hghtr

World Honoured One, future generations will gradually move farther away from the
Buddha and (will meet) heretics as many as the sand grains in the Ganges. In order to
control their minds for entry into Samdhi, what should they do to set u! seats of study
and learning ("odhimandala)
to #ee! the demon away and avoid failure (in their cultivation) of the mind set on
enlightenment$
%he Buddha !raised &nanda and said' ()cellent, &nanda, e)cellent, (it is good that) you
as# a"out the setting u! of "odhimandalas for the !rotection of living "eings against
failure in the *harma ending age. +isten attentively to what I now tell you..
&nanda and the assem"ly reverently awaited the (holy) teaching.
Discipline & its Three Decisive Steps:
Precepts, Dhyna, & Prajna
%he Buddha said' &nanda, you have always heard me teach a"out disci!line (vinaya)
which consists in the !ractice of three decisive ste!s, the control of mind, called !rece!ts
which leads to stillness (dhyna) and thence to wisdom (!ra,n). %his is called the
threefold study of the su!ramundane way.
Prohibition against carnality
&nanda, why is control of mind called !rece!ts$ If all living "eings in the si) worlds of
e)istence a"stain from se)ual desire, they will not "e su",ect to the continual round of
"irths and deaths. -our !ractice of Samdhi should free you from defilements "ut they
cannot "e eliminated if your lustful mind is not wi!ed out. (ven after you have ac.uired
such wisdom, if you fail to #ill sensuality, then when dhyna manifests, you will fall into
the way of demons in which their #ing ta#es the high, his male su",ects the middle and
his female su",ects the low ran#. %hese demons have their following and "oast of having
attained the Su!reme /ath. &fter my nirvna, in the *harma ending age, these su",ects of
0ra will "e found
everywhere, will encourage sensuality and will disguise themselves as men of good
counsel (#alynamitras) and cause living "eings to fall into the !it of lust there"y missing
the Bodhi !ath.
-ou should teach worldly men who !ractise Samdhi to cut off their lustful minds at the
very start. %his is called the Buddha1s !rofound teaching of the first decisive deed.
%herefore, &nanda, if carnality is not wi!ed out, the !ractice of dhyna is li#e coo#ing
gravel to ma#e rice2 even if it is
"oiled for hundreds and thousands of aeons, it will "e only hot gravel. Why$ Because
instead of rice grains it contains only stones. If you set your lustful mind on see#ing the
!rofound fruit of Buddhahood, whatever you may reali3e will "e carnal "y nature. If your
root is lustful, you will have to transmigrate through three unha!!y ways (to the hells of
fire, "lood and swords) from which you will not esca!e. How then can you find the way
to cultivate the %athgata1s nirvna$ -ou should cut off "oth the sensual "ody and mind
until even the very idea of doing so ceases2 only then can you ho!e to see# the Buddha1s
(nlightenment. %his teaching of mine is that of the Buddha whereas any other one is that
of evil demons (!!iyn).
Prohibition against killing
&nanda, if living "eings in the si) worlds of e)istence cease to #ill they will not "e
su",ect to the continual round of "irths and deaths. -our !ractice of Samdhi should free
you from defilernents "ut if your murderous mind is not cut off, they cannot "e
eliminated. -ou may ac.uire much wisdom "ut if you fail to sto! #illing, when dhyna
manifests, you will fall into the way of s!irits, in which the high ran# is attained "y the
mighty ghost (!reta), the middle one "y flying ya#sas and chief ghosts, and the low one
"y earth4"ound r#sasas. %hese have followers and "oast that they have attained the
Su!reme /ath. &fter my nirvna, in the *harma ending age, these ghosts will "e found
throughout in the world, and will
"oast of how they feed on flesh which leads them to reali3e Bodhi. &nanda, I !ermit the
"hi#sus to eat only the five #inds of !ure flesh which are the !roduct of my
transcendental !ower of transformation and not of animal slaughter. -ou, Brahman, live
in a country where vegeta"les do not
grow "ecause it is too dam! and hot and "ecause of all the gravel and roc#. I use my
s!iritual !ower of com!assion to !rovide you with illusory meat to satisfy your a!!etite.
