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Chapter 3: The Virtues of the Name

Chapter Three

The Virtues of the Name

At that time the Tathāgata again informed Kāśyapa, saying: Good man, now you should carefully retain in your memory the virtues contained in the words and phrases of this sutra. And any good men or women who hear the sutra's name will not be reborn in any of the four [unfortunate] realms. Why is this? It is because a scripture like this has been put into practice by countless, unfathomable numbers of buddhas, resulting in an accumulation of merit the likes of which I will now explain.

The bodhisattva Kāśyapa then said to the Buddha: "World-Honored One, what should we call this sutra? How can the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas retain it with the proper reverence?"

The Buddha said to Kāśyapa:

The name of this sutra is Mahāparinirvāṇa(Great Entering into Perfect Extinction). It is elegant in its opening language, elegant in the language of its development, and elegant in its conclusion. Its meaning is profound and its verbal expression is excellent, as it [expounds] a holy life that is complete, accomplished, and pure. It is a diamond treasury, complete and lacking nothing.

Now you need to listen carefully to what I am going to explain. Good man, by calling it "

mahā"(great) I am saying that it is permanent. Just as the flows of the eight great rivers all return to the ocean, in the same way this sutra [enables all living beings] to vanquish all their emotional constraints and defilements and all Māra natures, afterward inevitably bringing mahāparinirvāṇawhen they accept the end of their lives. That is why I call it the Mahāparinirvāṇa.Good man, as a physician may have one secret healing technique that incorporates all other forms of healing, good man, the Tathāgata does the same. The various sublime 103

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dharmas and gateways to the treasury of profound mysteries that I have expounded are all included in this Mahāparinirvāṇa[-sūtra]. That is precisely why I call it the Mahāparinirvāṇa. Good man, consider the farmer who always has hope when he plants in the spring months, yet when harvesting his crops those hopes may all come to naught. Good man, all living beings are like this. They cultivate their study of other sutras, always in the hope of a flavor to be savored [yet unsure of the actual outcome]. But if they get a chance to hear the Mahāparinirvāṇa[-sūtra], all such hope for [finding] flavors in other sutras will drop away forever. This Mahāparinirvāṇa[-sūtra] can bring about the deliverance of living beings from any stream of existence. Good man, among all footprints the footprint of an elephant is the most grand, and this sutra is like that. Among the samādhis taught in the sutras, what is presented here is the finest. Good man, when it comes to plowing rice fields autumn plowing is the best, and this sutra, in the same way, is the best among the sutras. Good man, just as clarified butter is first among medicines for controlling fever and anxiety in the minds of living beings, so, too, is this Mahāparinirvāṇafirst [among the sutras]. 56

Good man, and just as sweet butter is replete with eight flavors, the Mahāparinirvāṇa[-sūtra] is also replete with eight flavors. What are the eight? First is permanence. Second is constancy. Third is calmness. Fourth is quiescence. Fifth is nonaging. Sixth is immortality. Seventh is immaculateness. Eighth is joyousness. These are all the eight flavors included in the discourse, and it is because the sutra is replete with [all] eight that it is called the Mahāparinirvāṇa.

If bodhisattva-mahāsattvas base themselves in this discourse, then anywhere they are will manifest nirvāṇa. That is why I call it the Mahāparinirvāṇa[-sūtra]. Kāśyapa, if good men and good women aspire to nirvāṇa by means of this Mahāparinirvāṇa[-sūtra], they must thus apply themselves to studying the permanent abiding of the Tathāgata and of the dharma and sangha as well.

The bodhisattva Kāśyapa then said to the Buddha:

Extraordinary, World-Honored One. The virtue of the Tathāgata is beyond conception. The dharma and the sangha are just the same— 104

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inconceivable. This Mahāparinirvāṇa[-sūtra] is also beyond conception. Those who study this scripture will gain an opening into the true-dharma, becoming excellent physicians themselves. You should understand, however, that those who never study it will be blind, lacking eyes of wisdom, their sight clouded by ignorance.

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Chapter Four

The Nature of the Tathāgata:

Part 1

The Buddha said to Kāśyapa:

Good man, bodhisattva-mahāsattvas elucidate separately the meanings of four issues contained within the Mahāparinirvāṇa[-sūtra]. What are the four? 1) Correcting oneself, 2) correcting others, 3) competently providing answers that accord with questions, and 4) skillfully grasping the meaning of causality.

What is "correcting oneself"? If a buddha tathāgātha looks at the origins [of the precepts], he will have something to say about them. For example, a monk seeing a great cluster of fires might declare: I would just as well embrace the flames of these burning fires as dare to malign the twelvefold scriptures and the hidden treasury expounded by the Tathāgata by claiming that these are the words of Māra. Anyone who says the Tathāgata, dharma, and sangha are impermanent would be deceiving himself and lying to others. He might as well take a sword and cut off his own tongue, for no one could ever [honestly] say the Tathāgata, the dharma, and the sangha are impermanent. If you hear people say such things do not believe them, and yet you should nonetheless feel sympathy for those who speak this way, for the Tathāgata, dharma, and sangha are beyond their conception.

You should thus contemplate your own self as if it were a cluster of fires. This I call "correcting oneself.

"

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What is "correcting others"? Once when I was expounding the dharma a woman nursing a baby came to see me. As she bent her head to my feet to show respect something occurred to her. Thinking about this, she then sat down facing me. At that moment the World-Honored One understood and asked her about it: Out of love and affection you have put no small amount of butter into your baby's mouth. But you do not know the degree to which he has digested it, if at all, no?

The woman then said to the Buddha:

Astonishing, World-Honored One, that you are able to know so well the thoughts in my mind! All I ask of the Tathāgata is if he would tell me how well [the child has digested the food]. World-Honored One, this morning I did give the child a great amount of butter. I fear that he has not been able to digest it—he will not have a premature death, will he? All I ask of the Tathāgata is to explain this for me.

The Buddha said to her: "What your child has eaten he in fact did digest immediately, increasing his life span.

"

When she heard this, the woman's heart danced with joy. She then said to the Buddha:

The Tathāgata speaks the truth, and I rejoice. World-Honored One, it is from your desire to tame living beings that you thoroughly analyze and explain about digesting and not digesting. In addition, you have also taught us the dharma, in doctrines such as nonself and impermanence. If the Buddha, the World-Honored One, had first expounded permanence, then those of us being taught would have said this teaching is the same as that of the non-Buddhists, and we would have abandoned it right away.

