THE MAHĀPARINIRVĀṆA SŪTRA
Volume II
Chapter 1: Lifespan (2)
At that time, among the assembly was the lay follower Cunda, a skilled craftsman from the city of Kuśinagara. Together with fifteen fellow craftsmen, wishing that the world might attain wholesome fruits, he quickly rose from his seat, bared his right shoulder, knelt on his right knee, joined his palms toward the Buddha, wept profusely, bowed at the Buddha’s feet, and said:
“World-Honored One, we respectfully beg that You and the community of bhikṣus compassionately accept this final offering of food from us, in order to liberate immeasurable sentient beings.
World-Honored One! From this day onward, we have no master, no relatives, no one to rescue us, no one to protect us, nowhere to turn, nowhere to go. We are poor and afflicted, wishing to seek blessings for the future. We pray that You will compassionately accept our humble offering before entering Nirvāṇa.
World-Honored One! It is like a man of the Kṣatriya, Brāhmaṇa, Vaiśya, or Śūdra class who, because of poverty, travels to a distant country and works diligently as a farmer. He obtains an excellent ox for plowing and a fertile, level field free from sand, alkali, weeds, and tree stumps; all that remains is to await the rain. The excellent plow ox symbolizes the seven wholesome actions of body and speech. The fertile, level field symbolizes wisdom. Removing sandy soil, alkali, weeds, and tree stumps symbolizes eliminating afflictions.
World-Honored One! We already possess the excellent ox and the fertile field, and we have removed the tree stumps. We now only await the Tathāgata to shower us with the sweet rain of the Dharma. The poverty of the four social classes symbolizes our own spiritual poverty. This poverty means lacking the precious treasure of the unsurpassed Dharma. We earnestly ask the World-Honored One to compassionately end our destitution and rescue countless suffering beings. Though our food offering is meager, we wish to make a complete offering to the Tathāgata and the great assembly. Today we have no master, no relatives, nowhere to turn. We ask that You show us the same compassion You showed Rāhula.”
Then the World-Honored One, the One Endowed with Omniscient Wisdom, the Unsurpassed Tamer, said to Cunda:
“Excellent! Excellent! I shall put an end to your poverty. I shall shower the unsurpassed rain of Dharma upon the field of your being, causing the sprouts of Dharma to grow. If you seek from Me long life, beauty, strength, happiness, and unobstructed eloquence, I shall grant you long life, beauty, strength, happiness, and unobstructed eloquence. Why is this? Cunda, there are two occasions of offering food that yield identical rewards. One is offering food to one who, after receiving it, attains Anuttara Samyaksaṃbodhi (Unsurpassed Perfect Enlightenment). The other is offering food to one who, after receiving it, enters Nirvāṇa. Today I accept this final offering of yours, enabling you to perfect the Pāramitā of Generosity.”
Then Cunda said:
“World-Honored One! According to Your teaching, there are two occasions of offering food that produce identical rewards. I do not think this is so. Why? Because the first recipient of the offering had not yet completely eliminated afflictions, had not yet attained Omniscient Wisdom, and could not yet enable sentient beings to perfect the Pāramitā of Generosity. The second recipient had already eliminated all afflictions, attained Omniscient Wisdom, and could enable sentient beings to perfect the Pāramitā of Generosity. The first recipient was merely a sentient being; the second recipient is the World-Honored One. The first recipient possessed a body sustained by ordinary food, a body of afflictions, a body at the final limit, and an impermanent body. The second recipient possesses a body free from afflictions, a vajra body, a Dharma body, an eternal body, and an infinite body. How, then, can it be said that these two offerings produce identical rewards?
“World-Honored One! The first recipient had not yet perfected the Pāramitās from Generosity through Wisdom. He possessed only the fleshly eye and had not yet attained the Buddha Eye through the Wisdom Eye. The second recipient had already perfected the Pāramitās from Generosity through Wisdom and possessed the Buddha Eye through the Wisdom Eye. How, then, can it be said that the two offerings produce identical rewards?
“World-Honored One! In the case of the first recipient, the food entered the stomach, was digested, and provided life, beauty, strength, happiness, and unobstructed eloquence. In the case of the second recipient, there is no eating, no digestion, and none of these five benefits. How, then, can it be said that the two offerings produce identical rewards?”
The Buddha said:
“Good man! For immeasurable, boundless, inconceivable kalpas, the Tathāgata has no longer possessed a body that eats and drinks, a body of afflictions, a body at the final limit, but rather an eternal body, a Dharma body, and a vajra body.
“Good man! Those who have not seen the Buddha-nature are said to possess a body of afflictions, a body sustained by ordinary food, and a body at the final limit. At that time, after the Bodhisattva accepted food and drink, He entered the Vajra Samādhi. Once the food had been digested, He immediately saw the Buddha-nature and attained Anuttara Samyaksaṃbodhi. Therefore, I say that the rewards of these two offerings are identical. At that time, the Bodhisattva destroyed the four Māras; now, upon entering Nirvāṇa, He also destroys the four Māras. Therefore, I say that the rewards of these two offerings are identical.
“At that time, although the Bodhisattva had fully understood the Twelve Divisions of the Scriptures, He did not expound them. Now, upon entering Nirvāṇa, He extensively explains and distinguishes them for the sake of sentient beings. Therefore, I say that the rewards of these two offerings are identical.
“Good man! For immeasurable kalpas, the body of the Tathāgata has not accepted food or drink. In order to teach the Śrāvakas, I previously appeared to accept the bowl of milk porridge offered by the two cowherd maidens Nandā and Nandabālā, after which I attained Anuttara Samyaksaṃbodhi. But in truth, I did not eat. Today, for the sake of this assembly, I accept your final offering, but in truth, I do not eat.”
At that time, hearing that the Buddha—the World-Honored One—had accepted Cunda’s final offering before the assembly, the great congregation rejoiced greatly and spoke in unison, praising him:
“Excellent! Excellent! Cunda, you are truly rare indeed! Today you have performed a deed worthy of your name. The name ‘Cunda’ means ‘Wonderful Meaning,’ and you have accomplished such a profoundly meaningful act. Therefore, in accordance with truth and meaning, you are rightly called Cunda. In this life you have gained great praise and immense benefit, and your virtuous vows are complete.
How marvelous, Cunda! To be born into this world and attain such unsurpassed benefit is exceedingly rare.
Excellent, Cunda! Just as the Udumbara flower is rarely seen in the world, so too is the appearance of the Buddha. To encounter the Buddha, to give rise to faith, and to hear the Dharma are all exceedingly difficult. To offer the final meal as the Buddha is about to enter Nirvana—and to successfully accomplish such an offering—is rarer still.
We bow in reverence to Cunda! We bow in reverence to Cunda! Today you have perfected the Perfection of Giving (Dāna Pāramitā), like the full autumn moon—bright, perfectly round, unobscured by clouds, admired by all beings. So too are you admired by us. The Buddha has accepted your final offering, thereby enabling you to fulfill the Perfection of Giving. We bow in reverence to Cunda! You are like the full moon, admired by all living beings.
