THE TEACHINGOF
BUDDHAWHEEL OF DHARMA

The Wheel of Dharma is the translation of the Sanskrit word,“Dharmacakra.” Similar to the wheel of a cart that keeps revolving, it symbolizes
the Buddha’s teaching as it continues to be spread widely and endlessly. The
eight spokes of the wheel represent the Noble Eightfold Path of Buddhism, themost important Way of Practice. The Noble Eightfold Path refers to right view,
right thought, right speech, right behavior, right livelihood, right effort, rightmindfulness, and right meditation. In the olden days before statues and otherimages of the Buddha were made, this Wheel of Dharma served as the object ofworship. At the present time, the Wheel is used internationally as the common
symbol of Buddhism.

Copyright © 1962, 1972, 2005 by BUKKYO DENDO KYOKAI
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Buddha’s Wisdom is broad as the ocean and His
Spirit is full of great Compassion.
Buddha has no form but manifests Himself in
Exquisiteness and leads us with His whole hear t ofCompassion.
This book is valuable because it contains theessence of the Buddha’s teachings as recorded in over
five thousand volumes. These teachings have been preserved and handed down for more than twenty five hundred years extending beyond borders and racial barriersof the world.
The words of Buddha contained in this book touchon all aspects of human life and bring meaning to it.

DHAMMAPADA
Hatreds never cease by hatreds in this world. Bylove alone they cease. This is an ancient Law.
(5)
A fool who thinks that he is a fool is for that very
reason a wise man. The fool who thinks that he is wise iscalled a fool indeed.
(63)
Though he should conquer a thousand men in thebattlefield a thousand times, yet he, indeed, who would
conquer himself is the noblest victor.
(103)
Though he should live a hundred years, not seeing
the Truth Sublime; yet better, indeed, is the single day’s
life of one who sees the truth Sublime.
(115)
Hard is birth as man, Hard is the life of mortals,
Hard is the hearing of the Sublime Truth, Hard is theappearance of a Buddha.
(182)
Not to do any evil, To cultivate good, To purify one’s
mind, – This is the advice of the Buddhas.
(183)
There are no sons for protection, neither father nor
even kinsmen; for him who is overcome by death no protection is there from kinsmen.
(288)

CONTENTSBUDDHA
Chapter One Shakyamuni Buddha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I. The Life of The Buddha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
II. The Last Teaching of The Buddha . . . . . . . . .
Chapter Two The Eternal and Glorified Buddha . . . .
I. His Compassion and Vows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
II. Buddha’s Relief and Salvation for us . . . . . . .
III. The Eternal Buddha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter Three The Form of Buddha and His
Virtues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I. Three Aspects of Buddha’s Body . . . . . . . . .
II. The Appearance of Buddha . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
III. Buddha’s Virtue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
DHARMA
Chapter One Causation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I. The Fourfold Noble Truth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
II. Causation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
III. Dependent Origination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter Two The Theory of Mind-Only and
The Real State of Things . . . . . . . . . . .
I. Impermanency and Egolessness . . . . . . . . . .
II. The Theory of Mind-Only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
III. Real State of Things . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
IV. The Middle Way . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2
2
10
15
15
19
22
25
25
29
32

38
38
41
42
46
46
49
52
57

Chapter Three Buddha-Nature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
I. The Mind of Purity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
II. Buddha-Nature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
III. Egolessness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Chapter Four Defilements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
I. Human Defilements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
II. Human Nature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
III. Human Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
IV. Reality of Human Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Chapter Five The Relief Offered by Buddha . . . . . . . 102
I. Amida Buddha’s Vows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
II. Amida Buddha’s Land of Purity . . . . . . . . . . . 110

THE WAY OF PRACTICE
Chapter One The Way of Purification . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
I. Purification of the Mind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
II. The Good Way of Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
III. Teaching in Ancient Fables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Chapter Two The Way of Practical Attainment . . . . . 150
I. Search for Truth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
II. The Ways of Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
III. The Way of Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
IV. Sacred Sayings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
THE BROTHERHOOD
Chapter One Duties of the Brotherhood . . . . . . . . . . . 194
I. Renunciants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194

II. Lay Followers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
III. Practical Guide to True Way of Living . . . . . . 212
Chapter Two Building a Buddha Land . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
I. The Harmony of Brotherhood . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
II. The Buddha’s Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
III. Those Who Have Received Glory in
Buddha’s Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Source References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245

I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.

The Appendixes
Brief History of Buddhism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Transmission of Buddha’s Teaching . . . . . . . 268
History of “The Teaching of Buddha” . . . . . . 271
Index to “The Teaching of Buddha” . . . . . . . 273
Sanskrit Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Society for the Promotion of Buddhism
and Distribution of “The Teaching of
Buddha” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288

BUDDHA

CHAPTER ONE

SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA
I
THE LIFE OF THE BUDDHA

1. The Shakya clansmen dwelt along the Rohini River
which flows among the souther n foothills of theHimalayas. Their king, Shuddhodana Gautama, established his capital at Kapilavastu and there had a great
castle built and ruled wisely, winning the acclaim of his
people.

The Queen’s name was Maya. She was the daughterof the King’s uncle who was also the king of a neighboring district of the same Shakya clan.

For twenty years they had no children. But onenight Queen Maya had a strange dream, in which she
saw a white elephant entering into her womb through theright side of her chest, and she became pregnant. The
King and the people looked forward with anticipation to
the birth of a royal child. According to their custom the
Queen returned to her parents’ home for the birth, andon her way, in the beautiful spring sunshine, she took arest in the Lumbini Garden.
−2−

Shakyamuni Buddha

All about her were Ashoka blossoms. In delight she
reached her right arm out to pluck a branch and as she
did so a prince was born. All expressed their heart-felt
delight with the glor y of the Queen and her princely
child; Heaven and Earth rejoiced. This memorable day
was the eighth day of April.
The joy of the King was extreme and he named thechild, Siddhartha, which means “Every wish fulfilled.”
2. In the palace of the King, however, delight was followed quickly by sorrow, for after several days the lovely
Queen Maya suddenly died. Her younger sister,
Mahaprajapati, became the child’s foster mother andbrought him up with loving care.
A hermit, called Asita, who lived in the mountains
not far away, noticed a radiance about the castle.
Interpreting it as a good omen he came down to thepalace and was shown the child. He predicted: “This
Prince, if he remains in the palace, when grown up will
become a great king and subjugate the whole world. But
if he forsakes the court life to embrace a religious life, hewill become a Buddha, the Savior of the world.”
At first the King was pleased to hear this prophecy,
but later he started to worry about the possibility of his
only son leaving the palace to become a homelessrecluse.
−3−

Shakyamuni Buddha

At the age of seven the Prince began his lessons in
the civil and military arts, but his thoughts more naturally
tended to other things. One spring day he went out of thecastle with his father. Together they were watching a
farmer at his plowing when he noticed a bird descended
to the ground and carried off a small worm which had
been turned up by the farmer’s plough. He sat down inthe shade of a tree and thought about it, whispering tohimself:“Alas! Do all living creatures kill each other?”
The Prince, who had lost his mother so soon after
his birth, was deeply affected by the tragedy of these
little creatures.
This spiritual wound deepened day by day as hegrew up; like a little scar on a young tree, the suffering of
human life became more and more deeply engrained in
his mind.
The King was increasingly worried as he recalled
the hermit’s prophecy and tried in every possible way tocheer the Prince and to turn his thoughts in other directions. The King arranged the marriage of the Prince at
the age of nineteen to the Princess Yashodhara. She was
the daughter of Suprabuddha, the Lord of DevadahaCastle and a brother of the late Queen Maya.

−4−

Shakyamuni Buddha

3. For ten years, in the different Pavilions of Spring,
Autumn and the Rainy Season, the Prince was immersedin rounds of music, dancing and pleasure, but always histhoughts returned to the problem of suffering as he pensively tried to understand the true meaning of human life.
“The luxuries of the palace, this healthy body, thisrejoicing youth! What do they mean to me?” he thought.
“Some day we may be sick, we shall become aged; fromdeath there is no escape. Pride of youth, pride of health,pride of existence – all thoughtful people should castthem aside.
“A man struggling for existence will naturally look
for something of value. There are two ways of looking – aright way and a wrong way. If he looks in the wrong way
he recognizes that sickness, old age and death areunavoidable, but he seeks the opposite.
“If he looks in the right way he recognizes the true
nature of sickness, old age and death, and he searches
for meaning in that which transcends all human sufferings. In my life of pleasures I seem to be looking in thewrong way.”4.

Thus the spiritual struggle went on in the mind of−5−

Shakyamuni Buddha

the Prince until his only child, Rahula, was born when hewas 29. This seemed to bring things to a climax, for hethen decided to leave the palace and look for the solutionof his spiritual unrest in the homeless life of a mendicant.
He left the castle one night with only his charioteer,
Chandaka, and his favorite horse, the snow-white
Kanthaka.

His anguish did not end and many devils tempted
him saying: “You would do better to return to the castle
for the whole world would soon be yours.” But he told thedevil that he did not want the whole world. So he shaved
his head and turned his steps toward the south, carrying
a begging bowl in his hand.

The Prince first visited the hermit Bhagava andwatched his ascetic practices. He then went to Arada
Kalama and Udraka Ramaputra to learn their methods ofattaining Enlightenment through meditation; but after
practicing them for a time he became convinced that theywould not lead him to Enlightenment. Finally he went to
the land of Magadha and practiced asceticism in theforest of Uruvilva on the banks of the Nairanjana River,which flows by the Gaya Village.
−6−

Shakyamuni Buddha

5. The methods of his practice were unbelievably rigorous. He spurred himself on with the thought that “noascetic in the past, none in the present, and none in the
future, ever has practiced or ever will practice moreearnestly than I do.”Still the Prince could not realize his goal. After six
years in the forest he gave up the practice of asceticism.
He went bathing in the river and accepted a bowl of milk
from the hand of Sujata, a maiden, who lived in the neighboring village. The five companions who had lived with
the Prince during the six years of his ascetic practicewere shocked that he should receive milk from the handof a maiden; they thought him degraded and left him.

Thus the Prince was left alone. He was still weak,
but at the risk of losing his life he attempted yet anotherperiod of meditation, saying to himself, “Blood may
become exhausted, flesh may decay, bones may fallapart, but I will never leave this place until I find the way
to Enlightenment.”

It was an intense and incomparable struggle forhim. He was desperate and filled with confusing
thoughts, dark shadows overhung his spirit, and he was−7−

Shakyamuni Buddha

beleaguered by all the lures of the devils. Carefully andpatiently he examined them one by one and rejected
them all. It was a hard struggle indeed, making his blood
run thin, his flesh fall away, and his bones crack.
But when the morning star appeared in the easternsky, the struggle was over and the Prince’s mind was asclear and bright as the breaking day. He had, at last,found the path to Enlightenment. It was December
eighth, when the Prince became a Buddha at thirty-fiveyears of age.
6. From this time on the Prince was known by different names: some spoke of him as Buddha, the Perfectly
Enlightened One, Tathagata; some spoke of him as
Shakyamuni, the Sage of the Shakya clan; others called
him the World-honored One.
He went first to Mrigadava in Varanasi where thefive mendicants who had lived with him during the six
years of his ascetic life were staying. At first theyshunned him, but after they had talked with him, they
believed in him and became his first followers. He thenwent to the Rajagriha Castle and won over King
Bimbisara who had always been his friend. From there
he went about the country living on alms and teaching
men to accept his way of life.
People responded to him as the thirsty seek water−8−

Shakyamuni Buddha

and the hungry food. Two great disciples, Sariputra andMaudgalyayana, and their two thousand followers, cameto him.
At first the Buddha’s father, King Shuddhodana, still
inwardly suffering because of his son’s decision to leave
the palace, remained aloof, but then became his faithful
disciple. Mahaprajapati, the Buddha’s stepmother, andPrincess Yashodhara, his wife, and all the members of the
Shakya clan began to follow him. Multitudes of others
also became his devoted and faithful followers.
7. For for ty-five years the Buddha went about thecountry preaching and persuading people to follow his
way of life. But when he was eighty, at Vaisali and on his
way from Rajagriha to Shravasti, he became ill and predicted that after three months he would enter Nirvana.
Still he journeyed on until he reached Pava where he fell
seriously ill from some food offered by Chunda, a blacksmith. Eventually, in spite of great pain and weakness, hereached the forest that bordered Kusinagara.
L ying between two large sala trees, he continued
teaching his disciples until his last moment. Thus heentered into perfect tranquility after he had completed
his work as the world’s greatest teacher.

−9−

Shakyamuni Buddha

8. Under the guidance of Ananda, the Buddha’sfavorite disciple, the body was cremated by his friends in
Kusinagara.
Seven neighboring rulers as well as King Ajatasatru
demanded that the relics be divided among them. The
People of Kusinagara at first refused and the dispute eventhreatened to end in war; but under the advice of a wise
man named Drona, the crisis passed and the relics weredivided among the eight great countries. The ashes of thefuneral pyre and the earthen jar that contained the relics
were also given to two other rulers to be likewise honored. Thus ten great towers commemorating the Buddha
were built to enshrine his relics and ashes.

II
THE LAST TEACHING OF THE BUDDHA
1. Beneath the sala trees at Kusinagara, in his lastwords to his disciples, the Buddha said:“Make of yourself a light. Rely upon yourself: do notdepend upon anyone else. Make my teachings your light.
Rely upon them: do not depend upon any other teaching.
Consider your body: Think of its impurity. Knowingthat both its pain and its delight are alike causes of suffering, how can you indulge in its desires? Consider your− 10 −

Shakyamuni Buddha‘self’; think of its transiency; how can you fall into delusion about it and cherish pride and selfishness, knowingthat they must all end in inevitable suffering? Consider all
substances; can you find among them any enduring ‘self’?
Are they not all aggregates that sooner or later will breakapart and be scattered? Do not be confused by the universality of suffering, but follow my teaching, even after mydeath, and you will be rid of pain. Do this and you will
indeed be my disciples.”
2. “My disciples, the teachings that I have given you
are never to be forgotten or abandoned. They are always
to be treasured, they are to be thought about, they are to
be practiced. If you follow these teachings you will always
be happy.
The point of the teachings is to control your own
mind. Keep your mind from greed, and you will keep
your behavior right, your mind pure and your words
faithful. By always thinking about the transiency of yourlife, you will be able to resist greed and anger, and will beable to avoid all evils.
If you find your mind tempted and so entangled ingreed, you must suppress and control the temptation; bethe master of your own mind.

− 11 −

Shakyamuni Buddha

A man’s mind may make him a Buddha, or it may
make him a beast. Misled by er ror, one becomes ademon; enlightened, one becomes a Buddha. Therefore,
control your mind and do not let it deviate from the rightpath.”
3. “You should respect each other, follow my teachings, and refrain from disputes; you should not, like waterand oil, repel each other, but should, like milk and water,
mingle together.
Study together, learn together, practice my teachings together. Do not waste your mind and time in idleness and quar reling. Enjoy the blossoms of
Enlightenment in their season and harvest the fruit of theright path.
The teachings which I have given you, I gained byfollowing the path myself. You should follow these teachings and conform to their spirit on every occasion.
If you neglect them, it means that you have neverreally met me. It means that you are far from me, even if
you are actually with me; but if you accept and practice
my teachings, then you are very near to me, even though
you are far away.”4.

“My disciples, my end is approaching, our parting is− 12 −

Shakyamuni Buddha

near, but do not lament. Life is ever changing; none canescape the dissolution of the body. This I am now to showby my own death, my body falling apart like a dilapidatedcart.
Do not vainly lament, but realize that nothing is permanent and learn from it the emptiness of human life. Do
not cherish the unworthy desire that the changeable
might become unchanging.
The demon of worldly desires is always seeking
chances to deceive the mind. If a viper lives in your roomand you wish to have a peaceful sleep, you must firstchase it out.
You must break the bonds of worldly passions anddrive them away as you would a viper. You must
positively protect your own mind.”
5. “My disciples, my last moment has come, but do notforget that death is only the end of the physical body. The
body was born from parents and was nourished by food;just as inevitable are sickness and death.
But the true Buddha is not a human body: — it isEnlightenment. A human body must die, but the Wisdomof Enlightenment will exist forever in the truth of theDharma, and in the practice of the Dharma. He who sees
− 13 −

Shakyamuni Buddha

merely my body does not truly see me. Only he who
accepts my teaching truly sees me.
After my death, the Dharma shall be your teacher.
Follow the Dharma and you will be true to me.
During the last forty-five years of my life, I have
withheld nothing from my teachings. There is no secretteaching, no hidden meaning; ever ything has beentaught openly and clearly. My dear disciples, this is theend. In a moment, I shall be passing into Nirvana. This is
my instruction.”− 14 −

CHAPTER TWO

THE ETERNAL AND GLORIFIEDBUDDHAIHIS COMPASSION AND VOWS

1. The Spirit of Buddha is that of great loving kindness
and compassion. The great loving kindness is the spirit tosave all people by any and all means. The great compassion is the spirit that prompts it to be ill with the illness ofpeople, to suffer with their suffering.

“Your suffering is my suffering and your happinessis my happiness,” said Buddha, and, just as a motheralways loves her child, He does not forget that spirit evenfor a single moment, for it is the nature of Buddhahood to
be compassionate.

The Buddha’s spirit of compassion is stimulated
according to the needs of the people; one’s faith is thereaction to this spirit, and it leads him to Enlightenment,
just as a mother realizes her motherhood by loving her
child; then the child, reacting to that love, feels safe andat ease.
− 15 −

The Eternal and Glorified Buddha

Yet people do not understand this spirit of Buddha
and go on suffering from the illusions and desires thatarise from their ignorance; they suffer from their own
deeds accumulated through worldly passions, andwander about among the mountains of delusion with theheavy burden of their evil deeds.
2. Do not think that the compassion of the Buddha isonly for the present life; it is a manifestation of the timeless compassion of the eternal Buddha that has been
operative since unknown time, when mankind went
astray due to ignorance.
The eternal Buddha always appears before people inthe most friendly forms and brings to them the wisest
methods of relief.
Shakyamuni Buddha, born a Prince among his
Shakya kinsmen, left the comforts of his home to live alife of asceticism. Through the practice of silent meditation, he realized Enlightenment. He preached theDharma (the teaching) among his fellow men and finally
manifested it by his earthly death.
The working of Buddhahood is as everlasting as
human ignorance is endless; and as the depth of ignorance is bottomless, so Buddha’s compassion is boundless.
− 16 −

The Eternal and Glorified Buddha

When Buddha decided to break from the worldly
life, he made four great vows: 1) To save all people; 2) To
renounce all worldly desires; 3) To learn all the teachings; and 4) to attain perfect Enlightenment. These vows
were manifestations of the love and compassion that are
fundamental to the nature of Buddhahood.
3. Buddha first taught himself to avoid the sin ofkilling any living creature, he wished that all people
might know the blessedness of a long life.
Buddha trained himself to avoid the sin of stealing,
he wished that all people might have ever ything theyneeded.
Buddha trained himself to avoid ever committing
adulter y, he wished that all people might know theblessedness of a pure spirit and not suffer from insatiable
desires.
Buddha, aiming at his ideal, trained himself toremain free from all deception, he wished that all people
might know the tranquillity of mind that would follow in
speaking the truth.
He trained himself to avoid double-talk; he wishedthat all people might know the joy of fellowship.
− 17 −

The Eternal and Glorified Buddha

He trained himself to avoid abusing others, and thenhe wished that all might have the serene mind that would
follow by living in peace with others.
He kept himself free from idle talk, and then wishedthat all might know the blessedness of sympathetic
understanding.
Buddha, aiming at his ideal, trained himself to keep
free from greed, and by this virtuous deed he wished thatall people might know the peacefulness that would gowith this freedom.
He trained himself to avoid anger, and he wishedthat all people might love one another.
He trained himself to avoid ignorance, and wishedthat all people might understand and not disregard thelaw of causation.
Thus Buddha’s compassion embraces all people,
and his constant consideration is for their happiness. He
loves people as parents love their children and wishes thehighest blessedness for them, namely, that they will beable to pass beyond this ocean of birth and death.

− 18 −

The Eternal and Glorified Buddha

II
BUDDHA’S RELIEF AND
SALVATION FOR US
1. It is very difficult for the words spoken by Buddha
from the far bank of Enlightenment to reach the people
still struggling in the world of delusion; therefore Buddha
returns to this world Himself and uses His methods ofsalvation.
“Now I will tell you a parable,” Buddha said. “Oncethere lived a wealthy man whose house caught on fire.
The man was away from home and when he came back,he found that his children were so absorbed in play, had
not noticed the fire and were still inside the house. The
father screamed, ‘Get out, children! Come out of thehouse! Hurry!’ But the children did not heed him.
The anxious father shouted again. ‘Children, I havesome wonderful toys here; come out of the house and getthem!’ Heeding his cry this time, the children ran out of
the burning house.”
This world is a burning house. The people, unawarethat the house is on fire, are in danger of being burned todeath so Buddha in compassion devises ways of saving
them.

− 19 −

The Eternal and Glorified Buddha

2. Buddha said: “I will tell you another parable. Onceupon a time the only son of a wealthy man left his homeand fell into extreme poverty.
When the father traveled far from home in search of
his son, he lost track of him. He did everything he could
to find his son, but in vain.
Decades later, his son, now reduced to wretchedness, wandered near where his father was living.
The father quickly recognized his son and sent his
servants to bring the wanderer home; who was overcomeby the majestic appearance of the mansion. He fearedthat they were deceiving him and would not go withthem. He did not realize it was his own father.
The father again sent his servants to offer him somemoney to become a servant in their rich master’s household. The son accepted the offer and returned with themto his father’s house and became a servant.

The father gradually advanced him until he was put
in charge of all the property and treasures, but still theson did not recognize his own father.
The father was pleased with his son’s faithfulness,− 20 −

The Eternal and Glorified Buddha

and as the end of his life drew near, he called together his
relatives and friends and told them: ‘Friends, this is my
only son, the son I sought for many years. From now on,
all my property and treasures belong to him.’
The son was surprised at his father’s confession andsaid: ‘Not only have I found my father but all thisproperty and treasure is now mine.’”
The wealthy man in this parable represents Buddha,
and the wandering son, all people. Buddha’s compassion
embraces all people with the love of a father for his onlyson. In that love he conceives the wisest methods to lead,teach and enrich them with the treasure of
Enlightenment.
3. Just as rain falls on all vegetation, so Buddha’s compassion extends equally to all people. Just as different
plants receive particular benefits from the same rain, so
people of different natures and circumstances are blessedin different ways.
4. Parents love all their children, but their love isexpressed with special tenderness toward a sick child.
Buddha’s compassion is equal toward all people, but
it is expressed with special care toward those who,
because of their ignorance, have heavier burdens of evil
− 21 −

The Eternal and Glorified Buddha

and suffering to bear.
The sun rises in the eastern sky and clears away the
darkness of the world without prejudice or favoritism
toward any particular region. So Buddha’s compassion
encompasses all people, encouraging them to do rightand guides them against evil. Thus, He clears away the
darkness of ignorance and leads people to Enlightenment.
Buddha is a father in His compassion and a motherin His loving-kindness. In their ignorance and bondage toworldly desire, people often act with excessive zeal.
Buddha is also zealous, but out of compassion for all
people. They are helpless without Buddha’s compassion
and must receive His methods of salvation as His children.
III
THE ETERNAL BUDDHA
1. Common people believe that Buddha was born aprince and learned the way to Enlightenment as a mendicant; actually, Buddha has always existed in the world
which is without beginning or end.
As the Eternal Buddha, He has known all people
and applied all methods of relief.
− 22 −

The Eternal and Glorified Buddha

There is no falsity in the Eternal Dharma which
Buddha taught, for He knows all things in the world as
they are, and He teaches them to all people.
Indeed, it is very difficult to understand the world as
it is, for, although it seems true, it is not, and, although it
seems false, it is not. Ignorant people can not know thetruth concerning the world.

Buddha alone truly and fully knows the world as it isand He never says that it is true or false, or good or evil.
He simply portrays the world as it is.

What Buddha does teach is this: “That all people
should cultivate roots of virtue according to their natures,
their deeds, and their beliefs.” This teaching transcends
all affirmation and negation of this world.

2. Buddha teaches not only through words, but also
through His life. Although His life is endless, in order toawaken greedy people, He uses the expedient of death.
“While a certain physician was away from home, hischildren accidentally took some poison. When the physician returned, he noticed their sickness and prepared an− 23 −

The Eternal and Glorified Buddha

antidote. Some of the children who were not seriously
poisoned accepted the medicine and were cured, butothers were so seriously affected that they refused totake the medicine.
The physician, prompted by his paternal love for hischildren, decided on an extreme method to press thecure upon them. He said to the children: “I must go off
on a long journey. I am old and may pass away any day. If
I am with you I can care for you, but if I should pass away,
you will become worse and worse. If you hear of mydeath, I implore you to take the antidote and be cured ofthis subtle poisoning.” Then he went on the long journey.
After a time, he sent a messenger to his children to
inform them of his death.
The children, receiving the message, were deeply
affected by the thought of their father’s death and by therealization that they would no longer have the benefit ofhis benevolent care. Recalling his parting request, in a
feeling of sorrow and helplessness, they took the medicine and recovered.
People must not condemn the deception of thisfather-physician. Buddha is like that father. He, too,
employs the fiction of birth and death to save people whoare entangled in the bondage of desires.
− 24 −

CHAPTER THREE

THE FORM OF BUDDHA AND
HIS VIRTUESI
THREE ASPECTS OF BUDDHA’S BODY

1. Do not seek to know Buddha by His form or attributes; for neither the form nor the attributes are the real
Buddha. The true Buddha is Enlightenment itself. The
true way to know Buddha is to realize Enlightenment.

If someone sees some excellent features of Buddha
and then thinks he knows Buddha, his is the mistake ofan ignorant eye, for the true Buddha can not be embodied in a form or seen by human eyes. Neither can one
know Buddha by a faultless description of his attributes.
It is not possible to describe His attributes in humanwords.

Though we speak of His form, the Eternal Buddha
has no set form, but can manifest Himself in any form.
Though we describe His attributes, yet the Eternal
Buddha has no set attributes, but can manifest Himself in
any and all excellent attributes.
− 25 −

The Form of Buddha and his Virtues

So, if one sees distinctly the form of Buddha, or perceives His attributes clearly, and yet does not become
attached to His form or to His attributes, he has thecapacity to see and know Buddha.
2. Buddha’s body is Enlightenment itself. Being formless and without substance, it always has been and always
will be. It is not a physical body that must be nourishedby food. It is an eter nal body whose substance is
Wisdom. Buddha, therefore, has neither fear nor disease;
He is eternally changeless.

Therefore, Buddha will never disappear as long as
Enlightenment exists. Enlightenment appears as the lightof Wisdom that awakens people into a newness of life andcauses them to be born into the world of Buddha.
Those who realize this become the children of
Buddha; they keep His Dharma, honor His teachings andpass them on to posterity. Nothing can be more miraculous than the power of Buddha.

3. Buddha has a three-fold body. There is an aspect ofEssence or Dhar ma-kaya; there is an aspect ofPotentiality or Sambhoga-kaya; and there is an aspect ofManifestation or Nirmana-kaya.
− 26 −

The Form of Buddha and his Virtues

Dharma-kaya is the substance of the Dharma; thatis, it is the substance of Truth itself. In the aspect ofEssence, Buddha has no shape or color, and since
Buddha has no shape or color, He comes from nowhere
and there is nowhere for Him to go. Like the blue sky, He
arches over ever ything, and since He is all things, He
lacks nothing.
He does not exist because people think He exists;
neither does He disappear because people forget Him.
He is under no particular compulsion to appear whenpeople are happy and comfortable, neither is it necessaryfor Him to disappear when people are inattentive and idle.
Buddha transcends every conceivable direction of humanthought.
Buddha’s body in this aspect fills every corner ofthe universe; it reaches ever ywhere, it exists forever,regardless of whether people believe in Him or doubt His
existence.
4. Sambhoga-kaya signifies that the nature of Buddha,
the merging of both Compassion and Wisdom, which isimageless spirit, manifests itself through the symbols ofbirth and death, through the symbols of vow-making,training and revealing His sacred name, in order to leadall people to salvation.
− 27 −

The Form of Buddha and his Virtues

Compassion is the Essence of this body and in its
spirit Buddha uses all devices to emancipate all those
who are ready for emancipation. Like a fire that, once kindled, never dies until the fuel is exhausted, so theCompassion of Buddha will never falter until all worldly
passions are exhausted. Just as the wind blows away thedust, so the Compassion of Buddha in this body blows
away the dust of human suffering.
Nirmana-kaya signifies that, in order to complete
the relief of Buddha of Potentiality, Buddha appeared in
the world in bodily form and showed the people, according to their natures and capacities, the aspects of thebir th, renunciation of this world and attainment of
Enlightenment. In order to lead the people, Buddha inthis body uses every means such as illness and death.
The form of Buddha is originally one Dharma-kaya,
but as the nature of people varies, Buddha’s form appears
differently. Although the form of Buddha varies according to the different desires, deeds and abilities of people,
Buddha is concerned only with the truth of the Dharma.
Though Buddha has a three-fold body, His spirit andpurpose are one – to save all people.
In all circumstances Buddha is manifest in His
purity, yet this manifestation is not Buddha because− 28 −

The Form of Buddha and his Virtues

Buddha is not a form. Buddhahood fills ever ything; itmakes Enlightenment its body and, as Enlightenment, it
appears before all those capable of realizing the Truth.

II
THE APPEARANCE OF BUDDHA
1. It is seldom that a Buddha appears in this world.
Now a Buddha does appear, attains Enlightenment, introduces the Dharma, severs the net of suspicion, removes
the lure of desire at its root, plugs the fountain of evil.
Completely unhindered He walks at will over the world.
There is nothing greater than to revere the Buddha.
Buddha appears in the world of suffering because
He can not desert suffering people. His only purpose is tospread the Dharma and to bless all people with its Truth.
It is very difficult to introduce the Dharma into aworld filled with injustice and false standards, a worldthat is vainly struggling with insatiable desires and discomforts. Buddha faces these difficulties because of His
great love and compassion.
2.

Buddha is a good friend to all people. If Buddha− 29 −

The Form of Buddha and his Virtues

finds a man suffering from the heavy burden of worldly
passions, He feels compassion and shares the burdenwith him. If He meets a man suffering from delusion, He
will clear away the delusion by the pure light of His
wisdom.
Like a calf which enjoys its life with its mother,those who have heard the Buddha’s teachings are afterward unwilling to leave Him because His teachings bringthem happiness.
3. When the moon sets, people say that the moon has
disappeared; and when the moon rises, they say that themoon has appeared. In fact, the moon neither goes nor
comes, but shines continually in the sky. Buddha isexactly like the moon: He neither appears nor disappears;
He only seems to do so out of love for the people that He
may teach them.
People call one phase of the moon a full moon, theycall another phase a crescent moon; in reality, the moonis always perfectly round, neither waxing nor waning.
Buddha is precisely like the moon. In the eyes of human,
Buddha may seem to change in appearance, but, in truth,
Buddha does not change.
The moon appears everywhere, over a crowded city,
a sleepy village, a mountain, a river. It is seen in the− 30 −

The Form of Buddha and his Virtues

depths of a pond, in a jug of water, in a drop of dew hanging on a leaf. If a man walks hundreds of miles the moongoes with him. To men the moon seems to change, but
the moon does not change. Buddha is like the moon infollowing the people of this world in all their changing circumstances, manifesting various appearances; but in His
Essence He does not change.
4. The fact that Buddha appears and disappears can be
explained by causality: namely, when the cause and conditions are propitious, Buddha appears; when causes andconditions are not propitious, Buddha seems to disappear
from the world.
Whether Buddha appears or disappears,
Buddhahood always remains the same. Knowing thisprinciple, one must keep to the path of Enlightenment
and attain Perfect Wisdom, undisturbed by the apparentchanges in the image of Buddha, in the condition of theworld, or in the fluctuations of human thought.
It has been explained that Buddha is not a physicalbody but is Enlightenment. A body may be thought of asa receptacle; then, if this receptacle is filled with
Enlightenment, it may be called Buddha. Therefore, if
anyone is attached to the physical body of Buddha andlaments His disappearance, he will be unable to see thetrue Buddha.
− 31 −

The Form of Buddha and his Virtues

In reality, the true nature of all things transcends
the discrimination of appearance and disappearance, ofcoming and going, of good and evil. All things are substanceless and perfectly homogeneous.
Such discriminations are caused by an erroneous
judgment by those who see these phenomena. The true
form of Buddha neither appears nor disappears.
III
BUDDHA’S VIRTUE
1. Buddha receives the respect of the world because of
five virtues: superior conduct; superior point of view; perfect wisdom; superior preaching ability; and the power tolead people to the practice of His teaching.
In addition, eight other virtues enable Buddha tobestow blessings and happiness upon the people: the ability to bring immediate benefits in the world through thepractice of His teaching, the ability to judge correctly
between good and bad, right and wrong, the ability tolead people to Enlightenment by teaching the right way,
the ability to lead all people by an equal way, the ability to
avoid pride and boasting, the ability to do what He has
spoken, the ability to say what He has done, and, thus
doing, to fulfill the vows of His compassionate heart.
Through meditation, Buddha preserves a calm and− 32 −

The Form of Buddha and his Virtues

peaceful spirit, radiant with mercy, compassion, happiness and even equanimity. He deals equitably with all
people, cleansing their minds of defilement and bestowing happiness in a perfect singleness of spirit.

2. Buddha is both father and mother to the people of
the world. For sixteen months after a child is born thefather and mother have to speak to him in babyish words;
then gradually they teach him to speak as an adult. Like
earthly parents, Buddha first takes care of the people andthen leaves them to care for themselves. He first brings
things to pass according to their desires and then He
brings them to a peaceful and safe shelter.
What Buddha preaches in His language, people
receive and assimilate in their own language as if it wereintended exclusively for them.
Buddha’s state of mind surpasses human thought; it
can not be made clear by words; it can only be hinted atin parables.