The Buddha then informed the woman:

When your child grows big enough to where he can come and go on his own, what he eats at that point he may or may not be able to digest. And the butter that you gave him in the past will no longer 108

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suffice. The śrāvaka disciples that I have are also like this. Just like your infant, they have been unable to digest this teaching about permanentabiding. This is why I first expounded the doctrines of suffering and impermanence [as you described]. But when the qualities in my śrāvaka disciples become adequate for them to endure the cultivation of practice based on the Mahāyāna scriptures, I can then explain this sutra to them in terms of six flavors. What are these six flavors? I explain that suffering is sour, impermanence is salty, nonself is bitter, bliss is sweet, self is spicy, and permanence is astringent.

In this world there are three kinds of flavors: what I call the absence of permanence, the absence of self, and the absence of bliss. But using the defilements as kindling and wisdom as fire, this can be turned into what becomes a nirvāṇic meal to enjoy. I am speaking of what is permanent, blissful, and self, and what enables all disciples to enjoy [the fruit of the path].

I also said to the woman:

If a situation developed in which you wanted to go away for a period of time, you would have to make your bad sons go outside the house while you entrusted your treasury of valuables entirely to your good sons, would you not?

The woman said: "As true as a sacred teaching! Our store of what is rare and valuable would be shown to the good sons but not to the bad sons. "

[I then said to her:]

Sister, it is the same with me. At the time of my parinirvāṇa,the Tathāgata's treasury of the subtle, hidden, and unsurpassed dharma will not be given to the disciples who are śrāvakas, just as you would not entrust your treasury of valuables to your bad sons. I have to entrust [this] to the bodhisattvas, just as you would entrust your treasury of valuables to your good sons. Why is this? Because the śrāvaka disciples formulate the idea of "transformation" [in this context], presuming that a buddha tathāgata truly passes into extinction. But as a matter of fact, I do not pass into extinction. This would be akin 109

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to your traveling to a distant place and before you can return your bad sons tell everyone you have died, when in fact you have not died. The bodhisattvas will say that the Tathāgata is permanent and immutable. In the same way, your good sons will not say that you have died. This is why my unsurpassed, hidden treasury will be entrusted to the bodhisattvas.

Good man, if any living being proclaims that the Buddha abides permanently and is immutable, know that the Buddha dwells in his home. This is what I call the correction of others.

What is "capable of providing an answer that accords with a question"? If someone came to the Buddha, the World-Honored One, and asked: "How could I attain fame as a great donor to charity without giving up my wealth?"

The Buddha would say [to him]:

If there is [before you] a śramaṇa,or a brahman, or someone of this nature who knows the contentment of living with few desires and who would never accept or retain anything impure, to that person you should give female and male slave attendants. To one practicing the restraints of religious life (brahmacārin), give a girl. To one who has given up wine and meat, give wine and meat. To one who does not transgress the rule against eating after noon, give food in the afternoon. To one who does not wear flowers or fragrances, give flowers and fragrances. The fame of this kind of giving will spread throughout the world at almost no cost to you and your fortune. 57

[To preach in this way] is what I call "capable of providing an answer that accords with a question.

"

At that point, the bodhisattva Kāśyapa addressed the Buddha, saying: World-Honored One, a person should not give meat to someone who eats meat. Why do I say this? In my view, there is great virtue in not eating meat.

The Buddha then praised Kāśyapa:

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my point. The bodhisattva who protects the dharma should be like this. Good man, from today I no longer allow śrāvaka disciples to eat meat. Whenever you receive donations of food from lay donors you should regard [any meat in] the food as if it were the flesh of your own son. The bodhisattva Kāśyapa addressed the Buddha, saying: World-Honored One, why does the Tathāgata not allow the eating of meat? [The Buddha said:]

Good man, to eat meat is to cut out the seeds of your own great compassion. Kāśyapa then said:

Why is it, Tathāgata, that previously you allowed bhikṣus to eat three kinds of pure meat?58

[The Buddha said:]

Kāśyapa, regarding the three kinds of pure meat, in response to specific situations I have been gradually imposing restrictions. The bodhisattva Kāśyapa once again addressed the Buddha, saying: World-Honored One, what were the causes for the ten kinds of impure and nine kinds of pure [meat] both being disallowed?59 The Buddha said to Kāśyapa:

The formulations of those restrictions also came gradually due to particular events, but it should be understood that my present intention is to end the eating of meat.

The bodhisattva Kāśyapa then said to the Buddha: Why is it, Tathāgata, that you proclaim meat and fish are to be regarded as "fine foods"?60

[The Buddha said:]

Good man, I am not saying that meat and fish are "fine foods. " I am saying

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sugar, milk with honey, and clarified butter are fine foods. But even when I say you should keep garments made of various kinds of cloth, by "should" I mean keeping what you need: cloth stripped of its color. Why would I condone anyone's craving for the taste of meat or fish? Kāśyapa then said:

If the Tathāgata has imposed a rule that we should not eat meat, then does that mean we should also not accept food containing the five flavors—yogurt, buttermilk, fresh butter, clarified butter, and sesame oil— as well as clothing, robes made of kauśeyasilk, conch shells, leather, gold or silver, and bowls or utensils?

[The Buddha said:]

Good man. This does not mean you should adopt the same perspective as the ascetic Nirgrantha Jains.

61 Each restrictive precept formulated by

the Tathāgata reflects a particular intent.

There was thus a particular intention behind my allowing you to eat the three kinds of pure meat. And yet that is different from the idea of ending the consumption of the ten kinds of meat, and it is from this other idea [that I speak of] cutting it out entirely, including meat that comes from animals that die a natural death.

Kāśyapa, from today I establish a precept restricting my disciples from eating all forms of meat. Kāśyapa, those who do partake of meat, whether they are walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, will produce an odor of meat that all living beings will smell and this inevitably creates a sense of fear in them. It is like a man who gets close to lions; a crowd that sees him do this will smell the odor of the lion on him afterward and become afraid. Good man, it is like the fact that when someone eats garlic, he smells foul and repugnant. When others see that person and smell that odor they will move away. If people have no desire to see him when he is spotted from a distance, how much less [would they wish to see him] when he is near? Those who eat meat are like this. Any living being who smells the scent of meat will become afraid and will be filled with the fear of death. All forms of life, whether they live out their lives in water, on land, or in the air, flee from [this smell]. They will all say, "This

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person is our enemy.

