37.5 （五）

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 was teaching the Dharma to an innumerable assembly. At that time, a bhikṣu in the assembly had this thought: "May the Tathāgata instruct me in the teachings." The World-Honored One knew the thought in the bhikṣu's mind and said to the bhikṣus: "If a bhikṣu has this thought: 'The Tathāgata personally instructs me,' then that bhikṣu will be fully endowed with pure precepts, without any flaws or taints, and will practice tranquility and insight, delighting in solitary places.

If a bhikṣu wishes to seek robes, food and drink, bedding and mats, and medicine for illness, he should also be fully endowed with precepts and virtues, practice in solitary places, and be in harmony with tranquility and insight.

If a bhikṣu wishes to seek contentment, he should be mindful of being fully endowed with the virtues of precepts, practice in solitary places, and be in harmony with tranquility and insight.

If a bhikṣu wishes to be recognized by the four groups of followers, kings, and all sentient beings, he should be mindful of being fully endowed with the virtues of precepts.

If a bhikṣu wishes to seek the four dhyānas, without regret in the middle, and not changing, he should be mindful of accomplishing the virtues of precepts.

If a bhikṣu wishes to seek the four bases of supernormal power, he should also be fully endowed with the virtues of precepts.

If a bhikṣu wishes to seek the eight liberations without obstruction, he should be mindful of being fully endowed with the virtues of precepts.

If a bhikṣu wishes to seek the divine ear to hear, to hear the sounds of gods and humans, he should be mindful of being fully endowed with the virtues of precepts.

If a bhikṣu wishes to seek to know the thoughts in the minds of others, and their incomplete faculties, he should also be mindful of being fully endowed with the virtues of precepts.

If a bhikṣu wishes to seek to know the minds of sentient beings, whether they have a mind of desire or a mind without desire, a mind of anger or a mind without anger, a mind of delusion or a mind without delusion, to know them as they are. Whether they have a mind of attachment or a mind without attachment, a mind of acceptance or a mind without acceptance, to know them as they are. Whether they have a distracted mind or an undistracted mind, a sick mind or a healthy mind, a limited mind or an unlimited mind, a painful mind or a painless mind, a mind in samādhi or a mind not in samādhi, a liberated mind or an unliberated mind, to know them as they are. If one wishes to be like this, one should be mindful of being fully endowed with the virtues of precepts.

If a bhikṣu wishes to attain immeasurable spiritual powers, to divide one body into countless forms, and then reassemble them into one, to rise and sink freely, to transform the body up to the Brahma Heaven, he should be mindful of being fully endowed with the virtues of precepts.

If a bhikṣu wishes to seek to remember his past lives for countless eons, whether one life, two lives, up to a thousand lives, a hundred thousand million lives, an eon of formation, an eon of destruction, an eon of formation and destruction, countless eons, that he was born and died here and there, with such and such a name and surname, and that he passed away from there and was reborn here, and to remember such countless eons of events, he should be mindful of being fully endowed with the virtues of precepts, without any other thoughts.

If a bhikṣu wishes to seek the divine eye, to see through and observe the classes of sentient beings, their good and bad destinies, good and bad appearances, whether beautiful or ugly, to know them as they are. Or if there are sentient beings who act with evil body, speech, and mind, slander the sages, and upon the destruction of their bodies and the end of their lives, are born in the hells. Or if there are sentient beings who act with good body, speech, and mind, do not slander the sages, have right views in their minds, and upon the destruction of their bodies and the end of their lives, are born in the good destinies of the heavens. If one wishes to be like this, one should be mindful of being fully endowed with the virtues of precepts.

If a bhikṣu wishes to seek to exhaust the taints, to attain the liberation of the mind free from taints, the liberation through wisdom: the end of birth and death, the establishment of the practice of purity, the accomplishment of what is to be done, no more rebirth, to know it as it is. He should be mindful of being fully endowed with the virtues of precepts, contemplate within himself without any confused thoughts, and dwell in a secluded place.

"Bhikṣus! You should be mindful of being fully endowed with the virtues of precepts, without any other thoughts, with accomplished and complete deportment, with few faults and always fearful, let alone great ones! If a bhikṣu wishes to discuss with the Tathāgata, he should always be mindful of being fully endowed with the virtues of precepts; having been fully endowed with the virtues of precepts, he should be mindful of being fully endowed with hearing; having been fully endowed with hearing, he should be mindful of being fully endowed with giving; having been fully endowed with giving, he should be mindful of being fully endowed with wisdom, liberation, and knowledge and vision of liberation. If a bhikṣu is fully endowed with the body of precepts, the body of concentration, the body of wisdom, the body of liberation, and the body of knowledge and vision of liberation, he will be seen, venerated, and respected by devas, nāgas, and spirits, and will be revered by devas and humans. Therefore, bhikṣus! You should be mindful of being fully endowed with the five parts of the Dharma body, which is a field of merit in the world, unsurpassed by others. Thus, bhikṣus! You should train in this way."

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