THE MAHĀPARINIRVĀṆA SŪTRA
VOLUME XXXVIII
Chapter 12: BODHISATTVA KĀŚYAPA 6
Bodhisattva Kāśyapa said to the Buddha:
“World-Honored One! What is called pure Brahma conduct?”
The Buddha taught:
“Good man! It is all phenomena.”
Bodhisattva Kāśyapa again said:
“World-Honored One! The meaning of ‘all phenomena’ is not fixed. Why? Because the Tathāgata sometimes speaks of them as wholesome, or unwholesome; sometimes as contemplation of the four foundations of mindfulness; sometimes as the twelve sense bases; sometimes as virtuous friends; sometimes as the twelve links of dependent origination; sometimes as sentient beings; sometimes as right view and wrong view; sometimes as the twelve divisions of the scriptures; sometimes as the two truths. Now the Tathāgata again says that all phenomena are pure Brahma conduct. Which phenomena are these?”
The Buddha taught:
“Excellent! Excellent! Good man! This wondrous Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra is truly the treasure house of all wholesome dharmas. Just as the great ocean is a storehouse containing all precious treasures, so this Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra is the secret treasury of all meanings and words. Good man! Just as Mount Sumeru is the source of all medicinal herbs, so this sūtra is the root source of the Bodhisattva precepts. Good man! Just as space is the dwelling place of all things, so this sūtra is the dwelling place of all wholesome dharmas. Good man! Just as a mighty wind cannot be grasped, so all Bodhisattva practices contained in this sūtra cannot be bound by any evil afflictions and defilements.
Good man! Just as a diamond cannot be destroyed, so this sūtra, although there are those with heterodox views, cannot be destroyed by them. Good man! Just as the sands of the Ganges cannot be counted, so the meanings and principles of this sūtra cannot be counted. Good man! This sūtra serves as the Dharma banner for all Bodhisattvas, like Śakra’s jeweled banner. Good man! This sūtra is the great merchant leader guiding beings toward the city of Nirvāṇa, just as a guide leads merchants toward the great ocean. Good man! This sūtra can serve as the light of Dharma for all Bodhisattvas, just as the sun and moon can dispel darkness in the world.
Good man! This sūtra can serve as the great physician who cures the suffering illnesses of sentient beings, just as in the Snow Mountains there are excellent medicines capable of curing all diseases. Good man! This sūtra can serve as a staff for those of the icchantika type, just as a weak person can rise by relying on a staff. Good man! This sūtra can serve as a bridge for all evil people, just as worldly bridges can carry people across. Good man! This sūtra can serve as shade for those who encounter the heat of afflictions throughout the twenty-five realms of existence, just as a worldly parasol shields one from scorching sunlight. Good man! This sūtra is the great fearless king who can destroy all evil Māras and afflictions, just as the lion king subdues the beasts.
Good man! This sūtra is the great mantra that can eliminate all evil demons and afflictions, just as worldly incantations can dispel deceptive spirits. Good man! This sūtra is the unsurpassed hailstorm that can destroy all karmic fruits of birth and death, just as worldly hail can destroy crops and seeds. Good man! This sūtra can serve as a good medicine for those whose eyes of morality have been damaged, just as the worldly medicine Anjana can heal painful eyes. Good man! This sūtra can serve as the dwelling place of all wholesome dharmas, just as the earth in the world is the dwelling place of all things. Good man! This sūtra is a bright mirror for beings who break the precepts, just as a worldly mirror reveals all forms.
Good man! This sūtra can serve as clothing for those who lack a sense of shame, just as worldly garments cover the body. Good man! This sūtra can serve as a great treasure for those who are poor in wholesome Dharma, just as the Heaven of Merit benefits those who are impoverished. Good man! This sūtra is the ambrosial nectar for sentient beings who thirst for the true Dharma, just as water possessing the eight virtues satisfies the thirsty. Good man! This sūtra can serve as a Dharma bed for those troubled by afflictions, just as people in the world find comfort upon lying on a secure bed.
Good man! This sūtra can serve as a vehicle for Bodhisattvas from the First Ground up to the Ten Abodes, adorned with all kinds of purity such as jeweled necklaces, fragrant flowers, powdered incense, applied incense, burning incense, and ornaments; surpassing all the wondrous enjoyments of the six pāramitās, just as the pārijāta tree in the Heaven of Trāyastriṃśa.