" For this reason, bodhisattvas do not customarily

eat meat. They may manifest eating meat for purposes of saving living beings but although it appears that they are eating meat, in fact they are not. Good man, the pure eating of bodhisattvas is thus not eating, so how could they eat meat?

Good man, countless centuries following my nirvāṇa there will be holy people of the four Buddhist paths who will all attain nirvāṇa. After the true-dharma has disappeared, during a period of counterfeit dharma there will be bhikṣus who will imitate upholding the precepts and will read and recite the sutras to some degree. Yet these monks will cravenly delight in food and drink, nourishing their bodies for a long life. The clothes they wear will be coarse and ugly. Their appearance will be haggard and they will seem to have no dignity at all. They will raise cows and sheep, and haul firewood and grass. They will let their hair and nails grow long. Although they will wear the kāṣāyarobe of a monastic, they will nevertheless look like hunters. They will move about with their eyes narrowed, like a cat stalking a mouse. They will continually declare, "I have attained

arhatship,

" but they will have many ills, and some will lie down to sleep in their own excrement. To the outside world they may appear wise and gracious, but internally they will harbor greed and jealousy. Like brahmans who have received a mute dharma, in truth they will not be śramaṇas but merely people who give the impression of being śramaṇas. Their false views will be pursued actively, maligning the true-dharma. People such as these will destroy the rules of discipline, the proper practices, and the dignity and decorum that have been formulated by the Tathāgata [for the sangha]. They will preach the goal of liberation and avoiding impurities, even as they destroy the teaching that is profound and hidden. Having reached the point where each of them follows his or her own ideas, they will make assertions in opposition to what is in the sutras and vinayas such as,

"Tathāgatas all allow us to eat meat.

" Producing such lines of

reasoning by themselves, they will nevertheless claim them to be "the words of the Buddha,

" and yet they will argue among themselves, each

insisting to be a śramaṇadisciple of Śākyamuni.

Good man, at that time there will also be śramaṇas who will store grain, accept fish and meat, prepare their own meals, and who will keep 113

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jars of oil, jeweled canopies, and leather shoes. Some of them will be close to kings, important officials, civic leaders, oracles, and astrologers. Some will study medicine and the healing arts; raise and keep slaves; [or collect] gold, silver, lapis lazuli, agate, carnelian, crystal, pearls, coral, amber, jade, conch shells, or different types of fruit and melons. There will be those who study the arts, who become painters, ceramists, scribes, teachers, cultivators of plants, practitioners of spells and magic. There will be those who manufacture medicines and produce theatrical performances, and those who adorn their bodies with perfumes and flowers, engage in gambling and games, and learn crafts and skills. If there are monks who can separate themselves from these unfortunate activities, you should refer to them as true disciples of mine. At that moment Kāśyapa spoke once more to the Buddha: World-Honored One, the monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen depend upon others for their livelihood. If, when begging for their meals, some end up with meat mixed in with their food, how can they eat in a way that conforms to the dharma of purity?

The Buddha said:

Kāśyapa, wash the food with water, separating out the meat. After that may you eat. If utensils become polluted by contact with meat, just remove any residue of meat flavor and you may then use them without transgression. If you see that there is a lot of meat in your food, then you should not accept it. Any meat that is clearly present [in your bowl] should not be eaten; to eat it constitutes a transgression. I am now proclaiming this rule eliminating meat eating. If I were to explain this in detail it would never end, but as I have reached the time of my nirvāṇa I offer only this brief statement. This, then, is [another example of] what I call "providing an answer that accords with a question. "

Kāśyapa, what is "skillfully grasping the meaning of causality"? It is like the [discourse] that would occur if followers from the four groups came to ask me these questions:

World-Honored One, tell us why a teaching like this was not expounded to King Prasenajit when the Tathāgata first appeared [as 114

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a buddha]? The doctrine that you preach for us has profound and wonderful meaning, but at times your preaching is deep, at times it is shallow. Some things you call violations and some things you call nonviolations. What do you mean by downfall?62What is it that you call vinaya? What is the meaning of what you call prātimokṣa? I would then answer as follows:

The prātimokṣa,or code of precepts, is known as "contentment. "

Through it one achieves the proper comportment [of a śramaṇa], devoid of accumulation, so it is also called "pure livelihood. " "Downfall" refers to [rebirth in] the four unfortunate realms. In addition, downfall may also specifically indicate falling into the hells, all the way down to Avīci Hell. If you measured the speed of that fall it would be faster than that of a violent storm. If hearing this strikes you with fear, then be strict about maintaining the precepts and do not violate the rules of comportment. To cultivate the contentment that I mention is to not accept anything impure. In addition, downfall also means to offer nourishment to [those who have fallen into] the realms of hell, animals, or hungry ghosts. All these meanings I identify by the term "downfall. " The prātimokṣais there to help you

put distance between anything unwholesome or wicked and your actions, speech, and thought.

"Vinaya" refers to entering into commitments to follow rules and observances and to appreciate the meanings of the sutras in all their profundity. It forbids the acceptance of all things impure as well as all situations brought about by impure causes or conditions. It also means prohibitions against the four grave violations (*pārājika), the thirteen offenses entailing adjudication but permitting one to remain in the order (*saṃghāvaśeṣa), the two offenses that are undetermined (*aniyata), the thirty property offenses entailing expiation with forfeiture (*niḥsargikā-pātayantikā), the ninety-one offenses requiring expiation (*pātayantika), the teachings on the four faults requiring confession (*pratideśanīyadharma), the [one hundred] manifold rules of training (*saṃbahulaśaikṣadharma), and the seven [rules for] quieting disputes (*saptakaraṇa-śamathā). 63There are also some people who break allthe

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rules. In what sense do I say "all"? I am referring to everything from the four grave violations to the seven rules for resolving conflicts. There are some people who repudiate the profound scriptures of the true-dharma. There are also icchantikas who have fully rid themselves of all forms [of accountability]. With no karmic relationship [to the world] they blithely say,

"How brilliant and clever I am.

