17.1 （一）罗云

Thus have I heard:

At one time, the Buddha was at Anāthapiṇḍada's Park in the Jeta Grove near Śrāvastī.

At that time, the World-Honored One, at the proper time, put on his robe, took his bowl, and entered the city of Śrāvastī with Rāhula to beg for alms. The World-Honored One then turned to the right and said to Rāhula, "You should now observe that form is impermanent.

Rāhula replied, "Yes, World-Honored One! Form is impermanent.

The World-Honored One said, "Rāhula! Feeling, perception, formation, and consciousness are all impermanent.

Rāhula replied, "Yes, World-Honored One! Feeling, perception, formation, and consciousness are all impermanent.

At that time, Venerable Rāhula also thought, "What is the reason for this? Now I am going to the city to beg for alms, and I am on the road. Why did the World-Honored One face me and instruct me? Now I should return to where I am and should not enter the city to beg for alms."

At that time, Venerable Rāhula immediately returned halfway to the Jetavana Monastery. He took his robes and bowl, went to the foot of a tree, sat with his body and mind upright, crossed his legs, and concentrated his mind. He contemplated that form is impermanent, and he contemplated that feeling, perception, formation, and consciousness are impermanent.

At that time, the World-Honored One had finished begging for alms in the city of Śrāvastī. After the meal, he was walking in meditation at the Jetavana Monastery. Gradually, he arrived where Rāhula was. Having arrived, he told Rāhula, "You should practice the method of counting the breath. By practicing this method, all thoughts of sorrow and worry will be completely eliminated. You should now also practice the thought of impurity and repulsiveness. All desires and lust will be completely eliminated. You, Rāhula, should now practice the mind of loving-kindness. Having practiced the mind of loving-kindness, all anger and hatred will be completely eliminated. You, Rāhula, should now practice the mind of compassion. Having practiced the mind of compassion, all thoughts of harming will be completely eliminated. You, Rāhula, should now practice the mind of joy. Having practiced the mind of joy, all jealous thoughts will be completely eliminated. You, Rāhula, should now practice the mind of equanimity. Having practiced the mind of equanimity, all arrogant thoughts will be completely eliminated."

At that time, the World-Honored One spoke this verse to Rāhula:

Do not often give rise to thoughts of attachment, always
follow the Dharma yourself; such a wise person's reputation will
spread. Like holding a torch for others, destroying great darkness
devas and nāgas will respect and serve, respecting and serving
the venerable elders.

At that time, the bhikṣu Rāhula also replied to the World-Honored One with this verse:

I do not give rise to thoughts of attachment, always following
the Dharma; such a wise person is able to serve the elders.

At that time, the World-Honored One, having given this instruction, then left and returned to the quiet room.

At that time, Venerable Rahula also thought: "Now, how should I practice mindfulness of breathing to remove sorrow and have no thoughts?" At that time, Rahula immediately rose from his seat and went to where the World-Honored One was. Having arrived, he bowed his head at the feet, sat to one side, and after a while, withdrew his seat and said to the World-Honored One: "How should one practice mindfulness of breathing to remove sorrow and have no thoughts, attain great fruit and reward, and obtain the taste of immortality?"

The World-Honored One said: "Excellent! Excellent! Rahula! You are able to roar like a lion in front of the Tathāgata and ask about this meaning: 'How should one practice mindfulness of breathing to remove sorrow and have no thoughts, attain great fruit and reward, and obtain the taste of immortality?' Now, Rahula! Listen well! Listen well! Consider it well. I shall explain it in detail for you."

He replied: "Yes, World-Honored One!" At that time, Venerable Rahula received the teaching from the World-Honored One.

The World-Honored One said: "In this way, Rahula! If a bhikṣu enjoys a quiet place without people, he should sit with his body and mind upright, cross-legged, without other thoughts, focusing on the tip of his nose. He knows when exhaling long, he knows when inhaling long; he knows when exhaling short, he knows when inhaling short; he knows when exhaling cold, he knows when inhaling cold; he knows when exhaling warm, he knows when inhaling warm. He observes the whole body with inhalation and exhalation, knowing them all. Sometimes there is breath, he also knows it is there; sometimes there is no breath, he also knows it is not there. If the breath comes from the heart, he also knows it comes from the heart. If the breath enters the heart, he also knows it enters the heart. In this way, Rahula, one who practices mindfulness of breathing will have no thoughts of sorrow, distress, or confusion, and will attain great fruit and reward, and obtain the taste of immortality."

