T1 The Canonical Book of the Buddha’s Lengthy Discourses, Vol. I

Sutra 2

Last Journey and Sojourns

(Dīgha Nikāya 16: Mahāparinibbāna Suttanta)

First Episode

Thus have I heard. At one time, the Buddha was sojourning on the [mountaintop called] Vulture Peak in the city of Rājagṛha, together with one thousand two hundred and fifty disciples. At that time, Ajātaśatru, the king of Magadha, desired to conquer the country of Vṛji. The king thought to himself, "Though

the Vṛji countrymen are known to be brave and the people physically strong, it would not be too difficult for me to conquer them. " Thereupon, King Ajātaśatru summoned his prime minister, Varṣākāra, a brāhmaṇa, saying: May you visit the World-honored One at Vulture Peak, [venerate him] in my proxy, and greet him with words of enquiry regarding his well-being: "Is his holiness at ease with his rising and sitting and does he feel strong in his walking?" Then speak to the World-honored One [with my words]: "The Vṛji countrymen are proud of their valor and of the physical strength of their people, and do not submit to my authority. I wish to conquer them, but since I have not thoroughly examined the matter, may I ask if the World-honored One could give some words of instruction on my behalf?" If the World-honored One does say something, bear in mind exactly what he has said without missing a word, and tell me his words exactly as you have heard them. Whatever the Tathāgata says cannot be false. Having received the king's order, Prime Minister Varṣākāra at once boarded a carriage leaving for Vulture Peak, reached the point where he had to alight from the vehicle, and then approached on foot. On reaching the World-honored One's dwelling place and greeting him with a bow, Varṣākāra withdrew to one side to take his seat and said to the World-honored One: The king of Magadha, Ajātaśatru, [venerates] the Buddha by bowing to your feet and respectfully greets the World-honored One with words 63

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The Canonical Book of the Buddha's Lengthy Discourses, Volume I of enquiry: "Is his holiness at ease in his rising and sitting and does he feel strong in his walking?" Again his majesty says to the Worldhonored One: "The Vṛji countrymen are proud of their valor and of the physical strength of their people, and do not submit to his authority. His Majesty wishes to conquer them, but since [the king] has not thoroughly examined the matter, he requests the World-honored One to give some words of instruction on his behalf.

"

At that time, Ānanda was sitting behind the World-honored One, fanning him. The Buddha said to Ānanda,

"Haven't you heard that the Vṛji countrymen

have frequently assembled to discuss the matter of their governance?" Ānanda replied,

"Yes, I have heard so, sir.

" The Buddha said to Ānanda:

If that is really the case, the young and old are harmonious, together they are all the more prosperous, their country should be secure for some time to come and cannot be invaded by any other country. O Ānanda, haven't you heard that the leaders and the followers of the Vṛji country are harmonious and have respect for each other between the superior and the inferior?

Ānanda answered,

to him again:

"Yes, this also I have heard, sir.

" The Buddha spoke

O Ānanda, if that is really the case, the young and old are harmonious, together they are all the more prosperous, their country should be secure for some time to come and cannot be invaded by any other country. O Ānanda, haven't you heard that the Vṛji countrymen respect their law, know what should be avoided, and do not fail to perform their customary duties?

Ānanda answered,

to him again:

"Yes, this also have I heard, sir.

" The Buddha spoke

O Ānanda, if that is really the case, the young and old are harmonious, together they are all the more prosperous, their country should be secure for some time to come and cannot be invaded by any other country. O Ānanda, haven't you heard that the Vṛji countrymen are filial to their parents and obedient to their teachers and elders? 64

Sutra 2: Last Journey and Sojourns

Ānanda answered,

to him again:

"Yes, this also have I heard, sir.

" The Buddha spoke

O Ānanda, if that is really the case, the young and old are harmonious, together they are all the more prosperous, their country should be secure for some time to come and cannot be invaded by any other country. O Ānanda, haven't you heard that the Vṛji countrymen venerate the Buddhist shrines (abhyantara-caitya) and respect the heretic shrines? Ānanda answered,

to him again:

"Yes, this I also have heard, sir.

" The Buddha spoke

O Ānanda, if that is really the case, the young and old are harmonious, together they are all the more prosperous, their country should be secure for some time to come and cannot be invaded by any other country. O Ānanda, haven't you heard that the wives and daughters of the Vṛji countrymen are genuine, faithful, spotless, and speak no evil even in jest? Ānanda answered,

to him again:

"Yes, this also have I heard, sir.

" The Buddha spoke

O Ānanda, if that is really the case, the young and old are harmonious, together they are all the more prosperous, their country should be secure for some time to come and cannot be invaded by any other country. O Ānanda, haven't you heard that the Vṛji countrymen render services for the needs of religious practitioners, the śramaṇas, revere those who are steadfast in moral precepts, and ready themselves to guard the religion and protect the practitioners, having never failed in doing so? Ānanda answered,

to him again:

"Yes, this also I have heard, sir.

" The Buddha spoke

O Ānanda, if that is really the case, the young and old are harmonious, together they are all the more prosperous, their country should be secure for some time to come and cannot be invaded by any other country. Thereupon, Prime Minister Varṣākāra said to the Buddha: When the people of that country uphold even a single principle of wellbeing, it is an unwise scheme [to wage war against them]. How much 65

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The Canonical Book of the Buddha's Lengthy Discourses, Volume I more so when they uphold all the seven principles of well-being. Since I am obliged to deal with many matters of the state, may I now ask Your Holiness for permission to depart, sir.

The Buddha said,

"You may do as suits you best.

"

Then Varṣākāra stood up from his seat, circumambulated the Buddha three times, and, with a bow, withdrew. Not long after his departure, the Buddha instructed Ānanda,

"Go at once and instruct all the disciples, right and left, in their residences in Rājagṛha to assemble at the meeting hall. "

Ānanda replied,

"Yes, sir, right away.

" At once he went to the city of

Rājagṛha and urged the bhikṣus to assemble at the meeting hall, and he reported back to the World-honored One: "All the bhikṣus have assembled, sir. May Your Holiness be ready.

"

Thereupon, the World-honored One stood up from his seat, and, reaching the meeting hall, took his seat in the place prepared for him and said to the bhikṣus,

"I shall speak to you on the subject of seven principles of wellbeing. Listen attentively, you should contemplate and remember [what I shall now say].

"

The bhikṣus responded to the Buddha,

"Yes, World-honored One. We are

ready to listen, sir.

"

The Buddha said to them:

The seven principles of well-being means the following: The first is the principle of frequent assembly to discuss the matter of right meanings, so that the bhikṣus of the sangha, young and old, may be harmonious and the Dharma should not decline. The second is the principle of harmonious cooperation and obedience regarding the teaching of the Dharma between the superior and the inferior, so that the bhikṣus of the sangha, young and old, may be harmonious and the Dharma should not decline. The third is the principle of respecting rules (fa), knowing what should be avoided (ji), and following regulations, so that the bhikṣus of the sangha, young and old, may be harmonious and the Dharma should not decline. The fourth is the principle of the sangha leader's protection and guidance for the members, so that the bhikṣus of the sangha, young and old, may be harmonious and the Dharma 66

Sutra 2: Last Journey and Sojourns

should not decline. The fifth is the principle of guarding one's mind and adhering to piety toward the elders, so that the bhikṣus of the sangha, young and old, may be harmonious and the Dharma should not decline. The sixth is the principle of practicing pure and genuine austerity and refraining from desire, so that the bhikṣus of the sangha, young and old, may be harmonious and the Dharma should not decline. The seventh is the principle of letting others be first and yourself second in matters of the order and refraining from [seeking] fame or advantage, so that the bhikṣus of the sangha, young and old, may be harmonious and the Dharma should not decline.

The Buddha said to the bhikṣus:

There is also another set of seven principles of well-being that enable the Dharma to flourish and protect it from slander. The first is the principle of concentrating on a few [matters] rather than being involved in many, which enables the Dharma to flourish and not be subject to slander. The second is the principle of maintaining quietude and silence and refraining from the use of many words. The third is the principle of reducing sleep and refraining from indulging in sleep. The fourth is the principle of refraining from the habit of group mentality and the indulgence in useless conversation. The fifth is the principle of refraining from praising oneself without [the presence of] real virtues in oneself. The sixth is the principle of refraining from joining any group of bad influence. The seventh is the principle of abiding in a secluded, quiet place in the forest. If each of you keep these principles, O bhikṣus, you shall enable the Dharma to flourish and protect it from slander. The Buddha said to the bhikṣus:

Again there is another set of seven principles16 that enables the Dharma to flourish and protect it from slander. The first is the principle of faith in the arhatship of the Tathāgata and in the ten titles attributed to the Buddha who realized perfect enlightenment. The second is the principle of having a sense of shame regarding one's own deficiencies. The third is the principle of knowing shame regarding one's wrong actions toward 67

The Canonical Book of the Buddha's Lengthy Discourses, Volume I 12a

others. The fourth is the principle of maximizing learning, examining the deep meanings of what one has learned regarding good, better, and best, and carrying out the practice of pure and genuine austerity. The fifth is the principle of exerting oneself in ascetic practice, refraining from evil, and promoting good action. The sixth is the principle of bearing in mind whatever one has learned and practiced in the past. The seventh is the principle of practicing insight, knowing the law of birth and cessation, and following the essentials of the wise and holy, thereby terminating the origin of suffering. These are the seven principles that enable the Dharma to flourish and protect it from slander. The Buddha said to the bhikṣus:

There is another set of seven principles that enable the Dharma to flourish and protect it from slander. What are the seven principles? First, the principle of reverence toward the Buddha; second, the principle of reverence toward the Dharma; third, the principle of reverence toward the sangha; fourth, the principle of reverence toward the precepts; fifth, the principle of reverence toward the practice of concentration; sixth, the principle of reverence toward one's parents; seventh, the principle of reverence toward the discipline of attentiveness. These are the seven principles that enable the Dharma to flourish and protect it from slander.

The Buddha said to the bhikṣus:

There is another set of seven principles that enable the Dharma to flourish and protect it from slander. First, the principle of contemplating the impurity of the physical body; second, the principle of contemplating the impurity of food; third, the principle of not being pleased with the human world; fourth, the principle of reminding oneself always of the thought of death; fifth, the principle of giving rise to the thought of impermanence; sixth, the principle of giving rise to the thought of suffering due to impermanence; seventh, the principle of giving rise to the thought of suffering and nonself. These are the seven principles that enable the Dharma to flourish and protect it from slander. The Buddha said to the bhikṣus:

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Sutra 2: Last Journey and Sojourns

Again there is another set of seven principles that enable the Dharma to flourish and protect it from slander. What are these seven? First, the principle of mindfulness regarding discerning insight, the retention of previous experiences with good memory, and abiding in seclusion, quietude, nondesire, and non-action by transcending both suffering and happiness; second, the principle of differentiation of psycho physical elements (skandhas) retained in memory with regard to their truthfulness or falsity; third, the principle of exertion in the pursuit of critically discerning right dharmas from false ones; fourth, the principle of abiding in the delight arising from the preceding practices; fifth, the principle of freedom from bodily and mental disturbances through the state of delight previously accomplished; sixth, the principle of "mental concentration to realize bodily and mental calmness"; seventh, the principle of maintaining a mind of equanimity and equilibrium. These are the seven principles that enable the Dharma to flourish and protect it from slander.

The Buddha spoke to the bhikṣus:

Again there are six principles that enable the Dharma to flourish and protect it from slander. What are these six? First, the principle of acting with a sense of friendly love (maitrī) and non-harm toward sentient beings; second, the principle of speaking words of friendly love and not speaking words of evil intent; third, the principle of keeping friendly love in one's mind and not holding any grudge or criticism; fourth, the principle of obtaining pure and genuine material support and sharing it with others equally; fifth, the principle of adhering to the precepts of the wise and holy without deficiency and without omission, unshakable in purity and genuineness; sixth, the principle of seeing the path of the wise and holy and thus acquiring insight into the origin of suffering. These are the six principles that enable the Dharma to flourish and protect it from slander.

The Buddha said to the bhikṣus:

Again there is another set of six principles that enable the Dharma to flourish and protect it from slander. First, the principle of mindfulness 69

The Canonical Book of the Buddha's Lengthy Discourses, Volume I of the Buddha; second, the principle of mindfulness of the Dharma; third, the principle of mindfulness of the Sangha; fourth, the principle of mindfulness of the precepts; fifth, the principle of mindfulness of the practice of charity; sixth: the principle of mindfulness of birth in heaven. These are the six principles that enable the Dharma to flourish and protect it from slander.

At that time, the World-honored One sojourned in Rājagṛha as long as he wished, and then said to Ānanda,

"You are doing well [in the life of daily

practice]. I wish to visit the Bamboo Grove monastery. "

Ānanda replied,

"Yes, sir.

" At once, he packed the Buddha's robe and

almsbowl and, carrying them [on his shoulder], followed behind him together with the other bhikṣus. Proceeding on the highway of Magadha, the Worldhonored One then reached the Bamboo Grove, entered the monastic building, and took his seat in the meeting hall. There, he taught the bhikṣus the curriculum of three [major] trainings: (1) moral precepts (śīla), (2) mental concentration (samādhi), and (3) [analytical] insight (prajñā). Being steadfast in the set of moral precepts and experiencing mental concentration, you may acquire great reward; being steadfast in the experience of mental concentration and the application of analytical insight, you may acquire great reward. Being steadfast in the application of analytical insight and realizing the purity of your mind, you may acquire perfect deliverance and extinguish three kinds of defilements, namely, defilement due to carnal desire, defilement due to existential desire, and defilement due to ignorance. When one has realized deliverance, he acquires the subsequent knowledge that he has realized emancipation, namely,

"Whosoever has terminated [the cause of] birth and death, accomplished the goal of the practice of austerity, completed whatever should be done, for him there will be no more birth after this life. "

At that time, the World-honored One sojourned at the Bamboo Grove as long as he wished, and then said to Ānanda,

"You are doing well [in the life

of daily practice]. I should proceed to the city of Pāṭaliputra. "

Ānanda replied,

"Yes, sir.

" At once, he packed the Buddha's robe and

almsbowl and, carrying them [on his shoulder], followed behind him together 70

Sutra 2: Last Journey and Sojourns

with the other bhikṣus. Traveling on the highway of Magadha, the Worldhonored One then reached the city of Pāṭaliputra and took his seat under a paṭalatree.

Having heard that the Buddha had arrived from a long distance at the paṭalatree accompanied by a group of his disciples, a group of lay devotees came out from the city and from a distance saw the World-honored One seated under the paṭalatree. They realized that his handsome appearance and calm, restrained senses were most sublimely matched in his holiness, just as a great dragon can be clearly seen through transparent water. They noted that the thirty-two eminent marks and eighty additional marks embellished his physical features. With delight in their hearts, they finally reached the place of the Buddha and, having honored him [by bowing] their foreheads to his feet, they withdrew to one side and took their seats. At that moment, the World-honored One began to teach them the doctrine of Dharma, thus encouraging, benefiting, and delighting them.

Having listened to the teaching, the lay devotees said to the Buddha: We humbly wish to take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. May your holiness, with compassion, grant us lay devotees your permission. From now on, we are committed to upholding the five precepts: not to injure life, not to steal, not to indulge in sexual misconduct, not to speak falsehoods, and not to ingest intoxicants. We have also planned to set up a place to make our offerings, sir. We earnestly wish, O Worldhonored One, that your holiness as well as the host of venerables have sympathy with us in accepting our offerings.