"

They keep fully hidden their transgressions, whether trivial or serious, concealing their wickedness like a turtle conceals his six protruding body parts. Such people pass through a long night [of ignorance] without regretting their many errors. And because they do not regret their transgressions, over time [the transgressions] only increase. The violations committed by these monks will never become public, and this in turn leads to such violations becoming rampant. This is why the Tathāgata, aware of this situation, has dispensed the rules for the community in a gradual fashion rather than putting out the entire system of prohibitions all at once. At that time there were good men and good women who spoke to the Buddha thus:

World-Honored One. If the Tathāgata has been aware of this problem [of members of the sangha hiding their improper behavior] for some time, why did you not formulate these rules of restraint earlier? You would not, World-Honored One, want to cause living beings to end up in Avīci Hell, would you? It seems like a situation in which a great many people who have set out to reach somewhere have lost sight of the correct road and have ended up following the wrong path. Because these people do not realize they are lost, they all think,

"Thisis the path.

" Moreover, they do

not see anyone question whether or not they are doing the right thing [so they continue in the same direction]. Living beings like this are lost to the Buddha's teachings; they do not see the truth. The Tathāgata should first explain the right path and then issue directives to the bhikṣus that suchand-such [behavior] in effect violates the precepts and such-and-such in effect upholds the precepts. The rules should be laid out like that. Why? Because the truth that is the Tathāgata's genuine awakening is the basis upon which we understand the right path. It is only the Tathāgata, the god 116

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among gods, who can explain the exalted virtues of the "ten aspects of good character" as well as their meaning and appeal. That is why we implore you to formulate the precepts for us first.

The Buddha said:

Good man, by stating that the Tathāgata fully expounds the exalted virtues of the ten aspects of good character to living beings, you imply that the Tathāgata looks upon living beings as if each were [his son] Rāhula. So how can you complain, saying,

"You would not, World-Honored One, want to cause living beings to end up in Avīci Hell, would you?" Were I to see even one person with a karmic condition that would mean falling into Avīci Hell, just for the sake of that person I would remain in the world for nearly a kalpa,even an entire kalpa.With this great compassion toward living beings, what situation could make me want to deceive those whom I regard like a son so that they would end up in hell? Good man, it is like a royal tailor who sees a hole in a garment, and thereupon sets out to repair it. The Tathāgata also operates in this way. When he sees a living being with karmic conditions that will bring him to Avīci Hell, he immediately uses the goodness in the precepts to make up for what is lacking in that person's situation. Good man, suppose there were a wheel-turning sage king (cakravartin) who first explained to living beings the value of the ten aspects of good character, yet afterward faced a series of incidents of bad behavior. That king would respond immediately each time something happened by putting a stop to those actions. Only then, after stopping these unacceptable types of behavior, would he himself [be in a position to] promulgate the ruling principles of a sage king. Good man, in a like manner, although I may have spoken about [the value of restraint], at first I did not lay down specific prohibitions. It was only after the need arose due to a series of actions by monks in violation of the spirit of the dharma that I set down rules of discipline based on those incidents. Those with a willingness for the dharma, however, will cultivate their practice according to the teachings. And living beings like this will [eventually] be able to see the Tathāgata's dharma body. Just as the jeweled circle possessed by a cakravartinking is inconceivable, the Tathāgata 387b

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is also inconceivable, and the two jewels known as dharma and sangha are inconceivable as well. Those who can preach the dharma and those who can hear the dharma—they are all inconceivable. These reflect what I call "skillfully grasping the meaning of causality. "

Thus do the bodhisattvas elucidate separately the meanings of [these] four issues, what I call the doctrine of causality in the MahāyānaMahāparinirvāṇa[-sūtra]. Next,

"correcting oneself" refers to obtaining the Mahāparinirvāṇa [-sūtra].

"Correcting others" refers to my having preached to the monks, "a tathāgata is a constant presence without change. " What I have called

"competently providing answers that accord with questions" occurred when, due to something you asked about, Kāśyapa, I expounded this profound and sublime doctrine in a way that applied broadly to bodhisattva-mahā sattvas, monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen. "Skillfully grasping the meaning of causality" reflects the fact that śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas do not grasp these profound doctrines. They simply do not hear [when I expound on] the hidden treasury that is composed of liberation, nirvāṇa, and mahāprajñāwisdom, which together form three dots [of a triangle] as in the Sanskrit letter "i. " I will

now clarify the differences among these for the śrāvakas so they can open their eye of wisdom.

If someone were to say something to the effect of "How can these four things be said to be identical—is that not a falsehood?" , you should

ask them: "What is the difference between these four things: empty space, nothing at all, inert, and unobstructed? How can you call them false?" [Congregation:]

No, World-Honored One. These expressions all mean one thing: emptiness. Correcting oneself, correcting others, providing an answer that accords with a question, and grasping the meaning of causality are also like that, for in the Mahāparinirvāṇa[-sūtra] they are equal, with no differences. The Buddha said to Kāśyapa:

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The Tathāgata is impermanent. How do we know that he is impermanent? Because the Buddha himself has said: To put an end to the defilements is called nirvāṇa. Like a fire that is extinguished, there is nothing there whatsoever. To end the defilements is also thus; I call it nirvāṇa. So how could the Tathāgata be permanently abiding without change? As the Buddha has said: "That which is free from all forms of existence is called nirvāṇa. Within nirvāṇa there are no forms of existence. "

So how can one say that the Tathāgata is permanently abiding and immutable? When a garment has been torn to pieces it is no longer known as what it was before. Nirvāṇa is just that. Extinguishing the defilements means that the individual is no longer known as what he or she was, so how can one say that the Tathāgata is permanently abiding and immutable? As the Buddha has said: Free from desire, calm and stilled, this I call nirvāṇa. If a man cuts off his head, then he has no head. "Free from desire, calm and stilled" is also like this. In emptiness, there is nothing whatsoever. Therefore it is called nirvāṇa. So how can one say that the Tathāgata is permanently abiding and immutable? As the Buddha has said: Like heated iron

When pounded, sparks fly

That scatter and disappear, No one knows where they are. Attaining proper liberation Is also like this.

After crossing over all the mud Of lust and desire

One attains a place without movement It is not known where.

