The Questions of Brahmadatta

[F.10.b]

Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was residing in Śrāvastī, in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s park, together with a great assembly of two hundred fifty thousand monks and a large number of bodhisattva great beings. All of these were bodhisattvas who were versed in extraordinary knowledge, had acquired extraordinary knowledge along with dhāraṇī, samādhi, and unimpeded dhāraṇī, and were skilled in the dhāraṇīs that accomplish the seal of infinite gateways.6 They dwelled in emptiness, they had the experience of signlessness, and they had aspirations that were not imputed. They all had reached the acceptance that phenomena are unarisen.

Then, the bodhisattva [F.11.a] Amoghadarśin, together with about five hundred bodhisattvas, prostrated at the feet of the Blessed One, circumambulated him, and departed. After traveling through several towns, they finally arrived in the region of Pañcāla. When King Brahmadatta learned of the bodhisattva Amoghadarśin’s arrival in his land, he felt pleased and happy, and he rejoiced. Overjoyed and content, he led a large following of people to the place where the bodhisattva Amoghadarśin was staying. When he arrived there, he prostrated by touching his head to the bodhisattva Amoghadarśin’s feet, then sat to one side. His many followers also prostrated by touching their heads to the bodhisattva Amoghadarśin’s feet, then sat to one side.

When he saw that King Brahmadatta and his assembled retinue and attendants were present, the bodhisattva Amoghadarśin said to him, “Great King, an anointed king of royal descent who possesses five attributes will continuously progress while traversing saṃsāra and will never take birth in unfavorable states.7 He will also meet and please thus-gone ones. When the blessed buddhas teach the Dharma, he will also master their allegorical speech. He will maintain uninterrupted mindfulness, look attractive, and not lack any sense faculty. The blessed buddhas will also speak to him with words of absolute truth; that is to say, they will demonstrate the four truths.

“What are these five attributes?

“Great King, an anointed king of royal descent possesses faith. He possesses a mind that is strong in faith and is without animosity. His faith is also demonstrated to be rooted in certainty. [F.11.b] His faith should furthermore be observed in ten ways. What are these ten? They are as follows: (1) He gives without deceit. (2) He gives away all possessions completely. (3) He has no excessive pride. (4) He has exceptional clarity. (5) He does not apprehend any fault in the teachings of the noble ones. (6) He does not investigate the best, intermediate, or lesser monks for mistakes. (7) He believes in emptiness. (8) His physical actions are pure. (9) His verbal actions are pure. (10) His mental activity is pure.

“Great King, one of royal descent who possesses this first attribute and is an anointed king accomplishes these qualities just mentioned.

“Moreover, Great King, an anointed king of royal descent longs for the Dharma. He always yearns to behold the noble ones, and he insatiably seeks to hear the Dharma. Using his mind he carefully investigates the many things he has learned, and then fully realizes them through experience. Great King, a king should be understood to be endowed with the Dharma if he has ten qualities. What are these ten? They are as follows: (1) He is without concern for his body or life in his quest for the Dharma. (2) He possesses a mindset that is weary of saṃsāra. (3) He thinks that a householder’s life entails too many faults. (4) He has a mindset that is not concerned with material things. (5) He is critical toward the negative actions that stem from his previous karma, and he does not create future formations. (6) He possesses a mindset that discriminates between all that is attractive and all that is repulsive. (7) Mastering his intent, he perfects the conduct of a bodhisattva and does not privilege words. (8) He is steadfast in his commitments because he seeks wisdom. (9) He fosters awakening in his servants and retinue and completely matures them [F.12.a] continuously with the gift of the Dharma. (10) He also fulfills their material needs.

“Great King, one of royal descent who possesses this second attribute and is an anointed king accomplishes these qualities just mentioned.

“Moreover, Great King, an anointed king of royal descent believes in accepting the profound Dharma and accomplishes the samādhi of emptiness. His interest in the profundity of the Dharma should also be understood in ten ways. What are these ten? They are as follows: (1) His actions accord with his words. (2) He completes all his virtuous Dharma activities with very strong devotion and rids himself of the formations of unpleasant actions. (3) He creates pleasing formations. (4) He does not unjustly suppress individuals who possess power and riches. (5) He provides others with pleasing gifts and eliminates all that is not pleasant. (6) Thinking that all phenomena are empty, he cultivates renunciation. (7) His view is free of contrivance, thus he neither believes in the singularity of the limit of reality nor holds concepts of its multiplicity. (8) He does not use his own qualities to belittle the qualities of others. (9) He does not form definite judgments. (10) He brings those who do not practice into alignment with the inconceivable realm of phenomena.