At that time, the World-honored One remained silent, thus granting their wish. Having seen that the World-honored One remained silent, the lay devotees stood up from their seats, circumambulated the Buddha three times, and with veneration, they returned [to the city]. At once they built a grand hall for the Tathāgata, fixing things here and there, cleaning up, burning incense, and respectfully placing a cushion at the main guest seat, they arranged the offerings in due order. They then returned to the World-honored One, saying, "The place has already been prepared. Whenever your holiness is ready, sir. "

Thereupon, the World-honored One stood up from his seat, donned his saṃghāṭīrobe, and with his almsbowl in hand he went into the hall. After 71

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The Canonical Book of the Buddha's Lengthy Discourses, Volume I washing his hands and feet, he took his seat in the prepared position. Then the host of bhikṣus took their seats on the left side, whereas the lay devotees sat on the right side. At that time, the World-honored One said to the lay devotees:

In general, when someone commits a moral transgression against the five precepts, he is then visited with five kinds of disasters. What are the five? First, even though one wishes to acquire wealth, he cannot do so; second, even when one obtains some sort of gain, it is exhausted within a single day; third, wherever one is, no one respects his presence; fourth, his bad name and rumors [about him] spread through the world; fifth, when his body dissolves and his life comes to an end he falls into the hells.

Again he said to the lay devotees:

In general, when a person keeps moral precepts, he is then visited with five kinds of blessings. What are the five? First, one is able to obtain whatever he wishes to acquire; second, his own wealth increases, with never a loss; third, wherever he is, his presence is respected; fourth, his good name is widely known in the world; fifth, after the dissolution of his body and his life's end he is bound to be born among the heavenly gods. The time quickly passed through one half of the night. The World-honored One told the lay devotees,

"May each of you return home.

" They then followed

the word of the Buddha, circumambulated him three times, and after venerating him, went away. At that time, during the latter half of the night as dawn approached, the World-honored One went to his secluded place and, through his supernormal vision, witnessed various high-ranking gods occupying the city, and also the middle- and lower-ranking gods as well, all occupying that city. Thereupon, the World-honored One at once returned to the meeting hall and took his seat on the cushion. As he thought it was the right time, he asked Ānanda, "Who

built this city of Pāṭaliputra?"

Ānanda replied,

"It was Prime Minister Varṣākāra, sir, and it is said that he built this to defend against a possible invasion of the Vṛji, sir. "

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The Buddha said to Ānanda:

Whoever built this city has received the gods' approval. During the latter half of the night when the dawn was approaching, I went to a secluded place [for meditation] and, through my supernormal vision, saw high-ranking gods occupying the city and also middle- and lowerranking gods as well. O Ānanda, you should know that when humans live at a site that high-ranking gods occupy, their lives will become secure and prosperous. Whoever lives at a site that middle-ranking gods occupy will be among the middle class of people. The site that lower-ranking gods occupy is the section where lower-class people live. Even these people have varied degrees of merit; their respective prosperity is somehow limited by these conditions.

O Ānanda, this is a place where the wise may reside, it will also be a center where people come for commercial and business transactions, and the laws of the state are true and cannot be false. This is the best of cities, to be commended by many and not to be destroyed. Should this city be destroyed at some future time, it would necessarily be due to one of these three causes: first, by a great flood; second, by a great fire; or third, by the conspiracy of city residents who side with foreign invaders. The city would be destroyed for one of these causes. Throughout that night the lay devotees were then engaged in preparation of the next day's provisions. When the preparations were complete, they came to the Buddha, announcing,

"The morning meal has already been prepared, sir. Whenever your holiness is ready. "

Then they set up a dining hall, served food to everyone with their own hands, and served water at the end of the meal. Thereupon, they each took their small sitting cloths with them and took their seats before the Buddha. At once, the World-honored One began to teach them: Now, I shall tell you that this is the city where the wise and the learned will reside, many of them upholding moral precepts, engaging in the practice of austerity, because of which those gods of good nature will be delighted. At once they recited mysterious charms for the presence of gods' blessings, if they are respected and served with respect, thus 73

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The Canonical Book of the Buddha's Lengthy Discourses, Volume I widely conducting charity, love, and sympathy. This is the place the gods praise and hence it is destined to meet with good fortune and will not meet with bad things.

At that time, when the World-honored One had completed his teaching, he stood up from his seat and the assembly circumambulated around the Buddha and followed him in leaving the city. Prime Minister Varṣākāra, followeing after the procession, thought to himself: Now, the śramaṇaGautama went out of this gate. This gate will be named "Gautama's gate.

" Again, the riverbank from which the Tathāgata crossed the Ganges will be called "Gautama's fording place. "

At that time, leaving the city of Pāṭaliputra, the World-honored One reached the riverbank, where many people tried to find a means of crossing the river. Some of them boarded boats in order to cross, while others got on bamboo rafts, and yet others crossed the river on wooden rafts. At that time the Worldhonored One was together with the host of disciples. Within an instant, as swiftly as a wrestler bends his arm and straightens it, he at once reached the yonder shore. The World-honored One contemplated the meaning of this and spoke in verse:

The Buddha is the captain of an oceangoing ship. The Dharma [that he teaches]

Bridges rivers and fords.

The vessel of the great path (mahāyāna-mārga) [that he steers] Transports both gods and humans across the water together. One may untie his knots (i.e., the defilements), Cross over to the [yonder] shore, and

Ascend to the state of the sages.

[But] the Buddha is the one who helps his disciples To untie their knots together and thereby realize nirvana. At that time, the World-honored One, traveling on the highway of Vṛji, reached the village of Koṭigāma. Resting under a forest tree, he said to the disciples:

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There are four profound branches of the Dharma17 (1) noble precepts, (2) noble concentration, (3) noble insight, and (4) noble deliverance. These doctrines are subtle and difficult to fathom. If I and you had not clearly understood these subjects, we would have been in the endless cycle of birth and death.

Thereupon, having contemplated these subjects, the World-honored One continued in verse:

It is the Buddha who alone can differentiate The four divisions of the Dharma:

Moral precepts, mental concentration,

Analytical insight, and deliverance.

Liberated from the state of suffering,

He helps others to come to their conversion and To terminate their cycle of birth and death. At that time, the World-honored One sojourned in the Koṭigāma village as long as he wished. Then he said to Ānanda, "I wish to proceed to the

village of Nādikā.

" Thus instructed, packing the Buddha's robe and almsbowl and carrying them [on his shoulder], Ānanda followed the World-honored One together with the other bhikṣus. Traveling on the highway of Vṛji, he reached Nādikā village and rested at a brick resthouse. At that time, Ānanda remained in a secluded place and thought to himself:18 In this village, twelve lay devotees once lived. Their names were: (1) Kakkaṭa (or Kakkudha), (2) Kaliṅga, (3) Nikaṭa, (4) Lishu, (5) Sāḷha, (6) Poyalou, (7) Potoulou, (8) Subhadra, (9) Tuolishetu, (10) Soudalishetu, (11) Yaśas, and (12) Yeshuduolou. These people are all dead and must have been reborn somewhere. Again, fifty of the people passed away. Again, five hundred of them have died. Where have these people been reborn?

Having thought thus, Ānanda arose from his secluded place. Coming to the World-honored One, after honoring him by bowing his forehead to his feet, he withdrew to one side and said to him: 75

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The Canonical Book of the Buddha's Lengthy Discourses, Volume I O World-honored One, while I was silently contemplating in my secluded place, I came to think of those twelve lay devotees, such as Kakkaṭa, and so on, who have died. Then again, fifty people also passed away in this village, and again five hundred of them have died since then. Where have these people been reborn, sir? I wish that your holiness would explain these matters.

The Buddha replied to Ānanda:

Those twelve, including Kakkaṭa, extinguished the five defilements that bind sentient beings to the lower sphere of desire, and after their deaths they were born among heavenly beings. They will enter the final nirvana (parinirvāṇa) from where they are, and will not return to this human world.

Those fifty people who passed away extinguished the first three of the five defilements (i.e., heretical belief in self, doubt, and attachment to non-Buddhist practices and observances), and freed themselves from desire, hatred, and delusion, thus realizing the saintly state of streamenterer (srotaāpanna), first of the four [states of spiritual development]. They return to this world and will terminate the root cause of suffering. Those five hundred people who have died also extinguished the three defilements and realized the state of stream-enterer. It is certain that they are not destined for an evil course of the life cycle, hence they will realize the path by returning to this world seven times in order to terminate the cause of suffering.

O Ānanda, it is the universal rule that once born, everyone is bound to die. There is no question about this. If everyone, when their death approaches, asks me about their destiny, wouldn't this be a great tragedy on their part?

Ānanda replied,

will indeed be a tragedy, sir.

"

The Buddha said to Ānanda:

"From the point of view of believers in the destinies, it Now, I am obliged to teach you the Dharma mirror. You should tell these noble disciples that if, in their present life, they can remove the cause of falling into the three evil courses of life and can realize the 76

Sutra 2: Last Journey and Sojourns

holy state of stream-enterer, they should be able to exhaust the cause of suffering before passing through the seventh return to this human world. Also you should share the following:

O Ānanda, the Dharma mirror refers to the state of unshakable faith that every noble disciple should acquire:

(1) Delighted at heart, every disciple should have faith in the Buddha Tathāgata as endowed with the ten titles, such as "one who has totally extinguished defilements,

" "one who is fully enlightened,

" and so forth.

(2) Delighted at heart, every disciple should not hesitate, whenever possible, to inculcate the Dharma that is real and subtle and to show the path of nirvana, believing in the testimony of what the knower of the path has been practicing.

(3) Delighted at heart, every disciple should have faith in the Sangha whose members are in harmonious cooperation, sincere and direct, and without false flattery; in which the fruits of the path are realized; in which harmonious obedience is held regarding the teaching between the superior and inferior; and in which each of the members respectively embodies the Dharma in himself. For, when the members are ready as candidates for the state of stream-enterer, they will realize it; when they are ready for the state of once-returner (sakṛ dā gāmin), they will realize it; when they are ready for the state of nonreturner (anāgāmin), they will realize it; when they are ready for the state of arhat, they will realize it.

(4) Every disciple should have faith in these [holy] men who are called the "four pairs of men" or the "eight [distinguished] personalities, " the wise and holy disciples of the Tathāgata, worthy of honor and respect as the best field of the world in which to harvest merit [by making offerings to them and serving them]. Every disciple should have faith in the body of precepts, pure, genuine, and spotless, neither deficient nor missing, adhered to by these wise and holy people. Every disciple should have faith in the practice and realization of mental concentration by the bright and sagacious. O Ānanda, these are the contents of the Dharma mirror. You should tell the noble disciples that if, in their present life, they can annihilate the causes for falling into the three evil courses of life and realize the 77

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The Canonical Book of the Buddha's Lengthy Discourses, Volume I holy state of stream-enterer, then they should be able to exhaust the cause of suffering before passing through the seventh return to this world. Also you should tell these things to those [who seriously wish to know about them].

At that time, the World-honored One sojourned in Koṭigāma village as long as he wished, and then said to Ānanda,

"Let us go to the country of

Vaiśālī.

" Thus, having packed the Buddha's robe and almsbowl and carrying them [on his shoulder], Ānanda followed the World-honored One together with other bhikṣus. Traveling on the highway of Vṛji, the World-honored One reached Vaiśālī and took his seat under a tree. A courtesan, Ambapālī by name, having heard that the Buddha, accompanied by his disciples, had arrived in Vaiśālī and was resting under the tree, at once boarded a carriage to visit the place where the Buddha stayed, wishing to venerate him with offerings. Even before reaching the site, she saw the World-honored One from a distance, noting his handsome appearance, his extraordinary senses, and his eminent marks, as though seeing the moon among stars. Delighted at heart, Ambapālī alighted from the carriage and approached on foot. She finally reached the place of the Buddha and, having honored him by bowing her forehead to his feet, she withdrew to one side and took her seat.

At that time, the World-honored One began to teach the Dharma, encouraging, benefiting, and delighting her. Having listened to the Buddha's teaching, Ambapālī was delighted and said to the Buddha:

From today, for the first time, I humbly take refuge in the Three Treasures. May your holiness grant this wish. I will become an upāsikā (laywoman) in order to devote myself to the right Dharma and, until the end of my life, will keep my vow not to injure life, not to steal, not to commit sexual misconduct, not to tell lies, and not to take intoxicants, sir. She again said to the Buddha:

May I request, World-honored One, that your holiness and the venerable disciples accept tomorrow's meal at my place. And may you take your rest for the night in the grove that I own.

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At that time, the World-honored One maintained his silence, thus granting her wish. Having realized the Buddha's silent acceptance, Ambapālī arose from her seat, venerated him, and after circumambulating the Buddha, departed. Not long after Ambapālī left, the Buddha said to Ānanda: "I am ready to go to the grove together with all of you.

" Ānanda replied,

"Yes, sir.

"

The Buddha stood up from his seat, and carrying his robe and almsbowl himself, he went to Ambapālī's grove accompanied by one thousand two hundred and fifty disciples.

The Licchavi clanspeople of Vaiśālī, having heard that the Buddha was sojourning at Ambapālī's grove, at once hurriedly set up their carriages decorated in five colors. Some of them rode a blue carriage drawn by a horse colored in blue, wearing blue garments, under a blue canopy with the mark of a blue streamer and a blue official ensign. The five colored carriages, horses, and so forth were all arranged in a similar manner. The five hundred Licchavi clanspeople, whose garments were of variegated colors, then equally wished to visit the Buddha.

After leaving the place of the Buddha, Ambapālī returned alone to her home but on the way she encountered the Licchavi clanspeople on the same path. Her horse shied and her carriage rubbed against one of the Licchavi clansman's decorated carriages and damaged its canopy and streamer. She did not, however, try to turn out of the way of their passage. The Licchavi clansman said accusingly:

Under what authority have you not turned out of the way of our passage? By bumping into my carriage, you have damaged my canopy and streamer.

Ambapālī replied:

Gentlemen, I have already requested the Buddha to come to my place for tomorrow's meal. In order to prepare the meals, I am returning home. Because of this, I have to make this carriage run as fast as it can, not allowing it to turn off from this road, sirs. Some Licchavi clanspeople then asked [her]: "Can you set your request aside for a while, and give us the opportunity [to make the first offerings to the Buddha]? We shall give you one hundred thousand gold pieces for it. "

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The Canonical Book of the Buddha's Lengthy Discourses, Volume I Ambapālī at once replied,

"I am the first to have requested the Buddha

and it has already been settled. I cannot transfer this opportunity to you, sirs. "

Then the Licchavi clanspeople again said to [her]: "Then we shall give you sixteen times that amount of one hundred thousand gold pieces. Give us the first opportunity.

"

Ambapālī still did not agree, asserting,

"My request has been granted. I

cannot transfer it to you, sirs.

"

Then the Licchavi clanspeople said to her again, "We will give you one

half of the state's wealth. Let us have the first opportunity. "

Ambapālī again replied:

Even if you promise me all the wealth of the state, I am not interested in it, sirs. The reason is that the Buddha is sojourning at my grove and has accepted my request. This matter has been settled, sirs. Thus she refused. All of the Licchavi clanspeople wrung their hands and lamented,

"Now, because of this woman, we have lost the opportunity to make the first offering!" but they proceeded on their way toward the grove. At that time, the World-honored One saw from a distance the five hundred Licchavi clanspeople approaching the grove, accompanied by tens of thousands of carriages and horses, filling up the entire roadway. He said to the bhikṣus:

If you wish to know how the gods of Trāyastriṃśa Heaven play games and enjoy their heavenly garden, it would not differ much from the oncoming host of visitors in pomp and stateliness. All of you, bhikṣus, should maintain your minds in good unity and present yourselves in a dignified manner.

What, O bhikṣus, is called good unity of the mind? Here, O bhikṣus, exert yourselves in observing the inner body (i.e., inner senses) in concentration, without slackening, being mindful and remembering your observations, thereby discarding worldly desires and worries. Exert yourselves also in observing the outer body (i.e., outer senses), without slackening, being mindful and remembering your observations, thereby discarding worldly desires and worries. [Further,] exert yourselves to observe both the inner and outer body, without slackening, being mindful 80

Sutra 2: Last Journey and Sojourns

and remembering your observations, thereby discarding worldly desires and worries. It is the same with observing one's sensation (senses), mind (intellect), and psychophysical elements.