Good man! This sūtra is a firm and sharp wisdom axe capable of cutting down all great trees of affliction; it is a sharp sword capable of severing habitual tendencies; it is a powerful warrior capable of defeating hostile Māras; it is the fire of wisdom that burns the firewood of afflictions; it is the treasury of causes and conditions that gives rise to Pratyekabuddhas; it is the treasury of Śrāvakas that gives rise to the Śrāvakas; it is the eye of all heavenly realms; it is the true path of all human beings; it is the refuge of all animals; it is the place of liberation for hungry ghosts; it is the supreme honored one of hell beings; it is the unsurpassed instrument of all sentient beings throughout the ten directions; it is the father and mother of all Buddhas of the three times in the ten directions.
Good man! Therefore, this sūtra encompasses all phenomena. As I previously said, although this sūtra encompasses all phenomena, I say that Brahma conduct is the thirty-seven factors conducive to enlightenment. Good man! If one departs from these thirty-seven factors conducive to enlightenment, one can never attain the fruit of the Śrāvaka, up to the fruit of Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi, nor see Buddha-nature or attain the fruition of Buddha-nature.
Therefore, the cause and condition of Brahma conduct is the thirty-seven factors conducive to enlightenment. Why? Because the nature of these thirty-seven factors is not delusion; they can destroy delusion. Their nature is not evil views, yet they can destroy evil views. Their nature is not fear, yet they can destroy fear. Their nature is pure Brahma conduct, enabling sentient beings to ultimately practice pure Brahma conduct.”
Bodhisattva Kāśyapa said to the Buddha:
“World-Honored One! Conditioned dharmas with outflows can also become causes for unconditioned, undefiled dharmas. Why does the Tathāgata not say that conditioned dharmas with outflows are pure Brahma conduct?”
“Good man! All conditioned dharmas with outflows are precisely delusion; therefore, conditioned dharmas with outflows cannot be called pure Brahma conduct.”
Bodhisattva Kāśyapa said to the Buddha:
“World-Honored One! Is the Dharma of the Supreme Worldly Stage conditioned with outflows or without outflows?”
The Buddha taught:
“Good man! It is with outflows.”
“World-Honored One! Although it is with outflows, its nature is not delusion. Why is it not called pure Brahma conduct?”
“Good man! The Dharma of the Supreme Worldly Stage is the cause of the undefiled Dharma, therefore it resembles the undefiled and proceeds toward the undefiled, and thus it is not called delusion. Good man! Pure Brahma conduct begins with the arising of the mind and continues uninterrupted until reaching the ultimate, whereas the Dharma of the Supreme Worldly Stage exists only for a single thought-moment. Therefore, it cannot be called pure Brahma conduct.”
Bodhisattva Kāśyapa said to the Buddha:
O World-Honored One! The five consciousnesses of sentient beings are also conditioned by outflows, are not inverted, and are not a single thought-moment. Why are they not called pure Brahma conduct?
Good man! Although the five consciousnesses of sentient beings are not a single thought-moment, they are still conditioned by outflows and are inverted. Because they are increased by the various outflows, they are called “with outflows.” Their substance is not truly real; because of conceptual grasping and attachment, they are called inverted. What does it mean that their substance is not truly real, and that because of conceptual grasping they are called inverted? Is it not because, in the presence of men and women, one gives rise to the concepts of male and female, and likewise with houses, vehicles, bowls, jars, clothing, and so forth? Therefore they are called inverted. Good man! The nature of the thirty-seven aids to enlightenment is not inverted; therefore they are called pure Brahma conduct. Good man! A bodhisattva who, with regard to the thirty-seven aids to enlightenment, knows their roots, knows their causes, knows their gathering, knows their increase, knows their master, knows their path, knows their superiority, knows their reality, and knows their ultimate completion—such a bodhisattva is called one who practices pure Brahma conduct.
Bodhisattva Kāśyapa said to the Buddha:
O World-Honored One! What does it mean to know the root, and so forth, up to knowing the ultimate completion?
The Buddha said:
Good man! Excellent! Excellent! A bodhisattva asks questions for two reasons: first, in order to know for himself; second, in order to enable others to know. Now you already know, but because unsurpassed sentient beings have not yet understood, you ask about this matter. Therefore I praise you again: Excellent! Excellent!
Good man! The root of the thirty-seven aids to enlightenment is desire; the cause is contact with clarity; appropriation is feeling; increase is skillful reflection; the master is mindfulness; the path is concentration; superiority is wisdom; reality is liberation; and ultimate completion is Great Parinirvāṇa.
Good man! Heavenly desire is the root of the path from the initial arising of the mind to unsurpassed complete perfect enlightenment. Good man! As worldly people say: all suffering and distress have craving as their root; all illnesses and eating at night have their root; all separation and conflict have their root; all evil and falsehood have their root.
