Index to the Kyogyoshinsho files
Present file - H: Transformed Buddha and Land (part 2);
Other files - A: Preface, Teaching, Practice (part 1); B: Practice (part 2);C: Faith (part 1): D: Faith (part 2); E: Enlightenment; F: True Buddha and Land; G: Transformed Buddha and Land (part 1).
<Posted May 2001>
Passages in pale blue are Shinran's own comments |
Chapter 6: A Collection of Passages Revealing
the Provisional
Transformed Buddhas and Lands of the Pure
Land Way
Part 2
Exhortations to leave non-Buddhist ways and
take refuge in the true teaching |
81 I will discern the true and false teachings
based on the various sutras, thereby cautioning
people against the wrong and falsely attached
view of non-Buddhist teachings.
Testimony from the Nirvana Sutra |
Salvation of demi-gods and evil spirits |
82 The Nirvana Sutra says [in the Chapter on the Nature of Tathagata]:
Once you have taken refuge in the Buddha,
you should never again take refuge in various
gods.
Testimony from the Pratyutpanna Samadhi Sutra - (1) |
83 It is stated in the Pratyutpanna Samadhi Sutra:
The laywomen who, having heard of this samadhi,
wish to learn it... should take refuge in
the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. They
should not follow other paths, worship gods
or spirits, or seek lucky days.
Testimony from the Pratyutpanna Samadhi Sutra - (2) |
84 It is stated in the same sutra:
Laywomen who wish to learn this samadhi...should
not worship gods or spirits.
Testimony from the Great Assembly Sutra - (1) |
85 It is stated in Chapter 8, "Constellations
of the Devil King Papiyas," section
2, of the Sun-Matrix Division of the Great Assembly
Sutra, fasc. 8:
Then Kharosti [the Saint] said to the heavenly
beings, "The moon and other heavenly
bodies have their own area to cover. You
give aid to the four kinds of sentient beings.
What are the four? The human beings on earth,
dragons, yaksas, and others, down to scorpions.
You give aid to all of them. In order to
bring peace and happiness to all sentient
beings, I have arranged constellations in
position. Each of these has its own assigned
work and allocated time, down to a moment.
I will explain each in detail. Their activities
are performed harmoniously and augment each
other in accordance with their locations
and areas."
Kharosti joined his palms before the assembly
and said, "I have thus arranged in position
the sun and moon, periods of the year, and
big and small constellations. What are the
six seasons? The first and second months
are the time of warmth. The third and fourth
months are the time of sowing. The fifth
and sixth months are the time of praying
for rainfall. The seventh and eighth months
are the time of ripening. The ninth and tenth
months are the time of coldness. The eleventh
and twelfth months are the time of heavy
snow. Thus the twelve months are divided
into six seasons.
"There are eight planets: [635c] Jupiter,
Mars, Saturn, Venus, Mercury, the sun, the
moon, and the planet of eclipse. There are
also twenty-eight minor heavenly bodies,
namely, from the constellation Krttika to
the constellation Bharani. I have arranged
these in position and have explained the
laws regulating them. All of you, look and
listen! All of you in this assembly, what
do you think? Are the laws I adopted for
placing them right or wrong? Are you or are
you not delighted with the activities of
the twenty-eight constellations and the eight
major planets? Each of you, express your
views as to whether you approve of them or
not."
At that time, all the gods, saints, asuras,
dragons, kinnaras, and others joined their
palms and said, "Great Saint you are
the most revered among gods. None among others,
including dragons and asuras, surpasses you.
Your wisdom and compassion are supreme. Since,
for innumerable kalpas, you have taken pity
on all sentient beings, without forgetting
them, you have gained the reward of merits;
your vows having been fulfilled, your merits
are like an ocean. You know all things of
the past, present, and future; there is none
among gods who possesses wisdom like yours.
No sentient being could operate the laws
as you do with regard to the functions of
day and night, moment and hour, big and small
heavenly bodies, waxing and waning moon,
and the cycle of the year. All of us are
delighted with these. They give us peace
and happiness. It is wonderful that you,
the one of great virtue, thus give peace
and comfort to sentient beings."
Then the Saint Kharosti made this remark,
"I have provided the cycle of the year
of twelve months, and explained how I arranged
the big and small constellations and the
laws of time, such as moment and hour. I
have also placed the Four Great Heavenly
Kings on the four sides of Mount Sumeru,
one king in each direction. They each reign
over the sentient beings in each region.
The Heavenly King in the northern quarter
is Vaishravana; in his region there are many
yaksas. The Heavenly King in the southern
quarters is Virudhaka; in his region there
are many kumbhandas. The Heavenly King in
the western quarter is Virupaksa; in his
region there are many dragons. The Heavenly
King in the eastern quarter is Dhrtarastra;
in his region there are many gandharvas.
These kings protect all lands and towns throughout
the four cardinal points and four intermediate
directions. Spirits are also stationed to
protect them."
At that time, the Saint Kharosti made all
the assembly - gods, dragons, yaksas, asuras,
kinnaras, mahoragas, humans and non-human
beings - rejoice beyond measure, saying,
"How wonderful!" Then the gods,
dragons, yaksas, asuras, and others made
offerings to Kharosti day and night.
Next, after immeasurable ages, [636a] there
will be another saint, named Kalika. He will
appear in the world and expound the laws
governing the constellations and big and
small moons, and the essentials concerning
times and seasons.
At that time, all the dragons, while dwelling
with the sage on Mount Khalatiya, venerated
and worshiped the Saint Jyotirasa. Using
their power to the utmost, the dragons made
offerings to the saint.
Testimony from the Great Assembly Sutra - (2) |
86 It is stated in Chapter 10, "Nembutsu-Samadhi,"
of the "Sun-Matrix" section of
the Great Assembly Sutra, fasc. 9:
When Papiyas had presented this verse, there
was in the assembly a devil woman named Darkness-Free.
In the past she planted various roots of
good. She said, "The mendicant Gautama
is called 'Virtues.' If there are sentient
beings who, having heard the Buddha's name,
single-mindedly take refuge in him,
no devil is capable of inflicting harm on
them. Much less likely to receive harm from
devils are beings who have seen the Buddha,
have directly heard the Dharma from him,
performed various methods of practice, and
attained deep wisdom and extensive understanding....
An army of all devils, ten million kotis
in number, could not inflict harm on them
even for a moment. The Tathagata has now
opened the path to Nirvana. I wish to go
to the Buddha and take refuge in him."
Then she expressed herself in verse for her
father: ...
By practicing the teachings of all the Buddhas
of the three periods,
I will deliver all suffering beings.
Having attained complete freedom over all
dharmas,
I wish to be like the Buddha in the future.
At that time, when Darkness-Free finished
presenting this verse, five hundred devil
women in the royal palace of her father,
including her sisters and relatives, all
awakened the Bodhi-mind. At that time, having
seen that all the five hundred women in the
palace had taken refuge in the Buddha and
awakened the Bodhi-mind, the Devil King became
very angry, fear-ridden and sorrowful....
Then the five hundred devil women stated
in verse to Papiyas:
If sentient beings take refuge in the Buddha,
They will not fear even a thousand kotis
of devils.
Even more fearless are those who aspire to
cross the stream of birth-and-death
And reach the shore of Nirvana of No-action.
If there are persons who offer a piece of
incense and a flower
To the Three Treasures of Buddha, Dharma
and Sangha,
And give rise to resolute and unflinching
courage,
They cannot be destroyed by any number of
devils....
Our immeasurable evil from the past
Is completely destroyed.
Since we have taken refuge in the Buddha
sincerely and wholeheartedly,
We are sure of attaining the fruit of supreme
Bodhi.
When the Devil King heard these verses, his
anger and fear multiplied, troubling his
mind. Emaciated and sorrowful, he sat alone
in the palace.
At that time, Bodhisattva-Mahasattva Jyotirasa
hearing the Buddha's exposition of the Dharma,
made all sentient beings become free of attachments
and perform the four pure practices....
[The Buddha said to Jyotirasa,] "Bathe
yourself, put on clean robes, take only vegetarian
food, refrain from eating after noon, and
do not eat acrid food. Choose a quiet place,
adorn a hall, and sit cross-legged with right
mindfulness. [636b] Whether walking or sitting,
contemplate the Buddha's physical characteristics
without losing concentration. Do not take
any other objects or conceive of any other
matters. For one day and night or seven days
and nights, do not engage in any other acts.
If you are sincerely mindful of the Buddha,
... you will see the Buddha. With small mindfulness,
you will see a small Buddha; with large mindfulness,
you will see a large Buddha.... With immeasurable
mindfulness, you will see the immeasurable
and boundless Buddha-body.
Testimony from the Great Assembly Sutra - (3) |
87 It is stated in Chapter 13, "Protecting
Stupas," of the "Sun-Matrix"
section of the Great Assembly Sutra, fasc. 10:
Then the Devil Papiyas, surrounded all around
by eighty kotis of his kinsmen, went to the
place where the Buddha was. Having reached
there, he touched his head to the Buddha's
feet and paid homage to him, the World-Honored
One. Then he said in verse: ...
All Buddhas of the three periods, with Great
Compassion,
Accept my homage! I repent all the evil I
have done.
In the two other treasures, Dharma and Sangha,
too,
I sincerely take refuge in the same way.
May I, today, make offerings to, worship,
And revere the Master of the World.
I will extinguish all evil forever and never
again commit any evil;
Until the end of my life, I will take refuge
in the Tathagata's Dharma.
After presenting this verse, the Devil Papiyas
said to the Buddha, "World-Honored One,
I pray that you, the Tathagata, always joyfully
and compassionately embrace me and all sentient
beings with the mind of equality and non-discrimination."
The Buddha said, "So I will do."