The Ganges River is stirred up by the tramping ofhorses and elephants and disturbed by the movements offish and turtles; but the river flows on, pure and undisturbed by such trifles. Buddha is like the great river. The− 33 −

The Form of Buddha and his Virtues

fish and tur tles of other teachings swim about in its
depths and push against its current, but in vain. Buddha’s
Dharma flows on, pure and undisturbed.
3. Buddha’s Wisdom, being perfect, keeps away fromextremes of prejudice and preserves a moderation that isbeyond all words to describe. Being all-wise He knows
the thoughts and feelings of all men and realizes everything in this world in a moment.
As the stars of heaven are reflected in the calm sea,so people’s thoughts, feelings and circumstances arereflected in the depths of Buddha’s Wisdom. This is why
Buddha is called the Per fectly Enlightened One, theOmniscience.
Buddha’s Wisdom refreshes the arid minds ofpeople, enlightens them and teaches them the significance of this world, its causes and its effects, appearingsand disappearings. Indeed, without the aid of Buddha’s
Wisdom, what aspect of the world is at all comprehensible for people?
4. Buddha does not always appear as a Buddha.
Sometimes He appears as an incarnation of evil, sometimes as a woman, a god, a king, or a statesman; sometimes He appears in a brothel or in a gambling house.
− 34 −

The Form of Buddha and his Virtues

In an epidemic He appears as a healing physician
and in war He preaches forbearance and mercy for thesuffering people; for those who believe that things are
everlasting, He preaches transiency and uncertainty; forthose who are proud and egoistic, He preaches humility
and self-sacrifice; for those who are entangled in the webof worldly pleasures, He reveals the misery of the world.
The work of Buddha is to manifest in all affairs andon all occasions the pure essence of Dharma-kaya (theabsolute nature of Buddha); so Buddha’s mercy and compassion flow out from this Dharma-kaya in endless lifeand boundless light, bringing salvation to all.
5. The world is like a burning house that is forever
being destroyed and rebuilt. People, being confused by
the darkness of their ignorance, lose their minds inanger, displeasure, jealousy, prejudice and worldly passion. They are like babies in need of a mother; everyone
must be dependent upon Buddha’s mercy and compassion.
Buddha is a father to all the world; all human beings
are the children of Buddha. Buddha is the most saintly of
saints. The world is afire with decrepitude and death;
there is suffering everywhere. But people, engrossed in
the vain search for worldly pleasure, are not wise enoughto fully realize this.
− 35 −

The Form of Buddha and his Virtues

Buddha saw that this world of delusion was really aburning house, so He turned from it and found refugeand peace in the quiet forest. There, out of His great compassion, he calls to us: “This world of change and suffering belongs to me; all these ignorant, heedless people are
my children; I am the only one who can save them fromtheir delusion and misery.”As Buddha is the great king of the Dharma, He canpreach to all people as He wishes. Buddha appears in theworld to bless the people. To save them from suffering
He preaches the Dharma, but the ears of people are
dulled by greed and they are inattentive.
But those who listen to His teachings are free fromthe delusions and the miseries of life. “People can not besaved by relying on their own wisdom,” He said, “andthrough faith they must enter into my teaching.”
Therefore, one should listen to the Buddha’s teachingand put it into practice.

− 36 −

DHARMACHAPTER ONE

CAUSATIONI
THE FOURFOLD NOBLE TRUTH

1. The world is full of suffering. Birth is suffering, oldage is suffering, sickness and death are sufferings. To
meet a person whom one hates is suffering, to be separated from a beloved one is suffering, to be vainly struggling to satisfy one’s needs is suffering. In fact, life that is
not free from desire and passion is always involved with
distress. This is called the Truth of Suffering.

The cause of human suffering is undoubtedly foundin the thirsts of the physical body and in the illusions ofworldly passion. If these thirsts and illusions are traced totheir source, they are found to be rooted in the intense
desires of physical instincts. Thus, desire, having astrong will-to-live as its basis, seeks that which it feels
desirable, even if it is sometimes death. This is called theTruth of the Cause of Suffering.

If desire, which lies at the root of all human passion,
can be removed, then passion will die out and all human− 38 −

Causation

suffering will be ended. This is called the Truth of the
Cessation of Suffering.
In order to enter into a state where there is no
desire and no suffering, one must follow a certain Path.
The stages of this Noble Eightfold Path are: Right View,
Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Behavior, Right
Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right
Concentration. This is called the Truth of the Noble Pathto the Cessation of the Cause of Suffering.
People should keep these Truths clearly in mind,
for the world is filled with suffering and if anyone wishes
to escape from suf fering, he must sever the ties ofworldly passion which is the sole cause of suffering. The
way of life which is free from all worldly passion andsuffering can only be known through Enlightenment, andEnlightenment can only be attained through thediscipline of the Noble Eightfold Path.
2. All those who are seeking Enlightenment must
understand the Fourfold Noble Truth. Without understanding this, they will wander about interminably in the
bewildering maze of life’s illusions. Those who understand this Fourfold Noble Truth are called “the people
who have acquired the eyes of Enlightenment.”
Therefore, those who wish to follow the Buddha’s− 39 −

Causationteachings should concentrate their minds on thisFourfold Noble Truth and seek to make their understanding of its meaning clear. In all ages, a saint, if he is atrue saint, is one who understands it and teaches it toothers.
When a person clearly understands the Fourfold
Noble Truth, then the Noble Eightfold Path will lead one
away from greed; and if a person is free from greed, onewill not quarrel with the world, one will not kill, nor steal,
nor commit adultery, nor cheat, nor abuse, nor flatter, norenvy, nor lose one’s temper, nor forget the transiency oflife nor will one be unjust.
3. Following the Noble Path is like entering a darkroom with a light in the hand: the darkness will all becleared away and the room will be filled with light.
People who understand the meaning of the Noble
Truths and have learned to follow the Noble Path are inpossession of the light of wisdom that will clear away the
darkness of ignorance.
Buddha leads people, merely by indicating to them
the Fourfold Noble Truth. Those who understand it properly will attain Enlightenment; they will be able to guideand support others in this bewildering world, and they
will be worthy of trust. When the Fourfold Noble Truthis clearly understood, all the sources of worldly passion− 40 −

Causation

are dried up.
Advancing from this Fourfold Noble Truth, the disciples of Buddha will attain all other precious truths; they
will gain the wisdom and insight to understand all meanings, and will become capable of preaching the Dharma
to all the peoples of the world.
II
CAUSATION
1. There are causes for all human suffering, and there
is a way by which they may be ended, because ever ything in the world is the result of a vast concurrence ofcauses and conditions, and ever ything disappears asthese causes and conditions change and pass away.
Rain falls, winds blow, plants bloom, leaves mature
and are blown away. These phenomena are all interrelated with causes and conditions, and are brought about by
them, and disappear as the causes and conditions
change.
One is born through the conditions of parentage.
His body is nourished by food: his spirit is nurtured byteaching and experience.
Therefore, both flesh and spirit are related to conditions and are changed as conditions change.
− 41 −

Causation

As a net is made up by a series of knots, so everything in this world is connected by a series of knots. If
anyone thinks that the mesh of a net is an independent,
isolated thing, he is mistaken.
It is called a net because it is made up of a series ofconnected meshes, and each mesh has its place andresponsibilities in relation to other meshes.
2. Blossoms come about because of a series of conditions that lead up to their blooming. Leaves are blown
away because a series of conditions lead up to it.
Blossoms do not appear independently, nor does a leaf
fall of itself, out of its season. So ever ything has its
coming forth and passing away; nothing can be independent without any change.
It is the everlasting and unchanging rule of thisworld that everything is created by a series of causes andconditions and everything disappears by the same rule;
everything changes, nothing remains constant.

III
DEPENDENT ORIGINATION
1. Where is the source of human grief, lamentation,
pain and agony? Is it not to be found in the fact that− 42 −

Causation

people are generally desirous.
They cling obstinately to lives of wealth and honor,
comfort and pleasure, excitement and self indulgence,
ignorant of the fact that the desire for these very things isthe source of human suffering.
From its beginning, the world has been filled with asuccession of calamities, over and above the unavoidable
facts of illness, old age and death.
But if one carefully considers all the facts, one must
be convinced that at the basis of all suffering lies the principle of craving desire. If avarice can be removed, humansuffering will come to an end.
Ignorance is manifested in greed that fills thehuman mind.
It comes from the fact that people are unaware of
the true reason for the succession of things.
From ignorance and greed there spring impure
desires for things that are, in fact, unobtainable, but for
which people restlessly and blindly search.
Because of ignorance and greed, people imagine
discriminations where, in reality, there are no discrimina− 43 −

Causation

tions. Inherently, there is no discrimination of right andwrong in human behavior; but people, because of ignorance, imagine such distinctions and judge them as rightor wrong.
Because of their ignorance, all people are always
thinking wrong thoughts and always losing the rightviewpoint and, clinging to their egos, they take wrong
actions. As a result, they become attached to a delusive
existence.
Making their deeds the field for their egos, using
the working of discrimination of the mind as seed,beclouding the mind by ignorance, fertilizing it with therain of craving desires, irrigating it by the willfulness ofegotism, they add the conception of evil, and carry thisincarnation of delusion about with them.

2. In reality, therefore, it is their own mind that causes
the delusions of grief, lamentation, pain and agony.
This whole world of delusion is nothing but ashadow caused by the mind. And yet, it is also from thissame mind that the world of Enlightenment appears.
3.

In this world there are three wrong viewpoints.
− 44 −

Causation

If one clings to these viewpoints, then all things inthis world are but to be denied.
First, some say that all human experience is basedon destiny; second, some hold that everything is createdby God and controlled by His will; third, some say thateverything happens by chance without having any cause
or condition.
If all has been decided by destiny, both good deeds
and evil deeds are predetermined, weal and woe are predestined; nothing would exist that has not been foreordained. Then all human plans and efforts for improvement and progress would be in vain and humanity would
be without hope.
The same is true of the other viewpoints, for, if
ever ything in the last resor t is in the hands of an
unknowable God, or of blind chance, what hope has
humanity except in submission? It is no wonder thatpeople holding these conceptions lose hope and neglect
efforts to act wisely and to avoid evil.
In fact, these three conceptions or viewpoints are all
wrong: everything is a succession of appearances whose
source is the accumulation of causes and conditions.

− 45 −

CHAPTER TWO

THE THEORY OF MIND-ONLY AND
THE REAL STATE OF THINGSI
IMPERMANENCY AND EGOLESSNESS

1. Though both body and mind appear because ofcooperating causes, it does not follow that there is an egopersonality. As the body of flesh is an aggregate of elements, it is, therefore, impermanent.
If the body were an ego-personality, it could do thisand that as it would determine.

A king has the power to praise or punish as hewishes, but he becomes ill despite his intent or desire, hecomes to old age unwillingly, and his fortune and his
wishes often have little to do with each other.

Neither is the mind the ego-personality. The humanmind is an aggregate of causes and conditions. It is inconstant change.
If the mind were an ego-personality, it could do thisand that as it would determine; but the mind often flies− 46 −

The Theory of Mind-only and the Real State of Thingsfrom what it knows is right and chases after evil reluctantly. Still, nothing seems to happen exactly as its ego
desires.
2. If one is asked whether the body is constant orimpermanent, he will be obliged to answer impermanent.
If one is asked whether impermanent existence ishappiness or suffering, he will generally have to answer
suffering.
If a person believes that such an impermanent thing,so changeable and filled with suffering, is the ego-personality, it is a serious mistake.
The human mind is also impermanent and suffering; it has nothing that can be called an ego-personality.
Our true body and mind, which make up an individual life, and the external world surrounding it, are farapart from both the conceptions of “me” and “mine”.
It is simply the mind clouded over by impure
desires, and impervious to wisdom, that obstinately persists in thinking of “me” and “mine.”
Since both the body and its surroundings are originated by cooperating causes and conditions, they are con− 47 −The Theory of Mind-only and the Real State of Thingstinually changing and never can come to an end.
The human mind, in its never-ending changes, islike the flowing water of river or the burning flame of acandle; like an ape, it is forever jumping about, not ceasing for even a moment.
A wise man, seeing and hearing such, should breakaway from any attachment to body or mind, if he is ever
to attain Enlightenment.
3. There are five things which no one is able to accomplish in this world: first, to cease growing old when he isgrowing old; second, to cease being sick; third, to cease
dying; fourth, to deny extinction when there is extinction;
fifth, to deny exhaustion.
Ordinar y people in the world sooner or later run
into these facts, and most people suffer consequently, but
those who have heard the Buddha’s teaching do not suffer because they understand that these are unavoidable.
There are four truths in this world: first, all living
beings rise from ignorance; second, all objects of desire
are impermanent, uncertain and suffering; third, all existing things are also impermanent, uncertain and suffering;
fourth, there is nothing that can be called an “ego,” andthere is no such thing as “mine” in all the world.
− 48 −

The Theory of Mind-only and the Real State of Things

These truths that everything is impermanent andpassing and egoless, have no connection with the fact of
Buddha’s appearing or not appearing in this world. These
truths are certain; Buddha knows this and, therefore,
preaches the Dharma to all people.

II
THE THEORY OF MIND-ONLY
1. Both delusion and Enlightenment originate within
the mind, and ever y existence or phenomenon arises
from the functions of the mind, just as different things
appear from the sleeve of a magician.
The activities of the mind have no limit, they form
the surroundings of life. An impure mind surrounds itself
with impure things and a pure mind surrounds itself withpure things; hence, surroundings have no more limits
than the activities of the mind.
Just as a picture is drawn by an artist, surroundings
are created by the activities of the mind. While the surroundings created by Buddha are pure and free fromdefilement, those created by ordinary people are not so.
− 49 −

The Theory of Mind-only and the Real State of Things

The mind conjures up multifarious forms just as askilful painter creates pictures of various worlds. There isnothing in the world that is not mind-created. A Buddha
is like our mind; sentient beings are just like Buddhas.
Therefore there is no dif ference among the mind,
Buddhas and sentient beings in their capability of creating all things.
Buddha has a right understanding of all things as
fashioned by the mor tal mind. Therefore, those whoknow this are able to see the real Buddha.
2. But the mind that creates its surroundings is neverfree from memories, fears or laments, not only in the past
but in the present and the future, because they havearisen from ignorance and greed.
It is from ignorance and greed that the world of
delusion is born, and all the vast complexity of coordinating causes and conditions exists within the mind andnowhere else.
Both life and death arise from the mind and exist
within the mind. Hence, when the mind that concerns
itself with life and death passes on, the world of life anddeath passes with it.

− 50 −

The Theory of Mind-only and the Real State of Things

An unenlightened life rises from a mind that isbewildered by its own world of delusion. If we learn that
there is no world of delusion outside the mind, the bewildered mind becomes clear; and because we cease to create impure surroundings, we attain Enlightenment.

In this way the world of life and death is created by
the mind, is in bondage to the mind, is ruled by the mind;
the mind is the master of every situation. The world of
suffering is brought about by the deluded mortal mind.

3. Therefore, all things are primarily controlled andruled by the mind, and are created up by the mind. As
the wheels follow the ox that draws the cart, so does suffering follow the person who speaks and acts with an
impure mind.
But if a person speaks and acts with a good mind,
happiness follows him like his shadow. Those who act inevil are followed by the thought, “I have done wrong,”
and the memor y of the act is stored to work out its
inevitable retribution in the lives to follow. But those who
act from good motives are made happy by the thought, “I
have done good,” and are made happier by the thoughtthat the good act will bring continuing happiness in the
lives to follow.
− 51 −

The Theory of Mind-only and the Real State of Things

If the mind is impure, it will cause the feet to stumble along a rough and difficult road; there will be many afall and much pain. But if the mind is pure, the path will
be smooth and the journey peaceful.
One who is to enjoy the purity of both body andmind walks the path to Buddhahood, breaking the net of
selfish, impure thoughts and evil desires. He who is calmin mind acquires peacefulness and thus is able to cultivate his mind day and night with more diligence.

III
REAL STATE OF THINGS
1. Since everything in this world is brought about bycauses and conditions, there can be no fundamental distinctions among things. The apparent distinctions exist
because of people’s absurd and discriminating thoughts.
In the sky there is no distinction of east and west;
people create the distinctions out of their own minds andthen believe them to be true.
Mathematical numbers from one to infinity are eachcomplete numbers, and each in itself carries no distinction of quantity; but people make the discrimination for
their own convenience, so as to be able to indicate vary− 52 −The Theory of Mind-only and the Real State of Things

ing amounts.
Inherently there are no distinctions between theprocess of life and the process of destruction; people
make a discrimination and call one birth and the otherdeath. In action there is no discrimination between rightand wrong, but people make a distinction for their own
convenience.
Buddha keeps away from these discriminations andlooks upon the world as upon a passing cloud. To Buddha
every definitive thing is illusion; He knows that whatever
the mind grasps and throws away is insubstantial; thus
He transcends the pitfalls of images and discriminative
thought.
2. People grasp at things for their own imagined convenience and comfort; they grasp at wealth and treasureand honors; they cling desperately to mortal life.
They make arbitrary distinctions between existence
and non-existence, good and bad, right and wrong. For
people, life is a succession of graspings and attachments,
and then, because of this, they must assume the illusionsof pain and suffering.
Once there was a man on a long journey who cameto a river. He said to himself: “This side of the river is− 53 −

The Theory of Mind-only and the Real State of Things

very difficult and dangerous to walk on, and the otherside seems easier and safer, but how shall I get across?”
So he built a raft out of branches and reeds and safely
crossed the river. Then he thought to himself: “This raft
has been very useful to me in crossing the river; I will notabandon it to rot on the bank, but will carry it along withme.” And thus he voluntarily assumed an unnecessary
burden. Can this man be called a wise man?

This parable teaches that even a good thing, when it
becomes an unnecessar y burden, should be thrownaway; much more so if it is a bad thing. Buddha made it
the rule of his life to avoid useless and unnecessary discussions.

3. Things do not come and go; neither do they appear
and disappear; therefore, one does not get things or lose
things.
Buddha teaches that things neither appear nor disappear since they transcend both the affirmation of existence and the denial of existence. That is, ever ything
being a concordance and succession of causes and conditions, a thing in itself does not exist, so it can be said that
it is non-existent. At the same time, because it has a relative connection with causes and conditions, it can be said
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The Theory of Mind-only and the Real State of Things

that it is not non-existent.
To adhere to a thing because of its form is thesource of delusion. If the form is not grasped andadhered to, this false imagination and absurd delusion
will not occur. Enlightenment is seeing this truth andbeing free from such a foolish delusion.
The world, indeed, is like a dream and the treasuresof the world are an alluring mirage. Like the apparent distances in a picture, things have no reality in themselves
but are like heat haze.
4. To believe that things created by an incalculable
series of causes can last forever is a serious mistake andis called the theory of permanency; but it is just as great a
mistake to believe that things completely disappear; thisis called the theory of non-existence.
These categories of everlasting life and death, andexistence and non-existence, do not apply to the essential
nature of things, but only to their appearances as they areobser ved by defiled human eyes. Because of humandesire, people become related and attached to theseappearances; but in the essential nature of things, they
are free from all such discriminations and attachments.

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The Theory of Mind-only and the Real State of Things

Since everything is created by a series of causes andconditions, the appearances of things are constantly
changing; that is, there is no consistency about it as there
should be about authentic substances. It is because ofthis constant changing of appearances that we liken
things to a mirage and a dream. But, in spite of this constant changing in appearances, things, in their essential
spiritual nature, are constant and changeless.
To a human a river seems like a river but to ahungry demon which sees fire in water, it may seem tobe like fire. Therefore, to speak to a human about a river
existing would have some sense, but to the demon it
would have no meaning.
In like manner, it can be said that things are like illusions; they can be said neither to be existent nor nonexistent.
Yet it can not be said that, apart from this world ofchange and appearance, there is another world of permanence and truth. It is a mistake to regard this world as
either a temporal world or as a real one.

But ignorant people of this world assume that this isa real world and proceed to act upon that absurd assumption. But as this world is only an illusion, their acts, being− 56 −

The Theory of Mind-only and the Real State of Things

based upon error, only lead them into harm and suffering.
A wise man, recognizing that the world is but an illusion, does not act as if it were real, so he escapes the suffering.

IV
THE MIDDLE WAY
1. To those who choose the path that leads to
Enlightenment, there are two extremes that should be
carefully avoided. First, there is the extreme of indulgence in the desires of the body. Second, there is the
opposite extreme of ascetic discipline, torturing one’s
body and mind unreasonably.

The Noble Path, that transcends these two extremes
and leads to Enlightenment and wisdom and peace ofmind, may be called the Middle Way. What is the Middle
Way? It consists of the Eightfold Noble Path: Right View,
Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Behavior, Right
Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right
Concentration.
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The Theory of Mind-only and the Real State of Things

As has been said, all things appear or disappear byreason of an endless series of causes. Ignorant people seelife as either existence or non-existence, but wise men
see beyond both existence and non-existence somethingthat transcends them both; this is an observation of the
Middle Way.
2. Suppose a log is floating in a river. If the log does
not become grounded, or sink, or is not taken out by aman, or does not decay, ultimately it will reach the sea.
Life is like this log caught in the current of a great river.
If a person does not become attached to a life of selfindulgence, or, by renouncing life, does not become
attached to a life of self-tor ture; if a person does not
become proud of his virtues or does not become attachedto his evil acts; if in his search for Enlightenment he does
not become contemptuous of delusion, nor fear it, such aperson is following the Middle Way.
The impor tant thing in following the path toEnlightenment is to avoid being caught and entangled inany extreme, that is, always to follow the Middle Way.
Knowing that things neither exist nor do not exist,
remembering the dream-like nature of everything, one
should avoid being caught by pride of personality or
praise for good deeds; or caught and entangled by anything else.
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The Theory of Mind-only and the Real State of Things

If a person is to avoid being caught in the current of
his desires, he must learn at the very beginning not tograsp at things lest he should become accustomed tothem and attached to them. He must not become
attached to existence nor to non-existence, to anythinginside or outside, neither to good things nor to bad
things, neither to right nor to wrong.
If he becomes attached to things, just at thatmoment, all at once, the life of delusion begins. The one
who follows the Noble Path to Enlightenment will not
maintain regrets, neither will he cherish anticipations,but, with an equitable and peaceful mind, will meet whatcomes.
3. Enlightenment has no definite form or nature bywhich it can manifest itself; so in Enlightenment itself,
there is nothing to be enlightened.
Enlightenment exists solely because of delusion andignorance; if they disappear, so will Enlightenment. And
the opposite is true also: there is no Enlightenment apartfrom delusion and ignorance; no delusion and ignorance
apart from Enlightenment.
Therefore, be on guard against thinking of
Enlightenment as a “thing” to be grasped at, lest it, too,should become an obstruction. When the mind that was− 59 −

The Theory of Mind-only and the Real State of Thingsin darkness becomes enlightened, it passes away, andwith its passing, the thing which we call Enlightenment
passes also.
As long as people desire Enlightenment and grasp
at it, it means that delusion is still with them; therefore,
those who are following the way to Enlightenment must
not grasp at it, and if they reach Enlightenment they must
not linger in it.
When people attain Enlightenment in this sense, itmeans that ever ything is Enlightenment itself as it is;therefore, people should follow the path toEnlightenment until in their thoughts, worldly passions
and Enlightenment become identical as they are.
4. This concept of universal oneness – that things intheir essential nature have no distinguishing marks – iscalled “Sunyata.” Sunyata means non-substantiality, theun-born, having no self-nature, no duality. It is because
things in themselves have no form or characteristics that
we can speak of them as neither being born nor being
destroyed. There is nothing about the essential nature ofthings that can be described in terms of discrimination;that is why things are called non-substantial.
As has been pointed out, all things appear and disappear because of causes and conditions. Nothing ever− 60 −

The Theory of Mind-only and the Real State of Things

exists entirely alone; everything is in relation to everything else.
Wherever there is light, there is shadow; wherever
there is length, there is shortness; wherever there iswhite, there is black. Just like these, as the self-nature ofthings can not exist alone, they are called non-substantial.
By the same reasoning, Enlightenment can not exist
apar t from ignorance, nor ignorance apar t from
Enlightenment. Since things do not differ in their essential nature, there can be no duality.

5. People habitually think of themselves as being connected with birth and death, but in reality there are nosuch conceptions.
When people are able to realize this truth, they haverealized the truth of the non-duality of birth and death.
It is because people cherish the idea of an ego-personality that they cling to the idea of possession; but
since there is no such thing as an “ego,” there can be nosuch things as possessions. When people are able to realize this truth, they will be able to realize the truth of“non-duality.”− 61 −

The Theory of Mind-only and the Real State of Things

People cherish the distinction of purity and impurity; but in the nature of things, there is no such distinction, except as it rises from false and absurd images intheir mind.
In like manner people make a distinction between
good and evil, but good and evil do not exist separately.
Those who are following the path to Enlightenment recognize no such duality, and it leads them to neither praise
the good and condemn the evil, nor despise the good andcondone the evil.
People naturally fear misfortune and long for good
fortune; but if the distinction is carefully studied, misfortune often turns out to be good fortune and good fortune
to be misfortune. The wise man learns to meet the changing circumstances of life with an equitable spirit, being
neither elated by success nor depressed by failure. Thus
one realizes the truth of non-duality.
Therefore, all the words that express relations ofduality – such as existence and non-existence, worldlypassions and true-knowledge, purity and impurity, goodand evil – none of these terms of contrast in one’s thinking are expressed or recognized in their true nature.
When people keep free from such terms and from theemotions engendered by them, they realize Sunyata’s universal truth.
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The Theory of Mind-only and the Real State of Things

6. Just as the pure and fragrant lotus flower grows outof the mud of a swamp rather than out of the clean loamof an upland field, so from the muck of worldly passions
springs the pure Enlightenment of Buddhahood. Even
the mistaken views of heretics and the delusions ofworldly passions may be the seeds for Buddhahood.
If a diver is to secure pearls he must descend to thebottom of the sea, braving all dangers of jagged coral andvicious sharks. So man must face the perils of worldly
passion if he is to secure the precious pearl of
Enlightenment. He must first be lost among the mountainous crags of egoism and selfishness, before there will
awaken in him the desire to find a path that will lead him
to Enlightenment.
There is a legend of a hermit who had such a great
desire to find the true path that he climbed a mountain ofswords and threw himself into fire, enduring thembecause of his hope. He who is willing to risk the perils of
the path will find a cool breeze blowing on the sword-bristling mountains of selfishness and among the fires ofhatred and, in the end, will come to realize that the selfishness and worldly passions against which he has struggled and suffered are Enlightenment itself.
7. Buddha’s teaching leads us to non-duality, from thediscriminating concept of two conflicting points of view. It− 63 −

The Theory of Mind-only and the Real State of Things

is a mistake for people to seek a thing supposed to begood and right, and to flee from another supposed to be
bad and evil.

If people insist that all things are empty and transitory, it is just as great a mistake to insist that all things
are real and do not change. If a person becomes attachedto his ego-personality, it is a mistake because it cannot
save him from dissatisfaction or suffering. If he believes
there is no ego, it is also a mistake and it would be useless for him to practice the Way of Truth. If people assertthat everything is suffering, it is also a mistake; if theyassert that everything is happiness, that is a mistake, too.
Buddha teaches the Middle Way transcending these prejudiced concepts, where duality merges into oneness.

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CHAPTER THREEBUDDHA-NATURE
I
THE MIND OF PURITY

1. Among humans there are many kinds and degrees
of mentality: some are wise, some are foolish, some aregood-natured, some are bad-tempered, some are easily
led, some are difficult to lead, some possess pure minds
and some have minds that are defiled; but these differences are negligible when it comes to the attainment of
Enlightenment. The world is like a lotus pond filled withmany varieties of the plant; there are blossoms of manydifferent tints. Some are white, some pink, some blue,
some yellow; some grow under water, some spread theirleaves on the water, and some raise their leaves above thewater. Mankind has many more differences. There is thedifference of sex, but it is not an essential difference, for,with proper training, both men and women may attain
Enlightenment.

To be a trainer of elephants, one must possess fivequalifications: good health, confidence, diligence, sincerity of purpose, and wisdom. To follow the Buddha’s
Noble Path to Enlightenment, one must have the same
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Buddha-nature

five good qualities. If one has these qualities, then regardless of gender, it is possible to attain Enlightenment. It
need not take long to learn Buddha’s teaching, for all
humans possess a nature that has an af finity for
Enlightenment.
2. In the practice of the way to Enlightenment, people
see the Buddha with their own eyes and believe in
Buddha with their own minds. The eyes that see Buddha
and the mind that believes in Buddha are the same eyes
and the same mind that, until that day, had wandered
about in the world of birth and death.
If a king is plagued by bandits, he must find out
where their camp is before he can attack them. So, whena man is beset by worldly passions, he should first ascertain their origins.
When a man is in a house and opens his eyes he will
first notice the interior of the room and only later will hesee the view outside the windows. In like manner we can
not have the eye notice external things before there isrecognition by the eye of the things in the house.
If there is a mind within the body, it ought first to
know the things inside the body; but generally people areinterested in external things and seem to know or carelittle for the things within the body.
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Buddha-nature

If the mind is located outside the body, it should not
be in contact with the needs of the body. But, in fact, thebody feels what the mind knows, and the mind knows
what the body feels. Therefore, it can not be said that thehuman mind is outside of the body. Where, then, does
the substance of the mind exist?
3. From the unknown past, being conditioned by theirown deeds and deluded by two fundamental misconceptions, people have wandered about in ignorance.
First, they believed that the discriminating mind,
which lies at the root of this life of birth and death, wastheir real nature; and, second, they did not know that,
hidden behind the discriminating mind, they possessed apure mind of Enlightenment which is their true nature.
When a man closes his fist and raises his arm, theeyes see it and the mind discriminates it, but the mind
that discriminates it is not the true mind.

The discriminating mind is only a mind for the discrimination of imagined differences that greed and othermoods relating to the self have created. The discriminating mind is subject to causes and conditions, it is emptyof any self-substance, and it is constantly changing. But,
since people believe that this mind is their real mind, the− 67 −

Buddha-naturedelusion enters into the causes and conditions that produce suffering.
A man opens his hand and the mind perceives it; butwhat is it that moves? Is it the mind, or is it the hand? Or
is it neither of them? If the hand moves, then the mind
moves accordingly, and vice versa; but the moving mind
is only a superficial appearance of mind: it is not the trueand fundamental mind.
4. Fundamentally, everyone has a pure clean mind, but
it is usually covered by the defilement and dust of worldly
desires which have arisen from one’s circumstances. This
defiled mind is not of the essence of one’s nature: something has been added, like an intruder or even a guest ina home, but not its host.
The moon is often hidden by clouds, but it is not
moved by them and its purity remains untarnished.
Therefore, people must not be deluded into thinking that
this defiled mind is their own true mind.
They must continually remind themselves of thisfact by striving to awaken within themselves the pure andunchanging fundamental mind of Enlightenment. Beingcaught by a changing, defiled mind and being deluded bytheir own perverted ideas, they wander about in a worldof delusion.
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Buddha-nature

The disturbances and defilements of the humanmind are aroused by greed as well as by its reactions tothe changing circumstances.
The mind that is not disturbed by things as theyoccur, that remains pure and tranquil under all circumstances, is the true mind and should be the master.
We cannot say that an inn disappears just because
the guest is out of sight; neither can we say that the true
self has disappeared when the defiled mind which has
been aroused by the changing circumstances of life hasdisappeared. That which changes with changing conditions is not the true nature of mind.

5. Let us think of a lecture hall that is bright while thesun is shining but is dark after the sun goes down.
We can think of the light departing with the sun andthe dark coming with the night, but we cannot so think of
the mind that perceives lightness and darkness. The
mind that is susceptible to lightness and darkness can not
be given back to anybody; it can only revert to a truer
nature which is its fundamental nature.