We bow in reverence to Cunda! Though you possess a human body, your mind is like that of the Buddha. Cunda! Today you are truly a son of the Buddha, no different from Rāhula.”
Then the great assembly chanted these verses:
Though born in human form,
You surpass even the Sixth Heaven.
All of us assembled here
Now bow our heads and earnestly implore you.
The Supreme One among humankind
Is now about to enter Nirvana.
Please have compassion on us
And quickly beseech the Buddha.
Remain long within this world
For the benefit of countless beings.
Teach the Dharma praised by the wise,
The supreme nectar of immortality.
If you do not entreat the Buddha,
Our lives will not be complete.
We beg you, for our sake,
To respectfully implore the Tamer of Men.
At that moment, Cunda rejoiced with great delight, like someone whose deceased parents had suddenly come back to life. Bowing at the Buddha’s feet, he recited these verses:
Joyful indeed am I,
Blessed to have gained this human body.
Greed, hatred, and delusion are extinguished;
The three evil paths are forever escaped.
Joyful indeed am I,
As though I had found a treasury of gold and jewels.
Having encountered the Tamer of Men,
I no longer fear falling into the animal realm.
The Buddha is like the Udumbara flower,
Rare to encounter and place one’s faith in.
Having met Him and planted wholesome roots,
The suffering of hungry ghosts is forever ended.
It also diminishes
The race of the Asuras.
The Buddha’s appearance in the world is rarer
Than threading a mustard seed onto the tip of a needle.
Through the practice of giving,
I cross beyond the cycle of birth and death among gods and humans.
The Buddha remains unstained by worldly affairs,
Like a lotus blooming in the water.
Skillfully cutting off the seed of the highest existence,
He completely escapes the stream of birth and death.
To be born human is difficult;
To live in an age when a Buddha appears is even more difficult.
It is like in the vast ocean
A blind turtle finding a floating log with a hole.
Today I offer this meal,
Hoping to gain the supreme blessing.
Destroying the fetters of afflictions,
All are completely eliminated.
Now, here where I stand,
I seek neither heavenly nor human rebirth.
Even if I were to obtain such rebirth,
My heart would not delight in it.
The Buddha has accepted my offering;
My joy is beyond measure.
Just as the yilan flower
Becomes fragrant with sandalwood,
My body is like the yilan flower,
Accepted by the World-Honored One.
Like the spreading fragrance of sandalwood,
Thus I rejoice.
Today I have received the immediate reward,
The most supreme and wondrous state.
Śakra and Brahmā
Have both come to honor me with offerings.
Yet throughout all the worlds,
Everyone is filled with sorrow,
For they know that the Buddha, the World-Honored One,
Is about to enter Great Nirvana.
Together they cry aloud:
“The world will have the Buddha no more.”
Please do not abandon living beings.
Regard us all as Your only child.
Remain among the assembly, O Tathāgata,
And proclaim the unsurpassed Dharma.
Like the precious Mount Sumeru
Standing firmly amid the great ocean,
The Buddha’s wisdom has skillfully dispelled
The darkness of my ignorance.
Like clouds gathering in the open sky
Bringing coolness and relief,
The Tathāgata skillfully removes
All afflictions.
As when the sun rises
Scattering clouds and illuminating everywhere,
The beings of this world
Weep until their faces are swollen.
All are swept away
By the stream of birth and death, suffering greatly.
Therefore, World-Honored One,
Please strengthen the faith of all beings,
And, to end the suffering of birth and death,
Remain in this world for a long time.
The Buddha said to Cunda:
“That is so! That is so! Just as you have said. A Buddha’s appearance in the world is as rare as the Udumbara flower. To encounter the Buddha and give rise to faith is also difficult. To make the final offering to the Buddha just before His Parinirvana and have it brought to perfection is even more difficult. Cunda, do not grieve or sorrow. Instead, rejoice and consider yourself truly fortunate, for you have been able to make the Buddha’s final offering, thereby fully accomplishing the Perfection of Generosity (Dana Paramita). You should not ask Me to remain in the world for a long time. You should contemplate that the realm of all Buddhas is likewise impermanent. The nature and characteristics of all conditioned phenomena are just so.”
For Cunda, the Buddha spoke these verses:
All worlds alike
Whatever is born must die.
Though life may be immeasurable,
The time will come when it ends.
Where there is prosperity, there is decline.
Where there is meeting, there is parting.
Youth does not remain forever.
Health is followed by illness.
The god of death devours human lives.
No phenomenon endures forever.
Even sovereign kings,
Whose power surpasses all others,
Must all undergo change.
Life itself is just the same.
Suffering turns without limit,
Revolving without cease.
The three realms are all impermanent.
There is no true joy in any realm.
The nature and characteristics of all phenomena
Are entirely empty.
Phenomena arise, cease, and change.
They are always accompanied by sorrow,
Fear of evil deeds,
Old age, sickness, death, and grief.
These sufferings are boundless.
Decay and enemies overwhelm.
Bound by afflictions,
Like a silkworm enclosed in its cocoon.
How could one of wisdom
Take delight in such things?
This body contains every suffering;
None of it is pure.
It is bondage and a festering sore,
Meaningless from its very root.
Even the bodies of the heavenly beings
Must endure the same.
All sensual desires are impermanent;
Therefore I do not cling to them.
Having abandoned desire and contemplated well,
I realized the true Dharma.
Having completely ended all forms of existence,
Today I enter Nirvana.
I have reached the farther shore
And have forever escaped all suffering.
Therefore, on this day,
I receive the supreme bliss.
Through these causes and conditions,
I have attained the true fruition.
Having completely severed all bonds,
Today I enter Nirvana.
I have no old age, sickness, or death.
My lifespan can never be exhausted.
Now I enter Nirvana,
Like a great fire extinguished.
Cunda, you should not
Ponder the meaning of the Tathagata in this way.
You should contemplate the nature of the Tathagata
As being like Mount Sumeru.
Now I enter Nirvana
And enjoy the highest bliss.
Such is the Dharma of all Buddhas.
Do not weep.
Then Cunda addressed the Buddha:
“World-Honored One! Indeed, indeed! It is exactly as the Buddha has taught. My wisdom is narrow and shallow, like that of a mosquito or a gnat. How could I possibly contemplate the profound meaning of the Tathagata’s Nirvana?
World-Honored One! Today I have cut off the fetters of afflictions and stand alongside the great Bodhisattvas, mighty as dragon-elephants, such as the Dharma Prince Manjushri.
World-Honored One! It is like a young novice who has only recently left the household life. Although he has not yet received the full ordination, he is still counted among the Sangha. I am likewise. Through the miraculous power of the Buddha and the Bodhisattvas, I have been admitted into the ranks of the great Bodhisattvas. Therefore, today I wish that the Tathagata would remain in the world for a long time and not enter Nirvana. Just as a person who has long suffered from hunger would never wish to vomit, I humbly beseech the World-Honored One to remain in the world for a long time and not enter Nirvana.”
