199. （一九九）痴慧地经

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, the World-Honored One told the bhikṣus, "I will now explain to you the Dharma of foolishness and the Dharma of wisdom. Listen carefully, listen carefully, and consider it well." The bhikṣus accepted the teaching and listened.

The Buddha said, "What is the Dharma of foolishness? A foolish person has three characteristics of foolishness, marks of foolishness, and appearances of foolishness, which are said to be accomplished by a foolish person. What are the three? A foolish person thinks evil thoughts, speaks evil words, and does evil deeds. Therefore, a foolish person is said to be foolish. If a foolish person does not think evil thoughts, does not speak evil words, and does not do evil deeds, then he should not be said to be foolish. Because a foolish person thinks evil thoughts, speaks evil words, and does evil deeds, therefore a foolish person is said to be foolish. That foolish person in this present life experiences three kinds of mental and physical suffering. How does a foolish person experience three kinds of mental and physical suffering? A foolish person, whether walking, gathering, sitting, in the streets, in the marketplace, or at a crossroads, speaks about things related to foolishness. A foolish person kills, takes what is not given, engages in sexual misconduct, lies, and has wrong views, as well as accomplishing other immeasurable evil and unwholesome dharmas. If one accomplishes immeasurable evil and unwholesome dharmas, others, having seen it, will speak of one's evil. That foolish person, having heard it, will think, 'If others, having seen that one accomplishes immeasurable evil and unwholesome dharmas, speak of one's evil, then I also have these immeasurable evil and unwholesome dharmas. If others know, they will also speak of my evil.' This is called the first kind of mental and physical suffering experienced by a foolish person in this present life.

Furthermore, that foolish person sees the king's men arrest criminals and torture them in various ways, such as cutting off their hands, feet, both hands and feet, ears, noses, both ears and noses, or cutting them into pieces, pulling out their beards and hair, or pulling out their beards and hair, or putting them in a cage and burning them with fire-wrapped cloth, or burning them with grass-wrapped sand, or putting them in an iron donkey's belly, or putting them in an iron pig's mouth, or burning them in an iron tiger's mouth, or putting them in an iron cauldron, or boiling them in an iron pot, or cutting them into pieces, or piercing them with sharp spears, or hooking them with hooks, or burning them with boiling oil while lying on an iron bed, or pounding them with an iron pestle while sitting in an iron mortar, or biting them with poisonous dragons, or whipping them with whips, or beating them with sticks, or hitting them with clubs, or impaling them alive, or beheading them. Having seen this, that foolish person thinks, 'If one who accomplishes immeasurable evil and unwholesome dharmas is caught by the king and tortured like this, then I also have these immeasurable evil and unwholesome dharmas. If the king knows, he will also torture me.' Thus, this is called the second kind of mental and physical suffering experienced by a foolish person in this present life.

Furthermore, that foolish person practices evil bodily, verbal, and mental actions. When he is sick and suffering, whether sitting or lying on a bed, a couch, or the ground, his body experiences extreme pain and suffering, and his life is about to end. All his evil bodily, verbal, and mental actions then hang above him, like the shadow of the setting sun on a high mountain hanging down on the ground. Thus, all his evil bodily, verbal, and mental actions hang above him. He thinks, 'This is my evil bodily, verbal, and mental actions hanging above me. I did not do good deeds in the past, but did many evil things. If there is a place for those who do evil, who are violent and do unreasonable things, who do not do good deeds, who do not do good, who do not do what is frightening, who are the refuge and the protector, I will go to that evil place.' From this arises regret. Having regret, he dies unvirtuous and passes away unskillfully. This is called the third kind of mental and physical suffering experienced by a foolish person in this present life.

"Furthermore, that foolish person practices evil bodily, verbal, and mental actions. Having practiced evil bodily, verbal, and mental actions, due to this and on account of this, when the body perishes and life ends, he will definitely go to an evil place and be born in hell. Having been born there, he will experience the retribution of suffering, which is entirely unlovable, unenjoyable, and undesirable. If it is said that 'what is entirely unlovable, unenjoyable, and undesirable is said to be hell. Why is that? Because hell is entirely unlovable, unenjoyable, and undesirable.'"

At that time, a certain bhikṣu rose from his seat, bared his right shoulder, joined his palms towards the Buddha, and said, "World-Honored One! What is the suffering of hell like?"

The World-Honored One replied, "Bhikṣu! The suffering of hell is indescribable. Bhikṣu! The suffering of hell is only suffering.

The bhikṣu asked again, "World-Honored One! Can you illustrate the meaning with a parable?"