So how can one say that the Tathāgata is permanently abiding and immutable?

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Kāśyapa, a complaint like this I would call an erroneous critique. Kāśyapa, you should not entertain this idea, inferring that the nature of the Tathāgata is something that perishes. Kāśyapa, [it is true that] the destruction of the defilements means that that individual is no longer known the same as what he or she was. Why is this? Because this is forever, and that is why I call it permanent. Termed "quiescent,

" there is nothing beyond it. What

perishes are any perceivable characteristics; of that, nothing remains. Termed "clean,

" "permanently abiding,

" and "nonretrogressing,

" this is

why nirvāṇa is called "permanently abiding.

" The Tathāgata is also permanently abiding and immutable. The mention of "sparks flying" in the verse is a reference to the defilements. To say "That scatter and disappear, no one knows where they are" addresses the fact that the tathāgatas, following the destruction of their defilements, are no longer present in the five realms of saṃsāric existence. This is why I [also] state that tathāgatas are a permanently abiding dharma in which there is no change. In addition, Kāśyapa, what the buddhas teach is called dharma. This is why the Tathāgata is revered and honored with offerings. And because the dharma is permanent, the buddhas are also permanent. The bodhisattva Kāśyapa then asked the Buddha:

[To that way of thinking,] if the flame of the defilements disappears and the tathāgatas also disappear, then the tathāgatas have no place to abide permanently. Like the fact that when sparks fly and disappear in the process of forging iron and no one knows where their red color goes, when the defilements of a tathāgata disappear there is similarly no "place" they have perished to. Or one could say that like the heat and red color of the hot iron, when these have disappeared they simply no longer exist. Tathāgatas must be like this: after disappearing they are impermanent, for when they destroy the fire of the defilements they immediately enter nirvāṇa. We should understand, then, that tathāgatas are impermanent. [The Buddha responded:]

Good man, this iron you speak of refers to ordinary people. An ordinary person, even after destroying the defilements, is reborn after the cessation of his existence. Therefore I call [that existence] impermanent. But a 120

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tathāgata is not like that, for he is not born again after the cessation of his existence. Therefore I call [this existence] permanent. Kāśyapa spoke once more:

But even after the iron's red color disappears it can return, for the red color would arise again if the iron were put [back] into the fire. If the Tathāgata were like that, it would mean that he would again produce the fetters of defilement. And if the fetters of defilement arose in him again, this would mean that he is impermanent.

The Buddha said:

Now Kāśyapa, you should not make such a statement, saying that the Tathāgata is impermanent. Why? Because the Tathāgata is permanent. Good man, it is like this: when you burn wood, after it is extinguished there will be ash; after the defilements are extinguished, there will be nirvāṇa. Tearing a garment, cutting off someone's head, or smashing a jar all work metaphorically in the same say. Each one of these things has its own appellation, we call them forth by saying, "tearing a garment,

"

"cutting off a head,

" or "smashing a jar.

"

Kāśyapa, after the iron cools it can be heated again. But the Tathāgata is not like that. Having cut cut off the defilements in himself, he is absolutely cool. For when the defilements have been burned away [in a buddha] they do not arise again. Kāśyapa, you should understand that there are countless numbers of living beings whose situation is like the metaphor of iron here; I use the blaze of my untainted wisdom to burn off the constraints of their defilements.

Kāśyapa once again spoke: "Excellent, excellent! Now I see the truth in the Tathāgata's explanation that buddhas are permanent. "

The Buddha said:

Kāśyapa, suppose there were a sacred king who had been in the women's apartments of the palace, and then suddenly decides to go out for diversion into the garden (udyāna) behind the palace. Although at that point the king is not among his female attendants, no one would presume to say,

"O, the king's life has ended.

" Good man, the Tathāgata is like this.

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Although he does not appear in Jambudvīpa when he has entered nirvāṇa, this is not known as [a sign of] impermanence. The Tathāgata has left behind uncountable defilements to enter the place of peace and joy called nirvāṇa, where he strolls among the flowers of awakening with amusement and pleasure. Kāśyapa once again spoke, asking:

The Buddha has said,

"I have long since crossed over the ocean of the

defilements.

" But if the Buddha has already crossed over the ocean of the defilements, why would he join with [his wife] Yaśodharā and produce the child Rāhula? What are the circumstances by which we can understand that the Tathāgata has not yet crossed to the shore beyond the binding ocean of his defilements? The Buddha then said to Kāśyapa:

You should not say:

If the Buddha has long since crossed over the ocean of the defilements, why would he join with [his wife] Yaśodharā and produce the child Rāhula? What are the circumstances by which we can understand that the Tathāgata has not yet crossed to the shore beyond the binding ocean of his defilements?

Good man, this Mahāparinirvāṇa[-sūtra] establishes the Great Meaning. You must all pay attention and listen very carefully to what I will now expound in a rather expansive way. Do not be frightened by what you hear.

Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas who abide in mahāparinirvāṇaare like rulers of Mount Sumeru: they can take something as vast as that mountain and make it fit inside a pouch of mustard seeds. The living beings living on the Sumeru continent would not feel constricted by such activity, for they would have no notion that anything had either come or gone—as far as they would know, their continent would be no different from what it had been before. Only one who is crossing to the other shore would see the bodhisattva put Mount Sumeru into the mustard- seed pouch and then gently return it to where it was originally.

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Good man, there are also bodhisattva-mahāsattvas abiding in mahāparinirvāṇawho can put the great trichiliocosm of the universe into a mustard-seed pouch. The beings [living in those worlds] would similarly not feel constricted by such activity, for they would have no notion that anything had either come or gone—as far as they would know, their world would be no different from what it had been before. Only those who will cross over to the other shore will see a bodhisattva thus put the great trichiliocosm into a mustard-seed pouch and then gently return them to where they were originally.

Good man, there are also bodhisattva-mahāsattvas abiding in mahāparinirvāṇawho, in much the same way, can take the great trichiliocosm and put it inside the space of one hair and then return it to its original location.

Good man, there are also bodhisattva-mahāsattvas abiding in mahāparinirvāṇawho [can] cut out the three thousand-great thousand buddha worlds from all the ten directions, place them on the end of a pin, and then cast them into other buddha worlds located elsewhere, as easily as piercing the leaf of a jujube tree. All the living beings [in those worlds] would not be aware of where they had gone and returned from. Only those who will cross over to the other shore will be able to perceive this as well as their original locations.

