Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Pearls of Universe
Pearls of Universe
Selected Quotes of the Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra Volume XVI
Original Translation to English by Kosho Yamamoto Edited and Revised by Dr. Tony Page Translation to Brazilian Portuguese by Marcos Ubirajara de Carvalho e Camargo
Volume XVI
Pearls of Universe
Volume XVI
Page 2
Pearls of Universe
Volume XVI
Page 3
Pearls of Universe
Fruition by Befriending
We say fruition of befriending. For example, there is a man who befriends a good person [i.e., with a Good Teacher of Buddhism], and as a result he gains the fruits from the Srotapanna up to Arhatship. The person says: 'I now gain the fruition of befriending'. The case is thus. Such fruition has two causes, namely: 1) the near cause, and 2) the far out cause. The near (cause) is the faith; the far out (cause) is the good friend. This is the fruition from friendship. Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 42 - Bodhisattva Kasyapa 3.
Equal Fruition
"By equal fruition' is meant what is common in the world at large. Again, such fruition has two causes: 1) the near, and 2) the far out. By near cause is meant the ten good deeds which beings practice; by for out (cause) is meant the so-called three calamities [i.e., water, fire, and war]. This is called equal fruition. Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 42 - Bodhisattva Kasyapa 3. Volume XVI Page 4
Pearls of Universe
Fruition of Reward
"We speak of fruition of reward. A person gains a pure carnal body and performs what is pure in body, mouth and mind. This person says: 'I am reaping the fruition of rewards. Such fruition has two causes, which are: 1) the near, and 2) the for out. By the near cause is meant what is done with the body, mouth and mind; by the far out cause is meant the purity of body, mouth and mind in the past. This is what we call fruition of reward." Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 42 - Bodhisattva Kasyapa 3.
Fruition of Segregation
"We say 'fruition of segregation', which is Nirvana. A person segregates himself of all defilements. All good deeds are the cause of Nirvana. Also, there are two kinds, namely: 1) the near cause, and 2) the far out cause. By near cause is meant the gate of three emancipations [i.e., the Samadhis of voidness, formlessness, and desirelessness]; by the far out cause is meant the good deeds which the person has practiced in innumerable worlds." Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 42 - Bodhisattva Kasyapa 3.
Pearls of Universe true, matter, the footprint, the sentence and the word, that which is, characteristics, the by-cause, the refuge which one takes, quietude, light, peace, and the other shore. That is why we can say that it does not fall within the category of the Three Times. With the nature of the Void, there is nothing like that. That's why we say 'not-is'. If there were anything other than this (a 'not-is'), we could certainly say that it falls into the category of the Three Times. If the Voidness were a thing of 'is', it could not be other thing than of category of the Three Times." Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 42 - Bodhisattva Kasyapa 3.
Volume XVI
Page 6
Pearls of Universe
Volume XVI
Page 7
Pearls of Universe
Pearls of Universe cannot say: 'The Void is what already was joined and *now+ joins. What one obtains in the world is what which did not exist before, but comes about later. This is as with a thing that has no eternity. If the Void stands in a thing like the fruit in a vessel, if so, it must also be noneternal. A person may say that if the Void stands in a thing, it is like the fruit in a vessel. But this is not so. Why not? Where the Void in question could exist, not having the vessel at hands? If there is any place [for it] to exist, the Void would have to be many. If many, how could we say eternal, one, and all-pervading? If the Void exists in places outside of the Void, then a thing could well subsist without the Void. So, know that there can be no such thing (dual) as (being) the Void." Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 42 - Bodhisattva Kasyapa 3.
Pearls of Universe "Oh good man! The earth stands on the water. As water is non-eternal, the earth, too, is non-eternal. The water hovers on the wind, and as the wind is non-eternal, the water, too, is non-eternal. The wind rests on the space, and as the space is non-eternal, the wind, too, is not-eternal. If it is non-eternal, how can we say: The Void is eternal and fills the space? As the Void is empty, it has no past, present or future. As the horns of a hare are not a thing, they have no past, present or future. The things are thus. Therefore, I say: 'As the Buddha-Nature is eternal, it does not fall within the category of the Three Times. As the Void is Void, it does not fall within the category of the Three Times'. Oh good man! I never quarrel with the world. Why not? If the worldly knowledge says 'is', I say 'is'; if the worldly knowledge says 'not-is', I also say 'not-is'." Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 42 - Bodhisattva Kasyapa 3.
