130. （一三〇）教昙弥经

I have heard thus:

At one time, the Buddha was traveling in the country of Śrāvastī, staying at the Jeta Grove Anāthapiṇḍada-ārāma.

At that time, Venerable Dhamika was the leader of the local elders, the head of the stūpa, and respected by the people. He was violent, hasty, and extremely rude, scolding and criticizing the monks. Because of this, the monks from the local area all left, no longer enjoying staying there. Then the lay followers of the local area saw that the monks from the local area all left, no longer enjoying staying there, and they thought: "For what reason do the monks from the local area all leave, no longer enjoying staying here?" The lay followers of the local area heard that the Venerable Dhamika, the leader of the local elders, the head of the stūpa, and respected by the people, was violent, hasty, and extremely rude, scolding and criticizing the monks. Because of this, the monks from the local area all left, no longer enjoying staying there. Having heard this, the lay followers of the local area then went together to where Venerable Dhamika was, and drove Dhamika out of the monasteries in the local area.

Then Venerable Dhamika, driven out of the monasteries in the local area by the lay followers of the local area, put on his robe, took his bowl, and traveled to the country of Śrāvastī. Wandering there, he arrived at the country of Śrāvastī and stayed at the Jeta Grove Anāthapiṇḍada-ārāma. Then Venerable Dhamika went to where the Buddha was, bowed his head at the Buddha's feet, sat to one side, and said: "World-Honored One! I have done nothing wrong, said nothing wrong, and committed no offense to the lay followers of the local area, yet the lay followers of the local area unjustly drove me out of the monasteries in the local area.

At that time the World-Honored One said: "Enough, enough, Dhamika! What need is there to speak of this?"

Venerable Dhamika joined his palms towards the Buddha and said again: "World-Honored One! I have done nothing wrong, said nothing wrong, and committed no offense to the lay followers of the local area, yet the lay followers of the local area unjustly drove me out of the monasteries in the local area.

The World-Honored One also said again: "Dhamika! In the past, there were merchants in this Jambudvipa who sailed on ships into the ocean with a seagull. They released the seagull not far into the ocean. If the seagull could reach the great shore, it would not return to the ship. If the seagull could not reach the great shore, it would return to the ship. In this way, Dhamika! You were driven out of the monasteries in the local area by the lay followers of the local area, so you came back to me. Stop, stop, Dhamika! What need is there to speak of this again?"

Venerable Dhamika again said for the third time: "World-Honored One! I have done nothing wrong, said nothing wrong, and committed no offense to the lay followers of the local area, yet the lay followers of the local area unjustly drove me out of the monasteries in the local area.

The World-Honored One also said for the third time: "Dhamika! Do you abide in the Dharma of a śramaṇa, and are you driven out of the monasteries in the local area by the lay followers of the local area?"

Then Venerable Dhamika rose from his seat, joined his palms towards the Buddha, and said: "World-Honored One! How does a śramaṇa abide in the Dharma of a śramaṇa?"

The World-Honored One said: "Dhamika! In the past, there were people with a lifespan of eighty thousand years. Dhamika! When people had a lifespan of eighty thousand years, this Jambudvīpa was extremely wealthy and happy, with many people, villages close together like a chicken's flight. Dhamika! When people had a lifespan of eighty thousand years, women married at the age of five hundred. Dhamika! When people had a lifespan of eighty thousand years, there were these illnesses: defecation, urination, desire, not eating, and old age. Dhamika! When people had a lifespan of eighty thousand years, there was a king named Koravya, intelligent and wise, a wheel-turning king with a fourfold army, ruling the world according to the Dharma, a righteous Dharma king who accomplished the seven treasures. Those seven treasures were: the wheel treasure, the elephant treasure, the horse treasure, the jewel treasure, the woman treasure, the householder treasure, and the chief minister treasure - these were the seven. He was fully endowed with a thousand sons, with handsome faces, brave and fearless, able to subdue the armies of others. He would certainly rule over all this land up to the great ocean, not by sword or staff, but by the Dharma, bringing peace and happiness.