How then, after my nirvna, can you eat the flesh of living "eings and so !retend to "e
my disci!le$ -ou should #now that those who eat meat, though their minds may o!en and
reali3ea sem"lance of Samdhi, are "ut great r#sasas who, after this life, will sin# "ac#
into the "itter ocean of samsra and cannot "e my disci!les. %hey will #ill and devour one
another ceaselessly2 how then can they esca!e from the three worlds of e)istence$
In addition you should teach worldly men who !ractise Samdhi not to #ill. %his is called
the Buddha.s !rofound teaching of the second decisive deed. %herefore, &nanda, if #illing
is not sto!!ed, the !ractice of dhyna4samdhi is li#e shutting one1s ears while crying in
the ho!e that !eo!le will not hear one1s voice, or li#e trying to hide something that is
already e)!osed to full view. &ll "hi#sus who live !urely and all Bodhisattvas always
refrain even from wal#ing on the grass2 how can they agree to u!root it$ How then can
those who !ractise great com!assion feed on the flesh and "lood of living "eings$ If
"hi#sus do not wear garments made of (5hinese) sil#, "oots of local leather and furs, and
refrain from consuming mil#, cream and "utter, they will really "e li"erated from the
worldly2 after !aying their former de"ts, they will not transmigrate in the three realms of
e)istence. Why$ Because "y using animal !roducts, one creates causes (which are always
followed "y effects), ,ust li#e a man who eats cereals grown in the soil and whose feet
cannot leave the ground. If a man can (control) his "ody and mind and there"y refrains
from eating animal flesh and wearing animal !roducts, I say he will really "e li"erated.
%his teaching of mine is that of the Buddha whereas any other is that of evil demons.
Prohibition against stealing
6urther, &nanda, if living "eings in the si) worlds of e)istence cease to steal, they will
not "e su",ect to the continual round of "irths and deaths. -our !ractice of Samdhi
should free you from defilements, "ut if your ro""er1s mind is not wi!ed out, they cannot
"e eliminated. -ou may ac.uire much wisdom "ut if you do not sto! stealing, when
dhyna manifests, you will fall into the way of devils in which the high ran# is attained
"y cunning s!irits, the intermediate one "y evil s!irits and the low one "y "edevilled
men. %hese devils have their following and "oast that they attain Su!reme Bodhi. &fter
my nirvna, in the *harma ending age, these devils will "e found everywhere in the
world. %hey will hide their !erfidy, !ose as men of good counsel and declare that they
have won the Su!erior *harma to deceive the ignorant who will thus lose their minds2
wherever they !ass, they will cause untold miseries to their "elievers.
%his is why I teach the "hi#sus to "eg for food so that they can overcome cu!idity and
reali3e Bodhi. %hey do not coo# themselves and !ass their remaining years as transitory
travellers in the three realms of e)istence to !rove their last transmigration without
incarnating again. How can thieves who wear the Sangha ro"e, act as %athgata4mongers
and commit #armic deeds, claim that they all !reach the Buddha *harma$ %hey are not
(true) leavers of home and are not ordained H7nayna "hi#8us. %hey deceive an
incalcula"le num"er of living "eings causing them to fall into the realm of unintermittent
hells.
&fter my nirvna, if there is a "hi#su who, in to#en of his determination to !ractise
Samdhi, lights in front of an image of the %athgata a torch (!lanted in his "ody) or
"urns a "one of his finger or an incense stic# inserted in his flesh, I say he will thus re!ay
all his #armic de"ts since the time without "eginning, will leave the worldly way for ever
and will esca!e from the stream of transmigration, for although he has not yet attained
Su!reme Bodhi, his mind is already set decisively on the *harma. However, without
these small sacrifices, even if he reali3es something, he will "e re"orn as a human "eing
and will have to re!ay his former de"ts, as I did when I had to eat the grain fed to horses.