“Great King, one of royal descent who possesses this third attribute and is an anointed king accomplishes these qualities just mentioned.

“Moreover, Great King, when an anointed king of royal descent clearly perceives the contamination that comes from the harm of living in this world, he upholds the teachings for the sake of accomplishing unsurpassed, complete, and perfect awakening. He perseveres [F.12.b] in generating the power of the six perfections and never tires of fully maturing sentient beings. Furthermore, the ways in which he upholds the teachings should be understood in ten ways. What are these ten? They are as follows: (1) He perseveres in attaining samādhi that is unimpeded by the eight worldly concerns. (2) He perseveres in seeking out the dhāraṇīs. (3) He is skilled in ascertaining so that he completely apprehends the supreme Dharma. (4) He never tires of providing various necessities to those who persevere, including clothes, food, bedding, cushions, and medicines to cure sickness. (5) He strives to encourage awakening. (6) He thinks excellent thoughts, speaks excellent words, and performs excellent deeds. (7) He is inclined towards renunciation. (8) He thinks that it is a mistake to delight in being a king. (9) He possesses a mindset that has no concern for any beautiful or pleasant forms. (10) At the very least he does not think that anything is accomplished by only craving kingship.

“Great King, one of royal descent who possesses this fourth attribute and is an anointed king accomplishes these qualities just mentioned.

“Moreover, Great King, an anointed king of royal descent follows the Dharma in guarding, protecting, and shielding those who uphold, read, and teach unsurpassed, complete, and perfect awakening, which one fully accomplishes in a hundred billion trillion incalculable eons. He likewise punishes beings who are harmful to such individuals in order to completely protect the enjoyment of this resource of Dharma. His effort to completely uphold the supreme Dharma [F.13.a] should also be understood in ten ways. What are these ten? They are as follows: (1) He accomplishes it completely. (2) He regards it as absolutely invaluable. (3) He believes in the Dharma. (4) He always acts without confusion. (5) He desires wisdom and has trust in distinctions of enlightened qualities. (6) He acts as a messenger of the Thus-Gone One. (7) He is a suitable vessel for buddhahood. (8) He holds together the lineage of the Three Jewels. (9) He causes the supreme Dharma to blaze brightly. (10) He completely matures many people.

“Great King, one of royal descent who possesses this fifth attribute and is an anointed king accomplishes these qualities just mentioned.”

After this, the bodhisattva Amoghadarśin recited the following verses:

Thereafter, King Brahmadatta said the following to the bodhisattva great being Amoghadarśin: “Amoghadarśin, apparently I have all of the shortcomings [F.14.b] but none of the good qualities. Amoghadarśin, I am contaminated with harmful pollutants. Amoghadarśin, I am strongly addicted to unjust actions. I always intensely seek out wealth and gather attendants. Consequently, my thoughts arise due to a malevolent attitude that I am incapable of removing. Besides that, I have also thrashed others with sticks and struck them with weapons. Therefore, Amoghadarśin, I did not generate the mind of awakening. I generated a malevolent attitude toward others, even in my dreams. Amoghadarśin, I shall now generate with a sincere attitude the unsurpassed, complete, and perfect mind of awakening. Amoghadarśin, if I do not train in the precepts of bodhisattvas as they are delineated, it will amount to deceiving all the blessed buddhas who dwell in the world systems of the ten directions. In order to fully accomplish unsurpassed, complete, and perfect awakening, I shall act exactly as you have spoken.”

Thereafter eighty thousand beings, following after King Brahmadatta, generated the unsurpassed, complete, and perfect mind of awakening for the first time, and they also prayed to achieve the conduct of a bodhisattva as it was expounded. Twenty thousand beings acquired the pure eye of Dharma that is flawless and without defilements with respect to all phenomena.