O bhikṣus, what then does it mean to not be dignified in respect to manners? [It is the opposite of dignified conduct and discipline.] In this matter, O bhikṣus, whatever one should do, he should know how to do it. Whatever one should stop, he should know how to stop. Look around right and left, bend forward, stretch back, look downward and look upward, holding the robe and almsbowl; you should not lose the [dignified] manner of eating and drinking hot water and medicine; applying properly expedient means, you should remove obstacles, keeping your mind intact in silence without [letting it become] scattered, whether walking, stopping, sitting, lying down, sleeping, or speaking. Such a one is called a bhikṣuwho is well endowed with dignified manners and discipline. The five hundred Licchavi clanspeople reached the grove owned by Ambapālī and, having alighted from their carriages, proceeded on foot toward the place of the Buddha. After honoring him by bowing their foreheads to his feet, they withdrew to one side to take their seats. The Tathāgata, abiding on his seat, cast his aura of authority and holiness over the entire assembly, just as the autumnal moon casts its light, and also as the sun alone shines brightly from midair through a clear sky, onto the clean ground with no speck of dust whatsoever.

At that time, while his seat was surrounded by the five hundred Licchavi clanspeople who sat on the ground, the Buddha alone amid the entire assembly revealed his holy illumination. At that time, there was a brāhmaṇa,Piṅgiyānī by name, among the assembly. He suddenly stood up from his seat, rearranged his garments to expose his right shoulder, and with his right knee touching the ground and both palms held together in respect, praised the Buddha in verse:

King Aṅga of Magadha (i.e., Bimbisāra)

Seeking merit-worthy prosperity,

Clad himself in the heraldic paragon of armor.

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The Canonical Book of the Buddha's Lengthy Discourses, Volume I The World-honored One appeared in this land and Shook the triple world with his aura of authority and virtue. The fame of his name has arisen like that of the Himalayas, and [That of his virtue] like the blooming lotus flowers With their subtle and delicate fragrance. Now, the brightness of his presence

Is like the sun arising at the beginning of the day and Like the moon playfully passing through the sky With no shade of clouds whatsoever.

Even so is the World-honored One

Whose light illumines the human world.

His supreme insight is just as clear and bright As a garden torch perceived through the darkness of night. He has bestowed on everyone the eyes of insight and Dispelled all doubt from the minds of humans. Then, the five hundred Licchavi clanspeople, having listened to Piṅgiyānī's recitation of his verse of tribute, requested of him, "May you recite the verse

of praise once again.

" Thereupon, Piṅgiyānī repeated the recitation three times before the Buddha. Having listened to the verse of praise repeatedly sung by Piṅgiyānī, each of the Licchavi clanspeople took off their garments and gave them to the brāhmaṇafor his recital. Piṅgiyānī at once presented these garments to the Buddha as his offering, and the Buddha accepted his gift with compassion.

Thereupon, the World-honored One said to the Licchavi clanspeople of Vaiśālī:

In the world, there are five kinds of treasures that are difficult to obtain. What are the five? First is the appearance of the Tathāgata in this world, who has realized the state of arhatship. Such an appearance is difficult to meet. Second is a person who is capable of expounding the right Dharma of the Tathāgata. Such a person is difficult to find. Third is a person who is capable of believing and understanding the Dharma taught by the Tathāgata. Such a person is difficult to find. Fourth is a person who is capable of realizing the Dharma taught by the Tathāgata. Such a person is difficult to find. Fifth is a person who knows how occasions 82

Sutra 2: Last Journey and Sojourns

of crisis recur and how to rescue others from disasters. Such a person is difficult to find. These are the five treasures most difficult to obtain. Then, having listened to the teaching of the Buddha, the five hundred Licchavi clanspeople were delighted and said to the Buddha, "We humbly wish,

O World-honored One, that your holiness and the venerable disciples accept our invitation.

"

The Buddha replied to the Licchavi clanspeople:

Dear noblemen, you have invited me and I have now already accepted your offerings. Ambapālī made an invitation in advance, and this has already been accepted by the Buddha, hence it still stands. When all the Licchavi clanspeople heard this, each of the five hundred clanspeople wrung his hands and expressed regret, saying, "While we wished

to make our offerings to the Tathāgata and his party, this woman has already taken the first auspicious opportunity.

" At once they rose from their seats

and, having honored the Buddha by bowing their foreheads to his feet, they circumambulated the Buddha and departed.

During the night, Ambapālī prepared various foods for the next day's offering. The next morning, when the time came, the World-honored One, surrounded by one thousand two hundred and fifty disciples, each neatly dressed in the saṃghāṭīrobe and with almsbowl in hand, arrived at the place they had been invited to and took a seat in the prepared position. Thereupon, Ambapālī set forth superb foods for the Buddha as well as the members of the sangha. When the meal was over, the bowls were set aside and the tables were removed. Ambapālī then carried a golden pitcher to serve water for washing. As she stepped forward toward the Buddha she said to him:

Among all the groves in the city of Vaiśālī, the one that I own is the best. I would like to present it as gift to the Tathāgata. With compassion for me, may your holiness accept this gift.

The Buddha said to Ambapālī:

Your ladyship, make this grove an offering to the universal sangha (i.e., of the bhikṣus of all regions) with the Buddha as its head. The 83

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The Canonical Book of the Buddha's Lengthy Discourses, Volume I reason is that whatever belongs to the Tathāgata, namely, the six items, such as groves, forests, rooms, houses, robes, and bowls, cannot be transferred as gifts to anyone, even ones such as [the Evil One] Māra, Indra, Brahmā, and other powerful gods, who are not equally worthy to the Tathāgata.

Thus instructed, Ambapālī at once dedicated her grove to the universal sangha with the Buddha as its head. With compassion, the Buddha accepted her gift and praised her deed in verses:

Whosoever builds the commemorative tower (stupa), Whoever builds the monastic residence (vihāra),

Whoever dedicates the grove and orchard with cool shade, Whoever helps people cross the water

By building bridges and steering boats,

Whoever provides travelers in the wilderness

With water and grass as well as a resthouse,

His merit increases by day and by night thereof,

With his moral quality pure and genuine,

He is bound to reach the goal of highest good.

Then Ambapālī brought a small table before the Buddha and took her seat. The Buddha began to teach the Dharma, encouraging, benefiting, and delighting her, by expounding the doctrine of charity, the doctrine of morality, the doctrine of rebirth in heaven, instructing that desires are to be shunned as great danger, unclean and impure, determining ongoing defilements of passion as an obstacle, but [on the other hand], commending the path of distancing oneself from both suffering and pleasure as necessary and best (toward the goal of salvation).

At that time, the World-honored One observed that [Ambapālī's] mind became receptive, peaceful, little obstructed, and ready to be educated. Thereupon, following the rule of all buddhas, he expounded on her behalf the noble truths of suffering, the cause of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the necessary path of cessation (i.e., the Four Noble Truths). At that time, Ambapālī, with faith pure and genuine, like white cloth that can be easily dyed any color, at once in that single session [at her seat] removed herself from all defilement and thus acquired genuine insight into 84

Sutra 2: Last Journey and Sojourns

the nature of the Dharma, realized the Dharma as she envisioned it, became determined to abide in the right path without falling into any evil course, and thus attained the state of fearlessness. Thereupon, Ambapālī said to the Buddha,

"Now I humbly take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. "

After repeating the words of her vow, she said:

May your holiness grant me permission to become a lay devotee. From now until the end of my life, I will not injure life, nor steal, nor indulge in sexual misconduct, nor lie, nor drink intoxicating liquor. Therewith, Ambapālī received the five precepts from the Buddha. Casting away her earlier trade, she annihilated all unclean stains, and arising from her seat, she venerated the Buddha and departed.

At that time, the World-honored One sojourned in Vaiśālī as long as he wished, and then said to Ānanda,

"You are doing well [in the life of daily

practice]. I wish to proceed to Beluva-gāma.

" Having answered,

"Yes, sir,

"

Ānanda packed the Buddha's robe and almsbowl, and carrying them on his shoulder he followed the World-honored One with other the bhikṣus. Traveling on the highway of Vṛji, the World-honored One reached the bamboo forest of the village.

There was a brāhmaṇa, Pishatuoya by name. Having heard that the Buddha, accompanied by his disciples, had arrived at the bamboo forest, he thought to himself in contemplation:

This śramaṇaGautama is renowned of name and virtue in all regions. He is [perfectly] endowed with the ten supreme titles and has excelled beyond all the heavenly beings, such as Indra, Brahmā, [Māra], the Lord of Evil, and the evil ones (deva-māras), the śramaṇas, and the brāhmaṇas, in his direct experience of deliverance, and has ever since continued to teach the Dharma. Whatever he says at the beginning, in the middle, as well as at the end, is true and right and is profoundly subtle in its meaning, and matches his practice of austerity. It will be good for me to see such a perfected person free from all attachment. Then the brāhmaṇacame out of the bamboo forest and came to the place where the World-honored One stayed and, having greeted him with a bow, he took a seat at one side.

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The Canonical Book of the Buddha's Lengthy Discourses, Volume I The World-honored One then began to teach the Dharma on his behalf, encouraging, benefiting, and delighting him. Having listened to the teaching, delighted in his heart, the brāhmaṇarequested the World-honored One and his disciples to accept his offering of the next day's meal and an overnight resting place. The Buddha remained silent, thus accepting his invitation. The brāhmaṇa,having understood that his request was accepted, rose from his seat and, after circumambulating the Buddha, went home. At once, during the night, the brāhmaṇaprepared the food and drink, and the next morning he announced,

"It is time, sir, if the World-honored One is ready. "

Thereupon, the World-honored One, donning the saṃghāṭīrobe and with his almsbowl in hand, reached the house accompanied by his disciples, and took his seat in the prepared position. Then the brāhmaṇaserved varieties of good food for the Buddha and the members of the sangha. When the meal was over and the bowls were set aside, he served water for rinsing the bowls and washing hands. Then he brought out a small chair and sat before the Buddha. Thereupon, the Buddha praised his deed in verse: Providing those who are steadfast with moral precepts With food and drink, robe and garment, as well as bedding, One is bound to acquire great reward.

Such merit is a true companion,

Following him always and everywhere,

Just as the shadow following its form.

In this way it is best to plant good seeds

For securing food in the world to come.

Making merit, he is secure on that basis.

Protected by heavenly gods wherever he goes,

He will be free from disaster in all of his life and Will be born in heaven when he dies.

At that time, the World-honored One taught the subtle Dharma on behalf of the brāhmaṇa,benefiting and delighting [him], and having done so, rose from his seat and left the house.

The crops were very expensive in that land and because of the prevailing famine it was very difficult to obtain almsfood. The Buddha said to Ānanda, 86

Sutra 2: Last Journey and Sojourns

"Call all the bhikṣus residing in this country and assemble them in the meeting hall.

"

Ānanda answered,

"Yes, sir,

" and released the message far and near to

call [all the bhikṣus] to assemble at the hall. Thereupon, all the bhikṣus residing in that country came to assemble, and Ānanda reported to the Buddha, "The

bhikṣus have assembled, sir. May your holiness be ready. "

At that time, the World-honored One rose from his seat, reached the hall, and, having taken his seat in the prepared position, said to the bhikṣus: It is a time of famine in this land, and it is difficult to obtain almsfood. All of you form groups and go to Vaiśālī or the country of Vṛji to rely on your friends and relatives. If you settle there for the duration of the summer retreat, you may not have to face the difficulty of food shortage. I alone will remain here with Ānanda to arrange the summer retreat. The reason for sending you away is that I foresee food scarcity as well as other things here.

Thereupon, the bhikṣus at once departed as instructed for their respective destinations.

The Buddha alone remained in that country with Ānanda. Later on, during the summer retreat, the Buddha experienced physical ailment with pains throughout his body. He attentively spoke to himself: Now I have got an illness and my whole body hurts very severely. But all the disciples are not here. It would not be good if I were to take the course of death here. For the time being, I must exert myself to prolong my life.

At that time, the World-honored One came out of his secluded room and took his seat in a cool spot. Having seen his appearance, Ānanda quickly approached him and said to the Buddha,

"As I see your holiness now, you

look to be suffering from an illness, sir.

"

Ānanda again said:

I have known that the World-honored One has been ill. My mind has been upset and distracted because of the defilement of sorrow and 87

The Canonical Book of the Buddha's Lengthy Discourses, Volume I 15b

lamentation, without clear consciousness. Since my breath has still survived, I tried to wake and gather my thoughts, then realized that the Tathāgata has not entered nirvana. The Eye of Wisdom of the human world has not entered nirvana. The great Dharma has not yet been damaged. But why has the World-honored One not yet left a testament for all the bhikṣus of the sangha, sir?

The Buddha said to Ānanda:

Is there anything that the sangha expects from me? If anyone claims "I am one who holds the sangha and who unites the sangha, " then such a

person may leave some sort of instruction to the sangha. But I, the Tathāgata, have never said "I am one who holds the sangha and unites the sangha.

" Why should I leave some sort of instruction after my death? O Ānanda, the Dharma that I teach has been put into practice with no distinction of inside or outside. Without a claim of "I, " the Dharma

that I [originally] realized has been practiced all through. I have become aged, just about eighty years. Just as an old cart can barely [continue to] travel by means of repairs, so it is the same with my body. I can prolong my span of life for awhile by means of expediency, and I am trying to forebear this ongoing pain. When I let go of all forms of thought, I enter the state of no-thought where I feel at peace and at ease with my body, feeling none of its affliction. Therefore, O Ānanda, you must make yourself your own light, you must make the Dharma your light, but you should not make anything else your light. Take refuge in yourself, in the Dharma, but not in anything else. Why do I say to you, "Make yourself your own light, make

the Dharma your light, but not make anything else your light. Rely on yourself, rely on the Dharma, but do not rely on anything else"? O Ānanda, when a bhikṣuobserves his inner body (inner senses) in concentration, he should exert himself with no slackening, being mindful of his observations and keeping them in memory, thereby removing worldly desires and worries. In observing his outer body (outer senses), and also observing both inner and outer body, he should exert himself with no slackening, being mindful of his observations and keeping them in memory, thereby removing worldly desires and worries. It is 88

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the same with observing one's sense perceptions, mind (intellect), and psychophysical elements.

This is what I mean by making oneself one's own light, making the Dharma one's light, but not making anything else one's light; to rely on oneself as one's refuge, to rely on the Dharma as one's refuge, but not to rely on anything else as one's refuge.

The Buddha said to Ānanda:

If there is anyone who would really be able to practice this discipline, he surely would be the primary practitioner of the path among all my disciples.

The Buddha said to Ānanda,

"We shall go to the Cāpāla shrine.

"

"Yes, sir,

" replied Ānanda. The Buddha stood up, donned the saṃghāṭī robe, and with his almsbowl in hand, reached the shade of a tree. He said to Ānanda,

"Spread my sitting cloth. My back hurts. I wish to rest here. "

"Yes, sir,

" replied Ānanda, and he at once spread the sitting cloth. The Tathāgata took his seat and Ānanda also set up a small seat and sat before him. The Buddha said to Ānanda:

There are those who practice the four kinds of supernormal power. While practicing these powers, they are always mindful of these practices so as to keep them in good memory. When one so desires, he can prolong his life on the basis of his power for as long as the remaining duration of the current eon.

O Ānanda, the Buddha has already practiced these four supernormal powers on many occasions and, being mindful of these experiences, he does not forget the use of them. If it is necessary, the Tathāgata can extend his life span for the remaining duration of the present eon, so that he may remove darkness, benefit the world, and make heavenly gods happier.

At that time, Ānanda remained silent and did not respond. The Buddha repeated these words three times, but Ānanda still remained silent. At that time Ānanda was obstructed by the Evil One and did not understand the Buddha's words. After three repetitions the Buddha suggested that he respond, 89

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The Canonical Book of the Buddha's Lengthy Discourses, Volume I yet Ānanda was unaware that he should ask the Buddha to prolong his life. [Finally] the Buddha said to Ānanda,

"You ahould know what to do.