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Buddha-nature

It is only a “temporar y” mind that momentarily
notes changes of lightness and darkness as the sun rises
and sets.
It is only a “temporary” mind that has different feelings from moment to moment with the changing circumstances of life; it is not the real and true mind. The fundamental and true mind which realizes the lightness andthe darkness is the true nature of man.
The temporary feelings of good and evil, love andhatred, that have been aroused by surroundings andchanging external conditions, are only momentary reactions that have their cause in the defilement accumulatedby the human mind.
Behind the desires and worldly passions which themind entertains, there abides, clear and undefiled, thefundamental and true essence of mind.
Water is round in a round receptacle and square in asquare one, but water itself has no par ticular shape.
People often forget this fact.
People see this good and that bad, they like this anddislike that, and they discriminate existence from nonexistence; and then, being caught in these entanglements
and becoming attached to them, they suffer.
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Buddha-nature

If people would only give up their attachments tothese imaginary and false discriminations, and restore
the purity of their original minds, then both their mind
and their body would be free from defilement and suffering; they would know the peacefulness that comes withthat freedom.
II
BUDDHA-NATURE
1. We have spoken of the pure and true mind as being
fundamental; it is the Buddha-nature, that is, the seed of
Buddhahood.
One can get fire if one holds a lens between the sunand moxa, but where does the fire come from? The lensis at an enormous distance from the sun, but the fire certainly appears upon the moxa by means of the lens. But if
the moxa would not have the nature to kindle, there
would be no fire.
In like manner, if the light of Buddha’s Wisdom isconcentrated upon the human mind, its true nature,
which is Buddhahood, will be enkindled, and its light will
illuminate the minds of the people with its brightness,
and will awaken faith in Buddha. He holds the lens of
Wisdom before all human minds and thus their faith may
be quickened.
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Buddha-nature

2. Often people disregard the af finity of their true
minds for Buddha’s enlightened wisdom, and, because ofit, are caught by the entanglement of worldly passions,becoming attached to the discrimination of good and evil,
and then lament over their bondage and suffering.
Why is it that people, possessing this fundamental
and pure mind, should still cling to illusions and doomthemselves to wander about in a world of delusion andsuffering, covering their own Buddha-nature while allabout them is the light of Buddha’s Wisdom?
Once upon a time a man looked into the reverse
side of a mirror and, not seeing his face and head, hebecame insane. How unnecessar y it is for a man to
become insane merely because he carelessly looks into
the reverse side of a mirror!
It is just as foolish and unnecessary for a person to
go on suf fering because he does not attain
Enlightenment where he expects to find it. There is no
failure in Enlightenment; the failure lies in those people
who, for a long time, have sought Enlightenment in theirdiscriminating minds, not realizing that theirs are nottrue minds but are imaginar y minds that have beencaused by the accumulation of greed and illusion covering and hiding their true mind.
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Buddha-nature

If the accumulation of false beliefs is cleared away,
Enlightenment will appear. But, strange enough, whenpeople attain Enlightenment, they will realize that without
false beliefs there could be no Enlightenment.
3. Buddha-nature is not something that comes to an
end. Though wicked men should be born beasts or
hungr y demons, or fall into hell, they never lose their
Buddha-nature.
However buried in the defilement of flesh or concealed at the root of worldly desires and forgotten it may
be, the human affinity for Buddhahood is never completely
extinguished.
4. There is an old story told of a man who fell into adrunken sleep. His friend stayed by him as long as hecould but, being compelled to go and fearing that hemight be in want, the friend hid a jewel in the drunken
man’s garment. When the drunken man recovered, notknowing that his friend had hid a jewel in his garment, hewandered about in poverty and hunger. A long time afterwards the two men met again and the friend told the poor
man about the jewel and advised him to look for it.
Like the drunken man of the story, people wander
about suffering in this life of birth and death, unconscious of what is hidden away in their inner nature, pure
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Buddha-natureand untarnished, the priceless treasure of Buddhanature.
However unconscious people may be of the fact thateveryone has within his possession this supreme nature,and however degraded and ignorant they may be,
Buddha never loses faith in them because He knows thateven in the least of them there are, potentially, all thevirtues of Buddhahood.
So Buddha awakens faith in them who are deceived
by ignorance and cannot see their own Buddha-nature,leads them away from their illusions and teaches themthat originally there is no difference between themselves
and Buddhahood.
5. Buddha is one who has attained Buddhahood andpeople are those who are capable of attaining
Buddhahood; that is all the difference that lies between
them.
But if a man thinks that he has attained
Enlightenment, he is deceiving himself, for, although hemay be moving in that direction, he has not yet reached
Buddhahood.
Buddha-nature does not appear without diligent andfaithful effort, nor is the task finished until Buddhahood− 74 −

Buddha-nature

is attained.
6. Once upon a time a king gathered some blind men
about an elephant and asked them to tell him what an elephant was like. The first man felt a tusk and said an elephant was like a giant carrot; another happened to touchan ear and said it was like a big fan; another touched its
trunk and said it was like a pestle; still another, who happened to feel its leg, said it was like a mortar; and another, who grasped its tail said it was like a rope. Not oneof them was able to tell the king the elephant’s real form.
In like manner, one might partially describe thenature of man but would not be able to describe the true
nature of a human being, the Buddha-nature.
There is only one possible way by which the everlasting nature of man, his Buddha-nature, that can not be
disturbed by worldly desires or destroyed by death, canbe realized, and that is by the Buddha and the Buddha’s
noble teaching.

III
EGOLESSNESS
1. We have been speaking of Buddha-nature as though
it were something that could be described, as though it− 75 −

Buddha-nature

were similar to the “soul” of other teachings, but it is not.

The concept of an “ego-personality” is somethingthat has been imagined by a discriminating mind which
first grasped it and then became attached to it, but whichmust abandon it. On the contrar y, Buddha-nature issomething indescribable that must first be discovered. In
one sense, it resembles an “ego-personality” but it is not
the “ego” in the sense of “I am” or “mine.”
To believe in the existence of an ego is an erroneous
belief that supposes the existence of non-existence; todeny Buddha-nature is wrong, for it supposes that existence is non-existence.
This can be explained in a parable. A mother took
her sick child to a doctor. The doctor gave the child medicine and instructed the mother not to nurse the child
until the medicine was digested.
The mother anointed her breast with something
bitter so that the child would keep away from her of his
own volition. After the medicine had time enough to bedigested, the mother cleansed her breast and let the childsuck her. The mother took this method of saving her
child out of kindness because she loved the child.
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Buddha-nature

Like the mother in the parable, Buddha, in order toremove misunderstanding and to break up attachments
to an ego-personality, denies the existence of an ego; andwhen the misunderstanding and attachments are done
away with, then He explains the reality of the true mind
that is the Buddha-nature.
Attachment to an ego-personality leads people intodelusions, but faith in their Buddha-nature leads them to
Enlightenment.
It is like the woman in a story to whom a chest was
bequeathed. Not knowing that the chest contained gold,
she continued to live in poverty until another person
opened it and showed her the gold. Buddha opens theminds of people and shows them the purity of their
Buddha-nature.
2. If everyone has this Buddha-nature, why is there somuch suf fering from people cheating one another orkilling one another? And why are there so many distinctions of rank and wealth, rich and poor?
There is a story of a wrestler who used to wear an
ornament on his forehead of a precious stone. One time
when he was wrestling the stone was crushed into theflesh of his forehead. He thought he had lost the gem andwent to a surgeon to have the wound dressed. When the− 77 −

Buddha-nature

surgeon came to dress the wound he found the gem
embedded in the flesh and covered over with blood anddirt. He held up a mirror and showed the stone to thewrestler.
Buddha-nature is like the precious stone of thisstory: it becomes covered over by the dirt and dust ofother interests and people think that they have lost it, but
a good teacher recovers it again for them.

Buddha-nature exists in ever yone no matter how
deeply it may be covered over by greed, anger and foolishness, or buried by his own deeds and retribution.
Buddha-nature can not be lost or destroyed; and when all
defilements are removed, sooner or later it will reappear.

Like the wrestler in the story who was shown thegem buried in his flesh and blood by means of a mirror,so people are shown their Buddha-nature, buried beneath
their worldly desires and passions, by means of the lightof Buddha.
3. Buddha-nature is always pure and tranquil no matter
how varied the conditions and surroundings of people
may be. Just as milk is always white regardless of thecolor of the cow’s hide, either red, white, or black, so it− 78 −

Buddha-naturedoes not matter how differently their deeds may condition people’s life or what different effects may follow theiracts and thoughts.
There is a fable told in India of a mysterious medical
herb that was hidden under the tall grasses of theHimalayas. For a long time men sought for it in vain, but
at last a wise man located it by its sweetness. As long as
the wise man lived he collected this medical herb in atub, but after his death, the sweet elixir remained hidden
in some far-off spring in the mountains, and the water inthe tub turned sour and harmful and of a different taste.
In like manner Buddha-nature is hidden away
beneath the wild growth of worldly passions and canrarely be discovered, but Buddha found it and revealed it
to the people, and as they receive it by their varying faculties it tastes differently to each person.

4. The diamond, the hardest of known substances,cannot be crushed. Sand and stones can be ground to
powder but diamonds remain unscathed. Buddha-nature
is like the diamond, and thus cannot be broken.
Human nature, both its body and mind, will wear
away, but the nature of Buddhahood can not be
destroyed.
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Buddha-nature

Buddha-nature is, indeed, the most excellent characteristic of human nature. Buddha teaches that, althoughin human nature there may be endless varieties such as
men and women, there is no discrimination with regard
to Buddha-nature.
Pure gold is procured by melting ore and removing
all impure substances. If people would melt the ore of
their minds and remove all the impurities of worldly passion and egoism, they would all recover the same pureBuddha-nature.

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CHAPTER FOUR

DEFILEMENTSI
HUMAN DEFILEMENTS

1. There are two kinds of worldly passions that defile
and cover the purity of Buddha-nature.
The first is the passion for analysis and discussion
by which people become confused in judgment. The
second is the passion for emotional experience by whichpeople’s values become confused.

Both delusions of reasoning and delusions of practice can be thought of as a classification of all humandefilements, but really there are two original worldly
predicaments in their bases. The first is ignorance, andthe second is desire.
The delusions of reasoning are based upon ignorance, and the delusions of practice are based upondesire, so that the two sets are really one set after all, andtogether they are the source of all unhappiness.
If people are ignorant they cannot reason correctly
and safely. As they yield to a desire for existence, grasp− 81 −Defilements

ings, clingings and attachments to everything inevitably
follow. It is this constant hunger for every pleasant thing
seen and heard that leads people into the delusions ofhabit. Some people even yield to the desire for the deathof the body.

From these primary sources all greed, anger, foolishness, misunderstanding, resentment, jealousy, flattery,deceit, pride, contempt, inebriety, selfishness, have theirgenerations and appearances.

2. Greed rises from wrong ideas of satisfaction; anger
rises from wrong ideas concerning the state of one’s
af fairs and surroundings; foolishness rises from theinability to judge what correct conduct is.
These three – greed, anger and foolishness – arecalled the three fires of the world. The fire of greed consumes those who have lost their true minds throughgreed; the fire of anger consumes those who have losttheir true minds through anger; the fire of foolishness
consumes those who have lost their true minds throughtheir failure to hear and to heed the teachings of Buddha.
Indeed, this world is burning up with its many andvarious fires. There are fires of greed, fires of anger, fires− 82 −

Defilementsof foolishness, fires of infatuation and egoism, fires ofdecrepitude, sickness and death, fires of sorrow, lamentation, suffering and agony. Everywhere these fires are raging. They not only burn the self, but also cause others to
suffer and lead them into wrong acts of body, speech andmind. From the wounds that are caused by these fires
there issues a pus that infects and poisons those who
approach it, and leads them into evil paths.

3. Greed rises in want of satisfaction; anger rises inwant of dissatisfaction; and foolishness rises from impure
thoughts. The evil of greed has little impurity but is hard
to remove; the evil of anger has more impurity but is easy
to remove; the evil of foolishness has much impurity andis very hard to overcome.
Therefore, people should quench these fires whenever and wherever they appear by correctly judging as towhat can give true satisfaction, by strictly controlling themind in the face of the unsatisfactory things of life, andby ever recalling Buddha’s teachings of good-will andkindness. If the mind is filled with wise and pure andunselfish thoughts, there will be no place for worldly passions to take root.

4.

Greed, anger and foolishness are like a fever. If a
− 83 −

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man gets this fever, even if he lies in a comfortable room,
he will suffer and be tormented by sleeplessness.
Those who have no such fever have no difficulty insleeping peacefully, even on a cold winter night, on the
ground with only a thin covering of leaves, or on a hotsummer’s night in a small closed room.
These three – greed, anger and foolishness – are,therefore, the sources of all human woe. To get rid of
these sources of woe, one must obser ve the precepts,
must practice concentration of mind and must havewisdom. Obser vance of the precepts will remove theimpurities of greed; right concentration of mind willremove the impurities of anger; and wisdom will remove
the impurities of foolishness.
5. Human desires are endless. It is like the thirst of aperson who drinks salt water: one gets no satisfaction andone’s thirst is only increased.
So it is with a person who seeks to gratify one’s
desires; one only gains increased dissatisfaction andone’s woes are multiplied.
The gratification of desires never satisfies; it always
leaves behind unrest and irritation that can never beallayed, and then, if the gratification of one’s desires isthwarted, it will often drive one “insane.”− 84 −

Defilements

To satisfy their desires, people will struggle andfight with each other, king against king, vassal against
vassal, parent against child, brother against brother,sister against sister, friend against friend; they will fightand even kill each other to satisfy their desires.
People often ruin their lives in the attempt to satisfy
desires. They will steal and cheat and commit adultery,
and then, being caught, will suffer from the disgrace of it
and its punishment.
They will sin with their own bodies and words, sinwith their own minds, knowing perfectly well that thegratification will ultimately bring unhappiness and suffering, so imperious is desire. And then, the various sufferings in the following world and the agonies of falling into
it follow.

6. Of all the worldly passions, lust is the most intense.
All other worldly passions seem to follow in its train.
Lust seems to provide the soil in which other passions flourish. Lust is like a demon that eats up all thegood deeds of the world. Lust is a viper hiding in a flower
garden; it poisons those who come in search only of
beauty. Lust is a vine that climbs a tree and spreads over
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Defilements

the branches until the tree is strangled. Lust insinuates
its tentacles into human emotions and sucks away thegood sense of the mind until the mind withers. Lust is abait cast by the evil demon that foolish people snap at andare dragged down by into the depths of the evil world.
If a dry bone is smeared with blood a dog will gnaw
at it until it is tired and frustrated. Lust to a human is precisely like this bone to a dog; one will covet it until one isexhausted.
If a single piece of meat is thrown to two wild beasts
they will fight and claw each other to get it. A person foolish enough to carry a torch against the wind will likely
burn himself. Like these two beasts and this foolishperson, people hur t and burn themselves because of
their worldly desires.
7. It is easy to shield the outer body from poisoned
arrows, but it is impossible to shield the mind from thepoisoned darts that originate within itself. Greed, anger,
foolishness and the infatuations of egoism – these four
poisoned darts originate within the mind and infect itwith deadly poison.
If people are infected with greed, anger and foolishness, they will lie, cheat, abuse and be double-tongued,
and, then will actualize their words by killing, stealing− 86 −

Defilements

and committing adultery.
These three evil states of mind, the four evil utterances, and the three evil acts, if added together, become
the ten gross evils.
If people become accustomed to lying, they will
unconsciously commit ever y possible wrong deed.
Before they can act wickedly they must lie, and once they
begin to lie they will act wickedly with unconcern.

Greed, lust, fear, anger, misfortune and unhappinessall derive from foolishness. Thus, foolishness is the greatest of the poisons.

8. From desire action follows; from action suffering follows; desire, action and suffering are like a wheel rotating endlessly.
The rolling of this wheel has no beginning and noend; people cannot escape such reincarnation. One life
follows another life according to this transmigrating cyclein endless recurrence.
If one were to pile the ashes and bones of oneself
burnt in this everlasting transmigration, the pile would be− 87 −

Defilements

mountain high; if one were to collect the milk of mothers
which he suckled during his transmigration, it would be
deeper than the sea.
Although the nature of Buddhahood is possessed by
all people, it is buried so deeply in the defilements ofworldly passion that it long remains unknown. That is
why suffering is so universal and why there is this endless recurrence of miserable lives.

II
HUMAN NATURE
1. Human nature is like a dense thicket that has no
entrance and is difficult to penetrate. In comparison, thenature of an animal is much easier to understand. Still, we
can in a general way classify human nature according tofour outstanding differences.
First, there are those who, because of wrong teachings, practice austerities and cause themselves to suffer.
Second, there are those who, by cruelty, by stealing, by− 88 −

Defilements

killing, or by other unkind acts, cause others to suffer.
Third, there are those who cause other people to sufferalong with themselves. Fourth, there are those who do
not suffer themselves and save others from suffering.
These people of the last category, by following the teachings of Buddha, do not give way to greed, anger or foolishness, but live peaceful lives of kindness and wisdom
without killing or stealing.
2. There are three kinds of people in the world. The
first are those who are like letters carved in rock; theyeasily give way to anger and retain their angry thoughts
for a long time. The second are those who are like letters
written in sand; they give way to anger also, but theirangry thoughts quickly pass away. The third is those whoare like letters written in running water; they do not
retain their passing thoughts; they let abuse and uncomfortable gossip pass by unnoticed; their minds are always
pure and undisturbed.
There are three other kinds of people. The first arethose who are proud, act rashly and are never satisfied;their natures are easy to understand. Then there arethose who are courteous and always act after consideration; their natures are hard to understand. Then there arethose who have overcome desire completely; it is impossible to understand their natures.
Thus people can be classified in many dif ferent− 89 −

Defilements

ways, but nevertheless, their natures are hard to understand. Only Buddha understands them and, by His wisdom, leads them through varied teachings.

III
HUMAN LIFE
1. There is an allegory that depicts human life. Once
there was a man rowing a boat down a river. Someone on
the shore warned him, “Stop rowing so gaily down theswift current; there are rapids ahead and a dangerous
whirlpool, and there are crocodiles and demons lying in
wait in rocky caverns. You will perish if you continue.”
In this allegory, “the swift current” is a life of lust;“rowing gaily” is giving rein to one’s passion; “rapids
ahead” means the ensuing suffering and pain; “whirlpool”
means pleasure, “crocodiles and demons” refers to the
decay and death that follow a life of lust and indulgence;“Someone on the shore,” who calls out, is Buddha.
Here is another allegory. A man who has committeda crime is running away; some guards are following him,
so he tries to hide himself by descending into a well bymeans of some vines growing down the sides. As hedescends he sees vipers at the bottom of the well, so he− 90 −

Defilements

decides to cling to the vine for safety. After a time when
his arms are getting tired, he notices two mice, one white
and the other black, gnawing at the vine.
If the vine breaks, he will fall to the vipers andperish. Suddenly, on looking upward, he notices justabove his face a bee-hive from which occasionally falls adrop of honey. The man, forgetting all his danger, tastes
the honey with delight.
“A man” means the one who is born to suffer and todie alone. “Guards” and “vipers” refer to the body with allits desires. “Vines”means the continuity of the human
life. “Two mice, one white and the other black” refer tothe duration of time, days and nights, and the passing
years. “Honey” indicates the physical pleasures thatbeguiles the suffering of the passing years.
2. Here is still another allegor y. A king places four
vipers in a box and gives the box into the safekeeping of aservant. He commands the servant to take good care ofthem and warns that if he angers even one of them hewill be punished with death. The servant, in fear, decides
to throw away the box and escape.
The king sends five guards to capture the servant.
At first they approach the servant in a friendly manner,intending to take him back safely, but the servant does
− 91 −

Defilements

not trust their friendliness and escapes to another village.
Then, in a vision, a voice tells him that in this village
there is no safe shelter, and that there are six bandits
who will attack him, so the servant runs away in fright
until he comes to a wild river that blocks his way.
Thinking of the dangers that are following him, he makesa raft and succeeds in crossing the turbulent current,
beyond which he finally finds safety and peace.
“Four vipers in a box” indicate the four elements ofearth, water, fire and air that make up the body of flesh.
The body is given into the charge of lust and is an enemyof the mind. Therefore, he tries to run away from thebody.
“Five guards who approach in friendly manner”
mean the five aggregates-form, feeling, perception, volition and consciousness-which frame body and mind.
“The safe shelter” is the six senses, which are nosafe shelter after all, and “the six bandits” are the six
objects of the six senses. Thus, seeing the dangers within
the six senses, he runs away once more and comes to thewild current of worldly desires.
Then he makes himself a raft of the Buddha’s goodteachings and crosses the wild current safely.
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3. There are three occasions full of perils when a son is
helpless to aid his mother and a mother cannot help herson:-a fire, a flood and a burglary. Yet, even on these perilous and sad occasions, there still exists a chance foraiding each other.
But there are three occasions when it is impossible
for a mother to save her son or a son to save his mother.
These three occasions are the time of sickness, theperiod of growing old, and the moment of death.
How can a son take his mother’s place when she isgrowing old? How can a mother take her son’s placewhen he is sick? How can either help the other when the
moment of death approaches? No matter how much they
may love each other or how intimate they may have been,neither can help the other on such occasions.
4. Once Yama, the legendar y King of Hell, asked aman who had fallen into hell about his evil deeds in life,
whether, during his life, he had ever met the three heavenly messengers. The man replied: “No, my Lord, I never
met any such persons.”
Yama asked him if he had ever met an old person
bent with age and walking with a cane. The man replied:“Yes, my Lord, I have met such persons frequently.” Then
Yama said to him: “You are suffering this present punish− 93 −

Defilements

ment because you did not recognize in that old man aheavenly messenger sent to warn you that you must
quickly change your ways before you, too, become an oldman.”Yama asked him again if he had ever seen a poor,
sick and friendless man. The man replied: “Yes, my Lord,
I have seen many such men.” Then, Yama said to him:
“You have come into this place because you failed to recognize in these sick men the messengers from heavensent to warn you of your own sickness.”
Then, Yama asked him once more if he had everseen a dead man. The man replied: “Yes, my Lord, I havebeen in the presence of death many times.” Yama said tohim: “It is because you did not recognize in these men
the heavenly messengers sent to warn you that you arebrought to this. If you had recognized these messengers
and taken their warnings you would have changed yourcourse, and would not have come to this place of suffering.”
5. Once there was a young woman named Kisagotami,
the wife of a wealthy man, who lost her mind because of
the death of her child. She took the dead child in herarms and went from house to house begging people toheal the child.
− 94 −

Defilements

Of course, they could do nothing for her, but finallya follower of Buddha advised her to see the Blessed One
who was then staying at Jetavana, and so she carried thedead child to Buddha.
The Blessed One looked upon her with sympathy
and said: “To heal the child I need some poppy seeds; goand beg four or five poppy seeds from some home where
death has never entered.”
So the demented woman went out and sought ahouse where death had never entered, but in vain. At last,
she was obliged to return to Buddha. In his quiet presence her mind cleared and she understood the meaningof his words. She took the body away and buried it, andthen returned to Buddha and became one of his disciples.

IV
REALITY OF HUMAN LIFE
1. People in this world are prone to be selfish andunsympathetic; they do not know how to love and respect
one another; they argue and quarrel over trifling affairs
only to their own harm and suffering, and life becomesbut a dreary round of unhappinesses.
Regardless of whether they are rich or poor, they
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Defilements

worry about money; they suffer from poverty and they
suffer from wealth. Because their lives are controlled bygreed, they are never contented, never satisfied.
A wealthy man worries about his estate if he hasone; he worries about his mansion and all other possessions. He worries lest some disaster befall him, his mansion burn down, robbers break in, kidnappers carry him
off. Then he worries about death and the disposition of
his wealth. Indeed, his way to death is lonely, and nobody
follows him to death.
A poor man always suffers from insufficiency andthis ser ves to awaken endless desires - for land and ahouse. Being aflamed with covetousness he wears out
both his body and mind, and comes to death in the
middle of his life.
The whole world seems pitted against him and eventhe path to death seems lonesome as though he has along journey to make and no friends to keep him company.
2. Now, there are five evils in the world. First, there is
cruelty; every creature, even insects, strives against one
another. The strong attack the weak; the weak deceive
the strong; everywhere there is fighting and cruelty.
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Defilements

Second, there is the lack of a clear demarcation
between the rights of a father and a son; between anelder brother and a younger; between a husband and awife; between a senior relative and a younger; on every
occasion each one desires to be the highest and to profit
off the others. They cheat each other, there is deception
and a lack of sincerity.
Third, there is the lack of a clear demarcation as tothe behavior between men and women. Ever yone attimes has impure and lascivious thoughts and desiresthat lead them into questionable acts and often into disputes, fighting, injustice and wickedness.
Fourth, there is the tendency for people to disrespect the rights of others, to exaggerate their own importance at the expense of others, to set bad examples of
behavior and, being unjust in their speech, to deceive,slander and abuse others.
Fifth, there is the tendency for people to neglect
their duties toward others. They think too much of theirown comfort and their own desires; they forget the favors
they have received and cause annoyance to others that
often passes into great injustice.
3. People should have more sympathy for one another;
they should respect one another for their good traits and− 97 −

Defilements

help one another in their difficulties; but, instead, they
are selfish and hard-hearted; they despise one anotherfor their failings and dislike others for their advantages.
These aversions generally grow worse with time, andafter a while, become intolerable.
These feelings of dislike do not soon end in acts ofviolence; yet they poison life with feelings of hatred andanger that become so deeply carved into the mind thatpeople carry the marks into the cycle of reincarnation.
Truly, in this world of lust, a person is born alone
and dies alone, and there is no one to share one’s punishment in the life after death.
The law of cause and effect is universal; each person
must carry one’s own burden of sin and must go along to
its retribution. The same law of cause and effect controls
good deeds. A life of sympathy and kindness will result ingood fortune and happiness.

4. As years go by and people see how strongly they arebound by greed, habit and suffering, they become very
sad and discouraged. Often in their discouragement they
quarrel with others and sink deeper into sin and give up
tr ying to walk the true path; often their lives come tosome untimely end in the very midst of their wickedness− 98 −

Defilements

and they suffer forever.
This falling into discouragement because of one’s
misfortunes and sufferings is most unnatural and contrary to the law of heaven and earth and, therefore, onewill suf fer both in this world and in the worlds after
death.
It is true that everything in this life is transitory andfilled with uncertainty, but it is lamentable that anyone
should ignore this fact and keep on trying to seek enjoyment and satisfaction of his desires.
5. It is natural in this world of suffering for people tothink and act selfishly and egoistically and, because of it,
it is equally natural for suf fering and unhappiness tofollow.
People favor themselves and neglect others. People
let their own desires run into greed and lust and allmanner of evil. Because of these they must suffer endlessly.
Times of luxury do not last long, but pass away very
quickly; nothing in this world can be enjoyed forever.
6. Therefore, people should cast away, while they areyoung and healthy, all their greed and attachment to− 99 −

Defilements

worldly af fairs, and should seek ear nestly for tr ue
Enlightenment, for there can be no lasting reliance orhappiness apart from Enlightenment.
Most people, however, disbelieve or ignore this lawof cause and effect. They go on in their habits of greed
and selfishness, being oblivious of the fact that a gooddeed brings happiness and an evil deed brings misfortune. Nor do they really believe that one’s acts in this life
condition the following lives and implicate others withregard to the rewards and punishments for their sins.
They lament and cry about their sufferings, entirely
misunderstanding the significance their present acts haveupon their following lives and the relation their sufferings
have to the acts of their previous lives. They think only ofpresent desire and present suffering.
Nothing in the world is permanent or lasting; everything is changing and momentary and unpredictable. But
people are ignorant and selfish, and are concerned onlywith the desires and sufferings of the passing moment.
They do not listen to the good teachings nor do they try
to understand them; they simply give themselves up to
the present interest, to wealth and lust.
7. From time immemorial, an incalculable number ofpeople have been born into this world of delusion and suf− 100 −Defilements

fering, and they are still being born. It is fortunate, however, that the world has the Buddha’s teachings and thatpeople can believe in them and be helped.
Therefore, people should think deeply, should keep
their minds pure and their bodies well, should keep awayfrom greed and evil, and should seek good.
To us, fortunately, the knowledge of the Buddha’s
teachings has come; we should seek to believe in themand wish to be born in the Buddha’s Pure Land. Knowing
Buddha’s teachings, we should not follow others into
greedy and sinful ways, nor should we keep the Buddha’s
teachings to ourselves alone, but should practice theteachings and pass them on to others.

− 101 −

CHAPTER FIVE

THE RELIEF OFFEREDBY BUDDHAI
AMIDA BUDDHA’S VOWS

1. As already explained, people always yield to theirworldly passions, repeating sin after sin, and carry burdens of intolerable acts, unable of their own wisdom or of
their own strength to break these habits of greed andindulgence. If they are unable to overcome and remove
worldly passions, how can they expect to realize theirtrue nature of Buddhahood?

Buddha, who thoroughly understood human nature,
had great sympathy for people and made a vow that He
would do everything possible, even at the cost of great
hardship to Himself, to relieve them of their fears and sufferings. To effect this relief He manifested himself as a
Bodhisattva in the immemorial past and made the following ten vows:(a) “Though I attain Buddhahood, I shall never becomplete until everyone in my land is certain of entering
Buddhahood and gaining Enlightenment.”− 102 −

The Relief Offered by Buddha(b) “Though I attain Buddhahood, I shall never becomplete until my affirming light reaches all over theworld.”(c) “Though I attain Buddhahood, I shall never becomplete until my life endures through the ages andsaves innumerable numbers of people.”(d) “Though I attain Buddhahood, I shall never becomplete until all the Buddhas in the ten directions unite
in praising my name.”(e) “Though I attain Buddhahood, I shall never becomplete until people with sincere faith endeavor to bereborn in my land by repeating my name in sincere faith
ten times and actually do succeed in this rebirth.”(f) “Though I attain Buddhahood, I shall never becomplete until people ever ywhere determine to attain
Enlightenment, practice virtues, sincerely wish to beborn in my land; thus, I shall appear at the moment of
their death with a great company of Bodhisattvas to welcome them into my Pure Land.”(g) “Though I attain Buddhahood, I shall never becomplete until people ever ywhere, hearing my name,think of my land and wish to be born there and, to that
end, sincerely plant seeds of virtue, and are thus able to− 103 −

The Relief Offered by Buddha

accomplish all to their hearts’ desire.”(h) “Though I attain Buddhahood, I shall never becomplete until all those who are born in my Pure Landattain the rank in which they become Buddha in the next
life. Exception to this are those who, based on their personal vow, wear the armor of great vow for the sake ofpeople, strive for the benefit and peace of the world, leadinnumerable people to enlightenment, and cultivate themerit of great compassion.”(i) “Though I attain Buddhahood, I shall never becomplete until people all over the world are influenced by
my spirit of loving compassion that will purify their minds
and bodies and lift them above the things of the world.”(j) “Though I attain Buddhahood, I shall never becomplete until people ever ywhere, hearing my name,learn right ideas about life and death, and gain that perfect wisdom that will keep their minds pure and tranquilin the midst of the world’s greed and suffering.”“Thus I make these vows; may I not attain
Buddhahood until they are fulfilled. May I become thesource of unlimited Light, freeing and radiating the treasures of my wisdom and virtue, enlightening all lands andemancipating all suffering people.”− 104 −

The Relief Offered by Buddha

2. Thus He, by accumulating innumerable vir tues
through many eons of time, became Amida or the Buddha
of Infinite Light and Boundless Life, and perfected his
own Buddha-land of Purity, wherein He is now living, in aworld of peace, enlightening all people.
This Pure Land, wherein there is no suffering, is,indeed, most peaceful and happy. Clothing, food and all
beautiful things appear when those who live there wish
for them. When a gentle breeze passes through its jewelladen trees, the music of its holy teachings fills the air
and cleanses the minds of all who listen to it.
In this Pure Land there are many fragrant lotus blossoms, and each blossom has many precious petals, andeach petal shines with ineffable beauty. The radiance of
these lotus blossoms brightens the path of Wisdom, andthose who listen to the music of the holy teaching are led
into perfect peace.
3. Now all the Buddhas of the ten directions are praising the vir tues of this Buddha of Infinite Light andBoundless Life.
Whoever hears this Buddha’s Name magnifies andreceives it with joy, his mind becomes one with Buddha’s
mind and he will be born in the Buddha’s wondrous Landof Purity.
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The Relief Offered by Buddha

Those who are born in that Pure Land share in
Buddha’s boundless life; their hearts are immediately
filled with sympathy for all sufferers and they go forward
to manifest the Buddha’s method of salvation.
In the spirit of these vows they cast away all worldly
attachments and realize the impermanence of this world.
And they devote their merits to the emancipation of all
sentient life; they integrate their own lives with the livesof all others, sharing their illusions and sufferings but, atthe same time, realizing their freedom from the bonds
and attachments of this worldly life.
They know the hindrances and difficulties of worldly
living but they know, also, the boundless potentialities of
Buddha’s compassion. They are free to go or come, they
are free to advance or to stop as they wish, but theychoose to remain with those upon whom Buddha has
compassion.
Therefore, if anyone hearing the Name of thisAmida Buddha is encouraged to call upon that Name inperfect faith, he shall share in Buddha’s compassion. So
all people should listen to the Buddha’s teaching andshould follow it even if it seems to lead them again
through the flames that envelop this world of life anddeath.
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The Relief Offered by Buddha

If people tr uly and ear nestly wish to attain
Enlightenment, they must rely on the power of thisBuddha. It is impossible for an ordinary person to realize
his supreme Buddha-nature without the support of thisBuddha.
4. Amida Buddha is not far from anyone. His Land of
Purity is described as being far away to the west but it is,also, within the minds of those who earnestly wish to bewith him.
When some people picture in their minds the figureof Amida Buddha shining in golden splendor, the picture
divides into eighty-four thousand figures or features,
each figure or feature emitting eighty-four thousand raysof light and each ray of light, enlightening a world, neverleaving in darkness a single person who is reciting thename of Buddha. Thus this Buddha helps people takeadvantage of the salvation He offers.
By seeing the image of Buddha, one is enabled torealize the mind of Buddha. The Buddha’s mind has
great compassion that includes all, even those who are
ignorant of his compassion or forgetful of it, much morethose who remember it in faith.
To those who have faith, He offers the opportunity
to become one with Him. As this Buddha is the all-inclu− 107 −The Relief Offered by Buddha

sive body of equality, whoever thinks of Buddha, Buddha
thinks of him and enters his mind freely.
This means that, when a person thinks of Buddha,
he has Buddha’s mind in all its pure and happy andpeaceful per fection. In other words, his mind is a
Buddha-mind.
Therefore, each man in purity and sincerity of faith,
should picture his own mind as being Buddha’s mind.

5. Buddha has many forms of transfiguration andincarnation, and can manifest Himself in manifold ways
according to the ability of each person.
He manifests his body in immense size to cover all
the sky and stretches away into the boundless stellar
spaces. He also manifests Himself in the infinitesimals ofnature, sometimes in forms, sometimes in energy, sometimes in aspects of mind, and sometimes in personality.
But in some manner or other, He will surely appear
to those who recite the name of Buddha with faith. To
such, Amida always appears accompanied by two
Bodhisattvas: Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisattva of
Compassion and Mahasthamaprapta, the Bodhisattva of− 108 −

The Relief Offered by Buddha

Wisdom. His manifestations fill up the world for everyone
to see but only those who have faith notice them.
Those who are able to see His temporal manifestations acquire abiding satisfaction and happiness.
Moreover, those who are able to see the real Buddha
realize incalculable fortunes of joy and peace.

6. Since the mind of Amida Buddha with all its boundless potentialities of love and wisdom is compassion itself,
Buddha can save all.
The most wicked of people – those who commit
unbelievable crimes, whose minds are filled with greed,anger and infatuation; those who lie, chatter, abuse andcheat; those who kill, steal and act lasciviously; those whoare near the end of their lives after years of evil deeds —they are destined to long ages of punishment.
A good friend comes to them and pleads with themat their last moment, saying, “You are now facing death;
you cannot blot out your life of wickedness, but you cantake refuge in the compassion of the Buddha of Infinite
Light by reciting His Name.
If these wicked men recite the holy name of Amida
Buddha with singleness of mind, all the sins which would− 109 −

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have destined them to the evil world will be cleared away.
If simply repeating the holy name can do this, howmuch more would be possible if one is able to concentrate his mind upon this Buddha!
Those who are thus able to recite the holy name,when they come to the end of life, will be met by Amida
Buddha and the Bodhisattvas of Compassion andWisdom and will be led by them into the Buddha’s Land,
where they will be born in all purity of the white lotus.
Therefore, ever yone should keep in mind thewords, “Namu-Amida-Butsu” or Whole-hearted Reliance
upon the Buddha of Infinite Light and Boundless Life!

