The Past
Chapter 16
The Bhagavān then said to the youth Candraprabha, “Young man, bodhisattva mahāsattvas thus wish to liberate all beings from all the suffering of existence. They wish to establish beings in the noble, unsurpassable bliss and joy of samādhi. Therefore they should hear this king of samādhis, the revealed equality of the nature of all phenomena, obtain it, understand it, preserve it, recite it to others, promote it, proclaim it, chant it, meditate on it with unadulterated meditation, promulgate it, and make it widely known to others.
16.2 “Why is that? Young man, this king of samādhis, the revealed equality of the nature of all phenomena, causes one to transcend all lower existence and be freed from all illness.
16.3 “Young man, when bodhisattva mahāsattvas hear this king of samādhis, the revealed equality of the nature of all phenomena, obtain it, and meditate on it, then, young man, [F.52.b] those bodhisattva mahāsattvas liberate all beings from all the sufferings of existence. They will establish them in the noble, unsurpassable bliss and joy of samādhi, this samādhi will be quickly attained, and the highest, complete enlightenment of perfect buddhahood will be quickly attained.”619
16.4 Thereupon the Bhagavān, in order to teach this meaning to Candraprabha, repeated what he had previously said by explaining it in the following verses.
16.5
“I remember that, as I was practicing in the past,
In the teaching of Sugata Siṃhadhvaja
There was a wise bhikṣu, a dharmabhāṇaka
Whose name was Brahmadatta. {1}
16.6
“At that time I was Prince Mati.
I was tormented by the pain of an illness.
The dharmabhāṇaka Brahmadatta
Became my teacher at that time. {2}
16.7
“More than five hundred physicians
Diligently sought to cure that illness,
But they were unable to cure me of my disease.
Everyone in my family was in suffering. {3}
16.8
“The bhikṣu heard about my illness,
And he came to me and asked about it.
Brahmadatta felt great pity for me,
And he taught me this supreme samādhi. {4}
16.9
“When I had heard this sublime samādhi
I experienced a noble, nonworldly joy.
I understood the essential nature of phenomena
And at that time I was healed of my disease. {5}
16.10
“That wise dharmabhāṇaka bhikṣu was Dīpaṃkara
While he was practicing bodhisattva conduct,
And I was Prince Mati, who was freed from illness
Through the wisdom of the samādhi. {6}
16.11
“Therefore, young man, in the future
Remember past declines like that.
Tolerate the bad things the foolish will say
And keep and recite620 this samādhi. {7}
16.12
“In future time, there will be many bhikṣus
Who will be covetous,621 malicious, and without restraint.622
They will enjoy bad actions and be attached to alms bowls and robes,
And they will reject completely this samādhi. {8} [F.53.a]
16.13
“They will be unstable, distracted by their senses, and envious,
Attached to families623 and desiring gain.
They will always be engaged in familiarity with them
And they will reject completely624 this samādhi. {9}
16.14
“They will strike with their hands and feet.
They will always engage in fun and play.
They will embrace each other and hold hands,
And will do other kinds of laypeople’s activities.625 {10}
16.15
“They will have the signs of inappropriate activity.
They will always desire the daughters of others.626
They will be excited and captivated by bodies,
And roam through the villages, towns, and regions. {11}
16.16
“They will always be engaged in eating and drinking,
And similarly in dance, song, and music.
They will always be dedicated to buying and selling.
Attached to drinking, they will cast aside their shame. {12}
16.17
“They will carry letters, engaging in inappropriate activity,
And likewise discard correct conduct and the pure path.627
They will break the rules through dwelling with families,
And having broken them continue engaging in incorrect conduct. {13}628
16.18
“They will be fraudulent with weights and measures,
Always engaging in actions that the buddhas have rejected.
Through doing those actions that are sinful and defiled,
They will have bad karma and will go to the lower realms. {14}
16.19
“They will enter homelessness, forsaking home,
Conches, gold and jewels, and great wealth;
But having entered homelessness within the Buddha’s teaching,
They will continually engage in bad actions. {15}
16.20
“They will see wealth and grain as essential.
They will be attached to dairy cows,629 cattle, and carriages.
These people who do not follow the training,
Why will they have shaved their heads? {16}
16.21
“In the past I practiced bodhisattva conduct,
Which was extremely difficult, for thousands of eons.
I did so seeking this samādhi of peace,
But they will laugh when they hear of it. {17}
16.22
“For a long time they will lie and will not be celibate.
Always enjoying what is harmful, they will descend to the lower realms.
They will hold up the banner of celibacy,
But will have bad conduct and what they teach will not be the Dharma. {18}
16.23
“They will be divided against each other.
They will yearn for that which is acquired inappropriately.
They will say unpleasant things to each other,
And when they die they will go to the level of the lower existences. {19} [F.53.b]
16.24
“It will be hard to find among a hundred, a thousand,630
One who has the power of patience.
Therefore there will be many who are deeply involved in quarreling.
They will explain elaborately, having rejected patience. {20}
16.25
“They will say the words, ‘I am a bodhisattva,’
And those words will spread in every direction.
They will become conceited631 through their arrogant, false words,632
But how can there be enlightenment for someone whose conduct has gone astray? {21}
16.26
“I have never heard of, nor have I seen,
Someone whose motivation is not pure
And who has no patience for these phenomena,
Attaining enlightenment after discarding the Dharma. {22}
16.27
“It is through fear and anxiety they will have abandoned their homes
And held firmly to the homeless life.
But having acute desires they will proceed toward destruction,
Forsaking the way of the supreme humans. {23}633
16.28
“They will have inferior wisdom and be devoid of good qualities,
And they will always be criticizing the supreme yāna.
They will always be talking about the hundreds of faults
Of that in which they have taken refuge. {24}634
16.29
“Many will have entered homelessness because they had no livelihood.
They will have no wish at all for the enlightenment of buddhahood.
Those foolish ones will maintain the view of a self
And become afraid when they hear of emptiness. {25}
16.30
“They will quarrel with each other635
And develop intractable evil malice.
They will say unpleasant things to each other
And find great joy in having done bad things. {26}
16.31
“Those who have correct conduct will have good qualities.
They will always remain loving and be skilled in patience.
They will be perfectly gentle, kind, and controlled—
Yet they will be the ones despised at that time. {27}
16.32
“Those who have wicked minds,
Who are dreadful, and accomplish terrible, very low actions,
Those whose conduct is not that of the Dharma and who enjoy fighting:
They will have offerings made to them at that time. {28}
16.33
“I declare this, I know this.
Young man, if you have faith in me,
Remember this teaching by the Sugata
And never depend on those others. {29}
16.34
“They will have strong desire and strong anger.
They will have strong ignorance and be conceited and arrogant.
They will have unrestrained bodies and unrestrained speech
And unrestrained minds, and will descend to the lower existences. {30} [F.54.a]
16.35
“I have recited the praises of those qualities
But the bhikṣus will not practice these qualities.
Enlightenment is not attained by mere words.
For one who is dedicated to practice, enlightenment will not be difficult to attain.” {31}
16.36
Conclusion of the sixteenth chapter, “The Past.”