At that time, the Dharma Prince Mañjuśrī said to Cunda:
“Cunda! Do not say that you wish the Thus Come One to remain in the world forever and never enter Nirvāṇa, just as one who has long been hungry would never vomit. You should contemplate the true nature and characteristics of all conditioned phenomena. By contemplating in this way, you will fully realize the samādhi of emptiness. Whoever seeks the true Dharma should practice in this manner.”
Cunda asked:
“Venerable Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī! The Thus Come One is the most honored and supreme among gods and humans. Is the Thus Come One also a conditioned phenomenon? If so, then He would also be subject to arising and ceasing. It would be like bubbles on water, appearing and disappearing in an instant, endlessly revolving like a wheel. All conditioned phenomena are like this. I have heard that the devas enjoy extremely long lifespans. Since the Thus Come One is more exalted than all the devas, why is His lifespan so short, not even reaching one hundred years?
“It is like the chief of a village who possesses great authority and can govern others through that authority. Later, when his merit is exhausted, he becomes poor and lowly, despised and commanded by others. Why? Because he has lost his power. World-Honored One, if the Thus Come One were the same as conditioned phenomena, then He could not be honored as the ‘God Among Gods.’ Why? Because conditioned phenomena belong to birth and death. Therefore, Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī, do not regard the Thus Come One as being the same as conditioned phenomena.
“Furthermore, Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī, do you know or do you not know, that you say the Thus Come One is the same as conditioned phenomena? If the Thus Come One were the same as conditioned phenomena, then He could not be called the Sovereign King of Dharma, the God Among Gods.
“For example, a king has a mighty warrior whose strength rivals a thousand men, and no one can defeat him. Therefore, he is called ‘one who matches a thousand.’ The king cherishes him greatly and naturally rewards him with rank and salary. Although he is called ‘one who matches a thousand,’ it is not certain that his strength alone truly equals a thousand men. Rather, because of his skill and ability to overcome a thousand, he is given that title.
“The Thus Come One is the same. He has subdued the demon of afflictions, the demon of the five aggregates, the heavenly demon, and the demon of death. Therefore, the Thus Come One is honored as the most exalted in the three realms. Like that warrior who stands against a thousand alone, the Thus Come One has perfected immeasurable and genuine virtues through countless causes and conditions. Therefore, He is honored as the Thus Come One, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Enlightened One.
“Venerable Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī! A Bodhisattva should not think that the Dharma of the Thus Come One is like conditioned phenomena.
“For example, a wealthy elder has a son. A physiognomist examines the child and predicts that he will die young. After hearing this, the parents know that he cannot carry on the family line, so they do not love him and treat him like grass and weeds. Moreover, one destined to die young is not respected by śramaṇas, brahmins, the old or the young, women or men. If the Thus Come One were the same as conditioned phenomena, then He likewise would not be revered by all gods, humans, and beings in the world. Nor would anyone believe or accept the unchanging true Dharma that the Thus Come One has taught. Therefore, Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī, you should not say that the Thus Come One is the same as conditioned phenomena.
“Furthermore, Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī! Suppose there is a poor woman with no home and no one to help her. She is ill, tormented by hunger and thirst, wandering and begging for food. She stays temporarily at an inn and gives birth to a son there. The innkeeper drives her away. Soon after giving birth, she carries the child toward another country. Along the way, she encounters heavy rain, fierce winds, bitter cold, and every kind of hardship. Mosquitoes, flies, bees, and poisonous insects swarm around and bite her. As she attempts to cross the Ganges River, she holds her child tightly while wading through the rushing current. She refuses to let go of the child, and both mother and son drown.
“Because of the merit of her love for her child, after death she is reborn in the Brahmā Heaven.
“Venerable Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī! If any good man wishes to protect the true Dharma, he should neither say that the Thus Come One is like conditioned phenomena nor that He is unlike conditioned phenomena. Instead, he should only reproach himself for being foolish and lacking the eye of wisdom. The true Dharma of the Thus Come One is inconceivable. Therefore, one should not declare that the Thus Come One is definitely conditioned or definitely unconditioned. One who holds right view should say that the Thus Come One is certainly unconditioned. Why? Because for the sake of sentient beings, the Thus Come One gives rise to wholesome Dharma and compassion.
“Just as that poor woman crossed the Ganges and sacrificed her own life out of love for her child, so too should a Bodhisattva who protects the Dharma. He would rather give up his own life than say that the Thus Come One is like conditioned phenomena. Instead, he should declare that the Thus Come One is like the unconditioned Dharma. Because one proclaims that the Thus Come One is like the unconditioned Dharma, one attains unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment, just as that woman was reborn in the Brahmā Heaven. Why? Because one protects the true Dharma.
“What is protecting the true Dharma? It is to declare that the Thus Come One is like the unconditioned Dharma. One who speaks in this way, though not seeking liberation, will find liberation coming naturally, just as the poor woman did not seek rebirth in the Brahmā Heaven, yet the Brahmā Heaven came to her naturally.
“Venerable Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī! It is like a traveler journeying far away. Becoming weary midway, he stays overnight in another person’s house. While he is asleep, the house suddenly catches fire. He awakens in terror and thinks, ‘Surely I will die today.’ Out of a sense of shame, he wraps himself in his robe. After dying, he is reborn in the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven. Thereafter, for eighty lifetimes he becomes king in the Great Brahmā Heaven, and for hundreds of thousands of lifetimes he is reborn among humans as a Wheel-Turning King. This person never falls into the three evil destinies, but is continually reborn in places of peace and happiness.
“Venerable Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī! For this reason, anyone who possesses a sense of shame should never regard the Buddha as being like conditioned phenomena.
“Venerable Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī! Followers of non-Buddhist teachings and those of wrong views say that the Thus Come One is the same as conditioned phenomena. A precept-observing bhikṣu should never conceive of the Thus Come One in such a conditioned way. Whoever says that the Thus Come One is conditioned speaks falsehood. Know that after death such a person will fall into hell and remain there as though it were his own home.
“Venerable Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī! The Thus Come One is truly the unconditioned Dharma and should never be called conditioned. Today, although He appears within birth and death, He abandons ignorance and seeks true wisdom. Therefore, know that the Thus Come One is the unconditioned Dharma. Whoever can contemplate the Thus Come One in this way will perfect the thirty-two marks and swiftly attain unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment.”
At that time, the Dharma Prince Mañjuśrī praised Cunda:
Auspicious! Auspicious! Today, you have created the karmic condition for a long life, and you are able to know that the Tathāgata is the eternally abiding Dharma, the Dharma that does not change, the unconditioned Dharma. In this way, you have skillfully refuted the idea that the Tathāgata has the characteristics of the conditioned. It is like the person who was in the burning house, because he knew shame, used his clothing to cover his body; through this wholesome mind, he was born in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, and later became king in the Great Brahmā Heaven, became a Wheel-Turning King, was not destined to fall into the evil paths, and always enjoyed peace and happiness. You are likewise. Because you have skillfully refuted the idea that the Tathāgata has the characteristics of the conditioned, in future lives you will surely attain the thirty-two excellent marks, the eighty beautiful features, the eighteen exclusive qualities, live for an immeasurable lifespan, not remain within birth and death, constantly enjoy peace and happiness, and before long will accomplish the state of the Unsurpassed Perfectly Enlightened One.