IIAMIDA BUDDHA’S LAND OF PURITY
1. The Buddha of Infinite Light and Boundless Life isever living and ever radiating His Truth. In His Pure
Land there is no suffering and no darkness, and every
hour is passed in joy; therefore, it is called the Land of
Bliss.
In the midst of this Land there is a lake of purewater, fresh and sparkling, whose waves lap softly on
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blossoms as large as chariot wheels of many and various
lights and colors — blue lights from blue color, yellow foryellow, red for red, white for white — whose fragrance
fills the air.
At different places on the margin of the lake there
are pavilions decorated with gold and silver, lapis lazuli
and cr ystal, with marble steps leading down to thewater’s edge. At other places there are parapets andbalustrades hanging over the water and enclosed withcurtains and networks of precious gems, and in between
there are groves of spices trees and flowering shrubs.
The ground is shining with beauty and the air isvibrant with celestial harmonies. Six times during the day
and night, delicately tinted flower petals fall from the sky
and people gather them and carry them in flower vessels
to all the other Buddha-lands and make offerings of themto the myriad Buddhas.
2. In this wondrous Land there are many birds. There
are snow-white storks and swans, and gaily colored peacocks and tropical birds of paradise, and flocks of little
birds, softly singing. In the Buddha’s Pure Land thesesweetly singing birds are voicing Buddha’s teachings andpraising His virtues.
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voices, listens to the Buddha’s voice and awakens to anewness of faith, joy and peace in fellowship with thebrotherhood of followers everywhere.
Soft zephyrs pass through the trees of that Pure
Land and stir the fragrant curtains of the Pavilions andpass away in sweet cadences of music.
People hearing faint echoes of this heavenly music
think of the Buddha, of the Dharma (teaching), and of
the Samgha (brotherhood). All these excellences are butreflections of the Pure Land.
3. Why is Buddha in this land called Amida, indicating
the Buddha of Infinite Light and Boundless Life? It isbecause the splendor of His Truth radiates unimpeded tothe outermost and innermost limits of the Buddha-lands;
it is because the vitality of His living compassion neverwanes through the incalculable lives and eons of time.
It is because the number of those who are born in
His Pure Land and are perfectly enlightened is incalculable and they will never again return to the world of delusions and death.
It is because the number of those who are awakened
into the newness of Life by His Light is also incalculable.
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Therefore, should all people concentrate theirminds on His Name and, as they come toward the end oflife, even for one day or seven days, recite Amida
Buddha’s Name in perfect faith, and they do this with
undisturbed mind, they will be born in the Buddha’s
Land of Purity, being led by Amida Buddha and manyother holy ones who appear at this last moment.
If any person hears Amida Buddha’s Name, awakens one’s faith in His teachings, one will be able to attain
unsurpassed perfect Enlightenment.

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THE WAY OF PRACTICE

CHAPTER ONE

THE WAY OF PURIFICATIONI
PURIFICATION OF THE MIND

1. People have worldly passions which lead them intodelusions and sufferings. There are five ways to emancipate themselves from the bond of worldly passions.
First, they should have right ideas of things, ideasthat are based on careful obser vation, and understandcauses and effects and their significance correctly. Since
the cause of suffering is rooted in the mind’s desires andattachments, and since desire and attachment are related
to mistaken observations by an ego-self, neglecting thesignificance of the law of cause and effect, and since it isfrom these wrong observations, there can be peace only
if the mind can be rid of these worldly passions.
Second, people can get rid of these mistaken observations and resulting worldly passions by careful andpatient mind-control. With efficient mind-control they can
avoid desires arising from the stimulation of the eyes,
ears, nose, tongue, skin and the subsequent mental
processes and, by so doing, cut off the very root of all
worldly passions.
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Third, they should have correct ideas with regard to
the proper use of all things. That is, with regard to articles of food and clothing, they should not think of them in
relation to comfort and pleasure, but only in their relation
to the body’s needs. Clothing is necessary to protect the
body against extremes of heat and cold, and to conceal
the shame of the body; food is necessary for the nourishment of the body while it is training for Enlightenment
and Buddhahood. Worldly passions can not arise throughsuch thinking.

Fourth, people should learn endurance; they should
learn to endure the discomforts of heat and cold, hunger
and thirst; they should learn to be patient when receiving
abuse and scorn; for it is the practice of endurance thatquenches the fire of worldly passions which is burning up
their bodies.
Fifth, people should learn to see and so avoid all
danger. Just as a wise man keeps away from wild horses
or mad dogs, so one should not make friends with evilmen, nor should one go to places that wise men avoid. If
one practices caution and prudence, the fire of worldly
passions which is burning in their vitals will die down.

2.

There are five groups of desires in the world.
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Desires arising from the forms the eyes see; fromthe sounds the ears hear; from the fragrances the nose
smells; from tastes pleasant to the tongue; from things
that are agreeable to the sense of touch. From these fivedoors to desire come the body’s love of comfort.
Most people, being influenced by the body’s love ofcomfort, do not notice the evils that follow comfort, andthey are caught in a devil’s trap like a deer in the forest
caught in a hunter’s trap. Indeed, these five doors ofdesires arising from the senses are the most dangerous
traps. When caught by them, people are entangled inworldly passions and suffer. They should know how to
get rid of these traps.
3. There is no one way to get free from the trap ofworldly passions. Suppose you caught a snake, a crocodile, a bird, a dog, a fox and a monkey, six creatures ofvery different natures, and you tie them together with astrong rope and let them go. Each of these six creatures
will try to go back to its own lair by its own method: thesnake will seek a covering of grass, the crocodile willseek water, the bird will want to fly in the air, the dog willseek a village, the fox will seek the solitary ledges, andthe monkey will seek the trees of a forest. In the attemptof each to go its own way there will be a struggle, but,being tied together by a rope, the strongest at any one
time will drag the rest.
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Like the creatures in this parable, people are
tempted in dif ferent ways by the desires of their six
senses, eyes, ears, nose, tongue, touch and mind, and iscontrolled by the predominant desire.

If the six creatures are all tied to a post, they will try
to get free until they are tired out, and then will lie downby the post. Just like this, if people will train and control
the mind there will be no further trouble from the otherfive senses. If the mind is under control people will havehappiness both now and in the future.

4. People love their egoistic comfort, which is a love offame and praise. But fame and praise are like incense that
consumes itself and soon disappears. If people chase after
honors and public acclaim and leave the way of truth,
they are in serious danger and will soon have cause forregret.
A man who chases after fame and wealth and loveaffairs is like a child who licks honey from the blade of aknife. While he is tasting the sweetness of honey, he has
to risk hurting his tongue. He is like a man who carries atorch against a strong wind; the flame will surely burn his
hands and face.
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One must not trust his own mind that is filled withgreed, anger and foolishness. One must not let one’s
mind run free, but must keep it under strict control.
5. To attain perfect mind-control is a most difficult
thing. Those who seek Enlightenment must first rid
themselves of the fire of all desires. Desire is a raging
fire, and one seeking Enlightenment must avoid the fireof desire as a man carrying a load of hay avoids sparks.
But it would be foolish for a person to put out one’s
eyes for fear of being tempted by beautiful forms. The
mind is master and if the mind is under control, theweaker desires will disappear.
It is difficult to follow the way to Enlightenment, but
it is more difficult if people have no mind to seek such away. Without Enlightenment, there is endless suffering inthis world of life and death.
When a person seeks the way to Enlightenment, it islike an ox carrying a heavy load through a field of mud. If
the ox tries to do its best without paying attention toother things, it can overcome the mud and take a rest.
Just so, if the mind is controlled and kept on the right
path, there will be no mud of greed to hinder it and all its
suffering will disappear.
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6. Those who seek the path to Enlightenment mustfirst remove all egoistic pride and be humbly willing toaccept the light of Buddha’s teachings. All the treasuresof the world, all its gold and silver and honors, are not tobe compared with wisdom and virtue.
To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to
one’s family, to bring peace to all, one must first disciplineand control one’s own mind. If a man can control his
mind he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all
wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him.
Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so
virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears
from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely throughthe maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom
and the guidance of virtue.
The Buddha’s teaching, which tells people how toeliminate greed, anger and foolishness, is a good teaching and those who follow it attain the happiness of a goodlife.
7. Human beings tend to move in the direction of theirthoughts. If they harbor greedy thoughts, they become
more greedy; if they think angry thoughts, they become
more angry; if they hold foolish thoughts, their feet movein that direction.
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At harvest time farmers keep their herds confined,
lest they break through the fences into the field and givecause for complaint or for being killed; so people mustclosely guard their minds against dishonesty and misfortune. They must eliminate thoughts that stimulate greed,anger and foolishness, but encourage thoughts that stimulate charity and kindness.
When spring comes and the pastures have an abundance of green grass, farmers turn their cattle loose; buteven then they keep a close watch over them. It is so withthe minds of people: even under the best of conditions
the mind will bear watching.
8. At one time Shakyamuni Buddha was staying in the
town of Kausambi. In this town there was one who
resented Him and who bribed wicked men to circulate
false stories about Him. Under these circumstances it
was difficult for His disciples to get sufficient food fromtheir begging and there was much abuse in that town.
Ananda said to Shakyamuni: “We had better not stayin a town like this. There are other and better towns to go
to. We had better leave this town.”
The Blessed One replied: “Suppose the next town islike this, what shall we do then?”− 122 −

The Way of Purification“Then we move to another.”
The Blessed One said: “No, Ananda, there will be noend in that way. We had better remain here and bear theabuse patiently until it ceases, and then we move toanother place.”“There are profit and loss, slander and honor, praise
and abuse, suf fering and pleasure in this world; theEnlightened One is not controlled by these externalthings; they will cease as quickly as they come.”II
THE GOOD WAY OF BEHAVIOR
1. Those who seek the way of Enlightenment must
always bear in mind the necessity of constantly keeping
their body, speech and mind pure. To keep the body pure
one must not kill any living creature, one must not steal
or commit adultery. To keep speech pure one must notlie, or abuse, or deceive, or indulge in idle talk. To keep
the mind pure one must remove all greed, anger andfalse judgment.
If the mind becomes impure, for sure, one’s deeds
will be impure; if the deeds are impure, there will be suffering. So it is of the greatest importance that the mind
and the body be kept pure.
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2. Once there was a rich widow who had a reputation
for kindness, modesty and courtesy. She had a housemaid who was wise and diligent.
One day the maid thought: “My mistress has a very
good reputation; I wonder whether she is good by nature,or is good because of her surroundings. I will try her andfind out.”
The following morning the maid did not appear
before her mistress until nearly noon. The mistress wasvexed and scolded her impatiently. The maid replied: “If I
am lazy for only a day or two, you ought not to become
impatient.” Then the mistress became angry.
The next day the maid got up late again. This madethe mistress very angry and she struck the maid with astick. This incident became widely known and the richwidow lost her good reputation.
3. Many people are like this woman. While their surroundings are satisfactor y they are kind, modest andquiet, but it is questionable if they will behave likewise
when the conditions change and become unsatisfactory.
It is only when a person maintains a pure and peaceful mind and continues to act with goodness whenunpleasant words enter his ears, when others show ill-will− 124 −

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toward him or when he lacks sufficient food, clothes andshelter, that we may call him good.

Therefore, those who do good deeds and maintain apeaceful mind only when their surroundings are satisfactor y are not really good people. Only those who havereceived the Buddha’s teachings and are training theirminds and bodies by those teachings can be called truly
good, modest and peaceful people.

4. As to the suitability of words to be used there are
five pairs of antonyms: words that are suitable to theiroccasions and those not so suitable to theirs; words that
fit the facts and those that don’t fit; words that soundpleasant and those that sound rude; words that are beneficial and those that are harmful; and words that are sympathetic and those that are hateful.
Whatever words we utter should be chosen withcare for people will hear them and be influenced by themfor good or ill. If our minds are filled with sympathy andcompassion, they will be resistant to the evil words wehear. We must not let wild words pass our lips lest they
arouse feelings of anger and hatred. The words we speak
should always be words of sympathy and wisdom.
Suppose there is a man who wants to remove all the− 125 −

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dirt from the ground. He uses a spade and a winnow andworks perseveringly scattering the dirt all about, but it is
an impossible task. Like this foolish man we can not hopeto eliminate all words. We must train our mind and fill ourhearts with sympathy so that we will be undisturbed by
the words spoken by others.
One might try to paint a picture with water colors on
the blue sky, but it is impossible. And it is also impossible
to dry up a great river by the heat of a torch made of hay,or to produce a crackling noise by rubbing together twopieces of well-tanned leather. Like these examples, people
should train their minds so that they would not be disturbed by whatever kinds of words they might hear.
They should train their minds and keep them broadas the earth, unlimited as the sky, deep as a big river andsoft as well-tanned leather.
Even if your enemy catches and tortures you, if you
feel resentment, you are not following the Buddha’s
teachings. Under every circumstance you should learn tothink: “My mind is unshakable. Words of hatred andanger shall not pass my lips. I will surround my enemy
with thoughts of sympathy and pity that flow out from amind filled with compassion for all sentient life.”− 126 −

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5. There is a fable told of a man who found an anthillwhich burned in the daytime and smoked at night. He
went to a wise man and asked his advice as to what heshould do about it. The wise man told him to dig into itwith a sword. This the man did. He found in succession agate-bar, some bubbles of water, a pitchfork, a box, a tortoise, a butcher-knife, a piece of meat and, finally, adragon which came out. The man reported to the wise
man what he had found. The wise man explained the significance of it and said, “Throw away everything but the
dragon; leave the dragon alone and do not disturb him.”
This is a fable in which “anthill” represents thehuman body. “Burned in the daytime” represents the factthat during the day people turn into acts the things they
thought about the previous night. “Smoked at night” indicates the fact that people during the night recall withpleasure or regret the things they did the previous day.
In the same fable, “a man” means a person who
seeks Enlightenment. “A wise man” means Buddha. “Asword” means pure wisdom. “Dig into it” refers to theeffort he must make to gain Enlightenment.

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Fur ther in the fable, “gate-bar” represents ignorance; “bubbles” are puffs of suffering and anger; “pitchfork” suggests hesitation and uneasiness; “box” suggests
the storage of greed, anger, laziness, fickleness, repentance and delusion; “tortoise” means the body and themind; “butcher-knife” means the synthesis of the five sensory desires, and “a piece of meat” means the resulting
desire that causes a man to covet after satisfaction. These
things are all harmful to man and so Buddha said,“Throw away everything.”
Still further, “dragon” indicates a mind that has eliminated all worldly passions. If a man digs into the things
about him with the sword of wisdom he will finally cometo his dragon. “Leave the dragon alone and do not disturb
him” means to go after and dig up a mind free of worldly
desires.
6. Pindola, a disciple of Buddha, after gaining
Enlightenment, returned to his native place of Kausambi
to repay the people there for the kindness they had
shown him. In so doing he prepared the field for thesowing of Buddha-seeds.
On the outskirts of Kausambi there is a small parkthat runs along the bank of the Ganges River shaded byendless rows of coconut trees and where a cool wind continually blows.
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One hot summer day, Pindola sat in meditation in
the cool shade of a tree when King Udayana came to thispark with his consorts for recreation and, after music andpleasure, he took a nap in the shade of another tree.
While their King was asleep, his wives and ladies-inwaiting took a walk and suddenly came upon Pindola sitting in meditation. They recognized him as a holy-man
and asked him to teach them, and they listened to his
sermon.
When the King awoke from his nap, he went insearch of his ladies and found them surrounding thisman and listening to his teaching. Being of a jealous andlascivious mind, the King became angr y and abused
Pindola, saying: “It is inexcusable that you, a holy-man,should be in the midst of women and enjoy idle talking
with them.” Pindola quietly closed his eyes and remained
silent.
The angr y King drew his sword and threatened
Pindola, but the holy-man remained silent and was as
firm as a rock. This made the King still more angry so hebroke open an anthill and threw some of the ant-filled dirt
upon him, but still Pindola remained sitting in meditation,
quietly enduring the insult and pain.

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Thereupon, the King became ashamed of his ferocious conduct and begged Pindola’s pardon. As a result of
this incident, the Buddha’s teaching found its way into
the King’s castle and from there it spread all over thecountry.
7. A few days later King Udayana visited Pindola in theforest retreat where he lived and asked him, “Honored
teacher, how is it that the disciples of Buddha can keep
their bodies and minds pure and untempted by lust,
although they are mostly young men?”
Pindola replied: “Noble Lord, Buddha has taught us
to respect all women. He has taught us to look upon all
old women as our mothers, upon those of our own age as
our sisters, and upon younger ones as our daughters.
Because of this teaching the disciples of Buddha are able
to keep their bodies and minds pure and untempted bylust although they are youthful.”“But, Honored teacher, one may have impure
thoughts of a woman the age of a mother or a sister or adaughter. How do the disciples of Buddha control their
desires?”“Noble Lord, the Blessed One taught us to think ofour bodies as secreting impurities of all kinds such as
blood, pus, sweat and oils; by thinking thus, we, although− 130 −

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young, are able to keep our minds pure.”“Honored teacher,” still pressed the King. “It may beeasy for you to do this for you have trained your body andmind, and polished your wisdom, but it would be difficult
for those who have not yet had such training. They may
try to remember the impurities but their eyes will follow
beautiful forms. They may tr y to see the ugliness but
they will be tempted by the beautiful figures just thesame. There must be some other reason that the young
men among the Buddha’s disciples are able to keep theiractions pure.”“Noble Lord,” replied Pindola, “the Blessed One
teaches us to guard the doors of the five senses. When
we see beautiful figures and colors with our eyes, when
we hear pleasant sounds with our ears, when we smell
fragrance with our nose, or when we taste sweet things
with our tongue or touch soft things with our hands, weare not to become attached to these attractive things, neither are we to be repulsed by unattractive things. We aretaught to carefully guard the doors of these five senses. It
is by this teaching of the Blessed One that even young
disciples are able to keep their minds and bodies pure.”“The teaching of Buddha is truly marvelous. From
my own experience I know that if I confront anything
beautiful or pleasing, without being on my guard, I am
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disturbed by the sense impressions. It is of vital importance that we be on guard at the doors of the five senses,
at all times to keep our deeds pure.”
8. Whenever a person expresses the thought of his
mind in action there is always a reaction that follows. If
one abuses you, there is a temptation to answer back, orto be revenged. One should be on guard against this natural reaction. It is like spitting against the wind, it harms
no one but oneself. It is like sweeping dust against thewind, it does not get rid of the dust but defiles oneself.
Misfortune always dogs the steps of one who gives way
to the desire for revenge.
9. It is a ver y good deed to cast away greed and tocherish a mind of charity. It is still better to keep one’s
mind intent on respecting the Noble Path.
One should get rid of a selfish mind and replace itwith a mind that is earnest to help others. An act to makeanother happy inspires the other to make still anotherhappy, and so happiness is born from such an act.
Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single
candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened.
Happiness never decreases by being shared.

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Those who seek Enlightenment must be careful of
their each step. No matter how high one’s aspiration may
be, it must be attained step by step. The steps of the path
to Enlightenment must be taken in our everyday life.
10. At the very beginning of the path to Enlightenment
there are twenty difficulties for us to overcome in thisworld, and they are: 1. It is hard for a poor man to be generous. 2. It is hard for a proud man to learn the Way of
Enlightenment. 3. It is hard to seek Enlightenment at thecost of self-sacrifice. 4. It is hard to be born while Buddha
is in the world. 5. It is hard to hear the teaching of
Buddha. 6. It is hard to keep the mind pure against theinstincts of the body. 7. It is hard not to desire things thatare beautiful and attractive. 8. It is hard for a strong man
not to use his strength to satisfy his desires. 9. It is hard
not to get angry when one is insulted. 10. It is hard toremain innocent when tempted by sudden circumstances.
11. It is hard to apply oneself to study widely and thoroughly. 12. It is hard not to despise a beginner. 13. It is
hard to keep oneself humble. 14. It is hard to find goodfriends. 15. It is hard to endure the discipline that leads to
Enlightenment. 16. It is hard not to be disturbed by external conditions and circumstances. 17. It is hard to teachothers by knowing their abilities. 18. It is hard to maintain a peaceful mind.

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19. It is hard not to argue about right and wrong. 20. It is
hard to find and learn a good method.
11. Good men and bad men differ from each other intheir natures. Bad men do not recognize a sinful act as
sinful; if its sinfulness is brought to their attention, they
do not cease doing it and do not like to have anyone
inform them of their sinful acts. Wise men are sensitive
to right and wrong; they cease doing anything as soon as
they see that it is wrong; they are grateful to anyone whocalls their attention to such wrong acts.
Thus good men and bad men differ radically. Bad
men never appreciate kindness shown them, but wise
men appreciate and are grateful. Wise men try to express
their appreciation and gratitude by some return of kindness, not only to their benefactor, but to everyone else.

III
TEACHING IN ANCIENT FABLES
1. Once upon a time there was a country which had
the very peculiar custom of abandoning its aged people inremote and inaccessible mountains.
A certain minister of the State found it too difficult
to follow this custom in the case of his own aged father,− 134 −

The Way of Purificationand so he built a secret underground cave where he hid
his father and cared for him.
One day a god appeared before the king of thatcountry and gave him a puzzling problem, saying that if
he could not solve it satisfactorily, his country would bedestroyed. The problem was: “Here are two serpents; tellme the sex of each.”
Neither the king nor anyone in the palace was able
to solve the problem; so the king offered a great reward
to anyone in his kingdom who could.
The minister went to his father’s hiding place andasked him for the answer to that problem. The old man
said: “It is an easy solution. Place the two snakes on a softcarpet; the one that moves about is the male, and theother that keeps quiet is the female.” The minister carried the answer to the king and the problem was successfully solved.
Then the god asked other difficult questions which
the king and his retainers were unable to answer, butwhich the minister, after consulting his aged father, could
always solve.

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Here are some of the questions and their answers.
“Who is the one who, being asleep, is called the awakened one, and, being awake, is called the sleeping one?”
The answer is this: - It is the one who is under training forEnlightenment. He is awake when compared with those
who are not interested in Enlightenment; he is asleep
when compared with those who have already attained
Enlightenment.
“How can you weigh a large elephant?” “Load it on aboat and draw a line to mark how deep the boat sinks into
the water. Then take out the elephant and load the boatwith stones until it sinks to the same depth, and thenweigh the stones.”
What is the meaning of the saying, “A cupful ofwater is more than the water of an ocean?” This is theanswer: “A cupful of water given in a pure and compassionate spirit to one’s parents or to a sick person has an
eternal merit, but the water of an ocean will some daycome to an end.”
Next the god made a starving man, reduced to skinand bones, complain, “Is there anyone in this world more
hungry than I?” “The man who is so selfish and greedy
that he does not believe in the Three Treasures of the
Buddha, the Dharma and the Samgha, and who does notmake offerings to his parents and teachers, is not only
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more hungr y but he will fall into the world of hungr ydemons and there he will suffer from hunger forever.”“Here is a plank of Chandana wood; which end was
the bottom of the tree?” “Float the plank in water; the end
that sinks a little deeper was the end nearest the root.”“Here are two horses apparently of the same sizeand form; how can you tell the mother from the son?”“Feed them some hay; the mother horse will push the
hay toward her son.”Ever y answer to these difficult questions pleased
the god as well as the king. The king was grateful to findout that the answers had come from the aged father
whom the minister had hidden in the cave, and he withdrew the law of abandoning aged people in the mountains
and ordered that they were to be treated kindly.

2. Queen of Videha in India once dreamed of a whiteelephant that had six ivory tusks. She coveted the tusks
and besought the king to get them for her. Although thetask seemed an impossible one, the king who loved thequeen ver y much offered a reward to any hunter who
would report if he found such an elephant.
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It happened that there was just such an elephantwith six tusks in the Himalayan Mountains who was training for Buddhahood. The elephant once had saved ahunter’s life in an emergency in the depths of the mountains and the hunter could go back safely to his country.
The hunter, however, blinded by the great reward andforgetting the kindness the elephant had shown him,
returned to the mountains to kill the elephant.
The hunter, knowing that the elephant was seeking
Buddhahood, disguised himself in the robe of a Buddhist
monk and, thus catching the elephant off guard, shot itwith a poisoned arrow.
The elephant, knowing that its end was near andthat the hunter had been overcome by the worldly desire
for the reward, had compassion upon him and sheltered
him in its limbs to protect the hunter from the fury of theother revengeful elephants. Then the elephant asked thehunter why he had done such a foolish thing. The hunter
told of the reward and confessed that he coveted its six
tusks. The elephant immediately broke off the tusks byhitting them against a tree and gave them to the huntersaying: – “By this offering I have completed my training
for Buddhahood and will be reborn in the Pure Land.
When I become a Buddha, I will help you to get rid ofyour three poisonous arrows of greed, anger and foolishness.”− 138 −

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3. In a thicket at the foot of the Himalayan Mountains
there once lived a parrot together with many other animals and birds. One day a fire started in the thicket fromthe friction of bamboos in a strong wind and the birds
and animals were in frightened confusion. The parrot,
feeling compassion for their fright and suffering, andwishing to repay the kindness he had received in thebamboo thicket where he could shelter himself, tried to
do all he could to save them. He dipped himself in a pond
nearby and flew over the fire and shook off the drops ofwater to extinguish the fire. He repeated this diligently
with a heart of compassion out of gratitude to the thicket.
This spirit of kindness and self-sacrifice was noticed
by a heavenly god who came down from the sky and said
to the parrot: – “You have a gallant mind, but what good
do you expect to accomplish by a few drops of water
against this great fire?” The parrot answered: – “There isnothing that can not be accomplished by the spirit of gratitude and self-sacrifice. I will try over and over again andthen over in the next life.” The great god was impressedby the parrot’s spirit and together they extinguished thefire.
4. At one time there lived in the Himalayas a bird with
one body and two heads. Once one of the heads noticed
the other head eating some sweet fruit and felt jealousand said to itself: – “I will then eat poison fruit.” So it ate− 139 −

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poison and the whole bird died.
5. At one time the tail and the head of a snake quarreled as to which should be the front. The tail said to thehead:– “You are always taking the lead; it is not fair, you
ought to let me lead sometimes.” The head answered;–“It is the law of our nature that I should be the head; I can
not change places with you.”
But the quarrel went on and one day the tail fastened itself to a tree and thus prevented the head fromproceeding. When the head became tired with the struggle the tail had its own way, with the result that the snake
fell into a pit of fire and perished.
In the world of nature there always exists an appropriate order and everything has its own function. If thisorder is disturbed, the functioning is interrupted and thewhole order will go to ruin.

6. There was a man who was easily angered. One day
two men were talking in front of the house about the man
who lived there. One said to the other: – “He is a niceman but is very impatient; he has a hot temper and gets
angry quickly.” The man overheard the remark, rushed
out of the house and attacked the two men, striking andkicking and wounding them.
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When a wise man is advised of his errors, he willreflect on them and improve his conduct. When his misconduct is pointed out, a foolish man will not only disregard the advice but rather repeat the same error.
7. Once there was a wealthy but foolish man. When hesaw the beautiful three-storied house of another man, heenvied it and made up his mind to have one built just likeit, thinking he was himself just as wealthy. He called acarpenter and ordered him to build it. The carpenter consented and immediately began to construct the foundation, the first story, the second story, and then the thirdstory. The wealthy man noticed this with irritation andsaid: – “I don’t want a foundation or a first stor y or asecond story; I just want the beautiful third story. Build it
quickly.”
A foolish man always thinks only of the results, andis impatient without the effort that is necessary to getgood results. No good can be attained without proper
effort, just as there can be no third stor y without thefoundation and the first and the second stories.
8. A foolish man was once boiling honey. His friend
suddenly appeared and the foolish man wanted to offer
him some honey, but it was too hot, and so without
removing it from the fire he fanned it to make it cool. In
like manner, it is impossible to get the honey of cool
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wisdom without first removing it from the fire of worldly
passions.

9. Once there were two demons who spent a whole
day arguing and quarreling about a box, a cane and apair of shoes. A man, passing by, inquired, “Why are you
arguing about these things? What magical power havethey that you should be quarreling about possessing
them?”The demons explained to him that from the box
they could get anything they desired-food, clothing ortreasure; with the cane they could subdue all their enemies; and with the pair of shoes they could travel throughthe air.
Upon hearing this, the man said: “Why quarrel? If
you will go away for a few minutes, I can think of a fairdivision of the things between you.” So the two demons
retired and as soon as they were gone, the man put on
the shoes, seized the box and the cane and was of f
through the air.
The “demons” represent men of heathen beliefs. “Abox” means the gifts that are made in charity; they do notrealize how many treasures can be produced fromcharity. “A cane” means the practice of concentration of
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spiritual concentration of mind, they can subdue allworldly desires. “A pair of shoes” means the puredisciplines of thought and conduct, that will carry thembeyond all desires and arguments. Without knowing
these, they quarrel and argue about a box, a cane and apair of shoes.
10. Once upon a time a man was traveling alone. He
came to a vacant house toward the evening and decided
to spend the night there. About midnight a demon
brought in a corpse and left it on the floor. Shor tly,
another demon appeared and claimed the corpse as his
and they quarreled over it.
Then the first demon said it was useless to argue
about it further and proposed that they refer it to a judge
to decide the possessor. The other demon agreed to this
and, seeing the man cowering in the corner, asked him todecide the ownership. The man was terribly frightened,for he well knew that whatever decision he might makewould anger the demon that lost and that the losing
demon would seek revenge and kill him, but he decided
to tell truthfully just what he had witnessed.
As he expected, this angered the second demon
who grabbed one of the man’s arms and tore it off, but
the first demon replaced the arm with one taken from thecorpse. The angry demon tore away the man’s other arm,
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but the first demon immediately replaced that with theother arm of the corpse. And so it went on until botharms, both legs, the head and the body had been successively torn away and replaced with the correspondingparts of the corpse. Then the two demons, seeing theparts of the man scattered about on the floor, picked
them up and devoured them and went away chuckling.

The poor man who had taken refuge in the desertedhouse was ver y much upset by his misfor tunes. The
parts of his body which the demons had eaten were theparts his parents had given him, and the parts that he
now had belonged to the corpse. Who was he, anyway?
Realizing all the facts, he was unable to figure it out and,becoming crazy, he wandered out of the house. Coming
to a temple, he went in and told his troubles to themonks. People could see the true meaning of selflessness
in his story.

11. Once a beautiful and well-dressed woman visited ahouse. The master of the house asked her who she was;and she replied that she was the goddess of wealth. The
master of the house was delighted and so treated hernicely.
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Soon after another woman appeared who was ugly
looking and poorly dressed. The master asked who she
was and the woman replied that she was the goddess ofpoverty. The master was frightened and tried to drive herout of the house, but the woman refused to depar t,
saying, “The goddess of wealth is my sister. There is anagreement between us that we are never to live separately;
if you chase me out, she is to go with me.” Sure enough,as soon as the ugly woman went out, the other woman
disappeared.
Birth goes with death. Fortune goes with misfortune. Bad things follow good things. People should realize this. Foolish people dread misfortune and strive after
good fortune, but those who seek Enlightenment must
transcend both of them and be free of worldly attachments.
12. Once there lived a poor artist who left his home,leaving his wife, to seek his fortune. After three years ofhard struggles he had saved three hundred pieces ofgold and decided to return to his home. On his way hecame to a great temple in which a grand ceremony ofoffering was in progress. He was greatly impressed by it
and thought to himself: “Hitherto, I have thought only of
the present; I have never considered my future happiness. It is a part of my good fortune that I have come tothis place; I must take advantage of it to plant seeds of− 145 −

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merit.” Thinking thus, he gratefully donated all his savings to the temple and returned to his home penniless.
When he reached home, his wife reproached him
for not bringing her some money for her support. The
poor artist replied that he had earned some money but
had put it where it would be safe. When she pressed him
to tell where he had hidden it, he confessed that he had
given it to the monks at a certain temple.
This made the wife angry and she scolded her husband and finally carried the matter to the local judge.
When the judge asked the artist for his defence, the artist
said that he had not acted foolishly, for he had earned themoney during long and hard struggles and wanted to use
it as seed for future good fortune. When he came to thetemple it seemed to him that there was the field where heshould plant his gold as seed for good fortune. Then headded: “When I gave the monks the gold, it seemed that I
was throwing away all greed and stinginess from mymind, and I have realized that real wealth is not gold but
mind.”The judge praised the artist’s spirit, and those whoheard of this manifested their approval by helping him invarious ways. Thus the artist and his wife entered into
permanent good fortune.
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13. A man living near a cemeter y heard one night avoice calling him from a grave. He was too timid to investigate it himself but the next day he mentioned it to abrave friend, who made up his mind to trace the place
whence the voice came the following night.
While the timid man was trembling with fear, hisfriend went to the cemetery and, sure enough, the same
voice was heard coming from a grave. The friend asked
who it was and what it wanted. The voice from under the
ground replied: “I am a hidden treasure that has decided
to give myself to someone. I offered it to a man last night
but he was too timid to come after it, so I will give it to
you who are worthy of it. Tomorrow morning I will cometo your house with my seven followers.”

The friend said: “I will be waiting for you, but pleasetell me how I am to treat you.” The voice replied: “We will
come in monk's robes. Have a room ready for us withwater; wash your body and clean the room, and haveseats for us and eight bowls of rice-porridge. After themeal, you are to lead us one by one into a closed room inwhich we will transform ourselves into crocks of gold.”

