The Magnificent Field of Weal

The Buddha praised Cunda and said, "Well said, well said! You well know that the Tathagata, following the way of all beings, enters Nirvana for the sake of expediency. Listen to me well! It's like the case in which all birds sarasa [a kind of medium-sized goose found in northern Europe and Asia] gather at Lake Anavatapta [Manasarwar] in the spring months. The same is the case with all Buddhas. Everyone gathers here. Oh Cunda! Think, neither much nor little, regarding the life of all Buddhas. All things are like ghosts. The Tathagata lives in the midst of them. What he has is expedient, he does not cling. Why not? It is thus with the Dharma of all Buddhas. Oh Cunda! I now receive what you offer. This is to allow you to cross the river of birth and death. Human or heavenly (beings) who make offerings [to the Buddha] for the last time, all gain a unshakable reward and will be blessed with happiness. Why? Because I am the best field of weal for all beings. If you desire to become a field of weal for all beings, accept whatever is given you. Do not tarry long."

Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 2 - On Cunda.

The Eyes of Common Mortals

"Oh Manjushri! The garuda flies countless yojanas in the sky. He looks down on the great ocean and sees such things of water as fish, sea turtles, snapping turtles, crocodiles, tortoises, nagas, as well as his own shadow reflected in the water. He sees all these things just as one sees all the visible forms in a mirror. The petty wisdom of the common mortals cannot even consider well what comes to his eyes. The same is the case with me and you too. We cannot consider the Wisdom of the Tathagata."

Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 2 - On Cunda.

The Buddha's Sun and the Clouds of Samsara

"The Tathagata, among the priests, speaks of the superb Dharma.
This can be well compared to Mount Sumeru,
that remains unmolested amidst the great ocean.
The Wisdom of the Buddha thoroughly dispels the gloom of humans.

It's like when the sun rises, all the clouds disperse,
and his light shines on everything.
The Tathagata thoroughly does away with all illusions.

This (the worldly life) is like the coolness that reigns
when the clouds appear in the sky.
All beings love and wail.
All are floundering on the bitter waters of birth and death.

For this reason, I pray, Oh World Honored One!
Stay alive for longer and increase the faith of all beings,
freeing them from the suffering of birth and death!"

Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 2 - On Cunda.

Pearls of Universe - Volume XII

"What is faith? The Bodhisattva-Mahasattva believes that there is recompense in the Three Jewels and in giving. The two truths [i.e. relative and ultimate] and the Way of the One Vehicle ["ekayana"] are not different. He believes that all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas classify things into three, so that all beings quickly gain Emancipation. He believes in "Paramartha-satya" [the truth of Ultimate Reality] and good expedient means. This is faith.

A person who believes thus cannot be beaten by any Sramanas, Brahmins, Marapapiyas, Brahma, or anyone. When a person grounds himself in this faith, he gains the nature of a holy sage. One practices giving, and this - whether big or small - all leads to Mahaparinirvana, and thus one does not fall into birth and death. It is the same with upholding the moral precepts, hearing the Way, and Wisdom, too. This is faith.”

Read more on Pearls of Universe - Volume XII



CONTENTS

THE DEPTHS OF THE MIDDLE PATH 3
WHAT IS FAITH 4
WHAT IS STRAIGHT MIND 5
THE QUALITY OF THOSE WHO ASKS 5
THE NINE FACTORS OF CAUSAL RELATIONS IN ILLNESSES 6
THE HARP AND THE KING 7
THE NATURE OF CREAM 8
PARENTS AND SONS 9
THE ORIGINAL NATURE OF ALL THINGS 10
THE LION'S ROAR 11
LION STEPS 13
BUDDHA NATURE 14
THE VISION OF THE 12 LINKS OF INTERDEPENDENCE 15
THE FINAL UNSURPASSED ENLIGHTENMENT OF ALL BEINGS 16
THE ABSOLUTE 17
THE BUDDHA NATURE OF ALL BEINGS 18
COLORS IN THE DAYTIME 19
THE TWELVE LINKS OF INTERDEPENDENT ARISING 20
THE GRASS OF THE HIMALAYAS 22
DESIRING LITTLE AND FEELING SATISFIED 22
THE THREE KINDS OF DESIRE 23
THE EFFORT FOR THE MAHAPARINIRVANA 24
SEEING AND HEARING ABOUT THE BUDDHA NATURE 25