Then the Devil Papiyas greatly rejoiced and
awakened the pure aspiration. He again touched
his head to the Buddha's feet and paid homage
to him, circumambulated him three times to
the right, worshiped him with joined palms,
and withdrew to one side. While remaining
there, he looked at the World-Honored One
adoringly without tiring.
Testimony from the Great Assembly Sutra - (4) |
88 It is stated in Chapter 8, "Evil Spirits
Attaining Reverential Faith," of the
"Moon-Matrix" section of the Great Assembly Sutra, fasc. 5:
[The Buddha said,] "All of you, through
elimination of wrong views, will gain ten
kinds of merit. What are the ten? First,
to attain tenderness and goodness of heart
and so be accompanied by wise and good friends.
Second, to believe in the law of karma and
abstain from committing various evil acts,
even at the sacrifice of your life. Third,
to take refuge in and revere the Three Treasures
and not to believe in gods. Fourth, to gain
the right view and not to decide good or
bad fortune according to the year, month,
or day. Fifth, to be born in human or heavenly
realms always and not to fall into the evil
realms. Sixth, to attain clarity of mind
in wisdom and goodness and so receive people's
praise. Seventh, to abandon the secular world
and always pursue the Holy Path. Eighth,
to be free of both nihilistic and eternalistic
views and accept the law of causation. Ninth,
to always meet and see people of right faith,
right practice, and right aspiration. Tenth,
to be born in the good realms.
"If you transfer the roots of good acquired
from eliminating wrong views towards the
highest, perfect Bodhi, you will quickly
accomplish the Six Perfections and attain
perfect Enlightenment in a Buddha-land of
goodness and purity. Having realized Bodhi,
while dwelling in that Buddha-land, you will
adorn sentient beings with merits, wisdom,
and all the roots of good. Such beings will
come to be born in your land, no longer [636c]
believe in gods, and become free of the fear
of evil realms. After the end of their lives
there, they will be reborn in good realms.
Testimony from the Great Assembly Sutra - (5) |
89 It is stated in Chapter 8, "Evil Spirits
Attaining Reverential Faith," of the
"Moon-Matrix" section of the Great Assembly Sutra, fasc. 6:
It is extremely difficult to encounter the
Buddha's appearance in the world;
Difficult, too, is it to encounter the Dharma
and the Sangha.
For sentient beings to attain Pure Faith
is difficult;
To alienate yourself from various adverse
conditions is difficult, too.
It is difficult to have pity on sentient
beings;
To know contentment is of prime difficulty.
Difficult is it to be able to hear the Right
Dharma;
To practice it well is most difficult of
all.
If you know these difficulties and attain
the [ten] equalities,
You will always enjoy happiness in the world;
The wise should always quickly realize
The ten equalities....
Then the World-Honored One expounded the
Dharma to the multitudes of evil spirits,
"Some evil spirits in the multitudes
of evil spirits in the past awakened a resolute
faith, but later associated with evil teachers
and came to perceive others' faults. For
this reason, they were born as evil spirits."
Testimony from the Great Assembly Sutra - (6) |
Divine protection of the world through
Buddhas'
benevolence |
90 It is stated in Chapter 9, "Protection
by the Heavenly Kings," of the "Moon-Matrix"
section of the Great Assembly Sutra, fasc. 6:
Then, in order to inform people of the world,
the World-Honored One asked the Heavenly
King Great Brahma, Lord of the Saha world,
"Who protects and sustains the Four
Continents?"
The Heavenly King Great Brahma, Lord of the
Saha world, said, "World-Honored One
of Great Virtue, the King of Tusita Heaven,
together with countless hundreds of thousands
of gods of Tusita Heaven, protect and sustains
Uttarakuru, the northern continent. The King
of the Heaven of Free Enjoyment of Others'
Manifestations, together with countless hundreds
of thousands of gods of the Heaven of Free
Enjoyment of Others' Manifestations, protects
and sustains Purvavideha, the eastern continent.
The King of the Heaven of Enjoying Self-created
Pleasures, together with countless hundreds
of thousands of gods of the Heaven of Enjoying
Self-created Pleasures, protects and sustains
Jambudvipa, the southern continent. The King
of the Heaven of Restraining Well, together
with countless hundreds of thousands of gods
of the Heaven of Restraining Well, protects
and sustains Aparagodaniya, the western continent.
"World-Honored One of Great Virtue,
the Heavenly King Vaishravana, together with
countless hundreds of thousands of yaksas,
protects and sustains Uttarakuru. The Heavenly
King Dhrtarastra, together with countless
hundreds of thousands of gandharvas, protects
and sustains Purvavideha. The Heavenly King
Virudhaka, together with countless hundreds
of thousands of kumbhandas, protects and
sustains Jambudvipa. The Heavenly King Virupaksa,
together with countless hundreds of thousands
of dragons, protects and sustains Aparagodaniya.
"World-Honored One of Great Virtue,
seven constellations - arranged by the Saint
[Kharosti] - three luminaries, and three
celestial maidens protect and sustain Uttarakuru.
These seven constellations arranged by the
Saint are Shata-bhisa, Dhanistha, Purva-bhadrapada,
Uttara-bhadrapada, Revati, Ashvini, and Bharani.
The three luminaries are Saturn, [637a] Jupiter,
and Mars. The three celestial maidens are
Kumbha, Mina, and Mesa.
"World-Honored One of Great Virtue,
among the seven constellations arranged by
the Saint, Shata-bhisa, Dhanistha, and Purva-bhadrapada
belong to the domain of Saturn, and Kumbha
is its corresponding astrological house.
Uttara-bhadrapada and Revati belong to the
domain of Jupiter, and Mina is its corresponding
astrological house. Ashvini and Bharani belong
to the domain of Mars, and Mesha is its corresponding
astrological house. World-Honored One of
Great Virtue, these seven constellations
arranged by the Saint, three luminaries,
and the three celestial maidens protect and
sustain Uttarakuru.
"World-Honored One of Great Virtue,
seven constellations arranged by the Saint,
three luminaries, three celestial maidens
protect and sustain Purvavideha. These seven
constellations arranged by the Saint are
Krttika, Rohini, Mrga-shira, Ardra, Punar-vasu,
Pusya, and Ashlesa. The three luminaries
are Venus, Jupiter, and the moon. The three
celestial maidens are Vrsabha, Mithuna, and
Karkataka.
"World-Honored One of Great Virtue,
among the seven constellations arranged by
the Saint, Krttika and Rohini belong to the
domain of Venus, and Vrsabha is its corresponding
astrological house. Mrga-shira, Ardra, and
Punar-vasu belong to the domain of Jupitar,
and Mithuna is its corresponding astrological
house. Pusya and Ashlesa belong to the domain
of the moon, and Karkataka is its corresponding
astrological house. World-Honored One of
Great Virtue, these seven constellations
arranged by the Saint, three luminaries,
and three celestial maidens protect and sustain
Purvavideha.
"World-Honored One of Great Virtue,
seven constellations arranged by the Saint,
three luminaries, three celestial maidens
protect and sustain Jambudvipa. These seven
constellations arranged by the Saint are
Magha, Purva-phalguni, Uttara-phalguni, Hasta,
Citra, Svati, and Vishakha. The three luminaries
are the sun, Mercury, and Venus. The three
celestial maidens are Simha, Kanya, and Tula.
"World-Honored One of Great Virtue,
among the seven constellations arranged by
the Saint, Magha, Purva-phalguni, and Uttara-phalguni
belong to the domain of the sun, and Simha
is its corresponding astrological house.
Hasta and Citra belong to the domain of Mercury,
and Kanya is its corresponding astrological
house. Svati and Vishakha belong to the domain
of Venus, and Tula is its corresponding astrological
house. World-Honored One of Great Virtue,
these seven constellations arranged by the
Saint, three luminaries, and three celestial
maidens protect and sustain Jambudvipa.
"World-Honored One of Great Virtue,
seven constellations arranged by the Saint,
three luminaries, three celestial maidens
protect and sustain Aparagodaniya. These
seven constellations arranged by the Saint
are Anuradha, Jyesta, Mula, Purva-sadha,
Uttara-sadha. Shravana, and Abhijit. The
three luminaries are Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.
The three celestial maidens are Vrshcika,
Dhanus, and Makara.
"World-Honored One of Great Virtue,
among the seven constellations arranged by
the Saint, Anuradha and Jyestha belong to
the domain of Mars, and Vrshcika is its corresponding
astrological house. Mula, Purva-sadha, and
Uttara-sadha belong to the domain of Jupiter,
and Dhanus is its corresponding astrological
house. Shravana and Abhijit belong to the
domain of Saturn, and [637b] Makara is its
corresponding astrological house. World-Honored
One of Great Virtue, seven constellations
arranged by the Saint, three luminaries,
three celestial maidens protect and sustain
Aparagodaniya.
"World-Honored One of Great Virtue,
among the Four Continents, Jambudvipa is
the most excellent. For what reason? Because
the people of Jambudvipa are courageous and
wise, and their pure practices befit them.
You, the Buddha, World-Honored One, have
appeared in it. For this reason, the Four
Great Heavenly Kings all the more protect
and sustain Jambudvipa. There are in it sixteen
great kingdoms. Four of them, Anga-Magadha,
Vangamagadha, Avanti, and Ceti are protected
and sustained by the Heavenly King Vaishravana,
surrounded by a host of yaksas. The four
great kingdoms, Kashi, Kosala, Vamsa, and
Malla, are protected and sustained by the
Heavenly King Dhrtarastra, surrounded by
a host of gandharvas. The four great kingdoms,
Kuru, Vajji, Pancala, and Surasena, are protected
and sustained by the Heavenly King Virudhaka,
surrounded by a host of kumbhandas. The four
great kingdoms, Assaka, Soma, Sorata, and
Kamboja, are protected and sustained by the
Heavenly King Virupaksa, surrounded by a
host of dragons.
"World-Honored One of Great Virtue,
because the past Heavenly Saints protected
and sustained the Four Continents, they have
been positioned and arranged in this way.