Bodhisattva Kāśyapa said to the Buddha:
O World-Honored One! Previously, in this sutra, the Tathāgata said that all wholesome dharmas have non-negligence as their root, but now you say they have desire as their root. How should this meaning be understood?
The Buddha said:
Good man! If speaking of the producing cause, it is wholesome desire. If speaking of the illuminating cause, it is non-negligence. As worldly people say: all fruits have seeds as their cause. They may also say that seeds are the producing cause, while earth is the illuminating cause. The meaning is the same.
Bodhisattva Kāśyapa said to the Buddha:
O World-Honored One! Previously, in other sutras, the Tathāgata said that the Buddha is the source and root of the thirty-seven aids to enlightenment. What is the meaning of this?
Good man! Previously, the Tathāgata spoke this way for sentient beings who had only just begun to understand the thirty-seven aids to enlightenment: the Buddha is their root. If one personally realizes them, then desire is their root.
O World-Honored One! Why is contact with clarity called the cause?
Good man! The Tathāgata sometimes speaks of clarity as wisdom, and sometimes speaks of it as faith. Good man! Because of faith, one draws near to good spiritual friends; this is called contact. Because one draws near to good spiritual friends, one hears the true Dharma; this is called contact. Because one hears the true Dharma, one’s body, speech, and mind become pure; this is called contact. Because the three karmas become pure, one obtains right livelihood; this is called contact. Because of right livelihood, the roots of morality become pure. Because the roots of morality become pure, one delights in places of solitude. Because one delights in solitude, one is able to think skillfully. Because one thinks skillfully, one lives in accordance with the Dharma. Because one lives in accordance with the Dharma, one attains the thirty-seven aids to enlightenment and can destroy countless evil afflictions. This is called contact.
Good man! Feeling is called appropriation, because when sentient beings experience feelings, they can engage in wholesome or unwholesome actions. Therefore feeling is called appropriation. Good man! Because of feeling, various afflictions arise. The thirty-seven aids to enlightenment can destroy these afflictions. Therefore feeling is used as appropriation. Because of skillful reflection, one can eliminate afflictions; therefore it is called increase. Why? Because through diligent cultivation one obtains these thirty-seven aids to enlightenment. If one observes, one can eliminate evil afflictions; one must rely on focused mindfulness. Therefore mindfulness is used as the master. Just as in the world, all four divisions of an army must follow the will of their commanding general, so too the thirty-seven aids to enlightenment all follow mindfulness as their master.
Good man! Once concentration has been entered, the thirty-seven aids to enlightenment can skillfully distinguish the characteristics of all dharmas. Therefore concentration is used to guide them. These thirty-seven aids to enlightenment distinguish the characteristics of dharmas, and wisdom is the most supreme. Therefore wisdom is considered foremost. This wisdom clearly knows afflictions; because of the power of wisdom, afflictions are destroyed. Just as in the world the four divisions of an army can destroy enemies, or even one or two powerful warriors can destroy them, so too with the thirty-seven aids to enlightenment. Through the power of wisdom, afflictions can be destroyed. Therefore wisdom is taken as the characteristic.
Good man! Although by cultivating the thirty-seven aids to enlightenment one may attain the four meditations, supernatural powers, and peace and bliss, this is still not called reality. Only when one destroys afflictions and attains liberation is it called reality. Regarding these thirty-seven aids to enlightenment, one may arouse the mind to cultivate the path, attain worldly and transcendent joy, realize the four fruits of the Śramaṇa, and obtain liberation, but this still cannot be called ultimate completion. If one can cut off all matters arising from practicing these thirty-seven aids to enlightenment, this is called Nirvāṇa. Therefore I say that the ultimate is Great Nirvāṇa.
Furthermore, good man! The mind of wholesome loving mindfulness itself is desire. Because of wholesome loving mindfulness, one draws near to good spiritual friends; therefore it is called contact, and this is the cause. Because of drawing near to good spiritual friends, it is called feeling; this is called appropriation. Because of drawing near to good spiritual friends, one can think skillfully; therefore it is called increase. Because these four dharmas can cause the path to grow—the desire, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom—they are called master, path, and superiority. Through these three dharmas, one attains two kinds of liberation: because craving is cut off, the mind is liberated; because ignorance is cut off, wisdom is liberated. This is called reality. The eight dharmas thus completed produce the fruit called Nirvāṇa; therefore they are called ultimate completion.
Furthermore, good man! Desire is the arising of the mind to leave home and enter monastic life. Contact is the white four-part karma ceremony, and this is called the cause. Appropriation means receiving two kinds of precepts: one is the Prātimokṣa precepts, and the other is the pure sense-root precepts. These are called feeling and appropriation. Increase means cultivating the four meditations. The master means the fruits of Stream-entry and Once-returning. The path means the fruit of Non-returning. Superiority means the fruit of Arhatship. Reality means the fruit of Pratyekabuddhahood. Ultimate completion means the fruit of unsurpassed complete perfect enlightenment.
