2.57. Two Kinds of Tears (T1670B2.57)

The king asked Nāgasena, “A man cries and sheds tears on the death of his parents, another man also laments and sheds tears while listening to the teachings of the Buddha. In these two cases, are they different?”

Nāgasena replied, “He who weeps for his parents is due to his attachment, his thinking of his grief, sorrow and suffering. This kind of sorrow is the sorrow of the ignorant people. He who weeps while listening to the sermon of the Buddha is full of compassion. As he thinks of the sufferings in the world, so his tears come out. He would obtain the great merit.

“Excellent, Nāgasena.”

Nāgasena Bhikṣu Sūtra, translated by Venerable Guang Xing. Buddha’s Light Edition English Sutra Translation Series, 2008. This publication is part of translation program of the Woodenfish Project.

The full text, with detailed notes, textual and historical discussion, and comparison between Pali and Chinese texts, is available for download in two separate files, Translation and Notes.

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Used with kind permission of Buddha’s Light Publishing.

This SuttaCentral edition was prepared by Bhikkhu Sujato.

Prepared for SuttaCentral by Bhikkhu Sujato.