Later, in each country, dragons, yaksas,
raksasas, hungry spirits, pishacas, putanas,
kataputanas, and others, were born in cities,
villages, stupas, gardens, under trees, cemeteries,
mountain valleys, fields, rivers, springs,
dams, or jeweled islands in the sea or shrines
- whether by egg, womb, moisture, or metamorphosis.
Although dwelling in those places, they have
no territory of their own and have not yet
received any teaching from others. Therefore,
I pray that the Buddha arrange these spirits
in position throughout the lands in Jambudvipa
in order to have them protect the lands and
all sentient beings living there. We would
rejoice at your arrangement." The Buddha
said, "It is just as you say, Great
Brahma."
Then the World-Honored One said in verse
to clarify the essentials of this once more:
In order to inform the people of the world,
I, the Teacher, asked Brahma:
Who protects and sustains
The Four Continents?
Brahma, teacher of the heavens, [replied]
thus:
The kings of the Heaven
Of Tusita, the Heaven of Free Enjoyment of
Others' Manifestations,
The Heaven of Enjoying Self-created Pleasures,
and the Heaven of Restraining Well with their
followers
Protect and sustain
The Four Continents.
The Four Heavenly Kings
And their followers also protect and sustain
them.
The twenty-eight constellations,
The twelve astrological houses,
And the twelve [637c] celestial maidens
Protect and sustains the Four Continents.
Dragons, spirits, raksasas, and others,
Who have received no instructions from anybody,
Should be made to go and protect various
regions,
According to their place of birth.
Gods and spirits in various ways
Asked the Buddha to arrange them in position;
Taking pity on sentient beings,
They make the torch of the Right Dharma burn
brilliantly.
Then the Buddha said to Bodhisattva-Mahasattva
Moon-Matrix, "You, knower of purity,
at the beginning of this Auspicious Kalpa,
when the life-span of human beings was forty
thousand years, Buddha Krakucchanda appeared
in the world. For the sake of immeasurable,
countless hundred thousand kotis of nayutas
of sentient beings, he stopped the wheel
of birth-and-death and turned the wheel of
the Right Dharma; he closed the evil paths
and established the good paths and the fruit
of emancipation.
That Buddha entrusted the Four Continents
to the the King of Great Brahma Heaven, Lord
of the Saha world, and to the King of the
Heaven of Free Enjoyment of Others' Manifestations,
the King of the Heaven of Enjoying Self-created
Pleasures, the King of Tusita Heaven, the
King of the Heaven of Restraining Well, and
others. He did so in order to have them protect
and sustain the Four Continents, because
he takes pity on sentient beings, in order
to keep the seeds of the Three Treasures
multiplying and flourishing, in order to
keep the vital energy of the earth, of sentient
beings, and of the Right Dharma abiding long
and increasing, and in order to keep the
sentient beings away from the three evil
realms and lead them to the three good realms.
"As the cosmic period advanced, gods
and humans deteriorated, all good acts and
the pure Dharma became extinct, and great
evil and addiction to evil passions increased.
When the life-span of human beings became
thirty thousand years, Buddha Kanakamuni
appeared in the world. He entrusted the Four
Continents to the the Heavenly King Great
Brahma, Lord of the Saha world, and to other
heavenly kings, from the King of the Heaven
of Free Enjoyment of Others' Manifestations
to the Four Great Heavenly Kings and their
followers. He did so in order to have them
protect and sustain the Four Continents,
and for other reasons, including keeping
the sentient beings away from the three evil
realms and leading them to the three good
realms.
"As the cosmic period further advanced,
gods and humans deteriorated, the pure Dharma
became extinct, and great evil and addiction
to evil passions increased. When the life-span
of human beings became twenty thousand years,
Tathagata Kashyapa appeared in the world.
He entrusted the Four Continents to the the
King of Great Brahma Heaven, Lord of the
Saha world, and to the King of the Heaven
of Free Enjoyment of Others' Manifestations,
the King of the Heaven of Enjoying Self-created
Pleasures, the King of Tusita Heaven, the
King of the Heaven of Restraining Well, Kaushika
Indra, the Four Great Heavenly Kings, and
others, and their followers. In order to
have them protect and sustain the Four Continents,
and for other reasons, including keeping
the sentient beings away from the three evil
realms and leading them to the three good
realms, Kashyapa Buddha entrusted the Four
Continents to Great Brahma, the Four Great
Heavenly Kings, and others, and also to many
heavenly saints, [638a] the seven astrological
houses, the twelve celestial maidens, the
twenty-eight constellations, and others,
in order to have them protect and sustain
the Four Continents.
"You, knower of purity, with the advance
of the cosmic period, we have reached the
time of evil world of strife with defilement
of the cosmic period, defilement of evil
passions, defilement of sentient beings,
and defilement of great evil passions. This
is the time when the life-span of human beings
is a hundred years, the pure Dharma has become
completely extinct, and all kinds of evil
darken the world. Just as sea-water is of
one taste, saltiness, the whole world is
pervaded with the taste of great evil passions.
Gangs of rascals, with skulls in their hands
and with their palms besmeared with blood,
kill each other. Among such evil sentient
beings, I have appeared in the world and
attained Enlightenment under the Bodhi-tree.
I received alms from the merchants, including
Trapusa and Bhallika. Thus, for their sake,
I have divided Jambudvipa among gods, dragons,
gandharvas, kumbhandas, yaksas, and others,
in order to have them protect and sustain
it.
"Accordingly, all the bodhisattvas-mahasattvas
of the Buddha-lands throughout the ten quarters
come and assemble here in great multitude.
In this Buddha-land of Saha, there are a
hundred kotis of suns and moons, a hundred
kotis of Four Continents, a hundred kotis
of four great oceans, a hundred kotis of
Encircling Iron Mountains, a hundred kotis
of Great Encircling Iron Mountains, a hundred
kotis of Mount Sumerus, a hundred kotis of
four asura castles, a hundred kotis of Four
Great Heavenly Kings, a hundred kotis of
Heavens of Thirty-three Gods, and so on,
up to a hundred kotis of abodes of neither
thought nor non-thought - I will not enumerate
all the numbers. In this Buddha-land of Saha,
I perform the Buddha's work. Assembled here
in great multitude are all the the Kings
of Great Brahma Heavens, and their followers,
Kings of Devil Heavens, Kings of Heavens
of Free Enjoyment of Others' Manifestations,
Kings of the Heavens of Enjoying Self-created
Pleasures, Kings of Tusita Heavens, Kings
of the Heavens of Restraining Well, Heavenly
King Indras, Four Great Heavenly Kings, kings
of asuras, kings of dragons, kings of yaksas,
kings of raksasas, kings of gandharvas, kings
of kinnaras, kings of garudas, kings of mahoragas,
kings of kumbhandas, kings of hungry spirits,
kings of pishacas, kings of putanas, kings
of kata-putanas, and so on, accompanied by
their kinsmen, in order to hear the Dharma.
Also, all the bodhisattvas-mahasattvas and
shravakas in this Buddha-land of Saha, with
none excepted, have gathered here in order
to hear the Dharma. I will now expound the
most profound Buddha Dharma for the sake
of the great assembly that has gathered here.
Moreover, in order to protect the world,
I will arrange in position the spirits that
have assembled in Jambudvipa to have them
protect and sustain it."
Then the World-Honored One asked the Heavenly
King Great Brahma, Lord of the Saha world,
"To whom did the Buddhas of the past
entrust these Four Continents so that they
be protected and sustained?" [638b]
The Heavenly King Great Brahma, Lord of the
Saha world, replied, "The Buddhas of
the past entrusted the Four Continents to
me and Kaushika [Indra] so that we would
protect and sustain them. But since we committed
a fault, they stopped mentioning our names.
Instead, they spoke to the other heavenly
kings, constellations, luminaries, and astrological
houses, ordering them to protect and sustain
the Four Continents."
The Heavenly King Great Brahma, Lord of the
Saha world, and Kaushika Indra prostrated
themselves at the Buddha's feet and made
this remark, "World-Honored One of Great
Virtue, Sugata of Great Virtue, we now repent
our faults. We are like small children, stupid
and ignorant. How can we announce our names
in the presence of the Tathagata? World-Honored
One of Great Virtue, please forgive us. Sugata
of Great Virtue, please forgive us. The great
assembly who have gathered here, please forgive
us. We will teach others as we wish in our
own territory, and protect and sustain them,
so that, in the end, we may lead sentient
beings to the good realms. In the past, I
received instructions from the Buddha Krakucchanda,
and have already made the seeds of the Three
Treasures multiply and flourish. Similarly,
we received instructions from the Buddhas
Kanakamuni and Kashyapa, and diligently made
the seeds of the Three Treasures multiply
and flourish, in order to keep the vital
energy of the earth, sentient beings, and
the taste of the Right Dharma - manda - abiding
long in the world and increasing. Having
received instructions from the World-Honored
One, even we can teach others as we wish
in our own territory and carefully protect
them in order to put an end to all strife
and famine and perform other acts, including
keeping the seeds of the Three Treasures
from extinction, keeping the three kinds
of vital energy dwelling long in the world
and increasing, hindering evil acts of the
sentient beings, protecting and nurturing
those who practice the Way, stopping sentient
beings from falling into the three evil realms,
leading them to the three good realms, and
ensuring the Buddha Dharma to abide long
in the world."
The Buddha said, "It is very good of
you, wonderful men, to do such acts."
Then the Buddha said to a hundred kotis of
Heavenly King Great Brahmas, "I entrust
to you the care of all beings who practice
the Dharma, abide in the Dharma, and accord
with the Dharma, thereby avoiding evil. You,
leaders of the sages, teach others as you
wish in your own territory in the hundred
kotis of the Four Continents. All the sentient
beings are corrupt, evil, coarse, and rude;
they torment and harm others and take no
pity for them. Having no fear for the next
life, they incite and harass the minds of
warriors, brahmans, merchants, and slaves,
and also do the same even to the minds of
animals. As a result of such acts of taking
lives and holding to wrong views, they invite
untimely gusts and rains and cause impairment
and diminution of the vital energy of the
earth, sentient beings, and the Right Dharma.