O Cunda! I and you both refute the idea that the Tathāgata has the characteristics of the conditioned. Leave aside the matter of the unconditioned and the conditioned for now; shortly, the Tathāgata will explain it clearly. You should quickly make offerings of food at the proper time. Such an offering is the foremost among all forms of giving. If there are Bhikshus, Bhikshunis, Upāsakas, or Upāsikās who have traveled far and are weary, one should prepare pure offerings and make offerings to them at the right time. Making offerings to them promptly in this way is precisely the completion of the fundamental seed of the Perfection of Giving.
O Cunda! If one makes offerings to the Buddha and the Sangha with the final meal, whether much or little, whether sufficient or insufficient, it must be done quickly and at the proper time, for the time has arrived for the Tathāgata to enter Nirvāṇa.
Cunda said:
Venerable Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī! Why does the Bodhisattva, because of greed for this food, speak of much or little, sufficient or insufficient, and tell me to make offerings at the proper time?
Venerable Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī! In the past, the Tathāgata, during six years of ascetic practice, was still able to endure freely, how much more so for a mere moment today.
Venerable Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī! Does the Bodhisattva truly think that the Tathāgata, the Perfectly Enlightened One, accepts this food? But I know with certainty that the body of the Tathāgata is the Dharma body, not a body that consumes food.
At that time, the Buddha said to Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī: “That is correct! That is correct! It is as Cunda has said. Excellent, Cunda!
You have accomplished wondrous great wisdom and have skillfully penetrated the teachings of the Mahāyāna scriptures.”
Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī said to Cunda:
You have said that the Tathāgata is unconditioned and that the body of the Tathāgata is the body of long life. If you understand it in this way, the Buddha will be greatly pleased.
Cunda said:
The Tathāgata is not only pleased specifically with me, but is also pleased with all sentient beings.
Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī said:
With regard to you, me, and all sentient beings, the Tathāgata is equally pleased.
Cunda said:
Bodhisattva should not say that the Tathāgata is pleased. If one says “pleased,” that is an inverted perception. If there is an inverted perception, then there is birth and death. If there is birth and death, then there is the conditioned Dharma. Therefore, Venerable Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī, do not say that the Tathāgata is conditioned. If one says that the Tathāgata is conditioned, then both I and the Bodhisattva would be practicing inverted views.
Venerable Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī! The Tathāgata has no thoughts of remembrance. If there were thoughts of remembrance, it would be like a mother cow thinking of her calf. Even if she is hungry and thirsty while searching for water and grass, whether she has obtained enough or not, she would hurry back. The Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones, do not remember in this way. They regard all sentient beings equally as Rāhula. Thinking in this way is the realm of the wisdom of the Buddhas.
Venerable Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī! It is like a king riding a four-horse carriage, and wanting a donkey cart to catch up with it is something impossible. I and the Bodhisattva are likewise; wanting to fully understand the profound, secret, and wondrous mysteries of the Tathāgata is also impossible.
Venerable Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī! It is like the golden-winged bird soaring into the limitless sky for countless yojanas, looking down upon the great ocean and clearly seeing aquatic beings such as fish, turtles, softshell turtles, crocodiles, dragons, and seeing its own reflection clearly as if it were before a bright mirror, seeing all phenomena. Ordinary people of small wisdom cannot fathom such vision. I and the Bodhisattva are likewise; we cannot measure the wisdom of the Tathāgata.
Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī said to Cunda:
That is correct! That is correct! It is as you have said. Regarding this matter, I do not lack understanding, but I only wished to use the matters of a Bodhisattva to test you.
At that time, from the face of the World-Honored One radiated various kinds of light. That light illuminated the body of Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī. After Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī came into contact with this light, he immediately understood the matter and said to Cunda:
Today, the Tathāgata has manifested an auspicious sign. Before long, he will certainly enter Nirvāṇa. First, you should prepare the offering of the final meal and, at the proper time, present it to the Buddha and the Sangha. Cunda, you should know! The Tathāgata’s emission of such various kinds of light is not without cause.
After hearing this, Cunda sat silently, stunned and motionless. The Buddha said to Cunda:
Now the time has come for you to offer food to the Buddha and the Sangha. The Tathāgata is about to enter Nirvāṇa.
The Buddha repeated this three times.
At that time, after hearing the Buddha’s teaching, Cunda began to cry out in sorrow, choked with grief, saying:
Suffering! Suffering! The world has become empty!
Then he said to the great assembly:
Today, we must all together bow with our bodies touching the ground and, with one voice, request that the Buddha not enter Nirvāṇa.
At that time, the World-Honored One said to Chunda:
You should not weep, causing your mind to be harmed. You should contemplate this body as being like a banana tree, like waves of water under the heat of the sun, like bubbles on water, like illusions, like a mirage-city, like lightning, like drawings on water, like a prisoner about to die, like ripe fruit, like cut pieces of flesh, like a woven cloth whose suffering has ended, like a pestle moving up and down. You should contemplate all conditioned formations as food mixed with poison; conditioned phenomena have many dangers.
At that time, Chunda said to the Buddha:
World-Honored One! Since the Tathagata does not wish to remain long in the world, how could I not weep! Alas! Alas! The world will become empty! I humbly beg the World-Honored One to have compassion for us and all sentient beings, remain in the world for a long time, and do not enter Nirvana.
The Buddha said to Chunda:
You should not say, “Please have compassion for me and remain in the world for a long time.”
It is precisely because I have compassion for you and all sentient beings that today I enter Nirvana. Why is this so? Because the Dharma of all Buddhas is like this. Conditioned phenomena are also like this. Therefore, the Buddhas speak this verse:
All conditioned phenomena
Their nature is impermanent.
Having arisen, they do not remain.
Quiescence is bliss.
Chunda! You should contemplate that all formations are defiled phenomena, without self, impermanent, and not abiding. This body has countless faults and dangers, like a bubble of water. Therefore, today you should not weep.
At that time, Chunda again said to the Buddha:
World-Honored One! Indeed, indeed! It is truly as You have taught. Although I know that the Tathagata manifests skillful means and enters Nirvana, I still cannot help but feel sorrowful. However, when I reflect upon it again, I feel great joy.
The Buddha praised Chunda:
Excellent! Excellent! You are able to know that the Tathagata manifests in the same way as sentient beings and manifests the skillful means of entering Nirvana. Chunda! Listen carefully. Just as in spring, the birds Bārabā gather at Lake Anavatapta (the Lake Free from Heat and Torment), so too do all Buddhas come to that place. Chunda! You should not think that Buddhas have long lives or short lives. All phenomena are appearances like illusions. The Tathagata, within them, uses the power of skillful means and is never attached or stained. Why is this so? Because the Dharma of all Buddhas is like this. Chunda! Now the Tathagata accepts your offering because He wishes to enable you to cross over the stream of birth and death among all forms of existence. If any heavenly beings or humans make an offering to the Tathagata of a final meal like this, they will all receive the unshakable reward and always attain peace and happiness. Why is this so? Because the Tathagata is the excellent field of merit for sentient beings. If you wish to make yourself a field of merit for the sake of sentient beings, quickly arrange the offerings and do not delay.
