you, brahmin." And the brahmin
Vassakara, the chief minister of Magadha, approving of the Blessed
One's words and delighted by them, rose from his seat and departed.
Welfare of the Bhikkhus

6. Then, soon after Vassakara's departure, the Blessed One addressed
the Venerable Ananda thus: "Go now, Ananda, and assemble in the
hall of audience as many bhikkhus as live around Rajagaha."
"Very well, Lord." And the Venerable Ananda did as he was
requested and informed the Blessed One: "The community of
bhikkhus is assembled, Lord. Now let the Blessed One do as he
wishes."
Thereupon the Blessed One rose from his seat, went up to the
hall of audience, took his appointed seat there, and addressed the
47
bhikkhus thus: "Seven conditions leading to welfare I shall set forth,
bhikkhus. Listen and pay heed to what I shall say."
"So be it, Lord."
"The growth of the bhikkhus is to be expected, not their decline,
bhikkhus, so long as they assemble frequently and in large numbers;
meet and disperse peacefully and attend to the affairs of the Sangha
in concord; so long as they appoint no new rules, and do not abolish
the existing ones, but proceed in accordance with the code of
training (Vinaya) laid down; so long as they show respect, honor,
esteem, and veneration towards the elder bhikkhus, those of long
standing, long gone forth, the fathers and leaders of the Sangha, and
think it worthwhile to listen to them; so long as they do not come
under the power of the craving that leads to fresh becoming; so long
as they cherish the forest depths for their dwellings; so long as they
establish themselves in mindfulness, so that virtuous brethren of the
Order who have not come yet might do so, and those already come
might live in peace; so long, bhikkhus, as these seven conditions
leading to welfare endure among the bhikkhus and the bhikkhus are
known for it, their growth is to be expected, not their decline.
7. "Seven further conditions leading to welfare I shall set forth,

"So be it, Lord."
bhikkhus, so long as they do not delight in, are not pleased with, and
are not fond of activities, talk, sleep, and company; so long as they
do not harbor, do not come under the spell of evil desires; have no
bad friends, associates, or companions; and so long as they do not
48
stop halfway on account of some trifling achievement. So long,
bhikkhus, as these seven conditions leading to welfare endure
among the bhikkhus and the bhikkhus are known for it, their growth
is to be expected, not their decline.
Seven Good Qualities

"So be it, Lord."
bhikkhus, so long as they shall have faith, so long as they have moral
shame and fear of misconduct, are proficient in learning, resolute,
mindful, and wise. So long, bhikkhus, as these seven conditions
leading to welfare endure among the bhikkhus, and the bhikkhus are
known for it, their growth is to be expected, not their decline.
Seven Factors of Enlightenment

"So be it, Lord."
bhikkhus, so long as they cultivate the seven factors of
enlightenment, that is: mindfulness, investigation into phenomena,
energy, bliss, tranquility, concentration, and equanimity. So long,
bhikkhus, as these seven conditions leading to welfare endure
among the bhikkhus, and the bhikkhus are known for it, their growth
Seven Perceptions
49
"So be it, Lord."
bhikkhus, so long as they cultivate the perception of impermanence,
of egolessness, of (the body's) impurity, of (the body's)
wretchedness, of relinquishment, of dispassion, and of cessation. So
long, bhikkhus, as these seven conditions leading to welfare endure
among the bhikkhus, and the bhikkhus are known for it, their growth
Six Conditions to be Remembered

11. "Six further conditions leading to welfare I shall set forth,
"So be it, Lord."
bhikkhus, so long as they attend on each other with loving-kindness
in deed, word, and thought, both openly and in private; so long as in
respect of what they receive as due offerings, even the contents of
their alms bowls, they do not make use of them without sharing
them with virtuous members of the community; so long as, in
company with their brethren, they train themselves, openly and in
private, in the rules of conduct, which are complete and perfect,
spotless and pure, liberating, praised by the wise, uninfluenced (by
mundane concerns), and favorable to concentration of mind; and in
company with their brethren, preserve, openly and in private, the
insight that is noble and liberating, and leads one who acts upon it
to the utter destruction of suffering. So long, bhikkhus, as these six
50
conditions leading to welfare endure among the bhikkhus, and the
bhikkhus are known for it, their growth is to be expected, not their
decline.
Counsel to the Bhikkhus

12. And the Blessed One, living at Rajagaha, at the hill called
Vultures' Peak, often gave counsel to the bhikkhus thus: "Such and
such is virtue; such and such is concentration; and such and such is
wisdom. Great becomes the fruit, great is the gain of concentration
when it is fully developed by virtuous conduct; great becomes the
fruit, great is the gain of wisdom when it is fully developed by
concentration; utterly freed from the taints of lust, becoming, and
ignorance is the mind that is fully developed in wisdom."
13. When the Blessed One had stayed at Rajagaha as long as he

pleased, he addressed the Venerable Ananda thus: "Come, Ananda,
let us go to Ambalatthika."
"So be it, Lord."
And the Blessed One took up his abode at Ambalatthika,
together with a large community of bhikkhus.
14. At Ambalatthika the Blessed One came to stay in the king's rest
house; and there, too, the Blessed One often gave counsel to the
bhikkhus thus: "Such and such is virtue; such and such is
concentration; and such and such is wisdom. Great becomes the
fruit, great is the gain of concentration when it is fully developed by
virtuous conduct; great becomes the fruit, great is the gain of
wisdom when it is fully developed by concentration; utterly freed
from the taints of lust, becoming, and ignorance is the mind that is
51
fully developed in wisdom."
15. When the Blessed One had stayed at Ambalatthika as long as he

let us go to Nalanda."
"So be it, Lord."
And the Blessed One took up his abode at Nalanda together with
a large community of bhikkhus, and came to stay in the mango grove
of Pavarika.
Sariputta's Lion's Roar

16. Then the Venerable Sariputta went to the Blessed One,
respectfully greeted him, sat down at one side, and spoke thus to
him: "This faith, Lord, I have in the Blessed One, that there has not
been, there will not be, nor is there now, another recluse or brahmin
more exalted in Enlightenment than the Blessed One."
"Lofty indeed is this speech of yours, Sariputta, and lordly! A
bold utterance, a veritable sounding of the lion's roar! But how is
this, Sariputta? Those Arahats, Fully Enlightened Ones of the
past—do you have direct personal knowledge of all those Blessed
Ones, as to their virtue, their meditation, their wisdom, their abiding,
and their emancipation?"
"Not so, Lord."
"Then how is this, Sariputta? Those Arahats, Fully Enlightened
Ones of the future—do you have direct personal knowledge of all
those Blessed Ones, as to their virtue, their meditation, their
wisdom, their abiding, and their emancipation?"
"Not so, Lord."
"Then how is this, Sariputta? Of me, who am at present the
52
Arahat, the Fully Enlightened One, do you have direct personal
knowledge as to my virtue, my meditation, my wisdom, my abiding,
and my emancipation?"
"Not so, Lord."
"Then it is clear, Sariputta, that you have no such direct personal
knowledge of the Arahats, the Fully Enlightened Ones of the past,
the future, and the present. How then dare you set forth a speech so
lofty and lordly, an utterance so bold, a veritable sounding of the
lion's roar, saying: 'This faith, Lord, I have in the Blessed One, that
there has not been, there will not be, nor is there now another recluse
or brahmin more exalted in Enlightenment than the Blessed One'?"
17. "No such direct personal knowledge, indeed, is mine, Lord, of

the Arahats, the Fully Enlightened Ones of the past, the future, and
the present; and yet I have come to know the lawfulness of the
Dhamma. Suppose, Lord, a king's frontier fortress was strongly
fortified, with strong ramparts and turrets, and it had a single gate,
and there was a gatekeeper, intelligent, experienced, and prudent,
who would keep out the stranger but allow the friend to enter. As he
patrols the path that leads all around the fortress, he does not
perceive a hole or fissure in the ramparts even big enough to allow
a cat to slip through. So he comes to the conclusion: 'Whatever
grosser living things are to enter or leave this city, they will all have
to do so just by this gate.' In the same way, Lord, I have come to
know the lawfulness of the Dhamma.
"For, Lord, all the Blessed Ones, Arahats, Fully Enlightened
Ones of the past had abandoned the five hindrances, the mental
defilements that weaken wisdom; had well established their minds
53
in the four foundations of mindfulness; had duly cultivated the seven
factors of enlightenment, and were fully enlightened in unsurpassed,
supreme Enlightenment.
"And, Lord, all the Blessed Ones, Arahats, Fully Enlightened
Ones of the future will abandon the five hindrances, the mental
defilements that weaken wisdom; will well establish their minds in
the four foundations of mindfulness; will duly cultivate the seven
factors of enlightenment, and will be fully enlightened in
unsurpassed, supreme Enlightenment.
"And the Blessed One too, Lord, being at present the Arahat, the
Fully Enlightened One, has abandoned the five hindrances, the
mental defilements that weaken wisdom; has well established his
mind in the four foundations of mindfulness; has duly cultivated the
seven factors of enlightenment, and is fully enlightened in
unsurpassed, supreme Enlightenment."
18. And also in Nalanda, in the mango grove of Pavarika, the

Blessed One often gave counsel to the bhikkhus thus: "Such and
such is virtue; such and such is concentration; and such and such is
wisdom. Great becomes the fruit, great is the gain of concentration
when it is fully developed by virtuous conduct; great becomes the
fruit, great is the gain of wisdom when it is fully developed by
concentration; utterly freed from the taints of lust, becoming, and
ignorance is the mind that is fully developed in wisdom."
19. When the Blessed One had stayed at Nalanda as long as he

let us go to Pataligama."
"So be it, Lord."
54
And the Blessed One took up his abode at Pataligama together
with a large community of bhikkhus.
20. Then the devotees of Pataligama came to know: "The Blessed

One, they say, has arrived at Pataligama." And they approached the
Blessed One, respectfully greeted him, sat down at one side, and
addressed him thus: "May the Blessed One, Lord, kindly visit our
council hall." And the Blessed One consented by his silence.
21. Knowing the Blessed One's consent, the devotees of Pataligama

rose from their seats, respectfully saluted him, and keeping their
right sides towards him, departed for the council hall. Then they
prepared the council hall by covering the floor all over, arranging
seats and water, and setting out an oil lamp. Having done this, they
returned to the Blessed One, respectfully greeted him, and standing
at one side, announced: "Lord, the council hall is ready, with the
floor covered all over, seats and water prepared, and an oil lamp has
been set out. Let the Blessed One come, Lord, at his convenience.
22. And the Blessed One got ready, and taking his bowl and robe,
went to the council hall together with the company of bhikkhus.
After rinsing his feet, the Blessed One entered the council hall and
took his seat close to the middle pillar, facing east. The community
of bhikkhus, after rinsing their feet, also entered the council hall and
took seats near the western wall, facing east, so that the Blessed One
was before them. And the devotees of Pataligama, after rinsing their
feet and entering the council hall, sat down near the eastern wall,
facing west, so that the Blessed One was in front of them.
55
The Fruits of an Immoral and a Moral Life
23. Thereupon the Blessed One addressed the devotees of
Pataligama thus: "The immoral man, householders, by falling away
from virtue, encounters five perils: great loss of wealth through
heedlessness; an evil reputation; a timid and troubled demeanor in
every society, be it that of nobles, brahmins, householders, or
ascetics; death in bewilderment; and, at the breaking up of the body
after death, rebirth in a realm of misery, in an unhappy state, in the
nether world, in hell.
24. "Five blessings, householders, accrue to the righteous man

through his practice of virtue: great increase of wealth through his
diligence; a favorable reputation; a confident deportment, without
timidity, in every society, be it that of nobles, brahmins,
householders, or ascetics; a serene death; and, at the breaking up of
the body after death, rebirth in a happy state, in a heavenly world."
25. And the Blessed One spent much of the night instructing the
devotees of Pataligama in the Dhamma, rousing, edifying, and
gladdening them, after which he dismissed them, saying: "The night
is far advanced, householders. You may go at your convenience.
"So be it, Lord." And the devotees of Pataligama rose from their
seats, respectfully saluted the Blessed One, and keeping their right
sides towards him, departed. And the Blessed One, soon after their
departure, retired into privacy.
26. At that time Sunidha and Vassakara, the chief ministers of

Magadha, were building a fortress at Pataligama in defense against
the Vajjis. And deities in large numbers, counted in thousands, had
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taken possession of sites at Pataligama. In the region where deities
of great power prevailed, officials of great power were bent on
constructing edifices; and where deities of medium power and lesser
power prevailed, officials of medium and lesser power were bent on
constructing edifices.
27. And the Blessed One saw with the heavenly eye, pure and
transcending the faculty of men, the deities, counted in thousands,
where they had taken possession of sites in Pataligama. And rising
before the night was spent, towards dawn, the Blessed One
addressed the Venerable Ananda thus: "Who is it, Ananda, that is
erecting a city at Pataligama?"
"Sunidha and Vassakara, Lord, the chief ministers of Magadha,
are building a fortress at Pataligama, in defense against the Vajjis."
28. "It is, Ananda, as if Sunidha and Vassakara had taken counsel
with the gods of the Thirty-three. For I beheld, Ananda, with the
heavenly eye, pure and transcending the faculty of men, a large
number of deities, counted in thousands, that have taken possession
of sites at Pataligama. In the region where deities of great power
prevail, officials of great power are bent on constructing edifices;
and where deities of medium and lesser power prevail, officials of
medium and lesser power are bent on constructing edifices. Truly,
Ananda, as far as the Aryan race extends and trade routes spread,
this will be the foremost city Pataliputta, a trade-center. But
Pataliputta, Ananda, will be assailed by three perils—fire, water, and
dissension."
29. Then Sunidha and Vassakara went to the Blessed One, and after
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courteous greeting to the Blessed One, and exchanging many
pleasant words, they stood at one side and addressed him thus: "May
the Venerable Gotama please accept our invitation for tomorrow's
meal, together with the community of bhikkhus." And the Blessed
One consented by his silence.
30. Knowing the Blessed One's consent, Sunidha and Vassakara

departed for their own abodes, where they had choice food, hard and
soft, prepared. And when it was time, they announced to the Blessed
One: "It is time, Venerable Gotama; the meal is ready."
Thereupon the Blessed One got ready in the forenoon, and taking
bowl and robe, he went together with the community of bhikkhus to
the abode of Sunidha and Vassakara, where he took the seat
prepared for him. And Sunidha and Vassakara themselves attended
on the community of bhikkhus headed by the Buddha, and served
them with choice food, hard and soft. When the Blessed One had
finished his meal and had removed his hand from the bowl, they
took low seats and sat down at one side.
31. And the Blessed One thanked them with these stanzas:
"Wherever he may dwell, the prudent man
Ministers to the chaste and virtuous;
And having to these worthy ones made gifts,
He shares his merits with the local devas.
And so revered, they honor him in turn,

Are gracious to him even as a mother
Is towards her own, her only son;
And he who thus enjoys the devas' grace,
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And is by them beloved, good fortune sees."
After this, the Blessed One rose from his seat and departed.
Crossing the Ganges

32. Then Sunidha and Vassakara followed behind the Blessed One,
step by step, saying: "Through whichever gate the recluse Gotama
will depart today, that we will name the Gotama-gate; and the ford
by which he will cross the river Ganges shall be named the Gotama-
ford." And so it came to pass, where the gate was concerned.
33. But when the Blessed One came to the river Ganges, it was full
to the brim, so that crows could drink from it. And some people
went in search of a boat or float, while others tied up a raft, because
they desired to get across. But the Blessed One, as quickly as a
strong man might stretch out his bent arm or draw in his outstretched
arm, vanished from this side of the river Ganges, and came to stand
on the yonder side.
34. And the Blessed One saw the people who desired to cross
searching for a boat or float, while others were binding rafts. And
then the Blessed One, seeing them thus, gave forth the solemn
utterance:
"They who have bridged the ocean vast,
Leaving the lowlands far behind,
While others still their frail rafts bind,
Are saved by wisdom unsurpassed."
PART TWO: THE JOURNEY TO VESALI

The Four Noble Truths
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1. Now the Blessed One spoke to the Venerable Ananda, saying:
"Come, Ananda, let us go to Kotigama."
"So be it, Lord." And the Blessed One took up his abode at
Kotigama together with a large community of bhikkhus.
2. And the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus, saying: "Bhikkhus,

it is through not realizing, through not penetrating the Four Noble
Truths that this long course of birth and death has been passed
through and undergone by me as well as by you. What are these
four? They are the noble truth of suffering; the noble truth of the
origin of suffering; the noble truth of the cessation of suffering; and
the noble truth of the way to the cessation of suffering. But now,
bhikkhus, that these have been realized and penetrated, cut off is the
craving for existence, destroyed is that which leads to renewed
becoming, and there is no fresh becoming."
3. Thus it was said by the Blessed One. And the Happy One, the
Master, further said:
"Through not seeing the Four Noble Truths,
Long was the weary path from birth to birth.
When these are known, removed is rebirth's cause,
The root of sorrow plucked; then ends rebirth."
4. And also at Kotigama the Blessed One often gave counsel to the
bhikkhus thus: "Such and such is virtue; such and such is
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5. When the Blessed One had stayed at Kotigama as long as he

pleased, he spoke to the Venerable Ananda, saying: "Come, Ananda,
let us go to Nadika."
"So be it, Lord." And the Blessed One took up his abode in
Nadika together with a large community of bhikkhus, staying in the
Brick House.
The Four Specific Attainments

6. Then the Venerable Ananda approached the Blessed One and,
after greeting him respectfully, sat down at one side. And he said to
the Blessed One: "Here in Nadika, Lord, there have passed away the
bhikkhu Salha and the bhikkhuni Nanda. Likewise there have passed
away the layman Sudatta and the laywoman Sujata; likewise the
layman Kakudha, Kalinga, Nikata, Katissabha, Tuttha, Santuttha,
Bhadda, and Subhadda. What is their destiny, Lord? What is their
future state?"
7. "The bhikkhu Salha, Ananda, through the destruction of the taints

in this very lifetime has attained to the taint-free deliverance of mind
and deliverance through wisdom, having directly known and
realized it by himself.
"The bhikkhuni Nanda, Ananda, through the destruction of the
five lower fetters (that bind beings to the world of the senses), has
arisen spontaneously (among the Suddhavasa deities) and will come
to final cessation in that very place, not liable to return from that
world.
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"The layman Sudatta, Ananda, through the destruction of the
three fetters (self-belief, doubt, and faith in the efficacy of rituals and
observances), and the lessening of lust, hatred, and delusion, has
become a once-returner and is bound to make an end of suffering
after having returned but once more to this world.
"The laywoman Sujata, Ananda, through the destruction of the
three fetters has become a stream-enterer, and is safe from falling
into the states of misery, assured, and bound for Enlightenment.
"The layman Kakudha, Ananda, through the destruction of the
five lower fetters (that bind beings to the world of the senses), has
arisen spontaneously (among the Suddhavasa deities), and will come
to final cessation in that very place, not liable to return from that
world.
"So it is with Kalinga, Nikata, Katissabha, Tuttha, Santuttha,
Bhadda, and Subhadda, and with more than fifty laymen in Nadika.
More than ninety laymen who have passed away in Nadika, Ananda,
through the destruction of the three fetters, and the lessening of lust,
hatred, and delusion, have become once-returners and are bound to
make an end of suffering after having returned but once more to this
world.
"More than five hundred laymen who have passed away in
Nadika, Ananda, through the complete destruction of the three
fetters have become stream-enterers, and are safe from falling into
the states of misery, assured, and bound for Enlightenment.
The Mirror of the Dhamma

8. "But truly, Ananda, it is nothing strange that human beings
should die. But if each time it happens you should come to the
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Tathagata and ask about them in this manner, indeed it would be
troublesome to him. Therefore, Ananda, I will give you the teaching
called the Mirror of the Dhamma, possessing which the noble
disciple, should he so desire, can declare of himself: 'There is no
more rebirth for me in hell, nor as an animal or ghost, nor in any
realm of woe. A stream-enterer am I, safe from falling into the states
of misery, assured am I and bound for Enlightenment.'"
9. "And what, Ananda, is that teaching called the Mirror of

Dhamma, possessing which the noble disciple may thus declare of
himself?
"In this case, Ananda, the noble disciple possesses unwavering
faith in the Buddha thus: 'The Blessed One is an Arahat, the Fully
Enlightened One, perfect in knowledge and conduct, the Happy One,
the knower of the world, the paramount trainer of beings, the teacher
of gods and men, the Enlightened One, the Blessed One.'
"He possesses unwavering faith in the Dhamma thus: 'Well
propounded by the Blessed One is the Dhamma, evident, timeless,
inviting investigation, leading to emancipation, to be comprehended
by the wise, each for himself.'
"He possesses unwavering faith in the Blessed One's Order of
Disciples thus: 'Well faring is the Blessed One's Order of Disciples,
righteously, wisely, and dutifully: that is to say, the four pairs of
men, the eight classes of persons. The Blessed One's Order of
Disciples is worthy of honor, of hospitality, of offerings, of
veneration—the supreme field for meritorious deeds in the world.'
"And he possesses virtues that are dear to the Noble Ones,
complete and perfect, spotless and pure, which are liberating, praised
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by the wise, uninfluenced (by worldly concerns), and favorable to
concentration of mind.
10. "This, Ananda, is the teaching called the Mirror of the Dhamma,
whereby the noble disciple may thus know of himself: 'There is no
more rebirth for me in hell, nor as an animal or ghost, nor in any
realm of woe. A stream-enterer am I, safe from falling into the states
of misery, assured am I and bound for Enlightenment.'"
11. And also in Nadika, in the Brick House, the Blessed One often
gave counsel to the bhikkhus thus: "Such and such is virtue; such
and such is concentration; and such and such is wisdom. Great
becomes the fruit, great is the gain of concentration when it is fully
developed by virtuous conduct; great becomes the fruit, great is the
gain of wisdom when it is fully developed by concentration; utterly
freed from the taints of lust, becoming, and ignorance is the mind
that is fully developed in wisdom."
12. When the Blessed One had stayed in Nadika as long as he

let us go to Vesali."
"So be it, O Lord." And the Blessed One took up his abode in
Vesali together with a large community of bhikkhus, and stayed in
Ambapali's grove.
Mindfulness and Clear Comprehension

13. Then the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus, saying: "Mindful
should you dwell, bhikkhus, clearly comprehending; thus I exhort
you.
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14. "And how, bhikkhus, is a bhikkhu mindful? When he dwells
contemplating the body in the body, earnestly, clearly
comprehending, and mindfully, after having overcome desire and
sorrow in regard to the world; and when he dwells contemplating
feelings in feelings, the mind in the mind, and mental objects in
mental objects, earnestly, clearly comprehending, and mindfully,
after having overcome desire and sorrow in regard to the world, then
is he said to be mindful.
15. "And how, bhikkhus, does a bhikkhu have clear comprehension?

When he remains fully aware of his coming and going, his looking
forward and his looking away, his bending and stretching, his
wearing of his robe and carrying of his bowl, his eating and
drinking, masticating and savoring, his defecating and urinating, his
walking, standing, sitting, lying down, going to sleep or keeping
awake, his speaking or being silent, then is he said to have clear
comprehension.
"Mindful should you dwell, bhikkhus, clearly comprehending;
thus I exhort you."
Ambapali and the Licchavis

16. Then Ambapali the courtesan came to know: "The Blessed One,
they say, has arrived at Vesali and is now staying in my Mango
Grove." And she ordered a large number of magnificent carriages to
be made ready, mounted one of them herself, and accompanied by
the rest, drove out from Vesali towards her park. She went by
carriage as far as the carriage could go, then alighted; and
approaching the Blessed One on foot, she respectfully greeted him
and sat down at one side. And the Blessed One instructed Ambapali
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the courtesan in the Dhamma and roused, edified, and gladdened
her.
17. Thereafter Ambapali the courtesan spoke to the Blessed One,

saying: "May the Blessed One, O Lord, please accept my invitation
for tomorrow's meal, together with the community of bhikkhus."
And by his silence the Blessed One consented.
Sure, then, of the Blessed One's consent, Ambapali the courtesan
rose from her seat, respectfully saluted him, and keeping her right
side towards him, took her departure.
18. Then the Licchavi of Vesali came to know: "The Blessed One,
they say, has arrived at Vesali and is now staying in Ambapali's
grove." And they ordered a large number of magnificent carriages to
be made ready, each mounted one, and accompanied by the rest,
drove out from Vesali. Now, of these Licchavis, some were in blue,
with clothing and ornaments all of blue, while others were in yellow,
red, and white.
19. And it so happened that Ambapali the courtesan drove up against

the young Licchavis, axle by axle, wheel by wheel, and yoke by
yoke. Thereupon the Licchavis exclaimed: "Why do you drive up
against us in this fashion, Ambapali?"
"Thus it is, indeed, my princes, and not otherwise! For the
Blessed One is invited by me for tomorrow's meal, together with the
community of bhikkhus!"
"Give up the meal, Ambapali, for a hundred thousand!"
But she replied: "Even if you were to give me Vesali, sirs, together
with its tributary lands, I would not give up a meal of such
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importance."
Then the Licchavis snapped their fingers in annoyance: "See,
friends! We are defeated by this mango lass! We are utterly outdone
by this mango lass!" But they continued on their way to Ambapali's
grove.
20. And the Blessed One beheld the Licchavis from afar, as they
drove up. Then he spoke to the bhikkhus, saying: "Those of you,
bhikkhus, who have not yet seen the Thirty-three gods, may behold
the assembly of the Licchavis, and may gaze on them, for they are
comparable to the assembly of the Thirty-three gods."
21. Then the Licchavis drove their carriages as far as the carriages
could go, then alighted; and approaching the Blessed One on foot,
they respectfully greeted him and sat down at one side. The Blessed
One instructed the Licchavis in the Dhamma, and roused, edified,
and gladdened them.
22. Thereafter the Licchavis spoke to the Blessed One, saying, "May
the Blessed One, O Lord, please accept our invitation for tomorrow's
meal, together with the community of bhikkhus."
"The invitation for tomorrow's meal, Licchavis, has been
accepted by me from Ambapali the courtesan."
Then the Licchavis snapped their fingers in annoyance: "See,
friends! We are defeated by this mango lass! We are utterly outdone
by this mango lass!" And then the Licchavis, approving of the
Blessed One's words and delighted with them, rose from their seats,
respectfully saluted him, and keeping their right sides towards him,
took their departure.
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23. Then, after the night had passed, Ambapali the courtesan had
choice food, hard and soft, prepared in her park, and announced it to
the Blessed One: "It is time, O Lord; the meal is ready." Thereupon
the Blessed One got ready in the forenoon, and taking bowl and
robe, he went together with the community of bhikkhus to
Ambapali's dwelling, and there he took the seat prepared for him.
And Ambapali herself attended on the community of bhikkhus
headed by the Buddha, and served them with choice food, hard and
soft.
24. And when the Blessed One had finished his meal and had
removed his hand from his bowl, Ambapali the courtesan took a low
seat, and placing herself at one side, spoke to the Blessed One,
saying: "This park, O Lord, I offer to the community of bhikkhus
headed by the Buddha." And the Blessed One accepted the park. He
then instructed Ambapali in the Dhamma, and having roused,
edified, and gladdened her, he rose from his seat and departed.
25. And also at Vesali, in Ambapali's grove, the Blessed One often
gave counsel to the bhikkhus thus: "Such and such is virtue; such
and such is concentration; and such and such is wisdom. Great
26. When the Blessed One had stayed in Ambapali's grove as long
as he pleased, he spoke to the Venerable Ananda, saying: "Come,
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Ananda, let us go to the village of Beluva."
"So be it, Lord." And the Blessed One took up his abode in the
village of Beluva together with a large community of bhikkhus.
The Blessed One's Deadly Sickness

27. At that time the Blessed One spoke to the bhikkhus, saying: "Go
now, bhikkhus, and seek shelter anywhere in the neighborhood of
Vesali where you are welcome, among acquaintances and friends,
and there spend the rainy season. As for me, I shall spend the rainy
season in this very place, in the village of Beluva."
"So be it, O Lord," the bhikkhus said.
28. But when the Blessed One had entered upon the rainy season,
there arose in him a severe illness, and sharp and deadly pains came
upon him. And the Blessed One endured them mindfully, clearly
comprehending and unperturbed.
29. Then it occurred to the Blessed One: "It would not be fitting if
I came to my final passing away without addressing those who
attended on me, without taking leave of the community of bhikkhus.
Then let me suppress this illness by strength of will, resolve to
maintain the life process, and live on."
30. And the Blessed One suppressed the illness by strength of will,
resolved to maintain the life process, and lived on. So it came about
that the Blessed One's illness was allayed.
31. And the Blessed One recovered from that illness; and soon after
his recovery he came out from his dwelling place and sat down in
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the shade of the building, on a seat prepared for him. Then the
Venerable Ananda approached the Blessed One, respectfully greeted
him, and sitting down at one side, he spoke to the Blessed One,
saying: "Fortunate it is for me, O Lord, to see the Blessed One at
ease again! Fortunate it is for me, O Lord, to see the Blessed One
recovered! For truly, Lord, when I saw the Blessed One's sickness it
was as though my own body became weak as a creeper, every thing
around became dim to me, and my senses failed me. Yet, Lord, I still
had some little comfort in the thought that the Blessed One would
not come to his final passing away until he had given some last
instructions respecting the community of bhikkhus."
32. Thus spoke the Venerable Ananda, but the Blessed One
answered him, saying: "What more does the community of bhikkhus
expects from me, Ananda? I have set forth the Dhamma without
making any distinction of esoteric and exoteric doctrine; there is
nothing, Ananda, with regard to the teachings that the Tathagata
holds to the last with the closed fist of a teacher who keeps some
things back. Whosoever may think that it is he who should lead the
community of bhikkhus, or that the community depends upon him,
it is such a one that would have to give last instructions respecting
them. But, Ananda, the Tathagata has no such idea as that it is he
who should lead the community of bhikkhus, or that the community
depends upon him. So what instructions should he have to give
respecting the community of bhikkhus?
"Now I am frail, Ananda, old, aged, far gone in years. This is my
eightieth year, and my life is spent. Even as an old cart, Ananda, is
held together with much difficulty, so the body of the Tathagata is
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kept going only with supports. It is, Ananda, only when the
Tathagata, disregarding external objects, with the cessation of
certain feelings, attains to and abides in the signless concentration
of mind, that his body is more comfortable.
33. "Therefore, Ananda, be islands unto yourselves, refuges unto

yourselves, seeking no external refuge; with the Dhamma as your
island, the Dhamma as your refuge, seeking no other refuge.
"And how, Ananda, is a bhikkhu an island unto himself, a refuge
unto himself, seeking no external refuge; with the Dhamma as his
island, the Dhamma as his refuge, seeking no other refuge?
34. "When he dwells contemplating the body in the body, earnestly,

clearly comprehending, and mindfully, after having overcome desire
and sorrow in regard to the world; when he dwells contemplating
feelings in feelings, the mind in the mind, and mental objects in
mental objects, earnestly, clearly comprehending, and mindfully,
after having overcome desire and sorrow in regard to the world,
then, truly, he is an island unto himself, a refuge unto himself,
seeking no external refuge; having the Dhamma as his island, the
Dhamma as his refuge, seeking no other refuge.
35. "Those bhikkhus of mine, Ananda, who now or after I am gone,

abide as an island unto themselves, as a refuge unto themselves,
seeking no other refuge; having the Dhamma as their island and
refuge, seeking no other refuge: it is they who will become the
highest, if they have the desire to learn."
PART THREE: RELINQUISHING THE WILL TO LIVE
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The Blessed One's Prompting
1. Then the Blessed One, getting ready in the forenoon, took bowl
and robe and went into Vesali for alms. After the alms round and
meal, on his return, he spoke to the Venerable Ananda, saying:
"Take up a mat, Ananda, and let us spend the day at the Capala
shrine."
"So be it, Lord." And the Venerable Ananda took up a mat and
followed behind the Blessed One, step by step.
2. And the Blessed One went to the Capala shrine and sat down on
the seat prepared for him. And when the Venerable Ananda had
seated himself at one side after he had respectfully saluted the
Blessed One, the Lord said to him: "Pleasant, Ananda, is Vesali;
pleasant are the shrines of Udena, Gotamaka, Sattambaka,
Bahuputta, Sarandada, and Capala."
3. And the Blessed One said: "Whosoever, Ananda, has developed,

practiced, employed, strengthened, maintained, scrutinized, and
brought to perfection the four constituents of psychic power could,
if he so desired, remain throughout a world-period or until the end
of it. The Tathagata, Ananda, has done so. Therefore the Tathagata
could, if he so desired, remain throughout a world-period or until the
end of it."
4. But the Venerable Ananda was unable to grasp the plain

suggestion, the significant prompting, given by the Blessed One. As
though his mind was influenced by Mara, he did not beseech the
Blessed One: "May the Blessed One remain, O Lord!. May the
Happy One remain, O Lord, throughout the world-period, for the
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welfare and happiness of the multitude, out of compassion for the
world, for the benefit, well being, and happiness of gods and men!"
5. And when for a second and a third time the Blessed One repeated
his words, the Venerable Ananda remained silent.
6. Then the Blessed One said to the Venerable Ananda: "Go now,
Ananda, and do as seems fit to you."
"Even so, O Lord." And the Venerable Ananda, rising from his
seat, respectfully saluted the Blessed One, and keeping his right side
towards him, took his seat under a tree some distance away.
Mara's Appeal
7. And when the Venerable Ananda had gone away, Mara, the Evil
One, approached the Blessed One. And standing at one side he
spoke to the Blessed One, saying: "Now, O Lord, let the Blessed
One come to his final passing away; let the Happy One utterly pass
away! The time has come for the parinibbana of the Lord.
"For the Blessed One, O Lord, spoke these words to me: 'I shall
not come to my final passing away, Evil One, until my bhikkhus and
bhikkhunis, laymen and laywomen, have come to be true
disciples—wise, well disciplined, apt and learned, preservers of the
Dhamma, living according to the Dhamma, abiding by the
appropriate conduct, and having learned the Master's word, are able
to expound it, preach it, proclaim it, establish it, reveal it, explain it
in detail, and make it clear; until, when adverse opinions arise, they
shall be able to refute them thoroughly and well, and to preach this
convincing and liberating Dhamma.'
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8. "And now, O Lord, bhikkhus and bhikkhunis, laymen and
laywomen, have become the Blessed One's disciples in just this way.
So, O Lord, let the Blessed One come to his final passing away! The
time has come for the parinibbana of the Lord.
"For the Blessed One, O Lord, spoke these words to me: 'I shall
not come to my final passing away, Evil One, until this holy life
taught by me has become successful, prosperous, far-renowned,
popular, and widespread, until it is well proclaimed among gods and
men.' And this too has come to pass in just this way. So, O Lord, let
the Blessed One come to his final passing away, let the Happy One
utterly pass away! The time has come for the parinibbana of the
Lord."
The Blessed One Relinquishes His Will to Live

