the sutra of fourty two sections spoken by the buddha
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佛教四十二章經TRANSCRIPT
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Translated into Chinese from Sanskrit
by
KASYAPA MATANGA
and
GOBHARANA
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Translatecl into English from the Chinese Version
by
UPASAKA CHU CH'AN
TJOHN BLOFELDJ
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THE SUTRA OF FORTY.TWO SECTIONS
SPOKEN BY THE BUDDHA
Jointly translated in the Later Han Dynasty bythe monks Kasyapa Matanga and Gobharanafrom Central India.
When the World-Honoured had become Enligh-tened, he reflected thus:-"To abandon desire andrest in perfect quiefude is the greatest of victories.To remain in a state of complete abstraction is toovercome the ways of all the evil ones." In theRoyal Deer Park, he e>qpounded the Doctrine of theFour Noble Truths, converting Kaundinya and fourothers, and thus manifesting the fmit of theWay. There were freqently monks who voiced theirdoulits and asked the Buddha to resolve them,so the World-flonoured taught and commandedthem, until, one by one, they became Enlightenedand, bringing their hands together in respectfulagreernent, prepared to follow the sacred commands.
1. The Buddha said: "Those who, taking leave oftheir families and adopting the homeless life, knowthe nature of their minds and reach to what isfundamental, thus breaking away,(from the pheno-menal and attatning to) the unphenomenal, are
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THE SUTRA OF 42 SECTIONS
called Sramanas. They constantly observe thetwo hundred and fifty precepts, entering into and
abiding in per{ect quietude. By working their waythrough the four stages of progress, they become
Arhans, who possess the powers of levitation and
transformation, as well as the ability to prolo'ng
their lives for many aeons and to reside or moveabout anywhere in heaven or earth. Below themcome the Anagamins who, at the end of a longlife, ascend in spirit to the nineteen heavens andbecome Arhats- Then come the Sakridagaminswho must ascend one step and be reborn oncemore before becoming Arhans. There are also theSrota-apanas who cannot become Arhans wft|lthey have passed through nine more rorurds ofbirth and death. One who has put a.n end to hislongings and desires is like a man *ho, having nofurther use for his limbs (lit. havine cut off hislimbs), never uses them again."
2. The Sramana who, fu2ying left home, putsan end to his desires and drives arn'ay his lcrngings,knowing the source of his own mind, penetrates tothe profound principles of Buddhahood. He awakasto the non-phanomenal, clinging to nothing withinand seekins for nothing from without. His mind isnot shackled with dogmas, nor is he enmeshed bykatma. Pon,lering nothing and doing nothing,practising noltring and nranifssting nothing, withoutpassirrg through all the successive stages, he(nevertheless) r-eaches the loftiest of all. This iswhat is nreant by "The Way."
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THE SUTRA OF 42 SECTIONS ,
3. The Buddha said: "He who has shorn his locks
and beard to become a Sramana and has accepted
the Doctrine of the Way, abandons everything of
worldly value and is satisfied by the food he
obtains by begging, eating but once a day. If thereis a tree under which to rest, he desires nothingelse. Longings and desires are what make men
stupid and darken their minds.4. 'Ihe Buddha said: "There are ten things by
which beings do gocd and ten by which they doevil. What are they? Three are performed withthe body, four with the mouth and three with themind. The (evils) performed with the body arekilling, stealing and unchaste deeds; those withthe mouth are duplicity, slandering, lying and idletalk; those with the mind are covetousness,angler and foolishness. These ten are not in keepingwith the holy Way and are called the ten evilpractices. Putting a stop to all of them is calledperforming the ten virtuous practices."
5. The Buddha said: "If a man has all kinds offaults and does not regret them, in the space of asingle heartbeat retribution will suddenly fall uponhim and, as water returning to the sea, willSradually become deeper and wider. (But), if aman has faults and, becoming aware of them,changes for the better, retribution will melt awayinto nothingness of its own accord, as the danEerof a fever gradually abates once perspiration hasset in.
