26.10 （一〇）婆迦梨

Thus have I heard:

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

At that time, Venerable Vakkali was seriously ill, lying in his own excrement and urine, wanting to kill himself with a knife, but unable to sit up on his own. Then Venerable Vakkali said to his attendant, "Bring me a knife now, I want to kill myself. The reason is that among the disciples of the Buddha Śākyamuni, there is none who surpasses me in faith and liberation, yet my mind is not liberated from defilements. The reason is that even the disciples of the Tathāgata, when encountering suffering and distress, also seek a knife to kill themselves. What use is this life of mine now? I cannot go from this shore to the other shore."

At that time, Vakkali's disciple had just gone forth and did not know about this world or the next world, did not know how to go from this shore to the other shore, and did not know about dying here and being born there. He then handed the knife to him. When Vakkali took the knife, he stabbed himself with it out of firm faith.

At that time, Vakkali stabbed himself with the knife and thought, "Among the disciples of the Buddha Śākyamuni, those who do what is unlawful, obtain evil benefits and not good benefits, do not attain realization in the Tathāgata's teachings and then take their own lives." At that time, Venerable Vakkali then contemplated these five aggregates of clinging: This is form, this is the origin of form, this is the cessation of form; This is feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness, this is the origin of feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness, this is the cessation of feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness. Having thoroughly contemplated these five aggregates of clinging, he knew that all phenomena that arise are subject to cessation. Having understood this, he then attained liberation from the mind with taints. At that time, Venerable Vakkali attained parinirvāṇa in the realm of nirvāṇa without remainder.

At that time, the World-Honored One used his divine ear to hear Venerable Vakkali seeking a knife to kill himself. At that time, the World-Honored One told Ānanda, "All the bhikṣus in Śrāvastī should gather in one place. I wish to give instructions."

At that time, Venerable Ānanda received the World-Honored One's instruction and immediately gathered the bhikṣus in the Potala Lecture Hall. He then informed the World-Honored One, "Today the bhikṣus have already gathered in one place."

At that time, the World-Honored One, surrounded by the bhikṣu saṃgha, went to the vihāra of the bhikṣu Vakkali. At that time, the evil Māra Pāpīyas wanted to know where the spirit of the Venerable Vakkali was. Was it among humans or non-humans, devas, nāgas, ghosts, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, or yakṣas? Where was this spirit now? Where was it born and wandering? He looked everywhere in the east, west, north, south, the four intermediate directions, and above and below, but he did not know where the spirit was. At that time, Māra Pāpīyas became exhausted and did not know where it was.

At that time, the World-Honored One, surrounded by the bhikṣu saṃgha, went to the vihāra. At that time, the World-Honored One observed that Māra Pāpīyas wanted to know where the spirit was. The World-Honored One told the bhikṣus, "Have you heard any loud noises in this vihāra? Are there any strange lights?"

The bhikṣus replied, "Yes, World-Honored One! We have seen it."

The World-Honored One said, "This evil Māra Pāpīyas wants to know where the spirit of Bāṣkali is."

At that time, Venerable Ānanda addressed the World-Honored One, saying, "May the World-Honored One please explain where the spirit of Bāṣkali Bhikṣu is."

The World-Honored One said, "The spirit of Bāṣkali Bhikṣu is forever unattached. That noble one has attained parinirvāṇa. One should hold it like this."

At that time, Venerable Ānanda addressed the World-Honored One, saying, "On what day did Bāṣkali Bhikṣu attain these four truths?"

The World-Honored One said, "He attained these four truths today."

Ānanda said to the Buddha, "This bhikṣu has been ill for a long time. He was originally an ordinary person."

The World-Honored One said, "So it is, Ānanda! As you say, but that bhikṣu endured great suffering for a long time. Among the disciples of Śākyamuni Buddha, he was the most excellent in faith and liberation, but his defiled mind had not yet attained liberation. He thought, 'I should now seek a knife to stab myself.' At that time, as that bhikṣu was about to stab himself, he contemplated the merits of the Tathāgata. On the day he gave up his life, he contemplated the five aggregates: 'This is the origin of form, this is the cessation of form.' At that time, after that bhikṣu contemplated this, all the conditioned dharmas ceased. That bhikṣu had already attained parinirvāṇa."

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

the method of the four right efforts the four dark and
ignorant dharmas Ayi, the origin and end of the Dharma Śāriputra Vāgīśa