Pearls of Universe quarrel with the world and does not get impregnated and defiled by what one obtains in the world, as in the case of the Utpala." Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 42 - Bodhisattva Kasyapa 3.
Meditate on Defilements
Oh good man! Someone who has Wisdom thinks: 'I must get away from these defilements and I should not do such evil and low-grade things. Why not? Because [otherwise] I cannot get rid of the karmic Volume XVI Page 11
Pearls of Universe retributions of hell, hungry ghosts, animals, human and heavenly. By practicing the Way, through this power, I shall end up with all these sufferings. So thinking, what the person commits is mild as regard the greed, ill-will and ignorance. Being light the greed, ill-will and ignorance, the person is happy. It still thinks: 'Now, through the power of the practice of the Way, I get away from the evil things and can now draw near of Wonderful Dharma. So I conquer the Right Way. Now I will make efforts and grow up. Now, this person makes away with all the innumerable evil defilements, and is free of retributions of hell, hungry ghosts, animals, and those of humans and heavenly. Hence, I say in my Sutras: 'One should meditate on all the defilements and on the causes of the defilements. Why? Should any wise person meditate on the defilements, but not on the causes of defilements, it will not be able to wipe out the defilements. Why? Because any wise person can see what will arise from the cause of the defilements. I am now severed of the cause, and the defilements do not arise. Oh good man! This is like in the case of a doctor. Once he removes the cause, the illness will not raise its head any more. It's the same with the wise person who extirpates the cause of the defilements. Someone who is wise should first meditate on the cause and, later, on the result. It sees that good results come from a good cause, and the evil (results come) from what is evil. By meditating on the result which comes about, he does away with the cause. Having meditated on the result that will arise, it must further meditate on the lightness and the heaviness of the defilements. Having meditated on lightness and heaviness, it first does away with what is heavy. When it ended with what is heavy, what is light will go away by itself. Oh good man! If the wise person realizes the defilements, the cause of the defilements, the result of the defilements, and the lightness and the heaviness of the defilements, that person will undertake efforts on the Way, will not cease, and not feel remorse. Such a person will associate Volume XVI Page 12
Pearls of Universe with a Good Friend and give ear to Dharma with the sincerest mind. This is all to do away with the defilements. Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 42 - Bodhisattva Kasyapa 3.
Volume XVI
Page 13
Pearls of Universe
Volume XVI
Page 14
Pearls of Universe
Pearls of Universe fruit is also poisonous. The cause is the being and the result is the being. The cause is impure, and the result is also impure. The cause and the result of defilements are beings, and beings are the cause and result of defilements. If this is indeed the inference, why the Tathagata employs the parable of the grass in the Himalayas which is poisonous, but [also] an all-wonderful medicine? If we say that defilement is the being and the being defilement, how can we say that there is a wonderful medicine in the body of a being? The Buddha said: "Well spoken, well spoken, Oh good man! Innumerable beings have the same doubt. You now do well to ask for an answer. I will make this point clear as well. Listen well, listen up! Think well about this. I will establish clearly now and explain this to you. Oh good man! I speak of the Himalayas in my parable, alluding to beings therein. The poisonous grass refers to defilements, and the allwonderful medicine refers to pure deeds. Oh good man! When beings practice these pure deeds, we say that they possess an all-wonderful medicine within them." Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 44 - Bodhisattva Kasyapa 5.