Furthermore, good man! Desire is consciousness; contact is the six sense entrances; appropriation is feeling; increase is ignorance; the master is name-and-form; the path is craving; superiority is grasping; reality is becoming; and ultimate completion is birth, aging, illness, and death.
Bodhisattva Kāśyapa said to the Buddha:
O World-Honored One! What differences are there among these three dharmas: root, cause, and increase?
Good man! “Root” means the initial arising of the mind. “Cause” means continuous assistance without interruption. “Increase” means the cessation of something similar that can give rise to something similar.
Furthermore, good man! Root means creation of action; cause means result; increase means that which can be used.
Good man! Although in the future there may be karmic results, because they have not yet been experienced, they are called causes. When they are experienced, they are called increase.
Furthermore, good man! Root means seeking; attainment means cause; and use means increase.
Good man! In this sutra, root means seeing the path; cause means cultivating the path; and increase means the path of the non-learner.
Furthermore, good man! Root means the correct cause; cause means expedient means. From these two causes, obtaining the resulting fruition is called growth.
Bodhisattva Kāśyapa said to the Buddha:
“World-Honored One! As the Buddha has said, the ultimate end is Nirvāṇa. How can this Nirvāṇa be attained?
“Good man! If a Mahā-Bodhisattva, Bhikṣu, Bhikṣuṇī, Upāsaka, or Upāsikā is able to cultivate these ten contemplations, then you should know that this person can attain Nirvāṇa. What are the ten? First is the contemplation of impermanence; second is the contemplation of suffering; third is the contemplation of non-self; fourth is the contemplation of becoming weary of and abandoning food and drink; fifth is the contemplation that all worldly existence cannot bring joy; sixth is the contemplation of death; seventh is the contemplation of many faults; eighth is the contemplation of separation; ninth is the contemplation of cessation; tenth is the contemplation of the absence of craving.
“Good man! If any Mahā-Bodhisattva, Bhikṣu, Bhikṣuṇī, Upāsaka, or Upāsikā cultivates these ten contemplations in this way, then ultimately this person will certainly attain Nirvāṇa. Without following others, they will themselves be able to distinguish wholesome and unwholesome dharmas. This is called true [practice], worthy of the meaning of Bhikṣu, and likewise worthy of the meaning of Upāsikā.”
Bodhisattva Kāśyapa said to the Buddha:
“World-Honored One! What does it mean that a Bodhisattva, up to an Upāsikā, cultivates the contemplation of impermanence?”
“Good man! Bodhisattvas are of two kinds: one is those who have newly aroused the mind [of enlightenment], and the other is those who have already practiced the path. The contemplation of impermanence also has two kinds: one is coarse, and the other is subtle.
“When a newly aroused Bodhisattva contemplates impermanence, they think as follows: All things in the world have two categories: one is internal, and the other is external. Internal things are impermanent and changing. I see birth, growth, youth, strength, aging, death, and so on; each of these stages is not the same as the others. Therefore, one should know that internal things are impermanent.
“Again they think: I see sentient beings—some are plump, radiant, possessing complete color and strength, and their coming and going are free and unobstructed. Others are sick, their color and strength have withered, their appearance is emaciated and exhausted, and they are not at ease. Some are wealthy and possess abundant riches; others are poor and lacking. Some accomplish immeasurable virtues; others are filled with immeasurable faults. Therefore, one should know with certainty that all internal dharmas are impermanent.
“Again, one contemplates external things: the period of the seed, the period of the sprout, the period of growing into a tree, the period of producing leaves, the period of flowering, the period of bearing fruit—each of these periods is not the same. These external things are sometimes complete and sometimes incomplete. Therefore, one should know that all external things are certainly impermanent.
“Having contemplated and seen that things are impermanent, one next contemplates what one has heard: I have heard that the devas are accomplished and complete, possessing wonderful pleasures and freely manifesting supernatural powers, yet they too have the five signs of decline. Therefore, one should know that they are impermanent.
“I have also heard that in the beginning of the kalpa there were sentient beings, each possessing supreme and wondrous virtues, whose bodies radiated their own light and did not depend on the sun or moon. Due to the power of impermanence, their virtues diminished and their own light disappeared.
“I have also heard that in ancient times there were Wheel-Turning Kings who ruled the four continents of the world, possessed the seven treasures, and were extremely free and powerful, yet they still could not destroy the mark of impermanence.
