The four pure and clear teachings of Śūraṅgama Sūtra
2023-10-26
The Buddha told Ananda:
You often hear me preach about the three Decision Dharma of practice in Vinaya. That is so-called, concentrate one's heart is the precepts; from the precepts comes samadhi; and out of samadhi arises wisdom. This is named Triśikṣā (threefold training).
Ananda, why do I name "concentrate one's heart" the "precepts"? If living beings in the ṣaḍ-gati of all world had no lusting thoughts, then they will not continue their life and death by following it.
It should have been leaving the affliction defilements when you cultivate in samadhi. But if you don't get rid of lusting thoughts, you will not be able to get out of the earthliness.
Even though one may have a lot of wisdom and Chan samadhi, one is certain to enter Māra ways if one does not cut off his lust. The highest level, one will be a king of Māra; on the middle level, one will be the people of Māra; at the lowest level, one will be a woman of Māra. Those Māras also have disciples. Each says of himself that he has accomplished the Unsurpassed Way. After my Nirvāṇa, in the Sad-dharma-vipralopa, there are so many Māra people in the world who are practicing greed and sexual immorality as good teachers, causing all sentient beings to fall into the trap of love and miss the path to enlightenment. You teach the world to practice samadhi, you must first give up the mind of lust. This is named the pure and clear teaching of the First Decision of the Tathagata, the Buddha and the World-Honored One.
Therefore, Ananda, if cultivators of Chan samadhi do not cut off lust, they will be like someone who cooks sand in the hope of getting rice. After hundreds of thousands of kalpa, it will still be just hot sand. Why? It wasn't rice to begin with; it was only sand. If you seek the Buddha's wonderful fruition by lusting body, then even if you have brilliant understandings, they are all lusting roots, are lust basically. You will reincarnate in the three paths and not be able to get out. How can the Tathāgata achieve Nirvana? You must cut off the lust which is inner in both body and mind. And there is no the thought of cutting it off. There is hope to attain the Buddha's Bodhi. As I said in this way, it is called Buddha's talk; If you don't say in this way, it is Pāpman's talk.
Further, Ananda, if living beings in the ṣaḍ-gati of all world had no killing thoughts, then they will not continue their life and death by following it. It should have been leaving the affliction defilements when you cultivate in samadhi. But if you don't get rid of killing thoughts, you will not be able to get out of the earthliness. Even though one may have a lot of wisdom and Chan samadhi, if he does not cut off killing, he is certain to enter God way: The highest level, is a mighty ghost; the middle level, is a flying yaksha, a ghost leader; the lowest level, is a ground-walking rakshasa. These ghosts and Gods have their disciples. Each says of himself that he has accomplished the Unsurpassed Way.
After my Nirvāṇa, in the Sad-dharma-vipralopa, there are so many these kinds of ghosts and Gods in the world who claim that eating meat leads to Bodhi way. Ananda, I permit the Bhikshus to eat five kinds of pure flesh. This flesh is all transformed by my divine power which basically has no life-roots. You Brahmans live in a climate so hot and humid, and on such sandy and rocky land, that vegetables will not grow. I added the divine power of great compassion, and due to great compassion, I assumed the name of flesh, and you gained its flavor.
However, those who eat the flesh of living beings after the Tathāgata's Nirvana are called disciples of Śākyamuni. All you should know that: Carnivorous people, even if their hearts are as open as Samadhi, they are all mighty Rakshas, and when their retribution ends, they will definitely sink into the bitter sea of life and death in the end. They are not disciples of Buddha. Such people, kill and eat each other in a never-ending cycle. How can such people transcend the Three Realm? You teach people to cultivate samadhi, the second step is cut off killing. This is the pure and clear teaching of the Second Decision of the Tathagata, the Buddha and the World-Honored One. Therefore, Ananda, if cultivators of Chan samadhi do not cut off killing, they are like one who plugged ears and calls out loudly, expecting no one hear. This is wanted to hide but revealed more. Pure bhikṣus and Bodhisattvas will not even step on grass in the pathway, even less pull grass up with hand. How can one with great compassion take beings' flesh and blood as their food? If bhikṣus who do not wear oriental silk, do not wear leather boots and furs from this country, do not take milk, creams and butters, these kind of bhikṣus can actually transcend this world. After they have paid back their past debts, they will not have to re-enter the Three Realm. Why? One wears something taken from another living creature; it is Pratītyasamutpāda. Just as when people eat the hundred grains of earth, their feet cannot leave the earth. Both physically and mentally one must avoid the bodies and the by-products of living beings, by neither wearing them nor eating them, I say that such people are true liberator. As I said in this way, it is called Buddha's talk; If you don't say in this way, it is Pāpman's talk.