The Weed

It's hard to be born as human;
it's harder still encounter the Buddha when he appears in the world.
It's like in the case of a blind turtle who,
in the midst of the ocean, can hit the hole in a piece of floating wood.
I now offer food and pray that I will attain the unsurpassed reward,
that I will destroy the bonds of illusion,
and that it (the illusion) no more will be strong.
I do not seek here to gain a heavenly body.
Even if I had gained it, my mind would not be satisfied.
The Tathagata accepts this offering of mine.
Nothing could ever please me more.
It is like in the case of a stinking weed,
but which exudes a fragrance of sandalwood.
I am the weed.

Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 2 - On Cunda.

Offerings of Meals

Then the World Honored One, the All-Knowledge [‘sarvajnana’], the Unsurpassed Trainer, said to Cunda: "This is good, good indeed! I shall now cut off the roots of your poverty and let fall on your field of carnal life the unsurpassed rain of Dharma, and call forth the bud of Dharma. Now, your desire is to get from me the life, body, power, peace, and unhindered speech (eloquence). And I'll give you immortality, body, power, peace, and unhindered speech. Why? Oh Cunda! In offerings of meals there are two fruits that we know have no distinction. What are the two? Firstly, one attains ‘anuttarasamyaksambodhi’ when one receives them; secondly, one enters Nirvana after receiving them. I will now receive your last offerings and let you accomplish the danaparamita."

Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 2 - On Cunda.

The Parable of the Fertile Land

"At that time, was present among the congregation, an upasaka who was the son of an artisan of the fortress town of Kushinagar. Cunda was his name. He was there with his comrades, fifteen in all. In the sense that the world would generate good fruit, he abandoned all bodily adornments, stood up, bared his right shoulder, placed his right knee on the ground, joined his hands and stared at the Buddha. Sad and tearfully, he touched the feet of the Buddha with his head and said: 'Oh World Honored One! Please have pity, accept our latest offerings and succor innumerable beings. Oh World Honored One! From now on, we no longer have a master, no parents, no salvation, no protection, no place wherein to take refuge, nor a place to go; we will become poor and hungry. Following the Tathagata, we desire to gain food for days to come. Please have pity and accept our humble offerings, and then enter Nirvana. Oh World Honored One! It's like in the case of a Kshatriya, Brahmin, Vaishya or Sudra, who being poor, travels to a far-off country. He works at farming and gains a tamed cow. The land is good, flat and wide. There is no poverty or sandy soil, no harmful weeds, no barrenness and no defilements. What is needful is to wait by the rain from heaven. We say 'tamed cow': This may be understood as the seven actions of body and mouth; and good, flat and wide land, can be understood as Wisdom. Ending the poor soil, harmful weeds, barrenness and defilements refers to illusion, which we must do away with. Oh World Honored One! Now we have the tamed cow and good soil, we have cultivated the land and done away with all weeds. Now, We are just waiting for the sweet rain of the Tathagata's Dharma visit us. The four castes of poverty are nothing more than the carnal body that I possess. I am poor because I do not possess the superb treasure of Dharma. I pray, have pity and cut away our poverty, misery, and deliver us, as well all the innumerable beings, of our sorrows and worries. The offerings that I make are paltry. But, I think they will satisfy the Tathagata and the Sangha. Now, I have no master, no parents, and no refuge. Please have pity on us, as you have on Rahula '."

Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 2 - On Cunda.

Scene of Buddha's Parinirvana

Also, early in the morning when the sun had just risen, in order to provide the cremation the Tathagata’s body, the people carried in their hands tens of thousands of bundles of fragrant woods such as sandalwood, aloe, goirsa sandalwood, and heavenly wood, which with their core and annual rings, shone out in the wonderful hues of the seven treasures. In firing, the various hues were like painted colors, all these true wonders having arisen of the power of the Buddha, which were blue, yellow, red and white. These were pleasing to the eyes of all beings. All the wood was carefully smeared with various kinds of incense as saffron, aloe, sarjarasa, and others. Flowers such as utpala (Blue Lotus), kumuda (night blooming in the moonlight), padma (lotus red) and pundarika (white lotus) were strewn as adornments. Above all the fragrant woods were hung banners of five colors. They were soft and delicate, like heavenly veils weaved in kauseya, ksuma and silk.

