3: The Book of the Threes
80. Abhibhū
- DG BB TBW © Translated from the Pali by Bhikkhu Bodhi (More copyright information)
1Then the Venerable Ānanda approached the Blessed One … … and said to him:
"Bhante, in the presence of the Blessed One I heard this; in his presence I learned this: ‘Abhibhū, a disciple of the Blessed One Sikhī, while staying in the brahmā world, conveyed his voice throughout a thousandfold world system.’ [n.510] See SN6:14. "Conveyed his voice" renders sarena viññāpesi, more literally "communicated with his voice." How far, Bhante, can the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One convey his voice?.
"He was a disciple, Ānanda. The Tathāgatas are immeasurable." [n.511] Sāvako so Ānanda appameyyā tathāgatā. Mp: "The Buddha said this to indicate: ‘Ānanda, why do you say this? He was a disciple established in partial knowledge. But the Tathāgatas, having fulfilled the ten perfections and attained omniscience, are immeasurable. The domain, raṅge, and power of a disciple is one thing, the range of the Buddhas is quite different. It is like comparing a bit of soil in your fingernail with the soil of the great earth.’"
2A second time the Venerable Ānanda said to the Blessed One: "Bhante, in the presence of the Blessed One I heard this …. How far, Bhante, can the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One convey his voice?
"He was a disciple, Ānanda. The Tathāgatas are immeasurable."
3A third time the Venerable Ānanda said to the Blessed One: "Bhante, in the presence of the Blessed One I heard this …. How far, Bhante, can the Blessed One, the Arahant, the Perfectly Enlightened One convey his voice?.
"Have you heard, Ānanda, about a thousandfold minor world system?.
"It is the time for this, Blessed One. It is the time for this, Fortunate One. The Blessed One should speak. Having heard this from the Blessed One, the bhikkhus will retain it in mind..
"Well then, Ānanda, listen and attend closely. I will speak..
"Yes, Bhante," the Venerable Ānanda replied. The Blessed One said this:
4(1) "A thousand times the world in which the sun and moon revolve and light up the quarters with their brightness is called a thousandfold minor world system. [n.512] Cūḷanikā lokadhātu. Mp: "This is the domain of a disciple" (ayaṁ sāvakassa visayo). In that thousandfold world system there are a thousand moons, a thousand suns, a thousand Sinerus king of mountains, a thousand Jambudīpas, a thousand Aparagoyānas, a thousand Uttarakurus, a thousand Pubbavidehas, [n.513] These are the four continents, located respectively to the south, west, north, and east. and a thousand four great oceans; a thousand four great kings, a thousand heavens of devas ruled by the four great kings, a thousand Tāvatiṁsa heavens, a thousand Yāma heavens, a thousand Tusita heavens, a thousand heavens of devas who delight in creation, a thousand heavens of devas who control what is created by others, a thousand brahmā worlds.
5(2) "A world that is a thousand times a thousandfold minor world system is called a thousand-to-the-second-power middling world system. [n.514] Dvisahassī majjhimā lokadhātu. It is necessary to use some such expression rather than "a two-thousandfold middling world system." For the middling world system is not twice the size of a thousandfold minor world system, but a thousand times its size, that is, a thousandfold world system squared. Similarly, just below, a tisahassī mahāsahassī lokadhātu is not three times the size of a minor world system, but a thousand times the size of a thousand-to-the-second-power middling world system, in other words, a thousandfold world system cubed.
6(3) A world that is a thousand times a thousand-to-the-second-power middling world system is called a thousand-to-the-third-power great world system.
7Ānanda, the Tathāgata can convey his voice as far as he wants in a thousand-to-the-third-power great world system."
8"But in what way, Bhante, can the Tathāgata convey his voice as far as he wants in a thousand-to-the-third-power great world system?.
"Here, Ānanda, the Tathāgata suffuses with his radiance a thousand-to-the-third-power great world system. When those beings perceive that light, then the Tathāgata projects his voice and makes them hear its sound. It is in such a way, Ānanda, that the Tathāgata can convey his voice as far as he wants in a thousand-to-the-third-power great world system." [n.515] Could this passage mark a major step toward the apotheosis of the Buddha? In flavor it seems more in keeping with the opening of such Mahāyāna sūtras as the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka and the Pañcavīsati-prajñāpāramitā than with the Pāli Nikāyas.
9When this was said, the Venerable Ānanda said to the Blessed One: "It is my good fortune! I am very fortunate that my Teacher is so powerful and mighty..
When this was said, the Venerable Udāyī said to the Venerable Ānanda: "What is it to you, friend Ānanda, that your Teacher is so powerful and mighty?" [n.516] Mp: "This was the elder Lāḷudāyī (a troublemaker in the Saṅgha). It is said that in the past he resented the elder (Ānanda for being appointed) the Buddha’s attendant. Therefore, now that he had a chance, at the end of the Buddha’s lion's roar, he tries to puncture the elder Ānanda's confidence, as if extinguishing a burning candle, hitting the snout of a stray bull, or turning upside down a vessel full of food."
When this was said, the Blessed One said to the Venerable Udāyī: "Do not say so, Udāyī! Do not say so, Udāyī! [n.517] Mp: "The Buddha says this, as if a benevolent man were to say repeatedly to another man tottering at the edge of a precipice, ‘Come this way.’" Udāyī, if Ānanda were to die without being free of lust, then because of his confidence he would exercise celestial kingship among the devas seven times and great kingship in this Jambudīpa seven times. However, in this very life Ānanda will attain final nibbāna."