Good man, there are also bodhisattva-mahāsattvas abiding in mahāparinirvāṇawho [can] cut out the three thousand-great thousand buddha realms of the ten directions and place them in the palm of their right hand like a potter's ball of clay, and then throw them into realms molecular in size. Yet there would not be one living being on those worlds that would have any sense of anything coming or going during this either. Only those who will cross over to the other shore will be able to perceive this, as well as their original locations.

Good man, there are also bodhisattva-mahāsattvas abiding in mahāparinirvāṇawho [can] cut out the three thousand-great thousand buddha worlds of the ten directions and internalize them all within their own bodies. The living beings there feel no constriction and have no sense of coming or going or even being anywhere [at all] during this process. 123

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Only those who will cross over to the other shore will be able to perceive this, as well as their original locations.

Good man, there are also bodhisattva-mahāsattvas abiding in mahāparinirvāṇawho can take the worlds in the ten directions and place them inside one molecule. Yet the living beings residing there feel no constriction or any sense of coming or going during this process. Only those who will cross over to the other shore will be able to perceive this, as well as their original locations.

Good man, there are bodhisattva-mahāsattvas abiding in mahāpari nirvāṇawho are thus able to display an array of supernatural transformations. This is [also] why it is called " mahāparinirvāṇa.

"These innumerable supernatural transformations that may be thus revealed by bodhi sattva-mahāsattvas are generally incomprehensible for living beings. So now tell me, how do you propose to understand that the Tathāgata indulged in sexual intercourse to produce Rāhula?

Good man, having abided in this mahāparinirvāṇafor so long, I have displayed supernatural transformations in many different ways. In the ten billion suns and moons and ten billion Jambudvīpas among the great trichilio cosm there have been various displays of this sort, such as those expounded in some detail in the Śūraṃgama[samādhi-]sūtra. 64 One of

the things I have done is to reveal nirvāṇa in the triple thousand-great thousand worlds and in Jambudvīpa. And yet I did not ultimately choose nirvāṇa [for myself]. Or I have also showed myself entering the womb of a mother in Jambudvīpa, causing a father and mother to think they begot me as their son, despite the fact that this body ultimately is not something born from the union of sexual desires. Having separated myself from [the realm of] sexual desire for so long—over innumerable kalpas—this body I have now is in fact a dharma body that manifested in a womb only to conform to the ways of the world (*lokānuvartana). Good man, I manifested my birth from my mother Māyā in the Lumbinī Grove in Jambudvīpa. Following my birth, I was able to immediately take seven steps to the east and roar out the words, "I am the most

revered, the highest, among humans, gods, and asuras. " My mother and

father, and indeed the people and gods who witnessed this, were overcome with joy and thought how exceedingly rare this was. The peoplepresumed 124

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I was an infant, yet for innumerable kalpas this body of mine had long since been separated from the phenomenon [of infancy]. The body of a tathāgata is none other than a dharma body; it is not constructed of flesh, blood, tendons, veins, bones, and marrow.

It was because I was conforming to the ways of living beings in the world that I manifested myself as a newborn baby. I walked seven paces to the south and displayed my desire to become a superior field of merit for innumerable living beings. I walked seven paces to the west and revealed that when my lifetime is exhausted I will have cut off aging and death forever, this being my last body. I walked seven paces to the north and showed that I had already crossed over to the other shore beyond all forms of saṃsāra. I walked seven paces to the east and showed that I will be a guide for living beings. And walking seven steps in the four intermediate directions revealed how I had destroyed the [entire] array of defilements and the nature of the four māra [demons], thus becoming a Thus Come One, Worthy of Offerings, Completely Awakened. I walked upward seven paces and showed that I was not polluted by anything impure, just like space. I walked downward seven paces and revealed the dharma rain that extinguishes the fires of hell, bringing serenity and joy to living beings there. And for those who violated the precepts, I manifested frost and hail.

Seven days after I was born in Jambudvīpa I put on a display of shaving my head. Everyone presumed at that point that I was an infant who had just shaved his head for the first time. But no one among all the people, devas, king Māra Pāpīyas, śramaṇas, and brahmans who were present could see the special mark on my head.

65 So how could anyone have

picked up a knife to come and shave my head? Even if someone had done so, it would have been meaningless because over the course of immeasurable kalpas I have long since removed the hair on my head and face. It is only out of a desire to follow the ways of the world that I made a show of shaving the hair on my head.

After I was born, my parents took me to a temple where they presented me to the deity Maheśvara. When Maheśvara looked upon me he immediately put his palms together, bowed in respect, and stood to one side. For over immeasurable kalpas, in fact, I had long since abandonedgoing 125

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to such temples and only displayed myself in this way out of a desire to conform to the ways of the world.

In Jambudvīpa I also displayed having pierced ears. In truth, among all living beings there is no one who can pierce my ears. I manifested this behavior in order to conform to the world. I also took various jewelsand constructed a "lion's earring" with which I adorned my ears, though in fact over innumerable kalpas I had long since abandoned wearing any such adornments. It was in order to comply with the ways of the world that I produced this display.

I showed myself entering a school where I studied [reading and] writing. But over innumerable kalpas I had already endowed myself with the accomplishment of this task, so no matter where one may look throughout the triple world there would be no one who would be suitable to be my teacher. It is only out of a desire to conform to the world that I showed myself entering the school. That is why I am called "Thus Come One, Worthy of Offerings, Completely Awakened.

" When [growing up] I

learned how to ride an elephant, how to ride a horse, how to fight, and how to do various artistic techniques, and it was the same situation. In Jambudvīpa I also displayed myself as a crown prince. Living beings all saw me as a prince enjoying myself, delighting in the pleasures of the five senses. In fact, over the course of innumerable kalpas I had long since abandoned the pursuit of pleasure, so the display of this aspect of my life was shown merely to conform to the ways of the world. And there were prognosticators who predicted that if I did not leave behind the householder's life I would become a cakravartinking who would rule over Jambudvīpa. Living beings all believed in these words but, in fact, over innumerable kalpas I had already abandoned the status of a cakravartinwho turns the wheel of political power in favor of being a cakravartinwho turns the wheel of dharma.

