Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!ncar!gatech!prism!mailer.cc.fsu.edu!sun13!ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu From: v111q3r9@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (Yi L Chiang) Newsgroups: soc.religion.eastern Subject: The sutra of Buddha's Bequeathed teaching(part-1) Message-ID: <60750@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU> Date: 20 Feb 91 06:30:34 GMT Sender: news@sun13.scri.fsu.edu Reply-To: v111q3r9@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu Organization: University at Buffalo Lines: 167 Approved: mayne@nu.cs.fsu.edu THE SUTRA OF BUDDHA'S BEQUEATHED TEACHING ******************************************* Translated by The Tripitaka Dharma-Teacher, Kumarajiva, in the reign of the Emperor Yao of the latter Ch'in Dynasty. (1) INTRODUCTION TO THE SUTRA ------------------------- Sakyamuni Buddha, when he first set in motion the wheel of Dharma, saved Ajnata Kaundinya, and in his last sermon he saved Subhadra. Those who were to be saved he has saved, and now he lay among the twin Sal-trees under which Buddha was aboutto enter Nirvana. The time was the middle of the night, calm and noiseless. For the sake of all the disciples he briefly spoke of the most important Dharma doctrines. Notes: Kumarajiba came to China in the 3rd year of Hung-shih's reign of the Latter Ch'in dynasty(413 A.D.). He was commanded by the Tartar Chief to traslate sacred Buddhist texts obtained from India. He was one of the greatest of the Buddhist missionries to come to China. His father seems to have been an Indian and his mother a princess of Kiue-tse State of China. His philosophy was based on the Three Sastras (Pranyanulasastratika, Dvadasanikaya and Sata Sastra) and he also paid respect to Nagarjuna's teachings. He denied the noumenal world , the reality os all phenomenal existence, and defined noumenal world in negative terms. Its aim does not seem to have been nihilistic: it was rather to establish the ultimate reality which is beyond human conception and expression and which in our terminology may be termed spiritual reality. Sakyamuni Buddha was called the Buddha because he was the Enlightened one("Buddha"), the new leader of the greatest office in the spiritual hierarchy of mankind. The date of his birth is still controversial, But according to the Records of Buddhism and Taoism of the Book of the Wei Dynasty he was born one night in the month of April in the ninth year of Chuang Wang's reign of the Chou Dynasty(704 B.C.); on that very night, stars had disappeared but the skywas still lookin bright. At the age of 30, he realized full enlightenment, and so he became Buddha. Hrom that time until his death or Parinirvana, at the ageof 80, he preached his teaching that was appropriate. Sakya is the family name of Buddha, said to be derived from Saka, meaning 'venerable' but interpreted in Chinese it is explained as powerful, also charit-able; while Muni is interpreted as one who dwells in seclusion. The word "Buddha" ---by the way---is a title and means the "Knower" or the fully "Enlightened One." There are ten titles of a Buddha: Tathagata(he who come as do all other Buddhas); Arhat(worthy of worship); Samyak-Sambuddha (the unibersal knowledge of a Buddha); Vidyacharana-Sampan (Knowledge-conduct-perfect); Sugata(well departed); Lokavid (knower of the world); Anuttara(the peerless nobleman); Sasta Deva-Manusyanam(teacher of devas and men); Buddha; and Buddha-Lokanatha (the World-honoured One). Buddha called the whole system of his teachings as Dharma, the Law of the Universe. On his death-bed Buddha said: "The teachings I have given you will be your teacher when I am gone." Preaching his Dharma is clled setting in motion the wheel of Dharma, The Assistance in carrying out Chih Kuan or Cessation and contemplation states that the word "wheel" implies two meaning: (1) it is able to crush all evil and opposition and (2) it is able to turn or roll along the Dharma-Wheel, i.e., to preach Buddha's teachings. What we call the Eight Aspects of the Buddha's life the Sraddhotpada Sutra gives us: (1) descend into and abode in the Tusita heaven; (2) entry his mother's womb; (3) abode there, while visibly preaching to the devas; (4)birth from mother's side in Lumbini, (5) leaving home at 25 as a hermit; (6) after six years suffering attaining enlightenment; (7) rolling the Dharma-Wheel; and (8) at 80 entering Nirvana. (the word, "saye"means to cross over the Samsara or Ocean of Mortality by a ferry-boat, i.e., the Buddha Dharama.) Ajnata-Kaundinya, one of the first five disciples of Buddha, was said to be the first to realize the Buddha-truth. Subhadra, the last convert of the Buddha, was a Brahmin 120 years old; later on he heard the Eightfold Noble Path,and became Arhat. Nirvana, means blown out, or extinuished. With Buddhists and Jains absolute extiction of individual existence is the goal. The Nirvana Sutra claim for Nirvana the ancient ideas of permanence, bliss, personality and purity in the transcendental realm. The Dirghagama states that when the Lord Buddha was about to enter Nirvana, all trees blossomed