The next morning this man washed his body andcleaned the room just as he had been told and waited for− 147 −

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the eight monks to appear. In due time they appeared andhe received them courteously. After they had eaten thefood he led them one by one into the closed room, where
each monk turned himself into a crock full of gold.
There was a very greedy man in the same village
who learned of the incident and wanted the crocks ofgold. He invited eight monks to his house. After theirmeal he led them into a closed room, but instead of turning themselves into crocks of gold, they became angry
and rough and reported the greedy man to the police
who eventually arrested him.
As for the timid man, when he heard that the voicefrom the grave had brought wealth to the brave man, hewent to the house of the brave man and greedily demanded the gold, insisting that it was his, because the voice
first addressed him. When the timid man tried to take thecrocks away he found lots of snakes inside raising theirheads ready to attack him.
The king heard about this and ruled that the crocks
belonged to the brave man and uttered the following
obser vation: “Ever ything in the world goes like this.
Foolish people are avaricious for good results only, but
are too timid to go after them and, therefore, are continually failing. They have neither faith nor courage to face
the internal struggles of the mind by which alone true
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peace and harmony can be attained.”− 149 −

CHAPTER TWO

THE WAY OF PRACTICALATTAINMENTISEARCH FOR TRUTH

1. In the search for truth there are certain questions
that are unimportant. Of what material is the universe
constructed? Is the universe eternal? Are there limits or
not to the universe? In what way is this human society put
together? What is the ideal form of organization forhuman society? If a man were to postpone his searchingand practicing for Enlightenment until such questions
were solved, he would die before he found the path.

Suppose a man were pierced by a poisoned arrow,and his relatives and friends got together to call a surgeon to have the arrow pulled out and the wound treated.

If the wounded man objects, saying, “Wait a little.
Before you pull it out, I want to know who shot thisarrow. Was it a man or a woman? Was it someone ofnoble birth, or was it a peasant? What was the bow madeof? Was it a big bow, or a small bow, that shot the arrow?
Was it made of wood or bamboo? What was the bow− 150 −The Way of Practical Attainment

string made of? Was it made of fiber, or of gut? Was thearrow made of rattan, or of reed? What feathers wereused? Before you extract the arrow, I want to know allabout these things.” Then what will happen?

Before all this information can be secured, no doubt,
the poison will have time to circulate all through thesystem and the man may die. The first duty is to remove
the arrow, and prevent its poison from spreading.

When a fire of passion is endangering the world, thecomposition of the universe matters little; what is theideal form for the human community is not so important
to deal with.

The question of whether the universe has limits or
is eternal can wait until some way is found to extinguish
the fires of birth, old age, sickness and death; in the presence of misery, sorrow, suffering and agony, one should
first search for a way to solve these problems and devote
oneself to the practice of that way.

The Buddha’s teaching contains what is important
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people that they must learn what they should learn,remove what they should remove, train for what theyshould become enlightened about.
Therefore, people should first discern what is themost important, what problem should be solved first andwhat is the most pressing issue for them. To do all this,they must first undertake to train their minds; that is,they must first seek mind-control.

2. Suppose a man goes to the forest to get some of thepith that grows in the center of a tree and returns with aburden of branches and leaves, thinking that he has
secured what he went after; would he not be foolish, if heis satisfied with the bark, wood for the pith which he wasafter? But that is what many people are doing.

A person seeks a path that will lead him away frombir th, old age, sickness and death, or from miser y,sorrow, suffering and agony; and yet, he follows the patha little way, notices some little advance, and immediately
becomes proud and conceited and domineering. He is
like the man who sought pith and went away satisfied
with a burden of branches and leaves.

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Another man becoming satisfied with the progress
he has made by a little ef for t, relaxes his ef for t andbecomes proud and conceited; he is carrying away only aload of branches instead of the pith he was seeking.
Still another man finding that his mind is becoming
calmer and his thoughts clearer, he, too, relaxes his
ef for t and becomes proud and conceited; he has aburden of the bark instead of the pith he was looking for.
Then again, another man becomes proud and conceited because he notices that he has gained a measureof intuitive insight; he has a load of the woody fiber of thetree instead of the pith. All of these seekers, who become
easily satisfied by their insufficient effort and become
proud and over-bearing, relax their efforts and easily fall
into idleness. All these people will inevitably face suffering again.

Those who seek the true path to Enlightenment
must not expect any offer of respect, honor or devotion.
And further, they must not aim with a slight effort, at atrifling advance in calmness or knowledge or insight.

First of all, one should get clearly in mind the basic
and essential nature of this world of life and death.
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3. The world has no substance of its own. It is simply avast concordance of causes and conditions that have had
their origin, solely and exclusively, in the activities of themind that has been stimulated by ignorance, false imagination, desires and infatuation. It is not something external about which the mind has false conceptions; it has no
substance whatever. It has come into appearance by theprocesses of the mind itself, manifesting its own delusions. It is founded and built up out of the desires of themind, out of its sufferings and struggles incidental to thepain caused by its own greed, anger and foolishness.
Men who seek the way to Enlightenment should be readyto fight such a mind to attain their goal.
4. “Oh my mind! Why do you hover so restlessly overthe changing circumstances of life? Why do you make me
so confused and restless? Why do you urge me to collectso many things? You are like a plow that breaks in pieces
before beginning to plow; you are like a rudder that is
dismantled just as you are venturing out on the sea of lifeand death. Of what use are many rebirths if we do notmake good use of this life? ”“Oh my mind! Once you caused me to be born as aking, and then you caused me to be born as an outcast
and to beg for my food. Sometimes you cause me to beborn in heavenly mansions of the gods and to dwell in
luxur y and in ecstasy; then you plunge me into the− 154 −

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flames of hell.”“Oh, my foolish, foolish mind! Thus you have led mealong different paths and I have been obedient to you anddocile. But now that I have heard the Buddha’s teaching,
do not disturb me any more or cause me further sufferings, but let us seek Enlightenment together, humbly andpatiently.”“Oh, my mind! If you could only learn that everything is non-substantial and transitory; if you could only
learn not to grasp after things, not to covet things, not togive way to greed, anger and foolishness; then we mightjourney in quietness. Then, by severing the bond ofdesires with the sword of wisdom, being undisturbed bychanging circumstances - advantage or disadvantage,
good or bad, loss or gain, praise or abuse - we mightdwell in peace.”“Oh, my dear mind! It was you who first awakened
faith in us; it was you who suggested our seeking
Enlightenment. Why do you give way so easily to greed,
love of comfort and pleasant excitement again? ”“Oh, my mind! Why do you rush hither and thitherwith no definite purpose? Let us cross this wild sea ofdelusion. Hitherto I have acted as you wished, but now
you must act as I wish and, together, we will follow the− 155 −

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Buddha’s teaching.”“Oh, my dear mind! These mountains, rivers andseas are changeable and pain-producing. Where in thisworld of delusion shall we seek quietness? Let us follow
the Buddha’s teaching and cross over to the other shoreof Enlightenment.”

5. Thus, those who really seek the path to Enlightenment dictate terms to their mind. Then they proceed withstrong determination. Even though they are abused bysome and scorned by others, they go for ward undisturbed. They do not become angry if they are beaten byfists, or hit by stones, or gashed by swords.
Even if enemies cut their head from the body, themind must not be disturbed. If they let their mind
become darkened by the things they suffer, they are notfollowing the teaching of Buddha. They must be determined, no matter what happens to them, to remain steadfast, unmovable, ever radiating thoughts of compassion
and good-will. Let abuse come, let misfortune come, andyet one should resolve to remain unmoved and tranquil in
mind, filled with Buddha’s teaching.
For the sake of attaining Enlightenment, one should
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the unendurable. One must give what he has to the last of
it. If he is told that to gain Enlightenment he must limit
his food to a single grain of rice a day, he will eat only
that. If the path to Enlightenment leads him through fire,
he will go forward.
But one must not do these things for any ulterior
purpose. One should do them because it is the wise
thing, the right thing, to do. One should do them out of a
spirit of compassion, as a mother does things for her little
child, for her sick child, with no thought of her own
strength or comfort.

6. Once there was a king who loved his people and his
country and ruled them with wisdom and kindness and,because of it his country was prosperous and peaceful.
He was always seeking for greater wisdom and enlightenment; he even offered rewards to anyone who could lead
him to worthy teachings.
His devotion and wisdom finally came to the attention of the gods, but they determined to test him. A god
in disguise as a demon appeared before the gates of theking’s palace and asked to be brought before the king as
he had a holy teaching for him.

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The king who was pleased to hear the message
courteously received him and asked for instruction. The
demon took on a dreadful form and demanded food,saying that he could not teach until he had the food heliked. Choice food was offered the demon, but he insisted
that he must have warm human flesh and blood. The
crown-prince gave his body and the queen also gave herbody, but still the demon was unsatisfied and so demanded the body of the king.
The king expressed his willingness to give his body,
but asked that he might first hear the teaching before hewould offer his body.
The god uttered the following wise teaching:“Misery rises from lust and fear rises from lust. Those
who remove lust have no misery or fear.” Suddenly the
god resumed his true form and the prince and the queen
also reappeared in their original bodies.
7. Once there was a person who sought the True Pathin the Himalayas. He cared nothing for all the treasuresof the earth or even for all the delights of heaven, but hesought the teaching that would remove all mental delusions.
The gods were impressed by the man’s earnestness
and sincerity and decided to test his mind. So one of thegods disguised himself as a demon and appeared in the− 158 −

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Himalayas, singing: “Ever ything changes, ever ythingappears and disappears.”
The seeker heard this song which pleased him verymuch. He was as delighted as if he had found a spring ofcool water for his thirst or as if a slave had been unexpectedly set free. He said to himself, “At last I have foundthe true teaching that I have sought for so long.” He followed the voice and at last came upon the frightful
demon. With an uneasy mind he approached the demonand said: “Was it you who sang the holy song that I havejust heard? If it was you, please sing more of it.”
The demon replied: “Yes, it was my song, but I can
not sing more of it until I have had something to eat; I am
starving.”
The man begged him very earnestly to sing more ofit, saying: “It has a sacred meaning to me and I havesought its teaching for a long time. I have only heard apart of it; please let me hear more.”
The demon said again: “I am starving, but if I cantaste the warm flesh and blood of a man, I will finish thesong.”The man, in his eagerness to hear the teaching,promised the demon that he could have his body after he− 159 −

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had heard the teaching. Then the demon sang the complete song.
Everything changes,
Everything appears and disappears,
There is perfect tranquility
When one transcends both life and extinction.
Hearing this, the man, after he wrote the poem onrocks and trees around, quietly climbed a tree and hurledhimself to the feet of the demon, but the demon had disappeared and, instead, a radiant god received the body ofthe man unharmed.
8. Once upon a time there was an earnest seeker of
the true path named Sadaprarudita. He cast aside every
temptation for profit or honor and sought the path at therisk of his life. One day a voice from heaven came to him,saying, “Sadaprarudita! Go straight toward the east. Do
not think of either heat or cold, pay no attention toworldly praise or scorn, do not be bothered by discriminations of good or evil, but just keep on going east. In thefar east you will find a true teacher and will gain Enlightenment.”
Sadaprarudita was very pleased to get this definite
instruction and immediately started on his journey eastward. Sometimes he slept where night found him in a
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lonely field or in the wild mountains.
Being a stranger in foreign lands, he suffered many
humiliations; once he sold himself into slavery, selling his
own flesh out of hunger, but at last he found the true
teacher and asked for his instruction.
There is a saying, “Good things are costly,” andSadaprarudita found it true in his case, for he had manydifficulties on his journey in search of the path. He had
no money to buy some flowers and incense to offer theteacher. He tried to sell his services but could find no one
to hire him. There seemed to be an evil spirit hindering
him every way he turned. The path to Enlightenment is a
hard one and it may cost a man his life.
At last Sadaprarudita reached the presence of theteacher himself and then he had a new difficulty. He had
no paper on which to take notes and no brush or ink towrite with. Then he pricked his wrist with a dagger andtook notes in his own blood. In this way he secured theprecious Truth.
9. Once there was a boy named Sudhana who also
wished for Enlightenment and earnestly sought the way.
From a fisherman he learned the lore of the sea. From a
doctor he learned compassion toward sick people in theirsuffering. From a wealthy man he learned that saving
pennies was the secret of his fortune and thought how− 161 −

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necessary it was to conserve every trifling gained on thepath to Enlightenment.
From a meditating monk he learned that the pureand peaceful mind had a miraculous power to purify andtranquilize other minds. Once he met a woman of exceptional personality and was impressed by her benevolent
spirit, and from her he learned a lesson that charity was
the fruit of wisdom. Once he met an aged wanderer who
told him that to reach a certain place he had to scale amountain of swords and pass through a valley of fire.
Thus Sudhana learned from his experiences that there
was true teaching to be gained from everything he sawor heard.
He learned patience from a poor, crippled woman;he learned a lesson of simple happiness from watching
children playing in the street; and from some gentle andhumble people, who never thought of wanting anythingthat anybody else wanted, he learned the secret of living
at peace with all the world.
He learned a lesson of harmony from watching theblending of the elements of incense, and a lesson of
thanksgiving from the arrangement of flowers. One day,passing through a forest, he took a rest under a noble
tree and noticed a tiny seedling growing near by out of afallen and decaying tree and it taught him a lesson of the− 162 −

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uncertainty of life.
Sunlight by day and the twinkling stars by night
constantly refreshed his spirit. Thus Sudhana profited by
the experiences of his long journey.
Indeed, those who seek for Enlightenment must
think of their minds as castles and decorate them. They
must open wide the gates of their minds for Buddha, andrespectfully and humbly invite Him to enter the inmost
chamber, there to offer Him the fragrant incense of faithand the flowers of gratitude and gladness.
II
THE WAYS OF PRACTICE
1. For those who seek Enlightenment there are three
ways of practice that must be understood and followed:
First, disciplines for practical behavior; second, right concentration of mind; and third, wisdom.
What are disciplines? Everyone, whether a person is
a common person or a way-seeker, should follow the precepts for good behavior. One should control both themind and body, and guard the gates of one’s five senses.
One should be afraid of even a trifling evil and, frommoment to moment, should endeavor to practice only
good deeds.
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What is meant by the concentration of mind? Itmeans to get quickly away from greedy and evil desiresas they arise and to hold the mind pure and tranquil.

What is wisdom? It is the ability to perfectly understand and to patiently accept the Fourfold Noble Truth,
to know the fact of suffering and its nature; to know thesource of suffering, to know what constitutes the end of
suffering, and to know the Noble Path that leads to theend of suffering.
Those who earnestly follow these three ways ofpractice may rightly be called the disciples of Buddha.
Suppose a donkey, that has no nice shape, no voiceand no horns like those of the cow, was following a herdof cows and proclaiming, “Look, I am also a cow.” Would
any one believe him? It is just as foolish when a person
does not follow the three ways of practice but boasts that
he is a way-seeker or a disciple of Buddha.

Before a farmer gathers a har vest in the fall, hemust first plow the ground, sow the seed, irrigate, andremove the weeds as they come up in the springtime.
Likewise, the seeker of Enlightenment must follow thethree ways of practice. A farmer can not expect to see the− 164 −

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buds today, to see the plants tomorrow, and to gather the
harvest the day after. So a person who seeks Enlightenment can not expect to remove worldly desires today, toremove attachments and evil desires tomorrow, and to
get Enlightenment the day after.
Just as plants receive the patient care of the farmer
after the seed has been sown and during the changes ofclimate and during the growth from plant to fruit, so theseeker of Enlightenment must patiently and perseveringly cultivate the soil of Enlightenment by following thethree ways of practice.

2. It is difficult to advance along the path that leads to
Enlightenment so long as one is covetous of comforts
and luxuries and his mind disturbed by the desires of thesenses. There is a wide difference between the enjoyment of life and the enjoyment of the True Path.
As already explained, the mind is the source of allthings. If the mind enjoys worldly affairs, illusions andsuffering will inevitably follow, but if the mind enjoys theTrue Path, happiness, contentment and enlightenment
will just as surely follow.
Therefore, those who are seeking Enlightenment
should keep their minds pure, and patiently keep and− 165 −

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practice the three ways. If they keep the precepts they
will naturally obtain concentration of mind; and if theyobtain concentration of the mind it will be just as naturalfor them to grasp wisdom, and wisdom will lead them to
Enlightenment.

Indeed, these three ways (keeping the precepts,
practicing concentration of mind and always acting
wisely) are the true path to Enlightenment.
By not following them, people have for a long time
accumulated mental delusions. They must not argue withworldly people, but must patiently meditate in their innerworld of a pure mind in order to attain Enlightenment.

3. If the three ways of practice are analyzed, they will
reveal the eightfold noble path, the four viewpoints to beconsidered, the four right procedures, the five faculties ofpower to be employed, and the perfection of six practices.
The Noble Eightfold Path refers to Right View,
Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Behavior, Right
Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right
Concentration.
Right View means to thoroughly understand the
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and not to be deceived by appearances and desires.
Right Thought means the resolution not to cherish,
desires, not to be greedy, not to be angry, and not to do
any harmful deed.
Right Speech means the avoidance of lying words,
idle words, abusive words, and double-tongues.
Right Behavior means not to destroy any life, not tosteal, or not to commit adultery.
Right Livelihood means to avoid any life that would
bring shame.
Right Effort means to try to do one’s best diligently
toward the right direction.
Right Mindfulness means to maintain a pure andthoughtful mind.
Right Concentration means to keep the mind rightand tranquil for its concentration, seeking to realize themind’s pure essence.
4. The Four View-points to be considered are: First, toconsider the body impure, seeking to remove all attachment to it, second, to consider the senses as a source of− 167 −

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suffering, whatever their feelings of pain or pleasure may
be; third, to consider the mind to be in a constant state offlux, and fourth, to consider everything in the world as
being a consequence of causes and conditions and that
nothing remains unchanged forever.

5. The Four Right Procedures are: First, to prevent
any evil from starting; second, to remove any evil as soon
as it starts; third, to induce the doing of good deeds; andfourth, to encourage the growth and continuance of gooddeeds that have already started. One must endeavor tokeep these four procedures.

6. The Five Faculties of Power are: First, the faith tobelieve; second, the will to make the endeavor; third, thefaculty of alertness; fourth, the ability to concentrate
one’s mind; and fifth, the ability to maintain clear wisdom.
These five faculties are necessar y powers to attain
Enlightenment.

7. The Perfection of Six Practices for reaching theother shore of Enlightenment are: the path of Offering,
the path of Keeping Precepts, the path of Endurance, thepath of Endeavor, the path of Concentration of mind, andthe path of Wisdom. By following these paths, one can− 168 −

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surely pass from the shore of delusion over to the shoreof Enlightenment.
The practice of Offering gets rid of selfishness; thepractice of Precepts keeps one thoughtful of the rights
and comforts of others; the practice of Endurance helps
one to control a fearful or angr y mind; the practice ofEndeavor helps one to be diligent and faithful; the practice of Concentration helps one to control a wanderingand futile mind; and the practice of Wisdom changes adark and confused mind into a clear and penetrating
insight.
Offering and Keeping Precepts make the foundationnecessar y to build a great castle on. Endurance andEndeavor are the walls of the castle that protect it against
enemies from outside. Concentration and Wisdom are
the personal armor that protects one against the assaults
of life and death.
If one gives away a gift only when convenient, or
because it is easier to give than not to give, it is an offering, of course, but it is not a True Of fering. A True
Of fering comes from a sympathetic hear t before any
request is made, and a True Offering is the one that gives
not occasionally but constantly.
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feelings of regret or of self-praise; a True Offering is one
that is given with pleasure, forgetting oneself as the giver,the one who receives it and the gift itself.
True Offering springs spontaneously from one’s
pure compassionate heart with no thought of any return,wishing to enter into a life of Enlightenment together.

There are seven kinds of offering which can be practiced by even those who are not wealthy. The first is thephysical offering. This is to offer service by one’s labor.
The highest type of this offering is to offer one’s own life
as is shown in the following story. The second is the spiritual offering. This is to offer a compassionate heart toothers. The third is the offering of eyes. This is to offer awarm glance to others which will give them tranquility.
The fourth is the offering of countenance. This is to offera soft countenance with smile to others. The fifth is theoral offering. This is to offer kind and warm words toothers. The sixth is the seat offering. This is to offer
one’s seat to others. The seventh is the offering of shelter. This is to let others spend the night at one’s home.
These kinds of offering can be practiced by anyone ineveryday life.

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8. Once there was a prince named Sattva. One day heand his two elder brothers went to a forest to play. There
they saw a famished tigress which was evidently tempted
to devour her own seven cubs to satisfy her hunger.
The elder brothers ran away in fear but Sattva
climbed up a cliff and threw himself over it to the tigressin order to save the lives of the baby tigers.
Prince Sattva did this charitable act spontaneously
but within his mind he was thinking: “This body is changing and impermanent; I have loved this body with nothought of throwing it away, but now I make it an offeringto this tigress so that I may gain Enlightenment.” This
thought of Prince Sattva shows the true determination to
gain Enlightenment.
9. There are Four Unlimited States of Mind that theseeker of Enlightenment should cherish. They are
Compassion, Tenderness, Gladness and Equanimity. One
can remove greed by cherishing Compassion; one canremove anger by Tenderness; one can remove sufferingby Gladness, and one can remove the habit of discrimination of enemies and friends by cherishing an Equitablemind.
It is a great compassion that makes people happy
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everything that does not make people happy and contented; it is a great gladness that makes everyone happy andcontented with a mind of joy; there is a great peacefulness when everyone is happy and contented, and then
one can have equal feelings toward everybody.
With care one may cherish these Four Unlimited
States of Mind and may get rid of greed, anger, suffering,and the minds of love-hate, but it is not an easy thing to
do. An evil mind is as hard to get rid of as a watchdog,
and a right mind is as easy to lose as a deer in a forest; oran evil mind is as hard to remove as letters car ved instone, and a right mind is as easy to lose as words written
in water. Indeed, it is the most difficult thing in life totrain oneself for Enlightenment.
10. There was a young man named Srona who was bornin a wealthy family but was of delicate health. He wasvery earnest to gain Enlightenment and became a disciple of the Blessed One. On the path to Enlightenment, he
tried so hard that finally his feet bled.
The Blessed One pitied him and said, “Srona myboy, did you ever study the harp at your home? You knowthat a harp does not make music if the strings are
stretched too tight or too loose. It makes music only
when the strings are stretched just right.
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The Way of Practical Attainment“The training for Enlightenment is just like adjusting the harp strings. You can not attain Enlightenment if
you stretch the strings of your mind too loosely or too
tightly. You must be considerate and act wisely.”
Srona found these words very profitable and finallygained what he sought.
11. Once there was a prince who was skillful in the useof the five weapons. One day he was returning homefrom his practice and met a monster whose skin wasinvulnerable.
The monster started for him but nothing daunted
the prince. He shot an arrow at him which fell harmless.
Then he threw his spear which failed to penetrate thethick skin. Then he threw a bar and a javelin but theyfailed to hurt the monster. Then he used his sword but
the sword broke. The prince attacked the monster withhis fists and feet but to no purpose, for the monster
clutched him in his giant arms and held him fast. Thenthe prince tried to use his head as a weapon but in vain.
The monster said, “It is useless for you to resist; I
am going to devour you.” But the prince answered, “Youmay think that I have used all my weapons and am helpless, but I still have one weapon left. If you devour me, I
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The courage of the prince disturbed the monster
and he asked, “How can you do that?” The prince replied,“By the power of the Truth.”
Then the monster released him and begged for his
instruction in the Truth.
The teaching of this fable is to encourage disciples
to persevere in their efforts and to be undaunted in theface of many set backs.
12. Both odious self-asser tion and shamelessness
offend mankind, but dishonor and shame protect humanbeings. People respect their parents, elders, brothers andsisters because they are sensitive to dishonor and shame.
After self-reflection it is meritorious to withhold honor
from one’s self and to feel ashamed by observing otherpeople.
If a person possesses a repentant spirit one’s sins
will disappear, but if one has an unrepentant spirit one’s
sins will continue and condemn that person forever.
It is only the one who hears the tr ue teachingrightly and realizes its meaning and relation to oneself
who can receive and profit by it.
If a person merely hears the true teaching but does
not acquire it, one will fail in one’s search forEnlightenment.
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Faith, modesty, humbleness, endeavor and wisdom
are the great sources of strength to him who is seeking
Enlightenment. Among these, wisdom is the greatest of
all and the rest are but the aspects of wisdom. If a man,
while in his training, loves worldly affairs, enjoys idle talkor falls asleep, he will be retired from the path toEnlightenment.

13. In training for Enlightenment, some may succeed
quicker than others. Therefore, one should not be discouraged to see others becoming enlightened first.
When a man is practicing archer y, he does notexpect quick success but knows that if he practices
patiently, he will become more and more accurate. A river
begins as a brook but grows ever larger until it flows into
the great ocean.
Like these examples, if a person trains with patienceand perseverance, one will surely gain Enlightenment.
As already explained, if one keeps one’s eyes open,
he will see the teaching everywhere, and so his opportunities for Enlightenment are endless.
Once there was a man who was burning incense. He
noticed that the fragrance was neither coming nor going;
it neither appeared nor disappeared. This trifle incident
led him to gain Enlightenment.
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Once there was a man who got a thorn stuck in his
foot. He felt the sharp pain and a thought came to him,that pain was only a reaction of the mind. From this incident a deeper thought followed that the mind may get outof hand if one fails to control it, or it may become pure if
one succeeds. From these thoughts, a little later,
Enlightenment came to him.
There was another man who was very avaricious.
One day he was thinking of his greedy mind when herealized that greedy thoughts were but shavings and kindlings that wisdom could burn and consume. That was
the beginning of his Enlightenment.
There is an old saying: “Keep your mind level. If themind is level, the whole world will be level.” Consider
these words. Realize that all the distinctions of the world
are caused by the discriminating views of the mind.
There is a path to Enlightenment in those very words.
Indeed, the ways to Enlightenment are unlimited.

III
THE WAY OF FAITH
1. Those who take refuge in the Three Treasures, theBuddha, the Dharma and the Samgha, are called the disciples of Buddha. The disciples of Buddha observe (the− 176 −

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four parts of mind-control) the precepts, faith, offering
and wisdom.
The disciples of Buddha practice the Five Precepts:
not to kill, not to steal, not to commit adultery, not to lie,and not to take intoxicants of any kind.
The disciples of Buddha have faith in the Buddha’s
perfect wisdom. They try to keep away from greedinessand selfishness and to practice offering. They understandthe law of cause and effect, keeping in mind the transiencyof life and conform to the norm of wisdom.
A tree leaning toward the east will naturally fall eastward and so those who listen to the Buddha’s teaching
and maintain faith in it will surely be bor n in the
Buddha’s Pure Land.
2. It has rightly been said that those who believe in theThree Treasures of the Buddha, the Dharma and theSamgha are called the disciples of Buddha.
The Buddha is the one who attained per fect
Enlightenment and used His attainment to emancipate
and bless all mankind. The Dharma is the truth, the spiritof Enlightenment and the teaching that explains it. The
Samgha is the perfect brotherhood of believers in the
Buddha and Dharma.
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We speak of Buddhahood, the Dharma and theBrotherhood as though they are three different things,
but they are really only one. Buddha is manifested in His
Dharma and is realized by the Brotherhood. Therefore,
to believe in the Dharma and to cherish the Brotherhood
is to have faith in the Buddha, and to have faith in the
Buddha means to believe in the Dharma and to cherish
the Brotherhood.
Therefore, people are emancipated and enlightenedsimply by having faith in the Buddha. Buddha is the perfectly Enlightened One and He loves everyone as thougheach were His only child. So if anyone regards Buddha as
his own parent, he identifies himself with Buddha andattains Enlightenment.
Those who thus regard Buddha will be supported
by His wisdom and perfumed by His grace.

3. Nothing in the world brings greater benefit than tobelieve in Buddha. Just hearing Buddha’s name, believing and being pleased even for a moment, is incomparably rewarding.
Therefore, one must please oneself by seeking theteaching of Buddha in spite of the conflagration that fills
all the world.
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It will be hard to meet a teacher who can explain the
Dharma; it will be harder to meet a Buddha; but it will behardest to believe in His teaching.
But now that you have met the Buddha, who is hardto meet, and have had it explained to you what is hard tohear, you ought to rejoice and believe and have faith in
Buddha.
4. On the long journey of human life, faith is the bestof companions; it is the best refreshment on the journey;
and it is the greatest possession.
Faith is the hand that receives the Dharma; it is thepure hand that receives all the virtues. Faith is the firethat consumes all the impurities of worldly desires, itremoves the burden, and it is the guide that leads one’s
way.
Faith removes greed, fear and pride; it teaches courtesy and to respect others; it frees one from the bondage
of circumstances; it gives one courage to meet hardship;
it gives one power to overcome temptations; it enables
one to keep one’s deeds bright and pure; and it enriches
the mind with wisdom.

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Faith is the encouragement when one’s way is long
and wearisome, and it leads to Enlightenment.
Faith makes us feel that we are in the presence of
Buddha and it brings us to where Buddha’s arm supports
us. Faith softens our hard and selfish minds and gives usa friendly spirit and a mind of understanding sympathy.
5. Those who have faith gain the wisdom to recognize
the Buddha’s teaching in whatever they hear. Those whohave faith gain the wisdom to see that everything is but
the appearance that arises from the law of causes andconditions, and then faith gives them the grace of patient
acceptance and the ability to conform to their conditions
peacefully.
Faith gives them the wisdom to recognize the transiency of life and the grace not to be surprised or grieved
at whatever comes to them or with the passing of life
itself, knowing that, however conditions and appearances
may change, the truth of life remains always unchanged.

Faith has three significant aspects: repentance, arejoicing and sincere respect for the virtues of others,
and a grateful acceptance of Buddha’s appearance.

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People should cultivate these aspects of faith; theyshould be sensitive to their failings and impurities; theyshould be ashamed of them and confess them; theyshould diligently practice the recognition of the goodtraits and good deeds of others and praise them for theirsake; and they should habitually desire to act with
Buddha and to live with Buddha.
The mind of faith is the mind of sincerity; it is a deep
mind, a mind that is sincerely glad to be led to Buddha’s
Pure Land by His power.
Therefore, Buddha gives a power to faith that leads
people to the Pure Land, a power that purifies them, apower that protects them from self-delusion. Even if they
have faith only for a moment, when they hear Buddha’s
name praised all over the world, they will be led to His
Pure Land.
6. Faith is not something that is added to the worldly
mind – it is the manifestation of the mind’s Buddhanature. One who understands Buddha is a Buddha himself; one who has faith in Buddha is a Buddha himself.
But it is dif ficult to uncover and recover one’s
Buddha nature; it is difficult to maintain a pure mind in
the constant rise and fall of greed, anger and worldly passion; yet faith enables one to do it.
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Within the forest of the poisonous Eranda trees only
Eranda trees are said to grow, but not the fragrant
Chandana. It is a miracle if a Chandana tree grows in an
Eranda forest. Likewise, it is often a miracle that faith in
Buddha grows in the heart of the people.

Therefore, the faith to believe in Buddha is called a“rootless” faith. That is, it has no root by which it cangrow in the human mind, but it has a root to grow in thecompassionate mind of Buddha.
7. Thus faith is fruitful and sacred. But faith is hard to
awaken in an idle mind. In par ticular, there are five
doubts that lurk in the shadows of the human mind andtend to discourage faith.
First, there is doubt in the Buddha’s wisdom;
second, there is doubt in the Buddha’s teaching; third,
there is doubt in the person who explains the Buddha’s
teachings; fourth, there is doubt as to whether the ways
and methods suggested for following the Noble Path arereliable; and fifth, there is a person who, because of his
arrogant and impatient mind, may doubt the sincerity ofothers who understand and follow the Buddha’s teachings.

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Indeed, there is nothing more dreadful than doubt.
Doubt separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates
friendships and breaks up pleasant relations. It is a thornthat irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kills.
The beginnings of faith were long ago planted by
the compassion of Buddha. When one has faith, one
should realize this fact and be very grateful to Buddha for
His goodness.
One should never forget that it is not because of
one’s own compassion that one has awakened faith, but
because of the Buddha’s compassion which long ago
threw its pure light of faith into human minds and dispelled the darkness of their ignorance. He who enjoys thepresent faith has entered into their heritage.
Even living an ordinary life, one can be born in thePure Land, if he awakens faith through the Buddha’s longcontinued compassion.
It is, indeed, hard to be born in this world. It is hardto hear the Dharma; it is harder to awaken faith; therefore, everyone should try one’s best to hear the Buddha’s
teachings.

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The Way of Practical AttainmentIV
SACRED SAYINGS
1. “He abused me, he laughed at me, he struck me.”Thus one thinks and so long as one retains such thoughts
one’s anger continues.
Anger will never disappear so long as there arethoughts of resentment in the mind. Anger will disappear
just as soon as thoughts of resentment are forgotten.
If a roof is improperly made or in disrepair, rain willleak into the house; so greed enters the mind that is
improperly trained or out of control.
To be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent
is a way of life; foolish people are idle, wise people are
diligent.
An arrow-maker tries to make his arrows straight;
so a wise man tries to keep his mind straight.
A disturbed mind is forever active, jumping hither
and thither, and is hard to control; but a tranquil mind ispeaceful; therefore, it is wise to keep the mind under control.
It is a man’s own mind, not his enemy or foe, thatlures him into evil ways.
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The one who protects his mind from greed, anger
and foolishness, is the one who enjoys real and lasting
peace.
2. To utter pleasant words without practicing them islike a fine flower without fragrance.
The fragrance of a flower does not float against thewind; but the honor of a good man goes even against thewind into the world.
A night seems long to a sleepless person and a journey seems long to a weary traveler; so the time of delusion and suffering seems long to a person who does notknow the right teaching.
On a trip a man should travel with a companion ofequal mind or one who has a better mind; one had better
travel alone than to travel with a fool.
An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared
than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but
an evil friend will wound your mind.