At that time, Chunda, wishing that sentient beings might attain liberation, bowed his head, swallowed his tears, and said:
Excellent! World-Honored One! If I am able to become a field of merit, then I will know clearly whether the Tathagata enters Nirvana or does not enter Nirvana. Today, the wisdom of us and the Hearers and Pratyekabuddhas is like that of a mosquito or an ant; we truly cannot fathom whether the Tathagata enters Nirvana or does not enter Nirvana.
At that time, Chunda and his relatives, sorrowfully weeping, circumambulated the Tathagata, burned incense, scattered flowers, and wholeheartedly made offerings to the Buddha with reverence. Then, together with the Bodhisattva Manjushri, they left their seats to prepare food offerings. Not long after the two of them departed, the earth trembled in six ways, extending even to the Brahma Heaven, which also shook in the same manner. There are two kinds of earth tremors: either an earth tremor or a great earth tremor. A small vibration is called an earth tremor; a great vibration is called a great earth tremor. A small sound is called an earth tremor; a great sound is called a great earth tremor. When only the earth shakes, it is called an earth tremor; when all mountains, rivers, trees, and the waters of the great ocean shake, it is called a great earth tremor. A vibration in one direction is called an earth tremor; a rotating vibration is called a great earth tremor. A mere shaking is called an earth tremor; when the shaking causes the minds of sentient beings also to tremble, it is called a great earth tremor. When a Bodhisattva first descends from Tusita Heaven into Jambudvipa, it is called a great earth tremor. From the time of birth, leaving home, attaining Supreme Perfect Enlightenment, turning the Dharma wheel, and entering Nirvana, it is called a great earth tremor. Today, because the Tathagata is about to enter Nirvana, the earth trembles so greatly.
At that time, the heavenly beings, dragons, Gandharvas, Asuras, Garudas, Kinnaras, Mahoragas, humans, and non-humans, having heard these words, were filled with fear and, together, wept in sorrow and spoke this verse:
We bow our heads and pay homage to the World-Honored One.
We respectfully request You:
If the Buddha leaves us,
There will be absolutely no one to save us.
When the Buddha enters Nirvana,
We will sink into the ocean of suffering.
We are filled with sorrow and grief,
Like calves that have lost their mother.
Poor and without anyone to help,
Like a person gravely ill,
Without a skilled physician to care for them,
Eating things that should not be eaten.
Sentient beings suffer from the illness of afflictions,
Always harmed by wrong views.
Having separated from the Medicine King,
They consume false medicines mixed with poison.
Therefore, we ask the World-Honored One
Not to manifest departure from us,
Like water without a king,
Where the people suffer hunger and thirst.
We are also like this,
Having lost the shade of shelter and the taste of Dharma.
Now hearing that the Buddha enters Nirvana,
Our minds become confused and disturbed.
Like the earth trembling,
Losing all directions,
When the World-Honored One enters Nirvana,
The Buddha’s sun falls away.
The waters of Dharma will all dry up;
We surely will perish.
When the Tathagata enters Nirvana,
Sentient beings will suffer greatly.
Like the son of a wealthy elder
Who suddenly loses both father and mother,
When the Buddha enters Nirvana,
He will never return again.
We and all sentient beings
Will have no one to save us.
When the World-Honored One enters Nirvana,
Even including the beings among animals.
All are filled with fear,
The suffering burning their hearts.
Today, how could we
Not feel sorrow and pain?
The Tathagata manifests the abandonment of His body,
Like discarding phlegm and saliva.
Like the newly risen sun,
Its light shines brilliantly.
Having already been able to illuminate itself,
It also removes all darkness.
The Buddha’s light and supernatural powers
Remove our suffering and distress.
The Buddha among the great assembly
Is vast like Mount Sumeru.
Venerable World-Honored One! It is like a king who raises and nurtures his children, who have handsome appearances, and whom the king greatly loves. He first teaches them all skills until they become proficient, and then afterwards hands them over to the executioner to be killed. Venerable World-Honored One! Today we are the children of the Dharma King. We humbly ask the Tathāgata to teach and guide us so that we may fully possess right views; please do not abandon us. If the Buddha abandons us, then how would we be any different from those princes? We earnestly hope that the Buddha will remain in the world for a long time and not enter Nirvāṇa.
Venerable World-Honored One! It is like someone who has mastered all treatises and then becomes fearful of those very treatises. The Tathāgata is the same: having fully understood all dharmas, He is nevertheless fearful of those dharmas. If the Tathāgata remains in the world for a long time and teaches the Dharma nectar so that all may be completely nourished by it, then such sentient beings will no longer fear falling into the hell realms.
Venerable World-Honored One! It is like someone who has just learned a trade and is arrested by an official and imprisoned. Someone asks: “What is it like being in there?” That person replies: “I am suffering extremely; if only I could be released, how happy I would be.” The World-Honored One is also like this. For our sake, You have practiced ascetic hardships. Today, we still have not escaped the suffering of birth and death, so how could the Tathāgata be joyful?
Venerable World-Honored One! It is like a great physician who understands all medicines thoroughly and teaches the secret skills of his profession only to his own son, while not teaching the other students. The Tathāgata is also like this, teaching only the profound, wondrous, and secret Dharma treasury to Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī, while disregarding us, showing no concern or compassion for us. We ask that the Tathāgata not be stingy with the Dharma, and not be like that physician who favored only his own son and did not teach the other students. That physician did not teach all his students because his mind still contained distinctions of superiority and inferiority, and thus he treasured his secret prescriptions. The Tathāgata’s mind is completely free from notions of superior and inferior; why then do You not teach all of us? We humbly ask the Tathāgata to remain in the world for a long time and not enter Nirvāṇa.
Venerable World-Honored One! It is like elderly people, children, and the sick, who do not know the safe path and travel on a dangerous and difficult road, enduring much suffering. Another person sees this, feels compassion, and points out a good, level road for them. Venerable World-Honored One! We are also like this. The young represent those who have not yet increased their Dharma body; the elderly represent those whose afflictions are still deep and heavy; the sick represent those who have not yet escaped birth and death; the dangerous road represents the twenty-five existences. We humbly ask the World-Honored One to show us the true path of Dharma nectar, to remain in the world for a long time, and not enter Nirvāṇa.
At that time, the World-Honored One said to the monks:
“Monks! Do not cry and grieve like ordinary beings, devas, and humans. Strive diligently and energetically, and maintain mindful awareness.”
The devas, humans, asuras, and others, upon hearing the Buddha’s teaching, no longer cried, like a person who has completed the funeral procession for their child and then no longer weeps.
At that time, the Tathāgata spoke verses for the great assembly:
You all must be wise and clear,
Do not be excessively sorrowful.
The Dharma of all Buddhas is thus;
Therefore, remain silent.
Delight in the practice of non-negligence,
Always maintain mindful awareness.
Stay far away from all improper dharmas,
And peacefully attain joy.