“Again, one contemplates the great earth: in ancient times, countless sentient beings lived upon it, with no empty space even as small as a wheel. There were abundant medicinal plants growing, and forests of trees bearing flowers and fruits flourished. Nowadays, because sentient beings have thinner blessings, this great earth has lost its former power, and all things growing upon it have become withered and ruined. Therefore, one should know that all internal and external things are impermanent. This is called the coarse aspect of impermanence.
“After contemplating the coarse aspect, one next contemplates the subtle aspect. What is called subtle? The Mahā-Bodhisattva contemplates that all internal and external things, even down to particles of dust, will be impermanent in the future. Why? Because they fully possess the characteristic of destruction.
“If form in the future were not impermanent, then it could not be called form, because it has ten different stages. What are the ten stages? First is the stage of the membrane; second is the stage of the embryo; third is the stage of the watery egg; fourth is the stage of the lump of flesh; fifth is the stage of the limbs; sixth is the stage of the infant; seventh is the stage of the child; eighth is the stage of adolescence; ninth is the stage of middle age; tenth is the stage of old age and decline.
“The Bodhisattva observes that if the membrane were not impermanent, it would not become an embryo; likewise, if the stage of middle age were not impermanent, old age would never occur. If these stages were not destroyed moment by moment, growth would never happen. To grow completely at one single instant is impossible. Therefore, one should know that there is certainly subtle impermanence occurring moment by moment.
“Again, one sees someone whose faculties are complete and whose appearance is beautiful; later one sees that person thin, haggard, and exhausted, and thinks: This person certainly possesses moment-by-moment impermanence.
“Again, one contemplates the four great elements and the four deportments, and contemplates that within and without there are two causes of suffering: hunger and thirst, and cold and heat. Again one contemplates these four sufferings. If there were no subtle impermanence occurring moment by moment, then these four sufferings could not be spoken of.
“A Bodhisattva who is able to contemplate in this way is called a Bodhisattva who contemplates subtle impermanence. Just as internal and external forms are so, mental dharmas are also the same. Why? Because they depend upon the six sense objects. When the mind depends upon the six sense objects, sometimes a joyful mind arises, sometimes an angry mind arises, sometimes an affectionate mind arises, sometimes a remembering mind arises, and so forth. One kind of mind follows another; they are not a single type. Therefore, one should know that all form dharmas and non-form dharmas are impermanent.
“Good man! A Bodhisattva who, in a single thought, sees all dharmas arising and ceasing as impermanent is called a Bodhisattva who has perfected the contemplation of impermanence.
“Good man! After wise people cultivate the contemplation of impermanence, they abandon the inverted view that things are permanent. Next they cultivate the contemplation of suffering: Through what conditions does this suffering arise? They clearly know that this suffering is caused by impermanence. Because of impermanence, one undergoes birth, aging, sickness, and death. Because of birth, aging, sickness, and death, it is called impermanence. Because of impermanence, one undergoes various internal and external sufferings such as hunger and thirst, cold and heat, beating, insults, and so forth. All such sufferings arise from impermanence.
“Furthermore, wise people deeply contemplate that this body is a container of impermanence, and that this container itself is suffering. Because the container is suffering, all dharmas contained within it are also suffering.
“Good man! Wise people further contemplate that birth is suffering and cessation is suffering. Because birth is suffering and cessation is suffering, they are called impermanent, not self and not belonging to self. Thus they cultivate the contemplation of non-self.
“Wise people again contemplate that suffering itself is impermanent, and impermanence is suffering. If suffering is impermanent, why would wise people say there is a self? If suffering is not self, then impermanence is likewise not self. The five aggregates are also suffering and impermanent; why then do sentient beings say there is a self?
“Again, one contemplates that all dharmas have various different combinations. It is not that all dharmas arise from one single combination, nor is one single dharma the result of all combinations. All combinations lack inherent nature; they are neither one nature nor different natures. They have no nature of their own and are not independent. If dharmas have such characteristics, why would wise people say there is a self?
“Again, one thinks: Among all dharmas, there is not a single dharma that can create itself. If one dharma cannot create itself, then combinations of dharmas also cannot create [themselves]. The nature of all dharmas can never arise and cease by itself; they cease due only to combinations and arise due only to combinations. Once dharmas have arisen, sentient beings with inverted thoughts say that combinations arise from combinations. Sentient beings’ inverted thoughts are not true; then how could there be a true self? Therefore, wise people contemplate non-self.
“Again, one carefully observes: Through what causes and conditions do sentient beings speak of a self? If this self exists, is it one or many? If the self is one, then why are there Kṣatriyas, Brāhmaṇas, Vaiśyas, Śūdras, humans, devas, hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, the large and small, the old and young? Therefore, one should know that the self is not one.
