18.7 （七）

Thus have I heard:

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

At that time, Venerable Nanda was unable to practice the holy life and wanted to remove his Dharma robes and return to lay life.

At that time, many bhikṣus went to where the World-Honored One was, bowed their heads at his feet, and sat to one side. Then the many bhikṣus said to the World-Honored One, "Bhikṣu Nanda is unable to practice the holy life and wants to remove his Dharma robes and return to lay life."

At that time, the World-Honored One told a bhikṣu, "Go to Nanda and say, 'The Tathāgata summons you.'"

He replied, "Yes, World-Honored One!" At that time, the bhikṣu accepted the World-Honored One's instruction, rose from his seat, bowed his head at the World-Honored One's feet, and then left. He went to where the bhikṣu Nanda was and said, "The World-Honored One summons you."

Nanda replied, "Yes." At that time, the bhikṣu Nanda followed this bhikṣu to where the World-Honored One was. He bowed his head at the Buddha's feet and sat to one side.

At that time, the World-Honored One said to Nanda, "What is it, Nanda? Do you not enjoy practicing the holy life, and wish to remove your Dharma robes and practice as a layperson?"

Nanda replied, "Yes, World-Honored One!"

The World-Honored One said, "Why is it so, Nanda?"

Nanda replied, "The mind of desire is burning, unable to restrain itself."

The World-Honored One said, "How is it, Nanda! Are you not a clansman who has left home to study the Way?"

Nanda replied, "Yes, World-Honored One! I am a clansman who has left home with firm faith to study the Way."

The World-Honored One said, "You clansman! This is not appropriate, to leave home to study the Way and cultivate holy life, yet to abandon the true Dharma and practice defilement. Nanda, you should know, there are two things that are insatiable. If a person practices these two things, they will never be satisfied. What are the two things? They are sexual desire and drinking alcohol. These are the two things that are insatiable. If a person practices these two things, they will never be satisfied. Because of these practices, they will not be able to attain the unconditioned state. Therefore, Nanda! You should remember to abandon these two things, and later you will definitely attain the unconditioned result. Now, Nanda! You should cultivate pure conduct well, and the fruits of the path will all come from it."

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

If a house is not well sealed, rain will leak in
If a person does not practice well, the leaks of desire
anger, and ignorance will leak in. If a house is well
sealed, rain will not leak in. If a person can practice
well, the leaks of desire, anger, and ignorance will not leak in.

At that time, the World-Honored One again thought: "This noble son has excessive desire. I should now extinguish fire with fire." At that time, the World-Honored One used his spiritual power to hold Nanda with his hand. In the time it takes a strong person to bend and stretch an arm, he brought Nanda to the top of a fragrant mountain. At that time, on the mountain top there was a cave, and there was also a blind monkey living there. At that time, the World-Honored One held Nanda with his right hand and said to him: "Do you see this blind monkey, Nanda?"

He replied, "Yes, World-Honored One!"

The World-Honored One said, "Which is more wonderful, the Śākya woman Sundarī or this blind monkey?"

Nanda replied, "It is like someone who injures a vicious dog's nose and then applies poison to it. The dog becomes even more vicious. It is like this. The Śākya woman Sundarī cannot be compared to this blind monkey. It is like a great fire burning a mountain forest, adding dry firewood, the fire blazes even more. I think of that Śākya woman, and she does not leave my mind."

At that time, the World-Honored One, in the time it takes to bend and stretch an arm, disappeared from that mountain and arrived in the Heaven of the Thirty-three Gods. At that time, the gods of the Heaven of the Thirty-three Gods were all gathered in the Dharma Hall of Good Dharma. Not far from the Dharma Hall of Good Dharma, there was another palace where five hundred celestial maidens amused themselves together, all women, without any men. At that time, Nanda saw from afar the five hundred celestial maidens performing music and amusing themselves together. Having seen this, he asked the World-Honored One, "What is this? Five hundred celestial maidens performing music and amusing themselves together?"

The World-Honored One said, "Nanda, you go and ask them yourself."

At that time, Venerable Nanda went to the place of the five hundred celestial maidens. He saw that their palace was furnished with various hundreds of fine seats, all women, without any men. At that time, Venerable Nanda asked those celestial maidens, "What celestial maidens are you, each amusing yourselves together, so happily?"

The celestial maidens replied, "We are five hundred people, all pure, without husbands. We heard that there is a disciple of the World-Honored One named Nanda, the son of the Buddha's aunt. He has practiced pure and chaste conduct under the Tathāgata. After his life ends, he will be reborn here to be our husband and amuse himself with us."

At that time, Venerable Nanda was very joyful and could not contain himself. He thought, "I am now a disciple of the World-Honored One, and also the son of the Buddha's aunt. These celestial maidens will all be my wives." At that time, Nanda then withdrew and went to where the World-Honored One was.

The World-Honored One said, "What did those jade maidens say?"

Nanda replied, "Those jade maidens each said, 'We each have no husbands. We have heard that the disciples of the World-Honored One who practice pure conduct will be reborn here after their lives end.'"