Furthermore, O monks! If you have any doubts, now ask them all. Regarding all dharmas: emptiness and non-emptiness; permanence and impermanence; suffering and non-suffering; dependence and non-dependence; going and not going; returning and not returning; eternality and non-eternality; cessation and permanence; sentient beings and non-sentient beings; existence and non-existence; reality and falsity; truth and non-truth; extinction and non-extinction; secrecy and non-secrecy; duality and non-duality—if you have any doubts, now you should ask. The Tathāgata will respond accordingly and eliminate your doubts. First, I will explain to you the Dharma nectar of liberation, and afterwards I will enter Nirvāṇa.
Monks! It is difficult for a Buddha to appear in the world; it is difficult to obtain a human body; it is difficult to encounter a Buddha and give rise to faith; it is difficult to endure what is difficult to endure; it is even more difficult to perfectly accomplish the precepts without any deficiencies and attain the fruit of an Arhat, like searching for the Udumbara flower in golden sand. Monks! It is difficult to avoid the eight difficulties and obtain a human body. You have already encountered the Tathāgata; do not allow this opportunity to pass in vain. In the past, the Tathāgata practiced many forms of austerity, and only now has attained such unsurpassed skillful means. Throughout immeasurable kalpas, for your sake, I have given up my body, life, limbs, head, eyes, marrow, and brain. Therefore, you must not be negligent.
Monks! How should one adorn the jeweled city of the true Dharma, complete with countless precious jewels of merit and virtue? Use morality, concentration, and wisdom as its walls and moats. You have now encountered the jeweled city of the Buddha’s Dharma; do not gather worthless objects. It is like a merchant who encounters a city of jewels but only takes tiles and bricks home. You are also like this: having encountered the jeweled city of the Buddha’s Dharma, you only cling to false and unreal teachings.
Monks! Do not maintain a lowly mind and consider it sufficient. Today, although you have already gone forth from home, you do not delight in the Mahāyāna Dharma. Monks! Although your bodies wear the faded-colored robes of the kāṣāya, your minds have not yet been nourished by the pure Mahāyāna Dharma. Although you go everywhere seeking alms, you have never sought the food of the Mahāyāna Dharma. Although you have shaved away your beards and hair, you have not yet eradicated the bonds and defilements for the sake of the true Dharma.
Monks! Today I will sincerely teach and instruct you. The great assembly of disciples of the Tathāgata is presently harmonious, and the true nature of the Tathāgata’s Dharma is genuine and free from distortion. Therefore, you must diligently gather and preserve your minds, courageously eliminate the bonds and defilements. Otherwise, when the sun of wisdom possessing the ten powers has set, you will be covered by ignorance.
Monks! It is like medicinal herbs in the mountains and forests, growing upon the earth for sentient beings to use. The Dharma of the Tathāgata is also like this: it produces the wondrous taste of Dharma nectar, serving as a good medicine to cure all kinds of afflictions of sentient beings.
Today, I will cause all sentient beings and my fourfold assembly of disciples to abide within the secret Dharma treasury. I too will abide within it and enter Nirvāṇa.
What is called the secret Dharma treasury? It is like the three dots of the letter “Yi” (伊). If the three dots are arranged horizontally, they cannot form the letter Yi; if they are arranged vertically in a straight line, they also cannot form it. They must be like the three eyes on the face of Maheśvara in order to become the three-dot letter Yi. If arranged otherwise, they cannot become it. The Tathāgata is also like this: the Dharma of liberation alone is not Nirvāṇa; the body of the Tathāgata alone is not Nirvāṇa; great prajñā alone is not Nirvāṇa. The three dharmas being separate from one another also do not constitute Nirvāṇa. Now I abide in these three dharmas, and for the sake of sentient beings, I speak of them as Nirvāṇa in this world, like the letter Yi.
At that time, upon hearing that the Buddha, the World-Honored One, had determined to enter Nirvāṇa, all the monks became sorrowful, their bodies trembled with fear, tears flowed abundantly, they bowed their heads and paid homage at the Buddha’s feet, circumambulated the Buddha countless times, and then said:
O World-Honored One! You have skillfully taught impermanence, suffering, emptiness, and non-self. O Tathāgata! Just as among the footprints of all beings, the footprint of the elephant is the largest, so too the contemplation of impermanence is the foremost among all contemplative practices. If there is someone who diligently cultivates it, they can eliminate all desire and attachment in the Desire Realm; attachment, ignorance, arrogance, and the perception of impermanence in the Form Realm and Formless Realm.
O World-Honored One! If the Tathāgata has already completely abandoned the perception of impermanence, then today You should not enter Nirvāṇa. But if You have not completely abandoned it, then why do You teach the practice of contemplating impermanence in order to abandon attachment, ignorance, arrogance, and the perception of impermanence within the three realms?
O World-Honored One! Just as a farmer, in autumn, plows deeply and harrows the fields thoroughly, thereby removing harmful weeds, so too is the contemplation of impermanence. It can eliminate all desire and attachment in the Desire Realm; attachment, ignorance, arrogance, and the perception of impermanence in the Form Realm and Formless Realm.
O World-Honored One! Just as among all methods of plowing, plowing in autumn is the best, and among all footprints, the elephant’s footprint is the greatest, so among all contemplative practices, the contemplation of impermanence is supreme.
O World-Honored One! Just as a king, knowing that his life is about to end, pardons all prisoners throughout the land so that everyone may be free, and only then passes away, today the Tathāgata is likewise. You save sentient beings, enabling them to escape all prisons of ignorance and delusion, and only afterward enter Nirvāṇa. Today, we have not yet been liberated. Why does the Tathāgata wish to abandon us and enter Nirvāṇa?
O World-Honored One! Just as a person possessed by a demon encounters a skilled Dharma master, and through the marvelous power of a mantra is immediately freed from possession, so too is the Tathāgata. For the sake of the Śrāvaka disciples, You eliminate the demon of ignorance, enabling them to abide in the great Prajñā, liberation, and other Dharma teachings, just like the letter “Y” in the world.
O World-Honored One! Just as a fragrant elephant is bound by people, although there may be a skilled trainer, it cannot be controlled. It breaks the ropes binding it and goes according to its own will. We have not yet reached such a state of being free from the bondage of the fifty-seven kinds of afflictions. Why does the Tathāgata wish to abandon us and enter Nirvāṇa?
O World-Honored One! Just as a person suffering from malaria meets a good physician and the suffering of illness disappears, so too are we. We are afflicted by many illnesses of wrong livelihood and burning suffering. Although we have encountered the Tathāgata, our illness has not yet ended, and we have not yet attained the supreme, lasting peace and joy. Why does the Tathāgata wish to abandon us and enter Nirvāṇa?
O World-Honored One! Just as a drunk person loses all awareness, not knowing relatives or strangers, mother or child, sister or brother, becoming sexually confused and deluded, speaking nonsense, and lying down in filthy excrement. At that time, a good physician gives them medicine to counteract the effects of the alcohol, causing them to vomit it all out. Afterwards, they awaken, become extremely ashamed, and blame themselves, realizing that alcohol is the root of many evils, and that if one can abandon alcohol, one can avoid many faults.
