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Sūtra 54 (posted 03/2016, updated 10/2016) Book information on Home page
fascicle 1 fascicle 2 fascicle 3 fascicle 4
Then the Brahma-King Śikhin, the ruler of this Sahā World, emitted vast radiance to illuminate the city of Śrāvastī. Single-mindedly he joined his palms and bowed down at the Buddha’s feet. After making offerings to the Tathāgata and Aṅgulimāla, he spoke in verse:
Amazing! Today I have seen a great battle, like a battle between two ferocious lions.
Amazing! The Tathāgata, the tamer of men, the teacher of gods and humans, has well tamed Aṅgulimāla.
As an analogy, when a venomous snake sees a mantra master, it spews venom.
But he has no fear and tames it to make it quiet.
Likewise the great master in the Three Realms of Existence
Has tamed the atrocious Aṅgulimāla.
I now bow down to the physician of the Three Realms of Existence, whose great spiritual power is inconceivable.
I now bow down to the sovereign king, whose establishings are extraordinary.
He has established Aṅgulimāla in the Dharma.
Because there is no analogy for His utmost excellent works, He is called the beyond-analogy honored one.
Now Aṅgulimāla does excellent karmas and tamely abides in the precepts and extreme quietness.
His body and mind are stable and fearless,
Just as one’s true nature is golden,
Like the pure and wonderful Jambūnada gold.[1]
I pray that the Tathāgata, out of pity, will accept my offerings
And command Aṅgulimāla to don a celestial garment,
So that I will attain great bodhi.
When he dons this robe to protect his Brahma way of life,
His ultimate pure mind will remain motionless.
Aṅgulimāla said to the Brahma-king, “Who are you, speaking these superfluous divisive words? Your saying that Aṅgulimāla should don your robe to practice the Brahma way of life for a long time is an insult. You are an evil Brahma god, not an image of Brahmā. You, a mosquito, mention Brahma. What is meant by Brahma? What is meant by worldly Brahma karma? Why would I don a mosquito’s garment to practice the Brahma way of life? Nor would I be a servant, take others’ orders, or be a debtor. As a trapeze flyer quickly flies to and fro in the sky, likewise you, a puny mosquito, after enjoying the pleasures in your Brahma heaven, will fall to this human world. You do not know the true merit of a Bodhisattva’s rebirth here, but take non-dharma as dharma. Gods like you are unaware of the deluded turning of the wheel of birth and death. Alas, Brahma-King, do you truly know good versus evil? You say that Aṅgulimāla has done huge evil karmas. How do you, a mosquito, an evil Brahma, know that? You should learn to take Bodhisattva actions.”
The Brahma-king answered, “You killed nine hundred ninety-nine people, short of a thousand by only one. I see that you are still aggressive. Even an eagle or vulture dares not come near you. If you are not an aggressive one, where can a truly aggressive one be found? If you are not an evil māra, where can a truly evil māra be found? Aṅgulimāla, do not abandon self-restraint but use skillful means to obliterate your evil karmas. Very good! The Tathāgata has truly great compassion, which can deliver even atrocious sentient beings, such as Aṅgulimāla.”
Aṅgulimāla said to the Brahma-king, “Evil Brahma mosquito, where will you go? Where will you go round and round in confusion? You do not know that evil sentient beings, after death, go down evil life-paths. As an analogy, someone goes to a forest at night. He sees fireflies on the trees and is terrified. He returns to the city and tells others, ‘That forest is burning.’ Then people go there and see fireflies, not a fire. It is the same with you, an evil Brahma god. You declare, ‘I am deluded,’ to deceive yourself and others. Later on, you and others will come to know that one’s delusion is illusory. As an analogy, a deluded man goes to a forest. When he sees the [red] flowers of the aśoka trees,[2] he takes them as fire. He returns to the city and tells others, ‘That forest is burning.’ Then people go there and see that there is no fire. It is the same with you, a puny mosquito. Later on, you and others will come to know that good and evil are illusory. Do not speak such untrue words again. You should keep quiet and not tell lies.”
Then the four world-protecting god-kings came to the Buddha. After making great offerings to the Buddha and Aṅgulimāla, they spoke to them in verse:
Amazing! So extraordinary!
Today the hero of this world fought a great battle.
He answered questions about the highest truth [paramārtha]
And used wisdom light to dispel the darkness of ignorance.
Amazing! The tamer of men, the unsurpassed teacher of gods and humans,
Because of His immeasurable power, is called the Tathāgata.
He is the foremost padma [red lotus flower], completely pure and soft,
Untainted by dust or water.
Hence we bow down to the Buddha’s feet and take refuge in Him.
Single-mindedly we ask Him to grant our request for Aṅgulimāla to accept and use our bowl.
Now Aṅgulimāla is excellent, like the moon in the sky.
He is stately, and his observance of the precepts is perfect.
Aṅgulimāla said to the four world-protecting god-kings, “What kind of mosquitoes or small insects are you? Because you protect the world, you exalt yourselves. Your saying that you will give me a celestial bowl as alms is an insult. Although you now see my tribulations, you soon will see yourselves holding pottery vessels. Why do you use a luxurious bowl and call yourselves renowned world protectors? He who is called a world protector claims that he can tame evil ones. Actually, whoever is called a protector protects the true Dharma [saddharma], not the world. As an analogy, someone hears the sound of a kañjala [hill myna] and sees its shape. Then he sees a crow and gets confused. He keeps calling it ‘kañjala, kañjala.’ It is the same with you. You take non-dharma as dharma and safeguard it, just like that person who sees a crow and calls it kañjala. You should protect the Dharma, not the world. You four mosquito god-kings should keep quiet.”
Then Pāpīyān, the evil māra-king, came to the Buddha. After making offerings to the Buddha, he stood aside and spoke to Aṅgulimāla in verse:
You should quickly renounce family life as a hoax and enter my city.
I do not care about you but will let you evade naraka [hell].
Aṅgulimāla answered in verse:
Go far away, thieving dog māra, who speaks like a fearless mosquito.
Before you are bound by five fetters, Pāpīyān, quickly go away.
Do not force me to instantly kick a vile dog with my left foot.
When I realize the emptiness of dharmas and that they have no self, I will freely visit [celestial] palaces.
As a golden-winged garuḍa-king dwells atop Mount Sumeru
And observes dragons frolicking in the vast ocean,
Likewise a Bodhisattva dwells above hell,
Joyfully drinks the water of liberation, and observes suffering sentient beings.
You thieving dog māra should keep quiet and intently listen to the Dharma like drinking sweet dew,
Then return to heaven and do whatever you want.
Then the Brahma-king Maheśvara made great offerings to the Tathāgata and Aṅgulimāla and stood aside. With joy and respect, he praised in verse:
I now bow down at the feet of the World-Honored One, and speak stanzas with joy and respect.
The Tathāgata’s sublime physical body is like an utpala [blue lotus flower].
His white teeth are like a kumuda [white lotus flower], and his pure eyes are like thousand-petaled flowers.
His wisdom is taint free, purer than a puṇḍarīka [large white lotus flower].
Amazing! Aṅgulimāla is excellent and so extraordinary.
Although abiding on the ground of ordinary beings, he has tamed that māra.