9. When this was said, the Blessed One spoke to Mara, the Evil
One, saying: "Do not trouble yourself, Evil One. Before long the
parinibbana of the Tathagata will come about. Three months hence
the Tathagata will utterly pass away."
10. And at the Capala shrine the Blessed One thus mindfully and
clearly comprehending renounced his will to live on. And upon the
Lord's renouncing his will to live on, there came a tremendous
earthquake, dreadful and astonishing, and thunder rolled across the
heavens. And the Blessed One beheld it with understanding, and
made this solemn utterance:
"What causes life, unbounded or confined—
His process of becoming—this the Sage
Renounces. With inward calm and joy he breaks,
As though a coat of mail, his own life's cause."
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11. Then it came to the mind of the Venerable Ananda: "Marvelous
it is indeed, and most wonderful! The earth shakes mightily,
tremendously! Dreadful and astonishing it is, how the thunders roll
across the heavens! What could be the reason, what the cause, that
so mighty an earthquake should arise?"
Eight Causes of Earthquakes

12. And the Venerable Ananda approached the Blessed One, and
respectfully greeting him, sat down at one side. Then he spoke to the
Blessed One, saying: "Marvelous it is indeed, and most wonderful!
The earth shakes mightily, tremendously! Dreadful and astonishing
it is how the thunders roll across the heavens! What could be the
reason, what the cause, that so mighty an earthquake should arise?"
13. Then the Blessed One said: "There are eight reasons, Ananda,
eight causes for a mighty earthquake to arise. What are those eight?
14. "This great earth, Ananda, is established upon liquid, the liquid
upon the atmosphere, and the atmosphere upon space. And when,
Ananda, mighty atmospheric disturbances take place, the liquid is
agitated. And with the agitation of the liquid, tremors of the earth
arise. This is the first reason, the first cause for the arising of mighty
earthquakes.
15. "Again, Ananda, when an ascetic or holy man of great power,

one who has gained mastery of his mind, or a deity who is mighty
and potent, develops intense concentration on the delimited aspect
of the earth element, and to a boundless degree on the liquid
element, he, too, causes the earth to tremble, quiver, and shake. This
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is the second reason, the second cause for the arising of mighty
earthquakes.
16-21. "Again, Ananda, when the Bodhisatta departs from the Tusita
realm and descends into his mother's womb, mindfully and clearly
comprehending; and when the Bodhisatta comes out from his
mother's womb, mindfully and clearly comprehending; and when the
Tathagata becomes fully enlightened in unsurpassed, supreme
Enlightenment; when the Tathagata sets rolling the excellent Wheel
of the Dhamma; when the Tathagata renounces his will to live on;
and when the Tathagata comes to pass away into the state of
Nibbana in which no element of clinging remains—then, too,
Ananda, this great earth trembles, quivers, and shakes.
"These, Ananda, are the eight reasons, the eight causes for a
great earthquake to arise.
Eight Assemblies
22. "Now there are eight kinds of assemblies, Ananda, that is to say,
assemblies of nobles, brahmins, householders, ascetics, of the Four
Great Kings, of the Thirty-three gods, of Maras, and of Brahmas.
23. "And I recall, Ananda, how I have attended each of these eight
kinds of assemblies, amounting to hundreds. And before seating
myself and starting the conversation or the discussion, I made my
appearance resemble theirs, my voice resemble theirs. And so I
taught them the Dhamma, and roused, edified, and gladdened them.
Yet while I was speaking to them thus, they did not know me, and
they would enquire of one another, asking: 'Who is he that speaks to
us? Is it a man or a god?'
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"Then having taught them the Dhamma, and roused, edified, and
gladdened them, I would straightaway vanish. And when I had
vanished, too, they did not know me, and they would enquire of one
another, asking: 'Who is he that has vanished? Is it a man or a god?'
"And such, Ananda, are the eight kinds of assemblies.
Eight Fields of Mastery

24. "Now there are eight fields of mastery, Ananda. What are those
eight?
25. "When one, perceiving forms subjectively, sees small forms,

beautiful or ugly, external to himself, and mastering them, is aware
that he perceives and knows them as they are—this is the first field
of mastery.
26. "When one, perceiving forms subjectively, sees large forms,

that he perceives and knows them as they are—this is the second
field of mastery.
27. "When one, not perceiving forms subjectively, sees small forms,
that he perceives and knows them as they are—this is the third field
of mastery.
28. "When one, not perceiving forms subjectively, sees large forms,
that he perceives and knows them as they are—this is the fourth field
of mastery.
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29. "When one, not perceiving forms subjectively, sees forms
external to himself that are blue, blue in color, of a blue luster like
the blossoms of flax, or like fine Benares muslin which, burnished
on both sides, is blue, blue in color, of a blue luster—when such a
one sees forms external to himself that are blue, and mastering them,
is aware that he perceives and knows them as they are—this is the
fifth field of mastery.

external to himself that are yellow, yellow in color, of a yellow
luster like the Kanikara blossom, or like fine Benares muslin which,
burnished on both sides, is yellow, yellow in color, of a yellow
luster—when such a one sees forms external to himself that are
yellow, and mastering them, is aware that he perceives and knows
them as they are—this is the sixth field of mastery.

external to himself that are red, red in color, of a red luster like the
Bandhujivaka blossom, or like fine Benares muslin which, burnished
on both sides, is red, red in color, of a red luster—when such a one
sees forms external to himself that are red, and mastering them, is
aware that he perceives and knows them as they are—this is the
seventh field of mastery.

external to himself that are white, white in color, of a white luster
like the morning star, or like fine Benares muslin which, burnished
on both sides, is white, white in color, of a white luster—when such
a one sees forms external to himself that are white, and mastering
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them, is aware that he perceives and knows them as they are—this
is the eighth field of mastery.
"These, Ananda, are the eight fields of mastery.
Eight Liberations
33. "Now there are eight liberations, Ananda. What are those eight?
34. "Oneself having form, one perceives forms; this is the first
liberation.
35. "Being unaware of one's own form, one perceives forms external
to oneself; this is the second liberation.
36. "Experiencing loveliness, one is intent upon it; this is the third
liberation.
37. "By utterly transcending the perceptions of matter, by the

disappearance of the perceptions of sense-reaction, and by giving no
attention to diversity-perceptions, one becomes aware of, attains to,
and abides in the sphere of infinite space; this is the fourth
liberation.
38. "By utterly transcending the sphere of infinite space, one

becomes aware of, attains to, and abides in the sphere of infinite
consciousness; this is the fifth liberation.
39. "By utterly transcending the sphere of infinite consciousness, one

becomes aware of, attains to, and abides in the sphere of
nothingness; this is the sixth liberation.
40. "By utterly transcending the sphere of nothingness, one attains
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to and abides in the sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception;
this is the seventh liberation.
41. "By utterly transcending the sphere of neither-perception-nor-

non-perception, one attains to and abides in the cessation of
perception and sensation; this is the eighth liberation.
"These, Ananda, are the eight liberations.
Mara's Former Temptation

42. "There was a time, Ananda, when I dwelt at Uruvela, on the
bank of the Nerañjara River, at the foot of the goatherds' banyan-
tree, soon after my supreme Enlightenment. And Mara, the Evil One,
approached me, saying: 'Now, O Lord, let the Blessed One come to
his final passing away! Let the Happy One utterly pass away! The
time has come for the parinibbana of the Lord.'
43. "Then, Ananda, I answered Mara, the Evil One, saying: 'I shall
not come to my final passing away, Evil One, until my bhikkhus and
bhikkhunis, laymen and laywomen, have come to be true
disciples—wise, well disciplined, apt and learned, preservers of the
Dhamma, living according to the Dhamma, abiding by appropriate
conduct and, having learned the Master's word, are able to expound
it, preach it, proclaim it, establish it, reveal it, explain it in detail,
and make it clear; until, when adverse opinions arise, they shall be
able to refute them thoroughly and well, and to preach this
convincing and liberating Dhamma.
44. "'I shall not come to my final passing away, Evil One, until this
holy life taught by me has become successful, prosperous, far-
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renowned, popular, and widespread, until it is well proclaimed
among gods and men.'
45. "And again today, Ananda, at the Capala shrine, Mara, the Evil
One, approached me, saying: 'Now, O Lord, bhikkhus and
bhikkhunis, laymen and laywomen, have come to be true disciples
of the Blessed One—wise, well disciplined, apt and learned,
preservers of the Dhamma, living according to the Dhamma, abiding
in the appropriate conduct, and having learned the Master's word, are
able to expound it, preach it, proclaim it, establish it, reveal it,
explain it in detail, and make it clear; and when adverse opinions
arise, they are now able to refute them thoroughly and well, and to
preach this convincing and liberating Dhamma.
"'And now, O Lord, this holy life taught by the Blessed One has
become successful, prosperous, far-renowned, popular and
widespread, and it is well proclaimed among gods and men.
Therefore, O Lord, let the Blessed One come to his final passing
away! Let the Happy One utterly pass away! The time has come for
the parinibbana of the Lord.'
46. "And then, Ananda, I answered Mara, the Evil One, saying: 'Do
not trouble yourself, Evil One. Before long the parinibbana of the
Tathagata will come about. Three months hence the Tathagata will
utterly pass away.'
47. "And in this way, Ananda, today at the Capala shrine the
Tathagata has renounced his will to live on."
Ananda's Appeal
81
48. At these words the Venerable Ananda spoke to the Blessed One,
saying: "May the Blessed One remain, O Lord! May the Happy One
remain, O Lord, throughout the world-period, for the welfare and
happiness of the multitude, out of compassion for the world, for the
benefit, well being, and happiness of gods and men!"
49. And the Blessed One answered, saying: "Enough, Ananda. Do

not entreat the Tathagata, for the time is past, Ananda, for such an
entreaty."
50-51. But for a second and a third time, the Venerable Ananda said
to the Blessed One: "May the Blessed One remain, O Lord! May the
Happy One remain, O Lord, throughout the world-period, for the
welfare and happiness of the multitude, out of compassion for the
world, for the benefit, well being, and happiness of gods and men!"
52. Then the Blessed One said: "Do you have faith, Ananda, in the
Enlightenment of the Tathagata?" And the Venerable Ananda
replied: "Yes, O Lord, I do."
"Then how, Ananda, can you persist against the Tathagata even
up to the third time?"
53. Then the Venerable Ananda said: "This, O Lord, I have heard
and learned from the Blessed One himself when the Blessed One
said to me: 'Whosoever, Ananda, has developed, practiced,
employed, strengthened, maintained, scrutinized, and brought to
perfection the four constituents of psychic power could, if he so
desired, remain throughout a world-period or until the end of it. The
Tathagata, Ananda, has done so. Therefore the Tathagata could, if
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he so desired, remain throughout a world-period or until the end of
it.'"
54. "And did you believe it, Ananda?"

"Yes, O Lord, I did."
"Then, Ananda, the fault is yours. Herein have you failed,
inasmuch as you were unable to grasp the plain suggestion, the
significant prompting given by the Tathagata, and you did not then
entreat the Tathagata to remain. For if you had done so, Ananda,
twice the Tathagata might have declined, but the third time he would
have consented. Therefore, Ananda, the fault is yours; herein have
you failed.
55. "At Rajagaha, Ananda, when dwelling at Vultures' Peak, I spoke

to you, saying: 'Pleasant, Ananda, is Rajagaha; pleasant is Vultures'
Peak. Whosoever, Ananda, has developed ... Therefore the Tathagata
could, if he so desired, remain throughout a world-period or until the
end of it.'
56. "So also at the Banyan Grove, at Robbers' Cliff, at the Sattapanni
Cave on the Vebhara Mountain, at the Black Rock of Isigili, at the
Serpents' Pool in the Cool Forest, at the Tapoda Grove, at the
Bamboo Grove in the Squirrels' Feeding-ground, at Jivaka's Mango
Grove, and at Small Nook in the Deer Park I spoke to you in the
same words, saying: 'Pleasant, Ananda, is Rajagaha, pleasant are
these places. Whosoever, Ananda, has developed ... Therefore the
Tathagata could, if he so desired, remain throughout a world-period
or until the end of it.'
"But you, Ananda, were unable to grasp the plain suggestion, the
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significant prompting given you by the Tathagata, and you did not
have consented. Therefore, Ananda, the fault is yours; herein you
have failed.
57. "So also at Vesali, Ananda, at different times the Tathagata has
spoken to you, saying: 'Pleasant, Ananda, is Vesali; pleasant are the
shrines of Udena, Gotamaka, Sattambaka, Bahuputta, Sarandada,
and Capala. Whosoever, Ananda, has developed ... Therefore the
Tathagata could, if he so desired, remain throughout a world-period
or until the end of it.'
"But you, Ananda, were unable to grasp the plain suggestion, the
significant prompting, given you by the Tathagata, and you did not
have consented. Therefore, Ananda, the fault is yours; herein you
have failed.
58. "Yet, Ananda, have I not taught from the very beginning that
with all that is dear and beloved there must be change, separation,
and severance? Of that which is born, come into being, is
compounded and subject to decay, how can one say: 'May it not
come to dissolution!' There can be no such state of things. And of
that, Ananda, which the Tathagata has finished with, that which he
has relinquished, given up, abandoned, and rejected—his will to live
on—the Tathagata's word has been spoken once for all: 'Before long
the parinibbana of the Tathagata will come about. Three months
hence the Tathagata will utterly pass away.' And that the Tathagata
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should withdraw his words for the sake of living on—this is an
impossibility.
The Last Admonition

59. "So, then, Ananda, let us go to the hall of the Gabled House, in
the Great Forest." And the Venerable Ananda replied: "So be it,
Lord."
60. Then the Blessed One, with the Venerable Ananda, went to the
hall of the Gabled House, in the Great Forest. And there he spoke to
the Venerable Ananda, saying: "Go now, Ananda, and assemble in
the hall of audience all the bhikkhus who dwell in the neighborhood
of Vesali."
"So be it, Lord." And the Venerable Ananda gathered all the
bhikkhus who dwelt in the neighborhood of Vesali, and assembled
them in the hall of audience. And then, respectfully saluting the
Blessed One, and standing at one side, he said: "The community of
bhikkhus is assembled, Lord. Now let the Blessed One do as he
wishes."
61. Thereupon the Blessed One entered the hall of audience, and
taking the seat prepared for him, he exhorted the bhikkhus, saying:
"Now, O bhikkhus, I say to you that these teachings of which I have
direct knowledge and which I have made known to you—these you
should thoroughly learn, cultivate, develop, and frequently practice,
that the life of purity may be established and may long endure, for
the welfare and happiness of the multitude, out of compassion for
the world, for the benefit, well being, and happiness of gods and
men.
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62. "And what, bhikkhus, are these teachings? They are the four
foundations of mindfulness, the four right efforts, the four
constituents of psychic power, the five faculties, the five powers, the
seven factors of enlightenment, and the Noble Eightfold Path. These,
bhikkhus, are the teachings of which I have direct knowledge, which
I have made known to you, and which you should thoroughly learn,
cultivate, develop, and frequently practice, that the life of purity may
be established and may long endure, for the welfare and happiness
of the multitude, out of compassion for the world, for the benefit,
well being, and happiness of gods and men."
63. Then the Blessed One said to the bhikkhus: "So, bhikkhus, I
exhort you: All compounded things are subject to vanish. Strive with
earnestness. The time of the Tathagata's parinibbana is near. Three
months hence the Tathagata will utterly pass away."
64. And having spoken these words, the Happy One, the Master,
spoke again, saying:
"My years are now full ripe, the life span left is short.
Departing, I go hence from you, relying on myself alone.
Be earnest, then, O bhikkhus, be mindful and of virtue pure!
With firm resolve, guard your own mind!
Whosoever untiringly pursues the Dhamma and the Discipline
Shall go beyond the round of births and make an end of
suffering."
PART FOUR: THE LAST MEAL

The Elephant's Look
1. Then the Blessed One, getting ready in the forenoon, took bowl
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and robe and went into Vesali for alms. After the alms round and
meal, on his return, he looked upon Vesali with the elephant's look,
and said to the Venerable Ananda: "This, Ananda, is the last time
that the Tathagata will look upon Vesali. Come, Ananda, let us go
to Bhandagama."
"So be it, O Lord." And the Blessed One took up his abode at
Bhandagama together with a large community of bhikkhus.
2. And the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus, saying: "Bhikkhus,

it is through not realizing, through not penetrating four principles
that this long course of birth and death has been passed through and
undergone by me as well as by you. What are those four? They are:
noble virtue, noble concentration, noble wisdom, and noble
emancipation. But now, bhikkhus, that these have been realized and
penetrated, cut off is the craving for existence, destroyed is that
which leads to renewed becoming, and there is no fresh becoming."
3. And having spoken these words, the Happy One, the Master,
spoke again, saying:
"Virtue, concentration, wisdom, and emancipation
unsurpassed—
These are the principles realized by Gotama the renowned;
And, knowing them, he, the Buddha, to his monks has taught
the Dhamma.
He, the destroyer of suffering, the Master, the Seer, is at peace."
4. And also at Bhandagama the Blessed One often gave counsel to

the bhikkhus thus: "Such and such is virtue; such and such is
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5. When the Blessed One had stayed at Bhandagama as long as he

pleased, he spoke to the Venerable Ananda: "Come, Ananda, let us
go to Hatthigama."
Hatthigama together with a large community of bhikkhus.
And when the Blessed One had stayed at Hatthigama as long as he
pleased, he took up his abode at Ambagama, then at Jambugama.
And at each of these places the Blessed One often gave counsel to
the bhikkhus thus: "Such and such is virtue; such and such is
6. And when the Blessed One had stayed at Jambugama as long as

he pleased, he spoke to the Venerable Ananda: "Come, Ananda, let
us go to Bhoganagara."
Bhoganagara together with a large community of bhikkhus, and
stayed in the Ananda shrine.
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The Four Great References
7. And there the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus, saying: "Now,
bhikkhus, I shall make known to you the four great references.
Listen and pay heed to my words." And those bhikkhus answered,
saying: "So be it, Lord."
8-11. Then the Blessed One said: "In this fashion, bhikkhus, a
bhikkhu might speak: 'Face to face with the Blessed One, brethren,
I have heard and learned thus: This is the Dhamma and the
Discipline, the Master's Dispensation'; or: 'In an abode of such and
such a name lives a community with elders and a chief. Face to face
with that community, I have heard and learned thus: This is the
Dhamma and the Discipline, the Master's Dispensation'; or: 'In an
abode of such and such a name live several bhikkhus who are elders,
who are learned, who have accomplished their course, who are
preservers of the Dhamma, the Discipline, and the Summaries. Face
to face with those elders, I have heard and learned thus: This is the
Dhamma and the Discipline, the Master's Dispensation'; or: 'In an
abode of such and such a name lives a single bhikkhu who is an
elder, who is learned, who has accomplished his course, who is a
preserver of the Dhamma, the Discipline, and the Summaries. Face
to face with that elder, I have heard and learned thus: This is the
Dhamma and the Discipline, the Master's Dispensation.'
"In such a case, bhikkhus, the declaration of such a bhikkhu is
neither to be received with approval nor with scorn. Without
approval and without scorn, but carefully studying the sentences
word by word, one should trace them in the Discourses and verify
them by the Discipline. If they are neither traceable in the Discourses
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nor verifiable by the Discipline, one must conclude thus: 'Certainly,
this is not the Blessed One's utterance; this has been misunderstood
by that bhikkhu—or by that community, or by those elders, or by
that elder.' In that way, bhikkhus, you should reject it. But if the
sentences concerned are traceable in the Discourses and verifiable
by the Discipline, then one must conclude thus: 'Certainly, this is the
Blessed One's utterance; this has been well understood by that
bhikkhu—or by that community, or by those elders, or by that elder.'
And in that way, bhikkhus, you may accept it on the first, second,
third, or fourth reference. These, bhikkhus, are the four great
references for you to preserve."
12. And also at Bhoganagara, at the Ananda shrine, the Blessed One
often gave counsel to the bhikkhus thus: "Such and such is virtue;
such and such is concentration; and such and such is wisdom. Great
13. When the Blessed One had stayed at Bhoganagara as long as he

let us go to Pava."
"So be it, Lord." And the Blessed One took up his abode at Pava
together with a great community of bhikkhus, and stayed in the
Mango Grove of Cunda, who was by family a metalworker.
The Buddha's Last Meal
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14. And Cunda the metalworker came to know: "The Blessed One,
they say, has arrived at Pava, and is staying in my Mango Grove."
And he went to the Blessed One, and having respectfully greeted
him, sat down at one side. And the Blessed One instructed Cunda
the metalworker in the Dhamma, and roused, edified, and gladdened
him.
15. Then Cunda spoke to the Blessed One, saying: "May the Blessed
One, O Lord, please accept my invitation for tomorrow's meal,
together with the community of bhikkhus." And by his silence the
Blessed One consented.
16. Sure, then, of the Blessed One's consent, Cunda the metalworker
rose from his seat, respectfully saluted the Blessed One, and keeping
his right side towards him, took his departure.
17. And Cunda the metalworker, after the night had passed, had
choice food, hard and soft, prepared in his abode, together with a
quantity of sukara-maddava, and announced it to the Blessed One,
saying: "It is time, O Lord, the meal is ready."
18. Thereupon the Blessed One, in the forenoon, having got ready,
took bowl and robe and went with the community of bhikkhus to the
house of Cunda, and there sat down on the seat prepared for him.
And he spoke to Cunda, saying: "With the sukara-maddava you have
prepared, Cunda, you may serve me; with the other food, hard and
soft, you may serve the community of bhikkhus."
"So be it, Lord." And with the sukara-maddava prepared by him,
he served the Blessed One; and with the other food, hard and soft,
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he served the community of bhikkhus.
19. Thereafter the Blessed One spoke to Cunda, saying: "Whatever,

Cunda, is left over of the sukara-maddava, bury that in a pit. For I do
not see in all this world, with its gods, Maras, and Brahmas, among
the host of ascetics and brahmins, gods and men, anyone who could
eat it and entirely digest it except the Tathagata alone."
And Cunda the metalworker answered the Blessed One saying: "So
be it, O Lord.” And what remained over of the sukara-maddava he
buried in a pit.
20. Then he returned to the Blessed One, respectfully greeted him,

and sat down at one side. And the Blessed One instructed Cunda the
metalworker in the Dhamma, and roused, edified, and gladdened
him. After this he rose from his seat and departed.
21. And soon after the Blessed One had eaten the meal provided by
Cunda the metalworker, a dire sickness fell upon him, even
dysentery, and he suffered sharp and deadly pains. But the Blessed
One endured them mindfully, clearly comprehending and
unperturbed.
22. Then the Blessed One spoke to the Venerable Ananda, saying:
"Come, Ananda, let us go to Kusinara." And the Venerable Ananda
answered: "So be it, Lord."
23. When he had eaten Cunda's food, I heard,

With fortitude the deadly pains he bore.
From the sukara-maddava a sore
And dreadful sickness came upon the Lord.
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But nature's pangs he endured. "Come, let us go
To Kusinara," was his dauntless word.
The Clearing of the Waters

24. Now on the way the Blessed One went aside from the highway
and stopped at the foot of a tree. And he said to the Venerable
Ananda: "Please fold my upper robe in four, Ananda, and lay it
down. I am weary and want to rest awhile."
"So be it, Lord." And the Venerable Ananda folded the robe in
four and laid it down.
25. And the Blessed One sat down on the seat prepared for him and
said to the Venerable Ananda: "Please bring me some water,
Ananda. I am thirsty and want to drink."
26. And the Venerable Ananda answered the Blessed One: "But just
now, Lord, a great number of carts, five hundred carts, have passed
over, and the shallow water has been cut through by the wheels, so
that it flows turbid and muddy. But the Kakuttha River, Lord, is
quite close by, and its waters are clear, pleasant, cool, and
translucent. It is easily approachable and delightfully placed. There
the Blessed One can quench his thirst and refresh his limbs."
27-29. But a second time the Blessed One made his request, and the
Venerable Ananda answered him as before. And then for a third time
the Blessed One said: "Please bring me some water, Ananda. I am
thirsty and want to drink."
30. Then the Venerable Ananda answered, saying: "So be it, Lord."
And he took the bowl and went to the stream. And the shallow
93
water, which had been cut through by the wheels so that it flowed
turbid and muddy, became clear and settled down, pure and pleasant
as the Venerable Ananda drew near.
31. Then the Venerable Ananda thought: "Marvelous and most

wonderful indeed is the power and glory of the Tathagata!"
32. And he took up water in the bowl and carried it to the Blessed
One, and said: "Marvelous and most wonderful indeed is the power
and glory of the Tathagata! For this shallow water, which had been
cut through by the wheels so that it flowed turbid and muddy,
became clear and settled down, pure and pleasant as I drew near.
Now let the Blessed One drink the water. Let the Happy One drink."
And the Blessed One drank the water.
Pukkusa the Malla