In Jambudvīpa I then manifested abandoning lust for women and the pleasures of the five senses, as well as departing from the householder's life after seeing examples of aging, illness, death, and a mendicant śramaṇa, in order to cultivate a path to liberation. When this happened, living beings all thought,

"Siddhārtha has started to live the life of a

monk,

" but it had been innumerable kalpas in the past when I left behind 126

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the house holder's life to pursue the Way. It was only to conform to the world that I displayed such things.

After I showed myself leaving the household life in Jambudvīpa, I took the complete precepts, diligently cultivated the path, and attained the fruit of the path of a srotāpanna(one entering the stream), the fruit of the path of a sakṛdāgāmin(once-returner), the fruit of the path of an anāgāmin(nonreturner), and the fruit of the path of an arhat (worthy). Many people said that completing the path of an arhat was relatively easy for me to attain, but in fact I had already accomplished the path to arhatship innumerable kalpas ago.

It was in order to emancipate living beings that I sat down [to meditate] at the "site of awakening" under the bodhitree, making a seat out of grass, and subdued the bands of Māra demons that came at me. Everyone thought I first overcame the minions of Māra at that so-called "site of awakening" under the bodhitree but, on the contrary, I had long since prevailed in that struggle, in fact innumerable kalpas ago. It was only in order to prevail over [the resistance of] stubborn living beings that I displayed this transformation.

I have also manifested such things as liquid and solid defecation, and inhaling and exhaling. Those around me expected me to have liquid and solid defecation and inhaling and exhaling; however, what has been attained in this body is a state entirely without such things as defecation or breathing. I was only displaying this behavior because it was in accordance with the ways of the world. I also showed myself accepting faithful donations [of food] from people, even though this body of mine has no hunger or thirst at all. I put on this display to conform to the world. Because I wanted to appear to be the same as living beings I have also shown myself to be sleeping, even though over the course of innumerable kalpas I have equipped myself with such unsurpassed, profound wisdom that I have left behind all forms of existence in the triple world. I have thus been quite free from concerns over such things as proper conduct and comportment, headaches, indigestion, back pain, wielding a spear, washing my feet, washing my hands, washing my face, rinsing my mouth, or cleaning my teeth after chewing. Many thought my life was filled with such things, but in this body of mine there are none of 127

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these things. My feet are as clean as a white lotus blossom. My breath is as pure and fresh as the fragrance of a blue lotus. All living beings think of me as a person but in fact I am not a "person. " I showed myself

accepting rags from the rubbish for clothing, and washing and darning my robes as well, but I have long since ended any need for these clothes. A great many people think Rāhula is my son, King Śuddhodana is my father, Lady Māyā is my mother, and when I was in the world I enjoyed myself with worldly pleasures and then walked away from such things when I left home to pursue the Way. Many people have also said, The surname of this crown prince is Gautama. He freed himself from the pleasures of the world, seeking the supramundane dharma. But I have long since separated myself from the sexual desires of this world; such things have all been mere displays on my part. All living beings think of me as a person but in fact I am not. Good man, although I have repeatedly displayed myself to be entering nirvāṇa while here in Jambudvīpa, in truth I have never entered into an absolute nirvāṇa. So while all living beings may think the Tathāgata has truly perished, the tathāgata-nature in fact will never cease to exist. That is why it should be understood that this is a permanently abiding dharma that is immutable as well.

Good man, mahāparinirvāṇaitself is none other than the dharma realm (dharmadhātu) of the buddha tathāgatas. When I appear within in the world of Jambudvīpa, living beings all presume that I am attaining buddhahood for the first time. But I had already managed to do this over the course of innumerable kalpas in the past, so this "initial" attainment of buddhahood was just one more thing I displayed in Jambudvīpa to conform to [the expectations of] the world.

I have also appeared in Jambudvīpa [as a monk who] did not uphold the precepts, even to the point of committing one of the four grave offenses entailing defeat. The multitude around me all saw this and said I had truly transgressed. But over the course of innumerable kalpas I have been quite diligent about keeping the precepts with no gaps or omissions.

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icchantika.How could an icchantikahave attained unsurpassed perfect enlightenment?

I also appeared in Jambudvīpa trying to break up the sangha (*saṃgha bheda). Living beings all remarked that I was [indeed] breaking up the sangha but I consider the sangha community to be incapable of being broken up by either humans or gods. I have also appeared in Jambudvīpa for the purpose of supporting efforts to preserve the dharma. The many people who saw [my efforts] all spoke of how astonished they were at the lengths I would go to to preserve the dharma. But the reality of buddhas is like that—no one should be astonished by what I did. I also manifested myself in Jambudvīpa as the evil Māra Pāpīyas, and the many people who saw me [in this guise] all thought I wasPāpīyas. But over innumerable kalpas I have long been free of the affairs of Māra, having remained pure, without stain, like a lotus blossom. I have also manifested myself in Jambudvīpa as someone who attained buddhahood in a woman's body. The many people who saw this all spoke of how rare it was for a woman to be able to attain anuttarā samyak saṃbodhi.Tathāgatas cannot accept a woman's body in perpetuity but out of a desire to tame a great many living beings they do manifest themselves in female form. Out of empathy for all living beings I have also appeared in various colored forms.

I have also appeared in Jambudvīpa born into the four [unfortunate] modes of existence. But as I have long since removed all causes for my rebirth in any of them, would there be karmic cause for me to fall into the four [unfortunate] modes of existence? It was in order to ferry those living beings born there to the other shore that I have been born there. I have also manifested in Jambudvīpa assuming the form of the deity Brahmā, thereby enabling those who serve Brahmā to situate themselves in the true-dharma. Although in truth I was not him, those living beings all assumed that I was the true Brahmā deity. I appeared in the form of deities worshiped widely in local shrines in just this same way. I have also appeared in Jambudvīpa to go into the houses of women of pleasure even though in fact I had no thoughts of sexual desire toward them, remaining pure and unstained like a lotus blossom throughout. For the sake of living beings lost to sexual cravings, I have stood on 129

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street corners [before such establishments] preaching this excellent dharma. Although in truth my mind was without taint of desire, the crowd around me thought I was guarding those women [for my own purposes].