He will quickly attain saṁbodhi [true enlightenment] and rescue all in the world.
Aṅgulimāla answered in verse:
On what lowly life-path are you, falsely calling yourself Maheśvara?
Īśvara [lord] is a false name because you are not truly a sovereign king.
How do you know whether I abide on the ground of ordinary beings?
Long-toothed piśāca, quickly answer my question.
Suppose that a mange victim with an unsightly body
Widely prescribes for the world the cure for mange.
Unable to cure his own disease, how can he cure others’ diseases?
Likewise is a puny mosquito’s delusion.
If you do not know your true nature, how can you know others’ minds
And say that Aṅgulimāla abides on the ground of ordinary beings?
You should not be empowered to be a sovereign king.
To see [this problem], the ignorant should keep quiet.
Then the god of the tree under which the Tathāgata sat, saw Aṅgulimāla, and respect and faith rose in her heart. She praised in verse:
Come quickly, Aṅgulimāla, the brave, wise, and firm one.
I ask you to don the Dharma robe, and I will offer you your first meal.
Giving alms to you and the Tathāgata will bring me the highest fruit.
Aṅgulimāla answered in verse:
The Tathāgata has never eaten anything, nor have the voice-hearers.
To whom are you giving alms?
Speak quickly to resolve my doubts.
The tree god challenged him in verse:
As the Tathāgata regularly eats food, so too do voice-hearers.
If you firmly decide to renounce family life, you should not tell lies.
You should discard falsity and fawning, which are impure.
If one oversteps even one dharma, it becomes a lie.
Then one cannot transcend the world, but will do evil.
Aṅgulimāla answered in verse:
You are on a lowly life-path, and what do you want to do?
You should observe yourself because the Buddha speaks ill of women.
Who in the world tells lies, and who speaks the truth?
Who in the world is greedy for food, and who in the world falls ill and dies?
The Tathāgata possesses all the virtues of a vast self.[3]
If one says something that one cannot know, this is a lie.
If one does not eat food but claims that one does, this is a lie.
If one says that one does not understand veiled words, this is a lie.
If one has not even renounced family life, how can one accept the complete monastic precepts?
I do not overstep a single dharma, while you overstep countless dharmas.
Go quickly to the god of gods [the Buddha] to repent of your false speech.
The tree god challenged him in verse:
Why do you say that I am on a lowly life-path?
Not yet having discarded the way of a piśāca, how can you know that I am male or female?
Aṅgulimāla answered in verse:
As an analogy, a Wheel-Turning King possesses a jewel-adorned throne.
If a dog lies on it, even temporarily, it becomes impure.
You possess a lowly nature and live a life of convenience.
You assume a female body and indulge in the pleasures of the five desires.
You should use skillful means to quickly abandon your body, which is as lowly as a female dog’s body.
You should discard [your attachment to] male or female appearances, and train to realize the emptiness of dharmas.
Once you realize their emptiness, you will quickly acquire a man’s nature.
Then the venerable Śāriputra and Mahāmaudgalyāyana, like goose-kings, used their transcendental powers to soar across the sky. They came to the Buddha, bowed down at His feet, and stood aside. When they saw Aṅgulimāla, sympathetic joy rose in their hearts, and Mahāmaudgalyāyana praised in verse:
Outstanding! The brave and wise one excels in doing excellent karmas.
You should quickly follow the Buddha to renounce family life and observe the pure precepts.
Accompanied by those who practice the Brahma way of life, you can soar across the sky to Jetavana Park.
I pray that the Buddha will compassionately give you permission to renounce family life and accept the complete monastic precepts,
So that all in the world will look up to you.
As you soar in the sky like a goose-king, you will be radiant and pure like the full moon.
Aṅgulimāla asked in verse:
What are transcendental powers in the world, and what are their roots?
The one honored as possessing the foremost transcendental powers,
Speak quickly to resolve my doubts.
Mahāmaudgalyāyana answered in verse:
If one practices pure relinquishment, one often gives away shoes and vehicles as alms.
If a bhikṣu observes the pure precepts, he stays far away from dissipation.
For these two reasons, one quickly acquires transcendental powers.
Aṅgulimāla again spoke in verse:
Alas, Mahāmaudgalyāyana practices the way of a mosquito
And cannot discern the truly foremost transcendental powers.
Even a mosquito can fly across the sky, and the ignorant should keep quiet.
One should constantly practice benefiting oneself and others, and wish to bring others peace.
If one trains in these skillful means, one will quickly acquire superior transcendental powers.
One should comfort Dharma expounders and those who endure tribulations.
If one sacrifices one’s body to save and protect others, one will quickly acquire superior transcendental powers.
I now should take quick action to widely deliver sentient beings.
When I arrive at Jetavana Park, I will acquire great transcendental powers.
Limitless is the Mahāyāna!
Immeasurable and boundless are Tathāgatas!
After speaking these stanzas, Aṅgulimāla asked Śāriputra in verse:
Why is Śāriputra honored in the world as one with great wisdom?
Whence does wisdom arise?
Speak quickly to resolve my doubts.
Śāriputra answered in verse:
Faithful observance of the five precepts bring great wisdom.
After one’s death, wisdom always comes with one’s rebirth.
As one’s renown travels far, one’s wisdom remains motionless.
Aṅgulimāla again spoke in verse:
Praising that Tathāgatas are eternal brings one great wisdom.
The Buddha says that great wisdom enables one to expound the Dharma.
Alas, Śāriputra practices the way of a mosquito
And does not know the true meaning of wisdom.
Crude is a mosquito’s wisdom, and the ignorant should keep quiet.
Then the venerable Ānanda came to the Buddha. He bowed down at the Buddha’s feet and stood aside. When he saw Aṅgulimāla, sympathetic joy rose in his heart, and he praised in verse:
Very good! Aṅgulimāla is training to do excellent karmas.
I now express sympathetic joy over his mastering sūtras in the nine categories.[4]
Aṅgulimāla asked in verse:
The Tathāgata praises you as foremost in hearing much [of the Dharma].
What is meant by hearing much [of the Dharma], and whence does it arise?
Ānanda answered in verse:
Recite and study sūtras in the nine categories and, without stinginess, expound them to others.
From these practices, one hears much [of the Dharma], and one’s total retention of it is inconceivable.
Aṅgulimāla again spoke in verse:
Whoever praises that Tathāgatas are eternal
Is called foremost in hearing much [of the Dharma].
Alas, Ānanda practices the way of a mosquito
And does not know how to hear much [of the Dharma].
Crudity is what a mosquito upholds, and the ignorant should keep quiet.
Then the venerable Rāhula came to the Buddha. He bowed down at the Buddha’s feet and stood aside. When he saw Aṅgulimāla, sympathetic joy rose in his heart, and he praised in verse:
Very good! Aṅgulimāla is training to acquire excellent merits.
I now express sympathetic joy over his respecting the precepts.
Aṅgulimāla asked in verse:
The Tathāgata praises you as foremost in respecting the precepts.
What is meant by respecting the pure precepts?
You are the Buddha’s beloved son.
Speak quickly to resolve my doubts.
Rāhula answered in verse:
Intently and respectfully observe all precepts pronounced by the Buddha.
This is the foremost way to respect the precepts.