%hen you should teach worldly men who !ractise Samdhi not to steal. %his is called the
Buddha1s !rofound teaching of the third decisive deed. &nanda, if stealing is not sto!!ed,
the !ractice of dhyna4samdhi is li#e !ouring water into a vessel which will never hold
it in s!ite of the
!assing of aeons countless as dust. If this "hi#su does not #ee! garments in e)cess of
what he needs, gives to others all food in e)cess of his re.uirement, ,oins his two !alms
to salute the community and regards as !raise a"use and "lows . that is if he is ready to
give away his own flesh, "ones and "lood, and if he does not !ose as an e)!ert inter!reter
of the e)!edient incom!lete doctrine and does not teach it to "eginners in order not to
mislead them, the Buddha will seal his reali3ation of Samdhi. %his teaching of mine is
that of the Buddha, whereas any other is that of evil demons.
Prohibition against lying
&nanda, if living "eings in the si) worlds of e)istence, after cleansing their "odies and
minds from #illing, stealing and carnality, continue to lie, they will fail to reali3e
Samdhi and will "ecome demons (filled with) !ride and !re,udice. &s a result, they will
lose the %athgata seed and, in their search for worldly fame, will claim that they have
achieved and reali3ed what really they have not. %hey "oast of their reali3ation of the
states of srota4!anna, sa#rdgmin, angmin, arhat and !ratye#a4"uddha and the ten
stages of Bodhisattva develo!ment, in order to attract "elievers who will ma#e offerings
to them for the atonement of sins. %hese un"elievers (icchanti#a) will destroy the Buddha
seed as easily as cutting into the trun# of a !alm with a shar! cho!!er (to sto! it from
growing). %he Buddha !redicts that these !eo!le will destroy their e)cellent roots, will
not regain common sense, will sin# into the three oceans (realms) of suffering and will
never achieve Samdhi.
I now command Bodhisattvas and &rhats to a!!ear, in the *harma ending age after my
nirvna, in all a!!ro!riate transformation "odies to save those caught in the wheel of
samsra. %hey should come as mon#s, lay disci!les, !rinces, ministers, "oys, girls, and
even as !rostitutes, widows, rogues, thieves, "utchers, !edlars, etc., to #ee! com!any
with them and !raise the Buddha *harma in their !resence so as to convert them and urge
them to !ractise it. In so doing they should not disclose that they are true Bodhisattvas
and &rhats. %hey will not reveal to "eginners the Buddha1s esoteric cause "ut when they
are a"out to die, they will secretly show some !roof of their enlightenment (to increase
their disci!les1 faith in the *harma). How then can such !ersons deceive living "eings "y
telling deli"erate lies$
-ou should teach worldly men who !ractise Samdhi not to lie. %his is called the
Buddha.s !rofound teaching of the fourth decisive deed. &nanda, if lying is not sto!!ed,
the !ractice of dhyna4samdhi is li#e co!ying in e)crement a sandalwood statue and
e)!ecting it to "e fragrant, which is im!ossi"le. I teach the "hi#sus to develo! a
straightforward mind which is the tem!le of enlightenment ("odhimandala) and to "e
righteous in their common acts of daily life, while wal#ing, standing, sitting and
reclining. How can a liar !retend that he has reali3ed the Su!reme *harma$ %his is li#e a
!oor man !roclaiming himself a #ing2 he will only invite trou"le and misfortune. Still less
can he usur! the (throne of the) 9ing of the +aw. If the causal ground is false, its fruit
will "e distorted, and the .uest of Buddha.s (nlightenment will "ecome im!ossi"le.
If a "hi#su (develo!s) a mind as straight as a lute4string and is truthful under all
circumstances, he will avoid, in his !ractice of Samdhi, all trou"les caused "y the
demon. I will seal his reali3ation of the Bodhisattva1s Su!reme Bodhi. %his teaching of
mine is that of the Buddha whereas any other one is that of evil demons..