I have also manifested myself in Jambudvīpa to go into the dwellings of the green-robed female servants who are śūdras in order to teach women in positions of servitude how they could abide in the true-dharma. To do this, I was reborn down into an existence in which I was a female servant myself, although in truth I was without the kind of unwholesome karma that would cause such a thing to happen. I also manifested myself in Jambudvīpa [in the form of people] who became scholars in order to teach the young so that they may abide in the true-dharma as well. I have also manifested myself in Jambudvīpa going into places for drinking alcohol and gambling. I displayed an acceptance of various forms of games and competition but it was only for the purpose of rescuing living beings from that world. Although in fact I was without the kind of unwholesome karma [possessed by those who frequent such places], yet the living beings gathered there all presumed that I was indeed engaged in such behavior.

I have also manifested myself for some time among the cremation mounds of a charnel ground, taking the body of a great eagle to bring those birds of flight to the other shore. Although the living beings there all thought of me as an actual bird, in truth I had long since abandoned any karmic activity that would produce such a rebirth. I manifested in a body like that because I wanted to save those eagles. I have also appeared in Jambudvīpa in the form of persons of civic importance out of a desire to establish a great many living beings in positions of abiding in the true-dharma. I have also manifested as kings, high government officials, princes, and chancellors. Preeminent in each group, I assumed these royal positions in order to cultivate the truedharma. I have also manifested myself during an age when Jambudvīpa was ravaged by pestilence and there were many living beings suffering from disease. First I provided medicine and treatment, and after that I explained the fine, true-dharma, enabling [living beings] to abide peacefully in the 130

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highest bodhi.Those around me in those times all spoke of living in an age of disease.

I have also manifested myself during an age when famine plagued Jambudvīpa. I provided food and drink to people according to their needs, and after that preached the fine, true-dharma, enabling them to abide peacefully in the highest bodhi.I have also manifested myself during an age of armed [conflict] in Jambudvīpa, immediately expounding the dharma to enable [the soldiers] to put aside their enmity and harmful intentions, and making them capable of peacefully abiding in the highest bodhi.

I have also appeared in order to preach the idea of impermanence for those who supposed the existence of something permanent in themselves, to preach the idea of suffering for those who supposed something joyful in themselves, to preach the idea of nonself for those who supposed a self in themselves, and to preach the idea of impurity for those who supposed something inherently pure in themselves. If I encountered living beings that were attached to the triple world, I would then expound a dharma [teaching] that enabled them to free themselves from such thinking. Thus to ferry living beings to the other shore I have preached the most sublime dharma medicine. In order to root out any trees producing the defilements, I have planted the seeds of trees that will produce the unsurpassed dharma medicine. In order to rescue people from heretical paths, I have expounded the true-dharma. Although I have also manifested myself as a teacher of living beings, in the beginning I had no notion of being anyone's teacher. But because I wanted to rescue those at the bottom of society, I manifested myself among them and expounded the dharma. Again, I was not born into that environment as a result of bad karma. The complete awakening of a tathāgata is well situated in mahāparinirvāṇain ways such as this. That is why I say [a tathāgata] is "permanently abiding without change. " And as it is in this [southern] continent

of Jambudvīpa, so it is in the east in Pūrvavideha, in the west in Aparagodānīya, and in the north in Uttarakuru as well. The great trichilio cosm below the four heavens are also like this, as are the twenty-five states of existence as described in the Śūraṃ gama [samādhi]-sūtra.This 131

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is precisely why it is called mahāparinirvāṇa. And any bodhisattvamahāsattva who is well situated in mahāparinirvāṇain this way will be able to manifest supernatural transformations in this manner without anything to fear.

Kāśyapa, for this reason you should not say that Rāhula is the Buddha's son. Why not? Because, [as I have pointed out,] over innumerable kalpas in the past I have long since left behind sensual existence. That is also why a tathāgata is known to be "permanently abiding without change. "

Kāśyapa then spoke up again:

What is this "permanently abiding" of which the Tathāgata speaks? Is it something like the Buddha's statement,

"After a lamp is extinguished

its [light] is not located anywhere"? Is the Tathāgata is also like this; that is, after his extinction, he will not be located anywhere? The Buddha said:

Kāśyapa, good man, you should not speak in that way, saying that after a lamp is extinguished its [light] is not located anywhere, and likewise, after the Tathāgata's extinction he will also not be located anywhere. Good man, what is analogous is when a man or woman wants to light a lamp they fill it with oil, regardless of its size. As long as there is oil, its light will be present. When the oil has been exhausted, the light will also be exhausted. The disappearance of the light is a metaphor for the disappearance of the defilements. And although the light may have disappeared the lamp itself is still present. The Tathāgata is like this. The defilements in him may have disappeared but his dharma body is always present. Good man, what do you make of this? Do light and lamp both disappear or not?

Kāśyapa answered:

No, World-Honored One. Although they do not both disappear yet they are still impermanent. If the dharma body is analogous to the lamp, then as the lamp is impermanent, the dharma body likewise should be designated as impermanent. [The Buddha said:]

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Good man, you should not create such difficulties. Just as people speak of a "vessel" in an ordinary sense, a tathāgata, a World-Honored One, is an unsurpassed "dharma vessel.

" But while a vessel is impermanent,

a tathāgata is not. Among all dharmas it is nirvāṇa that is permanent, and this is the essence of a tathāgata. Therefore [tathāgatas] are [also] called permanent.

Moreover, good man, when I say the lamp is extinguished, this refers to the nirvāṇa realized by arhats. Because arhats extinguish craving and the other defilements, I use the metaphor of an extinguished lamp. Those called anāgāmins (nonreturners) I call "those who have craving, " and

because craving still exists in them, we cannot say they are the same as an extinguished lamp. In the past I covered over this distinction by saying that [nirvāṇa] was like the extinguishing of a lamp. But mahā [pari] nirvāṇais not the same as what happens in the case of an extinguished lamp. Someone at the stage of anāgāmindoes not come back again and again [as most living beings do]. He does not return to any of the twentyfive existences, nor does he take on a body that smells bad, a body of an insect, a body that is eaten, or a body that is poisonous. That is precisely why he is called anāgāmin.If someone did take on another body [after death], that person would be called āgāmin (returner), in contrast to those called anāgāmin, who do not. Those who still have some going and coming [in saṃsāra] I call āgāmin,and those who no longer have any going or coming I call anāgāmin.

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