Aṅgulimāla again spoke in verse:
Saying that Tathāgatas are eternal
Is called the highest way to respect the precepts.
Alas, Rāhula practices the way of a mosquito
And does not know the truly foremost way to respect the precepts.
Crude is a mosquito’s respect, and the ignorant should keep quiet.
Then Aniruddha came to the Buddha. He bowed down at the Buddha’s feet and stood aside. When he saw Aṅgulimāla, sympathetic joy rose in his heart, and he praised in verse:
Amazing! Aṅgulimāla excels in doing excellent karmas.
I now express sympathetic joy over his soon acquiring the god eye.
Aṅgulimāla asked in verse:
The Tathāgata praises you as the one with the foremost god eye.
What is the god eye, and how is it acquired?
Speak quickly to resolve my doubts.
Aniruddha answered in verse:
Always give away bright lamps as alms and expound the Dharma to develop others.
From these practices, one acquires the god eye, to see faraway things hindrance free.
Aṅgulimāla again spoke in verse:
Diligently expounding the Tathāgata’s profound Dharma store by skillful means,
With full disclosure and without concealment, brings one the most excellent eye.
Alas, Aniruddha practices the way of a mosquito
And does not know the skillful means to acquire the god eye.
Crude is a mosquito’s eye, and the ignorant should keep quiet.
Then the venerable śramaṇa Dravya came to the Buddha. He bowed down at the Buddha’s feet and stood aside. When he saw Aṅgulimāla, sympathetic joy rose in his heart, and he praised in verse:
Amazing! Aṅgulimāla excels in doing excellent karmas.
I now express sympathetic joy over his training in enduring adversity.
Aṅgulimāla asked in verse:
How does one acquire the foremost endurance?
How does one’s endurance of adversity arise?
Speak quickly to resolve my doubts.
The śramaṇa Dravya answered in verse:
Whether one’s right arm is smeared with sandalwood [perfume] or one’s left hand is cut by a sharp knife,
If one’s mind remains equable and motionless, one’s foremost endurance arises.
Then one can endure superior self-restraint in the world.
Aṅgulimāla again spoke in verse:
If one reveals the Tathāgata store [tathāgata-garbha] to the world,
One can enable those who hold the wrong views to discard their self-view and train to realize that dharmas have no self.
One should declare that this is the Buddha’s true Dharma, so that they will not dread to hear it.
One should discard arrogance and attachment to one’s body and life, to widely expound the Tathāgata store.
This is called enduring superior self-restraint in the world.
Alas! The śramaṇa Dravya practices the way of a mosquito
And does not know the skillful means to acquire the highest endurance.
Even a mosquito can endure hunger, thirst, heat, cold, and pain.
Crude is a mosquito’s endurance, and the ignorant should keep quiet.
Then the venerable Pūrṇa-Maitrāyaṇīputra came to the Buddha. He bowed down at the Buddha’s feet and stood aside. When he saw Aṅgulimāla, sympathetic joy rose in his heart, and he praised in verse:
Very good! Aṅgulimāla is doing excellent karmas.
I express sympathetic joy over his comforting all sentient beings and expounding the Dharma.
Aṅgulimāla asked in verse:
The Tathāgata praises you as foremost in expounding the Dharma.
What is meant by expounding Dharma, and what is meant by knowing its meaning?
I pray that you will expound the Dharma to resolve my doubts.
Pūrṇa-Maitrāyaṇīputra answered in verse:
There are things never found by Buddhas and holy voice-hearers.
The truly enlightened one understands well what this means and widely expounds it to sentient beings.
[He said] “What does this stanza mean? It means that all past Buddhas delved into all dharmas by skillful means, and found neither the realm of sentient beings nor a self [ātman], a person, a sentient being, or an ever-lasting soul;[5] that all present and future Buddhas do delve and will delve into all dharmas by skill means, and do not and will not find these things; that all past, present, and future Pratyekabuddas and holy voice-hearers delved, do delve, and will delve into all dharmas by skillful means, and did not, do not, and will not find these things. Therefore, I tell sentient beings to discard [their perception of] the realm of sentient beings and [their imagination of] a self, a person, a sentient being, or an ever-lasting soul, because dharmas are empty and have no self. In this way I expound the Dharma.”
Aṅgulimāla said to Pūrṇa-Maitrāyaṇīputra, “Alas, Pūrṇa-Maitrāyaṇīputra practices the way of a mosquito and does not know how to expound the Dharma. Alas, an ignorant mosquito does not know that the Tathāgata’s teaching that dharmas have no self is a veiled teaching. It is like a moth throwing itself into the flame of the lamp of ignorance. Actually, what Buddha-Tathāgatas never find means that all past Buddha-Bhagavāns looked into all sentient beings by skillful means and did not find the absence of their Tathāgata store; that all present Buddha-Bhagavāns look into all sentient beings by skillful means and do not find the absence of their true self; that all future Buddhas will look into all sentient beings by skillful means and will not find the absence of their true nature; that all past, present, and future Pratyekabuddhas and holy voice-hearers looked, do look, and will look into all sentient beings by skillful means and did not, do not, and will not find the absence of their Tathāgata store. This is the true meaning of the Buddha’s stanza.
“Moreover, what Buddha-Tathāgatas never find means that all past Buddha-Tathāgatas delved, do delve, and will delve into all dharmas by skillful means, and did not, do not, and will not find a self imagined by the world to have various features, such as its size being that of a thumb, a grain of rice, a sesame seed, a wheat berry, or a mustard seed; its color being blue, yellow, red, or white; its shape being square, round, long, or short. Some say that one’s self is in one’s heart, or above or below one’s navel; some say that it is in one’s head, eyes, or body parts; some say that it permeates one’s body, like sweat; some say that it is constantly in peace and joy, and at rest. Such countless diverse, deluded thoughts are the worldly way to identify one’s self. All Buddhas, Pratyekabuddhas, and holy voice-hearers never find such a self, and the truly enlightened one explains this to sentient beings. This is the true meaning of the Tathāgata’s stanza, not what you just explained according to your deluded thinking.
“Moreover, what Buddha-Tathāgatas never find means that all past Buddha-Bhagavāns sought by skillful means and did not find the action of the Tathāgata store, because the Tathāgata in every sentient being by nature has no action, but has immeasurable purity and majesty and countless good characteristics; that all present Buddha-Bhagavāns seek by skillful means and do not find the action of one’s Tathāgata store, because the Tathāgata in every sentient being by nature has no action, but has immeasurable purity and majesty and countless good characteristics; that all future Buddha-Bhagavāns will seek by skillful means and will not find the action of one’s Tathāgata store, because the Tathāgata in every sentient being by nature has no action, but has immeasurable purity and majesty and countless good characteristics.
“All past, present, and future Pratyekabuddhas and holy voice-hearers did not, do not, and will not see with their eyes the Tathāgata store in their bodies. There is a reason. For example, because Rāhula respects the precepts, when he observes pure water, he does not understand that he sees an insect [in the water]. He wonders whether it is an insect, not an insect, or a dust particle. After intently observing for a long time, he gradually comes to see the tiny insect as it is. It is the same with a Bodhisattva on the tenth ground.[6] When he observes his true nature in his body, he entertains countless different views of this nature. Because it is hard to enter one’s Tathāgata store, it is hard to comfort a Dharma expounder. In the blazingly evil world, not sparing his body or life, he expounds the Tathāgata store to sentient beings. Therefore, I say that Bodhisattva-Mahāsattvas, who are heroes among men, are [virtually] Tathāgatas.