“If the self is many, then why do people say that the self of sentient beings is one, all-pervasive, and without boundaries? Whether one or many, neither can be a self.
“After wise people contemplate the absence of self in this way, they next contemplate the weariness and abandonment of food and drink, thinking: If all dharmas are impermanent, suffering, empty, and without self, then why, for the sake of food and drink, do beings create the three evil karmas of body, speech, and mind?
“Some sentient beings, because of seeking food and drink, create the three evil karmas of body, speech, and mind. The wealth they obtain is enjoyed together by others, but later, when they experience the results of suffering, no one shares it with them.
“Good man! Wise people further contemplate that all sentient beings, because of food and drink, cause their bodies and minds to undergo suffering. If food and drink are obtained from various sufferings, then why should I develop attachment and craving toward food and drink? Therefore, toward food and drink, one does not give rise to a mind of greed.”
Furthermore, the wise person should contemplate the human body. Through eating and drinking, this body is nourished and grows. Now I have left home because I wish to abandon this body, therefore I receive precepts and cultivate the Way. If I still crave and cling to food and drink, how can this be called abandoning this body? Having contemplated in this way, even when accepting food and drink, one should regard it as the yakṣa of the wilderness eating the flesh of its own child, feeling disgust within and seeing it as not delicious. Having deeply contemplated the faults of eating and drinking in this way, one next contemplates contact food as a cow that has been skinned, with countless ants and flies gathering upon it and biting it. Next, one contemplates thought food as a great heap of fire, and consciousness food as three hundred sharp spear points.
Good man! When a wise person has contemplated these four kinds of food in this way, he will never again give rise to thoughts of greed and attachment toward eating and drinking. If greed still arises, one should contemplate impurity. Why? Because by abandoning attachment to the enjoyment of food and drink, one is able to skillfully distinguish all forms of food and drink, contemplate them as impure, and, according to those various impurities, cause food and drink to be regarded as similar. Having contemplated in this way, whether one receives delicious food or poor-quality food, when accepting it, one regards it only as medicine applied to a sore, and never gives rise to greed or attachment.
Good man! If a wise person can contemplate in this way, it is called having accomplished the contemplation of disgust and detachment toward eating and drinking.
Bodhisattva Kāśyapa addressed the Buddha:
World-Honored One! When a wise person contemplates food and gives rise to the perception of impurity, is this contemplation true or is it false? If it is true contemplation, then the food being contemplated is actually not impure. If it is false contemplation, then why is it called a wholesome perception?
The Buddha said:
Good man! This perception is both true contemplation and false contemplation. Because it can eliminate greed for food, it is called true; because one sees worms and insects where there are not actually worms and insects, it is called false.
Good man! All conditioned phenomena with outflows are false, yet they can also be called true.
Good man! Suppose there is a monk who sets out to receive alms and thinks: “I will seek alms; may I receive delicious food and not encounter poor food; may I receive much and not be lacking; may I receive it quickly and not have to wait.” Such a monk cannot be said to have attained the perception of disgust and detachment toward eating and drinking. The wholesome Dharma he cultivates will gradually diminish, while unwholesome Dharma will continue to increase.
Good man! If there is a monk who, before seeking alms, first makes the vow: “May all those who seek alms become fully satisfied, and may those who give obtain immeasurable merit. If I receive food, may I use it only to treat this poisonous body’s illness, cultivate wholesome Dharma, and benefit the donors.” When a monk makes such a vow, the cultivation of wholesome Dharma will increasingly grow, and unwholesome Dharma will gradually be destroyed.
Good man! A monk who can cultivate in this way should be known as one who does not eat the offerings of the faithful without purpose.
Good man! A wise person who fully possesses these four perceptions can cultivate the perception that the world is not worthy of attachment, thinking: “Throughout the entire world, there is no place where birth, aging, sickness, and death do not exist. There is no place where this body of mine does not arise. If there is no place in the world that is free from birth, aging, sickness, and death, then how could I take delight in the world?”
Throughout the entire world, there is nothing that advances without eventually declining and being lost; therefore, the world is certainly impermanent. If it is impermanent, why would a wise person delight in the world?
Every sentient being has passed throughout all worlds, experiencing every kind of suffering and pleasure. Even after attaining the body of a Brahmā heaven being, or even the realm of neither perception nor non-perception, when life ends one must still fall back into the three evil paths. Even after attaining the body of a heavenly being in the Heaven of the Four Heavenly Kings, or up to the Heaven of Freely Transforming Others’ Creations, when life ends one must be reborn among animals, perhaps as a lion, tiger, leopard, wolf, elephant, horse, cow, donkey, and so forth.