Meditate on Image
"Also, next, Oh good man! A wise person meditates and reflects on why the pair, feeling and touch come about, and sees that they come about through image. How? Beings see materials forms and do not acquire desire. And also, at the time of feeling, no desire arises. If someone acquires an inverted image regarding material form and says that the material form is the Eternal, Bliss, Self, and Pure, and that there can be no change; that someone, through this inversion, will acquire greed, illwill and ignorance. Thus the wise must meditate on image. Volume XVI Page 16
Pearls of Universe
How does one meditate on image? One should think that all beings have not yet reached the Right Way, and that they all have inverted images. What is an inverted image? Being in what is not Eternal (the fleshly body), a person has an image of [i.e. sees it as] Eternal; being in non-Bliss, a person has an image of Bliss; being in what is not Pure, it has an image of what is Pure; being in what is empty, it has an image of the Self; being in what is not male or female, big or small, day or night, month or year, clothes, home, or bedding, it has images from a man and woman down to bedding." Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 44 - Bodhisattva Kasyapa 5.
Pearls of Universe
Bodhisattva Kasyapa said: "Oh World Honored One! All the holy ones, on seeing a cow, gain the image of a cow and say this is a cow. Seeing a horse, they gain the image of a horse and say this is a horse. The same applies to man, woman, big and small, house, vehicle, come and go. This is an inversion." "Oh good man! All beings possess two kinds of images, namely: 1) the current image (conceptual) in the world, and 2) the image from clinging. All holy people have only the image current in the world, but not any image from clinging. All beings gain the image of clinging because of the meditation by evil sensing. All holy persons do not gain the image of clinging because of [their] awakening to good. Hence, all common mortals are classified as of the inverted (image), while the holy people are not so classified, although they may know. Having meditated on the cause of the image, a person who is wise, then meditates on the karmic results. One suffers such karmic results of evil images in the realms of hell, hungry ghosts, animals, and of humans and heavenly. As I have done away with the image of the evil awakening, I have cut off ignorance and contact. So, the image is gone. When one ends with the image, the person also removes the karmic consequences. To cut off the cause of the image, the wise person practices the Noble Eightfold Path. Oh good man! Anyone who meditates thus is called the one who practices pure deeds. Oh good man! So I say: 'In the poisonous body of the being there is an all-wonderful medicine. Though in the Himalayas there is a [type of] poisonous grass, there is [also] an all-wonderful medicine '." Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 44 - Bodhisattva Kasyapa 5.
Volume XVI
Page 18
Pearls of Universe
Meditate on Desire
"Also, in addition, oh good man! Someone who is wise meditates on desire. Desire is color, sound, smell, taste, and touch. Oh good man! Thus the Tathagata speaks of the result (effect) in the stage of cause. From these five things, the desire rises to the head. And (these things) are not desire, (are its cause). Oh good man! A person who is ignorant greedily seeks to partake of these. In these material forms, the person acquires an inverted image. And this acquisition of an inverted image extends down to 'touch'. And from the causal relation of inversion, there arises feeling. That's why I say that from this inverted image the world gains the ten images. From the causal relation of desire, one harvests evil karmic consequences in the world. The evil is directed to parents, Shramanas, and Brahmins. One does what ought not to do, and does so deliberately, from head to foot. Thus, a person who is wise realizes the fact that this causal relation of evil evokes an covetous mind. Having thus realized the cause of evil, first the wise person meditates on the cause of covetousness, and then thinks about the karmic results. When there is much desire, there will arise many evil results, such as [the realms of] hell, hungry ghosts, animals, human and heavenly. This is what we call realizing evil results. If someone is able to do away with the evil image, no mind of covetousness will arise. When there is no a covetous mind, does not arise any evil feeling. Without evil feeling, there can be no any evil result. That's why I first do away with the evil image. Once done away with the image of evil, things as such naturally die away. Therefore, the wise person practices the Noble Eightfold Path, in order to do away with the evil image. This is what we call 'pure action'. This is why we say that in the poisonous body of being, there is an all-wonderful medicine, Volume XVI Page 19
Pearls of Universe as in the case of the Himalayas, where although there are poisonous grasses, there is an all-wonderful medicine, too." Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 44 - Bodhisattva Kasyapa 5.