“Aniruddha possesses the foremost god eye, and truly and clearly sees bird tracks in the sky, which cannot be seen by those who possess only the physical eye. However, they believe that Aniruddha sees bird tracks [in the sky]. Likewise Pratyekabuddhas, voice-hearers, and ordinary beings with the physical eye believe that they have the Tathāgata store because it is stated in the Buddha’s sūtras. How can they see their Buddha nature [Buddha-dhātu or Buddha-gotra] as Buddhas do? Even Pratyekabuddhas and holy voice-hearers come to believe it because of their trust in a source. How can ordinary beings, like the born blind, know [their Tathāgata store] on their own without learning about it from others?
“I heard from a past Buddha that in the initial kalpa of this world, the earth contained four flavors. Those who tasted these four flavors then still eat dirt now, because they do not abandon their longtime practice. It is the same with those who trained under past Tathāgatas to observe their Tathāgata store. Because of their longtime training, they now still believe it with delight and train through the long night to requite the Tathāgatas’ kindness. When they hear about one’s Tathāgata store from a future Dharma expounder, they will also believe it with delight. Those who believe [in one’s Tathāgata store] with delight are the Tathāgata’s sons and will requite His kindness.
“As an analogy, since the distant past, an owl has had no sense of shame and has never requited its mother’s kindness. Even now, it never abandons its longtime habit. It is the same with sentient beings. Because in their past lives they had no sense of shame and no sense of dishonor, they continue in this way from the past to the present, and to the future. Likewise, because they did not believe it with delight when they heard about one’s Tathāgata store, they continue in this way from the past to the present, and to the future.
“As an analogy, an ugly monkey is constantly in fear, and its mind is restless, like raging waves. Because its past habit, it continues to be restless. It is the same with sentient beings, whose minds were, are, and will be restless in the past, present, and future. When they hear about one’s Tathāgata store, they do not believe it with delight.
“As a horned owl that sees better by night than by day prefers dark to light, likewise sentient beings prefer evil to good and, throughout past, present, and future, do not delight in seeing a Buddha or believing in one’s Tathāgata store. Because a person has acquired the wrong views through the long night and is attached to the wrong doctrines of those on the wrong paths, he now does not abandon his past habit. It is the same with those who have long studied the veiled teaching that dharmas have no self. Like a fool attached to the wrong doctrines, throughout past, present, and future, they do not understand the secret teachings. When they hear about one’s Tathāgata store, they do not believe it with delight.
“Suppose that someone encountered Buddhas in the past, made offerings to Them, served Them, and heard about one’s Tathāgata store even as briefly as a finger snap. Because of this good karma, his faculties became skilled, and he enjoyed unrestricted wealth and rank. In this life, sentient beings like him also have skilled faculties and enjoy unrestricted wealth and rank. Because in the past they briefly heard about one’s Tathāgata store from Buddhas, when they hear about it in the future, they will believe it with delight and train according to the teachings heard. Their faculties will be skilled, their wealth and rank will be unrestricted, their body will be strong, their wisdom will be radiant, and their Brahma tones will be pure and loved by all. They will become a Wheel-Turning King, a prince, or a great minister. They will possess worthy virtues and be free from arrogance and conceit. They will conquer the need for sleep, and study and train diligently, never abandoning self-restraint. They will acquire other merits and will even become the god-king Śakra or one of the four world-protecting god-kings. Because of the merit they acquired by hearing about the Tathāgata store, their body will always be stable, free from illness and trouble. Their lifespan will be prolonged, and they will be loved and respected by all. They will fully hear the sweet-dew teaching that a Tathāgata constantly abides in the great parinirvāṇa, and firmly and stably abides in the world in accord with the worldly ways. They will know that a Tathāgata is not born from desire, but born to widely expound the Dharma to the world. Through the benefits of their wisdom and merit, wherever they will be reborn, they will be reborn into an excellent clan and family and have many children and grandchildren, and their parents will live long. Throughout past, present, and future, they will always enjoy all pleasures in heaven or in the human world, because they have heard that the Tathāgata store forever abides in every sentient being.
“If sentient beings on the five life-paths have missing limbs and undergo all kinds of suffering as they transmigrate through birth and death throughout past, present, and future, it is because they have slighted one’s Tathāgata store. If sentient beings serve Buddhas, and stay close and make offerings to Them, then they will come to hear about one’s Tathāgata store. If they accept it, believe it with delight, do not malign it, and truly comfort the [Dharma] expounder, know that they are [virtually] Tathāgatas. If sentient beings go against Buddhas, or malign one’s Tathāgata store when they hear about it, they burn away their [bodhi] seeds. Alas, pain, pain! The nonbelievers in the three time frames are so pitiable.
“In this way a Dharma expounder should give teachings and praise the truth of a Tathāgata’s eternity. If he does not do so, he abandons [the truth of] one’s Tathāgata store. This person should not sit on a lion throne. Like a caṇḍāla [outcaste], he should not ride a great king’s elephant.
“All Buddhas seek the birth of one’s Tathāgata store by skillful means and never find it, because no birth is Buddha nature, which exists in every sentient being, has countless excellent characteristics, and is pure and majestic. All Buddhas seek the untruth of one’s true nature by skillful means and never find it, because truth is one’s Buddha nature, which exists in every sentient being, has countless excellent characteristics, and is pure and majestic. All Buddhas seek the impermanence of one’s true nature by skillful means and never find it, because permanence is one’s Buddha nature, which exists in every sentient being, has countless excellent characteristics, and is pure and majestic. All Buddhas seek the instability of one’s Tathāgata store by skillful means and never find it, because stability is one’s Buddha nature, which exists in every sentient being, has countless excellent characteristics, and is pure and majestic. All Buddhas seek the change in one’s Tathāgata store by skillful means and never find it, because no change is one’s Buddha nature, which exists in every sentient being, has countless excellent characteristics, and is pure and majestic. All Buddhas seek the inquietude of one’s Tathāgata store by skillful means and never find it, because quietude is one’s Buddha nature, which exists in every sentient being, has countless excellent characteristics, and is pure and majestic. All Buddhas seek the destruction of one’s Tathāgata store by skillful means and never find it, because no destruction is one’s Buddha nature, which exists in every sentient being, has countless excellent characteristics, and is pure and majestic. All Buddhas seek the damage to one’s Tathāgata store by skillful means and never find it, because no damage is one’s Buddha nature, which exists in every sentient being, has countless excellent characteristics, and is pure and majestic. All Buddhas seek the illness of one’s Tathāgata store by skillful means and never find it, because no illness is one’s Buddha nature, which exists in every sentient being, has countless excellent characteristics, and is pure and majestic. All Buddhas seek the aging and death of one’s Tathāgata store by skillful means and never find them, because no aging and no death are one’s Buddha nature, which exists in every sentient being, has countless excellent characteristics, and is pure and majestic. All Buddhas seek the impurity of one’s Tathāgata store by skillful means and never find it, because purity is one’s Buddha nature, which exists in every sentient being, has countless excellent characteristics, and is pure and majestic.