Again, one contemplates the body of a Wheel-Turning Sage King, who rules over the four continents of the world, possessing wealth, honor, and freedom; yet when his merits are exhausted, he becomes poor and destitute, lacking sufficient clothing and food. When a wise person clearly understands such matters, he gives rise to the thought that the world is not worthy of attachment.
A wise person also contemplates that worldly things such as houses, clothing, food and drink, bedding, medicine, fragrances, flowers, necklaces and ornaments, various forms of music, wealth and jewels, and all such possessions are intended to remove suffering, yet the very nature of those possessions is suffering. Then why use suffering to remove suffering?
Good man! After contemplating in this way, the wise person does not give rise to attachment toward worldly objects.
Good man! It is like a person suffering from a serious illness. Although there may be various kinds of music, singing, fragrances, flowers, and ornaments, he will never give rise to delight in them. After contemplating, the wise person is likewise.
Good man! The wise person understands that the entire world is not a place of reliance, not a place of liberation, not a place of tranquility, not a place worthy of delight, not the other shore, and not the Dharma of permanence, bliss, self, and purity. If one craves and delights in this world, how can one leave the world behind?
It is like someone who dislikes being in darkness and seeks light, yet returns again into darkness. Darkness is the world; light is the transcendental realm. If one delights in the world, one increases darkness and moves away from light. Darkness is ignorance; light is wisdom. The cause of wisdom is precisely the perception that the world is not worthy of attachment. Although all bonds of greed are forms of bondage, now one desires wisdom and does not desire the world. After deeply contemplating all phenomena in this way, the wise person fully possesses the perception that the world is not worthy of attachment.
Good man! After cultivating the perception that the world is not worthy of attachment, the wise person next cultivates contemplation of death: “This lifespan is constantly surrounded by countless enemies; it decreases moment by moment and never increases. It is like water rushing down a mountain slope, unable to stop; like morning dew that cannot last long; like a prisoner being led to the marketplace, each step bringing him closer to death; like cattle or sheep being led to the slaughterhouse.”
Bodhisattva Kāśyapa addressed the Buddha:
World-Honored One! How does a wise person contemplate moment-by-moment destruction?
Good man! It is like four people who are all skilled archers and make an appointment to gather at one place. Each person shoots an arrow in a different direction, and they all think: “Our four arrows will be shot at the same moment and will fall at the same moment.” Then there is another person who thinks: “Before these four arrows fall, I can, in a single moment, catch them with my hands.”
Good man! Could such a person be said to be fast?
Bodhisattva Kāśyapa said:
“World-Honored One! That person is truly very swift.”
The Buddha said:
“Good son! The swiftness of the earth-traveling demon is even greater than that of this person. There are flying demons that are even swifter than earth-traveling demons. The Four Heavenly Kings are swifter than the flying demons. The Sun and Moon Devas are swifter than the Four Heavenly Kings. The Deva of Firm and Swift Movement is swifter than the Sun and Moon. The life of sentient beings is even swifter than the Firm and Swift Movement Deva.
Good son! In the time of one breath, one blink of an eye, the life of sentient beings undergoes four hundred arising and passing-away moments. If a wise person can contemplate life in this way, this is called being able to contemplate moment-by-moment cessation.
Good son! A wise person contemplates that life is dependent upon the King of Death. If I can be separated from the King of Death, then I will completely cut off the impermanent nature of life.
Furthermore, a wise person contemplates life as a great tree on the eroding bank of a river; it is also like a person who has committed the gravest of rebellious crimes and, when being executed by beheading, no one feels pity; it is like when the lion king is extremely hungry; it is like when a poisonous snake drinks in a great wind; it is like when a thirsty horse guards water; it is like when a fierce demon becomes angry. The King of Death over sentient beings is likewise so.
Good son! If a wise person can contemplate in this way, this is called cultivating the contemplation of death.
Good son! A wise person further contemplates: ‘Now that I have left home, even if my life were to last only seven days and seven nights, during that time I will diligently cultivate practice, uphold the precepts, teach the Dharma, transform beings, and benefit sentient beings.’ This is called a wise person cultivating the contemplation of death.
Again, regarding seven days and seven nights as too long, if I were given six days, five days, four days, three days, two days, one day, one hour, or even a single moment of inhalation and exhalation, during this time I will diligently cultivate practice, uphold the precepts, teach the Dharma, transform beings, and benefit sentient beings. This is called a wise person skillfully cultivating the contemplation of death.