6. The Buddha said: "If an evil man, on
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THE SUTRA OF 42 SECTIONS
hearing of what is good, comes and creates a
disturbance, you should hold your peace. You mustnot angrily upbraid him; then he w-ho has cometo curse you will merely harm himself."
7. The Buddha said: "'lhere was one whoheard that I uphold the Way and practise greatbenevolence and compassion. On this accunt, hecarne to scold me, but I remained silent and didnot retort. When he had finished scolding me, Isaid: 'Sir, if you treat another with courtesy andhe does not accept it, does not the courtesyrebound to you?' I{e replied that it does and Icontinued: 'Now you have just cursed me and Idid not accept your curses, so the evii which youyourself did has now returrred and fallen upon you.For a sound accords with the noise that producedit and the reflection accords with the form. In theend there will be no escape, so take care lest youdo what is evil."
8. The Buddha said: "An evil man may wishto in"iure the Virtuous Ones and, raising hishead, spit towards heaven, but the spittle, farfrom reaching heaven, will return and descendupon himself. An rnruly wind rnay raise the dust,but the dust does not go elsewhere; it remains tocontaminate the wind. Virtue ca.nnot be destroyed,while evil inevitably destroys itself."
9. The Buddha said: "Listen avidly to andcherish the Way. The Way rvill certainly be hardto reach. Maintain your desire to accept it humbly,for the Way is mighty indeed."
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THE SUTRA OF 42 SECTIONS
10. The Buddha said: "Observe those whobestow (knowledge of) the Way. To help them isa gfeat joy and many blessingS can thus beobtained." A Sramana asked: "Is there any limitto such blessings?" The Iluddha replied: ',They. arelike the fire of a torch from which hrudreds andthousands of people light their owrr torches. The(resulting) light eats up the darkness and thattorch is the origin of it all. Such is the nature ofthose blessings."
11. The Buddha said: "To bestow food on ahr:ndred bad men is not equal to bestowing food111r o[re good one. Bestowing food on a thousandgood men is not equal to bestowing food on onewho observes the five precepts. Bestowing food onten thousand who observe the five precepts is notequal to bestowing food on one Srota-apana.Bestowing food on a million Srota-apanas is notequal to bestowing food on one Sakrdagamin.Bestowing food on ten million Sakrdagamins isnot equal to bestowing food on one Anagamin.Bestowing food on a hundred miilion Anagaminsis not equal to bestowing food on one Arhan.Bestowing food on a thousand million Arhans isnot equal to bestowing food on one pratyehaBuddha. Bestowing food on ten thousand millionPratyeka Buddhas is not equal to bestowing foodon one of the Buddhas of the Triple World.lestowinS food or1 a hwrdred thousand millionBuddhas of the Triple World is not equal tobestowing food on one who ponders nothing, does
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nothing, practices nothing and manifests nothing."12. The Buddha said: "There are twenty things
which are hard for-human beings:-"It is hard to practise charity when one is
poor'"It is hard to study the Way when occtrpying
a position of great authority."It is hard to surrender life at the approach
of inevitable death."It is hard to get an opportunity of reading
the sutlas."It is hard to be tnrn directly into Bnddhist
zurror:rrdings."It is hard to bear lust and desire (without
yielding to thenr )."It is hard to see something attractive without
desiring it."It is hard to bear insult without making an
angry reply."It is hard to have power and not to pay
regard to it."It is hard to come into contact with things
and yet remain unaffected by them."It is hard to study widely and investigate
everything thoroughly."[t is hard to overcome selfishness and sloth."It is hard to avoid making light of not having
studied (the Way) enough."It is hard to keep the mind evenly balanced.
- "It is hard to refrain from defining things asbeurg something or not being something.
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THE SUTRA OF 42 SECTIONS
"It is hard to come into contact with clearperception (of the Way).
"It is hard to perceive one's own nature and( through such perception) to study the Way.
"It is hard to help others towards Enlightmentaccording to their various needs.
"It is hard to see the end (of the Way)without being rnoved.
"It is hard to discard successfully (the shacklesthat bind us to the wheel of life and death) asopportunities present themselves."