O World-Honored One! We are also like this. From beginningless time until now, we have wandered in birth and death, intoxicated by forms and desires, attached to the five pleasures. We regarded what was not a mother as a mother, what was not a sister as a sister, what was not a daughter as a daughter, and what was not sentient beings as sentient beings. Therefore, we have continued to revolve through the suffering of samsaric birth and death, like that drunk person lying among filthy excrement. The Tathāgata has given us the medicine of Dharma so that we may completely eliminate the evil intoxication of afflictions, yet our minds have still not awakened. Why does the Tathāgata wish to abandon us and enter Nirvāṇa?
O World-Honored One! Just as praising the banana tree as being solid and strong is impossible, so too are sentient beings. If one praises self, person, sentient being, lifespan, nurturer, knower and seer, doer, and experiencer as truly existing, this is also impossible. Our cultivation of the contemplation of non-self is likewise.
O World-Honored One! Just as stagnant water cannot be used, this body is also like that: without self, without ownership. O World-Honored One! Just as the seven-leaf flower has no fragrance, this body too is without self and without ownership. We constantly cultivate contemplation of non-self in this way.
As the Buddha taught: “All phenomena have no self and no possession of self. Monks, you should cultivate this. Having cultivated in this way, you will eliminate the pride of self; having abandoned the pride of self, you will enter Nirvāṇa.”
O World-Honored One! Just as a bird’s footprint remaining in empty space is impossible, so too is it impossible for someone who truly cultivates the contemplation of non-self to still possess wrong views.
At that time, the World-Honored One praised the monks:
“Excellent! Excellent! You have skillfully cultivated the contemplation of non-self.”
The monks all said to the Buddha:
“O World-Honored One! We not only cultivate the contemplation of non-self, but also cultivate other contemplations, such as contemplation of suffering, contemplation of impermanence, and contemplation of non-self. O World-Honored One! Just as a drunk person, staggering from intoxication, sees mountains, rivers, earth, stones, grass, trees, palaces, houses, the sun, and moon all spinning around. O World-Honored One! A person who does not cultivate the contemplations of suffering, impermanence, and non-self cannot be called a noble person. Such a person is greatly negligent and continues to wander in birth and death. O World-Honored One! For this reason, we diligently cultivate these contemplations.”
At that time, the Buddha said to the monks:
“Listen carefully, listen carefully! Earlier, when you explained the example of the drunk person, you only understood the words but had not yet understood the true meaning. What is this true meaning? Just as the drunk person sees the sun and moon, which are not actually spinning, yet perceives them as spinning, so too are sentient beings. Covered by the afflictions of ignorance, they give rise to inverted thoughts: taking self to be non-self, permanence to be impermanence, purity to be impurity, and happiness to be suffering. This is because they are covered by afflictions. Although they think in this way, they do not understand the true meaning, just as the drunk person mistakes what is not spinning for something spinning.
Self is the meaning of Buddha. Permanence is the meaning of the Dharma Body. Bliss is the meaning of Nirvāṇa. Purity is the meaning of Dharma.
O monks! Why say that one who perceives the existence of self is arrogant, conceited, and trapped in birth and death? If you say that you also cultivate the contemplations of impermanence, suffering, and non-self, then cultivating these three does not possess the true meaning. I will now explain the three superior practices of cultivation.
Taking suffering as happiness and happiness as suffering is an inverted Dharma. Taking impermanence as permanence and permanence as impermanence is an inverted Dharma. Taking non-self as self and self as non-self is an inverted Dharma. Taking impurity as purity and purity as impurity is an inverted Dharma.
There are these four kinds of inverted views, and such a person does not know how to cultivate correctly. Monks, you dwell in suffering yet perceive it as happiness; in impermanence yet perceive it as permanence; in non-self yet perceive it as self; in impurity yet perceive it as purity.
In the world there are also permanence, bliss, self, and purity; in the transcendent realm there are also permanence, bliss, self, and purity. Worldly teachings have words but no meaning; transcendent teachings have both words and meaning.
Why? Worldly teachings have the four inverted views and therefore do not know meaning. Why? Because they possess inverted perceptions, inverted minds, and inverted views. Due to these three inversions, worldly people perceive happiness as suffering, permanence as impermanence, self as non-self, and purity as impurity; therefore they are called inverted.
Because of inversion, worldly people know only words but do not know meaning.
What is this meaning? Non-self is samsara; Self is the Tathāgata. Impermanence is the Śrāvakas and Pratyekabuddhas; permanence is the Tathāgata’s Dharma Body. Suffering is all non-Buddhist paths; bliss is Nirvāṇa. Impurity is conditioned phenomena; purity is the true Dharma of the Tathāgata and Bodhisattvas.
This is called non-inversion. Because there is no inversion, one knows both words and meaning. If you wish to depart from the four inverted views, you should understand permanence, bliss, self, and purity in this way.”
At that time, the monks said to the Buddha:
“O World-Honored One! As the World-Honored One has taught, if one abandons the four inversions, one understands permanence, bliss, self, and purity. The Tathāgata has completely eliminated these four inversions, meaning that You understand permanence, bliss, self, and purity. If You already understand permanence, bliss, self, and purity, why does the World-Honored One not remain in the world for another kalpa or half a kalpa to guide us, enabling us to abandon the four inversions, but instead abandon us and enter Nirvāṇa?
If we were able to receive the Tathāgata’s compassionate instruction, we would wholeheartedly accept it and cultivate it. But if the World-Honored One enters Nirvāṇa, how can we remain together with this poisonous body and cultivate the holy life? We also wish to follow the Buddha, the World-Honored One, into Nirvāṇa.”
At that time, the Buddha said to the monks:
“You should not speak in this way. Today, all the unsurpassed true Dharma has already been entrusted by Me to Great Kāśyapa. Great Kāśyapa will become the great refuge and support for you. Just as the Tathāgata is the refuge for all sentient beings, Great Kāśyapa will likewise be your refuge.
For example, when a great king governs many affairs and travels on inspection, he entrusts all affairs of the kingdom to a great minister. Likewise, the Tathāgata entrusts all true Dharma to Great Kāśyapa.
You should know this: first, you must cultivate the contemplation of impermanence and understand that suffering is not true.
For example, in springtime, many people take boats and play on a great lake. A lapis lazuli jewel falls into the deep water. At that time, everyone jumps into the water together to search for the jewel. They compete to pick up tiles, stones, grass, wood, sand, and gravel, and each person believes they have obtained the lapis lazuli jewel. Happily holding it above the water, they then realize it is not the jewel.
At that time, the precious jewel remains in the water. Through the power of the jewel, the water becomes clear and settled. Then everyone sees the precious jewel beneath the water, like seeing the reflection of the moon in the sky. At this time, a wise person among them gently and gradually dives down and retrieves the jewel.
O monks! You should not, because you cultivate the contemplations of impermanence, suffering, non-self, and impurity, take them to be the true meaning. This is like those people who picked up tiles, stones, grass, wood, sand, and gravel and thought they were precious jewels.