Then, King Brahmadatta said the following to the bodhisattva great being Amoghadarśin: “Amoghadarśin, out of your love for me and for the benefit of the people gathered here, please consent to remain here at my place to observe the summer retreat.

“Amoghadarśin, we may not meet the conditions of being a vessel, [F.15.a] we may not meet the conditions of having the scope of experience, and we may not be people of equal status to the fortunate ones. Also, since we do not see the Thus-Gone One or listen to the Dharma continuously, our accumulation of the roots of virtue may not be so large, and we may not have matured many sentient beings. Nevertheless, your presence will benefit us.”

Then, the bodhisattva great being Amoghadarśin, along with some five hundred other bodhisattvas, accepted King Brahmadatta’s request out of love for him. King Brahmadatta prepared a variety of bedding, cushions, mats, clothing, and food for the bodhisattva Amoghadarśin and his retinue of five hundred bodhisattvas. He also made various Dharma offerings to the bodhisattva great being Amoghadarśin.

At that time, there were sixty monks staying in that place. All of them were lazy, limited in their studies, full of hostile intent, and resentful when others received offerings. They claimed to be bodhisattvas themselves, but were coarse, crude bodhisattvas. They indulged their senses; they were wild, proud, and vain; they talked nonsense and were deceitful like crows. They had no regard for their next lives and no fear of karma; they enjoyed foolish talk, slept excessively, and had desire for what is not the Dharma. Their physical, verbal, and mental actions were without any restraint; they were argumentative, resented those with ethical discipline, and took no interest at all in the knowledge of others.

They did not even like to see the teacher, let alone fellow practitioners of pure conduct. Thus, they denigrated the bodhisattva Amoghadarśin in a manner that was not in accord with the Dharma. [F.15.b] Moreover, they spread such remarks by visiting the homes of brahmins and householders with little faith, who, as a result of listening, would be born and live as denizens of the great hells for eight hundred million eons. The bodhisattva Amoghadarśin did not tell this to King Brahmadatta because of his compassion for those sentient beings.

At that time, King Brahmadatta had a court priest, a brahmin named Thorough Obscurer. He caused a rift between the bodhisattva Amoghadarśin and the monks who were there, and he made rude remarks that were at odds with the Dharma. He also secretly caused a rift between King Brahmadatta and the bodhisattva Amoghadarśin. He furthermore discouraged all those who had developed extraordinary joy in the Dharma and used every possible means to plant disdain for the bodhisattva Amoghadarśin in their minds. Even when he participated in Dharma discussions, he spoke in opposition to the Dharma, thereby carrying out by every means the activities of the crude bodhisattvas.

In this regard, bodhisattvas are crude when they possess four attributes. What are these four? They are as follows: (1) They are deceitful like a crow, talk nonsense, and do not accommodate other perspectives. (2) They praise themselves and criticizes others. (3) They are obsessed with this life and have negative thoughts. (4) They aggressively sow discord. Bodhisattvas are crude when they possess these four attributes.

The bodhisattva Amoghadarśin completed the summer retreat there in both comfort and suffering, and with happiness and sadness. Why was this so? Well, someone who dwells with a lazy person tends to suffer. Thus, the bodhisattva great being Amoghadarśin observed the summer retreat, and after the three months had passed, he [F.16.a] made and completed a Dharma robe. He then left, carrying his alms bowl and Dharma robe. After passing through several kingdoms, he finally arrived at Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍada’s park, in Śrāvastī, where the Blessed One was residing. Arriving there, he touched the Blessed One’s feet with his head to pay homage and sat to one side.

King Brahmadatta later heard the news that the bodhisattva Amoghadarśin had gone directly to the Blessed One because the resident monks had mistreated him. King Brahmadatta, along with ten thousand others, thus left the region of Pañcāla for Kośala where the Blessed One was residing. Arriving there, he touched the Blessed One’s feet with his head to pay homage and sat to one side. After he sat down, King Brahmadatta said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, the bodhisattva Amoghadarśin left my country too soon.”