13. A Sramana asked the Buddha: .,By whatmethod can we attain the knowledge of how toput a stop to life (in the phenomenal sphere) andcome in contacl u'ith the Way?" The Buddhaanswered: "Ry purifying the mind and preservingthe will (to struggle onwards) you can come incontact with the Way just as, when a mirror iswiped, the dust falls off and the brightness remains.By eliminating desires and seeking for nothing(else), you should be able to put a stop to life (inthe phenomenal sphere)."
14. A Sramana asked the Buddha: .,What isgmdness and what is greatness?" The Buddhareplied: "'fo follow the Way and hold to what istrue is good. When the will is in conformity withthe Way, that is greatness."
15. A Sramana asked the Buddha: .,What is
9reat power and what is the acme of brilliance?"The Buddha answererd: '.To be able to bear insult(without retort) implies great power. He that
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THE SUTRA OF 42 SECTIONS
does not cherish cause fo:: resentment, but rem:rinscalm and firn-r equally (wider all circumstances),and who bears all things without indulging inabuse will certainly be honoured by' men. Theacme of brilliance is reached u'hen the mind isulterly purged of impurities and nolhing false orfoul remains ( to besmirch ) its purity. When thereis nothing, fronr before the fornration of he:rvt nand earth rurtil now or in any of the ten quartersof the universe rn'hich you have not seen, heardand understood; when you have attained to :t
- lsrowledge of everything, that rrray be calledb'rilliance."
16. Men who cherish longings and desires :r1-e
those who have not perceir.ed the \\ray. Just :rs,if clear water be si:irred up with the hand, noneof those looking into it will perceive their reflections,so men in whose rninds filth has been stirred r.r1r
by longings and desires rvill not perceive the Way.Yor: Sramanas must abandon lorlgings zrnd desires.When the filth of longings and desires has beenentirely cleared away, then only will yt_ru be ableto perceive the Way."
17. The Buddha said: "With th6ss v,,h6 h;1vsperceived the Wa1', it is thus. Jusl as, when oneenters a dark house r,r'ith ;r torch, the darknqss isdissipated and only light remains, so, by studyingthe Way and pe:'cciving the truth, ignorar^ce isdissipated and insight remarns for ever."
18. The Buddha saicl: "[,I]. Jo.,rtn" inrpliesthinking of that r,vhich is beyond thought, per{orming
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that which is beyond per{ormance, speaking ofthat which is beyond words and practising thatwhich is beyond practice. 'lhose rvho can corne upto this, progress, u'hile the stupid regress. 'fhe waywhich can be e4prissed in words stops short; thereis nothing n'hich can be grasped. If y'eu are wrongby so much as the thousandth part of a hair, youwill lose (the Way) in a flash."
19. The Buddha said: "Regard heaven andearth and consider theil impermanence. Regardthe world and consider its impermanence. Regardspiritual awakening as Bodhi. This sort of knowl-edge leads to speedy Enlightenment."
20. The Buddha said: "You shonld ponder- onthe fact that, though each of the four elements o.l
which the body is made up has a name, they noneof them (constitute any part of) the real self. Infact, the self is non-existent, like a mirage."
21. The Buddha said: "There are people who,following the dictates of their feelings and desires,seek to make a narne for themselves, but, by thetime that name r{:sounds, they are already dead.Those who hunger for a name that shall long beremembered in the worid and rvho do not studythe Way strive vainly ancl strr.rggle for emptyforms. Just as burning incense, though othersperceive its pleasant smell, is itself being burntllP, so (desires) bring the danger of fire which cantrurn up your bodies in .their train.
22. The Buddha said: "Wealth and beauty, toa man who will not relinquish them, are like a
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knife covered rvith honey which, even before he
has had the pleasure of eating the honey, cuts thetongue of th.e child that licks it."