In such a case, you stop them and lead them
to abide in good acts. [638c]
"You should also protect and nurture
those sentient beings who seek good, who
seek the Dharma, who aspire to cross to the
Other Shore beyond birth-and-death, who practice
charity-perfection, and so on, up to wisdom-perfection
- and those sentient beings who perform practices
in accord with the Dharma and engage in works
in order to perform practices.
"If there are sentient beings who uphold
and recite sutras and expound them and explain
various scriptures for others, you should
care for them with mindfulness and provide
skillful means, so that they may gain strong
powers, hear and not forget the teachings,
accept in faith the distinctions of all dharmas,
attain emancipation from birth-and-death,
practice the Eightfold Noble Path, and come
into accord with the [five] roots of samadhi.
"If there are sentient beings in your
territory who dwell in the Dharma, practice
cessation and contemplation in proper order,
come into accord with various samadhis, and
sincerely seek to realize the three kinds
of Bodhi, you should guard them from hindrances,
embrace them, kindly give alms to them, and
keep them from short of provisions.
"If there are sentient beings who give
food and drink, clothing, and bedding, or
who give medicine to the sick, you should
make sure that the five benefits increase
for the donors. What are the five? First,
longer life; second, increase in wealth;
third, increase in happiness; fourth, increase
in good acts; and fifth, increase in wisdom.
You yourselves will gain benefits and happiness
for a very long time. As a result of this
act, you will accomplish the Six Perfections,
and before long, you will attain the all-knowing
wisdom."
Then the hundred kotis of Heavenly King Brahmas,
headed by the Heavenly King Great Brahma,
Lord of the Saha world, together made this
remark, "So it is, so it is. World-Honored
One of Great Virtue, in each of our own territories,
there are people who are corrupt, evil, coarse,
and rude, torment and harm others, take no
pity for them, and have no fear for the next
life. We will stop them and make sure that
the five benefits increase for the donors."
The Buddha said, "It is good of you
to do so."
Then all the bodhisattvas-mahasattvas, all
the great shravakas, all the gods, dragons,
and others, including all the humans and
non-humans, praised [the Heavenly King Brahmas]
and said, "How wonderful! Great valiant
ones, you will ensure that this Dharma abides
long in the world and that all sentient beings
become free from the evil realms and quickly
proceed to the good realms."
At that time, the World-Honored One said
in verse to clarify the essentials of this
once more:
I say to Moon-Matrix:
At the beginning of this Auspicious Kalpa,
Krakucchanda Buddha
Entrusted the Four Continents to Brahma and
others,
So that various evil be stopped,
The eye of the Right Dharma brighten,
All evil acts be abandoned,
Practicers of the Dharma be protected,
The seeds of the Three Treasures multiply,
[639a]
The three kinds of vital energy increase,
Various evil realms cease to be,
And people be led to the good realms.
Kanakamuni also entrusted the Four Continents
To the King Great Brahma and the Heavenly
Kings
Of Free Enjoyment of Others' Manifestations,
Enjoying Self-created
Pleasures, and others,
Including the Four Great Heavenly Kings.
Next, Kashyapa Buddha also entrusted them
To the King Great Brahma, the four Heavenly
Kings
Of Enjoying Self-created Pleasures and the
other heavens,
Indra, the world-protecting kings,
And to all the heavenly saints of the past,
And arranged the constellations and luminaries
In position for the sake of the world,
So that they protect and sustain the sentient
beings.
When the evil age of defilement has arrived
And the pure Dharma is about to perish,
I alone attain supreme Enlightenment
And keep the people in peace and protected.
There are some in this assembly
Who often disturb and trouble me;
You teach the Dharma to them
To support and protect me.
Bodhisattvas throughout the ten quarters
Have all, without exception, gathered here;
And heavenly kings, too,
Have come to this Buddha-land of Saha.
I asked the King Great Brahma:
Who protected this world in the past?
[He replied:] Indra and Great Brahma did,
But you have now instructed other heavenly
kings.
Then Indra and the King Brahma
Asked the Teacher to forgive them for their
faults, saying:
In the territories where we rule as kings,
We will stop all evil.
We will make the seeds of the Three Treasures
flourish,
And increase the three kinds of vital energy;
We will obstruct evil friends
And protect good ones.
Testimony from the Great Assembly Sutra - (7) |
91 It is stated in Chapter 10, "Devils
Attaining Reverential Faith," of the
"Moon-Matrix" section of the Great Assembly Sutra, fasc. 7:
At that time there were a hundred kotis of
devils. They all rose from their seats at
the same time, joined their palms and, facing
the Buddha, touched their heads to his feet,
and said to him,
"World-Honored One, We will muster up
great courage and strive to protect and support
the Buddha's Right Dharma, make the seeds
of the Three Treasures flourish and abide
long in the world, and make the vital energy
of the earth, the vital energy of sentient
beings, and the vital energy of the Dharma
increase. If there are shravaka disciples
of the World-Honored One who abide in the
Dharma, accord with the Dharma, and practice
while keeping their three modes of acts in
harmony with the Dharma, we will protect
and sustain all of them and see that they
do not lack any necessities....
In this Saha world,
At the beginning of the Auspicious Kalpa,
Kurukucchanda Tathagata entrusted
The Four Continents
To Indra and the Heavenly King Brahma
And had them protect and sustain them.
He made them multiply the seeds of the Three
Treasures
And increase the three kinds of vital energy.
Kanakamuni, too, entrusted
The Four Continents
To Brahma, Indra, and other heavenly kings
And had them protect and sustain them.
Kashyapa, too, did the same;
Entrusting the Four Continents
To Brahma, Indra, and the World-guardian
Kings,
He had them protect the practicers of the
Dharma.
He also made the heavenly saints of the past
And other heavenly saints
Arrange in position the astrological houses,
Constellations, and luminaries.
In the world of the five defilements I have
appeared;
Having subdued devils, the adversaries,
I have formed a great assembly
And displayed the Buddha's Right Dharma....
All the heavenly beings
All together said to the Buddha:
In the territories where we rule,
We will all protect [639b] the Right Dharma,
Make the seeds of the Three Treasures flourish,
And the three kinds of vital energy increase;
We will put an end to all disease and epidemics,
And terminate famine and strife.
Testimony from the Great Assembly Sutra - (8) |
92 It is stated in "Chapter on the Heavenly
King Dhrtarastra" [of the Great Assembly Sutra]:
The Buddha said, "God of the Sun and
God of the Moon, if you protect and sustain
my Dharma, I will enable you to enjoy long
life and keep you from decline."
At that time, there were a hundred kotis
of Heavenly King Dhrtarastras, a hundred
kotis of Heavenly King Virudhakas, a hundred
kotis of Heavenly King Virupaksas, and a
hundred kotis of Heavenly King Vaishravanas.
Together with their kinsmen, they arose from
their seats at the same time, adjusted their
clothes, joined their palms, respectfully
paid homage to the Buddha, and made this
remark, "World-Honored One of Great
Virtue, in our own territory, we will sincerely
protect and sustain the Buddha Dharma, keep
the seeds of the Three Treasures flourishing
and abiding long in the world, and make all
the three kinds of vital energy increase....
We now, with the same mind as our leader,
Heavenly King Vaishravana, protect Buddhas'
Dharma in this Jambudvipa and in the northern
quarter.
Testimony from the Great Assembly Sutra - (9) |
93 It is stated in "Chapter on Patience,"
part 16, of the "Moon-Matrix" section
of the Great Assembly Sutra, fasc. 8:
The Buddha said, "So it is, so it is.
It is just as you say. If there are beings
who abhor pain and seek pleasure for their
own sake, they should uphold Buddhas' Right
Dharma, thereby gaining the reward of immeasurable
merit. If there are sentient beings who renounce
the world to join my Sangha, shave their
beard and hair, and wear a monk's robe, they
are all, without exception, bear the seal
of Nirvana, even if they do not observe the
precepts. There may be some who have renounced
the world but do not observe the precepts;
acting unlawfully, they cause distress to
others, abuse and revile them; holding swords
and sticks in their hands, they beat and
tie them up, and even cut and slash them.
If there are other people who snatch the
robes and bowls of these monks and deprive
them of daily necessities. Such people inflict
harm on the true Recompensed Bodies of Buddhas
of the three periods; they also gouge out
the eyes of all heavenly beings. Because
they seek to destroy the Buddhas' Right Dharma
and the seeds of the Three Treasures, they
deny all heavenly beings the chance to obtain
benefit and make them fall into hell. Consequently,
the three evil realms grow bigger and full."
At that time, all heavenly beings, dragons,
and others, down to all kata-putanas, humans,
and non-humans, together joined their palms,
and made this remark, "We will regard
as our teachers and elders all the shravaka disciples
of the Buddha and those who, though they
do not observe the precepts, shave their
hair and beard and wear a monk's robe on
their shoulders. We will protect and support
them, provide them with necessities, and
see that they do not lack anything. If other
heavenly beings, dragons, and others, down
to kata-putanas, cause distress to these
monks, and do such acts as looking on them
with malicious thoughts, we will [639c] all
together impair their physical characteristics
as heavenly beings, dragons, kata-putanas,
and so on, and make them ugly. We will also
see that they do not live and take meals
with us and that they do not laugh and sport
with us in the same place. Such will be our
punishment on them."
Testimony from theGarland Sutra |
94 It is also stated [in the Garland Sutra, Chapter on the Ten Stages]:
Give up divination, study the right views,
and resolutely and deeply believe in the
causation of evil and meritorious acts.