The World-Honored One said, "Nanda, what do you think? Nanda, what do you think?"

Nanda replied, "At that time, I immediately thought, 'I am a disciple of the World-Honored One, and I am also the son of the Buddha's aunt. These heavenly maidens will all be my wives.'"

The World-Honored One said, "Excellent, Nanda! If you cultivate the holy life well, I will give you testimony and make these five hundred women your servants."

The World-Honored One further said, "What do you think, Nanda? Is the Śākya girl Sundarī beautiful, or are the five hundred heavenly maidens beautiful?"

Nanda replied, "It is like a blind monkey on the mountain peak in front of Sundarī. It has no luster or color. It is the same here. Sundarī in front of the other heavenly maidens is also like this, without luster."

The World-Honored One said, "If you practice pure conduct well, I will certify that you will obtain these five hundred heavenly beings."

At that time, the World-Honored One had this thought: "I will now use fire to extinguish Nanda's fire." Just like a strong person bending and stretching an arm, the World-Honored One took Nanda's arm with his right hand and brought him to the hells. At that time, the beings in the hells were experiencing various kinds of suffering. In that hell, there was a large cauldron that was empty and had no one in it. Seeing it, Nanda became fearful and his hair stood on end. He went before the World-Honored One and said, "All these beings are experiencing suffering, but only this cauldron is empty and has no one in it."

The World-Honored One said, "This is called the Avīci Hell."

At that time, Nanda became even more terrified, his hair standing on end. He said to the World-Honored One, "This is the Avīci Hell, but it is empty and has no one who has committed offenses."

The World-Honored One said, "Nanda, you go and ask them yourself."

At that time, Venerable Nanda himself asked, "What is this, jailer? Why is this hell empty and without anyone?"

The jailer replied, "Bhikṣu, you should know that the Tathāgata's disciple named Nanda, having practiced pure conduct under the Tathāgata, upon the dissolution of his body and the end of his life, was reborn in a good place, in the heavens, where he enjoyed himself for a thousand years. Having passed away from there, he was reborn in this Avīci hell. This empty cauldron is his abode."

At that time, Venerable Nanda, having heard these words, was frightened and his hair stood on end. He thought, "This empty cauldron is indeed for me." He went to the World-Honored One, bowed his head at the Buddha's feet, and said to the World-Honored One, "Please accept my repentance. It is my own fault that I did not practice pure conduct and disturbed the Tathāgata."

At that time, Venerable Nanda spoke this verse:

Human life is not to be valued, for even heavenly life ends in death
The pain and suffering of hell - only the bliss of nirvana is real.

At that time, the World-Honored One said to Nanda, "Excellent! Excellent! As you have said, nirvana is the greatest bliss. Nanda, I allow you to repent. You are foolish and ignorant, and you know that you have erred before the Tathāgata. I now accept your repentance, and you should not commit it again in the future."

At that time, the World-Honored One, in the time it takes to bend and stretch an arm, took Nanda by the hand from hell and appeared in the Jeta Grove in Anāthapiṇḍada's Park in Śrāvastī. At that time, the World-Honored One said to Nanda, "Now, Nanda, you should cultivate two dharmas. What are the two dharmas? They are tranquility and insight. You should also cultivate two more dharmas. What are the two dharmas? They are knowing that saṃsāra is not blissful and knowing that nirvāṇa is blissful. These are the two dharmas. You should also cultivate two more dharmas. What are the two dharmas? They are wisdom and eloquence." At that time, the World-Honored One spoke these various dharmas to Nanda.

At that time, Venerable Nanda, having received the instruction from the World-Honored One, rose from his seat, bowed at the feet of the World-Honored One, and then departed, going to the Ānanda Grove. Having arrived, he sat cross-legged under a tree, with body and mind upright, focusing his attention in front, contemplating the teachings of the Tathāgata. At that time, Venerable Nanda, in a secluded place, constantly contemplated the teachings of the Tathāgata, not letting go for a moment. Because the clansmen, with firm faith, left home to study the path, practiced the unsurpassed pure practice, exhausted birth and death, established the pure practice, accomplished what was to be done, and would not again experience existence, knowing it as it is. At that time, Venerable Nanda then attained arahantship.

Having attained arahantship, he immediately rose from his seat, adjusted his robes, went to where the World-Honored One was, bowed at his feet, and sat to one side. At that time, Venerable Nanda said to the World-Honored One, "The World-Honored One previously promised to give the five hundred heavenly maidens to the disciples who attained realization. Now I have given them all up."

The World-Honored One said, "Now that your birth and death have been exhausted, and your pure practice has been established, I will give them up for you."

At that time, he spoke a verse, saying:

I now see Nanda practicing the Dharma of a śramaṇa; all evils
have ceased, and he is not lacking in the practice of austerity.

At that time, the World-Honored One told the bhikṣus, "The one who attained arahantship is now the bhikṣu Nanda. The one who is free from desire, anger, and ignorance is also the bhikṣu Nanda."

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