"Dhamika! King Koravya had a tree called the King of Well-Abiding Nyagrodha Trees. Dhamika! The King of Well-Abiding Nyagrodha Trees had five branches, the first branch was for the king and queen to eat, the second branch was for the prince and ministers to eat, the third branch was for the people of the country to eat, the fourth branch was for śramaṇas and brāhmaṇas to eat, and the fifth branch was for birds and beasts to eat. Dhamika! The fruit of the King of Well-Abiding Nyagrodha Trees was as big as a two-pint bottle, and tasted like pure honey pills. Dhamika! The fruit of the King of Well-Abiding Nyagrodha Trees had no guardian, and there was no stealing from each other. There was a man who came, hungry and thirsty, emaciated and haggard, wanting to eat fruit, he went to the King of Well-Abiding Nyagrodha Trees, ate his fill of fruit, broke off a branch, and took the fruit back home. The King of Well-Abiding Nyagrodha Trees had a god who relied on it to live, he thought: 'The people of Jambudvīpa are strange! They are ungrateful and do not repay. Why is that? After eating their fill of fruit from the King of Well-Abiding Nyagrodha Trees, they broke off a branch and took the fruit back home. It would be better if the King of Well-Abiding Nyagrodha Trees had no fruit to grow fruit.' The King of Well-Abiding Nyagrodha Trees then had no fruit, and did not grow fruit."

Then another person came, hungry and thirsty, emaciated and haggard, wanting to eat fruit, he went to the King of Well-Abiding Nyagrodha Trees, saw that the King of Well-Abiding Nyagrodha Trees had no fruit, and did not grow fruit, then he went to King Koravya and said: 'Your Majesty! You should know that the King of Well-Abiding Nyagrodha Trees has no fruit, and does not grow fruit.' Having heard this, King Koravya, in the time it takes a strong man to bend and stretch his arm, disappeared from Kuru and appeared in the Heaven of the Thirty-three, standing before Sakra Devānām-Indra, and said: 'Kauśika! You should know that the King of Well-Abiding Nyagrodha Trees has no fruit, and does not grow fruit.' Then Sakra Devānām-Indra and King Koravya, in the time it takes a strong man to bend and stretch his arm, disappeared from the Heaven of the Thirty-three and appeared in Kuru, standing not far from the King of Well-Abiding Nyagrodha Trees. Sakra Devānām-Indra manifested his supernormal powers as he pleased, and with his supernormal powers as he pleased, he manifested a great flood of water and violent wind and rain. Having manifested a great flood of water and violent wind and rain, the King of Well-Abiding Nyagrodha Trees was uprooted and fell.

Then the god who lived in the King of Well-Abiding Nyagrodha Trees, because of this, was sorrowful, distressed, and tearful, standing before Sakra Devānām-Indra. Sakra Devānām-Indra asked: 'God! Why are you sorrowful, distressed, and tearful, standing before me?' The god said: 'Kauśika! You should know that the great flood of water and violent wind and rain uprooted and felled the King of Well-Abiding Nyagrodha Trees.' Then Sakra Devānām-Indra told the tree god: 'God! Is it the way of tree gods to live as tree gods that the great flood of water and violent wind and rain uprooted and felled the King of Well-Abiding Nyagrodha Trees?' The tree god said: 'Kauśika! What is the way of tree gods to live as tree gods?' Sakra Devānām-Indra said: 'God! If people want to take the roots of the tree, and take the trunk, branches, leaves, flowers, and fruits of the tree, the tree god should not be angry, hateful, or resentful. The tree god should dwell as a tree god with a mind of giving up. This is the way of tree gods to live as tree gods.'

"The god said again: 'Kauśika! I, a tree god, do not dwell in the way of tree gods. From today onwards, I, a tree god, will dwell in the way of tree gods. May the King of Well-Abiding Nyagrodha Trees return to its original state.' Then Sakra Devānām-Indra manifested his supernormal powers as he pleased, and having manifested his supernormal powers as he pleased, he again manifested a great flood of water and violent wind and rain. Having manifested a great flood of water and violent wind and rain, the King of Well-Abiding Nyagrodha Trees immediately returned to its original state. Thus, Tārukkha! If a bhikṣu is reviled, he does not revile in return; if angry, he is not angry in return; if broken, he is not broken in return; if struck, he does not strike in return. Thus, Tārukkha! A śramaṇa dwells in the Dharma of a śramaṇa."

Then the Venerable Tārukkha rose from his seat, bared his right shoulder, put his palms together toward the Buddha, wept and shed tears, and said: "World-Honored One! I am not a śramaṇa dwelling in the Dharma of a śramaṇa. From today onwards, I will dwell in the Dharma of a śramaṇa."

