51.8 （八）

Thus have I heard:

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

At that time, the elder Anāthapiṇḍada was seriously ill. Śāriputra, with his pure and flawless divine eye, saw that the elder Anāthapiṇḍada was seriously ill. He then told Ānanda, "Come, let us go to the elder Anāthapiṇḍada to inquire about his condition."

Ānanda replied, "The time is right."

At that time, Ānanda, holding his alms bowl, entered Śrāvastī to beg for food. He gradually arrived at the house of the elder Anāthapiṇḍada and took his seat. Śāriputra then said to the elder Anāthapiṇḍada while seated, "Is your illness increasing or decreasing? Do you feel that the pain is gradually subsiding, not getting worse?"

The elder replied, "My illness is now greatly improved, I feel it increasing, not decreasing."

Śāriputra replied, "Now, elder, you should remember the Buddha, who is called the Tathāgata, Arhat, Perfectly Enlightened One, Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, Well-Gone, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed Trainer, Teacher of Gods and Men, Buddha, Blessed One; you should also remember the Dharma, the Tathāgata's Dharma, which is extremely profound, venerable, precious, and unequaled, practiced by the wise and holy; you should also remember the Saṃgha, the Tathāgata's Saṃgha, which is harmonious above and below, without dispute, accomplished in the Dharma. The Saṃgha is accomplished in precepts, accomplished in concentration, accomplished in wisdom, accomplished in liberation, accomplished in the vision of wisdom. The Saṃgha is called the four pairs, the eight individuals. This is called the Tathāgata's holy Saṃgha, venerable and precious, the unsurpassed field of merit in the world. Elder, if one cultivates mindfulness of the Buddha, mindfulness of the Dharma, and mindfulness of the bhikṣus, the merit is immeasurable, attaining the place of immortality and extinction.

"If good men and good women have mindfulness of the Three Honored Ones - the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṃgha - it is impossible for them to fall into the three evil destinies! If those good men and good women cultivate mindfulness of the Three Honored Ones, they will surely attain good destinies in the heavens and among humans. Then, elder, do not arise from form, and do not rely on form to give rise to cognition; do not arise from sound, and do not rely on sound to give rise to cognition; do not arise from smell, and do not rely on smell to give rise to cognition; do not arise from taste, and do not rely on taste to give rise to cognition; do not arise from touch, and do not rely on touch to give rise to cognition; do not arise from mind, and do not rely on mind to give rise to cognition; do not arise from this world and the next, and do not rely on this world and the next to give rise to cognition; do not arise from craving, and do not rely on craving to give rise to cognition. Because craving gives rise to feeling, feeling gives rise to existence, existence gives rise to birth, death, sorrow, lamentation, suffering, and distress, which are immeasurable. This is called the five aggregates of suffering, without self, person, life, being, sprout, or embodied beings. When the eye arises, it does not know where it comes from; when the eye ceases, it ceases, and it does not know where it goes. There is no eye when it arises, and there is no eye when it ceases. It is all due to the causes and conditions of the coming together of dharmas. The so-called dharmas of causes and conditions are that when this exists, that exists; when this does not exist, that does not exist. The so-called ignorance conditions formations, formations condition consciousness, consciousness conditions name and form, name and form condition the six sense bases, the six sense bases condition contact, contact conditions feeling, feeling conditions craving, craving conditions grasping, grasping conditions becoming, becoming conditions birth, birth conditions old age and death, old age and death condition sorrow, lamentation, suffering, and distress, which are immeasurable. The same is true for the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind. There is no arising, and there is no ceasing. It does not know where it comes from, and it does not know where it goes. It is all due to the causes and conditions of the coming together of dharmas. This, elder, is called the foremost dharma of emptiness."

At that time, the elder Anāthapiṇḍada wept and shed tears, unable to stop himself.

Then Śāriputra said to Anāthapiṇḍada, "What is the reason for your grief?"

The elder replied, "I am not grieving. The reason is that I have come here many times to serve the Buddha and also respected the elder bhikṣus, but I have never heard such a Dharma of respect as what Śāriputra has expounded."

Then Ānanda said to Anāthapiṇḍada, "Elder, you should know that the Tathāgata has spoken of two kinds of people in the world. What are the two? One who knows happiness and one who knows suffering. The one who practices happiness is the elder Yaśodhara, and the one who practices suffering is the bhikṣu Bhaggava. Moreover, elder, Yaśodhara bhikṣu is foremost in understanding emptiness, and Bhaggava is one who has attained liberation through faith. Moreover, elder, the one who knows suffering and the one who knows happiness, these two people have both attained liberation of mind, and both are disciples of the Tathāgata without equal. Because they are not submerged and not reborn, both diligently accept the Buddha's teachings without slacking off, but their minds have degrees of increase and decrease. Some people know, and some do not know. As the elder has said, 'I have served the Buddhas in the past and respected the elder bhikṣus, but I have never heard such a Dharma of respect as what Śāriputra has expounded.' Yaśodhara bhikṣu attained liberation of mind by looking at the ground, and Bhaggava bhikṣu attained liberation of mind by looking at the sword. Therefore, elder, you should be like the bhikṣu Bhaggava."