The World-Honored One replied, "It can be illustrated with a parable. Bhikṣu! It is like a king's men capturing a thief and bringing him before King Kṣatriya Uṣṇīṣa, saying, 'Your Majesty! This criminal is guilty. Please punish him, Your Majesty!' King Kṣatriya Uṣṇīṣa orders, 'Take him away and punish him. Pierce him with a hundred spears in the morning.' The king's men receive the order and take him away to be punished. They pierce him with a hundred spears in the morning, but he still lives. King Kṣatriya Uṣṇīṣa asks, 'How is he?' The king's men reply, 'Your Majesty! He is still alive.' King Kṣatriya Uṣṇīṣa then orders, 'Take him away! Pierce him with a hundred spears at noon.' The king's men receive the order and pierce him with a hundred spears at noon, but he still lives. King Kṣatriya Uṣṇīṣa then asks again, 'How is he?' The king's men reply, 'Your Majesty! He is still alive.' King Kṣatriya Uṣṇīṣa then orders, 'Take him away! Pierce him with a hundred spears in the evening.' The king's men receive the order and pierce him with a hundred spears in the evening, but he still lives. His body is completely pierced, broken, and destroyed, with no part intact, like a coin hole. King Kṣatriya Uṣṇīṣa then asks again, 'How is he?' The king's men reply, 'Your Majesty! He is still alive. His body is completely pierced, broken, and destroyed, with no part intact, like a coin hole.' Bhikṣu! What do you think? If that man is pierced with three hundred spears in a day, would he suffer mental and physical torment and extreme pain because of that?"

The bhikṣu replied, "World-Honored One! Even being pierced by one spear would still cause extreme suffering. How much more so being pierced with three hundred spears in a day? Would that person not suffer mental and physical torment and extreme pain?"

Then the World-Honored One took a small stone, the size of a bean, and said, "Bhikṣu! Do you see me taking this small stone?"

The bhikṣu replied, "I see it, World-Honored One!"

The World-Honored One further asked, "Bhikṣu! What do you think? Compared to the snow mountain king, which is larger, my taking a small stone the size of a bean?"

The bhikṣu replied, "World-Honored One! Compared to the snow mountain king, the small stone taken by the World-Honored One's hand is a hundred times, a thousand times, a hundred thousand times, and cannot be compared, cannot be counted, cannot be calculated, cannot be compared, and cannot be compared. Only the snow mountain king is extremely large and very large."

The World-Honored One said, "Bhikṣu! If I take a small stone the size of a bean and compare it to the snow mountain king, it is a hundred times, a thousand times, a hundred thousand times, and cannot be compared, cannot be counted, cannot be calculated, cannot be compared, and cannot be compared. Only the snow mountain king is extremely large and very large. In this way, bhikṣu! If this person is pierced by three hundred spears in a day, due to this cause and condition, the mental and physical suffering and extreme sorrow and pain are a hundred times, a thousand times, a hundred thousand times, and cannot be compared, cannot be counted, cannot be calculated, cannot be compared, and cannot be compared to the suffering in hell. Only the suffering in hell is extremely painful and very painful.

Bhikṣu! What is the suffering in hell? When sentient beings are born in hell, after being born there, the jailers seize them and use blazing iron axes to cut and shape their bodies, making them into octagons, hexagons, squares, or circles, either high or low, good or bad. They are tortured in this way, suffering for many years, even hundreds of thousands of years, experiencing immeasurable suffering, extremely heavy and severe, but they cannot die. They must endure until their evil and unwholesome karma is exhausted. This is called the suffering in hell.

Bhikṣu! What is the suffering in hell? When sentient beings are born in hell, after being born there, the jailers seize them and use blazing iron axes to cut and shape their bodies, making them into octagons, hexagons, squares, or circles, either high or low, good or bad. They are tortured in this way, suffering for many years, even hundreds of thousands of years, experiencing immeasurable suffering, extremely heavy and severe, but they cannot die. They must endure until their evil and unwholesome karma is exhausted. This is called the suffering in hell.

Bhikṣu! What is the suffering in hell? When sentient beings are born in hell, after being born there, the jailers seize them and use blazing iron spears to force them to sit on them. Then they use iron tongs to pry open their mouths and put blazing iron balls into their mouths, burning their lips, tongues, gums, throats, hearts, and stomachs, coming out from their bodies. They are tortured in this way, suffering for many years, even hundreds of thousands of years, experiencing immeasurable suffering, extremely heavy and severe, but they cannot die. They must endure until their evil and unwholesome karma is exhausted. This is called the suffering in hell.