and looked fully white, just as white cranes gathered there. The second part of the Nirvana Sutra states that the Buddha entered the fourth Dhyana heacen of form in the middle of the night, calm and noiseless. The Genealogical Table of Sakyamuni states: "Ajnata-Kaundinya, O brother, ye ought to see the five Skandhas: the suffering of birth, the suffering of decay, the suffering of illness, the suffering of death, the suffering of separation from objects we love, the suffering of not obtaining what we desire,the suffering of being in the company of our enemies, and the suffering of losing happiness and glories. Ye Ajnata-Kaundinya, all the living sentient beings, Whether they have forms or not, whether they have one leg, two legs, three legs, four legs or even many legs, they are bound to have these sufferings with them. All the Sufferings are based on ego-entity. If any living sentient being who has the least idea of ego-sentity, has further to face such sufferings. The desire, hate and stupidity are being produced from the root of ego-entity and they are the causes of all sufferings. It is just like when you sow a seed in the field and it will sprout later on. The living sentient beings, therefore, are under the fate of transmigration in the three states of mortal existance, i.e, the realms of desire, of form and beyond form. If you can extinguish the idea of ego-entity and the desire, hate and stupidity, then all the sufferings would break off. Due to realization of Eight-fold Noble Path, the suffering were cut off, just like a man who brought water to pour on fire. Ye Ajnata-kaundinya, you ought to know the root of sufferings, must cut off the causes of all sufferings ,should realize the way out of sufferings, and cultivate Dharma in order to attain Nirvana. Ye Ajnata-Kaundinya, I (Buddha) have come to know the root of sufferings, realized the way out of sufferings, and cultivated the Dharma in order to attain Nirvana, I, therefore, Attained the Anuttara samyat Sambodhi-Consummation of Imcomparable Enlightment. O brother! Now Ye ought to know the root of sufferings, the causes of sufferings, the way out of sufferings, and cultivation of Dharma. If the man who does not know these Four Noble Truths, we then will come to understand that the man will never attain salation. The Four Noble Truths are the true facts, the suffering is true suffering, its cause it true cause, its ending is true ending. the way thereto is true way. Ye Ajnata-Kaundinya, do you understand it ? " Ajnata-Kaundinya said: "World honoured One, I understand it, I know it now." As he realized these Four Noble Truths, he is called Ajnata-Kaundinya. (2) THE KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS Ye Bhikshus! After my annihilation you must revere, value and respect, the Pratimoksa. They are like finding a light in the Darkness, like a poor man securing the precious treasure. You ought to know, therefore, they are indeed your Guru, there shall be no difference in these than when I myself lived in this world. Those who would keep pure commandments should not buy, sell , or trade. They should not convert fields and buildings, nor accuulate servants or female slaves or animals. >From all planting and all sorts of wealth ought they to keep away like one would move afar off a fiery-pit. You should not cut trees and grasses, plow the soil, hoe the lands, mix medicines, to prophesy good or evil from a man's physiognomy, to look up the position of contellations, cast horoscopes by the waxing and waning of moon, not reckon days of good fortune, as all these things are improper for the Bhikshus to do. Restrain the body, eat at proper time and conduct your life in purity and chastity. You ought not to concern yourselves with the worldly affairs and be away from uexpected blame and praise. You should not concern yourselves in reciting incantations, nor use the elixir of life, nor bind yourselve to prominent persons in friendship. nor become familiar and have indecent behaviour with them so that you may be able to boast of it. You ought to, with fixed mind, in right contemplation, seek for salvation. You should not conceal your faults and defects, nor give rise to heresy, not lead people astray. Of the four offerings for a monk, you know the limits , you understand what is enough. When you have received a small provision, you must not store it up. Here, therefore, I shall speak breifly about the phenomena of keeping the commandments. The commandments are the basis of the dicision of liberation. Therefore they are called the Pratimoksa. If you rely on the cause of the commandments, you will attain many stages of Ch'an and Ting and Shall have wisdom of the extinction from suffering. For this reason, Bhikshus, you should always keep the commandments pure and must not break and destroy them. The man who can keep these commandments pure, indeed will be of good conduct in the world. If there are no pure commandments, no meritorious virtues can arise at all. You ought to know for this reason that the meritorious virtues of the place perfect solid is acquired throughout the commandments.