Testimony from theSutra of the Samadhi of Heroic Advance |
Warning against disturbances by devils and
evil spirits |
95 It is stated in the Sutra of the Samadhi of Heroic Advance:
Those devils, spirits, and evil ones, accompanied
by their respective followers, will each
say, "I have attained the supreme enlightenment."
After my Nirvana, during the age of the Decadent
Dharma, there will be many such devils, spirits,
and evil ghosts. Swarming in the world, they
will present themselves as good teachers
and cause sentient beings to fall into the
pit of attachment and wrong views, lose the
way to enlightenment, become deluded and
confused, lose their judgement, and derange
their minds. Where these spirits pass, families
will collapse and disperse, and their members
will become devils of attachments and wrong
views, thereby losing the seeds of Tathagatas.
Testimony from theSutra of Ritual Sprinkling |
96 It is stated in the Sutra of Ritual Sprinkling [and Mantras]:
The thirty-six kings of spirits, accompanied
by their kinsmen spirits, ten thousand kotis
times the number of sands of the River Ganges,
will take turns to protect, while remaining
unseen, those who receive the Three Refuges.
Testimony from theSutra n the Ten Wheels of Ksitigarbha - (1) |
97 It is stated in the Sutra on the Ten Wheels of Ksitigarbha:
Those who correctly take refuge and disengage
themselves from delusive attachments and
divination, should never take refuge in evil
spirits or non-Buddhist teachings.
Testimony from theSutra on the Ten Wheels of Ksitigarbha - (2) |
98 It is also stated in the same sutra:
There may be some who in various ways, to
a lesser or greater degree, cling to lucky
or unlucky days, worship spirits ... and
commit serious evil karma, close to the one
leading to Avici hell. If they do not repent
and extinguish such evil karma, they should
not become Buddhist mendicants and receive
the monk's full precepts. If you allow them
to become Buddhist mendicants and receive
the monk's full precepts, you are committing
a fault.
Testimony from theSutra on the Samadhi of Collecting All Merits |
99 It is stated in the Sutra on the Samadhi of Collecting All Merits:
Do not turn toward non-Buddhist teachings;
do not worship non-Buddhist gods.
Testimony from theSutra on the Vows of the Buddha Medicine Master - (1) |
100 It is stated in the Sutra on the Vows of the Buddha Medicine
Master:
Sons and daughters of good families of pure
faith, do not serve non-Buddhist gods until
the end of your lives.
Testimony from theSutra on the Vows of the Buddha Medicine Master - (2) |
101 It is also stated in the same sutra:
Those who believe in the false teachings
of devils, non-Buddhists, and sorcerers,
which are popular in the world, and foretell
fortune and misfortune are most likely to
have mistaken ideas. Engaging in divination,
they will invite misfortune and kill various
sentient beings. They will offer prayers
to deities, and invoke goblins and sprites
to ask for good fortune and long life, only
to find these prayers fruitless. Being foolish
and deluded, they will believe in wrong teachings
and cling to perverse views, ending in untimely
death and falling into hell with no expectation
of an end to their terms there.... Eighth,
they will suffer from unexpected poisoning,
imprecation, and curses and will be harmed
by the spirits arising from corpses, and
others.
Testimony from theSutra on the Bodhisattva Precepts |
102 It is stated in the Sutra on the Bodhisattva Precepts:
The rule of a Buddhist mendicant is not to
pay homage to the king or [640a] parents,
not to serve the six kinds of blood-relatives,
and not to worship spirits.
Testimony from theSutra on the Buddha's Past Lives |
103 It is stated in "Chapter on Upasena"
in the Sutra on the Buddha's Past Lives, fasc. 42:
At that time, there was a nephew of the three
Kashyapa brothers, who was a brahmin with
his hair tied in the shape of a conch. His
name was Upasena.... He always practiced
and studied the way of heavenly saints with
his two hundred-fifty disciples. He heard
that his uncles, the three Kashyapas, had
gone with all their disciples to the place
of the Great Mendicant, shaved their hair
and beards and worn a monk's robes. Having
seen this, he faced his uncles and said in
verse:
Uncles, you have worshiped fire in vain for
a hundred years;
You have also practiced austerities in vain.
Today, do you abandon this practice
Just as a snake sloughs off its skin?
Then his uncles, the three Kashyapas, all
said together in verse to their nephew, Upasena:
Formerly, we worshiped the god of fire in
vain
And practiced austerities to no purpose.
Today, we abandon this practice
Just as a snake casts off its slough.
Testimony from theAwakening of Faith |
104 It is stated in the Awakening of Faith:
If sentient beings lack the power of the
roots of good, they may be deluded by devils,
non-Buddhists, and spirits. These may appear
in meditation manifesting various forms to
terrify them, such as handsome men or women.
If you meditate on the state of "mind
only," these objects will disappear
and will not cause any harassment to you
any longer.
Sometimes they may manifest forms of gods
or bodhisattvas, or forms of Tathagatas,
completely adorned with physical characteristics;
they may teach you dharanis, or the virtues
of charity, observance of the precepts, forbearance,
diligence, meditation, and wisdom, or teach
you that all things are equal, void, formless,
desireless, free of enemy or friend, having
neither cause nor effect, and ultimately
void and tranquil - this is true Nirvana.
They may give you the knowledge of your past
lives or your future. They may give you the
wisdom of knowing others' thoughts or the
unimpeded eloquence. They may make you attached
to worldly fame and profit.
They may cause you to get angry or rejoice
often, leaving you in an unstable state.
You may become too kind, too sleepy, feel
your stomach heavy, become ill too often,
or feel sluggish. You may have fits of diligence,
followed by negligence. You may give rise
to disbelief, much doubting, and much wavering
thought. You may discard the excellent practices
that you have been performing before and
take up miscellaneous practices. You may
be attached to worldly affairs and find yourself
drawn about and entangled in them.
They may enable you to attain the states
which partly resemble various samadhis; these
are all non-Buddhist acquisitions, and not
true samadhis. They may enable you to dwell
in samadhis for one day, two days, three
days, or up to seven days, while being naturally
provided with sweet-smelling and tasteful
food and drink, so that you will feel comfort
in body and mind, without hunger or thirst,
and thus become deeply attached to these
states. Or they may cause you to take food
[640b] immoderately, suddenly eating too
much or too little, so that your complexion
deteriorates.
For this reason, practicers should constantly
be watchful with wisdom and keep their minds
from falling into a net of depravity. Strive
in right mindfulness. Neither grasp nor cling,
and remove all these karmic hindrances. Know
that all non-Buddhist samadhis are accompanied
by wrong views, attachment, and self-conceit,
because they are rooted in avid desire for
worldly fame, profit, and veneration.
Testimony from the Treatise Clarifying the True - (1) |
Supremacy of Shakyamuni over Lao-tzu |
105 It is stated in the Treatise Clarifying the True (by Fa-lin):
The chapters "Ten Clarifications"
and "Nine Admonitions" in reply
to the "ten differences and nine delusions"
set forth by Li, the Taoist.
The first "difference" presented
by the non-Buddhist says:
The Supreme Heavenly Lord Lao-tzu entrusted
his spirit to the Hermit Lady Profoundly
Wonderful, and was born from her left side.
Shakyamuni entered the womb of Queen
Maya and was born from her right side....
The first clarification by the Buddhist is:
Lao-tzu, against the established law, was
conceived by a shepherdess and was born from
her left side. The World-Honored One, in
accordance with the transforming and sustaining
force of nature, was conceived by the sacred
mother and was born from her right side.
A person of illumination [i.e., bodhisattva]
says: When I peruse the Commentary on the Five Thousand Characters
by Lu Ching-yu, Tai Shen, Wei Ch'u-hsuan,
and others, and the lectures [on Lao-tzu]
compiled by the Emperor Yuan of Liang dynasty
and Chou Hung-cheng, I find that the title
"Supreme Heavenly Lord" is used
for the four persons: the three Emperors
and Yao and Shun. The reason is that in ancient
times there were these lords of great virtue,
who reigned over all the people; hence, they
were called "Supreme Heavenly Lords."
Kuo-hsiang [in his commentary on Chuang-tzu] explains, "The person regarded as
the wise man is the lord; those who are not
recognized as such are retainers." Lao-tzu
was not an emperor or lord. He is not included
among the four persons who held this title.
In what authoritative source is he described
as "Supreme Heavenly Lord" as you
thoughtlessly call him? Besides, such Taoist
classics as Hsuan-miao, Chung-t'ai, and Chu-t'ao-yu-cha, and the record Ch'u-sai-chi, state that Lao-tzu was born of his mother
Li; they do not mention "Hermit Lady
Profoundly Wonderful." So this description
is not authentic; it is a groundless fiction.
Further, the Precious Record of Hermit Sages says:
Hermit sages do not take wives; hermit ladies
do not take husbands. Although they have
female forms, they bear no children.
Such an auspicious event [as Lao-tzu's birth
from the Hermit Lady] would have been widely
acclaimed. The fact, however, is that there
is no mention of this in the Record of History or the Book of Chou. To fabricate a false record and denounce
the truth would be like trusting in the words
of a liar.
In the Book of Rites it is stated:
One who retires from government office and
has no rank is described as "shifted
to the left."
The Confucian Analects says:
It is against propriety to wear robes with
the left side under the right.
If the left side is superior to the right,
why do Taoists in their processions turn
right, not left? The state decrees all end
with, "as stated in the right."
These are all examples of the established
law of Heaven.
The fourth "difference" presented
by the non-Buddhist says:
Lao-tzu lived in the days of King Wen and
the state teacher of the Chou dynasty when
it was at its height. Shakyamuni lived
in the days of King Chuang and the teacher
of Chi-pin [northern India].
The fourth clarification by the Buddhist
is: Elder Yang [Lao-tzu] was a petty official
in the government, humbly serving in the
archives. He did not live in the days of
King Wen, nor was he a state teacher of the
Chou dynasty when it was at its height. Shakyamuni
was a prince [640c] and attained the most
honored Enlightenment. His days correspond
to the height of King Chao, and he was the
teacher of Jambudvipa....