A wise person who possesses the above six contemplations is the cause of the seven contemplations. What are the seven? First is the contemplation of always practicing; second is the contemplation of delighting in practice; third is the contemplation of being without anger; fourth is the contemplation of being without jealousy; fifth is the contemplation of wholesome vows; sixth is the contemplation of being without arrogance; seventh is the contemplation of自在 samādhi.
Good son! If there is any bhikṣu who fully possesses these seven contemplations, he is called a Śramaṇa, a Brāhmaṇa; he is peaceful, pure, liberated, a wise person, one of right view, the one who has reached the other shore, a great physician king, a great merchant leader, one who skillfully understands the secrets of the Tathāgata. He also knows the seven kinds of words of the Buddhas, is called one who knows right view, and knows how to sever the net of doubt that arises regarding the seven kinds of teachings spoken by the Buddhas.
Good son! A person who fully possesses the six contemplations above should be known as one who can reproach the three realms, depart from the three realms, eliminate the three realms, and not give rise to attachment or defilement within the three realms. This is called a wise person who fully possesses the ten contemplations. If a bhikṣu fully possesses these ten contemplations, he is called one who possesses the characteristics of a Śramaṇa.”
At that time, Bodhisattva Kāśyapa, before the Buddha, praised him with verses:
The Great Physician King who pities the world,
Whose body and wisdom are both tranquil,
Within the Dharma of no-self there is the true self,
Therefore I respectfully bow to the unsurpassed one.
Having aroused the mind, and reaching the ultimate, without discrimination,
These two minds—the first is the more difficult.
Before I have crossed over, I first save others,
Therefore I respectfully bow to the one who first aroused the mind.
After arousing the mind, one becomes the teacher of gods and humans,
Surpassing the assemblies of Śrāvakas and Pratyekabuddhas.
Such an awakened mind transcends the three realms,
Therefore it is called the Most Unsurpassed.
The one who seeks and strives to save the world can only then attain it;
The Tathāgata becomes a teacher without being invited.
The Buddha is like a calf following the world,
Therefore he is called the Great Compassionate Ox.
The Buddha’s merits extend throughout the ten directions;
Ordinary ignorant beings cannot praise them.
Now I praise the mind of compassion
To repay the two karmas of body and speech.
The world always delights in benefiting itself;
The Buddha never engages in such things.
He cuts off worldly karmic results for sentient beings,
Therefore I respectfully bow to the One Who Benefits Self and Others.
People of the world benefit their relatives;
The Tathāgata benefits without distinction between friend and enemy.
The Buddha has no such mind as worldly people do,
Therefore the Buddha’s mind is equal and without two.
People of the world say one thing and do another;
The Buddha’s speech and actions never differ.
In all places of practice, he ends all conditioned actions,
Therefore he is called the Tathāgata.
Previously he already knew clearly the faults of afflictions,
Yet he manifested there for the sake of sentient beings.
For a long time he had attained liberation from the world,
Yet because of compassion he delighted in the realm of birth and death.
Although he manifests the bodies of gods and humans,
His compassion follows closely like a cow following her calf.
The Tathāgata is the mother of sentient beings,
And the compassionate mind is the little calf.
He personally undergoes all sufferings for sentient beings;
When contemplating compassion, his mind has no regret.
His heart is filled with love and does not know suffering,
Therefore I bow to the one who saves from suffering.
Although the Tathāgata performs immeasurable merits,
His body, speech, and mind are always pure.
Always for the sake of sentient beings, never for himself,
Therefore I bow to the One of Pure Karma.
The Tathāgata undergoes suffering without knowing it as suffering;
He sees the suffering of sentient beings as his own suffering.
Although he enters hell for the sake of sentient beings,
He does not think of suffering or feel regret.
The sufferings endured by sentient beings are all different,
Yet the Tathāgata alone bears their suffering.
Having understood this, that mind becomes even more steadfast;
Because of this, he diligently cultivates the unsurpassed path.
The Buddha possesses the single flavor of the great compassionate mind;
He pities sentient beings as newborn children.
Sentient beings do not know that the Buddha saves them,
Therefore they slander the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.
Although the world is filled with all kinds of afflictions
And possesses immeasurable evil deeds,
Such afflictions and wrongdoings
Were already ended when the Buddha first aroused the mind.
Only the Buddhas can praise the Buddha;
Outside of the Buddhas, no one can praise him.
Now I use only one Dharma of praise,
Bringing the compassionate mind into the world.
The Buddha’s compassionate mind is the great Dharma;
This compassionate mind can ferry sentient beings across.
It is precisely the true unsurpassed liberation;
Liberation itself is the Great Nirvāṇa.