Bhikṣu! What is the suffering in hell? When sentient beings are born in hell, after being born there, the jailers seize them and use blazing iron spikes to force them to sit on them. Then they use iron tongs to pry open their mouths and pour molten copper into their mouths, burning their lips, tongues, gums, throats, hearts, and stomachs, coming out from their bodies. They are tortured in this way, suffering for many years, even hundreds of thousands of years, experiencing immeasurable suffering, extremely heavy and severe, but they cannot die. They must endure until their evil and unwholesome karma is exhausted. This is called the suffering in hell.

Bhikṣu! What is the suffering in hell? When sentient beings are born in hell, after being born there, the jailers seize them and use blazing iron ground to force them to lie face up, tie them with five ropes, and nail their two hands and two feet with iron nails, and nail their abdomen with a separate iron nail. They are tortured in this way, suffering for many years, even hundreds of thousands of years, experiencing immeasurable suffering, extremely heavy and severe, but they cannot die. They must endure until their evil and unwholesome karma is exhausted. This is called the suffering in hell.

Bhikṣu! What is the suffering in hell? When sentient beings are born in hell, after being born there, the jailers seize them and use blazing iron ground to force them to lie face down, pull out their tongues from their mouths, and nail them with a hundred nails without wrinkles or shrinkage, like a cowhide nailed with a hundred nails without wrinkles or shrinkage. In this way, when sentient beings are born in hell, after being born there, the jailers seize them and use blazing iron ground to force them to lie face down, pull out their tongues from their mouths, and nail them with a hundred nails without wrinkles or shrinkage. They are tortured in this way, suffering for many years, even hundreds of thousands of years, experiencing immeasurable suffering, extremely heavy and severe, but they cannot die. They must endure until their evil and unwholesome karma is exhausted. This is called the suffering in hell.

Bhikṣu! What is the suffering in hell? When sentient beings are born in hell, after being born there, the jailers seize them by the scalp and peel it down to the feet, and peel the skin from the feet up to the head. They then use a blazing iron cart to bind them to the cart, and drag them back and forth on the blazing iron ground. They are tortured in this way, suffering for many years, even hundreds of thousands of years, experiencing immeasurable suffering, extremely heavy and severe, but they cannot die. They must endure until their evil and unwholesome karma is exhausted. This is called the suffering in hell.

Bhikṣu! What is the suffering in hell? When sentient beings are born in hell, after being born there, the jailers use blazing fire to make them roll on the ground, and then make them pick it up with their hands and pour it over their own bodies. They are tortured in this way, suffering for many years, even hundreds of thousands of years, experiencing immeasurable suffering, extremely heavy and severe, but they cannot die. They must endure until their evil and unwholesome karma is exhausted. This is called the suffering in hell.

Bhikṣu! What is the suffering in hell? When sentient beings are born in hell, after being born there, the jailers use a blazing volcano to make them go up and down. When they put their feet down, their skin, flesh, and blood are immediately burned away. When they lift their feet, their skin, flesh, and blood grow back as before. They are tortured in this way, suffering for many years, even hundreds of thousands of years, experiencing immeasurable suffering, extremely heavy and severe, but they cannot die. They must endure until their evil and unwholesome karma is exhausted. This is called the suffering in hell.

Bhikṣu! What is the suffering in hell? When sentient beings are born in hell, after being born there, the jailers grab them with their hands and put them upside down in a large iron cauldron that is blazing and burning. They are cooked in it, either floating up or down, or reaching the sides. Their own body produces foam, which then cooks their body. It is like putting soybeans, small beans, mung beans, bitter beans, or mustard seeds into a cauldron full of water, and then lighting a fire underneath. Those beans will either float up or down, or reach the sides, and their own foam will wrap around and cook them. In the same way, when sentient beings are born in hell, after being born there, the jailers grab them with their hands and put them upside down in a large iron cauldron that is blazing and burning. They are cooked in it, either floating up or down, or reaching the sides, and their own body produces foam, which then cooks their body. They are tortured in this way, suffering for many years, even hundreds of thousands of years, experiencing immeasurable suffering, extremely heavy and severe, but they cannot die. They must endure until their evil and unwholesome karma is exhausted. This is called the suffering in hell.

Bhikṣu! What is the suffering in hell? There is a hell in hell called 'Six More Pleasures'. When sentient beings are born there, after being born there, if their eyes see forms, they are not pleased and cannot be pleased, their minds are not moistened and loved, and cannot be moistened and loved, their minds are not well pleased, and cannot be well pleased. The sounds heard by the ears, the smells smelled by the nose, the tastes tasted by the tongue, the tangibles felt by the body, and the dharmas cognized by the mind are not pleased and cannot be pleased, their minds are not moistened and loved, and cannot be moistened and loved, their minds are not well pleased, and cannot be well pleased. This is called the suffering in hell.