The fragrant woods were laden onto adorned carriages, which glowed in colors such as blue, yellow, red and white. Its poles and spokes were all inlaid with the seven treasures. Each of these carriages was pulled by a joint of four horses, which ran like the wind. In front of each carriage stood 57 banners of ornamental plants, over which were spread thin veils of true gold. Each carriage had 50 wonderful canopies finely decorated with garlands of utpala, kumuda, padma and pundarika. The petals of these flowers were of pure gold, and his calyxes made of diamond. There were many black bees in the flowers, which gathered there, played and amused themselves, sending forth a wonderful music. That song spoke of non-eternal, sorrow, All-Void (absence) non-Self. That song also spoke about what the Bodhisattva originally does (Buddha's transit in the world). Dances, singings, masks dances went on, played by musical instruments such as "cheng", flute, harp, "hsiao" and "shã". From the music, arose a voice, which said: "Oh, woe is the day, woe the day! The world is empty!" In front of each carriage, upasakas stood holding decorated trays with various flowers such as utpala, kumuda, padma, pundarika, and various kinds of incense such as kunkuma and others, and steamy incense, all wonderful. They carried various utensils to prepare meals for the Buddha and the Sangha.

Read More on the Nirvana Sutra - Chapter 1 – Introductory.

Why Subdue the Mind

"Oh you! If one gained the Path through penance [the practice of austerities], all animals would have to attain it. That is why one first subdues the mind and not the body. Hence, I say in my sutra that one must cut down the forest, but not the tree. Why? From forest, one gains fear, but not from the tree. If a person wishes adjust your body, it must first adjust the mind. The mind is the forest, and the body is the tree. So we may compare things.”

Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 46 - On Bodhisattva Kaundinya 2.

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The Two Sides and the In-Between

The Brahmacarin (called Kasaya) said: "If this carnal body is based on the defilements and karma, can we extirpate the defilements and karma?"

The Buddha said: "It's so, It's so!"

The Brahmacarin further said: "Oh World Honored One! Please be kind enough to analyze and expound to me, so that I can truly hear and immediately cut the bonds."

The Buddha said: "Oh good man! If a person comes to know that the two sides and the in-between are unimpeded [unobstructed], such a person indeed segregates himself from defilements and karma."

"Oh World Honored One! Now I know and have gained the right Dharma-Eye."

The Buddha said: "In what manner do you know?"

"Oh World Honored One! The two sides are 'material form' and 'emancipation of material form', and the in-between is the 'Noble Eightfold Path'. So it is with feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness."

The Buddha said: "Well spoken, well spoken, Oh good man! Now you come to know of the two sides and cut away the defilements and karma."

Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 46 - On Bodhisattva Kaundinya 2.

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Pride

Senika said: "Oh World Honored One! Great Compassionate One! Explain to me, I pray, how do I to attain the Eternal, Bliss, Self, and Pure, about which you speak?"

The Buddha said: "Noble son, the entire world possesses a great pride [mana] since the beginning, which increases the proud (in itself) and also works as the cause of [further] pride and proud actions. Therefore, beings now experience the results (rewards) of pride and are not able to eliminate all the klesas [mental / moral defilements] and attain the Eternal, Bliss, the Self, and the Pure. If beings wish to do away with all defilements, what they need to do is, first of all, to end up with pride."[Note: the Sanskrit word for pride, mana, has a different semantic range from the English 'pride / arrogance'. It is derived from the verbal root 'man' (to think, believe, measure, conceive, deem, value, regard as) and also means 'measure', 'computation', 'means of proof'. The sense of 'pride' here implies processes of generating or projecting what are mental constructs implicitly falses. It refers to the process described in the previous chapter of the sutra on the four inversions (distorted views). - Stephen Hodge].

Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 45 - On Bodhisattva Kaundinya 1.

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Abstract of Nirvana Sutra - Chapter 41

Middle Path

"Oh good man! Beings do not understand the Middle Path. Sometimes they understand it, and at other times they do not. Oh good man! In order that beings can know, I say that the Buddha-Nature is neither within nor without. Why? Common beings say that the Buddha-Nature is the five skandhas, as though it were contained in a vessel. Or they say that it exists outside the skandhas, as in the Void. That is why the Tathagata says Middle Path. The Buddha-Nature which beings possess is neither the six sense-organs, nor the six sense-fields. Inside and outside come together. So we say Middle Path. That is why the Tathagata says that the Buddha-Nature is none other than the Middle Path. As it is neither within nor without, it is the Middle Path."