"

At that moment, Ānanda understood [the Buddha's] words, rose from his seat, and, after venerating the Buddha, left that place. He sat under a tree not far from the Buddha and engaged in meditation and reflection. A short while later the Evil One [Māra] appeared before the Buddha and said to him:

O Enlightened One, when you have no further wish, you should take the course of entering final nirvana. Now is the right moment. You should quickly enter final nirvana.

The Buddha replied to the Evil One:

Speak no more. I, myself, know the right time. I, the Tathāgata, will not take the course of nirvana just yet. I must wait for the time when all the bhikṣus come together. I shall, by control of my own destiny, approach courageously and without cowardice the goal of peace and ease. I shall continue to take my own merit and will be the teacher (ācaryaka) for others. I shall continue to be a propagator of the teaching of the sutras and will expound the meaning of each sentence. If there is any heretical teaching, I will repudiate it on the basis of the right Dharma. I shall vindicate the testimony of my own experience on the mysteries of the Dharma. My disciples are not yet assembled for all this, nor have the bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas (laymen), or upāsikās (laywomen) assembled yet. Now it is still necessary to propagate the practice of austerity and to expound the enlightened mind, allowing the heavenly beings to witness the mystery of the Dharma. Then the Evil One again spoke to the Buddha:

O Enlightened One, in the olden days, when you realized supreme enlightenment under the ajapāla-nyagrodhatree by the bank of the Nairañjanā River in the village of Uruvilvā, I appeared before you, O World-honored One, and urged the Tathāgata to enter final nirvana, saying "It is the right time now for you to enter nirvana swiftly and at "

once.

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At that time, O Tathāgata, you replied to me, saying "Stop, Evil One, I, myself, know the right time. I, the Tathāgata, will not take the course of entering nirvana. When a good number of disciples has assembled, and so forth, even allowing the heavenly beings to witness the mystery of the Dharma, only then I will take the course of entering nirvana.

"

O Enlightened One, now you have acquired many disciples and the heavenly beings have all witnessed the mystery of the Dharma. Now is the right time. Why are you not taking the course of entering nirvana? The Buddha said:

Stop, Evil One! The Buddha himself knows the right time. I will not abide for a long time. Three months from now, at the spot between two śālatrees near Kuśinagara, the original place of the Mallan clan, I shall take the course of entering final nirvana.

Then the Evil One quickly thought to himself,

"The Buddha does not lie.

He will surely enter nirvana soon.

" Dancing and jumping for joy, he suddenly

disappeared.

Not too long after the Evil One had departed, the Buddha exerted himself to concentrate on volitional concentration at the Cāpāla shrine solely to extend his life span. Exactly at that time, the great earth trembled and all the people of that country were stricken with fear; there were none whose hair did not stand on end. The Buddha emitted a great ray of light that penetrated everywhere without limitation, even illuminating the dark underworld, thus enabling the beings therein to see each other. At that time, the World-honored One uttered these words in verse:

Of the two divisions of the conditioned and the unconditioned, I have now forsaken the conditioned,

Abiding solely in the state of concentration;

Like a chick coming out of the shell.

At that time, wise Ānanda, with a frightened mind, his hair standing on end, quickly approached the Buddha. Having honored the Buddha by bowing 91

The Canonical Book of the Buddha's Lengthy Discourses, Volume I 16a

his forehead to his feet, he withdrew to one side and said to the Buddha, "It

is very strange, O World-honored One, that the earth trembled, sir. Why did this happen?" The Buddha said to Ānanda:

In general there are eight causes for the occasion of the trembling of the earth. What are the eight? The ground is floating above water. Water stays on wind, and wind stays in space. When a storm arises in midair, a great churning of water automatically follows. When the great water is churned, every part of the ground shakes. This is called the trembling of the earth.

Next, O Ānanda, when a bhikṣuor a bhikṣuṇī,as well as the powerful among the gods, has realized the path, recognized an imbalance between the ground and the water, and has tested his or her capacity to balance them, the ground necessarily shakes. This is the second reason. Again next, O Ānanda, when a bodhisattva initially descends from Tuṣita Heaven to his mother's womb and abides there in concentration with his mind undisturbed, the ground then trembles. This is the third reason.

Again next, O Ānanda, when a bodhisattva comes out of his mother's right side and abides there in concentration with his mind undisturbed, then the ground trembles greatly. This is the fourth reason. Again next, O Ānanda, when a bodhisattva realizes supreme enlightenment, at that moment the ground trembles greatly. This is the fifth reason.

Again next, O Ānanda, when the Buddha, after his realization of the path, turns the supreme wheel of Dharma that neither the Evil One nor his evil gods, neither śramaṇanor brāhmaṇa,neither gods nor people can do, then the ground everywhere shakes greatly. This is the sixth reason.

Again next, O Ānanda, when the Buddha's teaching is close to its end, and if he abides in concentration with his mind undisturbed and decides to forsake his longevity, then the ground everywhere shakes greatly. This is called the seventh reason.

Again next, O Ānanda, when the Tathāgata, while abiding in the complete state of nirvana (anupadiśeṣa-nirvana), [freed from both mental 92

Sutra 2: Last Journey and Sojourns and bodily continuation,] enters parinirvāṇa,the ground shakes greatly. This is called the eighth reason. These eight causes make the ground tremble greatly. At that time, the Buddha continued in verse: Highest among all humans, great ascetic śramaṇa, Is he who illuminates the human world. To this teacher of heavenly gods asked Ānanda: "Why does the ground tremble, sir?" With compassion, thus expounded the Tathāgata With his voice like that of a kalaviṅkabird. "All of you listen to what I explain. The ground lies on water, water lies upon wind. If wind moves in space, the ground shakes greatly. This is the first cause of the ground that trembles. O bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, if you wish to test your supernormal power, Hills, oceans, the ground, and myriad grasses and trees all tremble. When the gods Indra, Brahmā, and

All powerful gods wish to shake the ground, The spirits of hills and oceans shake the ground. The Bodhisattva, Most Honorable among Humans, Endowed with hundreds of meritorious virtues, When he initially enters his mother's womb, The ground trembles because of it. Abiding for the duration of ten months in the mother's body Is like a dragon lying in a cushion mattress. When he appeared from the mother's right side, The ground trembles greatly because of it. When the Buddha was a youth,

His defilement was already extinguished, and His enlightenment excelled infinitely, Because of this the ground trembled. When he turned the wheel of the Dharma in the Deer Park, The gathering place of all sages, and When his power of insight overcame the Evil One, 16b

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The Canonical Book of the Buddha's Lengthy Discourses, Volume I The ground trembled greatly.

The Evil One frequently visited the Buddha, Urging him to enter nirvana.

When the Buddha himself decided to enter final nirvana, The ground trembled greatly.

The Most Honorable among Humans, Great Teacher, Sage, One who exhausted the cause of subsequent existence, Remained unmoved, and yet

When he decided on the course of entering nirvana, The ground trembled greatly.

By one whose eyes were pure and genuine The eight kinds of events are explained As accompanying the ground's trembling. As the eighth cause,

It was the time when the Buddha enters final nirvana From the complete state of cessation,

That the ground everywhere trembles greatly. "

Second Episode

The Buddha said to Ānanda:

There are eight kinds of people in the world. What are the eight? First, the kṣatriyas (nobility); second, the brāhmaṇas (priesthood); third, the lay householders; fourth, the śramaṇas (ascetic mendicants); fifth, the four guardians of the heavens; sixth, the gods of the thirty-three levels of heaven; seventh, the followers of the Evil One [Māra]; eighth, the gods of Brahmā Heaven. I recollect the following regarding myself: Long ago I was once associated with the kṣatriyapeople. The number of times I sat with them, stood with them, and exchanged words with them are beyond counting. Wherever I was with them, because of my endeavors and powers of concentration I was a prominent figure. Some of the kṣatriyapeople had good complexions, but my complexion far exceeded theirs. Some of them had good voices, but my voice far exceeded theirs. They ceased to compete with me, but I did not stop competing with them. Whatever subject matter they 94

Sutra 2: Last Journey and Sojourns

could discuss well, I too could discuss equally as well as they. Whatever subject matter they could not discuss, I could discuss. O Ānanda, I taught them the Dharma extensively, benefiting and delighting them. I died while I was among them, but they believed that I was a heavenly god and did not realize that I was actually a human. In this way, I mingled with the followers of the god Brahmā and, through incalculable times back and forth [through transmigration], extensively taught the Dharma to the heavenly gods, and yet no one knew who I really was.

Ānanda said to the Buddha:

It is marvelous, sir. O World-honored One, no one ever, before your holiness, could accomplish such [great] tasks as those accomplished by the World-honored One, sir.

The Buddha continued:

This subtle, delicate, and rare Dharma, O Ānanda, is exceedingly unique and has never before been realized by anyone. Only the Tathāgata alone could realize this Dharma.

Again he spoke to Ānanda:

The Tathāgata alone knows the nature of the arising, abiding, and perishing of sensation; he alone knows the nature of the arising, abiding, and perishing of ideation; he alone knows the nature of the arising, abiding, and perishing of analytical introspection. This is the unique, never-before-realized Dharma, which the Tathāgata alone has accomplished. You should take this Dharma to heart and make it work for yourself.

At that time, the World-honored One said to Ānanda, "Let us go to the

Kūṭāgāra hall (near Vaiśālī).

" He then sat on the sitting cloth spread under a tree. The Buddha said to Ānanda,

"Go and tell the bhikṣus residing in the right and left quarters of the Kūṭāgāra [hall], without missing anyone, to assemble in the meeting hall.

"

As instructed, Ānanda assembled all the bhikṣus in the hall and reported to the Buddha,

"All the bhikṣus have assembled, sir. May your holiness be 95

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The Canonical Book of the Buddha's Lengthy Discourses, Volume I ready.

" Thereupon, the World-honored One at once went to the hall, took his seat in the prepared position, and said to the bhikṣus: You should know the following disciplines, on the basis of which I myself accomplished the direct experience and realization of perfect enlightenment. They are: (1) four kinds of mindfulness, (2) four kinds of endeavor, (3) four kinds of supernormal power for acquiring concentration, (4) four kinds of meditation, (5) five kinds of spiritual faculties, (6) five kinds of spiritual power, (7) seven kinds of auxiliary disciplines of enlightenment, and (8) eight kinds of paths pertaining to the wise and saintly practitioner. You should be in harmonious cooperation, respectful and obedient toward each other with regard to these disciplines, refraining from creating disputes. When you have one and the same teacher, all of you receive the same water and milk. Whoever receives the practice of these disciplines from me should make of them your light, equally, and share your delight in practicing them. O bhikṣus, you should know the following sources in which I have expounded the Dharma since I accomplished the direct experience of it. They are: (1) the sūtracollection, the sacred discourses in prose; (2) the geyacollection, the sacred discourses in prose and verse; (3) the vyākaraṇacollection, the doctrines and destinies of religious fulfillment; (4) the gāthācollection, the literature in verse; (5) the udānacollection, the Buddha's solemn and joyous utterances in prose and verse; (6) the nidānacollection, the doctrinal and Vinaya discourses on motives and occasions; (7) the jātakacollection, stories of past lives and experiences as a bodhisattva; (8) the itivṛttakacollection, stories of past events; (9) the vaipulyacollection, extensive doctrinal studies; (10) the adbhuta or adbhuta-dharmacollection, descriptions of supernormal events and mysteries; (11) the avadāna collection, moral instructions consisting of heroic stories and moral retributions; and (12) the upadeśacollection, detailed and extensive expositions and interpretations. You should take these sources of the Dharma thoroughly to heart and carefully evaluate and analyze them so as to avail yourselves of them when needed, according to given circumstances. Why do I say this? Because I shall not live for a long time. Three months from now I shall enter final nirvana.

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Having heard these words, all the bhikṣus were terror-stricken, shocked, and confused; some threw themselves to the ground. One cried out in a loud voice,

"How is it that the Buddha will take the course of cessation so soon?" Another mourned,

"How sad it is that Eye of Insight of the world goes to cessation! Without his holiness, we will wither away over time. " Some bhikṣus

cried in sorrow and stamped [their feet] in grief, twisting their bodies and wailing, totally out of control, just as a snake that has had its head cut off twists and wriggles without knowing where it is going. The Buddha said to them:

O bhikṣus, halt your wailing a moment. You should not be overwhelmed by sorrow. There is no one in the entire world, whether one is in heaven, on earth, or among human beings, who does not perish once born. No matter how hard one wishes to halt conditioned things from changing, one cannot do so. I have previously taught you that whomever you love, whomever you find endearing, all such is impermanent; whoever meets with another will after all become separated. The physical body is not one's possession. Life does not continue to exist forever. Thereupon, the World-honored One continued in verse: Now I am free to take my course

Reaching the place of peace and quiescence. Hence, I have assembled the members of the sangha To tell them what I mean.

I am aged, having no more years to live. I have accomplished that which should be done. Now I am ready to forsake my life.

Being mindful, without slackening,

I have been steadfast with the precepts of the bhikṣus. Keeping myself intact by concentrating on my volition, I protect my mind [from scattering].

Whoever is steady, without slackening,

With the Dharma I have taught,

Can annihilate the root cause of suffering, Thus overcoming the fate of birth, old age, and death. 97

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The Canonical Book of the Buddha's Lengthy Discourses, Volume I Again the Buddha said to the bhikṣus:

I have given you these admonitions now, because the Evil One among gods came to urge me, saying,

"O Enlightened One, when you have

no further purpose, you should take the course of final nirvana. Now is the right time. You should quickly enter that nirvana. "

I replied to the Evil One,

"Stop, Evil One. The Enlightened One

himself knows the right time. I will wait for the time when all the bhikṣus come together and all the gods are able to witness the mystery of the Dharma.

"

The Evil One again said,

"O Enlightened One, in the olden days,

when you realized supreme enlightenment under the ajapāla-nyagrodha tree by the bank of the Nairañjanā River in the village of Uruvilvā, I appeared before you, O World-honored One, and urged the Tathāgata to enter final nirvana, saying: 'It is now the right time that you enter final nirvana swiftly and at once.

' At that time, O Tathāgata, you replied,

'Stop, Evil One, I myself know the right time. I, Tathāgata, will not take the course of entering nirvana. When a good number of disciples have assembled, and so forth, even allowing the heavenly beings to witness the mystery of the Dharma, only then I will take the course of entering nirvana.

' O Enlightened One, now, you have acquired many disciples and the heavenly beings have all witnessed the mystery of the Dharma. Now is the right time. Why are you not taking the course of entering nirvana?"

I said: "Stop, Evil One, the Buddha himself knows the right time. I will not abide much longer. Three months from now, at the spot between two śālatrees near Kuśinagara, the original place of the Mallan clanspeople, I shall take the course of entering final nirvana. "

Then the Evil One quickly thought to himself: "The Buddha does not lie. He will surely enter nirvana soon.

" Thus, dancing and jumping

for joy, he suddenly disappeared. Not long after the Evil One had departed, I exerted myself to concentrate on volitional concentration at the Cāpāla shrine solely to extend my life span. Exactly at that time the great earth trembled, while all the people of that country were fearstricken and there were none among them whose hair did not stand on 98

Sutra 2: Last Journey and Sojourns

end. I emitted a great ray of light that penetrated everywhere without limitation, even illuminating the dark underworld, thus enabling the beings therein to see each other.

At that time, I uttered the following words in verse: Of the two divisions of the conditioned and the unconditioned, I have now forsaken the conditioned,

Abiding solely in the state of concentration;

Like a chick coming out of the shell.