“As oil does not mix with water, likewise one’s Buddha nature never mixes with one’s afflictions, though one’s countless afflictions shroud one’s Tathāgata nature. Hence one’s Buddha nature abides in one’s afflictions, like a lamp contained in a bottle. When the bottle is broken, the lamp is revealed. The bottle means one’s afflictions, and the lamp means one’s Tathāgata store. An expounder of one’s Tathāgata store, whether a Tathāgata, a Bodhisattva, or a voice-hearer, with or without afflictions, expounds it according to his ability. Pūrṇa-Maitrāyaṇīputra, I say that such an expounder is a truly enlightened one, who can shatter the hearer’s bottle of a koṭi afflictions, enabling him to see his true nature, like seeing an āmra [mango] in his palm. As an analogy, when the sun or moon is covered by dense clouds, its light is obscured. When the clouds are removed, its radiance illuminates. It is the same with one’s Tathāgata store. When it is shrouded by one’s afflictions, it is unseen; when one’s afflictions are removed, its radiance illuminates everywhere. One’s Buddha nature is radiant and pure, like the sun or moon. Alas, Pūrṇa-Maitrāyaṇīputra practices the way of a mosquito and does not know how to expound the Dharma. He should quietly scurry away.
Then Sundara-Nanda[7] came to the Buddha. He bowed down at the Buddha’s feet and stood aside. When he saw Aṅgulimāla, sympathetic joy rose in his heart, and he praised in verse:
Very good! Aṅgulimāla is doing excellent karmas.
He should use skillful means to acquire a Tathāgata’s sublime physical body.
Aṅgulimāla asked in verse:
The World-Honored One praises your respectable looks as foremost.
What respectable looks are extraordinary?
What is the cause of one’s respectable looks?
Explain now to resolve my doubts.
Sundara-Nanda answered in verse:
Wash one’s hands and join ten fingers;
Bow down to a Buddha’s śarīras [relics];
Always make offerings to the ill.
From these practices, one acquires respectable looks.
Aṅgulimāla again spoke in verse:
As a Buddha’s [dharma] body has no tendons or bones, how can it produce śarīras?
Although a Tathagata is apart from śarīras, His dharma body [dharmakāya][8] possesses excellent skillful means.
He is inconceivable, because He enables nonbelievers to believe [in His teachings] with delight,
Using skillful means, He displays His śarīras.
Leaving śarīras behind by skillful means is the way of Buddhas.
The world has always made offerings to various images of
The Brahma-king Maheśvara, god-sons, and goddess-daughters.
Because they are not one’s refuge, one erects a memorial pagoda [stūpa] to enshrine a Buddha’s śarīras.
If sentient beings understand this skillful means,
Their applied wisdom-knowledge [jñāna] is the cause of their respectable looks.
What you just said is a deluded guess of the cause of one’s respectable looks.
Alas, Sundara-Nanda does not know the door to one’s respectable looks.
Even a mosquito has its looks, and the ignorant should keep quiet.
Then the venerable Upāli came to the Buddha. He bowed down at the Buddha’s feet and stood aside. When he saw Aṅgulimāla, sympathetic joy rose in his heart, and he praised in verse:
Amazing! Aṅgulimāla is doing excellent karmas.
I express sympathetic joy over his training to observe the pure Vinaya [rules of conduct].[9]
Aṅgulimāla asked in verse:
The Tathāgata praises you as foremost in upholding the Vinaya.
How does one uphold the Vinaya?
Speak quickly to resolve my doubts.
Upāli answered in verse:
Never do evil; always do good.
Train one’s mind by skillful means.
This is the way to uphold the Vinaya.
Aṅgulimāla again spoke in verse:
If an evil bhikṣu, against the Vinaya, sabotages the Dharma or violates the precepts,
He should be stripped of a bhikṣu’s six things[10] and all necessities of life.
He should be punished, dispelled, and tamed by skillful means.
The Brahma way of life precludes violation of the precepts.
As an analogy, a great king treasures his saber used to protect his body.
If it falls into a slaughter house, it should be forcefully retrieved.
The things treasured by a king should not belong to an evil man.
Likewise the things kept by those who practice the Brahma way of life
Should not belong to someone who sabotages the Dharma, and should be taken from him.
This is called the foremost way to uphold the Vinaya.
Do not commit any duṣkṛta [wrongdoing] or exhibit the wrong deportments.
Whoever upholds the Vinaya in this way fully upholds the Tathāgata’s teachings.
The Tathāgata regards all as Rāhula [His only son].
Alas, Upāli practices the way of a mosquito
And does not know how to well uphold the Vinaya.
The ignorant should keep quiet.
Then Mañjuśrī the Dharma Prince came to the Buddha. He bowed down at the Buddha’s feet and stood aside. When he saw Aṅgulimāla, sympathetic joy rose in his heart, and he praised in verse:
Very good! Aṅgulimāla is training to do excellent karmas.
He should train to realize the great emptiness, to see that dharmas are nonexistent.
Aṅgulimāla asked in verse:
Mañjuśrī the Dharma Prince, you are foremost in seeing the emptiness of dharmas.
What is meant by seeing that dharmas are empty?
What is meant by seeing that their emptiness is empty?
Speak now to resolve my doubts.
Mañjuśrī answered in verse:
Buddhas are like the open sky, which has no appearance of existence.
Buddhas are like the open sky, which has no appearance of birth.
Buddhas are like the open sky, which has no appearance of form.
Dharmas are like the open sky, and are a Tathāgata’s wondrous dharma body.
Wisdom is like the open sky, and is a Tathāgata’s great wisdom body.
A Tathāgata’s hindrance-free wisdom cannot be grasped or touched.
Liberation is like the open sky, which has no appearance of existence.
A Tathāgata’s liberation is empty and nonexistent.
How can you, Aṅgulimāla, understand this?
Aṅgulimāla again spoke in verse:
As an analogy, a fool sees hailstones and thinks deluded thoughts.
Mistaking them for aquamarine [vaiḍūrya] beads, he takes them home.
He places them in a bottle and guards them as if they are treasures.
Soon the hailstones melt and disappear, leaving him with their emptiness.
Then he thinks that true aquamarine is also empty.
Likewise Mañjuśrī trains to see the utter emptiness [of dharmas]
And constantly ponders their emptiness to destroy [his perception of] all dharmas.
Although liberation is actually not empty, he thinks that it is utterly empty.
As that person sees hailstones disappear, he indiscriminately decides that true treasures too will disappear.
Likewise you indiscriminately decide that all dharmas are utterly empty.
Having seen their emptiness, you declare that dharmas that are not empty are empty.
Some dharmas are empty; some dharmas are not empty.
All afflictions are like hailstones,
And destroying all evil is like hailstones melting.
True aquamarine is like a Tathāgata’s forever abiding.
True aquamarine is like a Buddha’s liberation.
While Buddhas take the open sky as Their form, riders of the Two Vehicles [see everything as] non-form.
While Buddhas take liberation as Their form, riders of the Two Vehicles [see everything as] non-form.
How can one say that perception of utter emptiness is true liberation?
Mañjuśrī should intently ponder and differentiate.
