The Earth on the Fingernail

Then the World Honored One grabbed a small bit of earth and deposited on his fingernail, saying to Kasyapa: "Which is greater? This bit of earth, or that of the ten directions?"

Bodhisattva Kasyapa said to the Buddha: "Oh World Honored One! The earth on your fingernail cannot be compared to the earth of the ten directions."

"Oh good man! One abandons the body, and gets a body again; one casts aside the body of the three unfortunate realms [ie, the realms of hell, hungry ghosts and animals] and gains another body. And when all the sense-organs are perfect, one gains life in a Middle Country, gains right faith, and practices well the Way. Practicing well the Way, a person indeed practices the Right Way. Practicing the Right Way, one attains Emancipation, and then one really enters Nirvana. These are like the earth on my fingernail. A person casts away the own body, and gains a (body) of the three unfortunate realms. One casts away the body of the three unfortunate realms, and gains (another) body of the three unfortunate realms. Someone who is not perfect in all its sense-organs, comes alive in an out-of-the-way [remote] place, acquires an upside-down view of life, follows a twisted way, and does not attain Emancipation and Nirvana. These can be likened to the land of the ten directions.

Oh good man! Someone who upholds the precepts always makes effort, does not commit the four grave offenses, does not commit the five deadly sins, does not use the things that belong to the Sangha, does not become an icchantika, and does not segregate himself from the roots of good. Those people who believe in this Nirvana Sutra can be likened to the earth on my fingernail. Those who violate the precepts, those who are indolent, those who commit the four grave offenses, those who commit the five deadly sins, those who use the things of the Sangha, those who become icchantikas, those who cut off all the roots of good, and those who do not believe in this sutra are as numerous as the earth in the ten directions. Oh good man! The Tathagata knows well the qualities of the beings of high, middle and low [positions]. Because of this, we say that the Buddha is perfect in the power to be able to see through the root of all things."

Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 40 - On Bodhisattva Kasyapa 1.

the earth on the fingernail.mp3