At that time, Venerable Ānanda stood up from his seat, rearranged his robe to expose the right shoulder, knelt with his right knee touching the ground, and with his palms joined together, said to the Buddha: O World-honored One, we request that your holiness remain in this world by extending your life span until the fulfillment of the present eon, not taking the course of final nirvana. With compassion for all sentient beings, may your holiness benefit gods and humans. At that time, the World-honored One remained silent, without responding. Ānanda repeated his request in the same manner three times. Thereupon, the Buddha said to Ānanda,

"Do you believe in the path through which the Tathāgata realized supreme enlightenment?" He replied,

"Yes, sir. I believe in the word of the Buddha. "

The Buddha continued:

If you believe in it, why have you approached to press me three times? You heard it closely from me and closely received instruction from me before, namely:

There are those who practice four kinds of supernormal power. While practicing these powers, they are always mindful of these practices so as to keep them in good memory. When one so desires, he can prolong his life on the basis of his power for as long as the remaining duration of the current eon. O Ānanda, the Buddha has already practiced these four supernormal powers on many occasions and, being mindful of these experiences, he does not forget the use of them. If it is necessary, the Tathāgata can extend his life span 99

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The Canonical Book of the Buddha's Lengthy Discourses, Volume I for the remaining duration of the present eon, so that he may remove darkness, benefit the world, and make heavenly gods happier. At that time, why didn't you repeat your request asking me not to take the course of final nirvana? Your wish could have been fulfilled if you had inquired twice, or up to a third time. You could have requested me at that time to extend my life span for the remaining duration of the present eon, thereby removing darkness, benefiting the world, and making heavenly gods happier. You have now made this request, but isn't it foolish? I expressed my intention three times, yet you remained silent throughout. Why didn't you ask me at that time, "May the Tathāgata extend his life for the remaining duration of the present eon, thereby removing darkness and benefiting the world"? Nay, do not press me any more, Ānanda. I have already forsaken the span of my life. I have discarded it and vomited it out. Even if you urge the Tathāgata to contradict his own word, you know that it is of no avail. It is as if a wealthy man has vomited food upon the ground. How and why would he retrieve the food once vomited upon the ground? Ānanda replied,

"There is no reason, sir.

"

[The Buddha continued:]

It is the same with the Tathāgata. He has forsaken it and already vomited it out. How and why should you ask him to retrieve what he has already forsaken?

The Buddha said to Ānanda,

"Let us go to Ambala village.

" Packing up

the Buddha's robe and almsbowl [and carrying them on his shoulder], Ānanda followed the World-honored One together with the other bhikṣus. Traveling on the highway of Vṛji, he reached Ambala village and sojourned in a forest on a hill.

At that time, the World-honored One taught the bhikṣus the three [main] branches of training: (1) moral precepts (śīla), (2) mental concentration (samādhi), and (3) [analytical] insight (prajñā):

Being steadfast with the set of moral precepts and experiencing mental concentration, you may acquire great reward; being steadfast with the 100

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experience of mental concentration and applying analytical insight, you may acquire great reward. Being steadfast with the application of analytical insight and realizing the purity of your mind, you may acquire perfect deliverance and extinguish three kinds of defilements, namely: defilement due to carnal desire, defilement due to existential desire, and defilement due to ignorance. When one has realized deliverance, he acquires a subsequent insight of his realization (vimukti-jñāna): "Whoever has exhausted [the cause of] birth and death, accomplished the goal of the practice of austerity, and completed that which should be done [in life], to him there will be no more birth after this life. "

At that time, the World-honored One sojourned in Ambala village as long as he wished. [Then] the Buddha said to Ānanda,

"You are doing well [in

the life of daily practice]. I wish to visit the villages of Jambugrāma, Bhāṇḍagrāma, Hastigrāma, and then the town of Bhoganagara. "

Ānanda replied,

"Yes, sir,

" and packing up the Buddha's robe and almsbowl

at once, he followed him together with the host of other bhikṣus. Traveling on the highway of Vṛji, gradually visiting those places, they finally reached the forest of śiṃśapātrees north of the town of Bhoganagara and sojourned there.

The Buddha said to the bhikṣus,

"I shall introduce you to four principles

of great importance. Listen attentively, you should contemplate and remember [what I shall now say].

" The bhikṣus responded,

"Yes, sir. We are delighted

and ready to listen to the teaching, sir.

"

The Buddha began to teach:

What are the four [principles]? Suppose a bhikṣu(or a group of bhikṣus) asserts a certain matter by saying,

"At such-and-such village or town

or country, I listened directly to the word of the Buddha and received directly from him this doctrine, this discipline, or this teaching. " Even

so, you should neither believe it nor reject it unless whatever is asserted is examined to be true in reference to the scriptures, the rules of discipline, or in reference to its origin and adaptation with the system of authentic belief. If it is neither in accord with the scriptures, nor with the rules of discipline, nor with the system of authentic belief, you 101

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The Canonical Book of the Buddha's Lengthy Discourses, Volume I should respond to the assertion by saying,

"Venerable, the Buddha did

not teach this particular thing. You may have heard it from the group of bhikṣus erroneously. My understanding in reference to the scriptures, the rules of discipline, or the system of authentic belief is different from what you have asserted. The Buddha did not teach this particular thing that you have asserted, because we have examined it in reference to the scriptures, the discipline, and the system of authentic belief. What you previously asserted is not in accord with the system of authentic belief, nor is it in accord with the rules of discipline, nor is it in accord with its origin and adaptation. Venerable, you should not keep it, nor should you teach it to others. You should discard it. " If, however,

what he has asserted accords with the scriptures, the rules of discipline, and the system of authentic belief, you should say to him, "What you

have previously asserted is truly the Buddha's teaching, because we have examined it in reference to the scriptures, the rules of discipline, and the system of authentic belief. Venerable, you should hold it and teach it widely for the sake of others. You should be careful not to discard it. " This is the first principle of great importance.

Again next, O bhikṣus, when a bhikṣu(or a group of bhikṣus) asserts a certain matter by saying "At such-and-such village or town or country, I listened directly to the words of a learned elder of the harmonious sangha and received directly from him this doctrine, this discipline, and this teaching.

" Even so, you should not believe what is said [to be the Buddha's teaching], nor reject it either. But you should respond to this similar case by saying,

"Venerable, we must examine whether

what you assert is true or false in reference to the scriptures and clarify its origin and adaptation on the basis of the system of authentic belief. "

If, however, what is asserted does not accord with either the scriptures, or the Vinaya, or the system of authentic belief, then you should say to him,

"The Buddha did not teach this particular thing that you have asserted. You may have heard it from a group of bhikṣus erroneously. The reason is that our understanding in reference to the scriptures, the rules of discipline, and the system of authentic belief is different from what you have previously asserted. Venerable, you should not keep it, nor should you teach it to others.

" If, however, what he has asserted

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accords with the scriptures, the rules of discipline, and the system of authentic belief, you should say to him,

"What you have previously

asserted is truly the Buddha's teaching, because we have examined it in reference to the scriptures, the rules of discipline, and the system of authentic belief. Venerable, you should hold it and teach it widely for the sake of others. You should be careful not to discard it. " This is the second principle of great importance. Again next, O bhikṣus, when a bhikṣu(or a group of bhikṣus) asserts a certain matter concerning the doctrinal teaching and the moral discipline, saying, "At such-and-such village or town or country, I listened directly to the words of a group of learned elders who uphold the doctrinal teaching, the rules of discipline, and the maintenance of model restraints and received directly from them this doctrine, this moral discipline, and this teaching. " Even so, you should not respond to this

similar case by saying,

"Venerable, we should examine whether what you assert is true or false in reference to the scriptures and clarify its origin and adaptation on the basis of the doctrine and the discipline. "

If what is asserted is neither in accordance with the scriptures, nor with the rules of discipline, nor with the system of authentic belief, then you should say to him,

"The Buddha did not teach this particular thing that you have previously asserted. You may have heard it from the group of bhikṣus erroneously. The reason is that our understanding in reference to the scriptures, the rules of discipline, and the system of authentic belief is different from what you have previously asserted. Venerable, you should not keep it, nor should you teach it to others; you should discard it.

" If, however, what he has asserted is in accordance with the scriptures, the rules of discipline, and the system of authentic belief, you should say to him,

"What you have previously asserted is

truly the Buddha's teaching, as we examined it in reference to the scriptures, the rules of discipline, and the system of authentic belief. Venerable, you should hold it and teach it widely for the sake of others. You should be careful not to discard it.

" This is the third principle of

great importance.

Again next, when a bhikṣu(or a group of bhikṣus) asserts that "At such-and-such village or town or country, I listened directly to the words 103

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of a bhikṣuabout this doctrine, this rule of discipline, and the maintenance of model restraints, and received directly from him this doctrine, this moral discipline, and this teaching.

" Even so, you should not respond

to this similar case by saying,

"Venerable, we should examine whether

what you assert is true or false in reference to the scriptures, and clarify its origin and adaptation on the basis of the doctrine and the discipline. "

If what he previously asserted does not accord with the scriptures, nor with the rules of discipline, nor with the system of authentic belief, you should say to him,

"The Buddha did not teach this particular thing that you have previously asserted. You may have heard it from the group of bhikṣus erroneously. The reason is that our understanding in reference to the scriptures, the rules of discipline, and the system of authentic belief differs from what you have previously asserted. Venerable, you should not keep it, nor should you teach it to others; you should discard it. " If,

however, what he has asserted is in accordance with the scriptures, the rules of discipline, and the system of authentic belief, you should say to him,

"What you have previously asserted is truly the Buddha's teaching, as we examined it in reference to the scriptures, the rules of discipline, and the system of authentic belief. Venerable, you should hold it and teach it widely for the sake of others. You should be careful not to discard it.

" This is the fourth principle of great importance. At that time, the World-honored One sojourned at the town of Bhoganagara as long as he wished, and then said to Venerable Ānanda, "Let us go to the

city of Pāvā.

" Having replied,

"Yes, sir,

" Ānanda packed the Buddha's robe

and almsbowl and followed the World-honored One together with the host of other bhikṣus. Traveling on the highway of the Mallan country, he reached Dutou Grove near the city of Pāvā.

There was then a son of a blacksmith, Cunda by name. Having heard that the Buddha had arrived in the city by way of the Mallan highway, he dressed up and visited the place where the Buddha sojourned and, after honoring him by touching his forehead to the Buddha's feet, he withdrew and sat to one side. The Buddha then began to teach Cunda the Dharma, encouraging him, benefiting him, and delighting him. After the Buddha's teaching, his heart filled with faith and delight, Cunda said to the World-honored One, 104

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"May your holiness accept my invitation to the next day's meal. " Thereupon

the Buddha accepted [Cunda's offer by] remaining silent. Having noted that the Buddha had accepted his request, Cunda rose from his seat, and after venerating the Buddha, he returned home. During the night he prepared various provisions consisting of rice and other food for the morning meal. The following day, at the proper time [after the announcement:] "May the Buddha be ready,

" the World-honored One donned his saṃghāṭī robe and, with his almsbowl in hand, surrounded by the host of bhikṣus, arrived at the house and took his seat in the prepared position. Thereupon, Cunda set forth food and drink, offering them to the Buddha and the members of the sangha. He had separately cooked mushrooms grown on the roots of a sandaltree (sūkara-maddava), 19 known as a rare delicacy,

and offered this dish only to the World-honored One. The Buddha said to Cunda,

"Refrain from serving this food to the bhikṣus. " As instructed, Cunda

did not serve that food to the bhikṣus. Then an elderly bhikṣu,who had renounced family life at a late age, put the remainder of the food onto a separate plate. At that time, having observed that all the bhikṣus had finished the meal, Cunda removed the food vessels and served water. Thereupon, he asked the Buddha in verse:

May I proffer my question, O Holiness, Possessor of great wisdom, perfectly enlightened, Most Honorable among Humans,

Unrivaled leader and charioteer of the truth? How many kinds of śramaṇas are there in this world, sir? At that time the World-honored One also replied in verse: As to your question, I would say,

In general there are four.

But their goals vary and are not identical; These you must distinguish for yourself. First, those who excel in the practice of the path; Second, those who excel in expounding the meaning of the path; Third, those who rely on the path for living; Fourth, those who do bad things in the name of the path. 105

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[Now, what are these four?]

One who overcomes the thorns of love and Affection for familial relations and Enters nirvana with no obstacle whatsoever, He is beyond the realm of heavenly beings— This is the śramaṇawho excels in the practice of the path. One who excels in understanding The primary meaning of transcendence and Is spotless in expounding the path, [And] with friendly love and compassion Dissolves doubts from people's minds— This is the śramaṇawho excels in expounding the path. One who excels in propagating the words of the Dharma and Living his life in reliance upon the path, [And who] yearns from a distance For the place of total freedom from defilement— This is the śramaṇawho lives his life in reliance upon the path. One who is crooked within but clean in [outward] appearance, Fraudulent, without sincerity, This is the śramaṇa

Who does wrong things in the name of the path. Why, however, with good and bad together, Purity and impurity intermixed, both looking alike, Should all appear agreeable externally, Just as copper within and gold coating without? Looking at such a fake

Ordinary people wrongly regard him as a disciple Endowed with holy insight.

But, [I say,] the remaining disciples Are not necessarily like that false one. [Therefore,] do not forsake [your] faith in them. Even alone, a single bhikṣu(or a host of bhikṣus) can uphold The standard of the sangha.

While [one who is] muddy within yet clean externally May cover up fraudulence externally and 106

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Hide recklessness within.

[Therefore], by merely seeing the external appearance, One should not be drawn toward anyone

Trusting them without caution.

Because even if some

Do not leave any trace of external wickedness,

They may retain recklessness within.

At that time, taking a small seat with him, Cunda approached and sat before the Buddha. The Buddha began to teach the Dharma and, having thus benefited and delighted [Cunda], he left the house, surrounded by the host of bhikṣus. On the roadway the Buddha stopped under a tree and said to Ānanda,

"My shoulder pain is pressing me. Spread my sitting cloth on the ground.

"

[Ānanda] answered,

"Yes, sir,

" at once spread the sitting cloth, and the

World-honored One took his seat on it. Then Ānanda spread his small sitting cloth and sat before the Buddha. The Buddha said to him: "Have you noticed any appearance of regret in Cunda? If he has a sense of regret, what do you think caused it?" Ānanda said to the Buddha:

[It is probably] because Cunda, despite his charitable conduct, may not acquire merit, sir. The reason is that at his place the Tathāgata received his last food, which may be a further cause of final nirvana, sir. The Buddha warned Ānanda:

Do not speak like that. Cunda will soon acquire great benefit and longevity, a good complexion and physical strength, enjoy great fame, and acquire wealth and treasures. When he dies he will be born in heaven and will be able to obtain whatever he wishes. Why? Because there is no difference in merit between one who offers food at the time of the initial enlightenment of the Buddha and one who offers food at the time of his final nirvana. Go see Cunda and tell him: O Cunda, I have closely heard from the Buddha, and closely received the teaching from the Buddha. O Cunda, because you have offered food to the Buddha you will acquire great benefit and great reward. 107

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The Canonical Book of the Buddha's Lengthy Discourses, Volume I Thereupon, as instructed by the Buddha, Ānanda visited Cunda and said to him:

O Cunda, I have closely heard from the Buddha, and closely received the teaching from the Buddha. O Cunda, because you have offered food to the Buddha you will acquire great benefit and great reward. The reason is that there is no difference in merit between one who offers food at the time of the [Buddha's] initial enlightenment and one who offers food at the time of his final nirvana. (The narrative continues in verse:)

After offering food [to the Tathāgata] at his house, Cunda heard for the first time

That the illness of the Tathāgata had become serious, and That his life was about to end.

Although his illness worsened

After eating the sandaltree mushrooms,

The Buddha, bearing his illness,

Continued, step by step,

On the road toward the town of Kuśinagara.

At that time, the World-honored One rose from his seat and walked around by himself for a while. When he arrived under a tree, he again said to Ānanda, "My shoulder pain is pressing me. Spread my sitting cloth. "

Ānanda at once spread [the sitting cloth] and the Tathāgata took his seat on it to catch his breath. Ānanda venerated [the Buddha] and then sat to one side.

