“The second person aspires to cross the great river of birth and death, but devoid of amassed good, sinks and is unable to get out. We speak of ‘getting out - come to the fore '. This refers to the Good Teacher of the Way, through which one gains faith. By faith is meant to believe that dana [giving] evokes the fruition of dana, that any action that might be called good calls forth the fruition of good, and evil actions (calls forth) what is evil; is to believe in the suffering of birth and death, and believe in impermanence and dissolution. This is faith. Gaining faith, one practices the pure precepts, upholds, recites, copies and expounds [the sutras]. He always makes grants and practices Wisdom. If dull, the person encounters an evil friend. He is unable to learn how to practice the precepts of body and the Wisdom of mind. He gives ear to evil teachings. Or it may happen be visited by an evil period of time and be born in an evil land (country), and be uprooted from good deeds. Uprooted from goodness, it always sinks into the birth and death. His case is like that of the second person on the banks of river Ganges.”
Read more on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 39, on Bodhisattva Lion's Roar 7.
"Oh good man! It's the same situation with the great river of birth and death, too. These are the seven kinds of people: "
First Kind of People.
"As they fear the thieves of defilement, they make up their minds and wish to cross the great river of birth and death. They abandon their homes, shave their heads and wear priestly robes. Having renounced their homes, they associate with evil friends, follow their teachings, and give ear to their doctrines, which state: 'The human body is the five skandhas. The five skandhas are nothing more than the five great elements. When a person dies, he ends up with the five great elements. When he breaks with the five elements, why does he any longer need to practice good or evil? For this reason, one must know that there can be no karmic retribution of good or evil.’ Such a person is an icchantika. It is uprooted from good and evil. Uprooted from good, he sinks into the waters of birth and death and is unable to get out. Why? Due to the great weight of evil deeds, and by he does not to possess the power of faith. He is like the first of those people on the banks of the river Ganges."
Read more on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 39, on Bodhisattva Lion's Roar 7.
The Buddha said: "Well said, well said, Oh good man! Along the Ganges live seven kinds of people. They fear the thieves because now they are bathing. Or the case might be as with those who enter the river to pick flowers. The first person drowned as the waters came. The second person sinks amid the waters, but it comes up and sinks again into water. Why? Because his body is powerful and strong, and it is able to climb. But, the one who has not learnt to float, comes up, and then sinks again. The third (kind) comes up after sinking. Coming up, it does not sink again. Why not? Because his body is heavy, so it sinks, but as his power is great, it comes up. Having already learnt to float, it stays up. The fourth person, plunging into water, comes up again. Coming up, it looks around. Why? As it is heavy, it sinks, but as has great power, it comes up; as it has learnt to float, it stays up, not knowing where to get out, it looks around. The fifth person, entering the water, sinks and, having sunk, comes up. Having come up, it looks around, having looked, it goes. Why? Because it fears. The sixth person goes into the water, comes up, and stays in shallow waters. Why? Because it sees the thieves who are nearby and [also] far off. The seventh person is already standing on the other bank and is on a great mountain. It fears nothing, out of reach of thieves, it is blessed with great bliss."
Read more on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 39, on Bodhisattva Lion's Roar 7.
The Buddha said: "Oh, good man! [Suppose that] there is a flat road. Beings walk [along it], and there is nothing to hinder their progress. In the middle of the road there is a tree, whose shade is fresh. The travellers make a stop in this place with their palanquin and take a rest. But there is always the shade of the tree there, and there is no difference. The shade does not die out, and nobody takes it away. The road is the Holy Way, and the shade the Buddha Nature."
Read more on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 36, on Bodhisattva Lion's Roar 4.
“Oh, good man! The practice of Shila [precepts of morality] is for the quietness of our own body. The practice of Samadhi is for the quietness of our own mind. The practice of Wisdom is for crushing out doubt. To crush out doubt is to practice the Way. Practice the Way is to see the Buddha Nature. See the Buddha Nature is to attain unsurpassed Enlightenment. Attain unsurpassed Enlightenment is to arrive at unsurpassed Great Nirvana. Arrive at Great Nirvana is to segregate all beings from birth and death, all defilements, all [worldly] existences, all realms, all truths of beings. Cut off [these] births and deaths, and satya [presumably ‘worldly truths’] is to attain the Eternal, Bliss, the Self and the Pure."
Read more on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 36, on Bodhisattva Lion's Roar 4.
Lion's Roar said: "Oh, World Honored One! Who suffers little in the present life what would have to suffer in hell?"
“Oh, good man! Any person in the world who practices the body, sila, Wisdom, and the mind, as stated above, and who sees that all things are void and all-equal, and who sees no Wisdom, nor who is wise, nor ignorance, nor who is ignorant, nor practice and nor even those who practice, that person is someone who is wise. Such a person really practices the body, sila, mind, and Wisdom. Such a person really makes [what would have been] the karmic retribution in hell become little to be suffered in this life. This person may have committed the gravest of sins, but it thinks about [the matter], sees, makes it light, and says: 'What I did is grave in nature. But, nothing is better than good deeds. For example, 100 pounds of flowers upon flowers cannot ultimately be compared with a 'ryo' [unit of weight or money] of true gold. We might well throw a 'sho' of salt into the Ganges, but no salty taste will come about [from this] and no one who drinks its water will feel it. A rich man may possess 1,000 million jewels and yet he will not be arrested and made to suffer pain because of this. Or a great gandhahastin (musky elephant) can break an iron cage, escape and be free.’ So it is [also] with the person who has Wisdom. It always thinks to himself: 'I have much of the power of good and little of evil deeds. I confess and repent, and end up with evil. If we practice Wisdom, the power of Wisdom will grow, and the power of ignorance will lessen.’ Thinking thus, he befriends a Good Teacher of the Way and learns the right view of life. If he sees a person who upholds, recites, copies and expounds the 12 types of sutras, he will feel respect in his mind and, moreover, will make offerings to him of such things as clothing, food, accommodation, bedding, medicines, flowers and incense, and will praise and respect him. Wherever he goes, he praises only what is good and does not speak of what is lacking. He makes offerings to the Three Treasures, respects and believes that the Vaipulya Sutra of Great Nirvana and the Thatagata are Eternal and Unchanging, and that beings possess the Buddha Nature. Such a person makes what would be heavily suffered in hell, something that is [only] slight pain in this life. Oh, good man! For this reason, it is not the case that all actions are definite and that all beings definitely have to undergo karmic retribution."
Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 38 - On Bodhisattva Lion's Roar 6.
"We speak about the non-practice of Wisdom. Wisdom has great power, like that of a Garuda [a mythical bird]. It truly destroys the evil deeds and the darkness, as does the light of the sun. It thoroughly uproots the tree of the skandhas, like water, on which things can float easily. The wisdom thoroughly burns out the evil views of life, like a great fire, is the fountainhead of all good dharmas, and the seed from which stems the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. If someone does not see things thus, this is nothing more than the non-practice of Wisdom."
Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 38 - On Bodhisattva Lion's Roar 6.