33. Now it so happened that one Pukkusa of the Malla clan, who
was a disciple of Alara Kalama, was passing by on his way from
Kusinara to Pava.
34. And when he saw the Blessed One seated at the foot of a tree, he
approached him, respectfully greeted him, and sat down at one side.
And he spoke to the Blessed One, saying: "Marvelous it is, Lord,
most wonderful it is, O Lord, the state of calmness wherein abide
those who have gone forth from the world.
35. "For at one time, Lord, Alara Kalama was on a journey, and he
went aside from the highway and sat down by the wayside at the foot
of a tree to pass the heat of the day. And it came about, Lord, that a
great number of carts, even five hundred carts, passed by him, one
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by one. And then, Lord, a certain man who was following behind
that train of carts, approached and spoke to him, saying: 'Did you,
sir, see a great number of carts that passed you by?' And Alara
Kalama answered him: 'I did not see them, brother.' 'But the noise,
sir, surely you heard?' 'I did not hear it, brother.' Then that man
asked him: 'Then, sir, perhaps you slept?' 'No, brother, I was not
sleeping.' 'Then, sir, were you conscious?' 'I was, brother.' Then that
man said: 'Then, sir, while conscious and awake you still did not see
the great number of carts, even five hundred carts, that passed you
by one after another, nor heard the noise? Why, sir, your very robe
is covered with their dust!' And Alara Kalama replied, saying: 'So it
is, brother.'
36. "And to that man, O Lord, came the thought: 'Marvelous it is,
most wonderful indeed it is, the state of calmness wherein abide
those who have gone forth from the world!' And there arose in him
great faith in Alara Kalama, and he went his way."
37. "Now what do you think, Pukkusa? What is more difficult to do,
more difficult to meet with—that a man, while conscious and awake,
should not see a great number of carts, even five hundred carts, that
passed him by one after another, nor hear the noise, or that one
conscious and awake, in the midst of a heavy rain, with thunder
rolling, lightning flashing, and thunderbolts crashing, should neither
see it nor hear the noise?"
38. "What, O Lord, are five hundred carts—nay, six, seven, eight,
nine hundred, or a thousand or even hundreds of thousands of
carts—compared with this?"
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39. "Now one time, Pukkusa, I was staying at Atuma, and had my
abode in a barn there. And at that time there was a heavy rain, with
thunder rolling, lightning flashing, and thunderbolts crashing. And
two farmers who were brothers were killed close to the barn,
together with four oxen, and a great crowd came forth from Atuma
to the spot where they were killed.
40. "Now at that time, Pukkusa, I had come out of the barn and was
walking up and down in thought before the door. And a certain man
from the great crowd approached me, respectfully greeted me, and
stood at one side.
41. "And I asked him: 'Why, brother, has this great crowd gathered
together?' And he answered me: 'Just now, Lord, there was a heavy
rain, with thunder rolling, lightning flashing, and thunderbolts
crashing. And two farmers who were brothers were killed close by,
together with four oxen. It is because of this that the great crowd has
gathered. But where, Lord, were you?'
"'I was here, brother.' 'Yet, Lord, did you not see it?' 'I did not see
it, brother.' 'But the noise, Lord, you surely heard?' 'I did not hear it,
brother.' Then that man asked me: 'Then, Lord, perhaps you slept?'
'No, brother, I was not sleeping.' 'Then, Lord, you were conscious?'
'I was, brother.' Then that man said: 'Then, Lord, while conscious
and awake, in the midst of a heavy rain, with thunder rolling,
lightning flashing, and thunderbolts crashing, you neither saw it nor
heard the noise?' And I answered him, saying: 'I did not, brother.'
42. "And to that man, Pukkusa, came the thought: 'Marvelous it is,
most wonderful indeed it is, the state of calmness wherein abide
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those who have gone forth from the world!' And there arose in him
great faith in me, and he respectfully saluted me, and keeping his
right side towards me, he went his way."
43. When this had been said, Pukkusa of the Malla clan said to the
Blessed One: "The faith, Lord, that I had in Alara Kalama I now
scatter to the mighty wind, I let it be carried away as by a flowing
stream! Excellent, O Lord, most excellent, O Lord! It is as if, Lord,
one were to set upright what had been overthrown, or to reveal what
had been hidden, or to show the path to one who had gone astray, or
to light a lamp in the darkness so that those having eyes might
see—even so has the Blessed One set forth the Dhamma in many
ways. And so, O Lord, I take my refuge in the Blessed One, the
Dhamma, and the Community of Bhikkhus. May the Blessed One
accept me as his disciple, one who has taken refuge until the end of
life."
44. Then Pukkusa of the Malla clan spoke to a certain man, saying:
"Bring me at once, friend, two sets of golden-hued robes, burnished
and ready for wear." And the man answered him: "So be it, sir."
45. And when the robes were brought, Pukkusa of the Malla clan
offered them to the Blessed One, saying: "May the Blessed One, O
Lord, out of compassion, accept this from me." And the Blessed One
said: "Robe me, then in one, Pukkusa, and in the other robe
Ananda."
"So be it, Lord." And he thereupon robed the Blessed One in one,
and in the other he robed the Venerable Ananda.
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46. And then the Blessed One instructed Pukkusa of the Malla clan
in the Dhamma, and roused, edified, and gladdened him. And after
that, Pukkusa rose from his seat, respectfully saluted the Blessed
One, and keeping his right side towards him, went his way.
47. And soon after Pukkusa of the Malla clan had departed, the
Venerable Ananda arranged the set of golden-hued robes, burnished
and ready for wear, about the body of the Blessed One. But when the
set of robes was arranged upon the body of the Blessed One, it
became as though faded, and its splendor dimmed.
48. And the Venerable Ananda said to the Blessed One: "Marvelous
it is, O Lord, most wonderful indeed it is, how clear and radiant the
skin of the Tathagata appears! This set of golden-hued robes,
burnished and ready for wear, Lord, now that it is arranged upon the
body of the Blessed One seems to have become faded, its splendor
dimmed."
49. "It is so, Ananda. There are two occasions, Ananda, when the
skin of the Tathagata appears exceedingly clear and radiant. Which
are these two? The night, Ananda, when the Tathagata becomes fully
enlightened in unsurpassed, supreme Enlightenment, and the night
when the Tathagata comes to his final passing away into the state of
Nibbana in which no element of clinging remains. These, Ananda,
are the two occasions on which the skin of the Tathagata appears
exceedingly clear and radiant.
50. "And now today, in the last watch of this very night, Ananda, in
the Mallas' Sala Grove, in the vicinity of Kusinara, between two sala
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trees, the Tathagata will come to his parinibbana. So now, Ananda,
let us go to the Kakuttha River."
51. Clad in Pukkusa's gift, the robes of gold,

The Master's form was radiant to behold.
At the Kakuttha River

52. Then the Blessed One went to the Kakuttha River together with
a great community of bhikkhus.
53. And he went down into the water and bathed and drank. And
coming forth from the water again, he went to the Mango Grove, and
there spoke to the Venerable Cundaka, saying: "Please fold my
upper robe in four, Cundaka, and lay it down. I am weary and would
rest awhile."
"So be it, Lord." And Cundaka folded the robe in four and laid
it down.
54. And the Blessed One lay down on his right side, in the lion's
posture, resting one foot upon the other, and so disposed himself,
mindfully and clearly comprehending, with the time for rising held
in mind. And the Venerable Cundaka sat down right in front of the
Blessed One.
55. The Buddha to Kakuttha's river came,

Where cool and limpid flows the pleasant stream;
There washed in water clear his weary frame
The Buddha—he in all the world supreme!
And having bathed and drank, the Teacher straight
Crossed over, the bhikkhus thronging in his wake.
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Discoursing holy truths, the Master great
Towards the Mango Grove his path did take.
There to the elder Cundaka he spoke:
"Lay down my robe, please, folded into four."
Then the elder, swift as lightning stroke,
Hastened the Teacher's bidding to obey.
Weary, the Lord then lay down on the mat,
And Cunda on the ground before him sat.
Relieving Cunda's Remorse

"It may come to pass, Ananda, that someone will cause remorse to
Cunda the metalworker, saying: 'It is no gain to you, friend Cunda,
but a loss, that it was from you the Tathagata took his last alms meal,
and then came to his end.' Then, Ananda, the remorse of Cunda
should be dispelled after this manner: 'It is a gain to you, friend
Cunda, a blessing that the Tathagata took his last alms meal from
you, and then came to his end. For, friend, face to face with the
Blessed One I have heard and learned: "There are two offerings of
food which are of equal fruition, of equal outcome, exceeding in
grandeur the fruition and result of any other offerings of food. Which
two? The one partaken of by the Tathagata before becoming fully
enlightened in unsurpassed, supreme Enlightenment; and the one
partaken of by the Tathagata before passing into the state of Nibbana
in which no element of clinging remains. By his deed the worthy
Cunda has accumulated merit which makes for long life, beauty,
well being, glory, heavenly rebirth, and sovereignty."' Thus, Ananda,
the remorse of Cunda the metalworker should be dispelled."
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57. Then the Blessed One, understanding that matter, breathed forth
the solemn utterance:
"Who gives, his virtues shall increase;
Who is self-curbed, no hatred bears;
Whosoever is skilled in virtue, evil shuns,
And by the rooting out of lust and hate
And all delusion, comes to be at peace."
PART FIVE: AT KUSINARA

Last Place of Rest
1. Then the Blessed One addressed the Venerable Ananda, saying:
"Come, Ananda, let us cross to the farther bank of the Hiraññavati,
and go to the Mallas' Sala Grove, in the vicinity of Kusinara."
"So be it, Lord."
2. And the Blessed One, together with a large company of bhikkhus,

went to the further bank of the river Hiraññavati, to the Sala Grove
of the Mallas, in the vicinity of Kusinara. And there he spoke to the
Venerable Ananda, saying:
3. "Please, Ananda, prepare for me a couch between the twin sala

trees, with the head to the north. I am weary, Ananda, and want to lie
down."
"So be it, Lord." And the Venerable Ananda did as the Blessed
One asked him to do.
Then the Blessed One lay down on his right side, in the lion's
posture, resting one foot upon the other, and so disposed himself,
mindfully and clearly comprehending.
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4. At that time the twin sala trees broke out in full bloom, though it
was not the season of flowering. And the blossoms rained upon the
body of the Tathagata and dropped and scattered and were strewn
upon it in worship of the Tathagata. And celestial mandarava
flowers and heavenly sandalwood powder from the sky rained down
upon the body of the Tathagata, and dropped and scattered and were
strewn upon it in worship of the Tathagata. And the sound of
heavenly voices and heavenly instruments made music in the air out
of reverence for the Tathagata.
5. And the Blessed One spoke to the Venerable Ananda, saying:

"Ananda, the twin sala trees are in full bloom, though it is not the
season of flowering. And the blossoms rain upon the body of the
Tathagata and drop and scatter and are strewn upon it in worship of
the Tathagata. And celestial coral flowers and heavenly sandalwood
powder from the sky rain down upon the body of the Tathagata, and
drop and scatter and are strewn upon it in worship of the Tathagata.
And the sound of heavenly voices and heavenly instruments makes
music in the air out of reverence for the Tathagata.
6. "Yet it is not thus, Ananda, that the Tathagata is respected,

venerated, esteemed, worshiped, and honored in the highest degree.
But, Ananda, whatever bhikkhu or bhikkhuni, layman or laywoman,
abides by the Dhamma, lives uprightly in the Dhamma, walks in the
way of the Dhamma, it is by such a one that the Tathagata is
respected, venerated, esteemed, worshiped, and honored in the
highest degree. Therefore, Ananda, thus should you train yourselves:
'We shall abide by the Dhamma, live uprightly in the Dhamma, walk
in the way of the Dhamma.'"
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The Grief of the Gods
7. At that time the Venerable Upavana was standing before the
Blessed One, fanning him. And the Blessed One rebuked him,
saying: "Move aside, bhikkhu, do not stand in front of me."
8. And to the Venerable Ananda came the thought: "This Venerable

Upavana has been in attendance on the Blessed One for a long time,
closely associating with him and serving him. Yet now, right at the
end, the Blessed One rebukes him. What now could be the reason,
what the cause for the Blessed One to rebuke the Venerable
Upavana, saying: 'Move aside, bhikkhu, do not stand in front of
me'?"
9-10. And the Venerable Ananda told his thought to the Blessed
One. The Blessed One said: "Throughout the tenfold world-system,
Ananda, there are hardly any of the deities that have not gathered
together to look upon the Tathagata. For a distance of twelve yojanas
around the Sala Grove of the Mallas in the vicinity of Kusinara there
is not a spot that could be pricked with the tip of a hair that is not
filled with powerful deities. And these deities, Ananda, are
complaining: 'From afar have we come to look upon the Tathagata.
For rare in the world is the arising of Tathagatas, Arahats, Fully
Enlightened Ones. And this day, in the last watch of the night, the
Tathagata's parinibbana will come about. But this bhikkhu of great
powers has placed himself right in front of the Blessed One,
concealing him, so that now, at the very end, we are prevented from
looking upon him.' Thus, Ananda, the deities complain."
11. "Of what kind of deities, Lord, is the Blessed One aware?"
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12-13. "There are deities, Ananda, in space and on earth, who are
earthly-minded; with disheveled hair they weep, with uplifted arms
they weep; flinging themselves on the ground, they roll from side to
side, lamenting:
"Too soon has the Blessed One come to his parinibbana!
Too soon has the Happy One come to his parinibbana!
Too soon has the Eye of the World vanished from sight!"
14. "But those deities who are freed from passion, mindful and
comprehending, reflect in this way: 'Impermanent are all
compounded things. How could this be otherwise?'"
Ananda's Concern
15. "Formerly, Lord, on leaving their quarters after the rains, the
bhikkhus would set forth to see the Tathagata, and to us there was
the gain and benefit of receiving and associating with those very
revered bhikkhus who came to have audience with the Blessed One
and to wait upon him. But, Lord, after the Blessed One has gone, we
shall no longer have that gain and benefit."
Four Places of Pilgrimage

16. "There are four places, Ananda, that pious person should visit
and look upon with feelings of reverence. What are the four?
17. "'Here the Tathagata was born!' This, Ananda, is a place that a
pious person should visit and look upon with feelings of reverence.
18. "'Here the Tathagata became fully enlightened in unsurpassed,

supreme Enlightenment!' This, Ananda, is a place that a pious
person should visit and look upon with feelings of reverence.
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19. "'Here the Tathagata set rolling the unexcelled Wheel of the
Dhamma!' This, Ananda, is a place that a pious person should visit
and look upon with feelings of reverence.
20. "'Here the Tathagata passed away into the state of Nibbana in
which no element of clinging remains!' This, Ananda, is a place that
a pious person should visit and look upon with feelings of reverence.
21. "These, Ananda, are the four places that a pious person should
visit and look upon with feelings of reverence. And truly there will
come to these places, Ananda, pious bhikkhus and bhikkhunis,
laymen and laywomen, reflecting: 'Here the Tathagata was born!
Here the Tathagata became fully enlightened in unsurpassed,
supreme Enlightenment! Here the Tathagata set rolling the
unexcelled Wheel of the Dhamma! Here the Tathagata passed away
into the state of Nibbana in which no element of clinging remains!'
22. "And whoever, Ananda, should die on such a pilgrimage with his
heart established in faith, at the breaking up of the body, after death,
will be reborn in a realm of heavenly happiness."
23. Then the Venerable Ananda said to the Blessed One: "How,
Lord, should we conduct ourselves towards women?"
"Do not see them, Ananda."
"But, Lord, if we do see them?"
"Do not speak, Ananda."
"But, Lord, if they should speak to us?"
"Then, Ananda, you should establish mindfulness."
24. Then the Venerable Ananda said: "How should we act, Lord,
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respecting the body of the Tathagata?"
"Do not hinder yourselves, Ananda, to honor the body of the
Tathagata. Rather you should strive, Ananda, and be zealous on your
own behalf, for your own good. Unflinchingly, ardently, and
resolutely you should apply yourselves to your own good. For there
are, Ananda, wise nobles, wise brahmins, and wise householders
who are devoted to the Tathagata, and it is they who will render the
honor to the body of the Tathagata."
25. Then the Venerable Ananda said: "But how, Lord, should they
act respecting the body of the Tathagata?"
"After the same manner, Ananda, as towards the body of a
universal monarch."
"But how, Lord, do they act respecting the body of a universal
monarch?"
26. "The body of a universal monarch, Ananda, is first wrapped

round with new linen, and then with teased cotton wool, and so it is
done up to five hundred layers of linen and five hundred of cotton
wool. When that is done, the body of the universal monarch is
placed in an iron oil vessel, which is enclosed in another iron vessel,
a funeral pyre is built of all kinds of perfumed woods, and so the
body of the universal monarch is burned; and at a crossroads a stupa
is raised for the universal monarch. So it is done, Ananda, with the
body of a universal monarch. And even, Ananda, as with the body
of a universal monarch, so should it be done with the body of the
Tathagata; and at a crossroads also a stupa should be raised for the
Tathagata. And whosoever shall bring to that place garlands or
incense or sandal paste, or pay reverence, and whose mind becomes
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calm there—it will be to his well being and happiness for a long
time.
27. "There are four persons, Ananda, who are worthy of a stupa.
Who are those four? A Tathagata, an Arahat, a Fully Enlightened
One is worthy of a stupa; so also is a Paccekabuddha, and a disciple
of a Tathagata, and a universal monarch.
28-31. "And why, Ananda, is a Tathagata, an Arahat, a Fully

Enlightened One worthy of a stupa? Because, Ananda, at the
thought: 'This is the stupa of that Blessed One, Arahat, Fully
Enlightened One!' the hearts of many people will be calmed and
made happy; and so calmed and with their minds established in faith
therein, at the breaking up of the body, after death, they will be
reborn in a realm of heavenly happiness. And so also at the thought:
'This is the stupa of that Paccekabuddha!' or 'This is the stupa of a
disciple of that Tathagata, Arahat, Fully Enlightened One!' or 'This
is the stupa of that righteous monarch who ruled according to
Dhamma!'—the hearts of many people are calmed and made happy;
and so calmed and with their minds established in faith therein, at
the breaking up of the body, after death, they will be reborn in a
realm of heavenly happiness. And it is because of this, Ananda, that
these four persons are worthy of a stupa."
Ananda's Grief
32. Then the Venerable Ananda went into the vihara and leaned
against the doorpost and wept: "I am still but a learner, and still have
to strive for my own perfection. But, alas, my Master, who was so
compassionate towards me, is about to pass away!"
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33. And the Blessed One spoke to the bhikkhus, saying: "Where,
bhikkhus, is Ananda?"
"The Venerable Ananda, Lord, has gone into the vihara and there
stands leaning against the door post and weeping: 'I am still but a
learner, and still have to strive for my own perfection. But, alas, my
Master, who was so compassionate towards me, is about to pass
away!'"
34. Then the Blessed One asked a certain bhikkhu to bring the
Venerable Ananda to him, saying: "Go, bhikkhu, and say to Ananda,
'Friend Ananda, the Master calls you.'"
"So be it, Lord." And that bhikkhu went and spoke to the
Venerable Ananda as the Blessed One had asked him to. And the
Venerable Ananda went to the Blessed One, bowed down to him,
and sat down on one side.
"Enough, Ananda! Do not grieve, do not lament! For have I not
taught from the very beginning that with all that is dear and beloved
there must be change, separation, and severance? Of that which is
born, come into being, compounded, and subject to decay, how can
one say: 'May it not come to dissolution!'? There can be no such
state of things. Now for a long time, Ananda, you have served the
Tathagata with loving-kindness in deed, word, and thought,
graciously, pleasantly, with a whole heart and beyond measure.
Great good have you gathered, Ananda! Now you should put forth
energy, and soon you too will be free from the taints."
Praise of Ananda
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36. Then the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus, saying:
"Bhikkhus, the Blessed Ones, Arahats, Fully Enlightened Ones
of times past also had excellent and devoted attendant bhikkhus,
such as I have in Ananda. And so also, bhikkhus, will the Blessed
Ones, Arahats, Fully Enlightened Ones of times to come.
37. "Capable and judicious is Ananda, bhikkhus, for he knows the

proper time for bhikkhus to have audience with the Tathagata, and
the time for bhikkhunis, the time for laymen and for laywomen; the
time for kings and for ministers of state; the time for teachers of
other sects and for their followers.
38. "In Ananda, bhikkhus, are to be found four rare and superlative
qualities. What are the four? If, bhikkhus, a company of bhikkhus
should go to see Ananda, they become joyful on seeing him; and if
he then speaks to them of the Dhamma, they are made joyful by his
discourse; and when he becomes silent, they are disappointed. So it
is also when bhikkhunis, laymen, or laywomen go to see Ananda:
they become joyful on seeing him; and if he then speaks to them of
the Dhamma, they are made joyful by his discourse; and when he
becomes silent, they are disappointed.
39. "In a universal monarch, bhikkhus, are to be found four rare and
superlative qualities. What are those four? If, bhikkhus, a company
of nobles should go to see the universal monarch, they become
joyful on seeing him; and if he then speaks, they are made joyful by
his talk; and when he becomes silent, they are disappointed. So it is
also when a company of brahmins, of householders, or of ascetics
goes to see a universal monarch.
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40. "And in just the same way, bhikkhus, in Ananda are to be found
these four rare and superlative qualities."
The Past Glory of Kusinara

41. When this had been said, the Venerable Ananda spoke to the
Blessed One, saying: "Let it not be, Lord, that the Blessed One
should pass away in this mean place, this uncivilized township in the
midst of the jungle, a mere outpost of the province. There are great
cities, Lord, such as Campa, Rajagaha, Savatthi, Saketa, Kosambi,
and Benares—let the Blessed One have his final passing away in one
of those. For in those cities dwell many wealthy nobles and
brahmins and householders who are devotees of the Tathagata, and
they will render due honor to the remains of the Tathagata."
42. "Do not say that, Ananda! Do not say: 'This mean place, this
uncivilized township in the midst of the jungle, a mere outpost of the
province.' In times long past, Ananda, there was a king by the name
of Maha Sudassana, who was a universal monarch, a king of
righteousness, a conqueror of the four quarters of the earth, whose
realm was established in security, and who was endowed with the
seven jewels. And that King Maha Sudassana, Ananda, had his royal
residence here at Kusinara, which was then called Kusavati, and it
extended twelve yojanas from east to west, and seven from north to
south.
43. "And mighty, Ananda, was Kusavati, the capital, prosperous and
well populated, much frequented by people, and abundantly
provided with food. Just as the royal residence of the deities,
Alakamanda, is mighty, prosperous, and well populated, much
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frequented by deities and abundantly provided with food, so was the
royal capital of Kusavati.
44. "Kusavati, Ananda, resounded unceasingly day and night with

ten sounds—the trumpeting of elephants, the neighing of horses, the
rattling of chariots, the beating of drums and tabors, music and song,
cheers, the clapping of hands, and cries of 'Eat, drink, and be merry!'
Lamentation of the Mallas

45. "Go now, Ananda, to Kusinara and announce to the Mallas:
'Today, Vasetthas, in the last watch of the night, the Tathagata's
parinibbana will take place. Approach, O Vasetthas, draw near! Do
not be remorseful later at the thought: "In our township it was that
the Tathagata's parinibbana took place, but we failed to see him at
the end!"'"
"So be it, Lord." And the Venerable Ananda prepared himself,
and taking bowl and robe, went with a companion to Kusinara.
46. Now at that time the Mallas had gathered in the council hall for
some public business. And the Venerable Ananda approached them
and announced: "Today, Vasetthas, in the last watch of the night, the
Tathagata's parinibbana will take place. Approach, Vasetthas, draw
near! Do not be remorseful later at the thought: 'In our township it
was that the Tathagata's parinibbana took place, but we failed to see
him at the end.'"
47. When they heard the Venerable Ananda speak these words, the
Mallas with their sons, their wives, and the wives of their sons, were
sorely grieved, grieved at heart and afflicted; and some, with their
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hair all disheveled, with arms uplifted in despair, wept; flinging
themselves on the ground, they rolled from side to side, lamenting:
48. And thus afflicted and filled with grief, the Mallas, with their
sons, their wives, and the wives of their sons, went to the Sala
Grove, the recreation park of the Mallas, to the place where the
Venerable Ananda was.
49. And the thought arose in the Venerable Ananda: "If I were to
allow the Mallas of Kusinara to pay reverence to the Blessed One
one by one, the night will have given place to dawn before they are
all presented to him. Therefore let me divide them up according to
clan, each family in a group, and so present them to the Blessed One
thus: 'The Malla of such and such a name, Lord, with his wives and
children, his attendants and his friends, pays homage at the feet of
the Blessed One.'"
50. And the Venerable Ananda divided the Mallas up according to

clan, each family in a group, and presented them to the Blessed One.
So it was that the Venerable Ananda caused the Mallas of Kusinara
to be presented to the Blessed One by clans, each family in a group,
even in the first watch of the night.
The Last Convert

51. Now at that time a wandering ascetic named Subhadda was
dwelling at Kusinara. And Subhadda the wandering ascetic heard it
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said: "Today in the third watch of the night, the parinibbana of the
ascetic Gotama will take place."
52. And the thought arose in him: "I have heard it said by old and
venerable wandering ascetics, teachers of teachers, that the arising
of Tathagatas, Arahats, Fully Enlightened Ones, is rare in the world.
Yet this very day, in the last watch of the night, the parinibbana of
the ascetic Gotama will take place. Now there is in me a doubt; but
to this extent I have faith in the ascetic Gotama, that he could so
teach me the Dhamma as to remove that doubt."
53. Then the wandering ascetic Subhadda went to the Sala Grove,
the recreation park of the Mallas, and drew near to the Venerable
Ananda, and told the Venerable Ananda his thought. And he spoke
to the Venerable Ananda, saying: "Friend Ananda, it would be good
if I could be allowed into the presence of the ascetic Gotama."
54. But the Venerable Ananda answered him, saying: "Enough,

friend Subhadda! Do not trouble the Tathagata. The Blessed One is
weary."
55-56. Yet a second and a third time the wandering ascetic

Subhadda made his request, and a second and a third time the
Venerable Ananda refused him.
57. And the Blessed One heard the talk between them, and he called
the Venerable Ananda and said: "Stop, Ananda! Do not refuse
Subhadda. Subhadda, Ananda, may be allowed into the presence of
the Tathagata. For whatever he will ask me, he will ask for the sake
of knowledge, and not as an offence. And the answer I give him, that
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he will readily understand."
58. Thereupon the Venerable Ananda said to the wandering ascetic

Subhadda: "Go then, friend Subhadda, the Blessed One gives you
leave."
59. Then the wandering ascetic Subhadda approached the Blessed

One and saluted him courteously. And having exchanged with him
pleasant and civil greetings, the wandering ascetic Subhadda seated
himself at one side and addressed the Blessed One, saying: "There
are, Venerable Gotama, ascetics and brahmins who are heads of
great companies of disciples, who have large retinues, who are
leaders of schools, well known and renowned, and held in high
esteem by the multitude, such teachers as Purana Kassapa, Makkhali
Gosala, Ajita Kesakambali, Pakudha Kaccayana, Sañjaya
Belatthiputta, Nigantha Nataputta. Have all of these attained
realization, as each of them would have it believed, or has none of
them, or is it that some have attained realization and others not?"
60. "Enough, Subhadda! Let it be as it may, whether all of them have

attained realization, as each of them would have it believed, or
whether none of them has, or whether some have attained realization
and others not. I will teach you the Dhamma, Subhadda; listen and
heed it well, and I will speak."
"So be it, Lord."
The Lion's Roar

61. And the Blessed One spoke, saying: "In whatsoever Dhamma
and Discipline, Subhadda, there is not found the Noble Eightfold
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Path, neither is there found a true ascetic of the first, second, third,
or fourth degree of saintliness. But in whatsoever Dhamma and
Discipline there is found the Noble Eightfold Path, there is found a
true ascetic of the first, second, third, and fourth degrees of
saintliness. Now in this Dhamma and Discipline, Subhadda, is found
the Noble Eightfold Path; and in it alone are also found true ascetics
of the first, second, third, and fourth degrees of saintliness. Devoid
of true ascetics are the systems of other teachers. But if, Subhadda,
the bhikkhus live righteously, the world will not be destitute of
arahats.
62. "In age but twenty-nine was I, Subhadda,

When I renounced the world to seek the Good;
Fifty-one years have passed since then, Subhadda,
And in all that time a wanderer have I been
In the domain of virtue and of truth,
And except therein, there is no saint (of the first degree).
"And there is none of the second degree, nor of the third degree,
nor of the fourth degree of saintliness. Devoid of true ascetics are the
systems of other teachers. But if, Subhadda, the bhikkhus live
righteously, the world will not be destitute of arahats."
63. When this was said, the wandering ascetic Subhadda spoke to
the Blessed One, saying: "Excellent, O Lord, most excellent, O
Lord! It is as if, Lord, one were to set upright what had been
overthrown, or to reveal what had been hidden, or to show the path
to one who had gone astray, or to light a lamp in the darkness so that
those with eyes might see—even so has the Blessed One set forth the
Dhamma in many ways. And so, O Lord, I take my refuge in the
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Blessed One, the Dhamma, and the Community of Bhikkhus. May
I receive from the Blessed One admission to the Order and also the
higher ordination."
64. "Whoever, Subhadda, having been formerly a follower of

another creed, wishes to receive admission and higher ordination in
this Dhamma and Discipline, remains on probation for a period of
four months. At the end of those four months, if the bhikkhus are
satisfied with him, they grant him admission and higher ordination
as a bhikkhu. Yet in this matter I recognize differences of
personalities."
65. "If, O Lord, whoever, having been formerly a follower of another

creed, wishes to receive admission and higher ordination in this
Dhamma and Discipline, remains on probation for a period of four
months, and at the end of those four months, if the bhikkhus are
satisfied with him, they grant him admission and higher ordination
as a bhikkhu—then I will remain on probation for a period of four
years. And at the end of those four years, if the bhikkhus are
satisfied with me, let them grant me admission and higher ordination
as a bhikkhu."
66. But the Blessed One called the Venerable Ananda and said to
him: "Ananda, let Subhadda be given admission into the Order."
And the Venerable Ananda replied: "So be it, Lord."
67. Then the wandering ascetic Subhadda said to the Venerable

Ananda: "It is a gain to you, friend Ananda, a blessing, that in the
presence of the Master himself you have received the sprinkling of
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ordination as a disciple."
68. So it came about that the wandering ascetic Subhadda, in the

presence of the Blessed One, received admission and higher
ordination. And from the time of his ordination the Venerable
Subhadda remained alone, secluded, heedful, ardent, and resolute.
And before long he attained to the goal for which a worthy man goes
forth rightly from home to homelessness, the supreme goal of the
holy life; and having by himself realized it with higher knowledge,
he dwelt therein. He knew: "Destroyed is birth; the higher life is
fulfilled; nothing more is to be done, and beyond this life nothing
more remains." And the Venerable Subhadda became yet another
among the arahats, and he was the last disciple converted by the
Blessed One himself.
PART SIX: THE PASSING AWAY

The Blessed One's Final Exhortation
1. Now the Blessed One spoke to the Venerable Ananda, saying:
"It may be, Ananda, that to some among you the thought will
come: 'Ended is the word of the Master; we have a Master no
longer.' But it should not, Ananda, be so considered. For that which
I have proclaimed and made known as the Dhamma and the
Discipline, that shall be your Master when I am gone.
2. "And, Ananda, whereas now the bhikkhus address one another as

'friend,' let it not be so when I am gone. The senior bhikkhus,
Ananda, may address the junior ones by their name, their family
name, or as 'friend'; but the junior bhikkhus should address the
senior ones as 'venerable sir' or 'your reverence.'
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3. "If it is desired, Ananda, the Sangha may, when I am gone,
abolish the lesser and minor rules.
4. "Ananda, when I am gone, let the higher penalty be imposed

upon the bhikkhu Channa."
"But what, Lord, is the higher penalty?"
"The bhikkhu Channa, Ananda, may say what he will, but the
bhikkhus should neither converse with him, nor exhort him, nor
admonish him."
5. Then the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus, saying: "It may be,
bhikkhus, that one of you is in doubt or perplexity as to the Buddha,
the Dhamma, or the Sangha, the path or the practice. Then question,
bhikkhus! Do not be given to remorse later on with the thought: 'The
Master was with us face to face, yet face to face we failed to ask
him.'"
6. But when this was said, the bhikkhus were silent. And yet a
second and a third time the Blessed One said to them: "It may be,
bhikkhus, that one of you is in doubt or perplexity as to the Buddha,
the Dhamma, or the Sangha, the path or the practice. Then question,
bhikkhus! Do not be given to remorse later on with the thought: 'The
Master was with us face to face, yet face to face we failed to ask
him.'"
And for a second and a third time the bhikkhus were silent. Then
the Blessed One said to them: "It may be, bhikkhus, out of respect
for the Master that you ask no questions. Then, bhikkhus, let friend
communicate it to friend." Yet still the bhikkhus were silent.
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7. And the Venerable Ananda spoke to the Blessed One, saying:
"Marvelous it is, O Lord, most wonderful it is! This faith I have
in the community of bhikkhus, that not even one bhikkhu is in doubt
or perplexity as to the Buddha, the Dhamma, or the Sangha, the path
or the practice."
"Out of faith, Ananda, you speak thus. But here, Ananda, the
Tathagata knows for certain that among this community of bhikkhus
there is not even one bhikkhu who is in doubt or perplexity as to the
Buddha, the Dhamma, or the Sangha, the path or the practice. For,
Ananda, among these five hundred bhikkhus even the lowest is a
stream-enterer, secure from downfall, assured, and bound for
enlightenment."
8. And the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus, saying: "Behold

now, bhikkhus, I exhort you: All compounded things are subject to
vanish. Strive with earnestness!"
This was the last word of the Tathagata.
How the Blessed One Passed into Nibbana