So long as a man can not control his own mind, how
can he get any satisfaction from thinking such thoughts
as,“This is my son” or “This is my treasure”? A foolish− 185 −

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man suffers from such thoughts.
To be foolish and to recognize that one is a fool, isbetter than to be foolish and imagine that one is wise.
A spoon cannot taste of the food it carries. Likewise,a foolish man cannot understand the wise man’s wisdom
even if he associates with a sage.
Fresh milk is often slow to curdle; so sinful actions
do not always bring immediate results. Sinful actions are
more like coals of fire that are hidden in the ashes andkeep on smoldering, finally causing a greater fire.
A person is foolish to desire privileges, promotion,
profits, or honor, for such desires can never bring happiness but will bring suffering instead.
A good friend who points out mistakes and imperfections and rebukes evil is to be respected as if hereveals the secret of some hidden treasure.
3. A person who is pleased when one receives good
instruction will sleep peacefully, because one’s mind isthereby cleansed.
A carpenter seeks to make his beam straight; anarrow-maker seeks to make his arrows well-balanced; the− 186 −

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digger of an irrigation ditch seeks to make the water runsmoothly; so a wise person seeks to control one’s mind sothat it will function smoothly and truly.
A great rock is not disturbed by the wind; the mindof a wise person is not disturbed by either honor orabuse.
To conquer oneself is a greater victory than to conquer thousands in a battle.
To live a single day and hear a good teaching isbetter than to live a hundred years without knowing suchteaching.
Those who respect themselves must be on constantguard lest they yield to evil desires. Once in a lifetime, atleast, they should awaken faith, either in their youth, orin middle age, or even in old age.
The world is always burning, burning with the firesof greed, anger and foolishness; one should flee fromsuch dangers as soon as possible.
The world is like a bubble, it is like the gossamer
web of a spider, it is like the defilement in a dirty jar; one
should constantly protect the purity of one’s mind.
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4. To avoid any evil, to seek the good, to keep the mind
pure: this is the essence of Buddha’s teaching.
Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines,
but it is to him who endures that the final victory comes.
One must remove resentment when he is feelingresentful; one must remove sorrow while he is in the
midst of sorrow; one must remove greediness while he issteeped in greed. To live a pure unselfish life, one must
count nothing as one’s own in the midst of abundance.
To be healthy is a great advantage; to be contented
with what one has is better than the possession of great
wealth; to be considered reliable is the truest mark offriendliness; to attain Enlightenment is the highest happiness.
When one has the feeling of dislike for evil, when
one feels tranquil, when one finds pleasure in listening togood teachings, when one has these feelings and appreciates them, one is free of fear.
Do not become attached to the things you like, do
not maintain aversion to the things you dislike. Sorrow,fear and bondage come from one’s likes and dislikes.

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5. Rust grows from iron and destroys it; so evil grows
from the mind of human and destroys him.
A scripture that is not read with sincerity soon
becomes covered with dust; a house that is not fixed
when it needs repairing becomes filthy; so an idle person
soon becomes defiled.
Impure acts defile a person; stinginess defiles anoffering; so evil acts defile not only this life but also thefollowing lives.
But the defilement to be most dreaded is the defilement of ignorance. A person can not hope to purify either
one’s body or mind until ignorance is removed.
It is easy to slip into shamelessness, to be pert andbold like a crow, to hurt others without any feeling ofregret for such action.
It is hard, indeed, to feel humble, to know respectand honor, to get rid of all attachments, to keep pure inthought and deed, and to become wise.
It is easy to point out the mistakes of others, while itis hard to admit one’s own mistakes. A person broadcasts
the sins of others without thinking, but one hides one’s
own sins as a gambler hides his extra dice.
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The sky holds no trace of bird or smoke or storm;
an evil teaching carries no Enlightenment; nothing in thisworld is stable; but an Enlightened mind is undisturbed.
6. As a knight guards his castle gate, so one must
guard one’s mind from dangers outside and dangers
inside; one must not neglect it for a moment.
Everyone is the master of oneself, one is the oasis
he can depend on; therefore, ever yone should control
himself above all.
The first steps toward spiritual freedom from theworldly bonds and fetters are to control one’s mind, tostop idle talk, and to be somewhat pensive.
The sun makes the day bright, the moon makes thenight beautiful, discipline adds to the dignity of a warrior;so quiet meditation distinguishes the seeker for
Enlightenment.
One who is unable to guard one’s five senses ofeyes, ears, nose, tongue and body, and becomes temptedby one’s surroundings, is not the one who can train for
Enlightenment. One who firmly guards the gateways of
one’s five senses and keeps one’s mind under control is
the one who can successfully train for Enlightenment.
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7. One who is influenced by one’s likes and dislikes
can not rightly understand the significance of circumstances and tends to be overcome by them; one who is
free from attachments rightly understands circumstances
and to one’s all things become new and significant.
Happiness follows sorrow, sorrow follows happiness, but when one no longer discriminates between happiness and sorrow, a good deed and a bad deed, one isable to realize freedom.
To worry in anticipation or to cherish regret for the
past is like the reeds that are cut and wither away.
The secret of health for both mind and body is not
to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, or
not to anticipate troubles, but to live wisely and earnestly
for the present.
Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future,
concentrate the mind on the present moment.
It is worthy to perform the present duty well andwithout failure; do not seek to avoid or postpone it till
tomorrow. By acting now, one can live a good day.

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Wisdom is the best guide and faith is the best companion. One must tr y to escape from the darkness ofignorance and suf fering, and seek the light ofEnlightenment.
If a person’s body and mind are under control one
should give evidence of it in virtuous deeds. This is asacred duty. Faith will then be his wealth, sincerity will
give his life a sweet savor, and to accumulate virtues will
be his sacred task.
On life’s journey faith is nourishment, vir tuous
deeds are a shelter, wisdom is the light by day and rightmindfulness is the protection by night. If a person lives apure life nothing can destroy that person; if one has conquered greed nothing can limit one’s freedom.
One should forget oneself for the sake of one’s family; one should forget one’s family for the sake of one’s village; one should forget one’s village for the sake of thenation; and one should forget everything for the sake of
Enlightenment.
Everything is changeable, everything appears anddisappears; there is no blissful peace until one passes
beyond the agony of life and death.

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THE BROTHERHOODCHAPTER ONE

DUTIES OF THE BROTHERHOODIRENUNCIANTS

1. A man who wishes to become my disciple must be
willing to give up all direct relations with his family, thesocial life of the world and all dependence upon wealth.
A man who has given up all such relations for thesake of the Dharma and has no abiding place for either
his body or mind has become my disciple and is to becalled a renunciant.

Though his feet leave their imprints in my footsteps
and his hands carry my garment, if his mind is disturbed
by greed, he is far from me. Though he dresses like amonk, if he does not accept the teaching, he does not seeme.

But if he has removed all greed and his mind is pureand peaceful, he is very close to me though he be thousands of miles away. If he receives the Dharma, he seesme in it.

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Duties of the Brotherhood

2. My disciples, the renunciants must observe the four
rules and build their lives upon them.
First, they wear old and cast-off garments; second,
they get their food through alms-begging; third, theirhome is where night finds them as under a tree or on arock; and, fourth, they use only a special medicine madefrom cattle urine laid down by the Brotherhood.
To carry a bowl in the hand and go from house tohouse is a begger’s life, but a brother is not compelled to
do so by others, he is not forced into it by circumstancesor by temptation; he does it of his own free will because
he knows that a life of faith will keep him away from thedelusions of life, will help him to avoid suffering, and willlead him toward Enlightenment.
The life of a renunciant is not an easy one; he ought
not to undertake it if he can not keep his mind free fromgreed and anger or if he can not control his mind or his
five senses.

3. He who believes himself to be a renunciant and to
be able to answer when he is asked about it, must be able
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be a renunciant. I will be sincere about it and will try toaccomplish the purpose for becoming one. I will be grateful to those who help me by donations and will tr y to
make them happy by my earnestness and good life.”
To be a renunciant he must train himself in many
ways: He must be sensitive to shame and dishonor when
he fails; he must keep his body, speech and mind pure if
his life is to be pure; he must guard the gates of his fivesenses; he must not lose control of his mind for the sakeof some passing pleasure; he must not praise himself or
rebuke others; and he must not be idle or given tolengthy sleep.
In the evening he should have a time for quiet sitting and meditation and a short walk before retiring. For
peaceful sleep he should rest on the right side with his
feet together and his last thought should be of the time
when he wishes to rise in the early morning. Early in themorning he should have another time for quiet sitting
and meditation and a short walk afterwards.
During the whole day he should always maintain analert mind, keeping both body and mind under control,
resisting all tendency towards greed, anger, foolishness,sleepiness, inattention, regret, suspicion, and all worldly
desires.
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Thus, with his mind concentrated, he should cultivate excellent wisdom and aim only at per fect
Enlightenment.
4. If a renunciant, forgetting himself, lapses into greed,anger, resentment, jealousy, conceit, self-praise, or insincerity, he is like one carrying a keen two-edged sword,
covered only by a thin cloth.
He is not a renunciant simply because he wears amonk’s rags and carries a begging bowl; he is not arenunciant just because he recites scriptures easily; he is
only a man of straw and nothing more.
Even if his external appearance is that of a monk, he
can not remove his worldly desires. He is not a renunciant; he is no more than an infant clothed in a monk’s
robe.
Those who are able to concentrate and control themind, who contain wisdom, who have removed all worldly desires, and whose only purpose is to attain
Enlightenment - only these can be called the true renunciant.
A true renunciant determines to reach his goal of
Enlightenment even though he loses his last drop ofblood and his bones crumble into powder. Such a man,
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trying his best, will finally attain the goal and give evidence of it by his ability to do the meritorious deeds of arenunciant.

5. The mission of a renunciant is to carry forward thelight of the Buddha’s teachings. He must preach to everyone; he must wake up sleeping people; he must correct
false ideas; he must help people have a right viewpoint;
he must go everywhere to spread the teaching even at
the risk of his own life.

The mission of a renunciant is not an easy one, so
he who aspires to it should wear Buddha’s clothes, sit on
Buddha’s seat and enter into Buddha’s room.

To wear Buddha’s clothes means to be humble andto practice endurance; to sit on Buddha’s seat means to
see matter as non-substantial and to have no attachments;
to enter into Buddha’s room means to share His allembracing great compassion and to have sympathy foreveryone.
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6. Those who wish to teach the Buddha’s teaching
acceptably must be concerned about four things: first,
they must be concer ned about their own behavior;second, they must be concerned about their choice ofwords when they approach and teach people; third, theymust be concerned about their motive for teaching andthe end they wish to accomplish; and fourth, they must
be concerned about the great compassion.
Firstly, to be a good teacher of the Dharma, then, arenunciant must first of all have his feet well set on the
ground of endurance; he must be modest; he must not be
extreme or desire publicity; he must constantly think of
the emptiness of things; and he must not become
attached to anything. If he is thus concerned he will becapable of right conduct.
Secondly, he must exercise caution in approachingpeople and situations. He must avoid people who areliving evil lives or people of authority; he must avoid
opposite sex. Then he must approach people in a friendly
way; he must always remember that things rise from a
combination of causes and conditions, and, standing atthat point, he must not blame or abuse them, or speak of
their mistakes, or hold them in light esteem.
Thirdly, he must keep his mind peaceful, considering Buddha as his spiritual father, considering other− 199 −

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renunciants who are training for Enlightenment as his
teachers, and looking upon everyone with great compassion. Then he must teach all equally.
Fourthly, he must let his spirit of compassion display itself, even as Buddha did, to the utmost degree.
Especially he should let his spirit of compassion flow out
to those who do not know enough to seek Enlightenment. He should wish that they might seek Enlightenment, and then he should follow his wishes with unselfish
effort to awaken their interest.

II
L AY FOLLOWERS
1. It has already been explained that to become a disciple of Buddha one must believe in the Three Treasures:the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Samgha.
To become a lay follower one must have an unshakable faith in Buddha, must believe in His teachings,
Dharma, study and put precepts into practice, and mustcherish the Brotherhood, Samgha.
Lay followers should follow the Five Precepts: not tokill, not to steal, not to commit adulter y, not to lie ordeceive, and not to use intoxicants.
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Lay followers should not only believe in the Three
Treasures and keep the precepts by themselves, but also
they should, as far as they are able, help others observe
them, especially their relatives and friends, tr ying toawaken in them an unshakable faith in the Buddha, theDharma, and the Samgha, so that they, too, may share in
Buddha’s compassion.
Lay followers should always remember that thereason they believe in the Three Treasures and keep theprecepts is to enable themselves ultimately to attain
Enlightenment, and for that reason they should, thoughliving in the world of desires, avoid becoming attached tosuch desires.
Lay followers should always keep in mind thatsooner or later they will be obliged to part with their parents and families and pass away from this life of birth anddeath; therefore, they should not become attached tothings of this life but should set their minds on the worldof Enlightenment, wherein nothing passes away.
2. If lay followers want to awaken an earnest andundisturbed faith in the Buddha’s teachings, they should
realize within their minds a quiet and undisturbed happiness, that will shine out on all their surroundings and will
be reflected back to them.
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This mind of faith is pure and gentle, always patientand enduring, never arguing, never causing suffering toothers but always pondering the Three Treasures: theBuddha, the Dharma, and the Samgha. Thus happinessspontaneously rises in their minds, and the light for
Enlightenment can be found everywhere.

Since they are resting in the bosom of Buddha byfaith, they are kept far from having a selfish mind, fromattachment to their possessions, and, therefore, they
have no fear in their daily life or dread of being criticized.

They will have no fear about their future death since
they believe in the birth in Buddha’s Land. Since they
have faith in the truth and the holiness of the teachings,
they can express their thoughts freely and without fear.
Since their minds are filled with compassion for all
people, they will make no distinctions among them but
will treat all alike, and since their minds are free fromlikes and dislikes it will be pure and equitable and happy
for them to do any good deed.
Whether they live in adversity or in prosperity, it will
make no difference to the increase of their faith. If theycherish humility, if they respect the Buddha’s teachings,− 202 −

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if they are consistent in speech and action, if they are
guided by wisdom, if their mind is as immovable as amountain, then they will make steady progress on thepath to Enlightenment.
And though they are forced to live in a difficult situation and among people of impure minds, if they cherish
faith in Buddha they can ever lead them toward better
deeds.
3. Therefore, one should first have the wish of hearing
the Buddha’s teachings.
If anyone should tell him that it would be necessary
for him to go through fire to gain Enlightenment, then heshould be willing to pass through such a fire.
There is satisfaction in hearing the Buddha’s name,that is worth passing through a world filled with fires.
If one wishes to follow the Buddha’s teaching one
must not be egoistic or self-willed, but should cherish
feelings of good-will toward all alike; one should respect
those who are worthy of respect; one should serve those
who are worthy of service and treat everyone with uniform kindness.

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Thus, lay followers are to train their own minds firstand not be disturbed by the actions of others. In thismanner, they are to receive the Buddha’s teaching andput it into practice, not envying others, not being influenced by others, and not considering other ways.

Those who do not believe in the Buddha’s teaching
have a narrow vision and, consequently, a disturbed
mind. But those who believe in the Buddha’s teaching,
believe that there is a great wisdom and a great compassion embracing ever ything and, in that faith, they are
undisturbed by trifles.

4. Those who hear and receive the Buddha’s teachingknow that their lives are transient and that their bodies
are merely the aggregation of sufferings and the sourceof all evils, and so they do not become attached to them.
At the same time, they do not neglect to take goodcare of their bodies, not because they wish to enjoy thephysical pleasures of the body, but because the body is
temporarily necessary for the attainment of wisdom andfor their mission of explaining the path to others.
If they do not take good care of their bodies they
can not live long. If they do not live long, they can not− 204 −

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practice the teaching personally or transmit it to others.
If a man wishes to cross a river he is very careful of
his raft. If he has a long journey to make, he takes goodcare of his horse. So, if a man seeks to attain
Enlightenment he must take good care of his body.
The disciples of Buddha must wear clothing to protect the body from extremes of heat and cold and to coverits private parts, and should not wear it for decoration.
They must eat food to nourish the body so that they
may hear and receive and explain the teaching, but theyshould not eat for mere enjoyment.
They must live in the house of Enlightenment to beprotected from the thieves of worldly passions and fromthe storms of evil teaching, and they should use thehouse for its real purpose and not for display or the concealment of selfish practices.
Thus, one should value things and use them solely
in their relation to Enlightenment and the teaching. He
should not possess them or become attached to them for
selfish reasons but only as they serve a useful purpose incarrying the teaching to others.

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Therefore, his mind should always dwell on theteaching even when he is living with his family. He
should care for them with a wise and sympathetic mind,
seeking various means to awaken faith in their minds.

5. Lay members of the Buddha’s Samgha should study
the following lessons every day: How to serve their parents, how to live with their wives and children, how tocontrol themselves, and how to serve Buddha.
To best serve their parents they must learn to practice kindness toward all animate life. To live happily with
their wives and children they must keep away from lust
and thoughts of selfish comfort.
While hearing the music of the family life they must
not forget the sweeter music of the teaching, and whileliving in the shelter of the home, they should often seek
the safer shelter of Zen practice, where wise men findrefuge from all impurity and all disturbance.
When laymen are giving of ferings they should
remove all greed from their hearts; when they are in the
midst of crowds, their minds should be in the company ofwise men; when they face misfortune, they should keep
their minds tranquil and free from hindrances.
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When they take refuge in the Buddha, they shouldseek His wisdom.

When they take refuge in the Dharma, they shouldseek its truth which is like a great ocean of wisdom.
When they take refuge in the Samgha, they shouldseek its peaceful fellowship unobstructed by selfish interests.
When they wear clothes, they must not forget to put
on also the garment of goodness and humility.
When they want to relieve themselves, they mustwish to discharge all greed, anger and foolishness fromtheir minds.

When they are toiling on an up-hill road, theyshould think of it as the road to Enlightenment that will
carry them beyond the world of delusion. When they arefollowing an easy road, they should take advantage of its
easier conditions to make greater progress toward
Buddhahood.
When they see a bridge, they must wish to construct the bridge of the teaching to let the people cross.
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When they meet a sorrowful man, they should
lament the bitterness of this ever-changing world.
When they see a greedy man, they should have agreat longing to keep free from the illusions of this life
and to attain the true riches of Enlightenment.
When they see savory food, they must be on guard;
when they see distasteful food, they should wish thatgreed might never return.
During the intense heat of summer, they must wish
to be away from the heat of worldly desires and gain the
fresh coolness of Enlightenment. During the unbearable
cold of winter, they must think of the warmth of Buddha’s
great compassion.
When they recite the sacred scriptures, they should
be determined not to forget them and resolve to put theirteaching into practice.
When they think of Buddha, they should cherish adeep wish to have eyes like Buddha.
As they fall asleep at night, they should wish that
their body, speech and mind might be purified andrefreshed; when they awake in the morning, their firstwish should be that during that day their minds might be− 208 −

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clear to understand all things.
6. Those who follow the teaching of Buddha, because
they understand that everything is characterized by “nonsubstantiality,” do not treat lightly the things that enter
into a man’s life, but they receive them for what they are
and then try to make them fit tools for Enlightenment.
They must not think that this world is meaninglessand filled with confusion, while the world of
Enlightenment is full of meaning and peace. Rather, theyshould taste the way of Enlightenment in all the affairs of
this world.
If a man looks upon the world with defiled eyes
dimmed by ignorance, he will see it filled with error; but
if he looks upon it with clear wisdom, he will see it as theworld of Enlightenment, which it is.
The fact is there is only one world, not two worlds,
one meaningless and the other full of meaning, or one
good and the other bad. People only think there are twoworlds, due to their discriminating faculty.
If they could rid themselves of these discriminations
and keep their minds pure with the light of wisdom, thenthey would see only one world in which ever ything ismeaningful.
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7. Those who believe in Buddha taste this universal
purity of oneness in everything, and in that mind they
feel compassion for all and have a humble attitude toserve everyone.
Therefore, they should cleanse their minds of all
pride and cherish humility, courtesy and service. Theirminds should be like the fruitful earth that nourishes
everything without partiality, that serves without complaint, that endures patiently, that is always zealous, thatfinds its highest joy in serving all poor people by planting
in their minds the seeds of the Buddha’s teaching.

Thus, the mind that has compassion for poor people,
becomes a mother to all people, honors all people, looks
upon all as personal friends, and respects them as parents.
Therefore, though thousands of people may have
hard feelings and cherish ill-will toward Buddhist lay followers, they can do no harm, for such harm is like a dropof poison in the waters of a great ocean.

8. A lay follower will enjoy his happiness by habits ofrecollection, reflection and thanksgiving. He will come to− 210 −

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realize that his faith is Buddha’s compassion itself andthat it has been bestowed upon him by Buddha.

There are no seeds of faith in the mud of worldly
passion, but, because of Buddha’s compassion, the seeds
of faith may be sown there, and they will purify the mind
until it has faith to believe in Buddha.

As has been said, the fragrant Chandana tree can
not grow in a forest of Eranda trees. In a like manner, theseeds of faith in Buddha can not be in the bosom of delusion.
But actually, the flower of joy is blooming there, so
we must conclude that while its blossoms are in thebosom of delusion, its roots are elsewhere; namely, itsroots are in the bosom of Buddha.

If a lay follower becomes ego-centered, he will
become jealous, envious, hateful and harmful, because
his mind has become defiled with greed, anger and foolishness. But if he returns to Buddha, he will accomplish
even a greater service for Buddha as mentioned above. It
is, indeed, beyond any expression.
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III
PRACTICAL GUIDE TO TRUE WAY OF LIVING
1. It is wrong to think that misfortunes come from theeast or from the west; they originate within one’s own
mind. Therefore, it is foolish to guard against misfortunes from the external world and leave the inner mind
uncontrolled.

There is a custom that has come down from ancient
times that common people still follow. When they get up
in the morning, they first wash their face and rinse theirmouth, and then they bow in the six directions – to theeast, west, south, north, above and below – wishing thatno misfortune may come to them from any direction andthat they may have a peaceful day.

But it is different in the Buddha’s teaching. Buddha
teaches that we are to pay respect to the six directions of
Truth and then that we are to behave wisely and virtuously and thus prevent all misfortunes.

To guard the gates in these six directions, people
are to remove the defilement of the “four deeds, ” restrain
the “four evil minds,” and plug the “six holes” whichcause the loss of house and property.
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By the “four deeds” it is meant killing, stealing, committing adultery and falsehood. The “four evil minds ” aregreed, anger, foolishness and fear. The “six holes” whichcause the loss of wealth are desire for intoxicating drinks
and behaving foolishly, staying up late at night and losing
the mind in frivolity, indulging in musical and theatre
entertainments, gambling, associating with evil companions, and neglecting one’s duties.
After removing these four defilements, avoiding
these four evil states of mind, and plugging these six
holes of waste, the disciples of Buddha do reverence tothe six directions of Truth.
Now, what are these six directions of Truth? They
are east for the way of parents and child, south for theway of teacher and pupil, west for the way of husband andwife, north for the way of friends, below for the way ofmaster and ser vant, and above for the way of ser vingthose who expound the teachings.
First, as for the way of the parents and child in theeastern direction, the child should carry out five deeds.
One should take care of the parents, work for the sake ofthe parents, protect the family lineage, inherit the family
property, and hold memorial service for the ancestors.
In return the parents should carry out five deeds forthe child. They should avoid wrong deeds, promote gooddeeds, have the child acquire knowledge and skills, see itto that one gets married, and hand over the family pro− 213 −Duties of the Brotherhood

perty at an appropriate time. If these five things are followed, the way of the parents and the child in the eastern
direction will be peaceful and without sorrow.
Next, as for the way of the teacher and student in
the southern direction, the student should stand when
the teacher approaches, attend to the teacher’s needs
closely, should listen earnestly to the teacher, not neglectofferings for the teacher, and receive his teachings withrespect.
In return the teacher should guide the student byconducting oneself properly, correctly pass on everythingthat the teacher has learned, have the student not forget
what he has learned, and prepare the way for the student
to receive honors as well as benefits and respect anywhere. Thus, the way of the teacher and student in thesouthern direction will be peaceful and without sorrow.
Next, as for the way of the husband and wife in thewestern direction, the husband should treat her withrespect, courtesy and faithfulness, entrust her with decision-making, and present her with gifts. The wife should
carry out all her work well, attend to the needs of thefamily members, be faithful to her husband, protect thefamily proper ty, and make the family af fairs go well.
Thus, the way of the husband and wife in the western
direction will be peaceful and without sorrow.
Next, as for the way of friends in the northern direction, one should provide them with what one’s friends
lack, speak to them with kindness, work for their bene− 214 −Duties of the Brotherhoodfits, always be thoughtful, and treat them with honesty.
One should make effort to prevent one’s friends
from falling into wrong ways, protect their property in theevent they lose their way, listen to their concerns when
they have problems, lend them a helping hand in times oftrouble, and support their family when necessary. Thus,
the way of friends in the northern direction will be one ofpeace without sorrow.
Next, as for the way of the master and servant in thelower direction, one should obser ve the following five
points in dealing with one’s servants. Make the servants
work in accordance with their ability, provide good meals
and ample compensation, care for them with kindness
when they are sick, share with them any delicious food,and have them rest at appropriate times.
In turn, a servant should serve one’s master withthe following points in mind. One should get up in themorning before the master, go to sleep after the master,
be honest at all times, be proficient in one’s work, and notbring disgrace to the master’s good name. Thus, the wayof the master and servant in the lower direction will be
one of peace without sorrow.
Next, as for the way of serving those who preachthe teachings in the upper direction, one should treat
those who preach the teachings with utmost respect inbody, speech and mind. One should also welcome thepreachers with courtesy, listen and observe their teachings, and make offerings for them.
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In turn, one who preaches the teachings should
reject evil, foster goodness, be compassionate with goodheart, preach the moral standards, make the listeners
understand the teachings fully, and have the people attainthe state of peace. Thus, the way of serving those who
preach the teachings in the upper direction will be one ofpeace without sorrow.
A person who bows in the six directions does not do
so in order to escape from external misfor tunes. A
person does it in order to be on one’s guard to prevent
evils from arising within one’s own mind.
2. A person should recognize among one’s acquaintances those with whom one should associate and thosewith whom one should not.
The ones with whom a person should not associate
are those who are greedy, clever talkers, flatterers or
wasters.
The ones with whom a person should associate arethose who are helpful, who are willing to share happinesses as well as sufferings, who give good advice andwho have a sympathetic heart.
A true friend, the one with whom a person may
safely associate, will always stick closely to the right way,
will worry secretly about one’s friend’s welfare, will con− 216 −Duties of the Brotherhoodsole the friend in misfortune, will offer him a helping
hand when he needs it, will keep his secrets, and will
always give him good advice.
It is ver y dif ficult to find a friend like this, and,
therefore, one should try very hard to be a friend likethis. As the sun warms the fruitful earth, so a good friend
shines in society because of one’s good deeds.
3. It would be impossible for a son to repay his parents
for their gracious kindness, even if he could carry his
father on his right shoulder and his mother on his left for
one hundred long years.
And even if he could bathe the bodies of his parentsin sweet-smelling ointments for a hundred years, serve as
an ideal son, gain a throne for them, and give them all the
luxuries of the world, still he would not be able to repay
them sufficiently for the great indebtedness of gratitude
he owes to them.
But if he leads his parents to Buddha and explains
the Buddha’s teachings to them, and persuades them togive up a wrong course and follow a right one, leadingthem to give up all greed and enjoy the practice of offering, then he will be more than repaying them.
4. A family is a place where minds come in contact
with one another. If these minds love one another, the− 217 −

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home will be as beautiful as a flower garden. But if theseminds get out of harmony with one another, it is like astorm that plays havoc with the garden.
If discord arises within one’s family, one should not
blame others but should examine one’s own mind andfollow a right path.
5. Once there was a man of deep faith. His father diedwhen he was young; he lived happily with his mother, andthen he took a wife.
At first, they lived happily together and then,because of a small misunderstanding, the wife and hermother-in-law came to dislike each other. This dislike
grew until finally the mother left the young couple to liveby herself.
After the mother-in-law left, a son was born to theyoung couple. A rumor reached the mother-in-law thatthe young wife had said, “My mother-in-law was always
annoying me and as long as she lived with us nothingpleasant ever happened; but as soon as she went we had
this happy event.”
This r umor angered the mother-in-law who
exclaimed, “If the husband’s mother is chased away fromthe house and a happy event takes place, then things
have come to a pretty pass. Righteousness must have disappeared from the world.”− 218 −

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Then the mother shouted, “Now, we must have afuneral of this ‘righteousness’.” Like a mad woman she
went to the cemetery to hold a funeral service.
The god Indra, hearing of this incident, appeared in
front of the woman and tried to reason with her, but invain.
The god Indra then said to her, “If so, I must burnthe child and his mother to death. Will that satisfy you?”
Hearing this, the mother-in-law realized her mistake, apologized for her anger, and begged the god Indra
to save the lives of the child and his mother. At the sametime, the young wife and her husband realized their injustice to the old woman and went to the cemetery to seek
her. The god Indra reconciled them and thereafter they
lived together as a happy family.
Righteousness is never lost forever unless one casts
it away oneself. Righteousness occasionally may seem todisappear but, in fact, it never disappears. When it seems
to be disappearing, it is because one is losing the righteousness of one’s own mind.
Discordant minds often bring disaster. A trifling misunderstanding may be followed by great misfortune. Thisis especially to be guarded against in family life.

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6. In family life, the question as to how the daily
expenses are to be met always requires the utmost care.
Every member must work hard like the diligent ants andthe busy bees. No one must rely upon the industr y ofothers, or expect their charity.
On the other hand, a man must not consider what
he has earned as totally his own. Some of it must be
shared with others, some of it must be saved for an emergency, some of it must be set aside for the needs of thecommunity, and some of it must be devoted to the needsof the religious teachers.
One should always remember that nothing in theworld can strictly be called “mine.” What comes to aperson comes to him because of a combination of causes
and conditions; it can be kept by him only temporarily
and, therefore, he must not use it selfishly or for unworthy purposes.
7. When Syamavati, the queen-consor t of King
Udayana, offered Ananda five hundred garments, Ananda
received them with great satisfaction.
The King, hearing of it, suspected Ananda of dishonesty, so he went to Ananda and asked what he was goingto do with these five hundred garments.
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Ananda replied: “Oh, King, many of the brothers are
in rags; I am going to distribute the garments among thebrothers.”“What will you do with the old garments?”“We will make bed-covers out of them.”“What will you do with the old bed-covers?”“We will make pillow-cases.”“What will you do with the old pillow-cases?”“We will make floor-covers out of them.”“What will you do with the old floor-covers?”“We will use them for foot-towels.”“What will you do with the old foot-towels?”“We will use them for floor-mops.”“What will you do with the old mops?”“Your Highness, we will tear them into pieces, mix
them with mud and use the mud to plaster the housewalls.”
Ever y article entrusted to us must be used withgood care in some useful way, because it is not “ours” butis only entrusted to us temporarily.
8. The relation of husband and wife was not designed
merely for their convenience. It has a deeper significancethan the mere association of two physical bodies in one
house. Husband and wife should take advantage of theintimacies of their association to help each other in training their minds in the holy teaching.
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An old couple, an “ideal couple” as they were called,
once came to Buddha and said, “Lord, we were married
after we had been acquainted in childhood and there has
never been a cloud in our happiness. Please tell us if we
can be remarried in the next life.”
The Buddha gave them this wise answer: — “If you
both have exactly the same faith, if you both received theteaching in exactly the same way, if you perform charity
in the same way and if you have the same wisdom, then
you will have the same mind in the next birth.”
9. There are no distinctions of sex on the path toEnlightenment. If a woman makes up her mind to seek
Enlightenment, she will become a heroine of the True
Path.
Mallika, the daughter of King Prasenajit and theQueen of King Ayodhya, was such a heroine. She hadgreat faith in the teaching of the Blessed One and madein His presence the ten following vows:“My Lord, until I gain Enlightenment I will not violate the sacred precepts; I will not be arrogant before
people who are older than myself; I will not become
angry with anyone.”“I will not be jealous of others or envy their possessions; I will not be selfish either in mind or property; I
will tr y to make poor people happy with the things I− 222 −

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receive and will not hoard them for myself.”“I will receive all people courteously, give them what
they need, and speak kindly to them; consider their circumstances and not my convenience; and try to benefit
them without partiality.”“If I see others in solitude, in prison, or sufferingfrom disease or other troubles, I will try to relieve themand make them happy, by explaining the reasons andlaws to them.”“If I see others catching living animals and being
cruel to them or violating any such precept, I will punish
them if they are to be punished, or teach them if they are
to be taught, and then I will try to undo what they havedone and cor rect their mistakes, to the best of myability.”“I will not forget to hear the right teaching, for I
know that when one neglects the right teaching one
quickly falls away from the truth that abides everywhere,
and will fail to reach the shore of Enlightenment.”
Then she made the following three wishes to savepoor people: “First, I will try to make everyone peaceful.
This wish, I believe, in whatever life I may hereafter
receive, will be the root of goodness that will grow into
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the wisdom of good teaching.”“Second, after I have received the wisdom of goodteaching, I will untiringly teach all people.”“Third, I will protect the true teaching, even at thesacrifice of my own body, life or property.”
The true significance of family life is the opportunity
it gives for mutual encouragement and aid on the path toEnlightenment. If a woman has the same mind to seek
Enlightenment, and makes the same vows and wishes,
may become as great a disciple of Buddha as Mallikawas.

− 224 −

CHAPTER TWO

BUILDING A BUDDHA LANDI
THE HARMONY OF BROTHERHOOD

1. Let us imagine a desert country lying in absolutedarkness with many living things swarming blindly about
in it.
Naturally they will be frightened and as they run
about without recognizing one another during the night,
there will be frequent squirming and loneliness. This isindeed a pitiful sight.
Then let us imagine that suddenly a superior personwith a torch appears and ever ything around becomesbright and clear.

The living beings in the dark solitude suddenly finda great relief as they look about to recognize one anotherand happily share their companionship.

By “a desert country” is meant a world of human life
when it lies in the darkness of ignorance. Those whohave no light of wisdom in their minds wander about in− 225 −

Building a Buddha Land

loneliness and fear. They were born alone and die alone;they do not know how to associate with their fellow
human in peaceful harmony, and they are naturally
despondent and fearful.
By “a superior person with torch” is meant Buddha
assuming a human form, and by His wisdom and compassion He illumines the world.
In this light people find themselves as well as others
and are glad to establish human fellowship and harmonious relations.
Thousands of people may live in a community but it
is not one of real fellowship until they know each otherand have sympathy for one another.
A true community has faith and wisdom that illuminate it. It is a place where the people know and trust one
another and where there is social harmony.
In fact, harmony is the life and real meaning of atrue community or an organization.

2. Of organizations, there are three kinds. First, there
are those that are organized on the basis of the power,
wealth or authority of great leaders.
− 226 −

Building a Buddha Land

Second, there are those that are organized becauseof its convenience to the members, which will continue toexist as long as the members satisfy their conveniencesand do not quarrel.
Third, there are those that are organized with somegood teaching as its center and harmony as its very life.
Of course, the third or last of these is the only trueorganization, for in it the members live in one spirit, fromwhich the unity of spirit and various kinds of virtue willarise. In such an organization there will prevail harmony,satisfaction and happiness.