23. 1'he Buddha said: "People who are tied totheir wives, children and hornes are worse off thanprisoners. A prisoner will be released sooner orlater, but wives and children have no thought ofbetaking themselves o1'f. Why {ear io rid yourselvesimmediately of the longing ior physical beauty?(Otheru'ise), )"ou are tanreiy submitLing to thejaws of a tiger and cieliberately allorving yourselvesto drown in the quicksand into -,vhich you havefallen, thus meriting the nanie <tf 'simple fellows.'If you can reach the point ( of abancioning suchthings), you will rise frorn the dust and becomeArhans."
24. The Buddha said: "Or. all longings anddesires, there is none stronger than sex. Sex as adesire has no eclu:il. ltely on the luriversal)Oneness. No one under heaven is able to becone afollower of the Way if he accepts dualism.
25. The Buddha said: ',Those who (permitthemselves) longings and desires are like a nlanwho walks in the teeth of the wind carrying atorch. Inevitably, his hands will be burnt.
- 26. The gods bestowed the jade girl upon me,hoeing to shake rny determination. I said: ,O skinoag, full of every kind of filthl For what have youcome here? Go! I do not need you., Then the godspayed me profound reverence and, as they askedme to e>pound the Way, I enlightened them and
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the gods, hindered by floating scurn, nor rots uponthe way. I am prepared to undertake that such apiece of wood w-ill certainly reach the sea. If thosewho study the Way are not misled by their feelingsand desires, nol disturbed by any scrt of depravity,and,, if they earnestly advance towards the un-phenomenal, I anr prepared to undertake that theywill certainly atl"ain to the Way."
28. The Buddha said: "Be careful not todepend on your own intelligence-it is not to betrusted. 'I'ake care not to come in contact withphysical attractions-such contacts result in calami-ties. Only when yon have reached the stage ofArhan can you depend on your own intelligence."
29. The lluddha said: "Take care to avoidlooking on the beau'Ly of women and do notconverse with thern. If you do (have occasion to)converse with them, control the thoughts whichrun through your minds. When I was a Sramanaand came in contact rvith the impure world, I waslike the lotus rvhich remains unsullied by the mud(from which it grows). Think of old w-omen as ofyour nothers, of those older than yourselves as ofyoru elder sisters, of those younger than yoursel-ves as of your younger sisters, and of very youngones as your daughters. Dwell on thoughts of
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Enlightenment and banish all evil ones."30. The Buddha said: "Those who follou. the
Way are like straw which must be preserved fromfire. A follower of the Way lvho experiences desiremust put a distance between hinrself and (theobject of his) desire."
31. The Buddha said: "There was one whoindulged his sexual passions unceasingly but whowished, of his own accord, to put an end to hisevil actions. I said to him: 'To put a slop to theseevil actions w-ill not be so good as to put a stop to(the root of the evil) in your mind. The mind islike I(ung Ts'ao. If Kung'fs'ao desists, his followerswill stop also. If rnental depraviLies continue, whaLis the use of putting an end to evil actions?' I thenrepeated this verse for him: 'IJe-sire springs fromyour thoughts. 'lho'.rghl springs from discernment( of matter). \Vhen the two minds are bothstilled, there is neither forin nor action., I addedthat this verse rtuas first spoken by KasyapaBuddha."
32. The Buddha said: "The sorrows of mencome from their longings and desires. Fear comesfrom these sorrows. If freedom from desire isattained, what (cause for) grief and fear rnillremain?
33. The Buddha said: ',Those rvho follow theWay are like one who has to fight ten thousandand who, putting on his armour, steps out of thegate. His thoughts may be timorous and hisresolution weak, or he may (even) get half-way
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43 THE SUTRA OF 42 SECTIONS
to the battle-ground and then turn round and flee.
.f*gairir., he may join battle and be slain. On theother hand, he may gain the victory and return.
'"I}1re Sramana who studies the Way must have a
resolute mind and zealously build up his courage,fearing nothing that lies before him and destroyingall the demons (of temptation that stand in hissay), that he may obtain the fruit (of diligentlystudying) the Way."