9. And the Blessed One entered the first jhana. Rising from the first
jhana, he entered the second jhana. Rising from the second jhana, he
entered the third jhana. Rising from the third jhana, he entered the
fourth jhana. And rising out of the fourth jhana, he entered the
sphere of infinite space. Rising from the attainment of the sphere of
infinite space, he entered the sphere of infinite consciousness. Rising
from the attainment of the sphere of infinite consciousness, he
entered the sphere of nothingness. Rising from the attainment of the
sphere of nothingness, he entered the sphere of neither-perception-
nor-non-perception. And rising out of the attainment of the sphere
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of neither-perception-nor-non-perception, he attained to the
cessation of perception and feeling.
10. And the Venerable Ananda spoke to the Venerable Anuruddha,

saying: "Venerable Anuruddha, the Blessed One has passed away."
"No, friend Ananda, the Blessed One has not passed away. He
has entered the state of the cessation of perception and feeling."
11. Then the Blessed One, rising from the cessation of perception
and feeling, entered the sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-
perception. Rising from the attainment of the sphere of neither-
perception-nor-non-perception, he entered the sphere of nothingness.
Rising from the attainment of the sphere of nothingness, he entered
the sphere of infinite consciousness. Rising from the attainment of
the sphere of infinite consciousness, he entered the sphere of infinite
space. Rising from the attainment of the sphere of infinite space, he
entered the fourth jhana. Rising from the fourth jhana, he entered the
third jhana. Rising from the third jhana, he entered the second jhana.
Rising from the second jhana, he entered the first jhana.
Rising from the first jhana, he entered the second jhana. Rising
from the second jhana, he entered the third jhana. Rising from the
third jhana, he entered the fourth jhana. And, rising from the fourth
jhana, the Blessed One immediately passed away.
The World's Echo

12. And when the Blessed One had passed away, simultaneously
with his parinibbana there came a tremendous earthquake, dreadful
and astounding, and the thunders rolled across the heavens.
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with his parinibbana, Brahma Sahampati spoke this stanza:
"All must depart—all beings that have life
Must shed their compound forms. Yea, even one,
A Master such as he, a peerless being,
Powerful in wisdom, the Enlightened One, has passed away."
with his parinibbana, Sakka, king of the gods, spoke this stanza:
"Transient are all compounded things,
Subject to arise and vanish;
Having come into existence they pass away;
Good is the peace when they forever cease."
with his parinibbana, the Venerable Anuruddha spoke this stanza:
"No movement of the breath, but with steadfast heart,
Free from desires and tranquil—so the sage
Comes to his end. By mortal pangs unshaken,
His mind, like a flame extinguished, finds release."
with his parinibbana, the Venerable Ananda spoke this stanza:
"Then there was terror, and the hair stood up, when he,
The All-accomplished One, the Buddha, passed away."
17. Then, when the Blessed One had passed away, some bhikkhus,
not yet freed from passion, lifted up their arms and wept; and some,
flinging themselves on the ground, rolled from side to side and wept,
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lamenting:
But the bhikkhus who were freed from passion, mindful and
clearly comprehending, reflected in this way: "Impermanent are all
compounded things. How could this be otherwise?"
18. And the Venerable Anuruddha addressed the bhikkhus, saying:

"Enough, friends! Do not grieve, do not lament! For has not the
Blessed One declared that with all that is dear and beloved there
must be change, separation, and severance? Of that which is born,
come into being, compounded and subject to decay, how can one
say: 'May it not come to dissolution!'? The deities, friends, are
aggrieved."
"But, venerable sir, of what deities is the Venerable Anuruddha
aware?"
"There are deities, friend Ananda, in space and on the earth who
are earthly-minded; with disheveled hair they weep, with uplifted
arms they weep; flinging themselves on the ground, they roll from
side to side, lamenting:
But those deities who are freed from passion, mindful and clearly
comprehending, reflect in this way:
'Impermanent are all compounded things.
How could this be otherwise?'"
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19. Now the Venerable Anuruddha and the Venerable Ananda spent
the rest of the night in talking on the Dhamma. Then the Venerable
Anuruddha spoke to the Venerable Ananda, saying:
"Go now, friend Ananda, to Kusinara, and announce to the
Mallas: 'The Blessed One, Vasetthas, has passed away. Do now as
seems fitting to you.'"
"So be it, venerable sir." And the Venerable Ananda prepared
himself in the forenoon, and taking bowl and robe, went with a
companion into Kusinara.
20. At that time the Mallas of Kusinara had gathered in the council
hall to consider that very matter. And the Venerable Ananda
approached them and announced: "The Blessed One, Vasetthas, has
passed away. Do now as seems fitting to you."
And when they heard the Venerable Ananda speak these words,
the Mallas with their sons, their wives, and the wives of their sons,
were sorely grieved, grieved at heart and afflicted; and some, with
their hair all disheveled, with arms upraised in despair, wept;
flinging themselves on the ground, they rolled from side to side,
lamenting:
Homage to the Remains

21. Then the Mallas of Kusinara gave orders to their men, saying:
"Gather now all the perfumes, flower-garlands, and musicians, even
all that are in Kusinara." And the Mallas, with the perfumes, the
flower-garlands, and the musicians, and with five hundred sets of
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clothing, went to the Sala Grove, the recreation park of the Mallas,
and approached the body of the Blessed One. And having
approached, they paid homage to the body of the Blessed One with
dance, song, music, flower-garlands, and perfume, and erecting
canopies and pavilions, they spent the day showing respect, honor,
and veneration to the body of the Blessed One. And then the thought
came to them: "Now the day is too far spent for us to cremate the
body of the Blessed One. Tomorrow we will do it."
And for the second day, and a third, fourth, fifth, and sixth day,
they paid homage to the body of the Blessed One with dance, song,
music, flower-garlands, and perfume, and erecting canopies and
pavilions, they spent the day showing respect, honor, and veneration
to the body of the Blessed One.
But on the seventh day the thought came to them: "We have paid
homage to the body of the Blessed One with dance, song, music,
flower-garlands, and perfume, and have shown respect, honor, and
veneration; let us now carry the body of the Blessed One southward
to the southern part of the town and beyond, and let us there cremate
the body of the Blessed One south of the town."
And eight Mallas of the foremost families, bathed from the
crown of their heads and wearing new clothes, with the thought:
"We will lift up the body of the Blessed One," tried to do so but
they could not.
22. Then the Mallas spoke to the Venerable Anuruddha, saying:

"What is the cause, Venerable Anuruddha, what is the reason that
these eight Mallas of the foremost families, bathed from the crown
of their heads and wearing new clothes, with the thought: 'We will
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lift up the body of the Blessed One,' try to do so but cannot?"
"You, Vasetthas, have one purpose, the deities have another."
"Then what, venerable sir, is the purpose of the deities?"
"Your purpose, Vasetthas, is this: 'We have paid homage to the
body of the Blessed One with dance, song, music, flower-garlands,
and perfume, and have shown respect, honor, and veneration; let us
now carry the body of the Blessed One southward to the southern
part of the town and beyond, and let us there cremate the body of the
Blessed One south of the town.' But the purpose of the deities,
Vasetthas, is this: 'We have paid homage to the body of the Blessed
One with heavenly dance, song, music, flower-garlands, and
perfume, and have shown respect, honor, and veneration; let us now
carry the body of the Blessed One northward to the northern part of
the town; and having carried it through the northern gate, let us go
through the center of the town, and then eastward to the east of the
town; and having passed through the east gate, let us carry it to the
cetiya of the Mallas, Makuta-bandhana, and there let us cremate the
body of the Blessed One.'"
"As the deities wish, venerable sir, so let it be."
23. Thereupon the whole of Kusinara, even to the dust heaps and
rubbish heaps, became covered knee-deep in mandarava flowers.
And homage was paid to the body of the Blessed One by the deities
as well as the Mallas of Kusinara. With dance, song, music, flower-
garlands, and perfume, both divine and human, respect, honor, and
veneration were shown. And they carried the body of the Blessed
One northward to the northern part of the town; and having carried
it through the northern gate, they went through the center of the
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town, and then eastward to the east of the town; and having passed
through the east gate, they carried the body of the Blessed One to the
cetiya of the Mallas, Makuta-bandhana, and there laid it down.
24. Then the Mallas of Kusinara spoke to the Venerable Ananda,

saying: "How should we act, Venerable Ananda, respecting the body
of the Tathagata?"
"After the same manner, Vasetthas, as towards the body of a
universal monarch."
"But how, venerable Ananda, do they act respecting the body of
a universal monarch?"
"The body of a universal monarch, Vasetthas, is first wrapped
round with new linen, and then with teased cotton wool. And again
it is wrapped round with new linen, and again with teased cotton
wool, and so it is done up to five hundred layers of linen and five
hundred of cotton wool. When that is done, the body of the universal
monarch is placed in an iron oil-vessel, which is enclosed in another
iron vessel and a funeral pyre is built of all kinds of perfumed
woods, and so the body of the universal monarch is burned. And at
a crossroads a stupa is raised for the universal monarch. So it is
done, Vasetthas, with the body of a universal monarch.
"And even, Vasetthas, as with the body of a universal monarch,
so should it be done with the body of the Tathagata; and at a
crossroads also a stupa should be raised for the Tathagata. And
whoever shall bring to that place garlands or incense or sandalwood
paste, or pay reverence, and whose mind becomes calm there—it
will be to his well being and happiness for a long time."
25. Then the Mallas gave orders to their men, saying: "Gather now
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all the teased cotton wool of the Mallas!" And the Mallas of
Kusinara wrapped the body of the Blessed One round with new
linen, and then with teased cotton wool. And again they wrapped it
round with new linen, and again with teased cotton wool, and so it
was done up to five hundred layers of linen and five hundred of
cotton wool. When that was done, they placed the body of the
Blessed One in an iron oil-vessel, which was enclosed in another
iron vessel, and they built a funeral pyre of all kinds of perfumed
woods, and upon it they laid the body of the Blessed One.
26. Now at that time the Venerable Maha Kassapa was journeying
from Pava to Kusinara together with a large company of five
hundred bhikkhus. And on the way, the Venerable Maha Kassapa
went aside from the highway and sat down at the foot of a tree.
And a certain Ajivaka came by, on his way to Pava, and he had
taken a mandarava flower from Kusinara. And the Venerable Maha
Kassapa saw the Ajivaka coming from a distance, and as he drew
close he spoke to him, saying: "Do you know, friend, anything of our
Master?"
"Yes, friend, I know. It is now seven days since the ascetic
Gotama passed away. From there I have brought this mandarava
flower."
27. Thereupon some bhikkhus, not yet freed from passion, lifted up
their arms and wept; and some, flinging themselves on the ground,
rolled from side to side and wept, lamenting:
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28. Now at that time, one Subhadda, who had renounced only in his
old age, was seated in the assembly. And he addressed the bhikkhus,
saying: "Enough, friends! Do not grieve, do not lament! We are well
rid of that great ascetic. Too long, friends, have we been oppressed
by his saying: 'This is fitting for you; that is not fitting for you.' Now
we shall be able to do as we wish, and what we do not wish, that we
shall not do."
But the Venerable Maha Kassapa addressed the bhikkhus,
saying: "Enough friends! Do not grieve, do not lament! For has not
the Blessed One declared that with all that is dear and beloved there
must be change, separation, and severance? Of that which is born,
come into being, compounded, and subject to decay, how can one
say: 'May it not come to dissolution!'?"
29. Now at that time four Mallas of the foremost families, bathed
from the crown of their heads and wearing new clothes, with the
thought: "We will set alight the Blessed One's pyre," tried to do so
but they could not. And the Mallas spoke to the Venerable
Anuruddha, saying: "What is the cause, Venerable Anuruddha, what
is the reason that these four Mallas of the foremost families, bathed
from the crown of their heads and wearing new clothes, with the
thought: "We will set alight the Blessed One's pyre,' try to do so but
cannot?"
"You, Vasetthas, have one purpose, the deities have another."
"Then what, venerable sir, is the purpose of the deities?"
"The purpose of the deities, Vasetthas, is this: 'The Venerable
Maha Kassapa is on his way from Pava to Kusinara together with a
large company of five hundred bhikkhus. Let not the Blessed One's
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pyre be set alight until the Venerable Maha Kassapa has paid
homage at the feet of the Blessed One.'"
"As the deities wish, venerable sir, so let it be."
30. And the Venerable Maha Kassapa approached the pyre of the
Blessed One, at the cetiya of the Mallas, Makuta-bandhana, in
Kusinara. And he arranged his upper robe on one shoulder, and with
his clasped hands raised in salutation, he walked three times round
the pyre, keeping his right side towards the Blessed One's body, and
he paid homage at the feet of the Blessed One. And even so did the
five hundred bhikkhus.
And when homage had been paid by the Venerable Maha
Kassapa and the five hundred bhikkhus, the pyre of the Blessed One
burst into flame by itself.
31. And it came about that when the body of the Blessed One had
been burned, no ashes or particles were to be seen of what had been
skin, tissue, flesh, sinews, and fluid; only bones remained. Just as
when ghee or oil is burned, it leaves no particles or ashes behind,
even so when the body of the Blessed One had been burned, no
ashes or particles were to be seen of what had been skin, tissue,
flesh, sinews, and fluid; only bones remained. And of the five
hundred linen wrappings, only two were not consumed, the
innermost and the outermost.
32. And when the body of the Blessed One had been burned, water
rained down from heaven and extinguished the pyre of the Blessed
One, and from the sala trees water came forth, and the Mallas of
Kusinara brought water scented with many kinds of perfumes, and
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they too extinguished the pyre of the Blessed One.
And the Mallas of Kusinara laid the relics of the Blessed One in
their council hall, and surrounded them with a lattice-work of spears
and encircled them with a fence of bows; and there for seven days
they paid homage to the relics of the Blessed One with dance, song,
music, flower-garlands, and perfume, and showed respect, honor,
and veneration to the relics of the Blessed One.
Partition of the Relics

33. Then the king of Magadha, Ajatasattu, son of the Videhi queen,
came to know that at Kusinara the Blessed One had passed away.
And he sent a message to the Mallas of Kusinara, saying: "The
Blessed One was of the warrior caste, and I am too. I am worthy to
receive a portion of the relics of the Blessed One. I will erect a stupa
over the relics of the Blessed One and hold a festival in their honor."
34. And the Licchavis of Vesali came to know that at Kusinara the
Blessed One had passed away. And they sent a message to the
Mallas of Kusinara, saying: "The Blessed One was of the warrior
caste, and we are too. We are worthy to receive a portion of the
relics of the Blessed One. We will erect a stupa over the relics of the
Blessed One and hold a festival in their honor."
35. And the Sakyas of Kapilavatthu came to know that at Kusinara

the Blessed One had passed away. And they sent a message to the
Mallas of Kusinara, saying: "The Blessed One was the greatest of
our clan. We are worthy to receive a portion of the relics of the
Blessed One. We will erect a stupa over the relics of the Blessed
One and hold a festival in their honor."
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36. And the Bulis of Allakappa came to know that at Kusinara the
37. And the Kolis of Ramagama came to know that at Kusinara the
38. And the Vethadipa brahmin came to know that at Kusinara the
Blessed One had passed away. And he sent a message to the Mallas
of Kusinara, saying: "The Blessed One was of the warrior caste, and
I am a brahmin. I am worthy to receive a portion of the relics of the
Blessed One. I will erect a stupa over the relics of the Blessed One
and hold a festival in their honor."
39. And the Mallas of Pava came to know that at Kusinara the
40. But when they heard these words, the Mallas of Kusinara
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addressed the assembly, saying: "The Blessed One has passed away
in our township. We shall not part with any portion of the relics of
the Blessed One." Then the brahmin Dona spoke to the assembly,
saying:
"One word from me, I beg you, sirs, to hear!
Our Buddha taught us ever to forbear;
Unseemly would it be should strife arise
And war and bloodshed, over the custody
Of his remains, who was the best of men!
Let us all, sirs, in friendliness agree
To share eight portions—so that far and wide
Stupas may rise, and seeing them, mankind
Faith in the All-Enlightened One will find!"
"So be it, brahmin! Divide the relics into eight equal portions
yourself."
And the brahmin Dona said to the assembly: "So be it, sirs."
And he divided justly into eight equal portions the relics of the
Blessed One, and having done so, he addressed the assembly,
saying: "Let this urn, sirs, be given to me. Over this urn I will erect
a stupa, and in its honor I will hold a festival." And the urn was
given to the brahmin Dona.
41. Then the Moriyas of Pipphalivana came to know that at Kusinara

the Blessed One had passed away. And they sent a message to the
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"There is no portion of the relics of the Blessed One remaining;
the relics of the Blessed One have been divided. But take from here
the ashes." And they took from there the ashes.
42. And the king of Magadha, Ajatasattu, son of the Videhi queen,
erected a stupa over the relics of the Blessed One at Rajagaha, and
in their honor held a festival. The Licchavis of Vesali erected a stupa
over the relics of the Blessed One at Vesali, and in their honor held
a festival. The Sakyas of Kapilavatthu erected a stupa over the relics
of the Blessed One at Kapilavatthu, and in their honor held a
festival. The Bulis of Allakappa erected a stupa over the relics of the
Blessed One at Allakappa, and in their honor held a festival. The
Kolis of Ramagama erected a stupa over the relics of the Blessed
One at Ramagama, and in their honor held a festival. The Vethadipa
brahmin erected a stupa over the relics of the Blessed One at
Vethadipa, and in their honor held a festival. The Mallas of Pava
erected a stupa over the relics of the Blessed One at Pava, and in
their honor held a festival. The Mallas of Kusinara erected a stupa
over the relics of the Blessed One at Kusinara, and in their honor
held a festival. The brahmin Dona erected a stupa over the urn, and
in its honor held a festival. And the Moriyas of Pipphalivana erected
a stupa over the ashes at Pipphalivana, and in their honor held a
festival.
So it came about that there were eight stupas for the relics, a
ninth for the urn, and a tenth for the ashes. And thus it was in the
days of old.
43. Eight portions there were of the relics of him,

The All-Seeing One, the greatest of men.
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Seven in Jambudipa are honored, and one
In Ramagama, by kings of the Naga race.
One tooth is honored in the Tavatimsa heaven,
One in the realm of Kalinga, and one by the Naga kings.
Through their brightness this bountiful earth
With its most excellent gifts is endowed;
For thus the relics of the All-Seeing One are best honored
By those who are worthy of honor—by gods and Nagas
And lords of men, yea, by the highest of mankind.
Pay homage with clasped hands! For hard indeed it is
Through hundreds of ages to meet with an All-Enlightened One!
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19. Vimalakirti Sutra [9]
On Inquiring About the Illness
5.1. At that time the Buddha said to Manjushri, “You must go visit
Vimalakirti and inquire about his illness.”
5.2. Manjushri replied to the Buddha, “World Honored One, that

eminent man is very difficult to confront. He is profoundly
enlightened in the true nature of reality and skilled at preaching the
essentials of the Law. His eloquence never falters, his wisdom is free
of impediments. He understands all the rules of bodhisattva conduct,
and nothing in the secret storehouse of the Buddhas is beyond his
grasp. He has overcome the host of devils and disports himself with
transcendental powers. In wisdom and expedient means he has
mastered all there is to know. Nevertheless, in obedience to the
Buddha’s August command, I will go visit him and inquire about his
illness.”
5.3. Then the bodhisattvas and major disciples in the assembly, the
Brahmas, Indras, and Four Heavenly Kings, all thought to
themselves: “Now these two great men, Manjushri and Vimalakirti,
will be talking together, and they will surely expound the wonderful
Law!” At that time eight thousand bodhisattvas, five hundred voice-
hearers, and hundreds and thousands of heavenly beings all decided
at once that they would like to accompany Manjushri on his visit.
5.4. Manjushri, with this throng of bodhisattvas, major disciples, and

heavenly beings reverently surrounding and accompanying him,
proceeded to enter the city of Vaishali.
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5.5. At that time the rich man Vimalakirti thought to himself, “Now
Manjushri is coming with that great assembly!” At once he
employed his supernatural powers to empty the room, clearing it of
all its contents and his attendants, leaving only a single bed on which
he lay in sickness.
5.6. When Manjushri entered the house, he saw that the room was
bare of contents, with just one bed, Vimalakirti lying alone on it.
Vimalakirti said, “Welcome, Manjushri! You come without the
marks of coming, you see me without the marks of seeing me.”
5.7. Manjushri said, “Just so, layman. What has already come can
hardly be coming. And what has already departed can hardly be
departing. What do I mean? What comes has nowhere it comes
from, what departs has nowhere it goes, and what is seen cannot be
further seen. But let us put that aside for the moment.
“Layman, this illness of yours—can you endure it? Is the
treatment perhaps not making it worse rather than better? The World
Honored One countless times has made solicitous inquires
concerning you. Layman, what is the cause of this illness? Has it
been with you long? And how can it be cured?”
5.8. Vimalakirti replied, “This illness of mine is born of ignorance

and feelings of attachment. Because all living beings are sick,
therefore I am sick. If all living beings are relieved of sickness, then
my sickness will be mended. Why? Because the bodhisattva for the
sake of living beings enters the realm of birth and death, and because
he is in the realm of birth and death he suffers illness. If living
beings can gain release from illness, then the bodhisattva will no
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longer be ill.
“It is like the case of a rich man who has only one child. If the
child falls ill, then the father and mother too will be ill, but if the
child’s illness is cured, the father and mother too will be cured. The
bodhisattva is like this, for he loves living beings as though they
were his children. If living beings are sick, the bodhisattva will be
sick, but if living beings are cured, the bodhisattva too will be cured.
You ask what cause this illness arises from—the illness of the
bodhisattva arises from his great compassion.”
5.9. Manjushri said, “Layman, why is this room empty and without
attendants?”
Vimalakirti replied, “The lands of the Buddhas too are all
empty.”
“Why are they empty?”
“They are empty because of emptiness,” Vimalakirti replied.
“And why is emptiness empty?” asked Manjushri.
“It is empty of distinctions, therefore it is empty,” was the reply.
“Can emptiness itself be the subject of distinctions?” asked
Manjushri.
“Distinctions too are empty,” was the reply.
“How then is emptiness to be sought?” asked Manjushri.
“It may be sought in the sixty-two erroneous views of the non-
Buddhists,” was the reply.
“How are they sixty-two views to be sought?” asked Manjushri.
“They may be sought in the emancipation of the Buddhas,” was
the reply.
“And how is the emancipation of the Buddhas to be sought?”
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asked Manjushri.
“It may be sought in the minds and actions of all living beings,”
replied Vimalakirti. “And you asked why I am without attendants.
But is fact the whole host of devils and the non-Buddhist believers
are all my attendants. Why? Because the host of devils delight in the
realm of birth and death, and while the bodhisattva is in the realm of
birth and death he does not scorn their company. The non-Buddhist
believers delight in various views of reality, and the bodhisattva
knows how to remain unmoved by such views.”
5.10. “Manjushri said, “This illness of yours, layman—what form

does it take?”
“My illness has no form,” replied Vimalakirti. “It cannot be
seen.”
Manjushri said, “Is this illness seated in the body or in the
mind?”
“It is not seated in the body, for it is apart from bodily form,”
replied Vimalakirti. “And it is not seated in the mind, for the mind
is a phantomlike thing.”
“Of the four major elements, earth, water, fire, and wind, to
which of these elements does this illness pertain?” asked Manjushri.
“Vimalakirti replied, “This illness does not pertain to the element
earth, but neither is it separated from the element earth. And the
same may be said of the elements water, fire, and wind. Yet the
illnesses of living beings arise from the four elements. And because
living beings have these illnesses, therefore I too am ill.”
5.11. Then Manjushri asked Vimalakirti, “How should a bodhisattva

go about comforting and instructing another bodhisattva who is ill?”
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Vimalakirti replied, “Tell him about the impermanence of the
body, but do not tell him to despise or turn away from the body. Tell
him about the sufferings of the body, but do not tell him to strive for
nirvana. Tell him that the body is without ego, but urge him to teach
and guide living beings. Tell him of the emptiness of the body, but
do not tell him of its final extinction. Tell him to repent of former
offenses, but do not tell him to consign them to the past. Tell him to
use his own illness as a means of sympathizing with the illness of
others, for he should understand their sufferings throughout the
countless kalpas of their past existence, and should think how he can
bring benefit to all living beings. Tell him to recall the good fortune
he has won through religious practice, to concentrate on a life of
purity, and not to give way to gloom or worry. He should cultivate
constant diligence, striving to become a king of physicians who can
heal the ailments of the assembly. This is how a bodhisattva should
comfort and instruct a bodhisattva who is ill so as to make him feel
happy.”
5.12. Manjushri said, “Layman, how should a bodhisattva who is ill

go about tempering and controlling his mind?”
Vimalakirti replied, “A bodhisattva who is ill should think to
himself: ‘Now these illnesses of mine all spring from the deluded
thoughts, the upside-down thinking and various earthly desires of
my past existence. They have no real existence, so who is it who
suffers illness? Why? The four major elements come together, and
therefore we apply a makeshift name, calling the thing a body. But
the four major elements have no master, and the body has no “I” or
ego. And these illnesses too all arise from attachment to ego.
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Therefore I should harbor no such attachment to ego.’
“Once one has understood the origin of illness, one may do away
with the thought of an I or ego, and the thought of other living
beings. To do so, one should call up the thought of phenomena,
thinking to oneself: ‘It is simply that various phenomena have come
together to form this body. It has appeared simply because
phenomena appeared, and it will vanish simply because phenomena
vanish. And these phenomena are none of them known to one
another. When they appear, they do not say, “I have appeared!,” and
when they vanish, they do not say, “I have vanished!”
“Then, in order to wipe out the thought of phenomena, the ailing
bodhisattva should think to himself: ‘This thought or concept of
phenomena too is a form of upside-down thinking, and upside-down
thinking can lead to great misfortune. I must rid myself of it. But
how to rid myself of it? By ridding myself of thoughts of I and mine,
which means ridding myself of dualism.’
“What is meant by ridding oneself of dualism? It means not
thinking of phenomena as internal or external, but treating all as
equal. What is meant by equal? It means that I and nirvana are
treated as equal. Why? Because I and nirvana are both empty. Why
are they empty? Because they are mere names, hence empty. Neither
of these two phenomena has any fixed nature or characteristics.
Once one has acquired this kind of equal outlook, one will be freed
of all other illness and will have only the illness of emptiness, and
the illness of emptiness too is empty.
“This ailing bodhisattva of ours has no sensations of pain or
pleasure, and yet he allows himself to feel such sensations, and
while the Law of the Buddha is incompletely practiced he does not
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seek to wipe out such sensations in himself and gain entry into final
enlightenment. If he feels pain in his body, he thinks of the living
beings in the evil realms of existence and summons up a mind of
great compassion, saying to himself: ‘I have regulated and controlled
myself, and now I must regulate and control other living beings!’
But he should simply rid them of their illnesses and not deprive
them of anything, merely teaching and guiding them so they can cut
off the source of illness.
“What is meant by the source of illness? It means having
troublesome entanglements. Where there are troublesome
entanglements, these become the source of illness. What are these
troublesome entanglements tied to? They are tied to the threefold
world. And how does one cut them off? By realizing that there is
nothing to grasp at. If one ceases to grasp at anything, there will be
no more troublesome entanglements.
“What is meant by realizing there is nothing to grasp at? It means
having done with dualistic views. What is meant by dualistic views?
It means viewing this as internal, or viewing that as external. [Have
done with such views] and there will be no more grasping at things.
“Manjushri, this is how the ailing bodhisattva should go about
regulating and controlling his mind. By doing so, he cuts off the
sufferings of old age, sickness, and death. If he fails to do so, then
all his religious practice and accomplishment in the past will be void
of wisdom or profit. A person who has overcome a sworn enemy
deserves to be called a hero. In the same way, one who has cut off
both old age, sickness, and death may be called a bodhisattva.
“This is ailing bodhisattva should also think to himself: ‘This
illness of mine has no reality, no existence, and the illnesses of other
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living beings likewise have no reality and no existence.’ When he
adopts this view, if he should conceive a great compassion that is
marked by affection and concern for living beings, he should at once
thrust it aside. Why? Because the bodhisattva must rid himself of all
earthly passions caused by external defilement when he summons up
his great compassion. If his compassion is marked by affection and
concern, then he will have feelings of weariness and revulsion
toward the realm of birth and death. But if he can put aside affection
and concern, he will feel no weariness and revulsion; whatever
realm he happens to be born into, he will not be blinded by affection
or concern.
“He is not bound by the conditions of his birth, and hence he is
able to preach the Law for living beings and liberate them from their
bonds. As the Buddha has said, if one is in bonds himself, to
suppose he can free others from their bonds is hardly reasonable. But
if one is himself free of bonds, it is perfectly reasonable to assume
he can free the bonds of others. Therefore the bodhisattva must not
conjure up bonds fro himself.
“What is meant by bonds and what is meant by liberation? To
become infatuated with the taste of mediation is the bondage of the
bodhisattva. To be born in this world as a form of expedient means
is the liberation of the bodhisattva. Wisdom without expedient
means is bondage; wisdom with expedient means is liberation.
Expedient means without wisdom is bondage; expedient means with
wisdom is liberation.
“What is meant by saying that wisdom without expedient means
is bondage? It means that, with a mind full of affection and concern,
a bodhisattva sets about to adorn the Buddha lands, lead numerous
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living beings to them, and regulate himself with the doctrines of
emptiness, formlessness, and nonaction. This is called the bondage
of wisdom without expedient means.
“What is meant by saying that wisdom with expedient means is
liberation? It means that, with a mind free of affection and concern,
a bodhisattva sets about to adorn the Buddha lands, lead numerous
living beings to them, and regulate himself with the doctrines of
emptiness, formlessness, and nonaction, never experiencing
weariness or revulsion. This is called the liberation of wisdom with
expedient means.
“What is meant by saying that expedient means without wisdom
is bondage? It means that, while dwelling among the various earthly
passions such as greed, anger, and erroneous views, a bodhisattva
sets about planting many roots of virtue. This is called the bondage
of expedient means without wisdom.
“What is meant by saying that expedient means with wisdom is
liberation? It means that, while removing himself from the various
earthly passions such as greed, anger, and erroneous views, a
bodhisattva sets about planting many roots of virtue, bending all his
efforts in the direction of anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. This is called
the liberation of expedient means with wisdom.
5.13. “Manjushri, the ailing bodhisattva should view all phenomena

in this way. And he should view the body and realize that it is
marked by impermanence, suffering, emptiness, and absence of ego.
This is called wisdom. But though his body may be ailing, he should
constantly abide in the realm of birth and death, bringing benefit to
all living beings and never giving in to weariness or revulsion. This
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is called expedient means.
“He should further view the body and realize that the body is
never rid of illness, that illness is never rid of the body, and that this
body and this illness are neither prior nor posterior to one another.
This is called wisdom. But though his body is ailing, the bodhisattva
never seeks escape into eternal extinction. This is called expedient
means.
“Manjushri, the ailing bodhisattva should regulate his mind by
not dwelling in such regulation, but he should not dwell in
nonregulation of the mind either. Why? Because if he dwells in
nonregulation of the mind, this is the way of a stupid person. But if
he dwells in regulation of the mind, this is the way of a voice-hearer.
Therefore the bodhisattva should dwell neither in regulation nor in
nonregulation of the mind. To remove himself from such dualisms
is the practice of the bodhisattva.
“To be in the realm of birth and death without following its
tainted ways, to dwell in nirvana while not seeking eternal
extinction—such is the practice of the bodhisattva. The practice that
is neither that of common mortals nor that of worthies and
sages—such is the practice of the bodhisattva. The practice that is
neither sullied nor pure—such is the practice of the bodhisattva.
Though far transcending the workings of devils, it shows itself in the
conquering of numerous devils—such is the practice of the
bodhisattva. Seeking comprehensive wisdom, yet not seeking it
when the time is not right—such is the practice of the bodhisattva.
“Though he sees that all things are birthless in nature, he does
not enter the realm of the absolute—such is the practice of the
bodhisattva. Though he sees all in the light of the twelve-linked
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chain of causation, he can enter into various erroneous views—such
is the practice of the bodhisattva. Though he addresses himself to all
living beings, he does so without affection or attachment—such is
the practice of the bodhisattva. Though he longs to be far removed
from the passions, he does not seek this through elimination of the
body and mind—such is the practice of the bodhisattva.
“Though he moves in the threefold world, he does no injury to
the Dharma-nature—such is the practice of the bodhisattva. Though
he moves in the realm of emptiness, he plants many roots of
virtue—such is the practice of the bodhisattva. Though he moves in
the realm of formlessness, he yet saves many living beings—such is
the practice of the bodhisattva. Though he moves in the realm of
nonaction, he manifests himself by taking on a body—such is the
practice of the bodhisattva. Though he avoids the arousal of passion,
he rouses in himself the determination to do all good deeds—such
is the practice of the bodhisattva.
“Though he practices the six paramitas, he can understand the
minds and mental activities of all living beings—such is the practice
of the bodhisattva. Though he is master of the six transcendental
powers, he does not remove himself from all defilements—such is
the practice of the bodhisattva. Though he possesses the four
immeasurable qualities of mind, he is not greedy for birth in the
Brahma heaven—such is the practice of the bodhisattva. Though he
practices meditation, emancipation, and samadhi, he does not accept
the rebirth that is consequent on these practices—such is the practice
of the bodhisattva.
“Though he practices the four states of mindfulness, in the end
he does not for long remove himself from the objects of such
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mindfulness, the body, sensations, the mind, and things—such is the
practice of the bodhisattva. Though he applies himself to the four
types of correct effort, he does not cease to be assiduous in matters
pertaining to body and mind—such is the practice of the bodhisattva.
Though he cultivates the four bases of supernatural power, he is
already able to wield transcendental powers at will-such is the
practice of the bodhisattva. Though he cultivates the five roots of
goodness in himself, he can also distinguish whether the roots or
capacities of other living beings are keen or dull—such is the
practice of the bodhisattva. Though he possesses the five powers
[attained through the five roots of goodness], he delights in seeking
to acquire the ten powers of a Buddha—such is the practice of the
bodhisattva. Though he observes the seven factors of enlightenment,
he can understand all the fine points of the Buddha wisdom—such
is the practice of the bodhisattva. Though he walks the eightfold
holy path, he also delights in walking the immeasurable Buddha
way—such is the practice of the bodhisattva.
“Though he practices concentration and insight as methods to aid
one to the way, in the end he does not sink into tranquil
extinction—such is the practice of bodhisattva. Though fully aware
that all things are without birth or extinction, he adorns his body
with auspicious features—such is the practice of the bodhisattva.
Though outwardly displaying the dignity of a voice-hearer or
pratyekabuddha, he never forsakes the Buddha Law—such is the
practice of the bodhisattva. Though aware that all things in the end
are pure in nature, he responds to circumstances by showing himself
in bodily form—such is the practice of the bodhisattva. Though
insight tells him that all Buddha lands are eternally tranquil and
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empty in nature, yet he displays various kinds of pure Buddha
lands—such is the practice of the bodhisattva. Though he attains
Buddhahood, turns the wheel of the Law, and enters nirvana, in fact
he never forsakes the bodhisattva way—such is the practice of the
bodhisattva.”
5.14. When Vimalakirti spoke these words, eight thousand heavenly

sons in the great assembly led by Manjushri all set their minds on
attaining anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.
Entering the Gate of Nondualism