Enlightenment is like rain that falls on a mountainand gathers into rivulets that run into brooks, and theninto rivers which finally flow into the ocean.

The rain of the sacred teaching falls on all people
alike without regard to their conditions or circumstances.
Those who accept it gather into small groups, then into
organizations, then into communities and, finally, findthemselves in the great Ocean of Enlightenment.
The minds of these people mix like milk and waterand finally organize into a harmonious Brotherhood.
− 227 −

Building a Buddha LandThus, the true teaching is the fundamental requirement of a perfect organization and, as mentioned above,it is the light which enables people to recognize one
another, to become adjusted to one another and tosmooth out the rough places in their thinking.
Thus, the organization that is formed on the perfectteachings of Buddha can be called a Samgha.

They should observe these teachings and train theirminds accordingly. Thus, the Buddha’s Samgha will theoretically include everyone, but, in fact, only those whohave the same religious faith are members.

3. The Buddha’s Samgha will have two types of members:–there will be those who are teaching the lay members, and those who are supporting the teachers by offering the needed food and clothing. They together will disseminate and perpetuate the teaching.
Then, to make the Samgha complete, there must be
per fect harmony among the members. The teachers
teach the members and the members honor the teachers
so that there can be harmony between them.

− 228 −

Building a Buddha Land

Members of the Buddha’s Samgha should associate
together with affectionate sympathy, being happy to live
together with fellow-followers, and seeking to become
one in spirit.
4. There are six things that will help to lead a Samgha
to harmony. They are: first, sincerity of speech; second,sincerity and kindness of action; third, sincerity and sympathy of spirit; fourth, equal sharing of common property;
fifth, following the same pure precepts; and sixth, allhaving right views.
Among these things, the sixth or “all having rightviews” forms the nucleus, with the other five serving as
wrappings for it.
There are two sets of seven rules to be followed if
the Brotherhood is to be a success. The first is, as agroup:(1) they should gather together frequently to listen
to the teachings and to discuss them;(2) they should mingle freely and respect one
another;(3) they should revere the teaching and respect
the rules and not change them;− 229 −

Building a Buddha Land(4) elder and younger members are to treat eachother with courtesy;(5) they should let sincerity and reverence marktheir bearing.
(6) they should purify their minds in a quiet place
which they should, nevertheless, offer to others before
taking it for themselves.
(7) they should love all people, treat visitors cordially, and console the sick with kindness. A Samgha that
follows these rules will never decline.
The second is, individually each should: (1) maintain a pure spirit and not ask for too many things; (2)maintain integrity and remove all greed; (3) be patientand not argue; (4) keep silent and not talk idly; (5) submit
to the regulations and not be overbearing; (6) maintain aneven mind and not follow different teachings; and (7) be
thrifty and frugal in daily living.
If its members follow these rules, the Samgha will
endure and never decline.

5. As mentioned above, a Samgha should maintain harmony in its ver y essence; therefore, one without harmony can not be called a brotherhood. Each member− 230 −

Building a Buddha Landshould be on guard not to be the cause of discord. If discord appears it should be removed as early as possible,
for discord will soon ruin any organization.
Blood stains can not be removed by more blood;
resentment can not be removed by more resentment;
resentment can be removed only by forgetting it.
6. Once there was a king named Calamity, whosecountry was conquered by a neighboring warlike kingnamed Brahmadatta. King Calamity, after hiding with hiswife and son for a time, was captured but fortunately hisson, the prince, could escape.
The prince tried to find some way of saving hisfather but in vain. On the day of his father’s execution,
the prince in disguise made his way into the execution
ground where he could do nothing but watch in mortification the death of his ill-fated father.
The father noticed his son in the crowd and muttered as if talking to himself, “Do not search for a longtime; do not act hastily; resentment can be calmed only
by forgetting it.”After ward, the prince sought after some way ofrevenge for a long time. At last he was employed as anattendant in the Brahmadatta’s palace and came to win− 231 −

Building a Buddha Landthe king’s favors.
On a day when the king went hunting, the princesought some opportunity for revenge. The prince wasable to lead his master into a lonely place, and the king,
being very weary, fell asleep with his head on the lap of
the prince, so fully had he come to trust the prince.
The prince drew his dagger and placed it at the
king’s throat but then hesitated. The words his father had
expressed at the moment of his execution flashed into his
mind and although he tried again he could not kill the
king. Suddenly the king awoke and told the prince that
he had had a bad dream in which the son of KingCalamity was trying to kill him.
The prince, flourishing the dagger in his hand, hastily
grasped the king and, identifying himself as the son ofKing Calamity, declared that the time had finally come forhim to avenge his father. Yet he could not do so, and suddenly he cast his dagger down and fell on his knees infront of the king.
When the king heard the prince’s story and the final
words of his father, he was very impressed and apologized to the prince. Later, he restored the former kingdom to the prince and their two countries came to live infriendship for a long time.
− 232 −

Building a Buddha Land

The dying words of King Calamity, “Do not search
for a long time,” mean that resentment should not becherished for long, and “Do not act hastily” mean thatfriendship should not be broken hastily.
Resentment can not be satisfied by resentment; it
can only be removed by forgetting it.
In the fellowship of a Brotherhood that is based on
the harmony of right teaching, ever y member should
always appreciate the spirit of this story.
Not only the members of the Brotherhood but also
people in general should appreciate and practice thisspirit in their daily lives.
II
THE BUDDHA’S LAND
1. As has been explained, if a Brotherhood does notforget its duty of spreading Buddha’s teaching and ofliving in harmony, it will steadily grow larger and its
teaching will spread more widely.
This means that more and more people will be seeking Enlightenment, and it also means that the evil armiesof greed, anger, and foolishness, which are led by thedevil of ignorance and lust, will begin to retreat, and that− 233 −

Building a Buddha Land

wisdom, light, faith and joy will dominate.
The devil’s dominion is full of greed, darkness,struggling, fighting, swords and bloodshed, and is repletewith jealousy, prejudice, hatred, cheating, flattering, fawning, secrecy and abuse.
Now suppose that the light of wisdom shines uponthat dominion, and the rain of compassion falls upon it,
and faith begins to take root, and the blossoms of joy
begin to spread their fragrance. Then that devil’s domain
will turn into Buddha’s Pure Land.
And just like a soft breeze and a few blossoms on abranch that tell the coming of spring, so when a person
attains Enlightenment, grass, trees, mountains, rivers andall other things begin to throb with new life.
If a person’s mind becomes pure, his surroundings
will also become pure.
2. In a land where the true teaching prevails, ever y
dweller has a pure and tranquil mind. Indeed, Buddha’s
compassion untiringly benefits all people, and His shining
spirit exorcizes all impurities from their minds.
A pure mind soon becomes a deep mind, a mind
that is commensurate with the Noble Path, a mind that− 234 −

Building a Buddha Landloves to give, a mind that loves to keep the precepts, anenduring mind, a zealous mind, a calm mind, a wise
mind, a compassionate mind, a mind that leads people toEnlightenment by many and skillful means. Thus shallthe Buddha’s Land be built.
A home with one’s wife and children is transformed
into a home where Buddha is present; a country that suffers because of social distinctions is likewise transformed
into a fellowship of kindred spirits.
A golden palace that is blood-stained can not be theabiding place for Buddha. A small hut where the moonlight leaks in through chinks in the roof can be transformed into a place where Buddha will abide, if the mindof its master is pure.
When a Buddha Land is founded upon the puremind of a single person, that single pure mind draws
other kindred minds to itself in the Samgha. Faith in
Buddha spreads from individual to family, from family tovillage, from village to towns, to cities, to countries, andfinally to the whole world.
Indeed, earnestness and faithfulness in spreading
the teaching of the Dharma are what build the BuddhaLand.
− 235 −

Building a Buddha Land

3. To be sure, when viewed from one angle, the world
with all its greed and injustice and bloodshed appears as
a devil’s world; but, as people come to believe in
Buddha’s Enlightenment, blood will be turned into milk
and greed into compassion, and then, the devil’s land
becomes a Buddha Land of Purity.
It seems an impossible task to empty an ocean witha small ladle, but the determination to do it, even if ittakes many, many lives, is the mind with which one
should receive Buddha’s Enlightenment.
Buddha is waiting on the other shore; that is, His
world of Enlightenment, wherein there is no greed, noanger, no ignorance, no suffering, no agony, but where
there are only the light of wisdom and the rain of compassion.
It is a land of peace, a refuge for those who suffer
and who are in sorrow and agony; a place of rest for
those who take a break in their spreading of the teachings of the Dharma.
In this Pure Land there are boundless Light andeverlasting Life. Those who reach this haven will neverreturn to the world of delusion.
Indeed, this Pure Land, where the flowers perfume− 236 −

Building a Buddha Landthe air with wisdom and the birds sing the holy Dharma,is the final destination for all mankind.
4. Though this Pure Land is the place for taking rest, it
is not the place for idleness. Its beds of fragrant flowers
are not for slothful indolence, but are the places forrefreshment and rest, where one regains energy and zeal
to continue the Buddha’s mission of Enlightenment.
Buddha’s mission is everlasting. As long as people
live and creatures exist, and as long as selfish and defiled
minds create their own worlds and circumstances, there
will be no end to His mission.
The children of Buddha, who have crossed to thePure Land by means of the great power of Amida, may bezealous to return to the land whence they came andwhere they still have ties. There they will take their partin the Buddha’s mission.
As the light of a small candle will spread from one toanother in succession, so the light of Buddha’s compassion will pass on from one mind to another endlessly.
The children of Buddha, realizing His spirit of compassion, adopt His task of Enlightenment andPurification, and pass it on from one generation to another in order to make the Buddha’s Land glorified eternally− 237 −

Building a Buddha Landand forever.

III
THOSE WHO HAVE RECEIVED GLORY IN
BUDDHA’S L AND
1. Syamavati, the consort of King Udayana, was deeply
devoted to Buddha.
She lived in the innermost courts of the palace anddid not go out, but her maid, Uttara, who had an excellent
memory, used to go out and attend the Buddha’s preachings.
On her return, the maid would repeat to the Queen
the teachings of the Blessed One, and thus the Queen
deepened her wisdom and faith.
The second wife of the King was jealous of the firstwife and sought to kill her. She slandered her to the King
until finally he believed her and sought to kill his firstwife, Syamavati.
Queen Syamavati stood in front of the King so
calmly that he had no heart to kill her. Regaining controlof himself he apologized to her for his distrust.
The jealousy of the second wife increased and she− 238 −

Building a Buddha Landsent wicked men to set fire to the innermost courts of thepalace during the King’s absence from home. Syamavati
remained calm, quieted and encouraged the bewilderedmaids, and then, without fear, died peacefully in the spirit
she had learned from the Blessed One. Uttara died with
her in the fire.
Among the many women disciples of Buddha, these
two were most highly honored: Queen Syamavati as acompassionate spirit and her maid, Uttara, as a good listener.
2. Prince Mahanama, of the Shakya clan and a cousinof Buddha, had great faith in the teachings of Buddha
and was one of his most faithful followers.
At that time a violent king named Vir udaka ofKosala conquered the Shakya clan. Prince Mahanama
went to the King and sought the lives of his people, but
the King would not listen to him. He then proposed that
the King would let as many prisoners escape as could run
away while he himself remained underwater in a nearby
pond.
To this the King assented, thinking that the time
would be very short for him to be able to stay underwater.
− 239 −

Building a Buddha Land

The gate of the castle was opened as Mahanama
dived into the water and the people rushed for safety. But
Mahanama did not come up, sacrificing his life for the
lives of his people by tying his hair to the underwaterroot of a willow tree.

3. Utpalavarna was a famous nun whose wisdom wascompared with that of Maudgalyayana, a great disciple of
Buddha. She was, indeed, the nun of all nuns and wasalways their leader, never tiring of teaching them.
Devadatta was a ver y wicked and cruel man who
poisoned the mind of King Ajatasatru and persuaded him
to turn against the teachings of Buddha. But later, King
Ajatasatr u repented, broke of f his friendship with
Devadatta, and became a humble disciple of Buddha.
At one time when Devadatta was repulsed from thecastle gate in an attempt to see the King, he met
Utpalavarna coming out. It made him very angry, so hestruck and seriously wounded her.
She returned to her convent in great pain and when
the other nuns tried to console her she said to them:“Sisters, human life is the unforeseen, everything is transient and egoless. Only the world of Enlightenment is− 240 −

Building a Buddha Land

tranquil and peaceful. You must keep on with your training.” Then she passed away quietly.
4. Angulimalya, once a terrible bandit who had killed
many people, was saved by the Blessed One, and hebecame one of His disciples.
One day he went begging in a town and enduredmuch hardship and suffering for his past evil deeds.

The villagers fell upon him and beat him severely,
but he went back to the Blessed One with his body still
bleeding, falling at His feet and thanking Him for theopportunity that had come to him to suffer for his former
cruel deeds.
He said, “Blessed One, my name originally was ‘No
Harming,’ but because of my ignorance, I took many precious lives, and from each I took a finger; because of that,
I came to be called Angulimalya, the collector of fingers!

“Then, through your compassion, I learned wisdomand became devoted to the three treasures of the
Buddha, the Dharma and the Samgha. When a man
drives a horse or a cow he has to use a whip or a rope,
but you, the Blessed One, purified my mind without theuse of whip or rope or hook.
− 241 −

Building a Buddha Land

“Today, Blessed One, I have suffered only what was
my due. I do not wish to live, I do not wish to die. I only
wait for my time to come.”
5. Maudgalyayana, together with the venerable Sariputra,
was one of the Buddha’s two greatest disciples. When theteachers of other religions saw that the pure water of the
Buddha’s teachings was spreading among the people andfound the people eagerly drinking it, they became jealous
and applied various hindrances to his preaching.
But none of the hindrances could stop or prevent his
teaching from spreading widely. The followers of theother religions attempted to kill Maudgalyayana.
Twice he escaped but the third time he was surrounded by many heathens and fell under their blows.

Sustained by Enlightenment, he calmly received
their blows, and though his flesh was torn and his bones
crushed, he died peacefully.

− 242 −_.
A NGUTTARA NIK AYA(The Book of the Gradual Sayings)
Monks, there is one person whose birth into the world is for the welfare of many, for the happiness of many: who is born out of compassion
for the world, for the profit, welfare and happiness of heavenly beings andmankind. Who is that person? It is a Tathagata who is an Arahat, a fully
Enlightened One. This, monks, is that one person.
Monks, the manifestation of one person is hard to find in the world. Of
what person? Of a Tathagata who is an Arahat, a fully Enlightened One.
He is the one person.
Monks, hard to be found in the world is that one extraordinary person.
What person? A Tathagata who is an Arahat, a fully Enlightened One. He
is the one person.
Monks, the death of one person is to be regretted by all. Of what
person? Of a Tathagata who is an Arahat, a fully Enlightened One. He is
the one person.
Monks, there is one person born into the world who is incomparable
and unequalled. Who is that person? It is a Tathagata who is an Arahat, afully Enlightened One. He is the one person.
Monks, the manifestation of one person is the manifestation of amighty eye, a mighty light, a mighty radiance. Of what person? Of a
Tathagata who is an Arahat, a fully Enlightened One. He is the one_.
person. (Anguttara Nikaya I-13)− 243 −

SOURCE REFERENCES FOR“THE TEACHING OF BUDDHA”

Abbreviations: DN-Dı̄gha Nikāya
MN-Majjhima Nikāya
SN-Samyutta
Nikāya..
AN-Anguttara Nikāya

Section
Chapter 1
1

2

Chapter 2
1Page

BUDDHALine

Source

2
5
5
5
7

1
1
12
22
1

Various Scriptures
AN 3-38, Sukhumālā-sutta
MN 3-26, Ariyapariyesana-sutta
Various Scriptures
MN 9-85, Bodhirājakumārasutta
Various Scriptures
Sutta-nipāta 3-2, Padhāna-sutta
Various Scriptures
Vinaya, Mahāvagga 1
DN 16, Mahāparinibbāna-sutta
DN 16, Mahāparinibbāna-sutta
Parinibbāna-sutta
Parinibbāna-sutta
DN 16, Mahāparinibbāna-sutta

7
7
7
8
9
10
11
13
13

6
14
20
11
11
16
10
9
16

15

1 Amitāyur-dhyāna & Vimalakı̄rtinirdeśa sūtras− 246 −

Section

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15
15

17
19
20
21
22

6 Śūramgama-sūtra.
11 Vimalakı̄rtinirdeśa & Mahāparinirvāna. sūtras
7 Saddharmapun. darı̄ka-sūtra16.
1 Mahāyāna-jātaka-cittabhūmiparı̄ksa-sūtra.
7 Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra
1 Saddharmapun. darı̄ka-sūtra3.
1 Saddharmapun. darı̄ka-sūtra4.
14 Saddharmapun. darı̄ka-sūtra5.
18 Saddharmapun. darı̄ka-sūtra
16
.

25
26
26
26

1
5
11
19

29
29

6
12

29
29
30
30

15
20
6
10

16
17

2

3
Chapter 31

2

SourceAvatamsaka-sūtra5.
Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra.
Avatamsaka-sūtra.
Suvarnaprabhāsottamarāja-sūtra.
3
Avatamsaka-sūtra.
Avatamsaka-sūtra34, Gan. da.
.
vyūhaSmaller Sukhāvatı̄vyūha-sūtra
Avatam.saka-sūtra
SN 35-5Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra.

− 247 −

Section

Page

Line

Source

3

32
33
33
34
34
35
35
35

10
5
16
4
20
1
13
20

MN 8-77, Mahāsakulūdayi-sutta
Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra.
.
Lankāvatāra-sūtra
Avatamsaka-sūtra32.
Saddharmapun. darı̄ka-sūtra25.
Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra.
Saddharmapun. darı̄ka-sūtra2.
Saddharmapun. darı̄ka-sūtra3.
DHARMA

Chapter 1
1

38

3

39
40
40
41
42

Chapter 2
1

46
48
48
49

1 Vinaya, Mahāvagga 1-6 & SN5611-12, Dhammacakka-pavattanasutta
18 Itivuttaka 103
6 MN 2, Sabbāsava-sutta
13 Sūtra of Forty-two Sections 18
2 Śrı̄mālādev ı̄simhanāda-sūtra.
21 Avatamsaka-sūtra
22, Daśa.
bhūmika
1
918
1

MN 4-35, Cūlasaccaka-sutta.
AN 5-49, Mun. darāja-vagga.
AN 4-185, Samana-sutta.
AN 3-134, Uppāda-sutta− 248 −

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49
49
50
50

8
12
1
15

51
51
51
52
52
52
53
54
54
57
58
58
58
59
59
60
61
63

1
6
10
1
12
19
14
9
14
8
1
7
18
8
22
14
11
15

63

24

3

4

Source.
Lankāvatāra-sūtra
Avatamsaka-sūtra2.
Avatamsaka-sūtra16.
Avatamsaka-sūtra
22, Daśa.
bhūmika.
Lankāvatāra-sūtra
AN 4-186, Ummagga-sutta
Dhammapada 1, 2, 17, 18
SN 2-1-6, Kāmada-sutta
Avatamsaka-sūtra16. .
Lankāvatāra-sūtra
MN 3-22, Alagaddūpama-sutta.
Lankāvatāra-sūtra.
Lankāvatāra-sūtra
Vinaya, Mahāvagga 1-6.
Lankāvatāra-sūtra
SN 35-200, Dārukkhandha-sutta.
Lankāvatāra-sūtra and others
MN 2-18, Madhupin. dika-sutta.
.
Lankāvatāra-sūtra.
Lankāvatāra-sūtra
Vimalakı̄rtinirdeśa-sūtra
Avatamsaka-sūtra34, Gan. .da.
vyūha.
Lankāvatāra-sūtra and others− 249 −

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Chapter 4
1

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65
65
66
71
73
73

1
16
6
9
5
13

Source

74
74
74
75
75

Vinaya, Mahāvagga 1-5
Vinaya, Cūlavagga
5-21.
Śūramgama-sūtra.
Śūramgama-sūtra.
Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra.
Saddharmapun. darı̄ka-sūtra
7&.
Śūramgama-sūtra.
3 Avatamsaka-sūtra32.
9 Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra.
14 Brahmajāla-sūtra
2 Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra.
21 Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra
.

81
82
82
82
83
83
84
84

1
10
14
21
9
23
15
21

85
85
86

Śrı̄mālādevı̄simhanāda-sūtra.
AN 2-11
Itivuttaka 93
Vinaya, Mahāvagga
AN 3-68, Aññāti
t.thika-sutta.
_
AN 3-34, A .lavaka-sutta
Vaipulya-sūtra
Vinaya,Mahāvagga 1-6, Dhammacakkapravattana-sutta
1 MN 2-14, Cūladukkhakkhandha.
sutta
16 Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra.
16 Itivuttaka 24− 250 −

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88
89
89
90
90
91
93
93
94
95

11
9
19
6
18
16
1
16
20
17

MN 6-51, Kandaraka-suttanta
AN 3-130
AN 3-113
Itivuttaka 100
Sūtra of A Parable
Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra.
AN 3-62
AN 3-35, Devadūta-sutta
Therı̄gāthā At. thakathā
.
Sukhāvatı̄vyūha-sūtra vol.2

102
105
107
110

1
18
6
15

Sukhāvatı̄vyūha-sūtra vol.1
Sukhāvatı̄vyūha-sūtra vol.2
Amitāyur-dhyāna-sūtra
Smaller Sukhāvatı̄vyūha-sūtra3

4
Chapter 51

2

SourceTHE WAY OF PRACTICE
Chapter 1
1

2

116
117
118
119
121
122
123
124
127

1
23
14
11
20
13
12
1
1

MN 2, Sabbāsava-sutta
MN 3-26, Ariyapariyesana-sutta
SN 35-206, Chapāna-sutta
Sūtra of Forty-two Sections41-2
MN 2-19, Dvedhāvitakka-sutta
Dhammapada At.t.hakathā
AN 3-117
MN 3-21, Kakacūpama-sutta
MN 3-23, Vammı̄ka-sutta− 251 −

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128
132
132
133
134
134
140
143

17
4
13
5
3
18
2
7

144
145
Chapter 2
1

150
152
154
154
156
156
157
158
160
161

Source.
Jātaka IV-497, Mātanga-JātakaSūtra of Forty-two Sections 9Sūtra of Forty-two Sections 11
Sūtra of Forty-two Sections 13
AN 2-4, Samacitta-sutta
Samyuktaratnapi
taka-sūtra.
.
Sūtra of Hundred Fables
Commentary on the
Prajñāpāramitā-sūtra
18 Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra.
17 Samyuktaratnapi
taka-sūtra.
.

1 MN 7-63, Cūlamālunkya-sut.
tanta
9 MN 3-29, Mahāsāropama-sutta
1 Mahāmāyā-sūtra
14 Theragāthā At.thakathā
.
7 MN 3-28, Mahāhatthipadopama-sutta
22 Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra.
12 Avadānaśataka-sūtra
18 Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra.
12 Pañcavim. śatisāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā-sūtra
20 Avatamsaka-sūtra34, Gan. da.
.
vyūha− 252 −

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163
164
164
165
166

13
10
18
12
13

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168
168
169
170
171
171
172
173
174
174
174
175
175
175
176
177
178
178
178
179
179

18
12
18
18
7
1
15
15
7
9
16
19
1
8
18
21
15
1
15
21
8
11

AN 3-88
AN 3-81
AN 3-82
Parinibbāna-sutta vol.2
MN 14-141, Saccavibhangasutta
Parinibbāna-sutta vol.2
AN 5-16, Bala-sutta
Avatamsaka-sūtra6.
Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra.
Samyuktaratnapi
taka-sūtra.
.
Suvarnaprabhāsa-sūtra26.
Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra.
Theragāthā At.thakathā
.
Jātaka 55, Pañcāvudha-Jātaka
Itivuttaka 39 & 40
Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra.
Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra.
AN 5-12
Parinibbāna-suttaŚūramgama-sūtra.
SN 55-21 & 22, Mahānāma-sutta
AN 5-32, Cundı̄-sutta
Vimalakı̄rtinirdeśa-sūtraŚūramgama-sūtra.
Sukhāvatı̄vyūha-sūtra vol.2
SN 1-4-6
Avatamsaka-sūtra33.

3− 253 −

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180
180
181
181
181
182
183
184
192
192
192

7
19
8
11
17
10
5
1
1
15
20

SourceAvatamsaka-sūtra24.
Suvarnaprabhāsa-sūtra4.
Amitāyur-dhyāna-sūtra
Sukhāvatı̄vyūha-sūtra
Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra.
MN 2-16, Cetokhila-sutta
Sukhāvatı̄vyūha-sūtra vol. 2
Dhammapada
SN 1-4-6AN
Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra.

THE BROTHERHOOD
Chapter 1
1

2

194
194
195
195
197
198
198
199
200
201
201
201

1 Itivuttaka 100 & MN 1-3,
Dhammadāyāda-sutta
8 Itivuttaka 92
1 Vinaya, Mahāvagga 1-30
19 MN 4-39, Mahā-assapura-sutta
4 MN 4-40, Cū.la-assapura-sutta
4 Saddharmapun. darı̄ka-sūtra10.
10 Saddharmapun. darı̄ka-sūtra10.
1 Saddharmapun. darı̄ka-sūtra14.
13 SN 55-37, Mahānāma-sutta
1 AN 3-75
8 SN 55-37, Mahānāma-sutta
14 SN 55-54, Gilāyanam-sutta.
− 254 −

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Chapter 2
1

2

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201
203
206
209
210
210
212
217
217
218
220
220
221
222

20
9
5
2
1
20
1
8
23
7
1
12
21
11

Avatamsaka-sūtra22.
Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra.
Avatamsaka-sūtra7.
Mahāmāyā-sūtra
Avatamsaka-sūtra21.
Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra.
.
DN 31, Singālovāda-sutta
AN 2-4, Samacitta-sutta
AN 3-31Jātaka 417, Kaccāni-Jātaka.
DN 31, Singālovāda-sutta
Dhammapada At.thakathā
1.
(Burmese Commentaries)Śrı̄mālādevāsimhanāda-sūtra
.

225
226
228
229
229
230
233
234
234
236
236
237
237

1
19
12
5
14
20
15
11
17
1
20
3
17

Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra.
AN 3-118, Soceyyan-sutta
SN
Vinaya, Mahāvagga 10-1 & 2
DN 16, Mahāparinibbāna-sutta
Vinaya, Mahāvagga 10-1 & 2
SNAntarābhava-sūtra
Vimalakı̄rtinirdeśa-sūtra
Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra.
Smaller Sukhāvatı̄vyūha-sūtra
Sukhāvatı̄vyūha-sūtra
Vimalakı̄rtinirdeśa-sūtra− 255 −

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238
238
239
240
240

5
14
11
6
10

241
242

SourceDhammapada At.thakathā
1.
AN 34-2
Dhammapada At.thakathā
1.
AN 5-1
Mūla-sarvāstivāda-vinaya.
Sanghabheda-vastu 10.
3 MN 9-86, Angulimāla-sutta
4 AN 26− 256 −

THE APPENDIXESBRIEF HISTORY OF BUDDHISM–Transmission from India to Japan–
1. INDIAOne of the greatest epoch-making events in the spiritual history of
mankind was marked when the “Light of Asia” was set out brightly in thecentral part of India, or, in other words, when the Spring of Great
Wisdom and Compassion gushed up there, which, in the course of time
has come to enrich the human mind over many centuries up to the present day.
Gautama Buddha, who came to be known by later Buddhist followers
as Shakyamuni or the “Sage of the Shakya clan,” abandoned His home,became a mendicant and turned His steps toward the south, to Magadha.
It is believed to have been in the middle of the 5th century B.C., that He
finally attained Enlightenment under a Bodhi-tree there. He continued
His untiring efforts for forty-five long years, from this time on to His“Great Death” by which He entered Maha-pari-Nirvana, all the while
preaching the teaching of Wisdom and Compassion. As a result, great
Buddhists steadfastly continued to appear in the kingdoms and various
tribes in mid-India.
During the time of King Asoka (reigning: 268-232 B.C.), the third rulerof the Maurya Kingdom, the teaching of Gautama Buddha spreadthroughout the whole of India and was also being propagated beyond theboundaries of the country.
Maurya had been the first of the consolidated kingdoms in India. This
kingdom at the time of its first ruler, Chandragupta (reigning: 317-293
B.C. or thereabouts,) was already occupying a vast domain, extending
from the Himalayan mountains in the north, to the Bay of Bengal in theeast, to the Hindu Kush mountains in the west, and beyond the Vindhya
mountains to the south. King Asoka further expanded this domain to the
Deccan Plateau, by conquering Kalinga and others.

− 258 −

This King is said to have been very furious in nature, being called byhis people Chandāsoka (the Furious Asoka); but his character showed acomplete change when he witnessed the disastrous conditions caused by
the war in which Kalinga had been conquered. He became an earnest
devotee of the teaching of Wisdom and Compassion. After that, he didmany things as a Buddhist believer, among which the following two
undertakings are most noteworthy.
First was the “Asoka´s carved edict,” or the administrative concepts
based on the Buddhist teaching carved onto stone pillars, or on polishedcliff walls, which he ordered done at numerous places, thus spreading theteaching of Buddha. Secondly, he sent missions beyond his kingdom tocountries in all directions conveying the teaching of Wisdom andCompassion. Especially remarkable is the fact that some of the missions
were sent out to such places as Syria, Egypt, Kyrene, Macedonia andEpeiros, spreading Buddhism far and wide to the western world.
Moreover, Mahendra (in the Pāli language Mahinda), the envoy sent to
Sri Lanka, was successful in “Establishing the beautiful teaching on thebeautiful Lankādvı̄pa (Pāli, Lankādı̄pa)”, and thus founded the starting
point of the Buddhist teaching for its successful propagation on theisland.
2. THE RISE OF MAHAYANA BUDDHISM
The “Eastward Movement of Buddhism” has often been spoken of by
the Buddhists of the later years. But during the B.C. centuries, the face of
Buddhism was evidently turned toward the West. It was sometimearound the beginning of the Christian Era that this “face” of Buddhism
began to be turned toward the East. However, before we refer to this matter, we must speak of the great change that was occurring in Buddhism.
This change was none other than the “New Wave” which is known as“Mahayana Buddhism,” or Greater Vehicle Buddhism, that was taking
strong root and appearing as a conspicuous element in the teaching of
the time.

− 259 −

When, how and by whom was such a “New Wave” started? Nobody is
as yet able to definitely answer these questions. All we know is: First, thetrend must have been brought about in the so-called thought-genealogy.
constituent of the Mahāsamghika school by the progressive priests of thetime; Second, the fact is that there had already existed some of the important elements of the Mahayana scriptures during the period from one or
two centuries B.C. to the first century of the Christian Era. And when the
superb thought of Nāgārjuna, backed by the Mahayana scriptures, developed, Mahayana Buddhism vividly presented itself in the foreground on
the stage of the history of the religion.

The role that was played by Mahayana Buddhism was very great in
the long history of Buddhism. Now, as to China and Japan, Buddhism inthese countries through almost all their history has developed under the
influence of the Mahayana teaching. This does not seem strange because
there was already worked out a new ideal for the salvation of the masses,
envisaging living saints in the form of Bodhisattvas to practice this ideal;
moreover, to support them, the intellectual results in the metaphysical or
psychological domains that were brought about by the Mahayana
thinkers were really magnificent. In this way, although it was linked withthe teaching of Gautama Buddha on the one hand, many new phases of
Wisdom and Compassion were added. With these new additions,
Buddhism became full of ardor and energy and came to enrich the countries in the East like the rushing stream of a great river.

− 260 −

3. CENTRAL ASIA
It was through the Central Asian countries that China came to learn of
Buddhism for the first time. Therefore, to tell of the teaching spreadingfrom India to China, it is necessary to speak of the Silk Road. This roadpassed through the boundless territories in Central Asia to connect theWest and the East, and it was during the age of King Wu of the Handynasty (reigning: 140-87 B.C.) that this trade route was opened. At thattime, the domain of Han extended far westward, and in such adjoining
countries as Ferghana, Sogdiana, Tukhara and even Parthia, the spirit of
mercantilism which had formerly been inspired by Alexander the Greatwas still vigorously active. Along this ancient route that ran through thesecountries silk played the most important role, hence the name Silk Road.
From the time a little before or after the beginning of the Christian Era,
India and China started their cultural contacts first by means of the traderoute. Thus, the road can be said to have been the route for Buddhism aswell.
4. CHINA
The history of Chinese Buddhism starts from their acceptance of the
Buddhist scriptures and translation thereof. The oldest work from theancient times is said to be the “Ssu-shih-êr-châng-ching (Sutra in Forty-two.
Sections Spoken by Buddha)” a translation done by Kāśyapamātanga andothers during the Ying-p‘ing Era (58-76 A.D.) of King Ming of the Latter
Eastern Han, but it is today regarded as a doubtful legendary story. The
corroborated opinion now gives the credit to An-shih-kao who was
engaged in translation at Lo-yang from about 148 to 171 A.D.. From thistime to the time of the Northern Sung Dynasty (960-1129 A.D.), the translation work continued for nearly one thousand years.

− 261 −

During the earlier years, those who played pivotal roles in the introduction of the scriptures and in making translations thereof were mostly
the priests from the Central Asian countries. For instance, An-shih-kao,
mentioned above, came from Parthia; K’angsêng-k’ai, from theSamarkand region came to Lo-yang in about the 3rd century and translated “Sukhāvatı̄vyūha” (the Book of Limitless Life). Moreover, Chu-fa-hu or
Dharmaraksha, who is known as the translator of the“Saddharmapun. darı̄ka,”came from Tukhāra and stayed in Lo-yang from.
the latter part of the third century to the early part of the fourth century.
When Kumārajı̄va, who came from Kucha, appeared in the early part of
the fifth century, the translation work in China reached a high point.
From about that time priests began visiting India from China to learn
Sanskrit. The pioneer of such priests was Fa-hsien (339-420? A.D.). He
left Ch’ang-an in 399 for India and returned home fifteen years later. The
most distinguished of these priests visiting India was Hsuan-chuang (602664 A.D.) who left for India in 627 and returned home in 645, after nineteen long years. Further, I-ching (635-713 A.D.) (not to be confused withthe book I-ching) left for India by sea in 671 and returned home by thesame route twenty-five years later.
These priests visited India by themselves to learn Sanskrit andbrought home those scriptures they had chosen, playing the leading rolein the scriptures translation work. The linguistic ability that Hsuanchuang showed was especially outstanding, and by his energetic work,
the translation of the scriptures in China reached another peak. The
works of the former days done by those represented by Kumārajı̄va arecalled the “Old Translations” and the works by Hsuan-chuang and thelater translators are called the “New Translations” by Buddhist scholars
in later periods.