Passing by was a [former] lay disciple, Ālāra Kālāma20 Pukkusa by name, who was on the way from the town of Kuśinagara to Pāvā. He saw the Buddha resting under a tree, with his handsome appearance and calm senses and mind, restrained in sublime quiescence, like a great dragon in transparent water, pure and spotless. Pukkusa was delighted, and with good intent arising in his heart he approached the Buddha. After venerating him [by touching his forehead to the Buddha's feet], Pukkusa withdrew to sit at one side and said to the Buddha:

108

Sutra 2: Last Journey and Sojourns O World-honored One, whoever has renounced family life is remarkable because he stays in a place pure and clean, and seeks the abode of happiness and transcendence. Even if five hundred oxcarts were to pass by before him, such an ascetic would neither see nor hear them. My teacher was once silently sitting under a tree by the roadside between the two towns of Kuśinagara and Pāvā. Then five hundred carts passed before him. Despite the loud noise of the carts, though awake, he did not hear any of the noise created by the carts, sir. At that time, a man came and asked him,

"Did you see the carts that passed by here a short time ago, sir?" My teacher replied, "No, I did not see them. " Again he

asked,

"Did you hear the noise, sir?" [The teacher replied,] "No, I did not hear it.

" So the man asked once again, "At that time were you here or somewhere else, sir?" My teacher replied, "I was here.

" [The man]

then asked,

"Were you awake at the time, sir?" He replied, "Yes, I was

awake.

" Again, the man questioned him, "Were you awake or were

you asleep, sir?" He replied, "I was not asleep.

" The questioner silently thought to himself,

"This is marvelous; when this ascetic was in his concentration, even though fully awake he did not hear any of the loud noise of the carts.

" He then said to my teacher, "A short while ago, five hundred carts passed by on this road, sir. But you did not hear anything, even when the carts shook [the ground] loudly. How much less would you be able to hear anything other than that noise. " Then, giving greetings to my teacher and with a delighted heart, the man departed, sir. The Buddha said to Pukkusa: I shall now question you; answer me as you like. Which of the two do you think is more difficult: While awake, not hearing anything of the multiple carts passing by, or not hearing anything when lightning and thunder shake the ground? Pukkusa replied:

Even tens of thousands of carts cannot match the loud noise made by thunder and lightning. It is not so difficult for an ascetic to not hear the noise of carts as [compared to] not hearing thunder and lightning, 109

19b

The Canonical Book of the Buddha's Lengthy Discourses, Volume I sir. When thunder and lightning shake the ground, not hearing that sound is definitely far more difficult, sir.

The Buddha said to Pukkusa:

Once, while visiting the village of Ātumā, I stayed in a grass-thatched abode. Ominous clouds arose, accompanying a storm of some magnitude. Thunder and lightning shook [the entire area] and mortally struck two brother farmers and their four oxen. Many people gathered because of this [unfortunate] event. At that time, I was outside the abode, engaged in a meditative walk, roaming [the field]. A man left the gathering and, after venerating [me] by bowing his forehead toward my feet, began to walk along with me. I was aware of a person at my side and asked him, "What are those people that are gathered there doing?" The man asked me,

"Where were you a little while ago, sir? Were you awake or asleep?" I answered,

"When I am walking like this, I am certainly not asleep. "

The man was again impressed and exclaimed to himself, "This is marvelous! When one acquires concentration he becomes like the Buddha, who, even though awake, hears nothing when in total quiescence, even as thunder and lightning shake the entire sky and earth with a resounding noise.

" Then he said to [me],

"A short while ago ominous clouds arose,

accompanying a storm of some magnitude. Thunder and lightning shook with tremendous noise and struck two brother farmers and their four oxen, killing them. Many people have gathered here because of that event, sir. [But I now realize that] this [concentration] is the right place, sir.

" This man, with joy in his heart, was delighted with the Dharma and, after venerating [me], went on his way.

At that time Pukkusa took up two golden garments of extraordinary value, worth a hundred thousand [cash], and rose [from his seat]. Kneeling respectfully with palms joined together, he said to the Buddha, "May I present these

two garments to the World-honored One as a gift, sir. May your holiness accept this gift.

"

The Buddha said to Pukkusa,

"You should dedicate one garment to me

and the other to Ānanda.

" Then, following that advice, Pukkusa presented one [garment] to the Tathāgata and the other to Ānanda as gifts. The Buddha 110

Sutra 2: Last Journey and Sojourns

accepted it out of compassion. Then Pukkusa, having venerated the Buddha, stayed to one side. The Buddha began to teach the Dharma, encouraging, benefiting, and delighting him by expounding upon the doctrines of (1) charity, (2) morality, (3) rebirth in heaven, (4) abandoning unclean and impure desires as a great danger, (5) determining that any ongoing defilement from passion is an obstacle, and (6) the commendability and necessity of the path of distancing oneself from both suffering and pleasure as the best [step toward the spiritual goal].

The Buddha then observed that Pukkusa's mind was filled with joy, had become receptive without hindrance, and was ready to be educated. In accordance with the rule of all buddhas, he taught Pukkusa (1) the doctrine of the noble truth of suffering and the remaining three truths: (2) the truth of the cause of suffering, (3) the truth of the cessation of suffering, and (4) the truth of the path of cessation. At that time, Pukkusa, with pure and genuine faith, like a white cloth that can easily be dyed any color, immediately in that single session [at his seat] removed himself from all defilement and acquired genuine insight into the nature of the Dharma; realized the Dharma as he envisioned it; became determined to abide in the right path, without falling into any evil course; and thus attained the state of fearlessness. He then said to the Buddha: Now, I humbly take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. May your holiness grant me permission to become a lay devotee. From now on until my life ends, I will not harm life, steal, indulge in sexual misconduct, lie, or ingest intoxicants. May your holiness grant me permission to become a lay devotee. Again he said to the Buddha:

If your holiness should visit or sojourn in Pāvā, may you pass by the poverty-stricken houses and proceed directly to my residence. Whatever I have in my house, food and drink, couch and bed, garment and cloth, hot water and medicine, will be ready for use in the service of the World-honored One. If your holiness accepts my humble charity, my household will be blessed, becoming safe and peaceful, sir. The Buddha said,

"What you have said is good.

" At that time, the Worldhonored One [further] taught the Dharma to Pukkusa, encouraging, benefiting, 111

19c

The Canonical Book of the Buddha's Lengthy Discourses, Volume I and delighting him. Pukkusa stood, venerated the Buddha by bowing his forehead to his feet, and departed with delight in his heart. Not long after Pukkusa left, Ānanda presented the golden garment to the Tathāgata, and the Tathāgata accepted it for Ānanda's sake, and put it on. At that moment, in his whole expression the World-honored One looked most composed, his aura of authority as expansive as ever, his senses pure and immaculate, and his complexion harmoniously delightful. Observing this, Ānanda remained silent and thought to himself:

It has been twenty-five years since I began to serve the Buddha as his personal attendant, but I have never before seen him with such a wonderful appearance, emitting a shining ray of light like that of gold. At once Ānanda stood up and, kneeling with his right knee on the ground and both palms joined together, said to the Buddha: During the twenty-five years in which I have attended your holiness, I have never seen the Buddha's complexion so bright and golden as it is now, sir. I do not know why this is so. May your holiness explain to me why this is so?

The Buddha said to Ānanda:

There are two reasons why the complexion of the Tathāgata becomes especially different from its usual [aspect]. First, it happens when the Buddha realizes perfect enlightenment for the first time; second, it happens when the Buddha decides to take the course of final nirvana, forsaking his span of life. O Ānanda, in these two situations, such a bright complexion becomes prominent and distinct from the ordinary. At that time, the World-honored One continued in verse: The golden robe, delightful its reflection,

Fine and soft to the touch, clean and fresh,

Pukkusa offered it to the World-honored One,

He, emitting from the forehead

A ray as white as snow.

112

Sutra 2: Last Journey and Sojourns The Buddha said to Ānanda,

fetch some.

" Ānanda replied:

"I feel thirsty. I need water. Please go and A while ago, five hundred carriages crossed the river upstream, causing the water to become muddy, and it has not returned to its normal transparency, sir. It can be used for washing the feet but not for drinking, sir. In this manner, the Buddha asked him three times, "O Ānanda, please go

and fetch water.

" Ānanda replied: "Not too far from here there is a river called Kakuṭṭhā, the water of which is clean and cool and can be used for drinking as well as for bathing, sir. " Then a spirit that resided in the Himalaya mountains, a believer in the Buddhist path, immediately scooped up clean water of eight qualities with a bowl and offered it to the World-honored One. With compassion, the Buddha received [the water] and uttered the following verses: In eight kinds of voice,

The Buddha asked Ānanda to fetch water, saying: "I am thirsty. Now I wish to drink water. "

Having finished drinking the water, He reached Kuśinagara.

His soft, pleasant voice and The meaning of what he spoke Equally pleased the minds of the people. Attending the Buddha closely, Ānanda said to the World-honored One: "In the distance, five hundred carts entered the stream and Crossed the river to the yonder shore, Making its water muddy and unsanitary for drinking. The Kakuṭṭhā River is not far from here. Its water is beautiful, clean, and cool. It is better to drink water there and Also to bathe your body in that river. "

A spirit residing in the Himalaya Fetched water for the Tathāgata. Having finished it, the World-honored One Regained his strength and

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The Canonical Book of the Buddha's Lengthy Discourses, Volume I 20a

Walked with gait of a lion. In the waters [of that river] a dragon abides, [The water is] clear and transparent, Spotless, with no speck of dust. With his holy appearance resembling [in grandeur] the Himalayas, The World-honored One crossed the Kakuṭṭhā River In peace and tranquility.

At that time, the World-honored One crossed the Kakuṭṭhā River and, after drinking water and bathing himself, he went on with the host of bhikṣus. On the way, the World-honored One wished to rest and stopped under a tree. He asked [Venerable] Cundaka, "Take out the saṃghāṭīrobe, fold it into four layers, and spread it on the ground. I must rest as my back pain presses me. "

As instructed, Cundaka spread out the robe and the Buddha took his seat upon it. Having venerated the Buddha, Cundaka remained at one side and then said to the Buddha,

"I wish to take the course of entering nirvana, sir. "

The Buddha said to him,

"You know it is the right time. " Thereupon Cundaka

entered final nirvana in the presence of the Buddha. At that time the Buddha uttered these verses:

The Kakuṭṭhā River where the Buddha arrived Was clean, with no mud whatsoever. After bathing his body in the water, The Most Honorable among Humans Crossed the river to the yonder shore and Said to Cundaka, who was leading the group of bhikṣus: "I say that I now feel my body is exceedingly exhausted. Spread the cloth on the ground. "

Folding up the robe into four layers, Cundaka spread it on the ground. When the Tathāgata had rested [and caught] his breath, Cundaka, seated before him, said to the Buddha: "May I take the course of entering nirvana, sir. Now I am ready to reach the place Where there is neither love nor hate, The yonder ocean, immeasurably meritorious. "

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The [Tathāgata,] highest among humans,

Replied to him:

"You have done what should be done.

Now is the right time.

"

[Having] obtained his permission,

Cundaka doubled his exertion in concentration and Thus accomplished total cessation.

He was gone, like a flame that has been extinguished. Thereupon, Ānanda stood up from his seat, stepped forward, and enquired of the Buddha,

"How should the funeral rite be conducted after the nirvana of the Buddha, sir?" The Buddha replied,

"You should instead be quietly

concerned with what you should accomplish [in your religious life]. Leave the matter to the lay devotees who themselves wish to conduct it. " Ānanda,

however, asked him again three times,

"How should the funeral rite be conducted after the nirvana of the Buddha, sir?" The Buddha replied, If you wish to know the funeral rite for the Buddha, you should conduct it exactly as you would conduct the rite for a universal ruler. Ānanda again asked,

"How should the funeral rite for the universal ruler be conducted, sir?" The Buddha said to Ānanda: First, you should bathe the body in warm scented water, cover the entire body with new cotton cloth, wrap it in a cloth equally as long as five hundred pairs of garments, place the body within a golden coffin, pour sesame oil over it, place the golden coffin inside a second, larger iron vault, cover it with a sandalwood vault, cover that vault with a thick pile of a various incense, and then cremate the entire thing. After retrieving the ashes, build a commemorative tower (stupa) or shrine at each major crossroads and hang a picture on a rock pillar set before it, so as to enable the citizens of the country who are passing on the roads to view the towers of the universal ruler of the law, [thereby] causing a sense of affection to arise in their hearts toward his benevolent rule, thus bringing about a beneficial influence upon the populace. O Ānanda, if you wish to conduct the funeral rite for me, you should bathe my body with warm scented water, cover the entire body with 115

20b

The Canonical Book of the Buddha's Lengthy Discourses, Volume I new cotton cloth, wrap it in a cloth equally as long as five hundred pairs of garments, place the body within a golden coffin, pour sesame oil over it, place the golden coffin inside a second, larger iron vault, cover it with a sandalwood vault, cover that vault with a thick pile of various incense, and then cremate the entire thing. After retrieving my ashes, build a commemorative tower or shrine at each major crossroads and hang my picture on a rock pillar set before it, so as to enable whoever passes on the road to view the Buddha's tower, refreshing his sense of affectionate regard for the religious deed accomplished by the Tathāgata, and encouraging him to strive for his own goal of happiness in life when born into this world, and to obtain the opportunity to be reborn in heaven when he dies.

Then the World-honored One contemplated the matter once more and uttered the following verses:

Ānanda stood up from his seat, and

Kneeling down respectfully,

Said to the World-honored One:

"After the nirvana of the Tathāgata,

How should his funeral rite be conducted?" [The Buddha replied:]

"O Ānanda, you should instead be quietly concerned With what you should accomplish in life. Leave the matter to the lay devotees

Who themselves wish to conduct it.

"

Then, because Ānanda again

Repeated his enquiry three times,

The Buddha thus replied,

Explaining the funeral rite of the universal ruler. "In conducting the funeral rite for the Tathāgata, One should wrap his body with a long garment cloth, Place it in the coffin, and then in a second vault. [After cremation,] erect a commemorative tower or shrine At every major crossroads

So as to benefit sentient beings.

116

Sutra 2: Last Journey and Sojourns Whoever comes to venerate and

Pay respect to the tower

Will acquire immeasurable merit. The Buddha said to Ānanda,

There are four kinds of [supreme] personalities in the world, for whom a commemorative tower (stupa) should be erected, and for whom offerings of incense, flowers, images, canopies, song and dance, and food should be made. What are these four? They are, first, the Tathāgata, for whom the commemorative tower should be erected; second, the solitary buddha (pratyekabuddha); third, the saintly disciple (śrāvaka); and fourth, the universal ruler (cakravartin). These are the four kinds of personalities for whom the commemorative tower should be erected, and the rite of offering incense, flowers, images, canopies, song and dance, and food should be conducted. At that time, the World-honored One continued in verse: The Buddha should be commemorated In the primary tower, and

Then follow the pratyekabuddha, The śrāvakabuddha, and

The universal ruler (cakravartin). For these four towers,

Administered under the authority of the primary one, There should be conducted offering rites. The Tathāgata referred thus to the stupas of the Buddha, The pratyekabuddha,the śrāvakabuddha, and The universal ruler (cakravartin). At that time, the World-honored One said to Ānanda, "Let us go to the

town of Kuśinagara, to the spot between two śālatrees. " Replying,

"Yes,

sir,

" Ānanda together with the host of bhikṣus surrounded him and proceeded on the road. Then a brāhmaṇawho happened to be on the road between the towns of Pāvā and Kuśinagara saw the World-honored One from a distance and observed his handsome appearance, senses well restrained in sublime 117

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The Canonical Book of the Buddha's Lengthy Discourses, Volume I quiescence. Delighted in heart and with good intent, he approached the Buddha and, after greeting him, withdrew to one side and said to him: O World-honored One, the village of my residence is not too far from this place. May I request, O Gautama, that you sojourn overnight there, and after partaking of the morning meal proceed to the town of Kuśinagara.

The Buddha replied to the brāhmaṇa,

"May you ask me no more. Your

offering has already been made.

" The brāhmaṇa, however, respectfully repeated his request three times. The Buddha replied as before, but advised the brāhmaṇa, "Ānanda is coming along behind me. Speak to him about your wish. "

Thereupon, as instructed, the brāhmaṇaimmediately went to Ānanda. After greeting him with a bow, he withdrew to one side and said to him: The village of my residence is not far from here. I humbly wish that Gautama accept my invitation to visit there for my offering. After the morning meal, his holiness may proceed to the town of Kuśinagara. Ānanda replied,

"Ask no more. O brāhmaṇa,your offering has already been fully appreciated.