You should skillfully learn the methods and, wherever you are, constantly cultivate the contemplations of permanence, bliss, self, and purity. You must also understand that the characteristics of the four previous practices of cultivation are all inverted, and seek to attain the true contemplative practices, like the wise person who skillfully retrieved the precious jewel.
These are the contemplations of permanence, bliss, self, and purity.”
At that time, the bhikkhus addressed the Buddha:
“World-Honored One! Previously, the World-Honored One taught: ‘All dharmas are without self; you should cultivate this practice. Having cultivated in this way, you will be far removed from the notion of self; being far removed from the notion of self, you will be free from arrogance; and being free from arrogance, you will enter Nirvana.’ What is the meaning of this teaching?”
The Buddha said to the bhikkhus:
“Good! Good! Today you are skillful in asking about this meaning so that you may remove your doubts yourselves. It is like a king who lacks wisdom and intelligence, who trusts and grants many rewards to a physician who is foolish and deceitful. This physician uses only one kind of milk medicine to treat all illnesses, and does not know the causes of diseases. Although he knows milk medicine, he does not understand it thoroughly. Whether it is wind disease, cold disease, fever, or any other kind of illness, he tells everyone to drink milk. Such a king cannot distinguish whether that physician understands whether the milk medicine is good or bad, beneficial or harmful.
There was another physician who was skilled and wise, who fully understood the eight methods of healing, and knew various medicines for curing illnesses. He came from a distant land. At that time, the old physician refused to learn from him and instead became arrogant and looked down upon him. Then the skilled physician humbled himself and invited the other physician to become his teacher, asking about the secret methods of healing diseases, saying: ‘I now request that you become my teacher. I respectfully ask you to teach me.’
The old physician said: ‘You may serve and provide for me for forty-eight years; after that, I will teach you the methods of healing diseases.’
At that time, the skilled physician agreed and said: ‘I will do so, I will do so! According to my ability, I will provide for and serve you.’
Then the old physician and the new physician went together to meet the king. At that time, the new physician explained to the king the methods of treating diseases and his other abilities, saying: ‘Great King! Your Majesty should skillfully distinguish these methods. Only then can they be used to govern the country; such methods can be used to cure illnesses.’
When the king heard these words, he realized that the old physician was foolish and lacked wisdom, so he expelled him from the country. After that, the king greatly honored and respected the new physician.
At that time, the new physician thought: ‘I wish to teach and transform this king; today is the right time.’
He then said to the king: ‘Great King! Your Majesty greatly favors your servant. Your servant wishes to ask for one thing.’
The king replied: ‘From my right arm to all the other parts of my body, whatever you ask for, I will give you.’
The new physician said: ‘Although Your Majesty has promised to give me your entire body, I do not dare ask for much. I only request that Your Majesty order all the people in the kingdom from now on not to drink the milk medicine of the old physician anymore. Why? Because that medicine is poisonous and causes much harm. If anyone insists on drinking it, they shall be beheaded. Having abandoned the milk medicine, no one will ever again suffer an unjust death, and all will constantly dwell in peace and happiness. Therefore, I make this request.’
The king replied: ‘What you request is insignificant.’
Then the king ordered that all people in the country who were ill must no longer use milk as medicine; whoever used it as medicine would be beheaded.
At that time, the physician mixed together various flavors such as pungent, bitter, salty, sweet, and sour to make different medicines, using them to treat diseases, and there was no illness that could not be cured.
Not long afterward, the king became ill and said to the physician: ‘I am now seriously ill. I suffer greatly and may die. How should I be treated?’
The physician examined the king’s illness and knew that the king’s condition required milk medicine. He then said to the king: ‘Your Majesty’s illness requires drinking milk medicine. Previously, when I advised Your Majesty to prohibit drinking milk, that was a great falsehood. Now, if Your Majesty drinks milk, it is very likely that the illness can be cured. At present, Your Majesty suffers from an internal heat disorder and needs to drink milk.’
At that time, the king said to the physician: ‘Are you insane today or have you lost your mind, saying that drinking milk can eliminate this illness? Previously you said milk was poisonous; why do you now tell me to drink it? Do you wish to deceive me? The former physician praised milk as good, and you said it was poisonous, causing me to drive him away. Today you say milk is very good and can cure illness. According to your words, my former physician must certainly be superior to you.’
Then the new physician said to the king: ‘Great King, you should not speak in this way. It is like a termite eating wood and accidentally forming a character. The termite does not know whether it has formed a written character or not. A wise person, seeing this, would never say that the termite knows how to write, nor would they be surprised.
Great King! The former physician was like this. He could not distinguish among diseases and gave milk to everyone, just as a termite’s path through wood accidentally forms a character. The former physician did not know whether milk medicine was good or bad, beneficial or harmful.’
At that time, the king asked: ‘Why did he not know?’
The new physician replied: ‘This milk medicine is both harmful and also nectar-like. Why is this milk called nectar? If this cow does not eat fermented grain residue, slippery grass, or husks; if its calf is healthy and beautiful; if its living place is neither on high ground nor in a damp area; if it drinks clean water; if it is not allowed to run about; if it is not kept together with bulls; if it is fed and cared for properly, and its movements are appropriate, then its milk can cure illnesses. This is called the wondrous nectar medicine. Apart from such milk, all other kinds of milk are harmful.
At that time, after hearing these words, the king praised the physician, saying: ‘Good! Good! Only today have I come to know the good and bad, beneficial and harmful qualities of milk medicine.’
The king then drank it and recovered from his illness.
At that time, the king ordered all the people in the country that from now on they should drink milk medicine. The people heard this and became extremely angry. They said among themselves: ‘Today the king has been possessed by demons or has gone mad. Why does he deceive us and tell us to drink milk?’
All the people became angry and gathered before the king.
The king said: ‘You should not be angry with me. Whether this milk medicine should be drunk or not is the physician’s teaching, not my fault.’
At that time, the king and the people were all greatly delighted. Together they respectfully made offerings to the physician many times greater than before. All illnesses were cured through drinking milk medicine.
Bhikkhus, you should know! The Tathagata, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly Enlightened One, Perfect in Wisdom and Conduct, Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed One, Tamer and Trainer, Teacher of Gods and Humans, Buddha, World-Honored One, is likewise so. He is the Great King of Physicians who appears in the world, subduing all false physicians of the non-Buddhist paths. Among kings, He declares:
‘I am the King of Physicians who will subdue the non-Buddhist paths. Therefore, I teach that there is no self, no person, no sentient being, no life span, no sustainer, no knower, no doer, and no experiencer.’
Bhikkhus, you should know! The evil thing that the non-Buddhists call the self is merely like a termite accidentally forming a character by eating wood. Therefore, the Tathagata teaches in the Buddha Dharma that there is no self in order to discipline and transform sentient beings. Knowing the appropriate time, He teaches ‘no self.’ Because of causes and conditions, He also teaches that there is a self.
It is like that great physician who skillfully knew whether milk was good medicine or not medicine. The Tathagata is likewise so. For the sake of sentient beings, He teaches that within all dharmas there is a true self.
All four assemblies should cultivate this teaching.”