− 262 −

Based on this enormous number of volumes which they had translated from Sanskrit, the tendency of thought and religious activity of theselearned men gradually but strongly turned toward Sinicism. Thereappeared plainly the racial nature, needs and confidences. That thepriests in the early stages turned their minds metaphysically towards“Non-substantiality” especially, which is dealt with in the Prajñā of the
Sutras, was a manifestation of this tendency. Later, they cast away the socalled “Hinayana”, or the Lesser Vehicle, and turned their attention exclusively toward “Mahayana”, the Greater Vehicle. Moreover, this tendency
gradually became notable in the Tendai Sect and may be said to havereached its height when the Zen Sect appeared.
It was in the latter half of the sixth century that the Tendai Sect saw its
completion in China, which was perfected by Tendai Daishi, Chih-i (538597 A.D.), its third patriarch. He was one of the most outstanding figures
in Buddhist thought, and the critical classification of Buddha’s teaching
into the Five Periods and Eight Doctrines worked out by this saint havelong maintained a wide influence on the Buddhism of China as well as ofJapan.
A review will show that in China the various sutras were brought inwithout regard to the order of the time of their origins and were translated as they were taken in. In the face of the enormous number of thesesutras, the problem was how to understand their origin and evaluations.
It was necessary to appreciate Buddhism as a whole and to show how one
should stand according to one’s own understanding of it. As to the evaluation of the sutras, the trend of the Chinese thought, first of all, comes tothe fore. Above all, that of Chih-i was most systematic and, therefore,
splendidly persuasive. But, with the appearance of the Buddhist research
work of modern times, even such a dominating influence was to come toan end.

− 263 −

In the history of Buddhism in China “The one that came last” was theZen Sect. Its founder is said to have been Śramana, of a foreign country,
or Bodhidharma (-528 A.D.); but the seed sown by him had seen its glorious flower only after the time of Hui-nêng (638-713 A.D.), the sixth patriarch of the line. After the eighth century, the sect in China had sent out
many priests of talent in succession, bringing about the prosperity of Zen
for a period of several centuries.
It can be seen that there was a new way of thinking in Buddhism,
which was deeply rooted in the nature of the Chinese people. It was nothing other than a Buddhism colored by the Chinese way of thinking. And
yet the stream of the teaching of Gautama Buddha, with this fresh current added, had grown into a still larger river and came to enrich thecountries to the east.
5. JAPAN
The history of Buddhism in Japan began in the sixth century. In 538
A.D., the King of Paikche (or Kudara, Korea) dispatched his envoy topresent a Buddhist image and scroll of sutras to the Imperial Court ofEmperor Kinmei. This marked the first introduction of Buddhism into
this country. The history of the religion in Japan is therefore more than
1,400 years old now.
In this long history, we can think of Japanese Buddhism in connection
with three foci. The first can be placed on the Buddhism of roughly theseventh and eighth centuries. To show this materially we can refer to theHōryuji Temple (607 A.D.) and the Tōdaiji Temple (752 A.D.), whichwere constructed during this period. In looking back to this time, the one
thing that can not be overlooked is the fact that the tide of culture rose
unusually high throughout the whole of Asia during this period, while thecivilization of the West was shut up in deep darkness. The East was developing an astonishingly active and magnificent movement. In China, inCentral Asia, in India and in the South-sea countries, the activities in theintellectual, religious and art fields were going on strongly. Joining these
movements, Buddhism was washing the Eastern world with its vast tide

− 264 −

of humanism. And this new movement of the Japanese culture as witnessed by the construction of the brilliant Hōryuji and the magnificentTōdaiji, and also in the colorful religious and art activities that came aboutin connection with these events, shows this absorption at the extreme
eastern end of the general cultural tide that was covering all the vast areaof Asia.
The people of this country, which had been in an uncivilized state for along time, now bathed in the current of a great culture; the flower of civilization opened up all of a sudden. Such was the good turn of fortune thatfavored Japan in those centuries. And the chief champion responsible forthe rise in this culture was none other than Buddhism, the Buddhist temples of the time became very important social centers, and the priests
were the leaders of the new learning. There developed a wide and great
culture rather than just a religion. This was the actual state of Buddhism
that was first transplanted to this country.
In the ninth century, two great priests, Saichō (Dengyō Daishi, 767822) and Kūkai (Kōbō Daishi, 774-835) appeared on the scene and founded two Buddhist denominations usually referred to together as HeianBuddhism. This was the establishment of a purely Japanese Buddhism.
They grasped Buddhism in its original standpoint and practice, andfounded the central monasteries on Mt. Hiei and Mt. Kōya respectively.
During the three hundred years after their founding, until the Kamakura
Period, these two esoteric denominations, the Tendai and the Shingon,
prospered chiefly among the aristocrats and in the Imperial courts.

− 265 −

The second of the foci can be placed on the Buddhism of the twelfth
and thirteenth centuries. There appeared such great priests as Hōnen(1133-1212 A.D.), Shinran (1173-1262 A.D.), Dōgen (1200-1253 A.D.) andNichiren (1222-1282 A.D.). When we talk of the Buddhism of Japan we
can not do so without mentioning the names of these great priests. Why
then did only those centuries in question produce such outstanding men?
It is because of the fact that a common problem was facing them all atthat time. What was this common problem, then? Perhaps it was the factthat Buddhism was being accepted, but in a unique Japanese way.
This might lead to the question, “Why? Was it not true that Buddhism
had been introduced to this country long before that time?” It is so historically. But it is also true that several hundred years were needed for thepeople of this country to sufficiently digest and remodel the imported religion so as to make it completely their own. In short, it was in the seventhand eighth centuries that the efforts in this country for the acceptance of
Buddhism began, and as a result of these efforts, the religion bloomed
through those Buddhists of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.
After this, Buddhism in Japan, based on the foundation built up by
those prominent priests, has kept up its work to this day. Since the timethose distinguished men appeared, no more of the brilliancy of those centuries has ever again appeared in the history of Japanese Buddhism.
However, it seems to the present writer that there is another thing that
attracts our attention and that is the fruit of the research into original
Buddhism made in our modern times.
Since the time of its first acceptance, practically all of Buddhism inJapan, was Mahayana, under the influence of Chinese Buddhism.
Especially after the appearance of the great teachers during the twelfth
and thirteenth centuries, the Mahayana teaching formed the main current with the sect founders as its center; this view has continued to thisdate. In the history of Buddhism in Japan as such, the study of original
Buddhism was started after the mid-Meiji Era. The figure of Gautama
Buddha vividly reappeared before those who were apt to forget that there
was also the founder of Buddhism besides the sect founders, and it was− 266 −

made plain to those who did not heed anything other than the Mahayanateaching that there was also the systematic creed of Buddhism. These
new phases still remain within the sphere of scholastic learning and as
yet are not strong enough to awake religious enthusiasm among themasses. But it seems that the knowledge of the people of this country inregard to Buddhism appears to be taking a turn. The writer would like to
put a mark on this phase, to make it the third or the last of the three focireferred to above.

− 267 −

TRANSMISSION OF BUDDHA’S TEACHING
Buddhism is a religion which is built up on the teaching Shakyamuni
had preached for forty-five years of his life. The words he used in his
teaching, therefore, have absolute authority in this religion, and in spiteof the fact that there are 84,000 dharma gates and a large number ofschools, all of them are related to the scriptures of Shakyamuni. Thosebooks in which the Buddha’s teaching is recorded are known as the
Issaikyō or the Daizōkyō, that is, a complete collection of the sacred scriptures.
Shakyamuni strongly advocated the equality of human beings andpreached his teaching in the plain and simple words of everyday usage sothat everyone could fully understand them. He continued his preachingfor the benefit of multitudes of people up to the very minute of his deathat the age of eighty.
After the demise of Shakyamuni, his disciples preached the gospel
according to what they had heard. However, as the teaching was transmitted and retold, there might possibly have occurred some variations
due to unconscious errors on the part of the disciples as to what they
thought they had heard or understood. And, yet, the words of
Shakyamuni must always be transmitted precisely and correctly, andopportunities of hearing the teaching must be afforded to every and all
people without discrimination. Therefore, many of the senior priests got
together for the purpose of adjusting and consolidating the words andteaching by mutually reciting what each thought he had heard, and theyspent many a month on their discussions. The work that resulted in thisway is known as the Ketsujū or regimentation. This shows how piously
and deliberately they had tried to transmit the very words that had been
spoken by the great teacher.
The teaching thus adjusted had come to be put into writing. To theteaching recorded in a written form were added the comments and interpretations made by the learned priests of the later ages, which came to be
known as Ron or comments. The Buddha’s teaching itself, the comments− 268 −

added in later ages and the Buddhist precepts all came to be called as the
Sanzō (Three Sections of Buddhist Scriptures) or Tripitaka in Sanskrit.
Sanzō or Tripitaka includes Kyōzō, Ritsuzō and Ronzō; the word Zōmeans a receptacle or container. Kyō refers to the Buddhist scriptures,
Ritsu to the precepts for the Buddhist Brotherhood, and Ron to the comments written by the high priests.
Almost all the schools maintained their own Canon (Sanskrit:
Tripitaka, Pali: Tipitaka), but the only complete set that has survived isthe one in Pali that belongs to the Theravadins. This Pali Canon has
played an important role as the common written source among theBuddhist countries of South and Southeast Asia.
According to tradition, Buddhism is said to have been introduced in
China in 67 A.D. during the reign of King Ming of the Latter Eastern Han
Dynasty (25-220 A.D.). But, actually, it was eighty-four years later that the
Buddhist scriptures were introduced to and translated in China (in 151
A.D.) by King Huan of the same dynasty. As Mahayana Buddhism had
already been established in India by that time, both the scriptures of earlyand Mahayana Buddhism were transmitted to China without any distinction. For over a period of more than 1,700 years since then, efforts in thetranslation of the scriptures into the Chinese language continued. The
number of books and volumes thus translated reached 1,440 scriptures in
5,586 volumes. Efforts toward the conservation of these translated scriptures were begun as early as the Wei Dynasty, but it was about the timeof the Northern Sung Dynasty that their printing was started. However,from about this time the works of the high priests of China came to be
added to the Buddhist scriptures and it was no longer appropriate to callthese books Tripitaka. When the era of Suei came, the title of Issaikyō or acomplete collection of all the sacred writings was given to the books, andin the era of Tang they came to be called by the new title of Daizōkyō orthe collection of all the Buddhist scriptures, laws and treatises.
Buddhism was introduced into Tibet around the seventh century A.D.,
and for about 150 years during the ninth through eleventh century, A.D.,− 269 −

efforts in the translation of the Buddhist scriptures continued, and practically all of them had been translated by that time.
In view of the fact that the scriptures had been translated into not only
the Korean, Japanese, Sinhalese, Cambodian, Turkish and almost all of
the Oriental languages but also into the Latin, French, English, German
and Italian tongues, it may safely be said that the blessing of the
Buddha’s teaching has now spread to every corner of the world.
But, on second thought, in reviewing from the standpoint of the quality of the translations, and the history of the religion’s development andorigin during more than two thousand years, with ten thousand or moretranslations of the books having been written, it still seems difficult tograsp the true meaning of the words spoken by Shakyamuni, even withthe aid of “Daizōkyō ”. It is, therefore, indispensable to pick out thoseessential points from the “Daizōkyō” and make them the criteria or foundation upon which one can base one’s faith in the religion.
In Buddhism the supreme authority are the words uttered by
Shakyamuni. Therefore, the teaching of Buddhism must be the teachingthat is closely linked to and intimate with the realities of our everyday life;
otherwise, it will but fail in inspiring the human mind from its very depths
toward a belief in the teachings. In this sense, for the teaching to be onethat we can make our own, it is desirable to be plain and simple, impartial
in its quality, sufficient in representing the whole and yet accurate andfamiliar in the words that are used in our daily life.
This book has come into being under the above considerations, inheriting the “stream” of the Daizōkyō with its history of more than two thousand and several hundred years. Of course, this publication can not betaken as perfect in its contents. The words of Buddha are infinitely deepin their meaning and His Virtues are so boundless that one can not easily
appreciate them.
It is sincerely wished, therefore, that this book will be improved into astill more truthful and valuable one as the revised editions come out inthe future, as is intended.

− 270 −HISTORY OF“THE TEACHING OF BUDDHA”
This Buddhist text was compiled and revised on the basis of theJapanese edition of the Newly Translated Buddhist Text published in July,
1925, by the Association for Spreading “Newly Translated Buddhist Text”
headed by Rev. Muan Kizu. This first Japanese Edition was compiled by
Prof. Shūgaku Yamabe and Prof. Chizen Akanuma, in cooperation withmany Buddhist scholars in Japan, taking almost five years to publish.
In the Shōwa Era (1926 -1989), the Popular Edition of the Newly
Translated Buddhist Text in Japanese was also published by the
Association and distributed widely throughout Japan.
In July, 1934, when the Pan-Pacific Buddhist Youth Meeting was heldin Japan, The Teaching of Buddha, the English translation of the above
Popular Edition of Buddhist Text was published by the All Japan Buddhist
Youth Federation, with the assistance of Mr. D. Goddard, as one of its
works. In 1962, commemorating the 70th anniversary of the introductionof Buddhism to America, Mr. Yehan Numata, founder of the Mitutoyo
Corporation, published an English edition of The Teaching of Buddha.
In 1965, when Mr. Numata founded Society for the Promotion of
Buddhism in Tokyo, the popularization of this English text all over theworld was planned as one of the activities of the Foundation.
In order to realize this plan, a committee to revise this Teaching of
Buddha was organized in 1966. Members of the committee were
Professors Kazuyoshi Kino, Shūyū Kanaoka, Zennō Ishigami, Shinkō
Sayeki, Kōdō Matsunami, Shōjun Bandō, and Takemi Takase. Prof.
Fumio Masutani, Mr. N. A. Waddell, and Mr. Toshisuke Shimizu also
worked on the revision. Thus, an English-Japanese edition of The
Teaching of Buddha was published on modern principles.

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In 1972, on the basis of this English-Japanese edition, Professors
Shūyū Kanaoka, Zennō Ishigami, Shōyū Hanayama, Kwansei Tamura, andTakemi Takase undertook the compilation of an English version, which
was published in the same year.
Next, a committee consisting of Professors Ryōtatsu Shioiri, Takemi
Takase, Hiroshi Tachikawa, Kwansei Tamura, Shōjun Bandō, and Shōyū
Hanayama (Editor-in-Chief) was organized to recompile the Japanese version of The Teaching of Buddha, and this was published in 1973.
Again, in 1974, a committee consisting of Professors Kōdō Matsunami,
Shōjun Bandō, Shinkō Sayeki, Dōyū Tokunaga, Kwansei Tamura, andShōyū Hanayama (Editor-in-Chief) was organized to recompile theEnglish version of The Teaching of Buddha, which they did with the cooperation of Mr. Richard R. Steiner. This was combined with the Japaneseversion (published in 1973), resulting in the publication of the EnglishJapanese edition of The Teaching of Buddha.
In 1978 Professors Shigeo Kamata and Yasuaki Nara joined the committee. In 2001, Professors Kenneth Tanaka, Shōgo Watanabe, Yoshiyasu
Yonezawa, and Sengaku Mayeda (Acting Editor-in-Chief), joined the editorial committee.
In 2013, the Society for the Promotion of Buddhism (the Buddhist
Promoting Society) changed its organizational status from “Incorporated
Foundation” to “Public Interest Incorporated Foundation.” On the occasion of this change, the editorial committee membership was reconstituted with Professors Sengaku Mayeda (Editor-in-Chief), Zennō Ishigami,
Kiyotaka Kimura, Kenneth Tanaka, Makio Takemura, Yasuaki Nara,
Chizuko Yoshimizu, Yoshiyasu Yonezawa, and Shōgo Watanabe. Since
2017, with Prof. Makio Takemura serving as the new Editor-in-Chief, thecommittee has met annually to strive toward making The Teaching of
Buddha respond effectively to the needs of contemporary society.
May, 2017− 272 −

INDEX TO“THE TEACHING OF BUDDHA”
Human Life
Page
Meaning of life ................................................
5
Actual state of this world ............................... 96
Ideal ways of living ......................................... 234
Wrong viewpoints of life ................................ 44
A correct notion of life ................................... 41
A prejudiced life .............................................. 57
To those who are deluded (Fable) ............... 127
A life of man (Fable) ...................................... 90
If one leads a life of lust and passion (Fable) 90
What the aged, the sick and the dead willteach (Story) ................................................... 93
Death is inevitable (Story) ............................ 94
The five things that no one can accomplish
in this world .................................................... 48
The four truths in this world ......................... 48
Both delusion and Enlightenment originate
within the mind ............................................... 49
The twenty things that are difficult but valuablefor ordinary persons to accomplish .............. 133
Faith
Faith is the fire ................................................ 179
Faith has three significant aspects ............... 180
Faith is a manifestation .................................. 182
Faith appears in the sincere mind ................ 181
To find truth is as difficult as for blind men to− 273 −

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try to describe the real form of an elephant bytouch (Fable) .................................................. 75
Where the Buddha-nature exists is shown by thetrue teaching of Buddhism (Fable) .............. 77
Buddha-nature is hidden by passion (Fable) 73
Doubts impede faith ....................................... 182
Buddha is Father to all the world and humanbeings are His children .................................. 35
Buddha’s Wisdom is as wide and deep as a great
ocean................................................................. 34
Buddha’s Spirit is full of Great Compassion 15
Buddha’s Compassion is eternal .................. 16
Buddha has no physical body ....................... 13
Buddha preached throughout His life .......... 23
Buddha used the fiction of life and death to persuade people ................................................... 23
Buddha saved people from their sufferings byusing the expedient of fables ........................ 19do.
........................ 20
The world of Enlightenment .......................... 236
To become devotees to the Buddha, the Dharma
and the Samgha .............................................. 178
To learn the ways of keeping precepts, practicing
the concentration of mind and acting wisely 163
The Eightfold Noble Path .............................. 166
The six paths for reaching the other shore of
Enlightenment ................................................ 168
The four right procedures ............................. 168− 274 −

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The four points to be considered .................. 167
The five faculties of power for the attainment of
Enlightenment ................................................ 168
The four unlimited states of mind ................ 171
Those who understand the Fourfold Noble
Truth ................................................................ 39
Man’s death and the transiency of life ......... 12
Those who recite Amida Buddha’s name will
be born in His Land of Purity ........................ 113
Make of yourself a light, rely upon
yourself ............................................................ 10
Mental Training
One should discern what is of the most importance to oneself (Parable) .............................. 150
Be careful of your first steps ......................... 133
Do not forget what you are seeking(Parable) .......................................................... 152
To attain success in anything, one should endure
many a hardship (Story) ............................... 158
Brace yourself, even in the face of repeated
failures (Story) ............................................... 173
Do not let your mind be disturbed even underunsatisfactory circumstances (Story) .......... 124
Those who understand and follow the Noble
Path are like going into darkness with light 40
One will find teachings for human life wherever
one goes (Story) ............................................. 161− 275 −

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Human beings tend to move in the direction
their mind directs them ................................. 121
The point of the teaching is to control one’s
own mind ......................................................... 11
Control your mind in the first place ............. 212
If you control your mind ................................ 122
Various states of the mind (Fable) ............... 118
The mind is not the ego-personality ............. 46
Do not allow the mind to sway you ............... 10
Conquer your mind ........................................ 154
Be the master of your mind ........................... 11
All evils come from the body, mouthand mind .......................................................... 87
The relation of mind and words .................... 125
This body is nothing but a borrowed thing(Story) ............................................................. 143
This body is full of impurities of all kinds .... 130
Do not covet anything .................................... 10
Keep the body, mouth and mind pure .......... 123
Be impartial and try hard (Story) ................ 172
Human Suffering
Human sufferings arise from the mind of attachment ................................................................. 42
How to prevent sufferings ............................. 13
Delusion and ignorance form the entrance to
Enlightenment ................................................ 59
How to be emanicipated from sufferings...... 116− 276 −

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When the hot fire of passion is extinguished,refreshing Enlightenment can be attained ... 141
Lust is the very source of delusion ............... 85
Think of lust as a viper hidden among
flowers ............................................................. 85
Have no attachment to the burning house(Fable) ............................................................. 19
Passion in the source of evils ........................ 118
This world is in the burning fire ................... 82
If people chase after fame and honor, it is likeburning themselves ....................................... 119
If a man chases after wealth and lust, he willruin himself ..................................................... 119
Wise men and foolish men differ in their fundamental natures ................................................ 134
Foolish men are not aware of their errors(Fable) ............................................................. 141
Foolish men envy the good fortune of others bylooking only at the results (Fable) ............... 141
The way in which foolish men are apt to act(Fable) ............................................................. 147
Everyday Living
Give offerings and forget about them .......... 169
Seven kinds of offering without wealth ........ 170
The way to gain wealth (Story) ..................... 145
How happiness is brought forth ................... 132
Never to forget kindness received (Story)... 139− 277 −

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Varieties in the character of men .................. 89
Misfortune always dogs the steps of one who
gives way to the desire for revenge .............. 132
How to subdue the feelings of resentment(Story) ............................................................. 231
Do not be disturbed by criticism fromothers (Story) ................................................. 122
You are not living for clothing, food or
shelter .............................................................. 205
Food and clothing are not for comfort
or pleasure ...................................................... 117
What to think about when you take food ..... 208
What to think about when you wear clothes 207
What to think about when you go to bed ..... 208
What to think about when it is hot
or cold .............................................................. 208
What to think about in your daily life ........... 206
Economics
Things must be used properly (Story) ........ 220
No property is one’s own forever ................. 220
One should not hoard things solely for one’s
sake .................................................................. 222
How to gain wealth (Story) ........................... 145
Family LifeThe family is the place where the minds of its
members come in contact with one another 217− 278 −

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Things that will damage the family .............. 213
Ways to repay the great indebtedness one owes
to one’s parents ............................................... 217
The proper way of the child towards one’s
parents ............................................................. 213
Right way between husband and wife .......... 214
Husband and wife should have the same faith(Story) ............................................................. 221
The Way for the Renunciants
One is not a renunciant simply because
one dresses like a monk and recites
sutras ............................................................... 197
The renunciants are not the inheritors of
the temple and its property ........................... 194
Covetous men can not be real monks .......... 194
The real life that a renunciant should
lead ................................................................... 196
Community Life
The meaning of a community life ................. 226
The actual state of communities in thisworld ................................................................ 96
Three kinds of organizations ........................ 226
A true community life .................................... 227
The great light that illuminates the darkness 225
Harmony in human relations ........................ 227
Things that will help lead a social organization− 279 −

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to harmony ...................................................... 229
The ideal of the Brotherhood ........................ 228
The social ideal of the Buddhist followers ... 236
Those that disturb the law of order will cometo ruin (Fable) ................................................ 140
Those who are jealous and squabble withothers will come to ruin (Fable) ................... 140
Hold the aged in respect (Story) .................. 134
How the student should act toward histeacher, and vice versa ................................... 214
The rules for friendship ................................. 214
How to choose good friends .......................... 216
How a master and his servants should behave
toward each other ........................................... 215
Attitude toward criminals .............................. 223
Things to be concerned about by those whowish to teach the Dharma ............................. 199− 280 −

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SANSKRIT GLOSSARY (Alphabetical Order)_
ANATMAN (Egolessness):
This is one of the most fundamental points in Buddhism. All existence
and phenomena in this world do not, ultimately, have any substantial reality. It is very natural for Buddhism, which advocates the impermanenceof all existence, to insist that such an impermanent existence could nottherefore possess any perpetual substance in it. Anātman may also betranslated as Non-Soul.
ANITYA (Transitoriness or Impermanency):
Another fundamental point in Buddhism. All existence and phenomena in this world are changing constantly and do not remain the same foreven a single moment. Everything has to die or end someday in its future,and such a prospect is the very cause of suffering. This concept should
not, however, be interpreted only from a pessimistic or nihilistic viewpoint, because both advancement and reproduction are also manifestations of this constant change.
BODHISATTVA (The One Striving for Enlightenment):
Originally, this name was used to indicate Gautama Siddhārtha before
he had attained the state of Enlightenment. After the rise of Mahāyāna
Buddhism, all those who are striving for the Buddhahood have come tobe called by this name. Finally, even those who are trying to lead others
to the Buddhahood by means of their great compassion while striving
themselves for the same goal, have been symbolically personified as
Bodhisattvas; Avalokiteśvara (Kwannon), Ksitigarbha(Jizō ),.
Mañjuśrı̄(Mon-ju) are only a few of the better known ones.
BUDDHA (The Enlightened One):
Originally, Gautama Siddhārtha (Śā kyamuni), the founder of
Buddhism, was called by this name, as he was the one who had attained
the state of Enlightenment at 35 about 2,500 years ago in India. The final
goal for all Buddhists is, irrespective of their school or stream, to becomea Buddha. Because of the difference of means as to how to reach thisstate, Buddhism has divided into various sects and schools. In Mahāyāna
Buddhism, besides the historical Buddha Śākyamuni, many Buddhas
such as Amitābha (Amida), Mahāvairocana (Dainichi), Bhaisajyaguru.

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(Yakushi), etc., are generally accepted as symbols of Buddhist teachings.
Being influenced by the concept of the Pure Land type of Buddhism inJapan, (one becomes a Buddha after rebirth in the Pure Land), all those
who have passed away are usually called“Buddhas,” or HOTOKE in
Japanese.
DHARMA (True Teaching):
This is the Teaching taught by the Enlightened One, the Buddha.
There are three types of canons in the teachings: Sūtras, (teachingstaught by Buddha Himself), Vinayas, (disciplines provided by Buddha),and Abhidharmas, (commentaries and discussions on the Sūtras andVinayas by scholars in later periods). These three are called the
Tripi taka.
Dharma is one of the Three Treasures of Buddhism.
.
KARMAN (Deeds):
Although the original meaning of this term simply meant “Deeds”, it
has, in relation with the theory of causation, come to be regarded as akind of potential power gained as a result of each deed done in one’s past.
That is, each of our acts results in either good or bad, suffering or pleasure, depending upon the act, and it has an influencing power upon our
future and this is regarded as one’s Karma. It is believed that if a gooddeed is repeated, good will be accumulated, and its potential power willfunction upon the future as a beneficial influence. There are three kindsof deeds; physical, oral, and mental, in this concept.

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_ _MAHAYANA (Great Vehicle):
In the course of Buddhist history, there appeared two main streams ofthought, Mahāyāna and Theravāda (or Hı̄nayāna). The Mahāyāna type of
Buddhism spread to Tibet, China, Korea, Japan, etc., while Theravāda to
Myanmar, Srı Lanka (Ceylon), Thailand, etc. The term means a “Great
Vehicle” which can accept all beings suffering in this world of birth anddeath, and can lead all of them, without any discrimination, to the state ofEnlightenment.
_
NIRVAN. A (Perfect Tranquility):
Literally, it means “to blow off.” This is the state where all humandefilement and passion have been completely extinguished through certain practices and meditation based upon Right Wisdom. Those who had
attained this state are called Buddhas. Gautama Siddhārtha had attained
this state and became a Buddha at 35. However, it is now believed that it
was only after he had passed away that he reached such a state of perfect
tranquility, because some residue of human defilement would continue toexist as long as his physical body existed.
_
PALI (—Language):This is the language used in Theravāda Buddhism. The oldest type of
Buddhist canons are believed to have been written in this language. As
this is a kind of Prakrit, a dialect of Sanskrit, there is not a big difference
between Pāli and Sanskrit; Dharma in Sanskrit, Dhamma in Pāli; Nirvāna.
in Sanskrit, Nibbāna in Pāli. See-Sanskrit.

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__
PARAMITA (To cross over to the Other Shore):“To cross over to the Other Shore” means to reach the Buddha Landby means of practicing various Buddhist disciplines. Usually the following
six practical disciplines are regarded as those which enable one to crossfrom this world of birth and death to the world of Enlightenment:
Offerings, Morality, Patience, Endeavoring, Concentration, and Right
Judgment (or Wisdom). The traditional Japanese HIGAN weeks in spring
and autumn are derived from this Buddhist concept.
_PRAJÑA (Wisdom):
One of the Six Pāramitās. The mental function which enables one toperceive life without error and to distinguish between what is true andwhat is false. One who had acquired this perfectly is called a Buddha.
Therefore, this is the most refined and enlightened wisdom, distinct fromordinary human intelligence.
.
SANGHA (Buddhist Brotherhood):
It consists of monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen. In early times, itconsisted of monks and nuns. Later, when the Mahāyāna movement
arose, those who aimed at the state of Bodhisattva, regardless of being
layman or monk, joined together in a Brotherhood. One of the Three
Treasures of Buddhism.
SANSKRIT (—Language):
The classical literary language of ancient India; one of the IndoEuropean family of languages. It is divided into Vedic and Classical
Sanskrit. The scriptures of the Mahāyāna tradition had been written inthis language which style is called Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit.

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. _SAMSARA (Reincarnation):
Perpetual repetition of birth and death from the past through the present to the future through these six illusory realms: Hell, Hungry Spirits,
Animals, A śura or Fighting Spirits, Men, and Heaven. Unless enlightened, one cannot be freed from this wheel of transmigration. Those who
are free from this can be called Buddhas.
__
ŚUNYATA (Non-Substantiality):This is the concept that everything has neither substance nor permanence and is one of the fundamental points in Buddhism. Since everything is dependent upon causation, there can be no permanent ego as a
substance. But, one should neither adhere to the concept that everythinghas substance nor that it does not. Every being, human or non-human, isin relativity. Therefore, it is foolish to hold to a certain idea or concept orideology as the only absolute. This is the fundamental undercurrent in
the Wisdom (Prajñā) Scriptures of Mahāyāna Buddhism.
_
SUTRA (Scriptures):
The records of the Buddha’s teachings. The term means originally“string”, which signifies compendium threading through the vast quantityof studies in religion or science. One of the Tripitaka.
.

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_
THERAVADA (Elders’ Advocators):
The southern tradition of Buddhism is represented generally by thisappelation. “Thera” means elders. This is the school of elders which was
historically a group of conservative senior monks who advocated a strict
adherence to the precepts as opposed to another group of rather freer
progressive monks (whose beliefs were to develop later into Mahāyāna,that is the northern tradition). This kind of opposing trends in Buddhist
Orders is said to have started in an early period, a few centuries after thedecease of the Buddha, when Mahādeva, a progressive monk, insisted
upon the freer interpretation under the five categories of the Buddhist.
precepts. This provoked the split into Theravāda and Mahāsā nghika
which was the fountainhead of later Mahāyāna.
TRIPI TAKA
(Three Baskets):.
The three branchesof the Buddhist scriptures, Dharma, are meant by_
this. They are Sutras, which contain the Buddha’s teachings; Vinayas,
which contain his disciplines; and Abhidharmas, which contain various
commentaries and essays on Buddhist doctrines and precepts. Later,
Buddhist writings by Chinese and Japanese high-priests were also included in the Buddhist canons. See-Dharma.

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SOCIETY FOR THE PROMOTION OF BUDDHISM
AND DISTRIBUTION OF“THE TEACHING OF BUDDHA”
In describing Society for the Promotion of Buddhism it is necessary to
speak of a businessman, and this gentleman is Mr. Yehan Numata, theFounder of Mitutoyo Corporation.
He established a company to manufacture precision measuring instruments in 1934. His solid conviction is that the success of an enterprisedepends on the harmonious association of Heaven, Earth and Man andthat the perfection of the human mind is attainable only by a well-balanced coordination of wisdom, compassion and courage. He did everything he could under this conviction towards the technical improvementof measuring instruments manufacture, and the development of thehuman mind.
It is his belief that the attainment of world peace is possible only upon
the perfection of the human mind, for the purpose of which there is theteaching of Buddha. Therefore, along with managing his enterprise, he
has been exerting his efforts ever since the establishment of his company
in the spreading and modernization of Buddhist music and the spreadingof Buddha’s pictures and teaching.
In December, 1965, he had a foundation incorporated with his private
funds to engage in the propagation of Buddhism, and at the same time, tobe an aid towards world peace. Thus, Society for the Promotion of
Buddhism was initiated as a public organization.
What is being done to diffuse the Teaching of Buddha far and wide sothat every human being can benefit by it and enjoy the Light of His Great
Wisdom and Compassion? It is the work of this Society for the Promotionof Buddhism to seek the solution to this problem, keeping up the will of
its founder.

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In short, every possible effort toward the propagation of the Buddha’s
teaching is the very heart and soul that this Society for the Promotion of
Buddhism is undertaking.
This book, “The Teaching of Buddha,” is a result of our reflecting on
the history in this country of the religion, that there has hardly been anything written that we can call a book of Buddhist teaching as interpreted
in the Japanese way, in its real sense, in spite of the fact that we havealways regarded our Buddhist culture with great pride.
This book will serve as spiritual “food” for each and everyone who
reads it. It is so prepared that anyone can keep it on one’s desk or carry itwith him and come in contact, at will, with the Light alive spiritually.
Though still not as perfect as we would like, the present edition of“The Teaching of Buddha” has come a long way, through the work andefforts of many people, to meeting the need by contemporary people foran accurate, easy to read and authoritative introduction to Buddhism that
is, at the same time, a practical guide and daily source of inspiration andtruth.
It is the wish of Society for the Promotion of Buddhism to see a day
come soon when as many homes as possible will have this book and as
many as possible of our fellow-men will enjoy and bathe in the Light of
the Great Teacher.
Readers’ comments are always welcome. Please feel free to write toSociety for the Promotion of Buddhism any time.

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