The Blessed One replied, “Great King, the Thus-Gone One and the hearers of the Thus-Gone One do not share a dwelling with individuals who are jealous, make no effort whatsoever, are fond of gossip, engage in excessive foolish talk, are very poorly behaved, and do not practice. Great King, know that there are ten causes for a person's lack of effort. What are these ten? They are as follows: (1) sleeping excessively, (2) cultivating the blatant pride of thinking oneself wise, (3) praising oneself, (4) criticizing others, (5) being fond of foolish talk, (6) being fond of gossip, (7) being fond of crowds, (8) clinging strongly to wealth, (9) clinging strongly to respect, and (10) being a hypocrite.

“Great King, an individual who possesses these ten causes [F.16.b] is known as one who lacks effort.”

Then the Blessed One spoke the following verses:

“Great King, recognize the following sixteen things as characteristics of jealous people. What are these sixteen? They are as follows: (1) being deceitful like a crow, (2) talking foolishly, (3) lacking self-control, (4) being pleased when others are denounced, (5) doubting the qualities of others, (6) thinking excessively, (7) being excessively sorrowful, (8) possessing extreme mental discomfort, (9) being envious, (10) possessing a decrepit figure and complexion, (11) being overwhelmed with pride, (12) disliking monks, (13) being rude toward unexpected visitors, (14) looking for mistakes to start an argument, (15) being stingy regarding one’s residence, and (16) not attending teachings, not listening with attention but having a distracted mind, spreading rumors, and saying with contempt for the Dharma, ‘I don’t understand what was said. It is a foolish, mundane, and conventional Dharma being taught.’

“These people, who have no respect for the Vinaya and Dharma that was realized by the noble ones, are ignorant fools.

“Saying, ‘I shall attain awakening; only then shall I sit under the Bodhi tree and be respectful toward the Dharma,’ they stand outside the door and listen even when the Dharma is being taught to the monks. They think, ‘I am not willing to sit down. But, since it provides the monks with their livelihood, I will listen when there is a talk on the eight branches of awakening.9 If I listen to this, my illness will be dispelled.’ [F.17.b] Thus these foolish people who chase after awakening by yearning for what is not the Dharma are like people who pluck out their eyes and then want to see. They are like those wishing to satisfy many guests after getting rid of all their wealth. They are like those wishing to follow a path after cutting off their legs. Great King, this is how these foolish people with such wishes think about awakening.

“Great King, someone who has fallen away from awakening should be understood as having the following twenty-five attributes. What are the twenty-five? They are as follows: (1) being stingy regarding their residence; (2) being stingy regarding their household; (3) being stingy with their praise; (4) being jealous; (5) having no faith; (6) being shameless; (7) being immodest; (8) being malicious; (9) being deceptive; (10) being harmful toward others; (11) behaving in a way that is self-absorbed; (12) being hypocritical; (13) being vengeful; (14) excessively accumulating wealth; (15) misinterpreting and exaggerating the teachings of the Thus-Gone One out of fear and thus (16) abandoning the Dharma; (17) not asking any questions because of excessive pride; (18) lacking remorse, even after betraying the Dharma; (19) being dislikable and having many enemies; (20) after joining the assembly, exposing someone’s faults immediately upon seeing them in an attempt to reverse others’ fondness for them; (21) scorning those who have trust in secret topics; (22) disparaging monks whether one has previously seen them or not, thinking that no one should like them; (23) disparaging in order to harm; (24) forsaking others in order to disparage them; and (25) guarding their ethical discipline motivated by the thought that failing to keep the fully ordained monk’s vows would not bring as much profit.

“Great King, such individuals will seriously drift from the teachings, [F.18.a] or they will become householders.”

Then the Blessed One spoke the following verses:

“Also, Great King, the Thus-Gone One and the hearers of the Thus-Gone One will not want to stay for long in places where there are people who lack [F.20.a] respect and faith and who hate others and seek to harm them. They will leave such places immediately.

“Great King, there are sixteen attributes that describe an individual who lacks faith. What are these sixteen? They are (1) instigating discord, (2) considering wicked teachings reasonable, (3) considering Dharma talks unreasonable, (4) having wicked thoughts, (5) having a mind that is proud, (6) seeking to harm, (7) having ulterior motives, (8) possessing a livelihood that is totally impure, (9) desiring respect, (10) having a mental continuum that is not virtuous, (11) lacking practice, (12) belittling others, (13) being fully intent on finding only faults, (14) not ascertaining the teachings, (15) holding wrong views, and (16) doubting the ripening of karma.