The sixth "difference" presented
by the Non-Buddhist says:
Lao-tzu's life in the world began during
the reign of King Wen of Chou and ended during
the time of Confucius. Shakyamuni was
born in the family of Shuddhodana; his period
corresponds to the reign of King Chuang.
The sixth clarification by the Buddhist is:
Kashyapa [incarnated as Lao-tzu] was
born in the year fire/hare [714 B.C.] of
the reign of King Huan and died in the year
water/horse [519 B.C.] of the reign of King
Ching. Although he is said to have died in
the time of Confucius, he did not live during
the reign of Chi-ch'ang [King Wen]. The Tamer
of Beings [Shakyamuni] was born in the year
wood/tiger [1027 B.C.] of the reign of King
Chao and died in the year water/monkey [949
B.C.] of the reign of King Mu. He was the
heir of Shuddhodana, and appeared before
King Chuang.
A person of illumination says: Confucius
went to the kingdom of Chou, where he met
Lao-tan [Lao-tzu] and asked him about propriety.
This is recorded in detail in the Record
of History. As to whether he was the teacher
of King Wen, there is no authentic evidence.
He appeared at the end of the Chou dynasty;
this can be found in the records, but that
he flourished at the beginning of the Chou
dynasty lacks evidence in the historical
documents....
The seventh "difference" presented
by the non-Buddhist says:
Lao-tzu was born during the Chou dynasty
and, later in life, went into the desert.
It is not known what became of him or where
he died. Shakyamuni was born in the
western land [India] and ended his life near
the Ajitavati. [When he died,] his disciples
beat their chests in sorrow, and a multitude
of barbarian natives cried bitterly.
The seventh clarification by the Buddhist
says: Lao-tzu was born at Lai-hsiang and
buried at Huai-li. The details of this are
known in the account of Ch'in-i's call of
condolence, in which Lao-tzu is criticized
for making people believe that he was "a
hermit who hides himself in Heaven."
Gautama was born in the palace and died under
the shala trees. This became known in China
during the reign of King Ming of the Han
dynasty and is recorded in a writing treasured
in the imperial archives Lan-t'ai.
A person of illumination says: It is stated
in the "Inner Section" of Chuang-tzu:
When Lao-tan died, Ch'in-i went to mourn
him. He cried three times, and then left
the room. Lao-tzu's disciples were puzzled
and asked, "Were you not the Master's
friend?" Ch'in-i replied, "When
I went in, I saw young people mourning for
Lao-tzu as if they had lost their father,
and old people mourning for him as if they
had lost their son. In ancient times, people
spoke of 'a hermit who hides himself in Heaven.'
At first, I thought that Lao-tzu was exactly
that type of person, but now I do not think
so."
"Hide" means to withdraw; "Heaven"
means escape from bondage; "form"
refers to the body. This passage means that
at first Ch'in-i thought that Lao-tzu was
a hermit who hid himself from worldly bondage,
but now he sees that he was wrong. Ah, Lao-tzu
sought to win people's sympathy by words
of flattery; hence, he could not escape death.
This means that he is not my friend....
The above are the ten clarifications of the
Buddhist in reply to the ten differences
set forth by the non-Buddhist.
The non-Buddhist asserts that the first difference
is about left and right in the manner of
birth; the Buddhist replies that from the
time of birth there is a distinction of superior
and inferior.
The Buddhist clarifies the matter: The custom
of wearing clothes with the left side under
the right is maintained by barbarians. In
China, commands from the "right"
are respected. So it is stated in the Spring and Autumn Annals:
The prime minister receives no imperial commands,
but the assistant ministers receive them.
Is this not on the left [that is, wrong]?
The Record of History states:
Lin Hsiang-ju's contributions were great,
and his position was to the right of Lien-p'o.
This made Lien-p'o feel humiliated.
It also states:
Prime Minister Chang-i placed [the envoy
from] Ch'in on the right and Wei on the left.
Prime Minister Hsi-shou placed Han on the
right and Wei on the left.
This is because the left side is not suitable.
The Book of Rites says:
"Left-sided" people who form groups
and start riots shall be killed.
Does this not indicate that the right is
superior and [641a] the left is inferior?
Huang Fu-mi says in his Biographies of Eminent
Hermits:
Lao-tzu was a physiognomist in the state
of Ch'u. He had his house to the north of
the Wo River, and studied under Ch'ang-ts'ung-tzu.
When Ch'ang-tzu became ill, Li-erh [Lao-tzu]
went to inquire after him.
Again, Chi-k'ang says:
Li-erh studied the arts of the nine hermits
under Chuan-tzu.
When I examine various books, including one
by T'ai-shih-kung, I cannot find any record
that Lao-tzu was born from his mother's left
side. Since there is no authentic source
of information, this assertion is clearly
unreliable.
As we all know, wielding a lance or moving
a brush [with the right hand] is the first
step in military or literary arts. It is
just as the five ethers and three luminous
bodies are the beginning of yin and yang.
In the teaching of Shakyamuni, one turns
to the right; this corresponds with human
activities. The "left side" path
of Chang-ling contradicts the law of Heaven.
For Shakyamuni, he awakened the compassion
based on the realization of voidness and
responded to the needs of sentient beings.
This shows how he manifested himself in this
world.... Shakyamuni stood aloof from
heaven and earth as the most revered one.
His distinguished virtue was adored by all
in the three worlds and the six realms....
The non-Buddhist remarks:
Lao-tzu set an example of filial piety and
loyalty, thereby saving the world and the
people. He was a paragon of compassion and
love. Therefore, his teaching has been long
transmitted, without being altered by any
of the hundred kings. His profound influence
has benefited many generations, showing no
sign of deviation for a myriad ages. Thus,
his teaching has served as a standard, whether
in ruling a kingdom or regulating the family.
In Shakyamuni's teaching, righteousness is
discarded and parents are abandoned; benevolence
and filial piety are not adopted. King Ajatashatru
killed his father, but it is declared that
he did not commit any offense. Devadatta
wounded his cousin [Shakyamuni] with an arrow,
but we do not hear of any punishment imposed
on him. If ordinary people are guided by
this, the evil multiplies. If his teaching
becomes a standard, how can good be produced?
This is the tenth "difference,"
showing that Lao-tzu's teaching conforms
to the way and Shakyamuni's teaching contradicts
it.
The clarification of the Buddhist says: [According
to the Taoist teaching,] righteousness is
lower than the Way, propriety arises from
lack of loyalty and sincerity, small benevolence
is despised as the conduct of mean women,
and great filial piety is practiced only
by the rich. In addition, to laugh and sing
at the occasion of bereavement is not the
custom of the Chinese, and to beat trays
at funerals is not the manner of the Chinese.
(When Yuan-jang's mother died, he rode astride
the coffin and sang. When Tzu-sang died,
Tzu-kung made a call of condolence; Tzu-sang's
four children looked at each other and laughed.
Confucius was at the funeral, and laughed.
When Chuang-tzu's wife died, he beat the
tray and sang.)
Therefore, the virtue of filial piety is
taught to instruct such people, for it is
intended to have them respect their fathers.
Also, the virtue of loyalty is taught to
them in order to have them respect their
king. It is through the profound benevolence
of the wise ruler that the teaching of such
virtues spread to all countries; it is through
the great filial piety of the sacred king
that the benevolent ruling reaches throughout
the four seas.
The Buddhist sutras say:
Since the subject of mental activity transmigrates
in the six realms, there is no being that
has not become one's father or mother. Since
beings change their abodes in the three worlds
of birth-and-death, who can distinguish their
friends from their enemies?
It is also stated:
With the eye of wisdom covered by ignorance,
people come and go in birth-and-death. While
repeating comings and goings, they commit
various acts, through which they become each
other's parents and children. Enemies often
become friends, and friends often become
enemies.
Hereupon, Buddhist mendicants abandon the
secular world and turn toward the true. They
regard all beings as equal to their parents
and relatives. They discard worldly prosperity
and seek the Way. They treat all beings as
their parents. (They universally practice
the right mind and look upon others as equal
to their parents.)
Taoism esteems serene voidness, but you place
greater importance on love. The law is to
be enforced equally, but you discriminate
between friends and enemies. [641b] Is this
not unreasonable? It is recorded in history
books that rivalry for power results in abandoning
one's parents; Duke Huan of Ch'i and King
Mu of Ch'u are examples of this. Is it not
a mistake to slander the sage [Shakyamuni]
on these grounds?
Here ends the tenth point clarifying that
Taoism is inferior [to Buddhism]....
The two emperors [Fou Hsi and Nu Wa] ruled
the land and transformed the people with
their virtue. (The Sutra on the Four Continents Surrounding
Sumeru says: "Bodhisattva Responding-to-Voice
appeared as Fou Hsi, and Bodhisattva Auspicious
appeared as Nu Wa.") The three sages
set forth their teachings (in the Sutra on the Questions of Bodhisattva Voidness-Tranquility: "Kashyapa appeared as Lao-tzu, Bodhisattva
Manavaka appeared as Confucius, and Bodhisattva
Pure Light appeared as Yen-hui.") and
expounded the Way in the period of defilement.
Yellow Emperor and Lao-tzu enthusiastically
expounded the teaching of 'returning to oneness
by emptying one's self.' The Duke of Chou
and Confucius promoted the study of the arts
of poetry, composition, propriety, and music.
Manifesting the virtue of modesty and maintaining
simple and sincere disposition are steps
to sagehood. The three kinds of awe and the
five constant virtues are causes for birth
in human and heavenly realms. These teachings
are in tacit agreement with the Buddhist
truth, but they are not correct and exhaustive
discussions of it. It is like asking a deaf
mute the way; he may be able to show you
the direction but cannot tell the exact distance.