1Atha kho āyasmā ānando yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavantaṁ abhivādetvā ekamantaṁ nisīdi. Ekamantaṁ nisinno kho āyasmā ānando bhagavantaṁ etadavoca:.
"sammukhā metaṁ, bhante, bhagavato sutaṁ sammukhā paṭiggahitaṁ: ‘bhagavato, ānanda, sikhissa abhibhū nāma sāvako brahmaloke ṭhito sahassilokadhātuṁ sarena viññāpesī’ti. Bhagavā pana, bhante, arahaṁ sammāsambuddho kīvatakaṁ pahoti sarena viññāpetun"ti.
"Sāvako so, ānanda, appameyyā tathāgatā"ti.
2Dutiyampi kho āyasmā ānando bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: "sammukhā metaṁ, bhante, bhagavato sutaṁ sammukhā paṭiggahitaṁ: ‘bhagavato, ānanda, sikhissa abhibhū nāma sāvako brahmaloke ṭhito sahassilokadhātuṁ sarena viññāpesī’ti. Bhagavā pana, bhante, arahaṁ sammāsambuddho kīvatakaṁ pahoti sarena viññāpetun"ti.
"Sāvako so, ānanda, appameyyā tathāgatā"ti.
3Tatiyampi kho āyasmā ānando bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: "sammukhā metaṁ, bhante, bhagavato sutaṁ sammukhā paṭiggahitaṁ: ‘bhagavato, ānanda, sikhissa abhibhū nāma sāvako brahmaloke ṭhito sahassilokadhātuṁ sarena viññāpesī’ti. Bhagavā pana, bhante, arahaṁ sammāsambuddho kīvatakaṁ pahoti sarena viññāpetun"ti.
"Sutā te, ānanda, sahassī cūḷanikā lokadhātū"ti.
"Etassa, bhagavā, kālo; etassa, sugata, kālo, yaṁ bhagavā bhāseyya. Bhagavato sutvā bhikkhū dhāressantī"ti.
"Tenahānanda, suṇāhi sādhukaṁ manasi karohi, bhāsissāmī"ti.
"Evaṁ, bhante"ti kho āyasmā ānando bhagavato paccassosi. Bhagavā etadavoca:
4"Yāvatā, ānanda, candimasūriyā pariharanti, disā bhanti virocanā, tāva sahassadhā loko. Tasmiṁ sahassadhā loke sahassaṁ candānaṁ, sahassaṁ sūriyānaṁ, sahassaṁ sinerupabbatarājānaṁ, sahassaṁ jambudīpānaṁ, sahassaṁ aparagoyānānaṁ, sahassaṁ uttarakurūnaṁ, sahassaṁ pubbavidehānaṁ, cattāri mahāsamuddasahassāni, cattāri mahārājasahassāni, sahassaṁ cātumahārājikānaṁ, sahassaṁ tāvatiṁsānaṁ, sahassaṁ yāmānaṁ, sahassaṁ tusitānaṁ, sahassaṁ nimmānaratīnaṁ, sahassaṁ paranimmitavasavattīnaṁ, sahassaṁ brahmalokānaṁ – ayaṁ vuccatānanda, sahassī cūḷanikā lokadhātu.
5Yāvatānanda, sahassī cūḷanikā lokadhātu tāva sahassadhā loko. Ayaṁ vuccatānanda, dvisahassī majjhimikā lokadhātu.
6Yāvatānanda, dvisahassī majjhimikā lokadhātu tāva sahassadhā loko. Ayaṁ vuccatānanda, tisahassī mahāsahassī lokadhātu.
7Ākaṅkhamāno, ānanda, tathāgato tisahassimahāsahassilokadhātuṁ sarena viññāpeyya, yāvatā pana ākaṅkheyyā"ti.
8"Yathā kathaṁ pana, bhante, bhagavā tisahassimahāsahassilokadhātuṁ sarena viññāpeyya, yāvatā pana ākaṅkheyyā"ti.
"Idhānanda, tathāgato tisahassimahāsahassilokadhātuṁ obhāsena phareyya. Yadā te sattā taṁ ālokaṁ sañjāneyyuṁ, atha tathāgato ghosaṁ kareyya saddamanussāveyya. Evaṁ kho, ānanda, tathāgato tisahassimahāsahassilokadhātuṁ sarena viññāpeyya, yāvatā pana ākaṅkheyyā"ti.
9Evaṁ vutte, āyasmā ānando āyasmantaṁ udāyiṁ etadavoca: "lābhā vata me, suladdhaṁ vata me, yassa me satthā evaṁmahiddhiko evaṁmahānubhāvo"ti.
Evaṁ vutte, āyasmā udāyī āyasmantaṁ ānandaṁ etadavoca: "Kiṁ tuyhettha, āvuso ānanda, yadi te satthā evaṁmahiddhiko evaṁmahānubhāvo"ti.
Evaṁ vutte, bhagavā āyasmantaṁ udāyiṁ etadavoca: "mā hevaṁ, udāyi, mā hevaṁ, udāyi. Sace, udāyi, ānando avītarāgo kālaṁ kareyya, tena cittappasādena sattakkhattuṁ devesu devarajjaṁ kāreyya, sattakkhattuṁ imasmiṁyeva jambudīpe mahārajjaṁ kāreyya. Api ca, udāyi, ānando diṭṭheva dhamme parinibbāyissatī"ti.
Dasamaṁ.
Ānandavaggo tatiyo.
10Channo ājīvako sakko,
nigaṇṭho ca nivesako;
Duve bhavā sīlabbataṁ,
gandhajātañca cūḷanīti.