9.1. At that time Vimalakirti said to the various bodhisattvas, “Sirs,
how does the bodhisattva go about entering the gate of nondualism?
Let each one explain as he understands it.”
9.2. One of the bodhisattvas in the assembly, whose name was

Dharma Freedom, spoke these words: “Sirs, birth and extinction
form a dualism. But since all dharmas are not born to begin with,
they must now be without extinction. By grasping and learning to
accept this truth of birthlessness, one may enter the gate of
nondualism.”
9.3. The bodhisattva Virtue Guardian said, “‘I’ and ‘mind’ form a
dualism. Because there is an ‘I’, there is also a ‘mine.’ But if there
is no ‘I,’ there will be no ‘mine.’ In this way one enters the gate of
nondualism.”
9.4. The bodhisattva Unblinking said, “Perception and

nonperception form a dualism. But if dharmas are not perceived,
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then there is nothing to take hold of. And because there is nothing to
take hold of, there will be no grasping, no rejecting, no action, no
volition. In this way one enters the gate of nondualism.”
9.5. The bodhisattva Virtue Peak said, “Defilement and purity form
a dualism. But if one sees into the true nature of defilement, it is
without the marks of purity but leads into the extinction of all marks.
In this way one enters the gate of nondualism.”
9.6. The bodhisattva Good Constellation said, “The stirring of the

mind and thought—these two form a dualism. But if the mind is not
stirred, then there will be no thought. And if there is no thought,
there will no discrimination. The one who has thoroughly mastered
this way in this enter the gate of nondualism.”
9.7. The bodhisattva Good Eye said, “The unique in form and the
formless constitute a dualism. But if one understands that the unique
in form is in fact the formless, and then does not seize on the
formless but sees all as equal, one may in this way enter the gate of
nondualism.”
9.8. The bodhisattva Wonderful Arm said, “The bodhisattva mind

and the voice-hearer mind constitute a dualism. But if one regards
the mind as empty in form, like a conjured phantom, then there is no
bodhisattva mind and no voice-hearer mind. In this way one may
enter the gate of nondualism.”
9.9. The bodhisattva Pushya said, “Good and not good form a
dualism. But if one does not call up either good or not good but
enters into the realm of the formless and truly masters it, in this way
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one may enter the gate of nondualism.”
9.10. The bodhisattva Lion said, “Blame and blessing forma

dualism. But if one penetrates the true nature of blame, it is no
different from blessing. When once can dispose of forms with this
diamondlike wisdom, neither bound nor liberated, one may in this
way enter the gate of nondualism.”
9.11. The bodhisattva Lion Will said, “Presence of outflows of

passion and absence of such outflows constitute a dualism. But if
one can grasp the fact that all dharmas are equal, then one will not
give rise to the concept of outflows or no outflows. One will not be
attached to form nor dwell in formlessness either. In this way one
may enter the gate of nondualism.”
9.12. The bodhisattva Pure Understanding said, “The created and

the uncreated form a dualism. But if one does away with all
enumerations, then the mind is like empty sky, freed of all obstacles
through pure clean wisdom. In this way one enters the gate of
nondualism.”
9.13. The bodhisattva Narayana said, “The worldly and the

unworldly form a dualism. But since the nature of the worldly is
empty, the worldly is in fact the unworldly. Neither entering into it
nor going out of it, neither exceeding nor falling short—in this way
one enters the gate of nondualism.”
9.14. The bodhisattva Good will said, “The realm of birth and death
and that of nirvana form a dualism. But if one sees the true nature of
birth and death, one sees that there is no birth or death, no binding,
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no unbinding, no birth, no extinction. One who understands in this
may thereby enter the gate of nondualism.”
9.15. The bodhisattva Direct Seeing said, “The exhaustible and the
inexhaustible form a dualism. But whether dharmas are in the end
exhaustible or inexhaustible, they are all without the marks of
exhaustibility. And if they are without the marks of exhaustibility,
they are empty. And if they are empty, they are without the marks
either of exhaustibility or inexhaustibility. If one enters this realm of
understanding, one may thereby enter the gate of nondualism.”
9.16. The bodhisattva Universal Guardian said, “’I’ and ‘not-I’ form
a dualism. But when one cannot grasp even ‘I,’ how can one grasp
‘not-I’? One who has seen into the true nature of ‘I’ will no longer
give rise to these two concepts, and in this way enter the gate of
nondualism.”
9.17. The bodhisattva Lightning God said, “Enlightenment and

ignorance form a dualism. But the true nature of ignorance is one
other than enlightenment. And enlightenment cannot be seized, but
is apart from all enumerations. One dwell in the center, in the
equality without dualism, and in this way enters the gate of
nondualism.”
9.18. The bodhisattva Joyful Seeing said, “form and the emptiness
of form constitute a dualism. But form is none other than emptiness;
emptiness does not represent the extinction of from. Form is itself
empty by nature. In the same way perception, conception, volition,
and consciousness, and the emptiness of consciousness, constitute
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dualisms. But consciousness is none other than emptiness; emptiness
does not represent the extinction of consciousness. Consciousness
is itself empty by nature. Dwelling in the midst of these concepts
and understanding them thoroughly, one may in this way enter the
gate of nondualism.
9.19. The bodhisattva Enlightened as to Form said, “To regard the

four elements [earth, water, fire, and wind] as different from the
element emptiness or space is dualistic. The nature of the four
elements is none other than the nature of emptiness. Just as the past
and future of these elements is empty, so too must their present be
empty. If one can understand the nature of the elements in this way,
one may thereby enter the gate of nondualism.”
9.20. The bodhisattva Wonderful Will said, “The eye and the
objects it observes constitute a dualism. But if one understands the
nature of the eye, then with regard to objects one will be without
greed, without anger, and without stupidity. This is called tranquil
extinction. Similarly, the ear and sounds, the nose and smells, the
tongue and tastes, the body and touch, and the mind and phenomena
constitute dualisms. But if one understands the nature of the mind,
then with regard to phenomena one will without greed, without
anger, and without stupidity. This called tranquil extinction.
Dwelling at rest in its midst, one may thereby enter the gate of
nondualism.”
9.21. The bodhisattva Inexhaustible Will said, “Almsgiving, and

applying the merits gained thereby to acquire comprehensive
wisdom, constitute a dualism. But the nature of almsgiving is none
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other than the applying of merits to acquire comprehensive wisdom.
Similarly, keeping of the precepts, forbearance, assiduousness,
mediation, and wisdom form dualisms in contrast to the applying of
merit to acquire comprehensive wisdom, etc. But the nature of
wisdom is none other than the applying of merits to acquire
comprehensive wisdom. By entering into an understanding of the
singleness of form that all these share, one may thus enter the gate
of nondualism.”
9.22. The bodhisattva Deep Wisdom said, “This is emptiness, this

is formlessness, this is nonaction—to speak in this manner is
dualistic. Emptiness is none other than formlessness, formlessness
in none other than nonaction. If something is empty, formless,
nonacting, then it is without mind, will, or consciousness. This
single doctrine of emancipation is the same as the threefold doctrine
of emancipation [regarding emptiness, formlessness, and nonaction].
In this way one enters the gate of nondualism.”
9.23. The bodhisattva Tranquil Roots said, “To speak of the

Buddha, the Law, and the assembly is dualistic. The Buddha is none
other than the Law, the Law is none other than the assembly. These
Three Treasures are all uncreated in form, like the empty sky, and all
dharmas are the same. One who can act in accordance with this
understanding may thereby enter the gate of nondualism.”
9.24. The bodhisattva Mind Unobstructed said, “The body and the
body extinguished constitute a dualism. But the body is none other
than the body extinguished. Why? Because one who sees into the
true form of the body does not give rise to thoughts of seeing the
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body or seeing the extinction of the body. The body and the
extinction of the body are not two things, not a distinction to be
made. One who rests in this understanding, neither alarmed nor
fearful, may in this way enter the gate of nondualism.”
9.25. The bodhisattva Superior Goodness said, “To speak of the

activities of body, mouth, and mind is dualistic. These three
activities are all marked by the aspect of nonaction. If the body is
marked by nonaction, then the mouth must be marked by nonaction,
and if the mouth is marked by nonaction, then the mind must be
marked by nonaction. And since these three activities are marked by
nonaction, then all dharmas must be marked by nonaction. One who
can go along with this wisdom of nonaction may in this way enter
the gate of nondualism.”
9.26. The bodhisattva Merit Field said, “To speak of meritorious

deeds, blameful deeds, and deeds that call forth no retribution is
dualistic. The true nature of all three kinds of deeds is empty. And
if it is empty, then there are no meritorious deeds, no blameful
deeds, and no deeds that call forth no retribution. One who does not
rouse any thought of distinctions with regard to these three types of
deeds may thereby enter the gate of nondualism.
9.27. The bodhisattva Flower Garland said, “From the concept of

‘self’ rises the concept of two things, ‘self and other,’ which creates
a dualism. But one who sees into the true form of the self will not
give rise to the thought of two things. And if one does not dwell in
the thought of two things, then one will be without consciousness
and without anything one is conscious of, and in this way may enter
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the gate of nondualism.”
9.28. The bodhisattva Virtue Storehouse said, “To speak that there
is some form or object that one can acquire is dualistic. But if one
realizes that there is nothing to be acquired, then there will be no
grasping and no rejecting. And when there is no grasping and no
rejecting, one may in this way enter the gate of nondualism.”
9.29. The bodhisattva Moon in Midair said, “Darkness and light

form a dualism; if there is no darkness and no light, there will be no
dualism. Why? It is like entering the meditation that wipes out
perception and conception, where there is neither darkness nor light.
And the forms of all dharmas are the same as this. If one enters this
state and views all with equality, one may thereby enter the gate on
nondualism.
9.30. The bodhisattva Treasure Sign said, “To yearn for nirvana and
not delight in the world constitutes a dualism. But if one does not
yearn for nirvana and does not loathe the world, there will be no
dualism. Why? If there is biding, there will be unbinding. But if
there is no binding to begin with, who will seek to be unbound? And
where there is no binding and unbinding, there will be no yearning
and no loathing, and in this way one may enter the gate of
nondualism.”
9.31. The bodhisattva Jewel Crowned King said, “The correct way
and the erroneous way constitute a dualism. But one who dwells in
the correct way does not make distinctions, saying ‘This is
erroneous!’ or ‘This is correct!’ By removing oneself from both, one
may thereby enter the gate of nondualism.”
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9.32. The bodhisattva Delight in Truth said, “The true and the not
true form a dualism. But one who sees truly cannot even see the true,
so how can he see the untrue? Why? Because they cannot be seen by
the physical eye; only the eye of wisdom can see them. But for this
eye of wisdom there is no seeing and no not seeing. In this way one
9.33. When the various bodhisattvas had finished one by one giving
their explanations, they asked Manjushri, “How then does the
bodhisattva enter the gate of nondualism?”
9.34. Manjushri replied, “To my way of thinking, all dharmas are

without words, without explanations, without purport, without
cognition, removed from all questions and answers. In this way one
9.35. Then Manjushri said to Vimalakirti, “Each of us has given an

explanation. Now, sir, it is your turn to speak. How does the
bodhisattva enter the gate of nondualism?”
9.36. At that time Vimalakirti remained silent and did not speak a
word.
9.37. Manjushri sighed and said, “Excellent, excellent! Not a word,

not a syllable—this truly is to enter the gate of nondualism!”
9.38. When this chapter on Entering the Gate of Nondualism was

preached, five thousand bodhisattvas in the assembly were all able
to enter the gate of nondualism and to learn to accept the truth of
birthlessness.
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20. Vajra Prajna Paramita Sutra [1 0]
1. This is what I heard.

At one time the Buddha was in the Kingdom of Shravasti, in
Jetavana, Anathapindika’s Park, with a great assembly of bhiksus,
one thousand two hundred and fifty in all. Then, during mealtime,
the World Honored One put on his robe, took up his bowl, and
entered the great city of Shravasti to beg for food. After begging
from house to house inside the city, he returned to where he was
staying. When he finished eating his meal, he put away his robe and
bowl, washed his feet, arranged his seat, and then sat.
2. At that time, the Elder Subhuti was among the great assembly,
and then arose from his seat. He bared his right shoulder, placed his
right knee on the ground, joined his palms and reverentially
addressed the Buddha saying, “Rare, World Honored One. The
Tathagata is ever protecting and mindful of all bodhisattvas,
skillfully entrusting and enjoining them all. World Honored One,
when virtuous men and women develop the mind of anuttara-
samyak-sambodhi, on what would you say they should rely? How
would you say they master their minds?”
The Buddha replied, “Excellent! Excellent! Subhuti, it is as you
have said. The Tathagata is ever protecting and mindful of all
bodhisattvas, skillfully entrusting and enjoining them all. Now listen
attentively, and I will explain for you.”
“Please continue, World Honored One. We joyfully wish to
hear.”
3. The Buddha told Subhuti, “All bodhisattva mahasattvas should
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master their minds like this: ‘Of all kinds of living beings; whether
born from an egg, womb, moisture or metamorphosis; whether with
form or without form; whether with perception, or without
perception, or neither with perception nor without perception I cause
them all to enter the nirvana without remainder, liberating them.
Thus by liberating beings, in reality, there are no living beings who
attain liberation.’
Why is this, Subhuti? If bodhisattvas have the perception of self,
individuals, living beings or life-spans, then they are not
bodhisattvas.”
4. “Furthermore, Subhuti, regarding dharmas, bodhisattvas should

not rely on anything while practicing giving. This is what is called
giving without relying on sight, giving without relying on sound,
scent, taste, touch or thought. Subhuti, bodhisattvas should give like
this and not rely on appearances. Why is this? If bodhisattvas give
without relying on appearances their rewards are inconceivable.
Subhuti, what does your mind say? The space in the eastern
direction can be conceived of, can it not?”
“It cannot, World Honored One.”
“Subhuti, the space in the northern, western, southern, and four
ordinal directions, as well as above and below can be conceived of,
cat it not?”
“It cannot. World Honored One.”
“Subhuti, when a bodhisattva gives without relying on
appearances the rewards are also like this, inconceivable. Subhuti,
bodhisattvas should rely only as has been taught.”
5. “Subhuti, what does your mind say? The Tathagata can be seen
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by bodily appearances, can he not?
“No, World Honored One. The Tathagata cannot be seen by
bodily appearances. Why is this? The Tathagata has said bodily
appearances are not bodily appearances.”
The Buddha told Subhuti:
“Every appearance whatsoever is a deception.
If you can see all appearances not as appearances,
then you see the Tathagata.”
6. Subhuti addressed the Buddha saying, “World Honored One,

there are many living beings who, upon hearing sayings and
statements such as these, will generate sincere faith, are there not?”
The Buddha told Subhuti, “Do not make such comments. Five
hundred years after the passing of the Tathagata there will be those
who uphold the precepts and cultivate rewards. From these
statements they will be able to generate faith in mind, considering
them to be true. Yet you should know, these people have not merely
planted wholesome roots under one Buddha, two Buddhas, three,
four or five Buddhas, but have already planted all wholesome roots
under immeasurable thousands of tens-of-thousands of Buddhas.
Hearing these statements, even for an instant, these people will
generate pure faith.
Subhuti, the Tathagata fully knows and fully sees all these living
beings obtaining immeasurable rewards like this. Why is this?
Because all these living beings are also without a perception of self,
individuals, living beings or life-spans. They are without a
perception of dharmas, and are also without a perception of non-
dharmas.
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Why is this? Because if the minds of all these living beings took
hold of perceptions then they would become attached to self,
individuals, living beings or life-spans. For this reason, they should
not take hold of dharmas, nor should they take hold of non-dharmas.
Due to this reason, the Tathagata always says: ‘All you bhiksus,
know that the Dharma I teach is like in the parable of the raft. The
Dharma should, nevertheless, be abandoned. How much more so
what is not the Dharma?”
7. “Subhuti, what does your mind say? Has the Tathagata attained
anuttara-samyak-sambodhi? Has the Tathagata spoken of any
Dharma?”
Subhuti replied, “As I understand the meaning of what the
Buddha has said, there is no definite dharma called anuttara-
samyak-sambodhi, and there is no definite Dharma the Tathagata can
speak of. Why is this? Because the Tathagata says that all dharmas
cannot be held, cannot be spoken of; are neither the Dharma nor not
the Dharma. How is this? All saints and sages are distinguished by
the unconditioned dharmas.”
8. “Subhuti, what does your mind say? If someone filled a great

trichiliocosm with the seven treasures and used them to practice
giving, the rewards this person obtained would be many, would they
not?”
Subhuti replied, “Extremely many, World Honored One. Why is
this? Because these rewards are not rewards by their nature. For this
reason, the Tathagata says the rewards are many.”
“If, however, there was someone who received and retained even
just four lines of verse from this sutra, and explained them to others,
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the rewards would surpass those. Why is this, Subhuti? Each and
every Buddha and all of their anuttara-samyak-sambodhi dharma
come from this sutra. Subhuti, what is called Buddha Dharma is not
Buddha Dharma.”
9. “Subhuti, what does your mind say? Is a srotapanna able to have

this thought, ‘I have obtained the fruit of a srotapanna,’ or not?”
Subhuti replied, “No, World Honored One. Why is this?
Srotapannas are named for entering the stream, yet there is no place
to enter. Nor is there entering sight, sound, scent, taste, touch or
thought. So they are called srotapannas.”
“Subhuti, what does your mind say? Is a sakrdagamin able to
have this thought, ‘I have obtained the fruit of a sakrdagamin,’ or
not?”
Sakrdagamins are named for returning once more, yet in reality there
is no more returning. So they are called sakrdagamins.”
“Subhuti, what does your mind say? Is the anagamin able to have
this thought, ‘I have obtained the fruit of an anagamin,’ or not?”
Anagamins are named for not returning, yet in reality there is no
returning. Therefore they are called anagamins.”
“Subhuti, what does your mind say? Is an arhat able to have this
thought, ‘I have obtained the Way of an arhat,’ or not?”
Subhuti replied, “No, World Honored One. Why is this? In reality
there is no dharma called an arhat. World Honored One, if arhats
had this thought, ‘I have obtained the Way of an arhat,’ then they
would become attached to self, individuals, living beings or life-
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spans.
World Honored One, the Buddha said ‘I have attained the non-
confronting samadhi, am first and foremost among men, the
foremost arhat freed from desire.’ But I do not have this thought, ‘I
am an arhat freed from desire.’
World Honored One, if I had this thought, ‘I have obtained the
way of an arhat,’ then the World Honored One would not have said,
‘Subhuti is the one who enjoys aranya practice.’
Since, in reality, Subhuti has nothing to practice, therefore I am
called, ‘Subhuti, the one who enjoys aranya practice.’”
10. The Buddha told Subhuti, “What does your mind say? In the
past, when the Tathagata was with Dipamkara Buddha, there was
some obtainment of the Dharma, was there not?”
“World Honored One, in the past, when the Tathagata was with
Dipamkara Buddha, in reality, there was no obtainment of the
Dharma.”
“Subhuti, what does your mind say? Bodhisattvas adorn the
Buddha Lands, do they not?”
“No, World Honored One. Why is this? The adornment of
Buddha Lands is not adornment, so it is called adornment.”
“For this reason, Subhuti, all bodhisattva mahasattvas should
generate a pure, clean mind like this:
They should not rely on sight to generate this mind.
They should not rely on sound, scent, taste, touch or
thought to generate this mind.
They should generate this mind by not relying on anything.”
“Subhuti, suppose someone had a body like the majestic
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mountain Sumeru. What does your mind say? This body is great, is
it not? The Buddha says what is not a body is called a great body.”
11. “Subhuti, if there were as many Ganges Rivers as there are

grains of sand in the Ganges River, what does your mind say? All of
the grains of sand in these Ganges Rivers would be many, would
they not?”
Subhuti replied, “Extremely many, World Honored One. Just the
Ganges Rivers would nevertheless be an incalculable many. How
much more so their sand?”
“Subhuti, I will now truthfully tell you, if there are virtuous men
and women who fill as many great trichiliocosms as there are grains
of sand in these Ganges Rivers with the seven treasures, and use
them to practice giving, they will obtain many rewards, will they
not?”
Subhuti replied, “Extremely many, World Honored One.”
The Buddha told Subhuti, “If virtuous men and women just
receive and retain four lines of verse from this sutra, and explain
them to others, then these rewards will surpass the aforementioned
rewards.”
12. “Furthermore, Subhuti, following an explanation of this sutra,

if even just four lines of verse, you should know that at this place
every deva, human and asura of all worldly realms will make
offerings as if it were a Buddha pagoda. How much more so if there
was someone able to receive, retain, read and recite it completely?”
“Subhuti, you should know, this person achieves the supreme,
foremost, rare Dharma. Wherever this scripture is located there will
be a Buddha and an honorable disciple.”
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13. At that time, Subhuti addressed the Buddha saying, “World
Honored One, what should this sutra be named? How should we
respectfully uphold it?”
The Buddha told Subhuti, “This sutra is named the Vajra Prajna
Paramita. By this name you should respectfully uphold it. How is
this? Subhuti, the Buddha says prajna paramita is not prajna
paramita.”
“Subhuti, what does your mind say? The Tathagata has spoken
the Dharma, has he not?”
Subhuti addressed the Buddha saying, “World Honored One, the
Tathagata has not said anything.”
“Subhuti, what does your mind say? All the minute particles in
a great trichiliocosm are many, are they not?”
Subhuti replied, “Extremely many, World Honored One. How is
this? All minute particles, the Tathagata says, are not minute
particles, so they are called minute particles. The Tathagata says a
world is not a world, so it is called a world.”
“Subhuti, what does your mind say? You can see the Tathagata
by the thirty-two characteristics, can you not?”
“No, World Honored One. You cannot see the Tathagata by the
thirty-two characteristics. Why is this? The Tathagata says the thirty-
two characteristics are not characteristics, so they are called the
thirty-two characteristics.”
“Subhuti, if there are virtuous men and women who practice
giving as many lives as there are grains of sand in the Ganges River,
and if, however, there are people who just receive and retain four
lines of verse from this sutra and explain them to others, their
rewards will be many more.”
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14. When Subhuti heard this sutra spoken he deeply understood its
meaning and, weeping tears of lament, addressed the Buddha saying,
“Rare, World Honored One. The Buddha has spoken such an
extremely profound sutra. Ever since I obtained the Wisdom Eye,
not once have I heard such a sutra.”
“World Honored One, if there are also people able to hear this
sutra their faithful mind will be clear and pure, and there will arise
the appearance of reality. You should know these people achieve the
foremost rare merit.”
“World Honored One, this appearance of reality is not an
appearance. For this reason, the Tathagata says it is called the
appearance of reality.”
“World Honored One, now that I am able to hear a scripture such
as this I believe, understand, receive and retain it without much
difficulty. If in times to come, after five hundred years, there are
living beings who are able to hear this sutra, believe, understand,
receive and retain it, then these people are the foremost rare.
Why is this? These people are without the perceptions of self,
individuals, living beings or life-spans. How is this? The perception
of self is not a perception. The perceptions of individuals, living
beings or life-spans are not perceptions. Why is this? Those who are
free from all perceptions are all called Buddhas.”
The Buddha told Subhuti, “So it is. So it is. If, also, there is
someone able to hear this sutra who is not alarmed, not afraid, and
not awed, you should know that this person is extremely rare.
Why is this, Subhuti? The Tathagata says the foremost paramita
is not the foremost paramita, so it is called the foremost paramita.
Subhuti, the paramita of forbearance, the Tathagata says, is not
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the paramita of forbearance. Why is this? It is like in the past when
my body was mutilated by the King Kali. At that time, I was without
the perception of self, individuals, living beings or life-spans. Why
is this? Then, while I was being dismembered joint by joint, if I had
the perception of self, individuals, living beings or life-spans, I
would have given rise to anger and hatred.
Subhuti, I also recall going through five hundred lifetimes as an
ascetic practicing forbearance. During those lifetimes I was without
the perception of self, individuals, living beings or life-spans.
For this reason, Subhuti, bodhisattvas should be free from all
perceptions and develop the mind of anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.
They should not rely on sight to generate this mind. They should not
rely on sound, scent, taste, touch or thought to generate this mind.
They should generate a mind that does not rely on anything. If the
mind is reliant then it will be non-reliant.
For this reason, the Buddha says the minds of bodhisattvas should
not rely on sight when practicing giving. Subhuti, bodhisattvas
benefit all living beings and should practice giving like this.
The Tathagata says all perceptions are not perceptions, and also
says that all living beings are not living beings. Subhuti, the
Tathagata is a speaker of what is true, what is real, what is so, what
is not deceptive, and what is not altered. Subhuti, this Dharma that
the Tathagata has attained neither real nor unreal.
Subhuti, if the minds of bodhisattvas rely on dharmas while
practicing giving it is like someone entering the dark without
anything to see. If the minds of bodhisattvas do not rely on dharmas
while practicing giving it is like someone with eyes under brightly
illuminating sunshine who sees many kinds of sights.
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Subhuti, in ages to come, if there are virtuous men and women
able to receive, retain, read and recite this sutra, then, by means of
the wisdom of the Buddha, the Tathagata fully knows and fully sees
these people all achieving immeasurable, illimitable merits.”
15. “Subhuti, if there are virtuous men and women who, in the
beginning part of the day, practice giving as many lives as there are
grains of sand in the Ganges River, and who, in the middle part of
the day, also practice giving as many lives as there are grains of sand
in the Ganges River, and who, in the latter part of the day as well,
practice giving as many lives as there are grains of sand in the
Ganges River, and like this they practice giving lives for
immeasurable, hundreds of thousands of tens-of-thousands, of
millions of kalpas, and if, however, there are people who hear this
scripture with faith in mind, not disputing it, their rewards will
surpass those. How much more so for recording, writing, receiving,
retaining, reading and reciting it, and explaining it to others?
Subhuti, essentially speaking, this sutra has inconceivable,
immeasurable, illimitable merits. The Tathagata has spoken it for
those who have embarked on the Great Vehicle, for those who have
embarked on the Supreme Vehicle. If there are people able to
receive, retain, read and recite it and explain it widely to others, the
Tathagata fully knows and fully sees all these people achieving
immeasurable, indescribable, illimitable, inconceivable merits.
People like this will then bare the anuttara-samyak-sambodhi of the
Tathagata. Why is this, Subhuti? If there are those who enjoy the
Lesser Dharma, and are attached to the view of self, individuals,
living beings or life-spans, then they will be unable to listen to,
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receive, read or recite this sutra, or explain it to others.
Subhuti, wherever there is this sutra devas, humans and asuras of
all worldly realms will make offerings.
You should know this place will then become a pagoda. They
will all reverentially make obeisance, circumambulate it, spreading
all kinds of flowers and incenses over this place.”
16. “Furthermore, Subhuti, virtuous men and women who receive,