It is also like asking a rabbit or a horse
about crossing the river; it can tell you
how to cross, but does not know its depth.
These examples show that the Yin and Chou
dynasties were not fit for the spread of
Shakyamuni's teaching. It is like a child
unable to look directly at blazing flames
or dazzling light, or like a coward unable
to listen well to the shuttering sound of
a sudden clap of thunder. Thereupon, on seeing
rivers and ponds swelling, King Chao became
fearful of the birth of a divine being [Shakyamuni].
On seeing clouds and a rainbow change in
color, the queen of King Mu rejoiced at the
sage's death. (The Chou Dynasty Record of Miraculous Events says: On the eighth day of the fourth month,
twenty-fourth year of the reign of King Chou,
all rivers and springs swelled and overflowed.
On the fifteenth day of the second month,
fifty-second year of the reign of King Mu,
violent winds arose; trees were blown down,
the sky darkened with black clouds, and a
ghastly white rainbow appeared.) Such being
the case, how could the teaching be received
across the rivers of the Pamirs? How could
the sincere pursuit of the Dharma cross the
Himalayas? The Vimalakirti Sutra says, "It is the fault of the blind,
not the fault of the sun or the moon."
If a thorough investigation were to be made,
it would harm your nature of "Chaos."
[The Buddhist truth] is beyond your understanding.
This is the first point disclosing your blindness.
The second point of the Buddhist concerning
the construction of statues and pagodas:
From the time of Emperor Ming of the Han
dynasty to the end of Ch'i and Liang dynasties,
more than two hundred people, including kings,
nobles, officials, laymen and laywomen, monks,
and nuns, sensed the presence the most sacred
being, though invisible, and saw a miraculous
light with their own eyes.
Some saw the Buddha's foot impression on
Mount Wan and a brilliant Buddha image on
the waters of Hu-tu; others saw the [Buddha's]
image appearing like the full moon at the
foot of Mount Ch'ing-t'ai and a stupa outside
the Yung-men gate. King Nan-p'ing perceived
an auspicious image, and King Wen-hsuan received
a sacred tooth relic in his dream. King Hsiao
succeeded in casting a golden image of the
Buddha at the first attempt, while the emperor
of Sung tried to cast one four times without
success. There are a number of such examples
- there are too many to mention them all.
How can you overlook these miraculous signs
even with your blind eyes?
There is no virtue that is not contained
- this is nieh-p'an (Nirvana). There is no place that is not
reached - this is pu-t'i (Bodhi). There is nothing that wisdom does
not pervade - this is fo-t'o (Buddha). These
Chinese words represent Sanskrit terms. If
expressed in these two languages, 'Buddha'
is clearly to be entrusted to. How do you
explain this? Fo-t'o is translated as [641c] ta-chueh ('great awakening') in Chinese. Pu-t'i is
translated as ta-tao ('great Way'). Nieh-p'an
is translated as wu-wei ('No-action'). Although
you tread the earth of enlightenment all
day, you do not know that the great Way is
a different name for enlightenment. Although
you receive your bodily form from the great
awakening, you do not know that great awakening
is a translation of Buddha. Chuang-chou [Chuang-tzu]
says:
After you have the great awakening, you will
realize a great dream.
Kuo[-hsiang] says in his commentary:
Awakening refers to a sage. The reason is
that those who have distress in their hearts
are all dreaming.
The commentary also says:
Confucius and Tzu-yu were not able to reach
the true understanding beyond words; hence,
theirs was not the great awakening.
A man of virtue says: "The teaching
of Confucius does not go beyond this."
Nirvana, which is tranquility and illumination,
cannot be known by the consciousness or wisdom.
Words fail to reach it, and mental activity
ceases to function [trying to grasp it].
Hence, one forgets words to describe it.
The Dharma-body is possessed of the three
virtues and four excellent qualities; it
is tranquil and free of troubles. Hence,
it is described as 'emancipation.' This means
that through true understanding one attains
cessation of troubles. Although Confucius
was a sage, he cannot compare with the Buddha
in spiritual accomplishments. I say this,
for Liu-hsiang's Two Records of Antiquity
states:
One hundred fifty years after Buddhist sutras
were transmitted to China, Lao-tzu composed
the five-thousand-character discourse.
Both Chou [Chuang-tzu] and Lao-tzu, no doubt,
read Buddhist sutras. In their words and
teachings evidence for this is found here
and there. We should ponder on this....
The Sutra on Mindfulness of the Right Dharma says:
If people do not observe the precepts, gods
will decrease and asuras will increase. Good
dragons will lose their power, and evil dragons
will gain in power. When evil dragons have
power, they will cause frost and hail to
fall from the sky and violent winds and torrential
rain will occur out of season. Then the five
kinds of crops will not yield good harvest,
epidemics will arise one after another, and
the people will starve and kill each other.
If people observe the precepts, gods will
grow in majestic glory, asuras will decrease,
evil dragons will lose their power, and good
dragons will gain in power. When good dragons
have power, winds and rains will come at
the right time, and the four seasons will
be harmonious. The nourishing rain will fall,
bringing abundant crops. People will be at
peace, and arms will cease to be used. Epidemics
will not occur....
A man of virtue says:
The Taoist says in the Book of Hidden Truth of the Great Heaven and the Book of Supreme Truth: "The Lord of the supreme Great Way
rules in Great Gossamer Net Heaven, which
is infinitely vast and of fifty-five layers,
on Mount Jade Capital, where there is a seven-jeweled
stage, golden floor, and jade-desk. Attended
by hermit youths and hermit ladies, he dwells
outside the Thirty-two Heavens and the three
worlds."
The Chart of the Five Divine Peaks reads: "The Celestial Honored One of
the Great Way governs at T'ai-hsuan-tu (capital
of Great Profundity), located in the province
of Jade Light, the prefecture of Golden Truth,
the district of Heavenly Protection, the
county of Primordial Illumination, the village
of Settled Aspiration. No calamities infiltrate
there."
The Scripture of Spirits has this to say: "Great Gossamer Net
Heaven lies at the top of the heavens in
555,555 layers."
The Chart of the Five Divine Peaks says: 'Tu' means capital. The highest Lord
of gods [Lao-tzu], the supreme Great Way,
[642a] the Way of Ways, remaining in tranquility,
dwells in the capital of Great Profundity."
The Inner Sound of the Heavens says: "Gods, together with hermits,
beat drums in the storied palace. They have
an audience with the Lord of the Way at the
jade capital and entertain him."
If we examine the Catalog of Taoist Scriptures dedicated to the emperor by the Taoist,
we find that all people say, "According
to Lu Hsiu-ching, a man of the Sung, there
are 1,228 volumes." They are originally
miscellaneous works, which do not include
the writings of so and so 'tzu.' Now the
Taoist lists 2,040 volumes. Among them are
many titles taken from the Catalog of Literature of the Book of Han; 884 are arbitrarily listed as Taoist scriptures....
Upon investigation, we find that T'ao-shu
was Fan-li. He intimately served Kou-chien,
the king of Yueh. The king and all his ministers
were taken prisoners by the kingdom of Wu,
and had to eat excrement and drink urine;
they suffered untold misery. Further, Fan-li's
son was murdered by the kingdom of Ch'i.
If his father possessed the art of transforming
one's body, why could he not transform himself
and escape?
In the Record of the Creation of Heaven and Earth, it is recorded, "Lao-tzu was conceived
in the womb of the consort of King Yu."
That is to say, Lao-tzu was King Yu's child.
It also says, "His position was an official
in the Office of Archives." This shows
that he was King Yu's retainer. The Scripture on Converting the Barbarians says, "Lao-tzu was Tung-fang Shuo of
the Han dynasty." If this is so, since
King Yu was killed by the western barbarians,
why did Lao-tzu not, out of love for him,
give him a divine amulet to save his life?
...
We have referred to Lu Hsiu-ching's catalog;
there is no authentic text. It is amazing
that there are so many errors. Hsiu-ching's
catalog was obviously fraudulent. Hsuan Tu-kuan's Catalog [based on it] is the worst of all fakes.
Testimony from theTreatise Clarifying the True - (2) |
Exhortation to take refuge in the Buddha |
106 It is also stated in the same work:
The Larger [Nirvana] Sutra states:
There are ninety-six paths; only the single
path of the Buddha is the right path. The
other ninety-five are all non-Buddhist paths.
I [Emperor Wu] have discarded the non-Buddhist
paths and taken refuge in the Tathagata.
If there are lords who make the same vow,
they should each awaken the Bodhi-mind. Lao-tzu,
the Duke of Chou, Confucius, and others,
guided people as disciples of the Tathagata,
but they were originally in the wrong. They
taught only worldly good, unable to bring
people beyond the state of ordinary beings
to sagehood. Lords, ministers, nobles, kings,
and their families should turn from the false
paths and follow the true one, abandon the
wrong paths and enter the right one. It is
stated in the Buddhist scripture, Discourse on the Establishment of Truth:
To follow non-Buddhist paths with great reverence
and follow the Buddha-Dharma with little
reverence is a wrong view. If your reverence
for both is equal, your acts are neutral,
neither good nor evil. To serve the Buddha
with strong resolution and to serve Lao-tzu
with little concern is pure faith. 'Pure'
means thoroughly pure, within and without,
with complete extinction of defilements and
delusion. 'Faith' is to believe in the right
and reject the wrong; hence, such people
are called the Buddha's disciples of pure
faith. Others are all wrong-viewed; they
cannot be called persons of pure faith....