" The brāhmaṇa, however, again respectfully repeated his invitation [for a second and] third time. Ānanda replied: The weather is already hot, and the village is too far from the road. Since the World-honored One is exhausted, it is no longer feasible to [continue to ask] him about it.

At that time, the World-honored One envisioned what was going on and uttered the following verse:

One who is endowed

With eyes pure and genuine

Proceeded on the road,

With exceeding fatigue,

Toward the pair of śālatrees.

A brāhmaṇasaw the Buddha from a distance; Quickly he approached him.

Having greeted him with a bow, the brāhmaṇasaid: 118

Sutra 2: Last Journey and Sojourns "The village of my residence is in this neighborhood. With compassion, may your holiness come to stay overnight. I shall set forth the next day's meal in the morning. Thereafter, may your holiness take the course toward town. "

[The Buddha said:]

"O brāhmaṇa,my body is exhausted. It is too far for me to go that way. My close attendant is coming behind. May you go and speak to him. "

As instructed, the brāhmaṇa Came to Ānanda at once and Said to him:

"I just invited the Buddha to come to my village, and After the next day's meal Leave upon his journey, sir. "

Ānanda said:

"Please, ask no more.

The weather is already hot, and It is not feasible for the World-honored One To visit your residence. "

The brāhmaṇarepeated his wish three times, but in vain. [The Buddha said:]

"No one is free from worry and affliction, Nor can he be satisfied or at ease, Ah! With these conditioned elements (saṃskṛta-dharmas) so evanescent,

Never remaining unchanged. Now, at the spot between the pair of śālatrees, I shall extinguish this body Though already free from defilement (anāsrava-kāya). The Buddha, pratyekabuddha, śrāvaka, All equally return to this nirvana, Because there is no other choice With the way in which the world is impermanent Like a forest ablaze with fire. 21a

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The Canonical Book of the Buddha's Lengthy Discourses, Volume I At that time, having reached the town of Kuśinagara, the World-honored One proceeded through the original land of the Mallan clanspeople toward the pair of śālatrees, and he instructed Ānanda: Set up my bedding between the pair of śālatrees, with my head to the north and facing toward the west. For my teaching will spread toward the north and flourish there for some time. With his answer, Ānanda spread the sitting cloth on the ground with the head toward the north. At that time, the World-honored One folded his saṃghāṭīrobe into four layers by himself, lay down on his right side, and placed his left foot on top of the right, like a lion. Then the tree spirits abiding between the twin śālatrees, with their firm faith in the Buddha, scattered flowers that were blooming out of season. At that moment the World-honored One said to Ānanda: "These spirits of the twin śālatrees made an offering of flowers blooming out of season. This is not a true offering for the Tathāgata, however.

" Ānanda enquired,

"What kind of things are regarded as true offerings for the Tathāgata, sir?" [The Buddha] answered, "When a person receives

the Dharma well and practices it well, this is regarded as a true offering for the Tathāgata.

" Having contemplated on the meaning of this, the Buddha uttered the following verses:

The Buddha laid himself down

Between the twin śālatrees

With his mind undisturbed.

The tree spirits, with their minds pure and genuine, Scattered flowers upon the Buddha.

Ānanda enquired of the Buddha:

"What is a true offering?'

[The Buddha replied:]

"Having received the Dharma well, and Practiced it well,

One offers the flower of enlightenment. Even scattering the purplish-golden flower garlands Over the Buddha does not make a true offering. Only when one realizes the insight of nonself 120

Sutra 2: Last Journey and Sojourns

With the five aggregates,

This is the best, primary offering.

"

At that time, Venerable Upavāna was sitting before the Buddha, fanning him. The Buddha said to him,

"Upavāna, leave the place where you are and

make that space open.

" Then Ānanda quietly thought to himself:

Upavāna has always been by the Buddha's side, serving him with whatever he needed. He is so devoted to the Tathāgata that he never tires of looking at him. Now this is the Buddha's last moment; he should be permitted to see his last moment. The Buddha, however, asks him to leave his position. What is his reason for doing that? Thinking thus, Ānanda rearranged his robe, proceeded forward, and said to the Buddha:

Upavāna has always been by the Buddha's side and has served your holiness with whatever was needed. He is so devoted to the Tathāgata that he never tires of looking at [you]. Now it is your holiness' last moment; he should be allowed to attend this moment. Yet your holiness asks him to withdraw from his position. What is your holiness' reason for doing so, sir?

The Buddha said to Ānanda:

Beyond this town of Kuśinagara, there are regions within the range of a distance of twelve yojanas where great distinguished spirits reside in concentration, leaving no empty space. These spirits equally wish that [Upavāna] should not stand before the Buddha because they wish to witness my last moment, but this monk's eminence in authority and virtue and his luminous body obstruct their vision and direct access for their veneration and offerings. O Ānanda, for this reason I have asked him to withdraw from in front of me.

Ānanda said to the Buddha:

What kind of merit has this honorable bhikṣuaccumulated, and also what kind of discipline has he practiced, for which he has realized an aura of authority and virtue such as that, sir?

121

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The Canonical Book of the Buddha's Lengthy Discourses, Volume I The Buddha replied to Ānanda:

During the period ninety-one eons ago, there appeared a buddha in this world, Vipaśyin by name. This bhikṣuthen, with delight in his heart, held a grass torch to illuminate the commemorative tower of that buddha. Because of this deed, now his aura of authority and virtue reaches the twenty-eighth level of the heavens, making the gods of the lower heavens unable to compete with him in splendor. At that time, Ānanda rose from his seat, rearranged his robe to expose his right shoulder, respectfully knelt with his right knee on the ground, and, with his palms joined together, said to the Buddha:

May the World-honored One refrain from taking the course of entering nirvana in this region near a small, rustic town. Why, sir? There are many large capitals elsewhere—Campā, Vaiśālī, Rājagṛha, Vṛji, Śrāvastī, Kapilavastu, and Vārāṇasī, sir. In those centers there are many people and clanspeople who cherish their faith in the Buddha's teaching (Dharma). After the nirvana of the Buddha, they surely will enshrine the ashes most respectfully and with veneration, sir. The Buddha replied:

Speak no more. You should not produce prejudice. Nor should you regard this region as [merely] rustic countryside. Why is this so? Once upon a time, this country had a king, Mahāsudarśana by name. At that time this town was called Kuśavatī and it was that great king's capital, one hundred twenty miles in length and seventy miles wide. At that time, the crops and rice harvests were abundant, the citizens were prosperous, and the city was protected by seven rings of moats and seven levels of railings as well. Records were inscribed on iron plates [hung on the railings], and metallic bells were hung between them. The depth of the city wall was twenty-four feet (below the ground) and the height was ninety-six feet from the ground. The height of the tower cloister was a further ninety-six feet above that building, and the circumference of its main pillars was twenty-four feet. The four sides of the city were embellished with four precious materials, such as a golden 122

Sutra 2: Last Journey and Sojourns

wall endowed with a silver gate [on the first side]; a silver wall endowed with a golden gate [on the second]; a lapis lazuli wall endowed with a quartz gate [on the third]; and a quartz wall endowed with a lapis lazuli gate [on the fourth side]. The railings inlaid in these four sides were also embellished with the same four precious materials. To the golden tower were attached silver bells, to the silver tower were attached golden bells, while the seven moats were filled with all kinds of lotus flowers: blue, pink, red, and white. Golden sands spread in the depths of the water revealed the bottom of the moats, while palm trees were planted on those narrow banks. These golden palm trees bore leaves, flowers and fruits made of silver; the silver palm trees bore leaves, flowers, and fruits made of gold; likewise, the palm trees made of quartz bore flowers and fruits made of lapis lazuli, while the lapis lazuli palm trees bore flowers, and fruits made of quartz. Between these palm trees there were a number of bathing ponds with clean streams, deep pools, all pure and spotless, demarcated by tiles studded with the four precious materials. There were golden stairways with silver steps, silver stairways with golden steps, and lapis lazuli stairways with golden steps. The steps of some lapis lazuli stairways were inlaid with quartz, while the steps of some quartz stairways were inlaid with lapis lazuli. The railings that surrounded the city were continuous, and within the city there grew palm trees here and there. The golden palms bore leaves, flowers, and fruits made of silver; the silver palms bore leaves, flowers, and fruits made of gold; the quartz trees bore flowers and fruits made of lapis lazuli; the lapis lazuli trees bore flowers and fruits made of quartz. Between these trees there were placed four kinds of ponds [each respectively] filled with four kinds of lotus flowers.

The streets and houses were neatly aligned, and the town blocks were well organized with parallel streets running horizontally as well as vertically. Quantities of flowers scattered by the wind fell upon the streets. A mild breeze arose four times [daily], passing through these trees, creating soft sounds like those of heavenly music. The people of this country, male or female, adult or child, played among these trees and enjoyed their games.

123

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The Canonical Book of the Buddha's Lengthy Discourses, Volume I In that country ten kinds of sounds were always heard, [those produced by:] (1) a conch shell, (2) a drum, (3) a hand drum, (4) singing, (5) dancing, (6) musical instruments such as flutes, (7) elephants, (8) horses, (9) carriages, and (10) gatherings in which people were drinking, eating, joking, and laughing.

At that time, King Mahāsudarśana was endowed with seven precious treasures and enjoyed four blessings. He was the universal ruler of all four quarters of the earth under the sky. What are these seven treasures? They are: (1) the golden wheel, (2) the white elephant, (3) the darkblue horse, (4) the divine gem, (5) the jadelike queen, (6) the householder, (7) the military commander. The following was the way in which the universal ruler managed to use his first treasure, the golden wheel. The king bathed in scented water on the full moon day, the fifteenth of the month, and ascended to the top of a pavilion surrounded by the palace ladies. The sacred wheel then appeared of its own accord before the king, with a thousand spokes of rich color and splendor. It was built by a heavenly master and did not belong to the human world. Made of genuine gold, it had a diameter of thirty-two feet. King Mahāsudarśana quietly thought to himself:

I once heard from my virtuous elders the following words: "When a king of the kṣatriyarace, anointed on his head for the throne, takes a scented bath on the full moon day, the fifteenth of the month, and ascends to the top of the pavilion surrounded by the palace ladies, then at that moment the golden wheel is supposed to appear before him of its own accord. The wheel has a thousand spokes of rich color and splendor. It is built by a heavenly master and does not belong to this world. It is made of genuine gold and has a diameter of thirty-two feet. Thereupon, the king is called the cakravartin, 'one who turns the sacred wheel.

'"

Now I see this wheel before me, but who knows if this shall really work. I should now test this treasured wheel. Then King Mahāsudarśana called the four divisions of the army to assemble. He faced the golden wheel directly and, rearranging his garment to expose his right shoulder and kneeling with his right knee on 124

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the ground, he rubbed the wheel with his right hand and spoke to the wheel: "Let the wheel turn itself toward the east, turning as it should, without losing regularity.

" The wheel at once began to roll toward the

east. Then King Mahāsudarśana followed after the wheel leading the four divisions of his army. When the golden wheel was turning forward, the four guardian gods were in charge of guiding it. Wherever the wheel stopped, the king stopped his chariot.

At that time, having seen the great king approaching, the rulers of the small countries in the eastern regions prepared a golden bowl filled with silver grains and a silver bowl filled with golden grains, stepped forward toward the king, and, with heads bowed, said to him: Welcome, great king. The eastern countries are now blessed with an abundance of harvests and produce, the people are prosperous, the nature of the populace is friendly and harmonious, and all are filial to their parents and loyal to their rulers. O holy ruler, your majesty is recommended to govern these lands through offices established here. We shall closely attend your majesty and will execute your commands as you wish, sir.

At that time, King Mahāsudarśana replied to the rulers of the small countries:

Enough, dear wise kings, your offerings have already been appreciated by me. Your kingships rule these countries on the basis of the right Dharma, so that neither injustice nor wrong action can take place in your countries. I say that these two principles embody my governance.

After listening to his exhortation, the kings of the small countries then accompanied him on his inspection tour until they reached the eastern ocean.

Next, the great king proceeded toward the south, then to the west, and then to the north; in whichever direction the wheel rolled, the [king and his army] followed. The kings of the small countries in these regions all abnegated their dominions for the sake of the great ruler, just as the eastern rulers had done.

125

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The Canonical Book of the Buddha's Lengthy Discourses, Volume I At that time, King Mahāsudarśana, having already made a complete round of the four oceans by following the golden wheel, educated the populace in the path of morality, provided security in their lives, and then returned to his own country. The golden wheel continued to hover in midair above the palace gate. Rejoicing by dancing and leaping, King Mahāsudarśana said,

"This treasure, the golden wheel, is truly my blessing. Now I am truly the universal ruler who turns this sacred wheel. "

This is called the realization of the first treasure, the golden wheel. Next, the following describes how the king was able to use his second treasure, the white elephant. When King Mahāsudarśana was seated in the main hall of the palace early in the morning, the white elephant of its own accord suddenly appeared before him. The color of its hair was pure white, the seven parts of its body (four feet, two shoulders, and neck) were equally developed, and it could fly in midair. The neck had mixed colors, the six tusks were delicate and studded with real gold pieces. Then, having seen the elephant, the king thought to himself, "This elephant is supposed to be wise and good- natured. If it is well trained, it can serve me in riding.

" He immediately tried to see if it

could be trained, and it revealed a capacity fit for all training. Then, wishing to take his first ride, King Sudarśana mounted the elephant, went out of the capital in the morning, made a round of all four oceans, and by breakfast time he had already returned to his palace. Then, rejoicing by dancing and leaping, the King Sudarśana said, "This white

elephant is truly my blessing. Now I am truly the universal ruler who turns the sacred wheel.

" This is called the realization of the second

treasure, the white elephant.

Next, the following describes how the king was able to use his third treasure, the horse. King Sudarśana was seated at the main hall early in the morning when of its own accord the horse suddenly appeared before him. Its color was dark blue, but it had a long mane and tail, red in color. Its head and neck were like those of an elephant, and it could fly in midair. Having seen the treasured horse, the king thought to himself,

"This horse is supposed to be wise and good-natured. If it is well trained, it can serve as my steed.

" He immediately tried to see

if it could be trained, finding that it revealed a capacity fit for all training. 126

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Then, wishing to take his first ride, King Sudarśana mounted the horse, went out of the capital in the morning, made a round of all four oceans, and by breakfast time he had already returned to his palace. Then, rejoicing by dancing and leaping, King Sudarśana said, "This darkblue horse is indeed my blessing. I am now truly the universal ruler who turns the sacred wheel.

" This is called the realization of the third

treasure, the dark-blue horse.

Next, the following describes how the king was able to use his fourth treasure, the divine gem. King Sudarśana was seated at the main hall early in the morning when of its own accord the divine gem suddenly appeared before him. The quality and color of this gem were evident in its clear transparency and purity. Having seen the divine gem, King Sudarśana thought to himself,

"This gem is mysterious and very nice;

it is supposed to be able to illuminate a region as wide as this entire palace compound when light shines upon it.

" Wishing to test the gem

himself, King Sudarśana immediately called the four divisions of his army and placed the gem on top of the flagpole. In the darkness of the night, he carried the flag pole and went out of the city. The gem emitted a ray of light that illuminated the entire army, just as if it were daytime. Then, rejoicing by dancing and leaping, King Sudarśana said, "Now

this treasured gem is truly my blessing. I am truly the universal ruler who turns the sacred wheel.

" This is called the realization of the fourth

treasure, the divine gem.