As an analogy, in an empty village the river is dry and vessels contain no water.
However, emptiness does not mean the empty space in a vessel.
A Tathāgata’s true liberation is not empty.
Because liberation is free from all faults,
It is said to be empty.
Likewise a Tathāgata is actually not empty.
Because He has left behind all afflictions and the form of a god or human,
He is said to be empty.
Alas, [whoever practices] the way of a mosquito does not know the true meaning of emptiness.
Even non-Buddhists, such as Nirgranthas,[11] attempt to realize emptiness, and they should keep quiet.
Mañjuśrī asked in verse:
Aṅgulimāla, why do you intimidate voice-hearers and scorn Buddha-sons?
You wantonly display your atrocious behavior and roar like a ferocious tiger.
Who is practicing the mosquito’s way and voicing such evil sounds?
Aṅgulimāla answered in verse:
As an analogy, a poor and timid person wanders a wilderness.
When he smells a ferocious tiger, he is terrified and scurries away.
Likewise a voice-hearer or Pratyekabuddha, who does not know the Mahāyāna,
Is terrified when he smells a Bodhisattva.
As an analogy, when a lion-king roams the mountain and roars,
All other animals are terrified.
Likewise, when a Bodhisattva, a hero among men, roars a lion’s roar,
All voice-hearers and Pratyekabuddhas are terrified
Because through the long night they have trained to see that dharmas have no self,
Unaware that this is a veiled teaching.
Even if I howled a jackal’s howl, no one could reply,
Not to mention replying to my unequaled lion’s roar.
Mañjuśrī asked in verse:
You are a puny mosquito that did evil.
If you were a Bodhisattva, where could a māra be found?
Alas, people in the world have no self-awareness.
Unable to reflect upon their own faults, they see only others’ evil.
Aṅgulimāla, how many sins have you committed?
Aṅgulimāla answered in verse:
Alas, there are two kinds of people who sabotage the true Dharma,
Those who declare that all dharmas are utterly empty and those who declare that dharmas have a self.
These two kinds of people sabotage the Buddha’s true Dharma.
Alas, Mañjuśrī, you do not know that some evil is not evil.
Nor do you know Bodhisattva actions or that a mosquito and a lion are different.
Amazing! I can know the fearless Bodhisattvas.
Mañjuśrī, listen intently.
The Buddha praises Bodhisattva actions as a skillful magician’s illusory displays,
Such as sawing or eating a person as a show to the public.
All things done by Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are illusory.
[A Bodhisattva] manifests being born or entering parinirvāṇa.
During times of famine, he gives away his body for others to eat.
[At the end of a] kalpa, he manifests fire that burns across the earth.
For those who perceive that dharmas are permanent, he enables them to know their impermanence.
During times of war, he manifests troops
To devastate and kill innumerable bandits.
In truth, he never harms anyone because his manifestations are illusory.
He puts all Three-Thousand Large Thousandfold Worlds into a mustard seed,
And not one sentient being is distressed or disturbed.
He puts the four oceans and Mount Sumeru into a pore, and they are not crammed or squeezed.
After the show he returns them to their own places.
He uses a toe to shake worlds in the ten directions, and no sentient being is distressed.
This is the way of Buddhas.
To comfort sentient beings, he manifests himself as countless images, such as a Brahma-king,
The god-king Śakra, and any of the four world-protecting god-kings.
To comfort sentient beings, he manifests himself as a prince, a great minister,
A merchant leader, an elder, or a layman.
He may manifest as a god to change gods’ wrong views.
Because He manifests the birth of all living things, he is called the birth itself.
As an analogy, when a magician sees the killing of a conjured sentient being,
He never laments that this is a tremendous evil,
Because he understands the nature of illusions.
Likewise I manifested killing sentient beings to tame those who sabotage the Dharma,
And did not actually harm anyone.
Just as a Buddha-Bhagavān manifests the times of war,
I now excel in taking Bodhisattva actions.
Alas, Mañjuśrī practices the way of a mosquito
And does not aspire to the great wisdom of the hero in the world, who is like a dragon elephant.[12]
Then the World-Honored One, who is all-knowing and all-seeing, spoke to Mañjuśrī in verse:
As Aṅgulimāla says, such are Bodhisattva actions.
You should know that, because he delivers sentient beings, he is not an ordinary being.
He is a great Bodhisattva, and his boldness equals yours.
Very good! Mañjuśrī, you should know his merits.
After saying these words, the Buddha praised in verse:
Very good! The exceptional hero among men, using skillful means
To comfort sentient beings, displays the great power of energetic progress.
I now will expound the merits, good karmas, and energetic progress required for whoever wants to quickly become an Arhat
To bring all sentient beings eternal peace and joy.
Śāriputra said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One, I pray that, out of pity for all sentient beings, You will tell me what merits, karmas, and energetic progress are required for whoever wants to quickly become an Arhat to benefit all sentient beings and bring them eternal peace and joy.”
The World-Honored One answered in verse:
When parents are united, a child enters the mother’s womb.
The parents are delighted and acquire consequent benefits,
Such as radiant looks and prosperity.
The father is extremely happy, and the mother dreams excellent dreams.
The birth of the child brings huge wealth to the family, and enemies become loving-kind.
At age seven the child enters school, where teachers and students are in harmony.
The household servants are happy and do their work diligently.
At age twenty he and his family members have no disputes.
They regard one another as parents, whose nurturance is like overflowing fragrant milk.
Great is this worthy and brilliant child, who has no greed, anger, arrogance,
Fawning, hypocrisy, excessive chatter, malice,
A child’s misconduct, or evil karmas.
With lovingkindness and filial dutifulness, he makes offerings to dignitaries, and to his parents and teachers.
When he sees elders, he joins his palms to show respect.
He accommodates the middle-aged and frolics with the young.
Respectfully he gives relief to those in urgent need, and a child’s love to those in pain.
He admonishes the evil to know shame and dishonor, and to aspire to training according to the true Dharma.
He never studies magic for fun but delights in seeing Buddhas.
He engages in reciting sūtras and rules of conduct, and in the five studies.
Staying far away from drinking and gambling, he pays reverence to the supreme.
He knows how much sleeping and eating is enough, and dislikes what is impure.
Gods love and remember him, and all people respect him.
His countless great merits are beyond analogy.
As he makes energetic progress in doing meritorious karmas, he will attain true enlightenment.
Śāriputra, know that Aṅgulimāla,
Like that youth, will quickly attain true enlightenment.
How can such a person be evil?
He has acquired countless extraordinary merits.
A majestic hero like Mañjuśrī, he surpasses even the uncommon kind [of people].
He regards all sentient beings as his only son.
Aṅgulimāla, know that a Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva
Vows to deliver all in the world who have not yet been delivered.
There is nothing right about making an excellent vow
To help all in the world, then doing evil.
The World-Honored One again spoke in verse:
Manifesting as a sun-moon god, or a Brahma-king who is the ruler of sentient beings,
Through earth, water, fire, wind, and space,
A Bodhisattva, a hero among men, uses countless merits to deliver sentient beings.
Mahāmaudgalyāyana praised in verse:
Amazing! Aṅgulimāla has such great merits that
Although he has seen the Buddha-Bhagavān only briefly, he will deliver all in existence.