34. One night, a Sram.anu was intoning "TheSutra of the Teachings Bequeathed by KasyapaBuddha." The sound of his voice was mournful,for he thought repentantly of his back-slidings,born of desire. The Buddha asked him: "What didyou do before you became a monk?" "I used tolike playing the lute," he replied. "What happened,"said the Buddha, "whetrr you loosened the strings?""They made no sound." "And when you pulledthem taut?" "The sounds were brief." ',And howwas it when they were neither taut nor loose?""Then all the sorurds were normal" replied theSramana. To this the Buddha said: ..It is thesame with a Sramana studying the Way. If hismind is properly adjusted, he can attain to it, butif he forces himself tow.ards it, his mind willbecome weary and, on account of the weariness ofhis mind, his thoughts will become irritable. Withsuch irritable thoughts, his actions will retrogressand, with such retrogression, evil will enter hismind. But if he studies quietly and happily, he uillnot lose the Way."
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THE SUTRA OF 42 SECTIONS
35. The Buddha said: "If a man smelts irontrntil all impurities have been eliminated (beforeproceeding to) make implements with it, theisrplements will be of fine quality. If one who
studies the Way first purges his heart of all foulinfluences, his actions will then become pure."
36. The Buddha said: "It is hard for one toleave the grosser forms of incarnation and be borna human being.
"It is hard for such a one to escape being awoman and be born a man.
"It is hard for such a one to be born with allhis organs in perfect condition.
"It is hard for such a one to be born inChima.
1.144
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"It is hard for such ain his mind.
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"It is hard for such astate where) nothing ismanifested."
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one to attain to (thepractised and nofhing
37. The Buddha said: "A disciple living thou-sands of miles away from me will, if he constantiylnerishes and ponders on my precepts, attain the!ruit (of studying) the Way: but one who is intmmediate contact with me, though he sees me
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THE SUTRA OF 42 SECTIONS
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constantly, will ultimately fail to do so if he doesnot follow my precepts."
38. The Buddha said to a Sramana: ,,How
lmg is the span of a man's life?" .,It is but a fewdays," was the answer. The Buddha said: .,you
have not understood," and asked another Sramana,who replied: "It is (like) the time taken to eat (asilgle meal.") To this the Buddha replied in thesame way and asked a third: "How long is thespan of a man's life?" "It is (like) the time takenby a (single) breath," was the reply. ..Excellent,"
said the Buddha, "You understand the Way.,'39. The Buddha said: "Those who study the
Way of the Buddha should believe and follow allthat is said by the Buddha. Just as, when you eathoney (you find that), every drop of it is sweet,so is it with my words."
40. The Buddha said: '.A Sramana studyingthe Way should not be as an ox turning the mill-stone which, though it performs the necessaryactions with its bo{V, does not concentrate onthem with its mind. it tiru Way is followed in themind, of what use are actions?"
41. The Buddha said: ..Those who follow theWay are like an ox bearing a heavy load andwalking throWh deep mud. It feels so weary thatit does not dare to look to left or right and, only@ emergiqg from the mud, can it revive itself byresting. A Sramana should regard feelings anddesires more seriously than (th; ;; regaras) themud. Only by controlling his mind and thinking of
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THE SUTRA OF 42 SECTIONS
the Way can he avoid sorrow."42. The Buddha said: "I look upon the state
of kings and princes as upon the dust which blows
through a crack. I look upon ornaments of gold
arrd jewels as upon rubble. I look upon garmentsof the finest silk as upon worn-out rags. I lookupon a major chiliocosm as upon a small nut. Ilook upon the Anavatapta as upon oil for smearingthe feet. (On the other hand), I look upon expedientmethods (leading to the truth) as upon spendingheaps of jewels. I look upon the supreme vehicleas upon a dream of abrurdant lvealth. I look uponthe Buddha's Way as rlpon all the splendourswhich confront the eye. I look upon dhyanameditation as upon the pillar of Mount Sumeru.I look upon Niruana as upon waking at daybreakfrom a night's sleep. I look upon heresy erected asupon six dragons dancing. I look upon the universal,impartial attitude (of a Buddha) as upon theAbsolute Reality. I look upon conversion (to theIVay) as upon the changes undergone by a tree(due to the action of the) four seasons.
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