Read More on the Nirvana Sutra - Chapter 41 – On the Bodhisattva Kasyapa 2.

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Self Phantom

Senik said: "Oh Gautama! If there is no self, who sees and who hears?"

The Buddha said: "One has the six spheres (of the senses) inside, and the six dusts [i.e., the six sense-fields] outside. The inner and outer conjoin, and one gains the six kinds of consciousness. Now, these six consciousnesses acquire their name through causal relations.

For example, a fire comes about from a tree, and we talk about 'tree fire'. The grass catches fire, and we talk of 'grass fire'. The bran catches fire, and we speak of ‘bran fire’. The cow dung catches fire, and we talk about 'cow dung fire’. It's the same with the consciousness of beings, too. 'We have acquired consciousness through the eyes, color, light and desire (which are the causal relations of vision), and we say ‘consciousness of the eyes’.

Oh good man! Such consciousness of the eyes does not exist in the eye, nor in the desire, etc.. The four things conjoin, and we get this consciousness. It's the same with the consciousness of mind. If things come to be so, we cannot say that the knowing and seeing are the self, and that the touching is the self.

Oh good man! That's why we say that the self is (which covers) from the consciousness of the eyes down to the consciousness of mind (through the six sense organs), and that all things are phantoms. How are they like phantoms? Due to the fact that, 'what originally was not, is what it is now; and what once was, now is not more'. Oh good man! For example, the mixing together of butter, barley, flour, honey, ginger, pepper, pippali [kind of long pepper], grapes, walnuts, pomegranates, and suishi [a kind of prune] is called 'kangigan' [possibly the name of a drug]. Except from this mixing together, there can be no 'kangigan'. The six spheres of the inner and outer (of the senses) are what we call the being, self, human, male or female. Except from the six spheres of the inner and outer, there can be no being, or the human.”

Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 45 - On Bodhisattva Kaundinya 1.


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The Virtues of Vasistha

Then Kaundinya went to the Buddha and said, "Oh World Honored One! The bhiksu Vasistha repents and says: ‘I was an obstinate fool, I touched the body of the Tathagata and now I am one of his group [followers]. I cannot have this viperous body of mine for a long time in the world’. He now wishes to make away with this body, came to me and repent."

The Buddha said: "Oh Kaundinya! Vasistha has long amassed virtues at the places of innumerable Buddhas. Having now been taught by me, he is abiding rightly in the Way. Abiding rightly in the Way, he has arrived at the right fruition. You should make offerings to his carnal body."

Kaundinya, so instructed by the Buddha, went to where the person lived and made offerings. Then, Vasistha, on the occasion of his cremation, performed many divine miracles. All the tirthikas saw this and said aloud: "This Vasistha has acquired sorcery at place of Shramana Gautama."

Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 45 - On Bodhisattva Kaundinya 1.

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Conversion of Vasistha

Vasistha said: "Oh World Honored One! Now I come to truly know the Eternal and the non-eternal."

The Buddha said: "Oh good man! How do you know the Eternal and the non-eternal?"

Vasistha said: "I now know that the self and the form are non-eternal and that the Emancipation is Eternal. So it is with [the five skandhas], down to consciousness."

"Oh good man! Now you repay well to this carnal body what you owe."

To Kaundinya, he said: "This Vasistha has now attained the fruition of Arhatship. Give him the three garments [robes] and a bowl (for donations)."

So Kaundinya gave the garments as instructed by the Buddha. Then, upon receiving the robes and bowl, Vasistha said: "Oh Kaundinya, greatly virtuous one! Now, I gained upon this my carnal body a great karmic reward. Please, oh greatly virtuous one, condescend to go to the Buddha and report in detail what happened with me. This evil body of mine has touched and defiled the Tathagata, and now adopts his family name Gautama. Please inform it in my behalf and say that I now repent of my evil deeds. Also, I cannot have this body of mine much longer in life. I shall now enter Nirvana."

Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 45 - On Bodhisattva Kaundinya 1.

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