Abstract of Nirvana Sutra - Chapter 46

"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.”

This was the 46th and final Chapter of the All-Wonderful Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra.

Five Ways to Heal

“Oh Kashyapa! There are five (kinds) of persons in this Mahayana Great Nirvana Sutra - except the Tathagata - who are sick, but they have places to go. Who are these five?

One is that which cuts off the three fetters ['trinisamyojanani'], which has done away with the first three of the ten mental fetters and attains the stage of Srotapanna, thus not falling into the three unfortunate realms of hell, animals, and the hungry ghosts. Such a person gains seven [more] births and deaths in the human and heavenly worlds, eternally cuts off all kinds of suffering and enters Nirvana. Oh Kashyapa! This is the first case of someone who has a disease and still has a place to arrive at. This person, in the days to come, after 80,000 kalpas, will attain unsurpassed Enlightenment.

The second type is one who cuts off the three fetters, relieving the weight of greed, anger and ignorance, attaining the level of Sakridagamin and, after one cycle of coming and going [birth and death], eternally cuts off the bonds of all suffering and attains Nirvana. Oh Kashyapa! This is the second instance of someone who has disease and still has a place where it will be born. This person, in the days to come, after 60,000 kalpas, will attain unsurpassed Enlightenment.

The third type of person is one who cuts off the five fetters of illusions ['pancavarabhagiyasamyojanani'] that bind one to the kamadhatu [world of desire] and attains the light of the Anagamin. This person never more will be reborn in this world, eternally cuts off the bonds of all suffering and attains Nirvana. This is the third case of whom, having a disease, gains a place to be born in. This person, after 40,000 kalpas, will attain unsurpassed Enlightenment.

Oh Kashyapa! The fourth person is one who eternally cuts off the defilements of greed, anger and ignorance, gains Arhatship, and having no more taints of defilement, enters Nirvana. Also, this practice is not monopolized by the Pratyekabuddha. This is the fourth case of the sick person who still gains a place to be born. This person, after 20,000 kalpas, will attain unsurpassed Enlightenment.

Oh Kashyapa! The fifth person is one who has eternally cut off the defilements of greed, anger and ignorance and, having gained the light of a Pratyekabuddha has no more illusions to cut off and enters Nirvana. This is indeed the sole case of a kirin [name of a fabulous animal]. This is the fifth case of a person who, having a disease, gains a place to be born. This person, after 10,000 kalpas, will attain unsurpassed Enlightenment. Oh Kashyapa! This is the case of the fifth person who, having illness, gains a place to be born. This person is not a Tathagata."

Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 18 - On Actual Illnesses.

Last words of the Tathagata

Bodhisattva Kasyapa said to the Buddha: "Oh World Honored One! Please condescend to explain to me the virtue which this Mahayana Great Nirvana Sutra has."

The Buddha said to Kasyapa: "Oh good man! Anyone who hears the name of this sutra gains virtue, which is so great that Sravakas and Pratyekabuddhas cannot speak well [on it]. Only the Buddha well knows. Why? Because the world of the Buddha is inconceivable. How much more will be [this virtue] if one possesses, recites, understands and copies it [this sutra]?"

Then all the devas, asuras and people of the world said in a gatha:

"The world of the Buddha is inconceivable.
So too are those (worlds) of the Dharma and the Sangha.
This being the case, we beg that you stay a little longer.
The venerable Mahakashyapa and Ananda,
the two of the Sangha, will soon be here.
Also, the great king Ajatasatru, king of Magadha,
who very much respects the Buddha, the World Honored One, is not here.
Have a little pity and stay awhile,
be with us, the great congregation, and eliminate our doubts."

Then, the Tathagata, for the sake of the great crowd, spoke in a gatha:

"The eldest of my sons is Mahakashyapa.
Ananda makes much effort and may well eliminate your doubts.
Be satisfied with that. Ananda is one who has heard much.
It will understand in a natural way
the eternal and the non-eternal.
For this reason, do not get hurt more."

Then the great crowd offered many things to the Buddha. Their offerings made, they all aspired to unsurpassed Enlightenment. All Bodhisattvas, who were as numerous as the sands of innumerable Ganges, all attained the first "bhumi" [stage of development of Bodhisattva].

Then the World Honored One gave prophecies to Manjushri, Bodhisattva Kasyapa and Cunda. The prophecies given, he said: "All good men! Straighten your minds. Be wary and not indolent. Now, I feel pain in my back and my whole body. Now, I desire lie down."

[And so] he did, like a child or someone who is sick.

"Oh Manjushri! All of you! Disseminate the Great Dharma amongst the four classes of people. I now entrust this sutra to you. Likewise, when Mahakashyapa and Ananda have arrived, entrust them the Wonderful Dharma also."

Then, the Tathagata, having thus spoken, laid himself down on his right side, like any child sick in bed, all to disseminate the Dharma to all beings.

Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 17 - On the Questions Raised by the Crowd.

The Great Nirvana in the Evil Age

“Also, next, oh good man! For example, a milking woman, intending to gain an exorbitant profit, adds 20% water to the milk and sells it to another woman, who again adds 20% water and sells it to a woman who lives close to the castle town. This woman further adds 20% water and sells it to a woman who lives in the castle. This woman buys the milk and takes it to the market and sells it. At that time, there was a person who would get a woman for the sake of his son. He wanted to use a good milk to serve it to his guest. He went to the market and wanted to buy some (milk). The woman selling the milk demanded the normal price. The man said: 'This milk contains a lot of water. So, it is not worth the normal price. Today I have to treat a visitor. Then I'll buy it’. Coming with this milk at home, he cooked some porridge, but it did not have the taste of milk. Although it had no taste of milk, it was far better than any bitter thing, it was a thousand times better. Why? Because of all the tastes, milk is the best.

Oh good man! When I die, for 80 years when the Wonderful Dharma has not yet expired, this sutra will be widely spread in Jambudvipa. At that time, there will be many malicious bhiksus who will cut this sutra into parts and simplify it, so that the color, flavor, taste and beauty of the Wonderful Dharma will be lost. All these evil persons will read this sutra, despoil the deep and essential meaning of the Tathagata, introduce words merely pretentious, decorative and meaningless which belong to the world. They will lop off the front part and add it to the back part of the sutra, or they will lop off the back part and add it to the front, or will put the front and back parts in the middle and the middle at the front and back. Know that such bhiksus are friends of Mara. They will keep and store all impure things and say that the Tathagata gave them permission to do so. This is like the milking woman who added water to the milk. It will be the same with these wicked bhiksus. They will add words of worldly life, despoil the fixed and right words of the sutras, and obstruct the access of the beings to right sermons, to the correct copies, to right understanding, honoring, praising, making offerings to, and respecting [the sutras].

Due to the pursuit of gain, such malicious bhiksus will not disseminate this sutra. The world where its benefits will be obtained will be so limited that does not deserve to be mentioned. This is as in the case of the poor milking woman who adds water to the milk and sells it, so that the porridge that will be done later will not have the taste of milk. The same is the case with this Mahayana Great Nirvana Sutra. Its taste will gradually diminish and [eventually] no flavor will remain. The spirit will depart, and yet it will still be 1,000 times better than the other sutras. It's like with the diluted milk, which is still 1,000 times better than any bitter thing. Why is that? Because this Mahayana Great Nirvana Sutra is the best among all the sutras of the Sravakas class. It's like with milk, which is the best of all tastes. For this reason, we say Great Nirvana.”

Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 16 - On the Bodhisattva.

The Wise Minister

"Oh good man! What the Tathagata says in undisclosed terms is deep, it is not easy to grasp. It is as in the case of a great king who orders his ministers to bring him 'saindhava'. The word, 'saindhava', has four meanings. First, it means 'salt'; secondly, ' utensil'; thirdly, 'water'; and fourthly, 'horse'. Thus, four things have the same name. A wise minister knows the contents of this word. When the king is bathing itself and calls for 'saindhava', it gives him water. When the king is eating and calls for 'saindhava', it gives him salt. When he has finished eating and wants to drink a juice and calls for 'saindhava', it gives him a utensil [a goblet]. When he desires to go out in recreation, it gives him a horse. Thus, the wise minister well grasps the meaning of the words of the great king.

The situation is the same with this Mahayana Great Nirvana Sutra. There are four non-eternals. The wise minister of Mahayana should know them well. If the Buddha appears in the world and says that he is entering into Nirvana, the wise minister should know that the Tathagata is speaking of the non-eternal for those who adhere to 'is', and desires to teach the bhiksus to practice non-eternal. Or he may say: 'The Wonderful Dharma is about to expire’. The wise minister should know that the Tathagata is speaking of suffering for those whose mind adheres to (the concept of) 'bliss', and makes the bhiksus abide in the thought of suffering. Or he may say: 'I am sick and in pain now, all bhiksus expire'. The wise minister should know that the Tathagata is speaking for those attached to the 'self' on the matter of selflessness and desires to make the bhiksus to practice the thought of selflessness. Or he may also say: 'The so-called Void is true emancipation’. The wise minister should know that the Tathagata intends to teach that there is no true emancipation and the 25 existences (at the same time). This is for the bhiksus to practice the Void. Thus, right emancipation is the Void and, therefore, it is immovable. 'Immovable' means that there is no suffering in emancipation. Hence, immovable. This true emancipation is called 'formlessness'. ‘Formlessness’ means that there is no color, voice, smell, taste or touch. Hence, there is no characteristics. Therefore, true emancipation is eternal and unchanging. With this emancipation, there is no non-eternal, nothing hot, no worry and no change. Therefore, this emancipation is called eternal, unchanging, pure, and cold. Or he may say: 'All beings possess the Buddha-Nature'. The wise minister should know that the Tathagata is speaking of the Eternal Dharma and desires the bhiksus to practice the right aspect of the Eternal Dharma. Be aware that any bhiksu who thus practices the Way is truly my disciple. He indeed penetrates the undisclosed storehouse of the Tathagata, just as the minister well grasps the mind of the great king. Oh good man! Thus, the great king also has its undisclosed law. Oh good man! How could it be that the Tathagata would have no such thing? For this reason, it is hard to know the hidden teaching of the Tathagata. Only a wise man can reach the great depths of what I teach. This is what common mortals can well believe.”

Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 16 - On the Bodhisattva.

The King of the Wind

“Also, next, oh good man! For example, there is a man who, not finding the king of the wind, remained for a long time at sea. He thinks: 'I'll meet with my death here’. As he thinks this, he encounters a goodly wind and, through it, crosses the sea. Or he might think: 'This wind is good. It is a rare thing. Now, we can safely cross the sea, unconcerned with any hardships’. Thus, all beings, for a long time, live on the sea of birth, death and ignorance, fighting against poverty and hardship, not finding yet a great wind of Nirvana like this, and think: 'Surely, we will fall into the realms as hell, animals, and hungry ghosts'. As these beings think this, they encounter the wind of the Mahayana Great Nirvana Sutra and, in the course of time, they gain unsurpassed Enlightenment and, arriving at Truth, conceive a rare thought and express praise: 'This is happiness! Since long I have not yet found or heard about this secret storehouse of the Tathagata’. Thus, they acquire a pure faith in the Great Nirvana Sutra.”

Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 16 - On the Bodhisattva.

The Master of the Supreme Art

“Also, next, oh good man! For example, a good doctor is well versed in all sutras and arts. His knowledge is so extensive that it goes beyond the eight [kinds of treatment methods]. He teaches what he knows to his son. He makes his son become acquainted with all the medicinal herbs of watery places, lands, mountains and valleys. He teaches him by degrees, expounding the eight kinds; and then, he finally makes him acquainted with the Supreme Art. The same is the case with the Tathagata, the Alms-Deserving and All-Enlightened One. First, he resorts to an expedient and makes his children, i.e. his bhiksus, annihilate all defilements and learn to abide in a thought of the impurity of the body, and also a thought of the instability (impermanence) [of all dharmas /laws]. We speak of ‘watery places' and 'mountain valleys’. By 'water' is meant that the suffering of the body is like watery foam, and by 'land' is meant the instability of the body, like that (instability) of the plantain tree. By 'mountain valley' is meant the practice of selflessness, living as someone fully garbed (covered) by defilements. For this reason, the body is called ‘devoid of the self’. The Tathagata thus, step by step, teaches his disciples the nine types of sutras and makes them thoroughly understand these, and after this, he teaches the hidden Dharma of the Tathagata. For the sake of his sons, he speaks about the Eternity of the Tathagata. The Tathagata thus exposes the Mahayana Great Nirvana Sutra. For the sake of both the aspirant and the non-aspirant, it gives them the cause of enlightenment, except for the icchantika. Thus, oh good man, this Mahayana Great Nirvana Sutra is an indescribably, boundlessly, and all-wonderfully rare thing. Know that this (sutra) is the unsurpassed doctor, the most honorable, the most supreme King of all sutras.”

Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 16 - On the Bodhisattva.

The Great Skilled Doctor

“Also, next, oh good man! For example, a good doctor knows all about medicines and prescriptions. Moreover, it has an extensive knowledge of innumerable charms. This doctor, received in audience by the king, said: ‘Oh King! You have a disease that will take your life’. The king replied: 'You have not seen inside me. How can you say that I have a disease that will surely take my life’? The doctor also said: 'If you do not believe me, please take this purgative. Once you have taken it, you, King, can look inside yourself’. The king deliberately did not take the purgative. The good doctor, through charms, used means [to show] that, in the hidden parts of the king’s body, rashes and abscesses came out, and also pus mixed with worms and blood. Seeing this, the king became greatly frightened and praised the skill of the doctor: 'Well done, well done! I did not accept what you said before. Now I know that you do great things for me’. He then went to respect the doctor like his own father. The same is the case with this Mahayana Great Nirvana Sutra. From all beings, whether greedy or not, this sutra extracts defilements. All these beings see this sutra even in their dreams, respect and make offerings to him. This is similar to the king who respects the skilled doctor. This great skilled doctor does not diagnose a person who is sure to die. The same is the case with this Mahayana Great Nirvana Sutra. The exception is the icchantika: he has no means to be healed.

Also, next, oh good man! A good doctor knows eight ways of treatment and cures all diseases. But he cannot cure a person who is on the brink of death. The same is true for all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. They heal all sinful people. Only a person on the brink of death, i.e., the icchantika, cannot be cured.”

Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 16 - On the Bodhisattva.