Next, the following describes how the king was served by his fifth treasure, the jadelike queen. The treasured queen suddenly appeared before the king, her complexion well composed, beautiful in appearance, neither too tall nor too short, neither fleshy nor bony, neither too light nor too dark, neither too hard nor too soft, her body warm in winter and cool in summer. The scent of the sandaltree radiated from the roots of her hair throughout her body and the scent of a blue lotus emananted from her mouth. Her words and speech were invariably gentle and her manner was stable; she never failed to awake before the king or to stay awake until the king fell asleep. As King Sudarśana had realized purity [by extinguishing defilement] and was totally freed from attachment, he did not keep her in his mind even for a moment [as an 127

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obstacle]; how much less could he have approached her physically [as an object of desire]? Rejoicing by dancing and leaping, King Sudarśana said,

"This treasured jadelike queen is indeed my blessing. I am now truly the universal ruler who turns the sacred wheel. " This is called

the realization of the fifth treasure, the jadelike queen. Next, the following describes how the king was assisted by his sixth treasure, the householder. The householder gentleman suddenly appeared of his own accord before the king, and the storehouses were automatically filled with immeasurable riches and treasures. This person was endowed with special vision due to his past merit; namely, he was able to see any treasure buried underground, whether or not it belonged to others. He protected the treasures that belonged to some owners, while yielding those with no ownership to the king's treasury. The householder came to the king and said to him,

"O great king, may you

have no worry about the stipend payments. I am able to manage the funds by myself, sir.

"

The king wished to test the gentleman treasurer. He arranged an excursion on a pleasure boat, and while aboard, the king said to the treasurer householder,

"I need some gold pieces. Provide them to me

at once.

" The treasurer replied,

"O great king, give me a bit of time,

and I shall go to the shore, sir.

" Pressing him further, the king said,

"I

cannot stop this boat now. Bring the golden treasure right away. " Having

received the king's urgent order, the householder kneeled down on the boat and dipped his right hand into the water. A series of urns filled with treasures arose from the water, following his hand upward, just as insects cling to tree branches. The other treasurers too joined him, all equally dipping their hands into the water to draw up immeasurable treasures, and the boat was soon filled with treasure. The householder gentleman then asked the king,

"Your majesty needed some gold treasure before; how much more do you need, sir?' Then King Sudarśana said,

"Bring no more treasure. I do not need any more. I only wished to test your ability. Your service has already been appreciated. " On

hearing the king's words, the householder returned all the treasures to the water. Then, rejoicing by dancing and leaping, King Sudarśana said,

"This treasure householder is indeed my blessing. I am now truly 128

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the universal ruler who turns the sacred wheel.

" This is called the realization of the sixth treasure, the householder. Next, the following describes how the king was assisted by his seventh treasure, the military commander. The military commander, having excellent knowledge, strategy, valor, and toughness, bright and decisive, suddenly appeared. He went to King Mahāsudarśana and said to him, "Great king, may you have no worry, sir, if you should wish to punish any country. I shall be able to handle the task, sir. " King Sudarśana

then, to test him, immediately called the four divisions of the army and told the general,

"Make the entire army ready for battle. Assemble

those who have not come forth, release those who have already come; let those who are not well prepared get ready for battle, and release those who are already well prepared. Let those who still remain in the assembly to return home, and let those who have already returned stay in their places.

" Then, having heard the king's words, this military commander at once assembled those who did not come forth to the assembly, released those who had already assembled, let those who were not well prepared get ready, released those who were already prepared, let those who still remained in the assembly to return home, and let those who had already returned home stay in their places. At that time, rejoicing by dancing and leaping, King Sudarśana said, "This

treasured military commander is truly my blessing. I am now truly the universal ruler who turns the sacred wheel.

" O Ānanda, this is called

the realization of the seventh treasure by the universal king who turns the golden wheel.

What are the four kinds of blessings that pertain to the universal ruler? First, as the universal king, he has longevity and can never meet with an early death; in this no one can match the king. Second, he has a strong physical body and never contracts illness; in this no one can match the king. Third, he has the most handsome appearance; in this no one can match the king. Fourth, his storehouses are filled with treasures; in this no one can match the king. The foregoing are the seven treasures and four blessings that pertain to the universal ruler. O Ānanda, after a rather long time had passed, King Sudarśana had his carriage prepared, visited the royal park grove, and said to his 129

The Canonical Book of the Buddha's Lengthy Discourses, Volume I 23a

charioteer,

"You should safely return [alone] with this carriage. The reason is that I must contemplate whether or not the state and the citizens are safe and will be free from oncoming danger. " The citizens

who happened to see the king on the streets said to his attendant, "Proceed slowly, we wish to see the countenance of the holy ruler. " O

Ānanda, King Sudarśana was concerned about the people as well as with their material needs, just as a father is concerned about his children. The people felt affection toward the king as if he was their father. They made gifts of all kinds of rarities to the king, saying, "May his majesty

accept this" and "May this be of his majesty's use. " The king replied,

"Bring no more, dear subjects, I have my own treasures. You should keep these things for yourselves.

"

On another occasion, the king thought to himself, "Now I should

build a palace building.

" About the same time that this idea came to his mind, the citizens of the country all said to King Sudarśana, "We wish

now to build a palace building for your majesty, sir. " The king replied,

"Even if I wish to accept your gifts I have enough treasures of my own, sufficient for building the palace pavilion. " The people, however, further

repeated their wish to the king,

"We wish to join in your majesty's task of building the palace pavilion, sir.

" The king was finally obliged to

reply,

"I shall follow your wish.

" As soon as their wish was granted,

the citizens filled eighty-four thousand carts with gold and brought them to the capital city, Kuśavatī, to build the Su dharma pavilion. At that time, the heavenly being (deva) Viśvakarman, master of architectural building and resident of the second Trāyastriṃśa heaven, quietly thought to himself,

"Only I myself, together with King Su darśana, could build the Sudharma pavilion on such a grand scale. " O

Ānanda, the god Viśvakarman subsequently constructed the Su dharma pavilion, fifteen miles in length and seven and a half miles wide, embellished with the four precious materials, with a straight and even foundation, and with seven layers of tiles piled upon each other to make the stairways. The pillars of this Sudharma pavilion were as many as eighty-four thousand, consisting of golden pillars with silver beam supports, silver pillars with golden beam supports, and likewise, lapis lazuli pillars with quartz beam supports and quartz pillars with lapis 130

Sutra 2: Last Journey and Sojourns

lazuli beam supports. There were four railings around the pavilion, made of the four precious materials mentioned before. The four stairways were also made of the four precious materials. Above the Sudharma pavilion were built eighty-four thousand towers; each of the golden towers had a silver door, while each of the silver towers had a golden door; in similar manner, each of the quartz towers had a lapis lazuli door, while each of the lapis lazuli towers had a quartz door. Each of the golden towers was equipped with silver couches, while each of the silver towers was equipped with golden couches. Each couch was covered with a soft and fine cushion woven of golden thread; the lapis lazuli and quartz couches were also covered with similar cushions. The brightness of the pavilion was so blinding to viewers' eyes that it was like the intense light of the sun, such that no one could look directly at it. Then King Sudarśana thought to himself,

"I should build pools with

palm trees around them on both sides of the pavilion. " The four sides

of the pools were each one yojanalong. The king again thought to himself,

"In front of the Sudharma pavilion there should be set the Dharma pond.

" When it was built, each of its four sides were one yojanalong. The water was clean and clear, pure and spotless. The bottom of the pond was constructed with tiles made of the four kinds of precious materials as before. A railing was attached around the four sides of the pond, studded with four kinds of precious materials, such as gold, silver, quartz, and lapis lazuli. Inside the pond grew varieties of water grass and all kinds of lotus plants with blue, pink, red, and white flowers that released exquisitely delicate fragrance in all directions. The gardens that surrounded the four sides of the pool were also filled with varieties of blooming flowers, such as atimukta ka, campaka, pāṭalī, sumanā, vārṣika,and dhanuṣkari.The pond was looked after by some caretakers, but if any citizens who passed by the pond wished to bathe in it they could do so, because it was cool and refreshing. Fruit juice as well as food were amply provided to anyone who wished to drink or partake of it, as much as they might desire. Clothing, carriages, horses, fragrant flowers, riches, and treasures were all available to anyone. O Ānanda, King Sudarśana had eighty-four thousand elephants, among which the treasured elephant, decorated with gold and silver 131

The Canonical Book of the Buddha's Lengthy Discourses, Volume I 23b

ornaments on which precious gems were strung, was foremost. He had eighty-four thousand carriages mounted with bridles made of lion's hide, decorated with four precious gems, among which the divine gem was foremost. He had eighty-four thousand horses, among which the treasured horse, also decorated with ornaments of gold and silver on which precious gems were strung, was foremost. He had eighty-four thousand gems, among which the treasure, the divine gem, was foremost. He had eighty-four thousand women, among whom the treasure of the jadelike queen was foremost. He had eighty-four thousand householders, among whom the treasure of the householder gentleman was foremost. He had eighty-four thousand soldiers, among whom the treasure of the military commander was foremost. He had eighty-four thousand cities, among which Kuśavatī was foremost. He had eighty-four thousand pavilions, among which the Sudharma pavilion was foremost. He had eighty-four thousand towers, among which the central tower was foremost. He had eighty-four thousand couches all made of gold and silver and various precious stones, which were covered with exquisite cushions and fine and soft spreads. He had eighty-four thousand million garments, of which those made of hemp, muslin, and cotton were foremost. He had eighty-four thousand kinds of food, of which a meal was provided each day, all with different flavors. O Ānanda, King Sudarśana, riding on the second treasure, the white elephant, foremost among all his eighty-four thousand elephants, left his capital in the morning, traveling the entire land under the sky, making the round of the four oceans, and returning within a short time to his castle for the morning meal. The king, riding on the third treasure, the dark-blue horse, foremost among all his eighty-four thousand horses, left his capital in the morning, traveled the entire land under the sky, made the round of the four oceans, and returned within a short time to his castle for the morning meal. The king, riding on the first treasure, the golden wheel vehicle, [drawn by] the treasured horse, foremost among all his eighty-four thousand vehicles, left his capital in the morning, traveled the entire land under the sky, made the round of the four oceans, and within a short time returned to his castle for the morning meal.

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The king used the fourth treasure, the divine gem, foremost among all his eighty-four thousand gemstones, to illuminate the entire palace compound, making night as bright as day. He had the sixth treasure, the jadelike queen, foremost among all of his eighty-four thousand ladies, serve him at his side. The king entrusted the sixth treasure, the householder gentleman, foremost among all his eighty-four thousand householders, with managing financial matters. The king entrusted the seventh treasure, the military commander, foremost among all of his eighty-four thousand soldiers, with [the duty of] disciplining any [miscreants] among the troops. King Sudarśana's central capital city, foremost among the eightyfour thousand cities he ruled, was Kuśinagara. The king always stayed at the Sudharma pavilion, foremost among all of his eighty-four thousand pavilions. The king always stayed at the central tower, foremost among all of his eighty-four thousand towers. The king always sat on the quartz seat, foremost among all of his eighty-four thousand seats, because it was best for meditation. He ordered all of his eighty-four thousand million garments to be inlaid with precious stones. Donning a garment at one's will is done out of modesty externally as well as internally. The king always ate naturally grown rice, preferring it from among all the eighty-four thousand different kinds of meals, because he knew the proper amount of food for his best health. The eighty-four thousand elephants came to the capital city and injured and killed sentient beings on innumerable occasions. The king then thought to himself,

"These elephants come around frequently,

causing innumerable injuries and damage; from now on, each elephant shall be permitted to come only once during a hundred-year period. "

In this way, a rotation system was put in order. When a hundred years had passed, it started over again from the beginning. Third Episode

At that time, the Buddha said to Ānanda:

Then King Sudarśana contemplated to himself,

"What kind of merits

did I originally accumulate, what kind of good discipline did I practice, 133

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The Canonical Book of the Buddha's Lengthy Discourses, Volume I such that I have now acquired such an august and splendid reward as universal rulership?"

Again he contemplated to himself,

"I have acquired this fortunate

reward due to three causes. What are the three? First, charity (dāna); second, morality (śīla); and third, meditation (dhyāna). Because of these causes, I have now acquired such a great reward. "

The king again contemplated to himself,

"I have now already

acquired this fortunate reward as a human; I must further upgrade my practice of good karma so as to be rewarded a heavenly destiny. I should sacrifice myself, withdraw from daily noise and trouble, reside in a secluded place, and practice the path.

"

The king then said to his treasured queen, Sumatī, "I have now

already obtained this splendid reward as a human, I must further improve my practice of good karma so as to be rewarded a heavenly destiny. I should sacrifice myself, withdraw from daily noise and trouble, reside in a secluded place and practice the path. "

The queen replied,

"I understand, sir.

" She thus notified [everyone]

both within and without [the palace] to cancel appointments to attend as well as receive an audience [with the king].

Thereupon, King Sudarśana ascended to the Sudharma pavilion, entered the golden cloister tower, and sat on the silver couch. He contemplated the eradication of defilements, such as avarice, carnal desire, craving, evil, and wrongdoing; he realized the first meditative state of absorption (dhyāna-samādhi), in which there is an awareness of an object and an act of examining while the sense of joy and bliss increase through removal of the cause of birth, thus reaching the supramundane sphere. Next, eliminating the awareness of an object and the subjective act of examination, with tranquility or self-confidence (Pāli saṃpasādana) increasing, continually applying concentration of the mind, he proceeded to the second meditative state of absorption, in which there is neither the awareness of an object nor a subjective act, the sense of joy and bliss predominating in the arising state of concentration. Next, the sense of joy fading away, dwelling in the sense of equanimity, fully aware of subtler bliss, he reached the third meditative state of absorption in which one experiences the mindfulness and bliss sought by the wise 134

Sutra 2: Last Journey and Sojourns

and holy practitioner. Next, transcending both pain and pleasure, removing sorrow and joy, he realized the fourth meditative state of absorption in which there is neither pain nor pleasure, but an increase of the state of equanimity (upekṣā) that consolidates pure and genuine mindfulness.

Thereupon, King Sudarśana arose from the silver chair, came out of the golden cloister tower, went to the central tower, sat on the lapis lazuli chair, and practiced the four kinds of immeasurable minds (brahmavihāras), first by permeating friendly love (maitrī) infinitely in one direction, and then likewise in the remaining three directions. Thus he extended his immeasurable mind of benevolence universally in all directions, neither [divided] nor bound to limitation. Casting away various feelings of hatred, leaving no ill will in his mind, the king enjoyed the state of tranquility and silence, compassion and tenderness. He also completed the remaining three practices, namely, the immeasurable mind of compassion (karuṇā), the immeasurable mind of sympathetic joy (muditā), and the immeasurable mind of equanimity (upekṣā). At that time, the treasured queen quietly thought herself, "I have

not seen his majesty for some time and wish to set up an occasion for audience. I shall now notify the king of this.

" Then the treasured queen

Sumatī said to the eighty-four thousand palace ladies, "May all of you

bathe in warm scented water and attire yourselves in formal dress. Since we have not seen his majesty for some time, we are going to see the countenance of his majesty.

" As instructed, the palace ladies bathed

and properly attired themselves. Then Queen Sumatī also said to the treasured military commander,

"May your leadership assemble the

four divisions of the army. Since we have not seen his majesty for some time, we are going to have an audience.

" Thereupon, the treasured military commander, having assembled the four divisions of the army, reported,

"The four divisions of the army have already been assembled. Whenever your ladyship is ready.

" Thereupon, leading the eighty-four

thousand palace ladies, accompanied by the four divisions of the army, the queen reached the golden palm tree grove. The sound of the multitude reached the king's cognizance. Having heard the sound, the king looked through a window and saw the treasured queen standing by the 135

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The Canonical Book of the Buddha's Lengthy Discourses doorside. Seeing the queen, the king said to her,

"Please halt there and

do not proceed. I am coming out of this cloister.

"

Thereupon, King Sudarśana stood up from the quartz seat, came out of the central tower, came down to the Sudharma pavilion, and together with the treasured queen, walked toward the palm tree grove, [where he] took his seat in the prepared position. At that time, the great king Sudarśana's complexion was more luminous than on ordinary days. The queen thought to herself,

"Now, his majesty's complexion exceeds that

seen on other ordinary days. What kind of auspicious sign is this?" Then Queen Sumatī said to the king,

"Your majesty's complexion