The World-Honored One said: "Tārukkha! In the past, there was a great teacher named Sunetra, who was revered by non-Buddhist ascetics. He abandoned desire and attained the supernormal powers. Tārukkha! Sunetra had countless hundreds of thousands of disciples. Tārukkha! Sunetra taught the Dharma of the Brahma Realm to his disciples. Tārukkha! When Sunetra taught the Dharma of the Brahma Realm, some of his disciples did not fully practice it. After their lives ended, they were reborn in the Heaven of the Four Heavenly Kings, the Heaven of the Thirty-three Gods, the Yama Heaven, the Tuṣita Heaven, the Nirmāṇarati Heaven, or the Paranirmitavaśavartin Heaven. Tārukkha! When Sunetra taught the Dharma of the Brahma Realm, some of his disciples fully practiced it. They cultivated the four Brahma abodes, abandoning desire. After their lives ended, they were reborn in the Brahma Heaven. Tārukkha! At that time, Sunetra thought: 'I should not go to the next world together with my disciples, being reborn in the same place. I should now further cultivate supreme loving-kindness. Having cultivated supreme loving-kindness, after my life ends, I will be reborn in the Heaven of Brightness.'

Tārukkha! At that time, Sunetra the great teacher then further cultivated supreme loving-kindness. Having cultivated supreme loving-kindness, after his life ended, he was reborn in the Heaven of Brightness. Tārukkha! Sunetra the great teacher and his disciples practiced the path without falsehood, attaining great rewards. Like Sunetra, there were also Mūlaparganda, Āraṇaka, the brāhman Gutaśīla, the brāhman Hāritīputra, the brāhman Dhṛtarāṣṭra, and the brāhman Sañjayin.

Tārukkha! The seven Sañjayins also had countless hundreds of thousands of disciples. Tārukkha! The seven Sañjayins taught the Dharma of the Brahma Realm to their disciples. When the seven Sañjayins taught the Dharma of the Brahma Realm, some of their disciples did not fully practice it. After their lives ended, they were reborn in the Heaven of the Four Heavenly Kings, the Heaven of the Thirty-three Gods, the Yama Heaven, the Tuṣita Heaven, the Nirmāṇarati Heaven, or the Paranirmitavaśavartin Heaven. When the seven Sañjayins taught the Dharma of the Brahma Realm, some of their disciples fully practiced it. They cultivated the four Brahma abodes, abandoning desire. After their lives ended, they were reborn in the Brahma Heaven. Tārukkha! The seven Sañjayins thought: 'We should not go to the next world together with our disciples, being reborn in the same place. We should now further cultivate supreme loving-kindness. Having cultivated supreme loving-kindness, after our lives end, we will be reborn in the Heaven of Brightness.'

"Tārukkha! At that time, the seven Sañjayins then further cultivated supreme loving-kindness. Having cultivated supreme loving-kindness, after their lives ended, they were reborn in the Heaven of Brightness. Tārukkha! The seven Sañjayins and their disciples practiced the path without falsehood, attaining great rewards. Tārukkha! If one curses those seven teachers and their countless hundreds of thousands of followers, and beats them with anger, one will definitely receive immeasurable suffering. If one curses and beats a single disciple of the Buddha who has attained right view and the lesser fruits, one will receive more suffering than that. Therefore, Tārukkha! You should each take turns to protect each other. Why is that? Apart from this, there is no other loss."

Then the World-Honored One spoke this verse:

Sunetra, Maudgalyāyana, the brahmin Ārāda Kālāma, Gautama, the young brahmin Hāritīputra, the bridge-builder Sudhamma, and the Sañjayin ascetic.

In the past, there were seven teachers of renown, Free from the
bonds of craving, delighting in compassion, with the fetters of desire exhausted
They had disciples, countless in the hundreds of thousands, Who were also
free from the fetters of desire, but did not attain final cessation
If those external ascetics, Who diligently practiced austerities, harbored hatred and jealousy
in their minds, and reviled others, they would incur much greater suffering
If one attains right view, A disciple of the Buddha abiding in
the lesser fruits, and reviles, reproaches, and strikes them, one would incur
much greater suffering than that. Therefore, you, Dhammapāla, Should each protect one
another. The reason for protecting one another is that there is no
greater sin than this. Such extremely grave suffering is also detested by
the noble ones, And one will certainly experience an ugly form, and
take up wrong views. This is the lowest kind of person, As
taught by the noble Dharma. It is said that one who has
not yet transcended sensual desire attains the subtle five faculties. Faith, diligence
mindfulness, right concentration, and right view. One attains this suffering, and previously
experienced its retribution. Having experienced its retribution oneself, One then harms others
If one can protect oneself, one will be able to protect others
Therefore, one should protect oneself. The wise do not delight in this.

The Buddha spoke thus. The Venerable Dhammapāla and the other monks, having heard the Buddha's words, rejoiced and upheld them.