retain, read and recite this sutra, and who are disdained by others,
should have fallen into the evil paths from karmic offenses in their
former lives. Yet, due to the disdain of others in the present life the
karmic offenses of their former lives will then be eradicated, and
they will attain anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.
Subhuti, I recall in the past, immeasurable asamkhya kalpas
before Dipamkara Buddha, I was able to meet eighty-four thousand
million nayutas of Buddhas, making offerings to them all, and
attending to them without neglect or fault. If, however, there are
people in the latter times of decline able to receive, retain, read and
recite this sutra, the merit I obtained from making of offerings to all
those Buddhas compared to the merit they obtain is not even one
hundredth of it not even one thousandth, one ten-thousandth, one
millionth, nor even is a calculation or comparison able to be reached.
Subhuti, if virtuous men and women in the latter times of decline
receive, retain, read and recite this sutra, and I fully explained the
merit they attain, the minds of some people who hear will be
confounded, suspicious and untrusting.
Subhuti, you should know the meaning of this sutra is
inconceivable, and its fruition is also inconceivable.”
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17. At that time, Subhuti addressed the Buddha saying, “World
Honored One, when virtuous men and women develop the mind of
anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, on what would you say they should
rely? How would you say they master their minds?”
The Buddha told Subhuti, “Virtuous men and women who
develop the mind of anuttara-samyak-sambodhi should give rise to
the mind like this: ‘I must liberate all living beings, yet after
liberating all living beings in reality there is not a single living being
who has been liberated.’
Why is this? If bodhisattvas have the perception of self,
individuals, living beings or life-spans, then they are not
bodhisattvas. How is this, Subhuti? In reality there is no dharma that
is the development of anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.
Subhuti, what does your mind say? While the Tathagata was with
Dipamkara Buddha, there was a dharma attained that was anuttara-
samyak-sambodhi, was there not?”
“There was not, World Honored One. As I understand the
meaning of what the Buddha has said, while the Buddha was with
Dipamkara Buddha, there was no dharma attained that was anuttara-
samyak-sambodhi.”
The Buddha said, “So it is. So it is, Subhuti. In reality there is no
dharma the Tathagata attained that is anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.
Subhuti, if there was a dharma the Tathagata attained that was
anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, then Dipamkara Buddha would not
have given me the prediction. ‘In a future life you will attain
Buddhahood and be called Sakyamuni.’
Since, in reality, there is no dharma attained that is anuttara-
samyak-sambodhi, therefore Dipamkara Buddha gave me the
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prediction making the statement, ‘In a future life you will attain
Buddhahood and be called Sakyamuni.’
Why is this? Tathagata means the suchness of all dharmas.
If there is someone who says the Tathagata attains anuttara-
samyak-sambodhi, Subhuti, in reality there is no dharma the Buddha
attains that is anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.
Subhuti, within the anuttara-samyak-sambodhi that the Tathagata
attains, there is neither reality nor unreality. For this reason, the
Tathagata says all dharmas are Buddha Dharma. Subhuti, what are
said to be all dharmas are not all dharmas, for this reason they are
called all dharmas.
Subhuti, suppose someone’s body is very large.”
Subhuti replied, “World Honored One, the Tathagata says this
person’s body is very large, hence it is not a large body, so it is
called a large body.”
“Subhuti, bodhisattvas are also like this. If they make this
statement, ‘I will liberate immeasurable living beings,’ then they are
not called bodhisattvas, Why is this, Subhuti? In reality there is no
dharma called a bodhisattva. For this reason, the Buddha says all
dharmas are without self, individuals, living beings or life-spans.
Subhuti, if bodhisattvas make this statement, ‘I will adorn
Buddha Lands,’ they are not called bodhisattvas. Why is this? The
Tathagata says the adornment of Buddha Lands is not adornment, so
it is called adornment.
Subhuti, if bodhisattvas penetrate the selflessness of dharmas the
Tathagata says this is called truly being a bodhisattva.”
18. “Subhuti, what does your mind say? The Tathagata has physical
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eyes, does he not?”
“So it is, World Honored One. The Tathagata has physical eyes.”
“Subhuti, what does your mind say? The Tathagata has the
Divine Eye, does he not?”
“So it is, World Honored One. The Tathagata has the Divine
Eye.”
Wisdom Eye, does he not?”
“So it is, World Honored One. The Tathagata has the Wisdom
Eye.”
Dharma Eye, does he not?”
“So it is, World Honored One. The Tathagata has the Dharma
Eye.”
Buddha Eye, does he not?”
“So it is, World Honored One. The Tathagata has the Buddha
Eye.”
“Subhuti, what does your mind say? As for all that sand in the
Ganges River, the Buddha has spoken of this sand, has he not?”
“So it is, World Honored One. The Tathagata has spoken of this
sand.”
“Subhuti, what does your mind say? If there were as many
Ganges Rivers as there are grains of sand in a single Ganges River,
and there were as many Buddha worlds as there are grains of sand
in all these Ganges Rivers, this would be many, would it not?”
“Extremely many, World Honored One.”
The Buddha told Subhuti, “The Tathagata fully knows the various
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types of minds of all the living beings in those lands. Why is this?
The Tathagata says all minds are not minds, so they are called
minds. How is this, Subhuti? The past mind cannot be obtained. The
present mind cannot be obtained. The future mind cannot be
obtained.”
19. “Subhuti, what does your mind say? If there was someone who
filled a great trichiliocosm with the seven treasures and used them
to practice giving, then due to these causes and conditions the
rewards this person obtained would many, would they not?”
“So it is, World Honored One. This person, due to these causes
and conditions, would obtain extremely many rewards. Subhuti, if
rewards existed in reality, the Tathagata would not have said the
rewards obtained would be many. Because of the inexistence of
rewards, the Tathagata says the rewards obtained would be many.”
20. “Subhuti, what does your mind say? The Buddha can be seen by
his perfectly formed body, can he not?”
“No, World Honored One. The Tathagata should not be seen by
his perfectly formed body. Why is this? The Tathagata says a
perfectly formed body is not a perfectly formed body, so it is called
a perfectly formed body. Subhuti, what does your mind say? The
Tathagata can be seen by all of the perfectly characteristics, can he
not?”
“No, World Honored One. The Tathagata should not be seen by
all of the perfect characteristics. Why is this? The Tathagata says the
perfection of all characteristics is not perfect, so it is called the
perfection of all characteristics.”
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21. “Subhuti, you should not claim the Tathagata has this thought,
‘I must have spoken the Dharma,’ Do not have this thought. Why is
this? If people say the Tathagata has spoken the Dharma, then they
slander the Buddha because they are unable to understand what I
have said. Subhuti, in speaking the Dharma there is no Dharma that
can be spoken, so it is called speaking the Dharma.”
At that time, the Wise Subhuti addressed the Buddha saying,
“World Honored One, there are many living beings in their future
lives who will hear this Dharma spoken and generate faith in mind,
are there not?”
The Buddha said, “Subhuti, there are neither living beings nor
non-living beings. Why is this, Subhuti? Living beings, the
Tathagata says, are not living beings, so they are called living
beings.”
22. Subhuti addressed the Buddha saying, “World Honored One,

has the Buddha attained anuttara-samyak-sambodhi without
attaining anything?”
“So it is. So it is, Subhuti. Regarding my anuttara-samyak-
sambodhi, there is not even the slightest dharma that can be attained,
so it is called anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.”
23. “Furthermore, Subhuti, this Dharma is universal and without

variance, so it is called anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. By being
without self, individuals, living beings or life-spans in the
cultivation of all wholesome dharmas one attains anuttara-samyak-
sambodhi. Subhuti, what are said to be wholesome dharmas, the
Tathagata says, are not wholesome dharmas, so they are called
wholesome dharmas.”
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24. “Subhuti, if there was someone who took heaps of the seven
treasures that were like all the majestic Sumeru mountains in a great
trichiliocosm and used them to practice giving, and if someone
receives, retains, reads and recites even just four lines of verse from
this Prajna Paramita Sutra and explains them to others, the previous
rewards are not even one hundredth of it, not even one thousandth,
one ten-thousandth, one millionth, nor even is a calculation or
comparison able to be reached.”
25. “Subhuti, what does your mind say? You should not claim the
Tathagata has this thought, ‘I will liberate living beings.’ Subhuti,
do not have this thought. Why is this? In reality there are no living
beings the Tathagata liberates. If there were living beings the
Tathagata liberates the Tathagata would then have the perception of
self, individuals, living beings or life-spans.
Subhuti, the Tathagata says an existing self is not an existing self,
yet ordinary people consider there to be an existing self. Subhuti,
ordinary people, the Tathagata says, are not ordinary people.”
26. “Subhuti, what does your mind say? The Tathagata can be
perceived by the thirty-two characteristics, can he not?”
Subhuti replied, “So it is, so it is. The Tathagata is perceived by
the thirty-two characteristics.”
The Buddha said, “Subhuti, if one perceives the Tathagata by the
thirty-two characteristics, then a wheel-turning sage king is the
Tathagata.”
Subhuti addressed the Buddha saying, “World Honored One, as
I understand the meaning of what the Buddha has said, the Tathagata
should not be perceived by the thirty-two characteristics.”
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At that time, the World Honored One spoke the verse:
If I am seen by sight,
Or sought by sound,
This person walks the wrong path,
Unable to see Tathagata.
27. “Subhuti, if you have this thought, ‘It is not because of the
perfect characteristics that the Tathagata attains anuttara-samyak-
sambodhi,’ Subhuti, do not have this thought, ‘It is not because of
the perfect characteristics that the Tathagata attains anuttara-
samyak-sambodhi.’ If you have this thought, ‘One who develops the
mind of anuttara-samyak-sambodhi says all dharmas are
characterized by annihilation,’ do not have this thought. Why is this?
One who develops the mind of anuttara-samyak-sambodhi does not
say dharmas are characterized by annihilation.”
28. “Subhuti, if a bodhisattva filled as many trichiliocosms as there

are grains of sand in the Ganges River with the seven treasures and
used them to practice giving, and if, however, there is someone who
knows all dharmas are selfless, achieving forbearance, this
bodhisattva surpasses the merit obtained by the aforementioned
bodhisattva.
Subhuti, this is because all bodhisattvas do not receive rewards.”
Subhuti addressed the Buddha saying, “World Honored One, why
do you say bodhisattvas do not receive rewards?”
“Subhuti, the rewards bodhisattvas earn should not be desired.
For this reason it is said they do not receive rewards.”
29. “Subhuti, if there is someone who says the Tathagata either
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comes or goes, or sits or lies down, this person does not understand
the meaning of what I say. Why is this? The Tathagata has nowhere
to come from and nowhere to go, therefore he is called the
Tathagata.”
30. “Subhuti, if virtuous men and women were to grind a great

trichiliocosm into minute particles, what does your mind say? This
assemblage of minute particles would be many, would they not?”
“Extremely many, World Honored One. Why is this? If this
assemblage of minute particles was really existing, then the Buddha
would not have spoken of an assemblage of minute particles. How
is this? The Buddha says an assemblage of minute particles is not an
assemblage of minute particles, so it is called an assemblage of
minute particles.”
“World Honored One, the Tathagata has said a great
trichiliocosm is not a great trichiliocosm, so it is called a great
trichiliocosm. Why is this? If a great trichiliocosm was really
existing, then it would be a unified entity. The Tathagata says a
unified entity is not a unified entity, so it is called a unified entity.”
“Subhuti, a unified entity cannot be spoken of. Only ordinary
people are attached to this matter.”
31. “Subhuti, if someone says the Buddha has spoken of the view
of self, individuals, living beings or life-spans, Subhuti, what does
your mind say? This person understands the meaning of what I have
said, do they not?”
“World Honored One, this person does not understand the
meaning of what the Tathagata has said. Why is this? The World
Honored One says the view of self, individuals, living beings or life-
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spans is not the view of self, individuals, living beings or life-spans,
so it is called the view of self, individuals, living beings or life-
spans.”
“Subhuti, those who develop the mind of anuttara-samyak-
sambodhi should regard all dharmas by knowing like this, seeing
like this, believing and understanding like this, without giving rise
to a perception of dharmas. Subhuti, what is said to be a perception
of dharmas, the Tathagata says, is not a perception of dharmas, so it
is called a perception of dharmas.”
32. “Subhuti, if there is someone who fills immeasurable asamkhya

worlds with the seven treasures and uses them to practice giving,
and if there are virtuous men and women who develop the mind of
a bodhisattva and take even just four lines of verse from this sutra,
receiving, retaining, reading and reciting them, and expounding
them to others, their rewards will surpass those.
How would you say they expound it to others? By not holding on
to appearances, immovable like thusness. Why is this?
All conditioned dharmas
Are like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow
Like dew and like lightning
Thus they should be perceived.”
After the Buddha had spoken this sutra, the elder Subhuti with all
the bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas, upasikas, and the devas, humans
and asuras of all worldly realms heard what the Buddha had said and
were all greatly pleased; believing, receiving, honoring and
practicing it.
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21. Lotus Sutra [11]
Tactfulness
2.1. At that time the World Honored One, rising quietly and clearly
from contemplation, addressed Shariputra: “The wisdom of Buddhas
is very profound and infinite. Their wisdom-school is difficult to
understand and difficult to enter, so that the shravakas and
pratyekabuddhas cannot apprehend it. Wherefore? Because the
Buddhas have been in fellowship with countless hundred thousand
myriad kotis of Buddhas, perfectly practicing the infinite Law of all
Buddhas, boldly and zealously advancing and making their fame
universally known, perfecting the very profound, unprecedented Law
and preaching, as opportunity served, its meaning so difficult to
understand.
2.2. “Shariputra! Ever since I became Buddha, with various

reasonings and various parables I have widely discoursed and taught,
and by countless tactful methods have led living beings, causing
them to leave al attachments. Wherefore? Because the Tathagata is
altogether perfect in his tactfulness and paramita of wisdom.
2.3. “Shariputra! The wisdom of the Tathagata is broad and great,

profound and far-reaching; his mind is infinite; his expositions are
unimpeded; his powers, his fearlessness, his meditations, his
emancipations, his contemplations have enabled him to enter into
the boundless realms and to accomplish all the unprecedented Law.
Shariputra! The Tathagata is able to discriminate everything,
preach the laws skillfully, use gentle words, and cheer the hearts
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of all.
2.4. “Shariputra! Essentially speaking, the Buddha has altogether

fulfilled the infinite, boundless, unprecedented Law. Enough,
Shariputra, there is no need to say more. Wherefore? Because the
Law which the Buddha has perfected is the chief unprecedented
Law, and difficult to understand. Only a Buddha together with a
Buddha can fathom the Reality of All Existence, that is to say, all
existence has such a form, such a nature, such an embodiment, such
a potency, such a function, such a primary cause, such a secondary
cause, such an effect, such a recompense, and such a complete
fundamental whole.”
2.5. At that time the World Honored One, desiring to proclaim this
teaching over again, spoke thus in verse:
“Immeasurable are the world’s heroes.
Embracing gods and men in the world
Among all the living creatures,
None can know the Buddhas.
The Buddha’s powers and fearlessness,

Emancipations and contemplations,
And the Buddha’s other laws
No one is able to measure
Of yore I followed countless Buddhas

And perfectly trod the right ways
Of the profound and wonderful Law,
Which are difficult to perceive and perform.
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During infinite kotis of kalpas,
After pursuing all those ways,
Having obtained the perfect fruit on the wisdom throne,
I was able perfectly to understand.
Such great effects as these,

The meaning of every nature and form:
I and other Buddhas in the universe
Alone can understand these things.
This Law is inexpressible,

It is beyond the realm of terms;
Among all the other living beings
None can apprehend it
Except the bodhisattvas
Who are firm in the power of faith.
The disciples of all the Buddhas

Who have offered worship to the Buddhas
And have ended all their faults
And dwell in this last bodily state,
Such men as these
Have not powers equal to such knowledge.
Though the world were full

Of beings like Shariputra
Who with utmost thought combined to measure it,
They could not fathom the Buddha-wisdom.
Indeed thought the universe were full
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Of beings like Shariputra,
And the rest of my disciples
Filled the world in every quarter,
Who with utmost thought combined to measure it,
They also could not understand.
Though pratyekabuddhas of keen intelligence,

In their last faultless bodily stage,
Also filled every region of the universe,
Numerous as bamboo in the woods,
If these with united mind
Through infinite kotis of kalpas
Wished to ponder the Buddha’s real wisdom,
They could not know the least part.
Though newly vowed bodhisattvas

Who have worshiped countless Buddhas,
Have penetrated all meanings,
And can ably preach the Law,
Abounding as rice and hemp, bamboo and reeds,
Filled the world in every quarter,
If with one mind by mystic wisdom,

Through kalpas like the sands of the Ganges,
All these were to ponder together,
They could not know the Buddha-wisdom.
Though bodhisattvas, free from falling back,

Numerous as the sands of the Ganges,
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With one mind investigated together,
They too could not understand.
Again I say to Shariputra:

‘The faultless and inscrutable,
Profound and mysterious Law
I now have wholly attained.
Only I know these truths,
As also do the Buddhas of the universe.
Know, Shariputra!
The words of Buddhas do not differ.
In the laws preached by the Buddha
You should beget great strength of faith,
For at length after the Buddha’s preparatory teaching
He must now proclaim the perfect Truth.’
I address all the shravakas

And seekers after the vehicle of pratyekabuddhas,
Those whom I have freed from the bondage of suffering
And who have reached nirvana:
‘The Buddha employs his tactful powers;

He shows the Way by the three-vehicle teaching.
All beings have various attachments;
He leads them to obtain escape.’”
2.6. At that time in the great assembly there were shravakas and
faultless Arhats, Ajnata-Kaundinya and others, twelve hundred in
number, and bhikshus, bhikshunis, upasakas, and upasikas, who had
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vowed to be shravakas and pratyekabuddhas—all these reflected
thus: “For what reason does the World Honored One now extol the
tactful way so earnestly and say these words: ‘The Law which the
Buddha has obtained is very profound and difficult to comprehend.
That which he proclaims has a meaning so hard to understand that
all the shravakas and pratyekabuddhas are unable to attain it’? As yet
the Buddha has declared only one principle of emancipation, and we
also, obtaining this Law, reach nirvana. But now we do not know
where this principle leads.”
2.7. At that time Shariputra, apprehending the doubt in the minds of

the four groups and also himself not having mastered the meaning,
spoke to the Buddha, saying: “World Honored One! What is the
cause and what the reason for so earnestly extolling the paramount
tactful method and the very profound, mysterious Law, difficult to
understand, of the Buddhas? From of yore I have ever heard such a
discourse from the Buddha. At present these four groups are
altogether in doubt. Will the World Honored One be pleased to
explain these things, why the World Honored One extols so
earnestly the very profound and mysterious Law, so difficult to
understand.”
2.8. Then Shariputra, desiring to announce this meaning over again,

spoke thus in verse:
“O Wisdom Sun! Great Holy Honored One!
At length thou hast preached this Law,
And declared thyself to have obtained such
Powers, fearlessness, and contemplations,
Mediations, emancipations, and other
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Inconceivable laws.
About the Law obtained on the wisdom throne

No one has been about to utter any question,
And I find it hard to fathom the meaning
And also am unable to ask questions.
Without being asked thou thyself hast spoken,

Extolling the way thou hast walked,
That thy most mysterious wisdom
Is that which the Buddhas obtained.
All the faultless Arhats

And those who are seeking nirvana
Have now fallen into nets of doubt.
Why does the Buddha speak thus?

Seekers after pratyekabuddhahood,
Bhikshus and bhikshunis,
Gods, dragons, and spirits,
Gandharvas and other beings
Scan each other in perplexity,
And look expectant to the Honored of Men.
What may be the meaning of this matter?

We would the Buddha will explain.
In this assembly of shravakas
The Buddha says I am the chief of the disciples,
But I, now, of my own wisdom
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Am in doubt and cannot understand
Whether it is the final Law
Or is the Way to progress there.
The sons born of the Buddha’s mouth

With folded hands wait expectantly.
Be pleased to send forth the mystic sound
And now proclaim the truth as it is.
Gods, dragons, spirits, and others,

Numerous as the sands of the Ganges;
Bodhisattvas aspiring to be Buddhas
Fully eighty thousand in number;
Also, from myriads of kotis of countries,

Holy wheel-rolling kings are here,
With folded hands and reverent hearts,
Desiring to hear the perfect Way.”
2.9. At that time the Buddha said to Shariputra: “Enough, enough,

there is no need to say more. If I explain this matter, all the worlds
of gods and men would be startled and perplexed.”
2.10. Shariputra again said to the Buddha: “World Honored One!

Be pleased to explain it! Be pleased to explain it! Wherefore?
Because in this assembly there are numberless hundred thousand
myriad kotis of asamkhyeya living beings who have already seen the
Buddhas, whose perceptions are keen and whose wisdom is clear. If
they hear the Buddha’s teaching, they will be able to believe it
respectfully.”
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“King of the Law, Most High Honored One!
Be pleased to explain without misgiving!
In this assembly are countless beings
Who can respectfully believe.”
2.12. The Buddha again said: “Enough, Shariputra! If I explained

this matter, all the worlds of gods, men, asuras would be startled and
perplexed, and haughty bhikshus might fall into the great pit.”
2.13. Then the World Honored One once again spoke in verse:
“Enough, enough, no need to say more.
My Law is subtle and inscrutable;
Those who are haughty
On hearing would not believe it respectfully.”
2.14. Then Shariputra once again said to the Buddha: “World

Honored One! Be pleased to explain it! Be pleased to explain it! In
this present assembly there are, equal with me, hundreds of
thousands of myriads of kotis who, in former lives, have followed
the Buddha and been transformed by him. Such men as these can
certainly believe respectfully and throughout the night will
peacefully rest and in various ways be abundantly benefitted.”

“Most High and Honored of the Living!
Be pleased to explain the paramount Law!
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I am the eldest son of the Buddha.
Condescend to explain it discriminately.
In this assembly countless beings

Are able respectfully to believe this Law.
The Buddha already in his former lives
Has taught such living beings.
All with one mind, folding their hands,

Desire to hear the Buddha’s words.
There are twelve hundred of us
And others aspiring to be Buddhas.
Be pleased, for the sake of these beings,

To condescend to explain it discriminately.
If these hear this Law,
They will beget great joy.”
2.16. At that time the World Honored One addressed Shariputra:

“Since you have already thrice earnestly repeated your request, how
can I refuse to speak? Do you now listen attentively to, ponder, and
remember it! I will discriminate and explain it for you.”
2.17. When he had thus spoken, in the assembly some five thousand
bhikshus, bhikshunis, upasakas, and upasikas straightway rose from
their seats and, saluting the Buddha, withdrew. Wherefore? Because
the root of sin in these beings was so deep and their haughty spirit
so enlarged that they imagined they had attained what they had not
attained and had proved what they had not proved. In such error as
this they would not stay; and the World Honored One was silent and
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did not stop them.
2.18. Thereupon the Buddha addressed Shariputra: “Now in this

congregation I am free from useless twigs and leaves, and have
nothing but all that are purely the true and real. It is good,
Shariputra, that such extremely haughty ones as those are gone
away. Now carefully listen and I will expound the matter for you.”
Shariputra said: “So be it, World Honored One; I desire joyfully to
listen.”
2.19. The Buddha addressed Shariputra: “Such a wonderful Law as

this is only preached by the Buddha-Tathagatas on rare occasions,
just as the udumbara flower is seen but once in long periods.
Shariputra, believe me, all of you; in the Buddha’s teaching no word
is false. Shariputra, the meaning of the laws which the Buddhas
expound as opportunity serves is difficult to understand. Wherefore?
Because I expound the laws by numberless tactful ways and with
various reasonings and parabolic expressions. These laws cannot be
understood by powers of thought or discrimination; only the
Buddhas can discern them. Wherefore? Because the Buddhas, the
World Honored Ones, only on account of the one very great cause
appear in the world. Shariputra, why do I say that the Buddhas, the
World Honored Ones, only on account of the one very great cause
appear in the world? Because the Buddhas, the World Honored
Ones, desire to cause all living beings to open their eyes to the
Buddha-knowledge so that they may gain the pure mind, therefore
they appear in the world; because they desire to show all living
beings the Buddha-knowledge, they appear in the world; because
they desire to cause all living beings to apprehend the Buddha-
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knowledge, they appear in the world; because they desire to cause all
living beings to enter the way of the Buddha-knowledge, they appear
in the world. Shariputra, this is why it is only on account of the one
very great cause that Buddhas appear in the world.”
2.20. The Buddha addressed Shariputra: “The Buddha-Tathagata

teaches only bodhisattvas. Whatever they do is always for one
purpose, that is, to take the Buddha-knowledge and reveal it to all
living beings. Shariputra! The Tathagata, by means of the One
Buddha-vehicle, preaches to all living beings the Law; there is no
other vehicle, neither a second nor a third. Shariputra! The Buddhas
in times past, by infinite, numberless tactful ways and with various
reasonings and parabolic expressions, expounded the laws for the
sake of all living beings. All these laws are for the One Buddha-
vehicle, so that all those living beings, who have heard the Law from
the Buddhas, might all finally obtain perfect knowledge.
2.21. “Shariputra! The future Buddhas who are to appear in the

world will also, by infinite, numberless tactful ways and with
various reasonings and parabolic expressions, expound the laws for
the sake of all living beings. All these laws are for the One Buddha-
vehicle, so that all those living beings who hear the Law from the
Buddhas shall finally obtain perfect knowledge.
2.22. “Shariputra! The Buddhas, the World Honored Ones, at

present in innumberable hundred thousand myriad kotis of Buddha-
lands in the universe, who are so greatly benefitting and rejoicing all
living beings, these Buddhas, by infinite, numberless tactful ways
and with various reasonings and parabolic expressions, also expound
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the law for the sake of all living beings. All these laws are for the
One Buddha-vehicle, so that all those living beings who hear the
Law from the Buddhas finally obtain perfect knowledge.
2.23. “Shariputra! All these Buddhas teach only bodhisattvas,

desiring to show all living beings the Buddha-knowledge, desiring
to cause all living beings to apprehend the Buddha-knowledge, and
desiring to cause all living begins to enter the way of the Buddha-
knowledge. Shariputra! I, at the present time, am also like them.
Knowing that all living beings have many kinds of desires deeply
attached in their minds, I have, according to their capacity,
expounded the laws by various reasonings, parabolic expressions,
and tactful powers. Shariputra! Such teachings all are in order to
secure perfect knowledge of the One Buddha-vehicle. Shariputra! In
the whole universe there are not even two vehicles, how much less
a third.
2.24. “Shariputra! The Buddhas appear in the evil ages of the five
decays, that is to say, decay of the kalpa, decay through tribulations,
decay of all living creatures, decay of views, and decay of lifetime.
Thus, Shariputra! Because in the disturbed times of kalpa decay all
living beings are very vile, being covetous and envious, bringing to
maturity every root of badness, the Buddhas by tactful powers in the
One Buddha-vehicle discriminate and expound the three. Shariputra!
If my disciples who cal themselves Arhats or pratyekabuddhas will
neither hear nor understand that the Buddha-Tathagatas teach only
bodhisattvas, these are not the Buddha’s disciples nor Arhats nor
pratyekabuddhas.
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2.25. “Again, Shariputra! If those bhikshus and bhikshunis who
claim that they have already become Arhats and say: ‘This is our last
bodily state before final nirvana,’ and thereupon do not again devote
themselves to seek after Perfect Enlightenment, you must know that
this class are all extremely conceited. Wherefore? Because there is
no such thing as a bhikshu who has really obtained arhatship if he
has not believed this Law. But there is an exceptional case when,
after the Buddha’s extinction, there is no other Buddha present.
Wherefore? Because after the Buddha’s extinction it is hard to find
persons who can receive and keep, read and recite, and explain the
meaning of such sutras as these. Only if they meet other Buddhas
can they, in this same Law, obtain the solution. Shariputra! You
should with all your heart believe and discern, receive and keep the
word of the Buddha. No word of the Buddha-Tathagatas is false;
there is no other vehicle, but only the One Buddha-vehicle.”
2.26. At that time the World Honored One, desiring to proclaim this
teaching over gain, spoke thus in verse:
“Bhikshus and bhikshunis
Obsessed by utmost arrogance,
Upasakas filled with self-conceit,
Upasikas with unbelief,
Four groups such as these,
Five thousand in number,
Perceiving not their errors
And faults in the commandments,
Careful only of their flaws:
Such small wit they showed,
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These dregs of the assembly, who
Because of the Buddha’s splendid virtue withdrew;
These men of little virtuous happiness
Are incapable of receiving this Law.
Now this assembly has no twigs and leaves,
But only those who are true and real.
Shariputra! Listen carefully to

The laws obtained by the Buddhas, which,
By infinite tactful powers,
They expound for all creatures.
What they all entertain in their minds,

All the ways they practice,
How many kinds are their desires,
And their former karmas, good and evil,
The Buddha knows all these perfectly.
With various reasonings and parables,

Terms and tactful powers,
He causes them all to rejoice,
Preaching either sutras,
Or gathas, or former things,
Or birth stories, or the unprecedented,
And also preaching by reasonings,
By parables and geyas,
And by upadesha scriptures.
The dull who delight I petty rules,
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Who are greedily attached to existence,
Who, under innumerable Buddhas,
Do not walk the profound and mystic Way,
Who are harassed by all the sufferings—
Because of these I preach nirvana.
I have set up such tactful ways

To enable them to enter the Buddha-wisdom.
But I have never said: ‘You all
Shall accomplish the Buddha-way.’
The reason why I have never so said

Is that the time for saying it had not arrived.
But now is they very time,
And I have resolved to preach the Great-vehicle.
These nine divisions of my Law

Preached according to the capacity of all creatures
Are but the introduction to the Great-vehicle,
Hence I preach this sutra.
There are sons of the Buddha whose minds are pure,

Who are gentle and clever-natured,
And who, in innumerable Buddha-regions,
Have walked the profound and mystic Way;
On behalf of these sons of the Buddha

I preach this Great-vehicle sutra.
And I predict that such men as these
In the world to come will accomplish the Buddha-way.
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Through their deep-hearted mindfulness of the Buddha
And observance of the pure commandments,
These, hearing that they may become Buddhas,
Are filled throughout with great joy.
The Buddha knows their mind and conduct,

And therefore preaches to them the Great-vehicle.
If shravakas or bodhisattvas
Hear the Law which I preach,
Even be it but one verse,
All, without doubt, become Buddhas.
In the Buddha-lands of the universe

There is only the One-vehicle Law,
Neither a second nor a third,
Except the tactful teachings of the Buddha.
But by provisional expressions

He has led all living creatures
Revealing the Buddha-wisdom.
In the appearing of Buddhas in the world

Only this One is the real fact,
For the other two are not the true.
They never by a smaller vehicle
Save all living creatures.
The Buddha himself abides in the Great-vehicle,

In accordance with the Law he has attained,
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Enriched with powers of mediation and wisdom,
And by it he saves all creatures.
I, proving the supreme Way,

The great-vehicle, the universal Law,
If I convert by a smaller vehicle
Even but one human being,
I shall fall into grudging—
A thing that cannot be.
If men turn in faith to the Buddha,

The Tathagata will not deceive them,
For he has no covetous and envious desires
And is free from all the sins of the laws.
So the Buddha, in the universe,

Is the one being perfectly fearless.
I, by my sings-adorned body,
With their shining illuminate the world,
And am worshiped by countless multitudes,
For whom I preach the seal of reality.
Know, Shariputra!
Of yore I made a vow,
Wishing to cause all creatures
To rank equally without difference with me.
According to the vow I made of old,

Now all has been perfectly fulfilled
For converting all living beings
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And leading them to enter the Buddha-way.
Whenever I meet any creatures

I teach them all by the Buddha-way.
But the unwitting remain confused
And, going astray, never accept my teaching.
I know that all these creatures

Have never practiced the fundamental goodness,
Are firmly attached to the five desires,
And through infatuation are in distress;
By reason of these desires,

They have fallen into the three evil paths;
Transmigrating in the six states of existence,
They suffer the utmost misery.
Received into the womb in minute form,

Life after life they ever increase and grow,
Poor in virtue and of little happiness.
They are oppressed by all the distresses;

They have entered the thickets of heretical views,
Such as ‘existence’ or nonexistence’;
Relying on these false views,

Altogether sixty-two,
They are deeply attached to these false laws,
Firmly holding, unable to give them up,
Self-sufficient and self-inflated,
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Suspicious, crooked, and faithless in mind;
During thousands and myriads of kalpas

They have not heard the name of a Buddha,
Nor have they heard the True Law;
Men such as these can hardly be saved.
For this reason, Shariputra,

I set up a tactful way for them,
Proclaiming the way to end sufferings,
Revealing it through nirvana.
Though I proclaim nirvana,