Give up the wrong teaching of Lao-tzu and
enter the true teaching of the Dharma. [642b]
Testimony from Shan-tao's work |
107 The Master of Kuang-ming temple says [in
the Hymns of the Nembutsu Liturgy]:
The Buddhas of the zenith, countless as the
sands of the Ganges,
Extend their tongues for the sake of the
beings of this Saha world
Who commit the ten evil acts and the five
gravest offenses, entertain much doubt and
slander the Dharma,
Believe in the wrong paths, serve spirits,
offer food to gods and devils,
Who, with delusory thoughts, seek benevolence
and benefits,
Only to find that misfortune and calamities
increase more and more,
Or who, lying in bed with sickness for many
years,
Become deaf and blind, have broken legs and
paralyzed hands -
Those who serve gods and yet receive such
retributions -
Why do they not abandon such beliefs and
practice mindfulness on Amida?
Testimony from T'ien-t'ai's work |
108 It is stated in T'ien-t'ai's Steps to the Dharma-realm:
The first is to take refuge in the Buddha.
The [Nirvana] Sutra says:
Those who take refuge in the Buddha should
never again take refuge in various non-Buddhist
gods.
It also says:
Those who take refuge in the Buddha will
not fall into evil realms.
The second is to take refuge in the Dharma.
It is said, "Take refuge in and practice
what the Great Sage taught, whether his teachings
or theoretical principles."
The third is to take refuge in the Sangha.
It is said, "The mind takes refuge in
the company of those who have renounced the
world and follow the right practice of the
Three Vehicles." The same sutra says:
One never again takes refuge in non-Buddhist
paths.
Testimony from Tz'u-yun's work |
109 Master Tz'u-yun says:
In India, methods of worship are compiled
in the Vedas, and in China they are found
in the books of rites. They do not lead to
emancipation from the world. From the perspective
of the true, they are provisional means to
guide the people of the world.
Testimony from Chegwan's work |
Don't take refuge in spirits |
110 Master Chegwan of Koryo says [in the T'ien-t'an Discourse on the Fourfold Teaching]:
Hungry spirits are called preta in Sanskrit.
Their places of habitation are found in various
realms. The hungry spirits with much merit
become spirits of mountains and forests or
of graveyards. Those without merit dwell
in filthy places, receive no food or drink,
and are constantly whipped. Forced to dam
up rivers and oceans, they suffer immeasurable
pain. Those who harbor flattery and deception
in their hearts and have committed the five
gravest offenses and the ten evil acts which
belong to the lowest degree of karmic evil
receive the recompense of this state of existence.
Testimony from Shen-chih's work |
111 Master Shen-chih comments on this [in
his Commentary on the T'ien-t'an Discourse on the Fourfold Teaching]:
Concerning the realm of hungry spirits, 'hungry'
means constantly starving, and 'spirit' means
that which returns. According to Shih-tzu,
in ancient times a dead person was called
'one who has returned.' Also heavenly spirits
are called spiritual beings, and earth spirits
are called earth-gods.... In form, they resemble
human beings or they are like beasts. The
mind that is not honest is described as 'flattery'
and 'deception.'
Testimony from Tai-chih's work |
112 Master Tai-chih says [in the New Notes to the Commentary on the Ullambana
Sutra]:
'Spirits' refers to spiritual beings. They
all belong to the four realms of gods, asuras,
hungry spirits, and hell.
Testimony from Chieh-tu's work |
113 Master Chieh-tu says [in the Subsidiary Discourse on the Contemplation
Sutra]:
Devils are classified in evil realms.
Testimony from T'ien-t'ai's work |
114 The Discourse on Cessation and Contemplation, in the section on devils' activities, says:
Second, I will clarify the way devils appear:
Whether they belong to the upper or lower
class, they are called devils. When we look
into the details of their differences, we
find that there are no more than three kinds:
1) spirits that irritate practicers, 2) spirits
that seduce practicers at fixed hours, and
3) devil-spirits. The ways these three kinds
of devils appear vary. [642c]
Testimony from Genshin's work |
115 Genshin, based on the Discourse on Cessation and Contemplation, says [in the Collection of Essential Passages
Concerning Birth]:
Devils obstruct enlightenment by taking advantage
of the practicers' evil passions. Spirits
cause illness and deprive them of the root
of life.
Testimony from the Confucian Analects |
116 The Confucian Analects says:
Chi-lu asked, "Should we worship spirits?"
Confucius said, "You should not worship
spirits. Why should people worship them?"
Honen's exile and passing |
117 When I humbly contemplate matters, I find
that in the various teachings of the Path
of Sages, both practice and enlightenment
have long become unrealizable and that the
true teaching of the Pure Land way is now
flourishing as the sure way to Enlightenment.
Despite this fact, monks of various temples,
being blind in discerning the teachings,
are unable to distinguish the true from provisional
ways. Confucian scholars in the capital,
being confused about practices, cannot tell
the difference between the right and wrong
paths. Thus, scholar-monks of Kofukuji temple
presented a petition to the retired emperor
[Gotoba-in] (Takanari by name) in the first
part of the second month in the year fire/hare
of the Jogen era [1207] during the reign
of emperor [Tsuchimikado-in] (Tamehoto by
name).
Lords and vassals who opposed the Dharma
and justice bore indignation and resentment
[to the Nembutsu teaching]. Thus, Master
Genku, the great founder who promulgated
the true teaching of the Pure Land way, and
a number of his followers were, without proper
investigation of their crime, indiscriminately
sentenced to death or, deprived of their
priesthood, exiled under criminals' names.
I was one of them. Hence, I am neither a
priest nor a layman, and so I took 'Toku'
as my surname. Master Genku and his disciples
spent five years in remote provinces in exile.
On the seventeenth day of the eleventh month
in the first year of Kenryaku, the year metal/sheep
[1211], during the reign of emperor [Sado-no-in]
(Morinari by name), Master Genku was pardoned
by the imperial order and returned to the
capital. After that he lived at Otani, north
of Toribeno at the western foot of Higashiyama,
Kyoto. In the second year of Kenryaku, he
passed away at the hour of the horse [midday]
of the twenty-fifth day of the first month.
At his death, there appeared incalculable
miraculous signs, as stated in his biography.
Personal expression of gratitude to Honen
and Amida |
118 I, Gutoku Shinran, disciple of Shakyamuni,
abandoned sundry practices and took refuge
in the Primal Vow in the first year of Kennin,
the year metal/ cock [1201]. In the year
wood/ox of the Genkyu era [1205], with the
master's kind permission, I copied his Collection
of Passages Concerning the Nembutsu of the
Selected Primal Vow. In the same year, on
the fourth day of the middle part of the
fourth month, the master in his own hand
inscribed my copy with the title inside,
"Collection of Passages Concerning the
Nembutsu of the Selected Primal Vow,"
and the words, "Namu amida butsu: The
fundamental act for the attainment of birth
is the Nembutsu," and also my new name,
"Shakku, disciple of Shakyamuni."
On the same day, I borrowed the master's
portrait and copied it. In the same second
year [of Genkyu], on the ninth day of the
latter part of the seventh intercalary month,
the master inscribed my copy of the portrait
with "Namu amida butsu" and with
the passage of the true teaching: "If,
when I become a Buddha, all sentient beings
in the ten quarters who call my Name even
ten times fail to be born in my land, may
I not attain perfect Enlightenment. This
Buddha, having attained Buddhahood, now dwells
in the Pure Land. You should know that his
weighty vows are not in vain. Sentient beings
who call his Name will unfailingly attain
birth." On the same day, he also wrote
on the portrait my new name [Zenshin] to
which my former name 'Shakku' was changed
according to a revelation in a dream. [643a]
The master was then seventy-three years old.
The Collection of Passages Concerning the
Nembutsu of the Selected Primal Vow was compiled
at the request of the Chancellor, the ordained
layman (Lord Tsukinowa Kanezane, Buddhist
name Ensho). The essentials of the true teaching
of the Pure Land way and the profound doctrine
of the Nembutsu are contained in it. Those
who read it can easily understand. It is
indeed an incomparable and supreme collection
of fine passages, an unsurpassed and profound
scripture. Out of the thousands of people
who received his teaching, personally or
otherwise, over many days and years, very
few were allowed to read and copy this book.
Nevertheless, I was allowed to copy it and
also make a copy of his portrait. This is
the benefit of the exclusive practice of
the Right Act; this is a sure proof of my
future attainment of birth. With tears of
sorrow and joy, I have noted the above story.
What a joy it is that I place my mind in
the ground of the Buddha's Universal Vow
and I let my thoughts flow into the sea of
the inconceivable Dharma! I deeply acknowledge
the Tathagata's Compassion and appreciate
the master's benevolence in instructing me.
As my joy increases, my feeling of indebtedness
grows deeper. Hereupon, I have collected
the essentials of the true teaching, and
have gleaned important passages of the Pure
Land way. I only think of the Buddha's deep
benevolence, and do not care about people's
abuse. May those who read this attain the
Joyful Faith of the Vow-Power, either by
the cause of faithful acceptance of the teaching
or by the condition of doubt and abuse, and
realize the supreme fruition in the Land
of Peace and Provision.
Reason for compiling this work through Tao-ch'o'
words |
119 It is stated in the Collection of Passages Concerning Birth
in the Land of Peace and Bliss:
I have collected true words so that they
may help others practice the way for birth.
For my wish is that those who have attained
birth may lead those who come after them
and those who aspire for birth may follow
their predecessors, thus following one after
another endlessly and uninterruptedly until
the boundless sea of birth-and-death is exhausted.
Urging people to follow this teaching |
120 For this reason, the priests and laypeople
of the last age should respectfully accept
this teaching in faith. This one should bear
in mind.
Reminder of the bodhisattva's compassion |
121 A verse in the Garland Sutra says:
When people see a bodhisattva
Perform various practices,
Some give rise to good thoughts and others
conceive evil thoughts;
But the bodhisattva embraces both of them.
End of Part 2 of the Chapter on the
Provisional
Transformed Buddhas and Lands
of the Pure Land Way
Obscuring the light and mixing with the dust
is the beginning of establishing contact
with the beings;
Attaining Buddhahood and manifesting the
eight major events
shows the end of the Buddha's mission.
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