Meditate on Karma
"Also, in addition, oh good man! Having meditated thus thoroughly on desire, the wise person then meditates on Karma. Why? A wise person thinks: Feeling, image, touch and desire are defilements. Defilements really bring forth the living karma, but not the harvesting karma. This defilement goes along with karma and is composed of two kinds: 1) living karma and 2) harvesting karma. Hence, the wise person must meditate well on karma. This karma is of three kinds: body, mouth, and mind. Oh good man! The pair, body and mouth, are called karma, and also karmic result (harvesting karma). The mind is merely called 'karma' (living karma), not 'result' (harvesting karma). As it is the cause of karma, we say 'karma'. Oh good man! We call the karmas of body and mouth the external karma (harvesting), and the mental karma the internal (living). These three karmas go together with defilements. So we have two karmas, namely: 1) living karma and 2) feeling karma. Oh good man! 'Direct Karma' is mental karma. We say temporal karma. This refers to the karmas of body and mind. Since it appears first, we say 'mental karma. What arise from the mental (karma) are the bodily and oral karmas. So, what is mental is called 'direct'. Having meditated on karma, a wise man must meditate on the cause of karma." Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 44 - Bodhisattva Kasyapa 5.
Volume XVI
Page 20
Pearls of Universe
Volume XVI
Page 21
Pearls of Universe
Meditate on Suffering
"Oh good man! A wise person meditates deeply on the eight sufferings, and then on the cause of suffering. The cause of suffering is ignorance of craving, which consists of two things: 1) seeking of what is (pleasure) bodily, and 2) seeking wealth. The seeking of what is bodily and seeking wealth are both sources of suffering. Thus, one should know that ignorance of craving is the cause of suffering. Oh good man! There are two kinds of this ignorance of craving, namely: 1) inner and 2) outer. That which is inner really moulds the karma, whereas that which is external increases it. Also, that which is internal indeed moulds karma, and that which is external moulds the karmic result. By ending with the internal craving, one can indeed do away with Volume XVI Page 22
Pearls of Universe the karma. If the external craving is cut off, the karmic fruit goes away. The inner craving moulds the suffering of the world that is to come, whereas the external craving calls forth the suffering of the present life. The wise meditates on the cause of suffering, which is craving. Having meditated on the cause, it does so on the karmic result. The karmic result of suffering is 'clinging' ['upadana' - clinging to existence]. The result of craving is clinging. The karmic result of craving is clinging. The causal relation of this clinging, which is inner and outer craving, calls forth the suffering of craving. Oh good man! The wise must meditate and think that the craving is causally related to clinging, and clinging is causally related to craving. If a person really extirpates this pair, craving and clinging, there will be no more karmic action; that person no more will suffer from any kind of sorrow (worry). So, the wise should practice well the Noble Eightfold Path and do away with all sufferings. Oh good man! If any person meditates thus, this is pure action. This is where we say that beings possess an all-wonderful medicine in their poisoned fleshly bodies, and that in the Himalayas, amidst the poisonous grasses, there is an all-wonderful medicinal herb." Read More on the Nirvana Sutra, Chapter 44 - Bodhisattva Kasyapa 5.
Volume XVI
Page 23
Pearls of Universe
Volume XVI
Page 24
Pearls of Universe
LIKE THE UTPALA THE BLUE LOTUS ..................................... 10 MEDITATE ON DEFILEMENTS ................................................ 11 THE SKANDHAS OF THE WISE ............................................... 13 THE DEFILEMENT OF DESIRE - THE PREJUDICE .......................... 14 THE DEFILEMENTS OF IGNORANCE......................................... 15
Volume XVI Page 25
Pearls of Universe
THE ALL-WONDERFUL MEDICINE OF THE HIMALAYAS ................ 15 MEDITATE ON IMAGE ......................................................... 16 MEDITATE ON THE CAUSE OF THE IMAGE ................................ 17 MEDITATE ON DESIRE ........................................................ 19 MEDITATE ON KARMA........................................................ 20 MEDITATE ON CAUSE OF KARMA .......................................... 21 MEDITATE ON KARMIC RESULT............................................. 21 THE UNDEFILED KARMA ..................................................... 22 MEDITATE ON SUFFERING ................................................... 22
Volume XVI
Page 26