Further, Ananda, if living beings in the ṣaḍ-gati of all world had no stealing thoughts, then they will not have to continue their life and death by following it. It should have been leaving the affliction defilements when you cultivate in samadhi. But if you don't get rid of stealing thoughts, you will not be able to get out of the earthliness. Even though one may have a lot of wisdom and Chan samadhi, one is certain to enter devious ways if he does not cut off stealing: The highest level is a genie; the middle level is a phantom; the lowest level is a devious person who is possessed by many ghosts. These devious hordes have their disciples. Each says of himself that he has accomplished the Unsurpassed Way. After my Nirvāṇa, in the Sad-dharma-vipralopa, there are so many these Evils in the world, hidden and sneaking-cheating, are called good teachers, each claiming that he has attained the Dharma of Sthavira, make the ignorant confused, make people losing their heart by fear, and wherever they go, the family will be dissipated. I teach the bhikṣus to beg for their food in an assigned place, in order to help them to drop greed and accomplish the Bodhi Way. The bhikṣus do not cook their own food,
survive by other remaining life, traveling on the Three Realms. So, they can show themselves as once-returners, who go and do not come back. Why and how can thieves put on my robes and peddler-sell the Tathagata, doing kinds of karma and then say it's Buddha Dharma? They are not those Upasampadā bhikṣus who have left home, but doing Hinayana way? Because of them, countless sentient beings were in doubts and misunderstanding, and then fall into Avīci hell.
After my Nirvāṇa, if any bhikṣu has decisive resolve to cultivate samadhi, in front of portraits of Tathāgata, burn a lamp on his own body, burn off a finger, and apply a burning incense stick to his body, I say this person, at that moment, has paid his debts from beginningless time past. He can farewell to the world, forever be free from all Āsava. Though they may not have instantly understood the Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi, they will already have firmly set their mind on Dharma. If you don't practice sacrificing yourself body, for this small reason, even if you achieve Asaṃskṛtadharma (unconditioned Dharma), you must come back as a person to pay your past debts exactly as I had to undergo the retribution of eating the grain meant for horses. You teach the world to practice samadhi, and then cut off theft. This is the pure and clear teaching of the Third Decision of the Tathagata, the Buddha and the World-Honored One. Therefore, Ananda, if cultivators of Chan samadhi do not cut off stealing, they are like someone who pours water into a leaking cup and hopes to fill it. Even after going through countless kalpa, it still will not be full in the end. If bhikṣus do not store away anything but their robes and bowls; Give the excess portion of the food they beg to hungry beings. At large assembly, put palms together and salute to all living beings; if when people pound and scold them, they can take it as praise, they certainly let both their body and mind be donated, share their flesh, bones, and blood with all living beings; they will not interpret the Tathagata's Neyārtha teachings as their own interpretations and mislead the beginners. The Buddha gives this person Vyākaraṇa as he will attain true samadhi. As I said in this way, it is called Buddha's talk; If you don't say in this way, it is Pāpman's talk.
Ananda, these beings in the ṣaḍ-gati of any world, although there is no killing, stealing, or lusting in body and mind, and the three kinds of cultivation have been completed, if one tells big lies, his samadhi will not be pure, he will become Taṇhā Māra, and lost Tathagata seed. This is what called, they say that they have attained what they have not attained, and they have attained bodhi when they have not yet. Or they seek to be the foremost the most venerated person in the world. To their audiences, they say that now they have attained the fruition of a Shrotaapanna, the fruition of a Sakridagamin, the fruition of an Anagamin, the fruition of Arhatship, the Pratyekabuddha, various Bodhisattvas before ten Bhūmi. Seek for their worship and repentance, greedy for their offerings. They are Icchantika, destroyed the seeds of Buddhahood. Just like a man cutting off a Tārā wood with a knife, the Buddha predicts that such people will lose their good roots forever, they will no longer have the View, sink into the three bitter seas, and won't achieve samadhi. I command the Bodhisattvas and Arhats to appear Nirmāṇakāya born in the Sad-dharma-vipralopa after my Nirvāṇa, appear various forms in order to deliver Dharmachakra. They may become Śramaṇa, white-robed laypeople, kings, ministers or officials, virgin youths or maidens, and so forth, even prostitutes, widows, thieves, butchers, become their coworkers and praise the Buddha, guide their body and mind into samadhi.
They never say of themselves that 'I am actually a Bodhisattva' or 'I am actually an Arhat,' such as reveal the Buddha's secret, casually speaking to those who have not yet studied. Except at the end of their life, reveal in a tactful way. Why this people confuse sentient beings and tell big lies? You teach people in the world to cultivate samadhi, and then cut off telling all big lies. This is called the pure and clear teaching of the Fourth Decision of the Tathagata, the Buddha and the World-Honored One. Therefore, Ananda, if one does not cut off lying, he is like a person who carve human excrement into the shape of sandalwood, hoping for the fragrance. It is useless. I teach the bhikṣus that the straight mind is the Bodhimaṇḍa, there is even no any falsehood in the four majestic manners and every activity, so how can one claim himself has attained Sthavira Dharma? That would be like a poor person falsely calls himself an emperor and brings about his own destruction, not to mention the King of the Dharma, how can he steal unreally! When the cause-ground is not genuine, the consequences will lead to curved. One who seeks the Buddha's Bodhi in this way is like a person who bites his own navel. Who could possibly succeed? If bhikṣus' minds are straight as strings, all genuineness enters the Samadhi, there will never be Māra event. I certify that such people will achieve the Bodhisattva Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi. As I said in this way, it is called Buddha's talk; If you don't say in this way, it is Pāpman's talk.