“Great King, these sixteen attributes describe an individual who lacks faith.”

Then the Blessed One spoke the following verses:

“Great King, the monks in your monastery lacked qualities such as these. Therefore, the bodhisattva Amoghadarśin examined them individually and did not stay but quickly departed.

“Great King, after they die and pass on, all of those sixty monks will circle in the lower realms for three eons. Thereafter, they will be born into low classes of beings for eighty thousand lives; they will be inferior, survive on leftover food, and be reviled by the world. They will have emaciated bodies, be of hideous complexion, be considered insignificant, be disfigured, and be afflicted with chronic ailments in almost all successive lifetimes. They will be agitated due to imbalanced health, wail with pitiful voices, and die in a bad state.

“Then, after dying in their last lifetime, they will be reborn in the realm of Sukhāvatī. For eighty thousand years they will hear but not understand the teachings of the thus-gone Amitāyus. They will be able to see that thus-gone one’s light but not him; his light will not even shine on their bodies. In order to purify their faults completely, [F.21.b] they will confess their faults to the gathering of bodhisattvas three times a day and three times a night, with their limbs and heads touching the ground. Only then will their actions become completely purified. Thereafter, they will be able to see the Thus-Gone One, understand the teachings, and receive predictions regarding their awakening.”

Then King Brahmadatta said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, give me your permission to remove these monks. I do not wish for such wicked monks to be known among my subjects, let alone be seen.” Then King Brahmadatta dispatched his men in order to remove those monks, ensuring that they did not remain among his subjects. “Blessed One, this is the fruition of their karma in this life. These are people who will harm themselves in future lives as well.”

As he said this, the Blessed One said to King Brahmadatta, “Great King, there are four pitfalls for those who have gone forth into this teaching of mine. What are these four? They are as follows: (1) not respecting the Buddha, (2) forsaking the supreme Dharma, (3) loathing those who teach the Dharma, and (4) taking offerings given with faith when one lacks true effort.

“Great King, these are the four pitfalls for those who have gone forth into this teaching of mine.”

Then the Blessed One spoke the following verses:

When the Blessed One spoke this discourse of the Dharma, five thousand beings generated the aspiration for unsurpassed, perfect, and complete awakening, which they had never done before, and achieved the acceptance of phenomena as unarisen. King Brahmadatta also became irreversibly oriented toward unsurpassed, perfect, and complete awakening. One hundred thousand beings possessed the pure eye of the Dharma, which is devoid of stains and free from defilements with respect to phenomena. One hundred million gods generated the mind of awakening, which they had never done before.

The Blessed One then smiled, and as happens whenever the blessed ones smile, at that moment light of myriad colors‍—blue, yellow, red, white, crimson, crystalline, and silver‍—emerged from his mouth. The light illuminated boundless, limitless realms and reached all the way up to the world of Brahmā. It even eclipsed the magnificence of the sun and moon. Then the light rays returned, circled around the Blessed One three times, and dissolved into the crown of his head.

Then the bodhisattva Amoghadarśin folded his hands and bowed in the direction of the Blessed One and asked him, “Blessed One, what are the causes of your smile? What are the conditions?”

The Blessed One said, [F.22.b] “Amoghadarśin, King Brahmadatta will not fall into any bad state for thirty eons, and after enjoying the bounties of the gods and humans, he will please eight hundred million buddhas. In all his lives, he will be universal emperor. Forsaking the four continents completely, he will respect and revere the blessed buddhas with an intention free of any hostility.

“Thereafter, he will actually attain buddhahood‍—unsurpassed, perfect, and complete awakening‍—in a buddha field that will be equal in display to Sukhāvatī, and he will become a thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha called King of Limitless Display.”

Thus, King Brahmadatta felt contented, elated, jubilant, and overjoyed. Happy and blissful, he bowed down with the five points of his body at the feet of the bodhisattva Amoghadarśin. He then said, “Blessed One, because Amoghadarśin endured being with that community of monks for my sake, I sincerely appeal to him for forgiveness.” Out of his love for King Brahmadatta, the bodhisattva Amoghadarśin then forgave him.

When the Blessed One spoke thus, King Brahmadatta, and the world with its gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas all rejoiced and praised the words of the Blessed One.