Yet it is not real extinction.
All existence, form the beginning,
Is ever of the nirvana-nature.
When a son of the Buddha has fulfilled his course,

In a world to come he becomes a Buddha.
Only by my powers of tactfulness
Do I manifest the three-vehicle Law.
For all the World Honored Ones

Expound the One-vehicle Way.
Now let all in this great assembly
Be free from doubts and perplexities.
The Buddhas do not differ in their statements;

There is One only and no second vehicle.
In the past countless kalpas
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Innumerable extinct Buddhas,
In hundreds, thousands, and milliards,
Whose numbers cannot be counted,
All such World Honored Ones as these

With various reasonings and parables
And innumerable tactful powers
Have proclaimed the various laws.
But all these World Honored Ones

Proclaimed the One-vehicle Law,
Converting numberless creatures
To enter the Buddha-way.
Moreover, the great holy masters,

Knowing that which all the worlds
Of gods, men, and other creatures
Deeply desire in their hearts,
In addition, by varying tactfulness,
Assist in revealing the first principles.
If there are any beings

Who have met the former Buddhas;
If, having heard the Law, they have given donations;
If they have kept the commandments and been persevering,
Been assiduous, meditative, and wise;
Having kept these various ways of happiness and virtue,

Such beings as these
Have all attained the Buddha-way.
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After the extinction of Buddhas,
Men with good and soft minds for the truth,
Such living beings as these
After the extinction of Buddhas,

Those who worshiped their relics
And built many kotis of sorts of stupas,
With gold, silver, and crystal,
With moonstone and agate,
With jasper and lapis lazuli,
Clearly and broadly decorated,
Handsomely displayed on every stupa;
Or those who built stone shrines

Of sandalwood and aloes,
Eaglewood and other woods,
Of brick, tiles, and clay;
Or those who in the wilds
Raised earth for Buddhas’ shrines;
Even children, in their play,

Who gathered sand for a Buddha’s stupa:
All such beings as these
Have attained the Buddha-way.
If men for the sake of Buddhas

Have erected images
Carved with the characteristic sings,
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They have all attained the Buddha-way.
Or those who with the precious seven,

With brass, red and white copper,
With wax, lead, and tin,
With iron, wood, and clay,
Or with glue and lacquer
Have adorned and made Buddhas’ images,
All such ones as these have attained the Buddha-way.
Those who have painted Buddhas’ images

With the hundred blessing-adorned signs,
Whether done by themselves or by employing others,
Even boys in their play

Who with reed, wood, or pen
Or with the fingernail
Have drawn Buddhas’ images,
All such ones as these,

Gradually accumulating merit
And perfecting hearts of great pity,
Have attained the Buddha-way;
Indeed, by influencing the bodhisattvas,

Have saved countless creatures.
If men to the stupas and shrines,

To the precious images and paintings,
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With flowers, incense, flags, and umbrellas
Have paid homage with respectful hearts;
Or employed others to perform music,

Beat drums, blow horns and conchs,
Panpipes and flutes, play lutes, harps,
Guitars, gongs, and cymbals,
Such mystic sounds as these,
All played by way of homage;
Or with joyful hearts

By singing have extolled the merits of Buddhas
Even though in but a low voice,
These too have attained the Buddha-way.
Even anyone who, with distracted mind,

With but a single flower
Has paid homage to the painted images
Shall gradually see countless Buddhas.
Or those who have offered worship,

Were it by merely folding the hands,
Or even raising a hand,
Or by slightly bending the head,
By thus paying homage to the images
Gradually see innumberable Buddhas,
Attain the supreme Way,
Extensively save countless creatures,
And enter the formless nirvana,
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As when firewood is finished the fire dies out.
If any, even with distracted mind,

Enter a stupa or temple
And cry but once ‘Namah Buddha,’
They have attained the Buddha-way.
If any from the Buddhas of the past,

Whether in existence or already extinct,
Have heard this Law,
They have all attained the Buddha-way.
All the future World Honored Ones,

Infinite in their number,
All these Tathagatas
Also by tactful ways preach the Law.
All of the Tathagatas

By infinite tactful ways
Save all living creatures
To enter the Buddha’s faultless wisdom.
Of those who hear the Law

Not one fails to become a Buddha.
This is the original vow of the Buddhas:

‘By the Buddha-way which I walk,
I desire universally to cause all creatures
To attain the same Way along with me.’
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Though the Buddhas in future ages
Proclaim hundreds, thousands, kotis,
Countless schools of doctrine,
In reality they are but the One-vehicle.
The Buddhas, the honored ones,

Know that Buddha-seeds spring from a cause,
So they reveal the One-vehicle.
All things abide in their fixed order,

Hence the world abides forever.
Having apprehended this on the wisdom throne,
The leaders proclaim it in tactful ways.
Who gods and men pay homage to,

The present Buddhas in the universe,
Whose number is as the sands of the Ganges,
And who appear in the world

For the relief of all creatures,
These also proclaim such a Law as this.
Knowing the supreme nirvana,

Though by reason of their tactful powers
They display various kinds of ways,
Really they are but the One Buddha-vehicle.
Knowing the conduct of all creatures,

What they entertain in their deepest minds
The karma they have developed in the past,
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Their inclinations and zeal,
And their capacities, keen or dull,

With various kinds of reasonings,
Parables, and narrations,
As they could respond, so have they tactfully taught.
Now I also in like manner

For the relief of all creatures
By various kinds of doctrine
Promulgate the Buddha-way.
I, by my power of wisdom,
Knowing the natures and inclinations of creatures,
Tactfully proclaim the laws
Which cause all to obtain gladness.
Know, Shariputra!
I, observing with the Buddha’s eyes,
See the creatures in the six states of existence,
Poor and without happiness and wisdom,
In the dangerous path of morality,
In continuous, unending misery,
Firmly fettered by the five desires
Like the yak caring for its tail,
Smothered by greed and infatuation,
Blinded and seeing nothing;
They seek not the Buddha, the mighty,

And the Law to end sufferings,
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But deeply fall into heresies,
And seek by suffering to be rid of suffering.
For the sake of all these creatures,

My heart is stirred with great pity.
When I first sat on the wisdom throne,
Looking at that tree and walking about it
During thrice seven days,
I pondered such matters as these:
‘The wisdom which I have obtained

Is wonderful and supreme.
But all creatures are dull in their capacities,
Pleasure-attached and blind with ignorance.
Such classes of beings as these,

I saw, how can they be saved?’
Thereupon all the Brahma kings
And Lord Shakra of all the gods,
The four heavenly beings who protect the worlds,
Also the god Great Sovereign
And all the other heavenly beings,
With hundreds of thousands of myriads of followers,
Respectfully saluted with folded hands,
Entreating me to roll the wheel of the Law.
Then I ponder within myself:

‘If I only extol the Buddha-vehicle,
All creatures, being sunk in suffering,
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Will not be able to believe this Law,
And by breaking the Law through unbelief

Will fall into the three evil paths.
I had rather not preach the Law,
But instantly enter nirvana.’
Then, on remembering what former Buddhas

Performed by their tactful powers,
I thought: ‘The Way which I have now attained
I must preach as the tripartite vehicle.’
While I was pondering thus,
All the Buddhas in the universe appeared
And, with sacred voice, cheered me in response:
‘Excellent! Sakyamuni!
The first of leaders!
Having attained this supreme Law,
Thou art following after all the Buddhas
In using tactful powers.
We, too, have all attained

This most wonderful, supreme Law,
But for the sake of the many kinds of creatures,
We divide and preach it in three vehicles.
Those of little wisdom delight in petty laws,

Not believing that they can become Buddhas,
Hence we, by tactful ways,
Divide and preach the natural results.
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Though we also proclaim the three vehicles,
It is only for teaching the bodhisattvas.’
Know, Shariputra!
Hearing the voices of the Holy Lions,
Profoundly clear and mystic,
I saluted them, ‘Namah Buddhas,’
And again reflected thus:

‘Having come forth into the disturbed and evil world,
I, according to the Buddhas’ behest,
Will also obediently proceed.’
Having finished pondering this matter,

I instantly went to Varanasi.
The nirvana-nature of all existence,
Which is inexpressible,
I by my tactful ability
Preach to the five bhikshus.
This is called the first rolling of the Law-wheel,

Whereupon there was the news of nirvana
And also the separate names of Arhat,
Of Law, and of Sangha.
From distant kalpas onward

I have extolled and indicated the Law of nirvana
For the perpetual end of mortal distress;
Thus have I continuously spoken.
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Know, Shariputra!
When I saw the Buddha-sons
Bent on seeking the Buddha-way,
In countless thousands and myriads of kotis,
All, with reverent hearts,

Draw near to me the Buddha;
They had already heard from the Buddhas
The Law which they tactfully explained.
Then I conceived this thought:

‘The reason why the Tathagata appears
Is for preaching the Buddha-wisdom;
Now is the very time.’
Know, Shariputra!
The stupid and those of little wit,
The tied to externals and the proud
Cannot believe this Law.
But now I am glad a fearless;

In the midst of the bodhisattvas
Frankly put aside tactfulness
And only proclaim the supreme Way.
You bodhisattvas hearing this Law,

Having all got rid of the nets of doubts,
You twelve hundred Arhats
Will all become Buddhas.
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In the same fashion that the Buddhas,
Past, present, and future, preach the Law,
So also will I now
Proclaim the undivided Law.
The appearing of Buddhas in the world

Is far apart and of rare occurrence,
And when they do appear in the world,
With equal rareness do they proclaim this Law.
Even in infinite countless kalpas,

Rarely may this Law be heard;
And those who are able to listen to this Law,
Men such as these are also rare.
It is like the udumbara flower,

Which all love and enjoy,
Seldom seen by gods and men,
Appearing but once in long periods.
So he who, hearing the Law, extols it joyfully

And utters but one single word of it
Have already paid homage to
All the Buddhas in the three worlds.
Such a one is exceedingly rare,

Rarer than the udumbara flower.
Be you free from doubts;
I am the king of the Law
And declare to all the assembly:
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‘I, only by the One-vehicle Way,
Teach the bodhisattvas,
And have no shravakas disciples.’
Know, all of you, Shariputra,

Shravakas, and bodhisattvas,
That this Wonderful Law
Is the mystery of all the Buddhas.
Because the evil world of the five decadences

Only delights in sensual attachments,
Its creatures such as these
Never seek the Buddha-way.
The wicked in generations to come,

Who hear the One-vehicle preached by the Buddha,
In their delusion and unbelief
Will break the Law and fall into evil ways.
But there are beings, modest and pure,

Devoted to seeking the Buddha-way;
For such as these I must
Widely extol the One-vehicle Way.
Know, Shariputra!
The Law of the Buddhas is thus:
By myriads of kotis of tactful ways
They proclaim the Law as opportunity serves.
But those who will not learn
Are not able to discern it.
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But you already know
The expedient tactful ways of
The Buddhas, the leaders of the world.
Have no further doubts;

Rejoice greatly in your hearts,
Knowing that you will become Buddhas.”
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22. Avalokiteshvara Sutra [12]
The All-Sided of the Bodhisattva

Regarder of the Cries of the World
25.1. At that time the Bodhisattva Infinite Thought rose up from his
seat, and baring his right shoulder and folding his hands toward the
Buddha, spoke thus: “World Honored One! For what reason is the
Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara named Regarder of the Caries of the
World?”
25.2. The Buddha answered the Bodhisattva Infinite Thought:

“Good son! If there be countless hundred thousand myriad kotis of
living beings suffering from pain and distress who hear of this
Bodhisattva Regarder of the Cries of the World, and with all their
mind call upon his name, the Bodhisattva Regarder of the Cries of
the World will instantly regard their cries, and all of them will be
delivered.
25.3. “If there be any who keep the name of that Bodhisattva
Regarder of the Cries of the World, though they fall into a great fire,
the fire will not be able to burn them, by virtue of the supernatural
power of that bodhisattva’s majesty. If any, carried away by a flood,
call upon his name, they will immediately reach the shallows. If
there be hundreds of thousands of myriads of kotis of beings who in
search of gold, silver, laps lazuli, moonstones, agate, coral, amber,
pearls, and other treasures go out on the ocean, and if a black gale
blows their ships to drift upon the land of the rakshasas demons, and
if amongst them there be even a single person who calls upon the
211
name of the Bodhisattva Regarder of the Cries of the World, all
those people will be delivered from the throes of the rakshasas. It is
for this reason that he is named Regarder of the Cries of the World.
25.4. “If, again, there be anyone on the verge of deadly harm who
calls upon the name of the Bodhisattva Regarder of the Cries of the
World, the sword of the attacker will instantly snap asunder and he
will be set free. Even if the three-thousand-great-thousandfold world
were full of yakshas and rakshasas seeking to afflict people, these
wicked demons, hearing them call upon the name of the Bodhisattva
Regarder of the Cries of the World, would not be able to see them
with their wicked eyes, how much less to hurt them.
25.5. “If, moreover, there be anyone, guilty or not guilty, loaded with
manacles, fetters, cangues, or chains, who call on the name of the
Bodhisattva Regarder of the Cries of the World, they shall all be
snapped and broken off and he shall be freed.
25.6. “If the three-thousand-great-thousandfold world were full of

enemies and robbers, and there were a merchant chief who led many
merchants having charge of costly jewels along a perilous road, and
among them one man speaks forth: ‘Good people! Be not afraid.
With one mind do you invoke the title of the Bodhisattva Regarder
of the Cries of the World, for this bodhisattva is able to give courage
to all the living. If you invoke his name, you will be freed from these
enemies and robbers.’ On hearing this, if all the traders together with
one voice cry, “Namah Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva!’ then, by
invoking his name, they will be relieved. Infinite Thought! Such is
the awe-inspiring supernatural power of the Bodhisattva Regarder
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of the Cries of the World.
25.7. “If any living beings much given to carnal passion keep in
mind and revere the Bodhisattva Regarder of the Cries of the World,
they will be set free from their passion. If any much given to
irascibility keep in mind and revere the Bodhisattva Regarder of the
Cries of the World, they will be set free from their irascibility. If any
much given to infatuation keep in mind and revere the Bodhisattva
Regarder of the Cries of the World, they will be set free from their
infatuation. Infinite Thought! Such are the abundant benefits
conferred by the supernatural power of the Bodhisattva Regarder of
the Cries of the World. Consequently, let all the living ever keep
him in mind.
25.8. “If any woman desiring a son worships and pays homage to the
Bodhisattva Regarder of the Cries of the World, she will bear a son
happy, virtuous, and wise. If she desires a daughter, she will bear a
daughter of good demeanor and looks, who of old has planted
virtuous roots, beloved and respected by all. Infinite Thought! Such
is the power of the Bodhisattva Regarder of the Cries of the World.
If any of the living revere and worship the Bodhisattva Regarder of
the Cries of the World, blessings will not be rudely rejected.
25.9. “Therefore, let all the living cherish the title of the Bodhisattva
Regarder of the Cries of the World. Infinite Thought! Suppose any
one cherishes the names of bodhisattvas numerous as the sands of
sixty-two kotis of the Ganges, who all his life makes them offerings
of good, drink, garments, bedding, and medicaments—what is your
opinion—are not the merits of that good son or good daughter
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abundant?”
Infinite Thought replied: “Extremely abundant!”
The World Honored One, the Buddha, proceeded: “But if
anyone cherishes the title of the Bodhisattva Regarder of the Cries
of the World, or only for a moment worships and reveres him, the
blessings of these two men will be exactly equal without
difference, and cannot be exhausted in hundreds of thousands of
myriads of kotis of kalpas. Infinite Thought! Such is the
immeasurable, boundless degree of blessedness he will obtain
who cherishes the name of the Bodhisattva Regarder of the Cries
of the World.
25.10. The Bodhisattva Infinite Thought again said to the Buddha:

“World Honored One! How is it that the Bodhisattva Regarder of the
Cries of the World wanders in this saha-world? How does he preach
the Law to the living? What is the character of his tactfulness?”
25.11. The Buddha replied to the Bodhisattva Infinite Thought:

“Good son! If the living in any realm must be saved in the body of
a Buddha, the Bodhisattva Regarder of the Cries of the World
appears as a Buddha and preaches to them the Law. To those who
must be saved in the body of a pratyekabuddha, he appears as a
pratyekabuddha and preaches to them the Law. To those who must
be saved in the body of a shravaka, he appears as a shravaka and
preaches to them the Law. To those who must be saved in the body
of Brahma, he appears as Brahma and preaches to them the Law. To
those who must be saved in the body of Shakra, he appears as
Shakra and preaches to them the Law. To those who must be saved
in the body of Ishvara, he appears as Ishvara and preaches to them
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the Law. To those who must be saved in the body of Maheshvara, he
appears as Maheshvara and preaches to them the Law. To those who
must be saved in the body of a great divine general, he appears as a
great divine general and preaches to them the Law. To those who
must be saved in the body of Vaishravana, he appears as
Vaishravana and preaches to them the Law. To those who must be
saved in the body of a minor king, he appears as minor king and
of an elder, he appears as an elder and preaches to them the Law. To
those who must be saved in the body of a citizen, he appears as a
citizen and preaches to them the Law. To those who must be saved
in the body of a minister of state, he appears as a minister and
of a brahman, he appears as a brahman and preaches to them the
Law. To those who must be saved in the body of bhikshu, bhikshuni,
upasaka, or upasika, he appears as a bhikshu, bhikshuni, upasaka, or
upasika and preaches to them the Law. To those who must be saved
in the body of the wife of an elder, citizen, minister, or brahman, he
appears as a woman and preaches to them the Law. To those who
must be saved in the body of a youth or maiden, he appears as a
youth or maiden and preaches to them the Law. To those who must
be saved in the body of a god, dragon, yaksha, gandharva, asura,
garuda, kimnara, mahoraga, human or nonhuman being, he appears
in every such form and preaches to them the Law. To those who
must be saved in the shape of a diamond-holding god, he appears as
a diamond-holding god and preaches to them the Law. Infinite
Thought! Such are the merits acquired by this Bodhisattva Regarder
of the Cries of the World and the various forms in which he rambles
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through many lands to save the living. Therefore, do you with single
mind pay homage to the Bodhisattva Regarder of the Cries of the
World. This Bodhisattva-Mahasattva Regarder of the Cries of the
World is able to make fearless those in anxiety and distress. For this
reason all in this saha-world give him the title Bestower of
Fearlessness.”
25.12. The Bodhisattva Infinite Thought said to the Buddha: “World

Honored One! Let me now make an offering to the Bodhisattva
Regarder of the Cries of the World.”
25.13. Thereupon he unloosed from his neck a necklace of pearls

worth a hundred thousand pieces of gold and presented it to him,
making this remark: “Good sir! Accept this pious gift of a pearl
necklace.” But the Bodhisattva Regarder of the Cries of the World
would not accept it.
25.14. Again the Bodhisattva Infinite Thought addressed the

Bodhisattva Regarder of the Cries of the World: “Good sir! Out of
compassion for us, accept this necklace.” Then the Buddha said to
the Bodhisattva Regarder of the Cries of the World: “Out of
compassion for this dragons, yakshas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas,
kimnaras, mahoragas, human and nonhuman beings, and others,
accept this necklace.” Then the Bodhisattva Regarder of the Cries of
the World, having compassion for all the four groups and the gods,
dragons, human and nonhuman beings, and others, accepted the
necklace, and dividing it into two parts, offered one part to
Sakyamuni Buddha and offered the other to the stupa of the Buddha
Abundant Treasures.
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25.15. “Infinite Thought! With such sovereign supernatural powers
does the Bodhisattva Regarder of the Cries of the World wander
through the saha-world.”
25.16. Then the Bodhisattva Infinite Thought made inquiry thus in

verse:
“The World Honored One with all the mystic signs!
Let me now again inquire of him:
For what cause is this Buddha-son named
Regarder of the Cries of the World?”
25.17. The Honored One with all the mystic signs answered Infinite
Thought in verse:
“Listen to the deeds of the Cry Regarder,
Who well responds to every quarter;
His vast vow is deep as the sea,
Inconceivable in its eons.
Serving many thousands of kotis of Buddhas,

He has vowed a great pure vow.
Let me briefly tell you.
He who hears his name, and sees him,

And bears him unremittingly in mind,
Will be able to end the sorrows of existence.
Though others with harmful intent

Throw him into a burning pit,
Let him think of the Cry Regarder’s power
And the fire pit will become a pool.
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Or driven along a great ocean,
In peril of dragons, fishes, and demons,
And waves cannot submerge him.
Or if, from the peak of Sumeru,

Men would hurl him down,
And like the sun he will stand firm in the sky.
Or if, pursued by wicked men,

And cast down from Mount Diamond,
He thinks of the Cry Regarder’s power,
Not a hair shall be injured.
Or if, meeting with encompassing foes,

Each with sword drawn to strike him,
All their hearts will turn to kindness.
Or if, meeting suffering by royal command,

His life is to end in execution,
Ad he thinks of the Cry Regarder’s power,
The executioner’s sword will break in pieces.
Or if, imprisoned, shackled, and chained,

Arms and legs in gives and stocks,
Freely he shall be released.
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Or if by incantation and poisons
One seeks to hurt his body,
And he thinks of the Cry Regarder’s power,
All will revert to their originator.
Or if, meeting evil rakshasas,

Venomous dragons, and demons,
At once none will dare to hurt him.
If, encompassed by evil beasts,

Tusks sharp and claws fearful,
They will flee in every direction.
If, scorched by the fire-flame

Of the poisonous breath
Of boas, vipers, and scorpions,
Instantly at his voice they will retreat.
Clouds thunder and lightning flashes,

Hail falls and rain streams:
He thinks of the Cry Regarder’s power
And all instantly are scattered.
The living, crushed and harassed,

Oppressed by countless pains:
The Cry Regarder with his mystic wisdom
Can save such a suffering world.
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Perfect in supernatural powers,
Widely practiced in wisdom and tact,
In the lands of the universe there is no place
Where he does not manifest himself.
All the evil states of existence,

Hells, ghosts, and animals,
Sorrows of birth, age, disease, death,
All by degrees are ended by him.
True regard, serene regard,

Far-reaching wise regard,
Regard of pity, compassionate regard,
Ever longed for, ever looked for!
Pure and serene in radiance,

Wisdom’s sun destroying darkness,
Subduer of woes of storm and fire,
Who illumines the entire world!
Law of pity, thunder quivering,

Compassion wondrous as a great cloud,
Pouring spiritual rain like nectar,
Quenching the flames of distress!
In disputes before a magistrate,

Or in fear in battle’s array,
If he thinks of the Cry Regarder’s power
All his enemies will be routed.
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His is the wondrous voice, voice of the world-ragarder,
Brahman-voice, voice of the rolling tide,
Voice all world-surpassing,
Therefore ever to be kept in mind,
With never a doubting thought.
Regarder of the World’s Cries, pure and holy,

In pain, distress, death, calamity,
Able to be a sure reliance,
Perfect in all merit,
With compassionate eyes beholding all,
Boundless ocean of blessings!
Prostrate let us revere him.”
25.18. Thereupon the Bodhisattva Stage Holder rose from his seat,
and went before and said to the Buddha: “World Honored One! If
any living being hears of the sovereign work and the all-sided
transcendent powers shown in this chapter of the Bodhisattva
Regarder of the Cries of the World, it should be known that the
merits of this man are not a few.”
25.19. While the Buddha preached this chapter of the All-sided One,
the eighty-four thousand living beings in the assembly all set their
minds upon Perfect Enlightenment, with which nothing can
compare.
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23. Avatamsaka Sutra [13]
The Chapter on Entering the Inconceivable

State of Liberation of the Practical Vows of
Samantabhadra
1. At that time, Samantabhadra the Bodhisattva Mahasattva, having

praised the Tathagata's great merits, told all the bodhisattvas and
Sudhana: “Good people, even though all the Buddhas in the ten
directions were to speak continuously of the Tathagata's merits for
as many eons as there are fine dust-motes in an incalculable number
of Buddha fields, those virtues could not be fully described.
“Those who wish to attain such merits should practice the ten
great vows. What are they?
First, to pay homage to all Buddhas.
Second, to praise all Tathagatas.
Third, to make abundant offerings.
Fourth, to confess karmic obstacles.
Fifth, to rejoice in all the merits of others.
Sixth, to request the turning of the wheel of the Dharma.
Seventh, to request for all Buddhas to stay in their worlds.
Eighth, to study always with all Buddhas.
Ninth, to be in harmony with living beings at all times.
Tenth, to transfer all merits and virtues.”
2. Sudhana asked, “Great Sage! How should we pay homage to and

transfer?”
The First Vow: To pay homage to all Buddhas
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3. Bodhisattva Samantabhadra told Sudhana.
“Good people, by paying homage to all Buddhas what I mean is
as follows: All Buddhas, the World Honored Ones, are as numerous
as a number of fine dust-motes that exist in all the Buddha fields in
the ten directions and throughout the three periods of time,
extending to the outer edges of the dharma-realm and the cosmic
world. But because of the power of Samantabhadra's practical vows,
I have deep-felt faith in those Buddhas and truly appreciate them,
just as if they were standing right before my eyes. With the karma of
my body, speech and mind completely purified, I constantly pay
homage to them.
In each and every place where there are Buddhas, I transform my
bodies as numerous as the number of fine dust-motes in the
incalculable numbers of Buddha fields. Each of these bodies
everywhere pays homage to all the Buddhas who are as numerous as
fine dust-motes in the incalculable Buddha fields. When the realm
of cosmic space is limited, my homage will be finished. But because
the realm of cosmic space is endless, my respect will never end. In
the same way, when the realms of living beings, the karma of living
beings, and the afflictions of living beings are limited, my homage
will be finished. But the realms of living beings, the karma of living
beings, and the afflictions of living beings are endless. Therefore,
my homage is endless. It will continue in thought after thought
without ceasing. My body, speech, and mind never tire of these
deeds.”
The Second Vow: To praise all Tathagatas

4. “And, good people, by praising all Tathagatas what I mean is as
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follows: In each fine dust-mote in all lands in the ten directions and
throughout the three periods of time, to the outer edges of the
dharma-realm and the cosmic world, there are Buddhas as numerous
as the number of fine dust-motes in all the worlds. Each of these
Buddhas is circumambulated by an assembly of bodhisattvas as vast
as an ocean. And with my deep faith and supreme understanding, I
know and see them all. Each of my bodies manifests a tongue of
wonderful eloquence, surpassing the skillful speech of even
Sarasvati goddess. Each tongue brings forth an endless sea of
sounds, and each sound emits an ocean of words, glorifying all the
Tathagatas' seas of merits. These devotions continue without
cessation to the end of time. To the outer edges of the dharma-realm,
these sounds reach everywhere.
When the cosmic world is limited, and when the karma of living
beings is limited, and when the afflictions of living beings are
limited, only then will my praise be finished. But just as the realm
of cosmic space and the afflictions of living beings are endless, so
too are my praises endless. It will continue in thought after thought
without cessation. My body, speech, and mind will never tire of
these deeds.”
The Third Vow: To make abundant offerings

5. “And, good people, by making abundant offerings what I mean is
as follows: In every dust-mote in all the Buddha fields in all the ten
directions and throughout the three periods of time, extending to the
outer edges of the dharma-realm and the cosmic world, there are
Buddhas as numerous as there are fine dust-motes that fill all the
worlds. Each Buddha is circumambulated by an assembly of
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bodhisattvas as vast as an ocean. Because of the power of
Samantabhadra's practical vows, I deeply believe in those Buddhas
and perceive them as if they appear before me. To each one I make
offerings of superb gifts, including bouquets of flowers, bouquets of
garlands, choruses of heavenly music, miles of divine tapestries, a
myriad of celestial garments, every variety of heavenly incense,
fragrant balms, burning incense, and an abundance of other gifts as
huge as Sumeru, the king of mountains.
I burn all kinds of lamps: butter lamps, oil lamps, and lamps of
many fragrant oils. The wick of each lamp is as tall as Mount
Sumeru, and each lamp contains as much oil as much as waters in
a great sea. With all these manners of gifts, I make offerings any
time anywhere.”
6. “Good people, the best offering among those offerings is the gift
of the Dharma: That is to say, the offering of practicing what the
Buddha taught, the offering of benefitting all living beings, the
offering of embracing all living beings, the offering of taking on
oneself the suffering of living beings, the offering of diligently
cultivating good roots, the offering of not rejecting the duty of
bodhisattva and the offering of never forgetting bodhicitta, the
awakening mind.
Good people, the immeasurable merits gained from making
material offerings does not equal one part in a hundred, one part in
a thousand, one part in a hundred thousand kotis of nayutas, one part
in a kala, one part determined through reckoning, one part that can
be demonstrated by comparison, or one part in an upanishad, when
compared with the merits gained from a single thought of offering
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the gift of the Dharma. Why is this? It is because the Dharma is held
most dear to all Tathagatas, and the Dharma gives birth to all
Buddhas. When a bodhisattva practices the gift of the Dharma he
completes the truest offering and services to all Tathagatas.
When the cosmic world is limited, when the realms of living
beings are limited, when the karma of living beings is limited, and
when the afflictions of living beings come to an end, only then will
my making of offerings come to an end. But just as the cosmic world
and the afflictions of beings are endless, so too are my making of
offerings. It will continue in thought after thought without cessation.
My body, speech, and mind will never tire of these deeds.”
The Fourth Vow: To confess karmic obstacles

7. “And, good people, by confessing karmic obstacles what I mean
is as follows: A bodhisattva reflects: 'From beginningless eons in the
past, I have created immeasurable evil karmas with my body,
speech, and mind, because of greed, hatred, and delusion. If those
evil karmas had a substance, the entire cosmic world could not
contain it.'
I will now completely purify these three karmas, and before the
assemblies of all Buddhas and bodhisattvas, throughout the dharma-
realm in lands as numerous as fine dust-motes, I sincerely confess
my offenses and vow never to commit them again. I will live forever
in the merits of the pure precepts.
So, when the cosmic world is limited, the realms of living beings
are limited, the karma of living beings is limited, and the afflictions
of living beings are limited, my confess will be finished. But just as
the cosmic world and the afflictions of living beings are endless, so
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too are my repentance. It will continue in thought after thought
without cessation. My body, speech, and mind will never tire of
these deeds.”
The Fifth Vow: To rejoice all the merits of others

8. “And, good people, by rejoicing in all the merits of others what I
mean is as follows: All the Buddhas, Tathagatas, as numerous as
fine dust-motes in all the Buddha fields in all the ten directions and
throughout the three periods of time, to the outer edges of the
dharma-realm and the cosmic world, since the time of their initial
resolve for wisdom of all, have diligently cultivated accumulations
of merits without minding their bodies or their lives. They have done
this throughout eons as numerous as fine dust-motes in the
incalculable Buddha fields. During each eon they have sacrificed
their heads, eyes, hands, and feet, as many times as there are dust-
motes in the incalculable Buddha fields.
In this way they have performed many difficult austerities and
have perfected the gates of the various paramitas. They have
mastered each of the bodhisattva’s stages of wisdom and have
accomplished the anuttara-samyak-sambodhi of all the Buddhas.
Upon their parinirvana, their shariras have been distributed. So, I am
completely in harmony with them and rejoice in all of their good
roots.
And, as for all the different kinds of beings in the six states of
existence and those born from the four kinds of birth in every world
in the ten directions, I am in harmony with rejoice in their merits and
virtues as well, even if they are as small as dust-motes. I rejoice in
the merits and virtues of all the sound-hearers, the pratyeka-
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Buddhas, the learners, and the thoroughly learned ones in all the ten
directions and throughout the three periods of time. I rejoice in the
vast and great merits of all the bodhisattvas who, in pursuit of
attaining the highest supreme goal of bodhi, perform austerities
difficult beyond measure.
“So even though the cosmic world is limited, and the afflictions
of living beings are limited, my being rejoicing is endless. It will
continue in thought after thought without cessation. My body,
speech, and mind will never tire of these deeds.”
The Sixth Vow: To request the turning of the wheel