At that time, after the World-Honored One had fully taught Rahula the subtle Dharma, Rahula rose from his seat, bowed at the Buddha's feet, circumambulated him three times, and departed. He went to the Andha Grove, sat under a tree, straightened his body and mind, crossed his legs, without any other thoughts, focused on the tip of his nose. He knew when exhaling long, he knew when inhaling long; he knew when exhaling short, he knew when inhaling short; he knew when exhaling cold, he knew when inhaling cold; he knew when exhaling warm, he knew when inhaling warm. He observed the whole body with inhalation and exhalation, knowing them all. Sometimes there was breath, he also knew it was there; sometimes there was no breath, he also knew it was not there. If the breath came from the heart, he also knew it came from the heart. If the breath entered the heart, he also knew it entered the heart.

At that time, Rahula had this thought, and his lustful mind was immediately liberated, without any more evil. With perception and contemplation, mindfulness, joy, and ease, he dwelled in the first dhyāna. With perception and contemplation ceasing, internally joyful, with single-minded concentration, without perception and contemplation, samādhi, mindfulness, and joy, he dwelled in the second dhyāna. Without further joy and mindfulness, guarding and knowing bodily bliss, the joy and mindfulness sought by the sages, he dwelled in the third dhyāna. The suffering and bliss there ceased, without further sorrow, without suffering or bliss, guarding and mindfulness were pure, he dwelled in the fourth dhyāna.

With this samādhi, his mind was pure and free from defilement, his body was supple, he knew where he came from, remembered his past deeds, and recognized his past lives for countless eons. He also knew one life, two lives, three lives, four lives, five lives, ten lives, twenty lives, thirty lives, forty lives, fifty lives, a hundred lives, a thousand lives, ten thousand lives, hundreds of thousands of lives, eons of formation, eons of destruction, countless eons of formation, countless eons of destruction, billions of incalculable eons, "I was born there, named so-and-so, with such-and-such a surname, eating such-and-such food, experiencing such-and-such suffering and happiness, with such-and-such a lifespan. I died there and was born here, and died here to be born there." With this samādhi, his mind was pure and free from defilement, and he was also free from all afflictions. He also knew the minds of sentient beings. He further used his pure divine eye free from defilement to observe the classes of sentient beings: those who are born and pass away, those with good form and bad form, those in good destinies and bad destinies, those who are good and ugly, and their actions and deeds, he knew them as they truly are.

Some sentient beings, with evil bodily actions, evil verbal actions, and evil mental actions, slander the sages, practice wrong views, and create the actions of wrong views. When their bodies perish and their lives end, they enter the hells. Some sentient beings, with good bodily actions, good verbal actions, and good mental actions, do not slander the sages, always practice right views, and create the actions of right views. When their bodies perish and their lives end, they are reborn in the good destinies of the heavens. This is called the pure divine eye free from defilement, observing the classes of sentient beings: those who are born and pass away, those with good form and bad form, those in good destinies and bad destinies, those who are good and ugly, and their actions and deeds, knowing them as they truly are. He further directs his mind to attain the mind of ending taints. He observes this suffering and truly knows it. He further observes the origin of suffering, also knows the cessation of suffering, and also knows the path to the cessation of suffering, truly knowing it. By observing in this way, his mind is liberated from the taints of desire, existence, and ignorance. Having attained liberation, he attains the knowledge of liberation: "Birth and death are exhausted, the practice of the Brahma way is established, what was to be done is done, and I will not again experience existence." At that time, Venerable Rahula attained arahantship.

At that time, Venerable Rahula, having attained arahantship, immediately rose from his seat, adjusted his robes, went to where the World-Honored One was, bowed his head at the Buddha's feet, stood to one side, and said to the World-Honored One: "What I sought has been attained, and all taints are exhausted."

At that time, the World-Honored One told the bhikṣus: "Among those who have attained arahantship, none is equal to Rahula. In terms of the exhaustion of taints, he is also Rahula Bhikṣu. In terms of upholding the precepts, he is also Rahula Bhikṣu. The reason is that the past Tathāgatas, Arhats, and Perfectly Enlightened Ones also had this Rahula Bhikṣu. If we speak of the Buddha's son, he is also Rahula Bhikṣu, born directly from the Buddha, the foremost in the Dharma."

At that time, the World-Honored One told the bhikṣus: "Among my śrāvakas, the foremost disciple who can uphold the precepts is Rahula Bhikṣu."

At that time, the World-Honored One spoke this verse:

Endowed with the Dharma of precepts, the faculties are also
accomplished; gradually one will attain the exhaustion of all afflictions.

At that time, the bhikṣus, having heard the Buddha's teaching, joyfully received and practiced it.