"Bhikṣu! I have explained the hells and the affairs of the hells to you in many ways, but the suffering in hell cannot be fully explained. There is only suffering in hell. Bhikṣu! If a foolish person sometimes escapes from hell and is reborn as an animal, the suffering of animals is also great."

Bhikṣu! What is the suffering of animals? If sentient beings are born among animals, they are born in darkness, grow in darkness, and die in darkness. What are they? They are worms born in the earth. Foolish people, because of their attachment to the taste of food in the past, engage in evil bodily, verbal, and mental actions. Having engaged in evil bodily, verbal, and mental actions, due to this and on account of this, when their bodies perish and their lives end, they are reborn among animals, born in darkness, growing in darkness, and dying in darkness. This is called the suffering of animals.

Bhikṣu! What is the suffering of animals? If sentient beings are born among animals, they are born in the body, grow in the body, and die in the body. What are they? They are worms named 'wound worms'. Foolish people, because of their attachment to the taste of food in the past, engage in evil bodily, verbal, and mental actions. Having engaged in evil bodily, verbal, and mental actions, due to this and on account of this, when their bodies perish and their lives end, they are reborn among animals, born in the body, growing in the body, and dying in the body. This is called the suffering of animals.

Bhikṣu! What is the suffering of animals? If sentient beings are born among animals, they are born in the water, grow in the water, and die in the water. What are they? They are fish, makaras, turtles, alligators, varāha, tibhi, tibhagara, and tibhagara. Foolish people, because of their attachment to the taste of food in the past, engage in evil bodily, verbal, and mental actions. Having engaged in evil bodily, verbal, and mental actions, due to this and on account of this, when their bodies perish and their lives end, they are reborn among animals, born in the water, growing in the water, and dying in the water. This is called the suffering of animals.

Bhikṣu! What is the suffering of animals? If sentient beings are born among animals, they are born as those who eat grass and trees with their teeth. What are they? They are elephants, horses, camels, cows, donkeys, deer, buffaloes, and pigs. Foolish people, because of their attachment to the taste of food in the past, engage in evil bodily, verbal, and mental actions. Having engaged in evil bodily, verbal, and mental actions, due to this and on account of this, when their bodies perish and their lives end, they are reborn among animals, born as those who eat grass and trees with their teeth. This is called the suffering of animals.

Bhikṣu! What is the suffering of animals? If sentient beings are born among animals, they are born as those who run towards the smell of human feces and urine and eat it, just as men and women run towards the smell of food and drink. Thus, it is said that they eat what they eat. Thus, bhikṣu! If sentient beings are born among animals, they are born as those who run towards the smell of human feces and urine and eat it. What are they? They are chickens, pigs, dogs, jackals, crows, kaurava, and kaurava. Foolish people, because of their attachment to the taste of food in the past, engage in evil bodily, verbal, and mental actions. Having engaged in evil bodily, verbal, and mental actions, due to this and on account of this, when their bodies perish and their lives end, they are reborn among animals, born as those who eat feces and impurities. This is called the suffering of animals.

Bhikṣu! I have explained the animals to you in countless ways, and the affairs of animals, but the suffering of animals cannot be fully explained. Animals only have suffering.

"Bhikṣu! It is extremely difficult for a foolish person to be reborn as a human after leaving the animal realm. Why is that? Because in the animal realm, they do not practice benevolence and righteousness, do not practice propriety and ritual, and do not practice the sublime and good. Animals eat each other, the strong eat the weak, and the large eat the small. Bhikṣu! Suppose this land were filled with water, and there was a blind turtle with a lifespan of countless hundreds of thousands of years. There was a small, light wooden board with only one hole, blown by the wind. Bhikṣu! What do you think? Would the blind turtle's head be able to enter this small, light wooden board through the one hole?"

The bhikṣu replied, "World-Honored One! It may be possible to enter, but it would be very difficult after a long time."

The World-Honored One said, "Bhikṣu! Suppose the blind turtle, after a hundred years, comes from the east and raises its head once. The small wooden board with only one hole is blown by the east wind and moves to the south. Suppose the blind turtle, after a hundred years, comes from the south and raises its head once. The wooden board with one hole is blown by the south wind and moves to the west. Suppose the blind turtle, after a hundred years, comes from the west and raises its head once. The wooden board with one hole is blown by the west wind and moves to the north. Suppose the blind turtle comes from the north and raises its head once. The wooden board with one hole is blown by the north wind and moves to various directions. Bhikṣu! What do you think? Would the blind turtle's head be able to enter this wooden board with one hole?"