9. “And, good people, by requesting the turning of the wheel of the
Dharma what I mean is as follows: Within each and every fine dust-
mote in the Buddha fields in all of the ten directions and throughout
the three periods of time, throughout the dharma-realm and the
cosmic world, there are as many vast and great Buddha fields as
there are fine dust-motes in the incalculable Buddha fields. In each
and every land, in thought after thought, there are the Buddhas
attaining equal and proper enlightenment, their number as great as
the number of fine dust-motes in the incalculable Buddha fields. An
assembly of bodhisattvas as vast as the ocean circumambulates each
Buddha. Employing all the different manners and activities of my
body, speech, and mind, I unceasingly request that they turn the
wonderful wheel of the Dharma.
So, even though the cosmic realm comes to an end, even if the
realms of living beings come to an end, even if the karma of living
beings comes to an end, and even if the afflictions of living beings
come to an end, my request that all Buddhas turn the wheel of the
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proper Dharma will not come to an end. It will continue in thought
after thought without cessation. My body, speech, and mind will
never grow weary of these deeds.”
The Seventh Vow: To request to all Buddhas to stay

10. “And, good people, by requesting that a Buddha stays in the
world what I mean is as follows: All Buddhas, Tathagatas, are as
numerous as fine dust-motes in all the Buddha fields in all the ten
directions and throughout the three periods of time, to the outer
edges of the dharma-realm and the cosmic world. When they are
about to enter parinirvana, along with all the bodhisattvas, the
sound-hearers, the pratyeka-Buddhas, the learners, and the
thoroughly learned ones, including the all good knowing friends, I
ask them all not to enter nirvana. I request that they stay in the world
for as many eons as there are fine dust-motes in all the Buddha
fields, bringing benefit and bliss to all living beings.
So, even though the cosmic world comes to an end, the realms of
living beings come to an end, and the afflictions of living beings are
limited, still my request will continue. It will continue in thought
after thought without cessation. My body, speech, and mind will
never grow weary of these deeds.”
The Eighth Vow: To study always with all Buddhas

11. “And, good people, by studying always with all Buddhas what
I mean is as follows: Vairochana, the Tathagata of this saha world,
who, since he first resolved to attain Buddhahood, never retreated
from his vows sacrificed countless, incalculable numbers of bodies
and lives. He peeled off his skin for paper, split his bones to fashion
brushes, drew blood for ink, and wrote out sutras stacked as high as
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Mount Sumeru. Because he valued the Dharma, he did not shirk
from sacrificing his own body or life. How much less did he lust
after a king's throne, cities, towns, palaces, gardens, groves, or any
material things at all? Rather, he drove himself to the limit in
performing many kinds of difficult austerities.
He attained anuttara-samyak-sambodhi beneath the tree,
manifested various exalted powers, manifested many kinds of
transformations, made different kinds of Buddha-bodies appear, and
stayed in various kinds of assemblies. He stayed in the assembly of
great bodhisattvas, and in the assembly of wheel-turning kings and
of lesser kings and their retinues. He stayed in the great assembly of
kshatriyas, brahmins, elders, and lay people, and even in the
assembly of gods, nagas, the eight groups of spiritual beings,
humans, and non-humans. As he stayed in those various different
assemblies, he taught the Dharma to all living beings in accordance
with their inclinations and desires in a voice that was as perfect as
a great clap of thunder, up until the time he entered nirvana.
In all these ways I will learn from all Buddhas, not only
Vairochana, the present World Honored One, but also from all the
tathagatas in every dust-mote in all the Buddha fields in all the ten
directions and throughout the three periods of time, to the outer
edges of the dharma-realm and the cosmic world. In thought after
thought, I will learn from them all.
So, even though the cosmic world comes to an end, and the
afflictions of living beings come to an end, still my study with
Buddhas will never end. It will continue in thought after thought
without cessation. My body, speech, and mind never grow weary of
these deeds.”
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The Ninth Vow: To be in harmony with living beings always
12. “And, good people, by being in harmony with living beings at all
times what I mean is as follows: Throughout the oceans of worlds in
all the ten directions, to the outer edges of the dharma-realm and the
cosmic realm, there are many different kinds of living beings: For
instance, there are those born from eggs, those born from the womb,
the transformationally born, and those relying on earth, water, fire,
and air for their existence. There are beings dwelling in space, and
beings born in and live in plants and trees. Their numbers include all
the varieties of species and races with diverse kinds of bodies,
shapes, appearances, life spans, families, names, and natures. They
have many varieties of knowledge and views, various kinds of
desires, pleasures, thoughts, and deeds, and many different kinds of
deportments, dress, and diets.
There are beings that dwell in different villages, towns, cities and
palaces. There are gods, nagas, and others who belong to the eight
groups, humans and non-humans alike. There are footless beings,
and beings with two feet, four feet, and many feet; those with form,
those without form; those with thought, those without thought; those
not totally endowed with thought or not totally without thought. I
will be in harmony with and take care of all these many kinds of
beings, providing all kinds of services and offerings for them. I will
treat them with the same respect that I show my own parents,
teachers, elders, Arhats, and even the Tathagatas. I will serve them
all equally without discrimination.
I will be a good physician for the sick and pain. I will lead those
who have lost their way to the right road. I will be a light for those
in the dark night, and will cause the poor to find hidden treasures. A
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bodhisattva benefits all living beings impartially in this manner.”
13. “Why is this? When a bodhisattva is in harmony with living

beings, the bodhisattva is in harmony with and makes offerings to all
Buddhas. When he can honor and serve living beings, he can honor
and serve the Tathagatas. When he brings joy to living beings, he
brings joy to all Tathagatas. Why is this? It is because all Buddhas,
Tathagatas, sustain themselves on the great compassionate mind.
Because of living beings, they develop the great compassion. From
the great compassion bodhicitta is born; and because of the
awakening mind, they attain Supreme Enlightenment.
It is like a great regal tree growing in the rocks and sand in a
barren wilderness. When the roots receive water, the branches,
leaves, flowers, and fruits all flourish. So it is with the regal bodhi
tree growing in the wilderness of birth and death. All living beings
are its roots, and all Buddhas and bodhisattvas are its flowers and
fruits. When people quench the thirst of all beings with the water of
the great compassion, they nourish the flowers and fruits of the
wisdom of all Buddhas and bodhisattvas.
Why is this? Because, when bodhisattvas quench the thirst of
living beings with the water of the great compassion, they attain
Supreme Enlightenment. Therefore, bodhi belongs to living beings.
Without living beings, no bodhisattva could achieve Supreme
Enlightenment.
Good people, you should understand these principles in this way:
When your mind is impartial to all living beings, you can
accomplish the perfect great compassion. By using the great
compassionate mind to put yourselves in harmony with living
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beings, you complete the making of offerings to all Tathagatas. In
this way, a bodhisattva is always in harmony with living beings.
Even though the cosmic world comes to an end, the realms of
living beings are limited, the karma of living beings is limited, and
the afflictions of living beings come to an end, I will stay in
harmony with living beings always. It will continue in thought after
thought without cessation. My body, speech, and mind never grow
weary of these deeds.”
The Tenth Vow: To transfer all merits and virtues

14. “And, good people, by transferring all merits and virtues what I
mean is as follows: All the merits and virtues that I receive from
fulfilling my first vow paying homage and up to being in harmony,
I entirely transfer them to all living beings throughout the dharma-
realm and to the outer edges of the cosmic world. I vow that all
living beings will be constantly peaceful and happy without sickness
or suffering. I vow that no one will succeed in committing any evil
acts, but that all will quickly cultivate their good karmas. I vow to
shut the door on evil destinies and to open the right paths for
humans, gods, and to show the attainment of nirvana. I will sacrifice
myself for other beings and will suffer all the very bitter suffering
that they bring about with their evil karmas. I will liberate all these
beings and will ultimately lead them to the attainment of supreme
bodhi. Bodhisattvas perform the transference of their merits in this
way.
Even though the cosmic realm comes to an end, the realms of
living beings come to an end, the karma of living beings is comes to
an end, and the afflictions of living beings come to an end, I will
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continue to transfer all merits and virtues, in thought after thought
without cessation. My body, speech and mind will never grow weary
of these deeds.”
15. “Good people, this is a perfect set of the bodhisattvas’ ten great
vows. If all bodhisattvas can follow and abide by these great vows,
they will be able to bring all living beings to fruition of the bodhi
and attain anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. They can fulfill
Samantabhadra's ocean of the practical vows. Therefore, good
people, you should understand the meaning of all this.
If good people were to take the wonderful seven jewels and pour
them out until they fill as many worlds as there are very fine dust-
motes in immeasurable, ineffable Buddha fields throughout the ten
directions; and if they were also to bestow the greatest peace and
happiness known to gods and men to every living being in these
worlds; and if they also were to offer the same gifts to all the
Buddhas and bodhisattvas of all those worlds, doing so constantly
and without cessation for as many kalpas as there are very fine dust-
motes in those Buddha fields, they would acquire many merits and
virtues. But those merits gained from offering these gifts does not
equal one part in one hundred, one part in one thousand, or even one
part in an upanishad, when compared with the merits of those who
hear these kings of vows pass by their ears just one time.
And if a person receives these great vows with a thought of deep
faith, reads and recites them, or writes out just a single four-line
verse, he can quickly eradicate the karma of the five intermittent
offenses. All the world's illnesses that afflict the body and mind, as
well as the various kinds of bitter sufferings, will be wiped clean, up
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to and including bad karmas equal to the number of fine dust-motes
in all the Buddha fields.
All the demon-armies, the yakshas, rakshasas, kumbhandas,
pishachas, bhutas, and so on, and all evil ghosts and spirits that drink
blood and devour the flesh will move far away from him. Or he will
resolve, before long, to draw near and protect him. Therefore, if he
recites these vows aloud, he will move freely through the world
without obstruction, like the moon appearing through the clouds. All
Buddhas and bodhisattvas will praise him, people and gods will all
bow in respect to him, and all living beings will make offerings to
him. This noble person will easily be reborn as a human and will
perfect all of Samantabhadra's merits. Before long, he will be just
like Samantabhadra himself, obtaining a subtle and wonderful
physical body complete with the thirty-two marks of a great person.
If he is born among humans or gods, he will always live in a superior
family. They will totally destroy the evil destinies and will depart
from all bad companions. Fully capable of vanquishing all
externalists, he will completely free himself from all afflictions, just
as the lordly lion subdues all beasts. They will be worthy of
receiving the offerings of all living beings.
Further, when a person is on the verge of death, at the last instant
of life, when all faculties scatter and he departs from their relatives,
when all power and status are lost and nothing survives, when his
prime minister, great officials, his inner court and outer cities, his
elephants, horses, carts, and treasuries of precious jewels can no
longer accompany him, these great vows alone will stay with him.
At all times they will guide him forward, and in a single instant he
will be reborn in the Land of Supreme Bliss. Arriving there, he will
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see Amitabha Buddha, Manjushri Bodhisattva, Samantabhadra
Bodhisattva, Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, Maitreya Bodhisattva,
and others. The appearance of these bodhisattvas will be magnificent
and their merits and virtues complete. Together they will surround
him.
This person will see himself born from a lotus flower and will
receive a prediction of Buddhahood. Thereafter, he will pass through
an immeasurable, incalculable number of eons and, with his power
of wisdom, he will accord with the minds of living beings in order
to benefit them everywhere throughout the ineffably ineffable worlds
in the ten directions.
Before long he will sit in a bodhimandala, subdue the demonic
armies, accomplish Supreme Enlightenment, and turn the wonderful
wheel of the Dharma. He will cause living beings in worlds as
numerous as fine dust-motes of dust in all the Buddha fields to
develop bodhicitta, the awakening mind. He will teach and
transform them, in accordance with their inclinations and basic
natures, and will bring them to fruition in their enlightenment. Until
the oceans of future eons are emptied, he will greatly benefit all
living beings.
Good people, harbor no doubts about the merits and virtues
obtained by living beings who hear and believe in these great kings
of vows. Reverently accept them; after accepting them, you should
be able to read them; after becoming able to read them, you should
be able to recite them aloud; and after becoming able to recite them
aloud, you should be able to maintain them, to the extent that you
can write them out and extensively explain them to others. Then, in
a single thought, my practices and vows will be fulfilled.
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The blessings that one will thus obtain are immeasurable and
boundless. One will be able to rescue living beings from the great
sea of afflictions and suffering, releasing them from their bondage
to be reborn in Amitabha's Land of Supreme Bliss.”
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24. Amita Sutra [14]
The Array of Wondrous Qualities

Adorning the Land of Bliss
PREAMBLE
The Setting and the Audience
1. This I have heard. At one time the Blessed One, the Buddha
Shakyamuni, was staying near the city of Shravasti, in the cloistered
garden that the generous Anathapindada gave to the Buddhist Order
in Prince Jeta’s grove.
He was staying there with a large gathering of monks numbering
one thousand two hundred fifty. These monks were well known for
their extraordinary powers. They were true elders, great disciples.
They had all achieved the highest degree of sainthood, that of an
Arhat.
2. Among these Arhats surrounding the Blessed One were the elder
Shariputra and his close friend Maudgalyayana the Great. Kashyapa
the Great was also among them, and Kapphina the Great, Katyayana
the Great, and Kaushthila the Great. Also among these monks were
Revata and Shuddhi-panthaka, and the Buddha’s half-brother Nanda,
and his cousin and closest disciple, Ananda, as well as Rahula, the
Buddha’s son. Present there was also Gavampati, and Bharadvaja,
Kalodayin, Vakkhula, and Aniruddha. These and other, many more,
great disciples accompanied the Buddha at that time.
3. And the Buddha was accompanied by many of those magnificent

human beings well advanced on their way to full awakening, those
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who are called bodhisattvas or mahasattvas. For instance, the
Bodhisattva Manjushri, the Prince of Dharma, was present in that
assembly—and so was the bodhisattva who is the future Buddha of
our age, the Bodhisattva Maitreya, who is called Invincible. And the
bodhisattvas Gandhahastin, Nityodyukta, and Anikshiptadhura were
there. These and other, many more, bodhisattvas or mahasattvas
accompanied the Buddha at that time.
4. Also present were Shakra, known also as Indra as the Saha World.
These and other heavenly beings—many hundreds of thousands of
millions—accompanied the Buddha at that time.
THE MAIN DISCOURSE

The Land of Bliss
5. Then, the Blessed One addressed the reverend Shariputra, saying:
“To the west of us, Shariputra, a hundred thousand million Buddha
fields from where we are, there is a world called the Land of Bliss.
At this very moment, the Tathagata, Arhat, perfect and full Buddha
called Amitayus lives in that Buddha-field; he abides and remains
there, and even now continues to teach the Dharma in that field.
6. “Now, what do you think, Shariputra: Why is that world called

the ‘Land of Bliss’? Shariputra, physical and mental pains are
unknown to the living beings that inhabit the world called the ‘Land
of Bliss’; on the contrary, they only experience conditions of
boundless happiness. This is why what world is called the ‘Land of
Bliss.’
7. “Furthermore, Shariputra, the world known as the Land of Bliss
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is adorned and enclosed on every side by seven railings and seven
rows of palm trees, all decked with nets of tinkling bells. It is made
colorful and attractive by four precious substances, namely, gold,
silver, emerald, and rock crystal.
“This is how that Buddha-field is adorned, Shariputra, with such
a panoply of the wondrous qualities of Buddha fields.
8. “Furthermore, Shariputra, in the world known as the Land of

Bliss there are lotus ponds, all made of seven precious substances,
namely, god, silver, emerald, rock crystal, red pearl, sapphire, and
mother of pearl as the seventh. These ponds are brimming with
water that is cool, clear, sweet, light, soft, free from odor, free from
disease, refreshing, and invigorating. In each of these ponds the
bottom slopes gently along the shore, so that the water reaches the
right depth in every bathing spot and a crow could drink from the
edge of the pond. The bottom of each pond is covered with golden
sand. And all around on each of the four sides of these lotus ponds
four sets of stairways descend into the pools. These stairways are
colorful, elegant, and made of four precious substances, namely,
gold, silver, emerald, and rock crystal. And on every side of these
lotus ponds grow gem trees, colorful and graceful, made from seven
precious substances, namely, gold, silver, emerald, rock crystal, red
pearl, sapphire, and mother of pearl as the seventh.
“And in those lotus ponds grow lotus flowers. Some are
blue—intensely blue, or with a blue sheen, or with a tinge of blue.
Some are yellow—intensely yellow, or with a yellow sheen, or with
a tinge of yellow. Some are red—intensely red, ore with a red sheen,
or with a tinge of red. Some are white—intensely white, with a white
sheen, or with a tinge of white. Some are multicolored—intensely
240
multicolored, with a sheen of many color, or with a tinge of many
colors. And these lotus blossoms are as wide as chariot wheels.
9. “Furthermore, Shariputra, in that Buddha-field one hears

heavenly musical instruments constantly being played. And the
ground all around is golden in color, pleasant to look at. And in that
Buddha-field a shower of heavenly coral-tree blossoms pours down
three times every day and three times every night. And the living
beings who are born there travel before their forenoon meal to other
worlds, where they worship a hundred thousand million Buddhas,
and then return to their own world, the Land of Bliss, in time for the
afternoon nap, having showered a hundred thousand million flowers
upon each one of those Buddhas.
10. “Furthermore, Shariputra, in that Buddha-field wild geese,

curlews, and peacocks gather three times every night and three times
every day to sing in chorus, each singing with a different voice. And
as they sing, one hears that their voices proclaim Buddhist virtues,
such as the five spiritual faculties, the five spiritual powers, and the
seven elements of awakening. When human beings in that world
hear these sounds, their thoughts turn to the Buddha, their thoughts
turn to the Buddha’s teaching, the Dharma, the their thoughts turn
to the Buddha’s Order, the Sangha.
11. “Now, Shariputra, what do you think? Are these birds born from
241
other birds? You could not consider this possible. Why? Because
even the names of the hells, the names of animal rebirths, and the
name “Realm of Yama, the King of Death’ are unknown in that
Buddha-field—let alone actual birth in any of these forms. Rather,
those flocks of birds gather there to sing with the voice of the
Dharma only because they have been created magically by the
Buddha who presides in that field, the Tathagata Amitayus.
12. “Furthermore, Shariputra, when the rows of palm trees and nets
of tinkling bells in that Buddha-field sway in the wind, a sweet and
enrapturing sound issues from them. This concert of sounds is,
Shariputra, like a set of heavenly cymbals, with a hundred thousand
million playing parts—when these cymbals are played by expert
musicians, a sweet and enrapturing sound issues from them. In
exactly the same way, a sweet and enrapturing sound proceeds from
those rows of palm trees and those nets of tinkling bells when they
sway in the wind. When human beings in that world hear this sound,
they remember the Buddha and feel his presence in their whole
body, they remember the Dharma and feel its presence in their whole
body, and they remember the Sangha and feel its presence in their
whole body.
a panoply of wondrous qualities of Buddha fields.
The Buddha Presiding Over the Land of Bliss

13. “Now, what do you think, Shariputra? Why is that Tathagata
called Amitayus, or ‘Measureless Life-span’? Now, Shariputra, the
242
length of that Tathagata’s life and of the human beings in that
Buddha-field is immeasurable. This is why that Tathagata s called
Amitayus, ‘Measureless Life-span.’
“And ten cosmic ages have passed, Shariputra, since this
Tathagata awoke to unsurpassable, perfect, and full awakening.
14. “What do you think, Shariputra? Why is this Tathagata called

Amita, or ‘Measureless Light’? Now, Shariputra, the light of this
Tathagata spreads unimpeded over all Buddha fields. This is why
this Tathagata is called Amita, ‘Measureless Light.’
The Inhabitants of the Land of Bliss

15. “And, Shariputra, this Tathagata is surrounded by an
immeasurable assembly of disciples, who are all pure Arhats and
whose number is impossible to count.
a panoply of wondrous qualities of Buddha fields.”
16. “Furthermore, Shariputra, those sentient beings who are reborn

in the Buddha-field of the Tathagata Amitayus as pure bodhisattvas
who will not fall back and will be separated from awakening by only
one birth—the number of these bodhisattvas, Shariputra, is not easy
to reckon. One can only approximate their numbers by saying that
they are immeasurable and countless.
EXHORTATION
17. “Now, Shariputra, sentient beings should set their minds on
rebirth in that Buddha-field. Why? Because there they will meet
persons like themselves, who practice the good. For, Shariputra,
living beings are not reborn in that Buddha-field of the Tathagata
243
Amitayus as the result of an inferior root of merit.
18. “Shariputra, those sons or daughters of good families who will

hear the name of the blessed Amitayus, the Tathagata, and then will
bring it to mind, and will keep it in mind without distraction for one
night, or two, or three, four, five, six, or seven nights—they will be
met by the Tathagata at the moment of their death. When the
moment of death approaches for one of these sons or daughters of
good families, Amitayus the Tathagata, surrounded by an assembly
of disciples and at the head of host of bodhisattvas, will stand before
this son or daughter, and this son or daughter will die with a mind
that is free from distorted views. After they die, they will be reborn
in the Land of Bliss, in the Buddha-field of Amitayus the
Tathagata.”
19. “Therefore, Shariputra, as I understand well the meaning of this,

I declare: ‘Sons and daughters of a good family should direct their
thoughts earnestly towards rebirth in that Buddha-field.’”
CONFIRMATION
All Buddhas Praise Their Fields
20. “Shariputra, in the same way that I now praise that Buddha-
field, the Land of Bliss, other Buddhas, blessed ones, in the eastern
regions of the universe, praise their fields—Buddhas equal in
number to the grains of sand in all the Ganges rivers in every world
in the eastern regions of the universe. Led by the Tathagata
Akshobhya, the Tathagata Meru-dhvaja, the Tathagata Maha-meru,
the Tathagata Meru-prabhasa, and the Tathagata Manju-dhvaja, each
one of these Buddhas covers his own Buddha-field with his tongue
244
and then reveals all that is in it. You should place your trust in this
discourse on the Dharma, called ‘Embraced by All Buddhas,’ which
extols inconceivable wondrous qualities.
21. “In the same manner, other Buddhas, blessed ones, in the
southern regions of the universe, praise their fields—Buddhas equal
in number to the grains of sand in all the Ganges rivers in every
world in the southern regions of the universe. Led by the Tathagata
Candra-suryapra-dipa, the Tathagata Meru-pradipa, and the
Tathagata Ananta-virya, each covers his own Buddha-field with his
tongue and then reveals all that is in it. You should place your trust
in this discourse on the Dharma, called ‘Embraced by All Buddhas,’
which extols inconceivable qualities.
western regions of the universe, praise their fields—Buddhas equal
world in the western regions of the universe. Led by the Tathagata
Amitayus, the Tathagata Amita-skandha, the Tathagata Amita-
dhvaja, the Tathagata Maha-prabha, the Tathagata Maha-ratna-ketu,
and the Tathagata Shuddha-rashmi-prabha, each covers his own
Buddha-field with his tongue and then reveals all that is in it. You
should place your trust in this discourse on the Dharma, called
‘Embraced by All Buddhas,’ which extols inconceivable qualities.
northern regions of the universe, praise their fields—Buddhas equal
world in the northern regions of the universe. Led by the Tathagata
245
Dundu-bhisvara-nirghosha, the Tathagata Dush-pradharsha, the
Tathagata Prabhakara, each covers his own Buddha-field with his
which extols inconceivable qualities.
24. “In the same manner, other Buddhas, blessed ones, in the lower
in the lower regions of the universe. Led by the Tathagata named
Shiksha, the Tathagata Yashas, the Tathagata Yashah-prabhasa, the
Tathagata Dharma, the Tathagata Dharma-dhara, and the Tathagata
Dharma-dhvaja, each covers his own Buddha-field with his tongue
and then reveals all that is in it. You should place your trust in this
discourse on the Dharma, called ‘Embraced by All Buddhas,’ which
extols inconceivable qualities.
25. “In the same manner, other Buddhas, blessed ones, in the higher
in the higher regions of the universe. Led by the Tathagata Brahma-
dhosha, the Tathagata Nakshatra-raja, the Tathagata Indra-ketu-
dhvaja-raja, the Tathagata Gandhottama, the Tathagata Gandha-
prabhasa, the Tathagata Maharci-skandha, the Tathagata Ratna-
kusuma-sampush-pita-gatra, the Tathagata Shalendra-raja, the
Tathagata Ratnot-palashri, the Tathagata Sarvar-thadarsha, and the
Tathagata Sumeru-kalpa, each covers his own Buddha-field with his
246
which extols inconceivable qualities.”
TRUST, COMMITMENT, EMBRACING

Exhortation by Sakyamuni
26. “Now what do you think about this, Shariputra, why is that
discourse on the Dharma called ‘Embraced by All Buddhas’? Those
sons or daughters of a good family who hear the name of this
discourse on the Dharma and remember the names of these Buddhas,
blessed ones, will all be embraced by all these Buddhas and will
never retreat in their pursuit of unsurpassable, perfect, and full
awakening. Therefore, Shariputra, believe in me, and believe in
these Buddhas, blessed ones; place your trust in us, and do not doubt
us.”
Benefits of the Vow

27. “Those sons or daughters of a good family, Shariputra, who have
set their minds on rebirth in the Buddha-field of Amitayus, the
Blessed One, the Tathagata, or those who are now setting their
minds, or will set their minds, on such rebirth, they will never retreat
in their pursuit of unsurpassable, perfect, and full awakening; they
have been reborn, are now being reborn, or will be reborn in that
Buddha-field. Therefore, Shariputra, sons or daughters of good
families who have faith should actively direct their thoughts towards
rebirth in that Buddha-field.”
Exhortation by All Buddhas: The Buddha’s Task

28. “And, Shariputra, just as I at present here extol the inconceivable
wondrous qualities of other Buddhas, blessed ones, so in the same
manner, Shariputra, all those other Buddhas, blessed ones, extol
247
these inconceivable wondrous qualities of mine, saying: ‘A most
difficult task has been accomplished by the Blessed One,
Shakyamuni, the Sage of the Shakyas, the Monarch of the Shakyas.
After he awakened to unsurpassable, perfect, and full awakening in
this Saha World, he taught a Dharma that the whole world was
reluctant to accept, at a time when the cosmic age was in a period of
decay, when living beings were in a period of decay, when views
and opinions corrupted human beings, when the length of human life
had declined, when the afflictions vitiated human beings.’
29. “This was, even for me, Shariputra, a most difficult task, namely,
that after I awakened to unsurpassable, perfect, and full awakening
in this Saha World, I taught a Dharma that the whole world was
reluctant to accept, at a time when living beings were in a period of
decay, when views and opinions corrupted human beings, when the
afflictions vitiated human beings, when the length of human life had
declined, when the cosmic age was in a period of decay.”
CODA
30. This was spoken by the Blessed One. The reverend Shariputra,
and the bodhisattvas, and the whole world as well—including its
gods, humans, asuras, and heavenly gandharvas musicians—felt
enraptured, and they rejoiced at the words spoken by the Blessed
One.
248
Sources
[1] Vinaya Mahavagga II, 20-21
[2] Plum Village Chanting and Recitation Book, compiled by Monks and
Nuns of Plum Village Staff, Parallax Press, 2001
[3] Sutta Nipata I.8
[4] Dhammapada 1
[5] Manorathapurani: Buddhaghosa’s Commentary on the Anguttara

Nikaya
[6] SN 56:11: Dhamma-cakkappavattana Sutta; V 420-24
[7] MN 99: Subha Sutta; II 206-8
[8] Last Days of the Buddha: Mahaparinibbana Sutta, translated by Sister

Vajira & Francis Story, Buddhist Publication Society, 1998
[9] The Vimalakirti Sutra, translated by Burton Watson, Columbia

University Press, 2000
[10] Vajra Prajnaparamita Sutra, translated from the Chinese Version of

Kumarajiva, Buddha’s Light Publishing, 2006
[11] The Threefold Lotus Sutra: innumerable meanings : the Lotus flower
of the wonderful law : meditation on the Bodhisattva universal virtue,
translated by Bunnô Katô, William Edward Soothill, Kojiro Miyasaka
Contributor Yoshiro Tamura, Weatherhill, 1975
[12] The Chapter 25 of the Lotus Sutra
[13] Avatamsaka Sutra Volume 40, translated into Chinese in the T'ang
dynasty by Tripitaka Dharma Master Prajna of Kubha.
[14] Land of Bliss: The Paradise of the Buddha of Measureless Light :

Sanskrit and Chinese Versions of the Sukhâvatîvyûha Sutras, translated by
Luis O. Gómez, University of Hawaii Press, 1996

Buddha Dharma Practice

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A Chanting and Recitation Book

Lotus Dharma Society

Copyright © 2008 by Bruce W. Park

As a not-for-profit organization for Buddhist activities,

Printed in the United States of America

New York BRUCE W. PARK

The Buddha is fully enlightened.

Buddham Saranam Gacchami.

The Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha are the Triple Gem.

I vow to serve the Buddha so that all beings may arise

I vow to practice the Dharma so that all beings may attain

I vow to support the Sangha so that all beings may have

I abstain from killing living beings.

I do not kill living beings.

I do not speak false speech.

Released am I, friends, from all ties whether human or divine.

Go now for the welfare and happiness of many

Let not any two of you proceed in the same direction.

Proclaim a spiritual life pure and perfect.

There are people with little dust in their eyes

Dharma Name: Sangha: Lotus Dharma Society

2. Aware of the suffering caused by exploitation, social injustice, stealing,

3. Aware of the suffering caused by sexual misconduct, I vow to cultivate

5. Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful consumption, I vow to

3. Shariputra! This is the emptiness of all dharmas:

4. For this reason in emptiness there is no form,

6. Hence, know that prajna paramita is

7. Therefore, proclaim the prajna paramita mantra.

Âryâvalokiteshvara bodhisattvo gambhîrâyâm

This is what should be done

You should be able and upright,

Peaceful and calm, wise and skillful,

May all beings everywhere,

May all beings everywhere,

Let no one deceive another.

Let your loving kindness flow to the whole universe,

Then, as you stand or walk, sit or lie down,

Not holding to fixed views,

1. Our life is shaped by our mind;

2. Our life is shaped by our mind;

3. How will hatred leave him if you think,

4. How will hatred touch him if you do not think,

5. For hatred never destroys hatred;

6. People forget that their lives will end soon;

7. As a strong wind blows down a weak tree,

8. As the strongest wind cannot shake a mountain,

9. What good is a saffron robe if your mind is not pure?

10. Cast aside meanness, stand on virtue,

11. Foolish to think that truth is in untruth,

12. Truth is always truth,

13. As rain seeps through an ill-thatched hut,

14. As rain cannot seep through a well-thatched hut,

15. Those who are selfish suffer here and hereafter;

18. But those who are selfless rejoice

19. Those who recite many scriptures

20. But those who know few scriptures

1. (Opening the Sutra)

Let me purify my speaking.

Let me console the gods of the five directions.

The Dharma is profound, peaceful, and subtle.

Let me open the doors of the Dharma.

2. (Recalling the Title)

3. (Going with Avalokiteshvara)

When I go to the hell of swords,