Aṅgulimāla asked in verse:
Mahāmaudgalyāyana, why is it that some sentient beings
Have not seen a Buddha-Bhagavān, but can know the true Dharma?
Mahāmaudgalyāyana answered in verse:
As the Buddha-Bhagavān says, there are three groups:
The group that definitely is on the wrong path; the group that definitely progresses on the right path to bodhi; the group that is indecisive about its path.
A Buddha cannot transform those in the first group.
Mahākāśyapa and his peers are in the second group.
Before the Tathāgata appeared in the world, they entered the true Dharma.
Aṅgulimāla again spoke in verse:
Do not say that Mahākāśyapa the Elder
Entered the true Dharma before the Tathāgata appeared in the world.
Why not? Because a Tathāgata forever abides in the world.
If someone relies on the true Dharma, a Buddha constantly abides in his house.
As an analogy, a river flows when there is rain; it does not flow when there is no rain.
The wise should use skillful means to observe well.
There is nothing right about a river flowing when there is no rain.
Know that because of rainfall, a river flows endlessly.
Mahāmaudgalyāyana, all excellent worldly and supra-worldly dharmas
Flow out of a Buddha.
Therefore, Mahākāśyapa relied on the Buddha to renounce family life.
Mahāmaudgalyāyana asked in verse:
If Tathāgatas forever abide in the world,
Why do I and others not see Them?
Aṅgulimāla answered in verse:
Let Mahākāśyapa know that it is like [the river and] the rains.
Therefore, when no Buddha is in the world, sentient beings cannot deliver themselves.
Only when they see Tathāgatas can they achieve liberation.
As an analogy, someone enters a dark room
And cannot see sunlight or moonlight.
Therefore, Mahāmaudgalyāyana, do not say that no Buddha is in the world,
Because all Tathāgatas forever abide in the world
To deliver those who renounce family life and accept the complete monastic precepts.
Therefore, there are only two groups, one on the wrong path and the other on the right path.
There is no group that is indecisive about its path.
Mahāmaudgalyāyana asked in verse:
There are the five precepts in the world,
Whether or not a Buddha appears in the world.
Aṅgulimāla answered in verse:
Know that all precepts and right deportments,
Whether worldly or supra-worldly, are pronounced by a Buddha.
Mahāmaudgalyāyana asked in verse:
Why are disease classified into three kinds?
Some are cured by a treatment, some are cured without a treatment,
And some are not cured by any treatment.
Therefore, there are three kinds of disease.
Aṅgulimāla answered in verse:
Not so! Do not say that there are three kinds [of disease]
Because there are only two kinds, curable and incurable.
Some voice-hearers classify disease into three kinds,
And the Buddha says that the Voice-Hearer Vehicle is the Mosquito Vehicle.
Because of their ignorance, they classify disease into three kinds.
Those definitely on the wrong path are icchantikas.
Those definitely on the right path are Tathāgatas, holy Bodhisattvas, and riders of the Two Vehicles.
Mahāmaudgalyāyana, know that the two extraordinary kinds
Are Buddha-Bhagavāns and icchantikas.
While a Tathāgata is the highest, and no one is above Him,
An icchantika the vilest.
While a great Bodhisattva fully practices the ten pāramitās,
An icchantika fully does the ten evil karmas.
While a Bodhisattva gives away as alms his body, head, eyes, blood, brain, marrow,
And his countless bones piled higher than Mount Sumeru,
An icchantika gives away as alms his evil karmas
And is reborn as a hungry ghost with burning greed and desire.
Thought after thought, his greed and desire are responded to by many women.
He sires many children but derives no happiness [from them] in the long night.
Driven by hunger and thirst, he eats his own children.
A hungry ghost may manifest as a Brahmin.
Because of the evil karmas in his past lives, he asks people for their children to eat.
With unbridled desire, he even eats his own body.
Thus an icchantika finds gratification by doing evil karmas.
Therefore, while a Buddha-Bhagavān is the highest and extraordinary,
An icchantika is the lowest and extraordinary.
Those definitely on the wrong path are icchantikas;
Those definitely on the right path are Tathāgatas, Bodhisattvas abiding on Bodhisattva grounds, Pratyekabuddhas, and voice-hearers.
The World-Honored One said to Aṅgulimāla in verse:
Aṅgulimāla, renounce family life
And take the Three Refuges [the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha].
Aṅgulimāla responded in verse:
The Mahāyāna is the vehicle that brings the hindrance-free wisdom-knowledge,
And this One Vehicle brings the one refuge.
The Buddha is the refuge in the highest truth.
The Dharma means a Tathāgata’s wondrous dharma body.
The Saṅgha means a Tathāgata because He is the Saṅgha.
While the Dharma and the Saṅgha are the two refuges of convenience,
The Tathāgata is not a refuge of convenience, but the refuge in the highest truth.
Therefore, today I take refuge in the Tathāgata
Because He is the true refuge among refuges.
If someone wants to eat hiṅgu,[13] he should take the right plant.
If he discards the right one to eat the wrong one, he can benefit neither himself nor others.
A thousand physicians cannot save such a fool.
Therefore, if people abandon the one refuge to take refuges of convenience,
A thousand Buddhas cannot save such fools.
The World-Honored One told Aṅgulimāla, “You should accept and observe the pure precepts for an innocent youth.[14]”
Aṅgulimāla asked in verse:
What is meant by an innocent youth?
What is meant by the complete monastic precepts?
What is a true śramaṇa?
What are the fortune fields?[15]
As the World-Honored One abided in silence, Aṅgulimāla again spoke in verse:
If someone does not know that the one refuge is the refuge in the highest truth,
And does not know that the two refuges are established for convenience,
He is an innocent youth.
If someone has not received the complete monastic precepts, how can he be a śramaṇa?
If someone does not know the one refuge, how can he take it as the pure refuge?
If someone does not know that the Tathāgata is the refuge in the highest truth
And does not take [refuge in Him as] a pure refuge, how can he be a śramaṇa?
If someone does not know the true refuge, how can it be his fortune field?
Therefore, if someone does not know the difference between the true refuge and two refuges of convenience,
He is an innocent youth.
Then the World-Honored One told Aṅgulimāla, “You now should accept and observe the precept against killing.”
Aṅgulimāla responded in verse:
I definitely can neither accept nor observe the precept against killing.
I will always accept and observe the precept for ending sentient beings’ lives.
The so-called sentient beings mean countless afflictions.
Ending them is called observing the precept for killing.
The world-Honored One told him, “You now should accept and observe the precept against false speech.”
Aṅgulimāla responded in verse:
I definitely can neither accept nor observe the precept against false speech.
I will always accept and uphold false words about dharmas.
Accepting and upholding false words are [accepting and upholding] the Buddha Dharma.
What is false is that all dharmas are empty.
What is false is that voice-hearers, Pratyekabuddhas,
And Bodhisattvas take action to follow worldly ways.
What is false is that I appear in the world,
Accept and observe the complete monastic precepts, and become an Arhat;
That I accept food and drink to establish someone’s almsgiving;
That I walk to and fro in meditation as my afflictions flow through the nine life-paths;[16]
That I accept and use shoes, a willow tooth pick, and medicine;
That I get hungry or thirsty, sleep, cut my nails, and shave off my hair and beard;
That I take medicine to cure various diseases in my body;
That I will enter parinirvāṇa, like the extinction of a fire when its firewood is burnt away.