At that time, Śāriputra extensively taught the Dharma to him, encouraging and delighting him, causing him to give rise to the unsurpassed mind. He then rose from his seat and departed.

Not long after Śāriputra and Ānanda left, the elder Anāthapiṇḍada passed away and was reborn in the Heaven of the Thirty-three. At that time, the merits and virtues of the Anāthapiṇḍada god-son surpassed those of the other gods in five ways. What were the five? Namely, heavenly lifespan, heavenly form, heavenly happiness, heavenly spiritual power, and heavenly radiance. At that time, the Anāthapiṇḍada god-son thought, "I have attained this heavenly body all because of the Tathāgata's kindness. Now I should not indulge in the five desires for my own enjoyment, but should first go to the World-Honored One to pay homage and inquire about his well-being."

At that time, the Anāthapiṇḍada god-son, together with the heavenly beings, surrounded him in front and behind, holding heavenly flowers to scatter on the Tathāgata's body. At that time, the Tathāgata was in the Jeta Grove of Anāthapiṇḍada near Śrāvastī. At that time, the god-son Anāthapiṇḍada, in the sky, joined his palms towards the World-Honored One and spoke this verse:

This is the Jetavana Grove, where the sages play and enjoy themselves. It is
the place ruled by the Dharma King. You should give rise to a joyful mind.

At that time, after the Anāthapiṇḍada god-son spoke this verse, the Tathāgata silently accepted it. At that time, the god-son Anāthapiṇḍada immediately gave rise to this thought: "The Tathāgata has already accepted me." He then abandoned his supernatural power and stood to one side.

At that time, the god-son Anāthapiṇḍada addressed the World-Honored One, saying: "I am Sudatta, also known as Anāthapiṇḍada, well-known to people, and also a disciple of the Tathāgata who has received the holy teachings. Now, having passed away, I have been reborn in the Heaven of the Thirty-three Gods."

The World-Honored One said: "By what merit have you now attained this heavenly body?"

The god-son said to the Buddha: "It is by the power of the World-Honored One that I have attained this heavenly body." At that time, the god-son Anāthapiṇḍada again scattered heavenly flowers over the body of the Tathāgata, as well as over the bodies of Ānanda and Śāriputra, circumambulated the Jetavana Grove seven times, and then disappeared.

At that time, the World-Honored One said to Ānanda: "Last night, a god-son came to me and spoke this verse:

This is the Jetavana Grove, where the sages play and enjoy themselves. It is
the place ruled by the Dharma King. You should give rise to a joyful mind.

At that time, the god-son circumambulated the Jetavana Grove seven times and then departed. Ānanda, do you recognize that god-son?

Ānanda said to the Buddha, "It must be the elder Anāthapiṇḍada."

The Buddha told Ānanda, "As you have said, it is excellent that you can recognize that god-son with your knowledge of the unknown. Because he is the god-son of Anāthapiṇḍada."

Ānanda asked the Buddha, "What is the name of Anāthapiṇḍada in his heavenly rebirth?"

The World-Honored One said, "He is still named Anāthapiṇḍada. Because when he was born in heaven, all the gods said, 'This god-son was a disciple of the Tathāgata in the human realm. He always gave equally to all, providing for the needy. After making these merits, he was reborn in the Heaven of the Thirty-three. Therefore, he is still named Anāthapiṇḍada.'"

At that time, the World-Honored One told the bhikṣus, "Ānanda, the bhikṣu, has great merits and wisdom. He is now in the stage of learning, and his wisdom is unmatched. Because what an arhat should know, Ānanda knows. What the past buddhas should have learned, Ānanda clearly knows. In the past, there were also such people who understood upon hearing. Just as I now know what Ānanda, the bhikṣu, looks at and understands: 'The Tathāgata needs this; the Tathāgata does not need this.' The disciples of the past buddhas entered samādhi to know future events. Just as I now know what Ānanda, the bhikṣu, sees and understands."

At that time, the World-Honored One told the bhikṣus, "Among my śrāvakas, Ānanda, the bhikṣu, is the most knowledgeable, courageous, diligent, mindful, and undistracted. He is the foremost in learning and is capable of handling affairs."

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