Words such as these are false words.
However, when I use skillful means to roam the world,
I never purify such false speech.
Now I reveal the real truth, and Mahāmaudgalyāyana, you should listen well.
The real truth is the Tathāgata store.
The eternal body in the highest truth is a Buddha’s inconceivable body.
What never changes in the highest truth is His eternal body.
The quiet body in the highest truth is the truly wondrous dharma body.
How does such an inconceivable body appear?
Buddhas teach that false dharmas arise [as skillful means].
He who is free from all falsity is called a Buddha.
As an analogy, when a calf dies, to delight its mother, the cow herder
Takes its hide to cover other calves.
Likewise a Tathāgata follows worldly ways.
Like that cow herder, He manifests as a deaf man
In order to teach the deaf the Dharma.
Then sentient beings will think that a Tathāgata shares their world.
Like that cow herder, He manifests countless images
And uses various skillful means to guide sentient beings.
As that cow herder uses skillful means
To coax the cow to produce milk for other calves
It is the same with a Tathāgata.
If He revealed His self-nature body, who in the world could see it?
Therefore, he uses skillful means to manifest Himself to suit worldly perceptions,
In order to enable all to achieve liberation.
This is the way of Buddhas.
Therefore, from now on, I will always do false things
And kill sentient beings as a false display.
I do not accept the precept against falsity, so that my observance of the precepts will be pure.
The World-Honored One told Aṅgulimāla, “You now should accept the precept against drinking alcohol.”
Aṅgulimāla responded in verse:
I definitely can neither accept nor observe the precept against drinking alcohol.
I will always accept the precept for drinking alcohol and indulge [in drinking] in the long night.
I will shout throughout the five life-paths that
Extreme joy is called the alcohol produced by the Mahāyāna.
It is the alcohol of the unsurpassed Buddha store.
I now drink this alcohol to my fill and persuade sentient beings to do the same
And to joyfully praise, ‘Very good! It forever abides and never changes.’
Eight times they should announce it aloud as their intoxication is endless.
The World-Honored told Aṅgulimāla, “You now should accept the pure precept against having sex.”
Aṅgulimāla answered in verse:
I definitely can neither accept nor observe the precept against having sex.
I will always accept and follow my lust for what others love,
And constantly visit the house of prostitutes to frolic with them.
I will take samādhi as my wife, the truth as my son,
The loving-kind and compassionate mind as my daughter, the emptiness of dharmas as my house,
And countless pāramitās as my high and wide bed.
Guarding afflictions, I will take veiled teachings as my food,
Total retention [of teachings] as my garden, the Seven Bodhi Factors as flowers,
Dharma words as trees, and the wisdom-knowledge of liberation as fruits.
These are called the foremost entertainment in the world.
The true nature of the wise is not the state of the foolish.
The World-Honored One told Aṅgulimāla, “You now should accept the precept against taking things not given.”
Aṅgulimāla responded in verse:
I definitely can neither accept nor observe the precept against taking things not given.
I will always take things not given and steal others’ things.
What can never be given is bodhi because there exists no giver.
Therefore, I will take bodhi, which no one can give me.
When a Buddha sits under the bodhi tree, He neither gains nor loses [bodhi]
[Because] it is one’s true nature, supreme and unsurpassed.
The Buddha told Aṅgulimāla, “You now should accept the precept against singing and dancing.”
Aṅgulimāla responded in verse:
I will always enjoy the pleasure of dancing, and of singing a gandharva’s songs
To proclaim the Tathāgata store and praise, ‘Very good!’
I will hear from Buddhas that a Tathāgata forever abides.
I will constantly use wonderful tones to recite Mahāyāna sūtras,
Like the music played by kiṁnaras and gandharvas.
I will use countless wonderful tones as an offering to sūtras.
If sentient beings constantly make such offerings,
Buddhas will bestow upon them the prophecy that they will become Buddhas with the same name.
1. Jambūnada gold is gold from the river that flows through the jambū (rose apple) grove. It is renowned for its supreme quality and red-golden color with a purple tinge. (Return to text)
2. The Sanskrit word aśoka means carefree. The aśoka is an evergreen tree, important in the cultural traditions of the Indian subcontinent and adjacent areas. It is prized for its beautiful foliage and fragrant bright red flowers in heavy, lush bunches (Wikipedia.com). (Return to text)
3. A vast self means the true self, which never eats food, falls ill, or dies. (Return to text)
4. “Sūtras in the nine categories” are the glossary’s “sūtras in the twelve categories,” excluding categories (6) nidāna, causes of the discourses; (7) avadāna, parables; (12) upadeśa, pointing-out instructions. (Return to text)
5. See “a self, a person, a sentient being, and an ever-lasting soul” in the glossary’s “four appearances.” (Return to text)
6. See “ten Bodhisattva grounds” in the glossary’s “stages of the Bodhisattva Way.” Details of the ten Bodhisattva grounds are in chapter 26 of text 279 (T10n0279), the 80-fascicle Chinese version of the Mahāvaipulya Sūtra of Buddha Adornment (Buddhāvataṁsaka-mahāvaipulya-sūtra). An English translation of this chapter appears in The Bodhisattva Way (Rulu 2013, 111–244). (Return to text)
7. See Sundara-Nanda’s biography under the name Nanda in the glossary’s “voice-hearer.” (Return to text)
8. See “dharma body” defined in the glossary’s “three bodies of a Buddha.” (Return to text)
9. See Vinaya in the glossary’s Tripiṭaka. (Return to text)
10. A monk’s six things are (1) a ceremonial robe, (2) an upper robe, (3) a lower robe, (4) an iron Bowl, (5) a seating and sleeping mat, and (6) a pouch for filtering out insects in water. (Return to text)
11. Nirgrantha means free from worldly ties. See Nirgranthaputra in the glossary. (Return to text)
12. A huge elephant is called a dragon elephant, as a title of respect. (Return to text)
13. Hiṅgu (興渠) is a pungent vegetable, which may be a variety of foetida with edible stinking leaves. (Return to text)
14. Here, an innocent youth means a śrāmaṇera, a novice Buddhist monk, usually seven to twenty years old. (Return to text)
15. See “three fortune fields” in the glossary. (Return to text)
16. Sentient beings in the Three Realms of Existence delight in taking any of the nine life-paths: (1) the human world or any of the six desire heavens, (2) Brahma Multitude (Brahma-pāriṣadya) Heaven in the first dhyāna, (3) Pure Radiance (ābhāsvara) Heaven in the second dhyāna, (4) Pervasive Splendor (śubhakṛtsna) Heaven in the third dhyāna, (5) No Perception (Asaṁjña) Heaven in the fourth dhyāna, (6) Boundless Space Heaven, (7) Boundless Consciousness Heaven, (8) Nothingness Heaven, and (9) Neither With Nor Without Perception Heaven. The first life-path is in the desire realm, life-paths 2–5 are four of the eighteen heavens in the form realm, and life-paths 6–9 are the four heavens in the formless realm. Also see the glossary’s “samādhi” and “eighteen heavens in the form realm.” (Return to text)