The bhikṣu replied, "World-Honored One! It may be possible to enter, but it would be very difficult after a long time."

Bhikṣu! It is like this. It is also very difficult for that foolish person to be reborn as a human after being born as an animal. Why is that? Because in the animal realm, they do not practice benevolence and righteousness, they do not practice propriety and ritual, they do not practice the sublime and good. Those animals eat each other, the strong eat the weak, the large eat the small. Bhikṣu! If that foolish person is sometimes reborn as a human after being born as an animal, if they have a family, it will be of low status, inferior, poor, and lacking in food and drink. They will think it very difficult to obtain food. What do they mean? They mean the families of jailers, craftsmen, skilled workers, potters, and other such inferior families, which are poor, lacking in food and drink, and think it very difficult to obtain food. Being born into such a family, once born there, they may be blind, lame, with short arms and elbows, or with a hunched back, or using the left hand, with a sheep-like face, ugly, short-lived, and enslaved by others. They engage in evil bodily actions, evil verbal and mental actions. Having engaged in evil bodily actions, evil verbal and mental actions, due to this and on account of this, when their body breaks up and their life ends, they go to a bad place, are born in hell.

"It is like two people playing a game. One of them starts to take such actions, and then loses his slaves and wife, and also takes his own body to hang upside down in a smoky house. He thinks, 'I will not eat or drink, but I will start to take such actions.' Then he loses his slaves and wife, and also takes his own body to hang upside down in a smoky house. Bhikṣu! This action is very little, losing slaves and wife, and also taking one's own body to hang upside down in a smoky house. Bhikṣu! It is said that this action is to be practiced, to engage in evil bodily actions, evil verbal and mental actions. Having engaged in evil bodily actions, evil verbal and mental actions, due to this and on account of this, when the body breaks up and life ends, one goes to a bad place, is born in hell. Bhikṣu! These actions are the most unlovable, truly unpleasant, and not what is intended. Bhikṣu! Is it not to fully explain the foolish Dharma?"

The bhikṣu replied, "Yes, World-Honored One! It is to fully explain the foolish Dharma."

The World-Honored One said, "What is the Dharma of wisdom? The wise person has three characteristics, marks, and appearances of wisdom, which are said to be accomplished by the wise person. What are the three? The wise person thinks good thoughts, speaks good words, and does good deeds, and therefore the wise person speaks of wisdom. If the wise person does not think good thoughts, speak good words, or do good deeds, it is not appropriate for the wise person to speak of wisdom. Because the wise person thinks good thoughts, speaks good words, and does good deeds, the wise person speaks of wisdom. The wise person, in this present life, experiences three kinds of joy and happiness in body and mind. How does the wise person experience three kinds of joy and happiness in body and mind in this present life? The wise person, whether walking, gathering, sitting, on the road, in the market, or at the crossroads, speaks of things that accord with the wise person. The wise person abandons killing, abstains from killing, does not take what is not given, does not engage in sexual misconduct, does not speak falsehoods, and so on, up to abandoning wrong views and attaining right views, and accomplishing other immeasurable good dharmas. If one accomplishes immeasurable good dharmas, others, having seen them, will praise them. The wise person, having heard this, will think, 'If others, having seen those who accomplish immeasurable good dharmas, praise them, I also have these immeasurable good dharmas. If others know, they will also praise me.' This is called the first joy and happiness experienced by the wise person in body and mind in this present life.

Furthermore, the wise person sees various ways that the king punishes thieves, such as cutting off hands, feet, both hands and feet, ears, noses, both ears and noses, or cutting them up, pulling out beards and hair, or pulling out beards and hair, putting them in cages, wrapping them in cloth and burning them, or burying them in sand and burning them with grass, putting them in the belly of an iron donkey, or in the mouth of an iron pig, or in the mouth of an iron tiger, burning them, or putting them in a copper cauldron, or in an iron cauldron to boil them, or cutting them into pieces, or piercing them with sharp spears, or hooking them with hooks, or lying them on an iron bed and pouring boiling oil on them, or sitting them in an iron mortar and pounding them with an iron pestle, or having them bitten by poisonous dragons, or whipping them with whips, or beating them with sticks, or hitting them with clubs, or impaling them alive, or beheading them. Having seen this, the wise person thinks, 'If one accomplishes immeasurable evil and unwholesome dharmas, the king, having known, will punish them in this way. I do not have these immeasurable evil and unwholesome dharmas. If the king knows, he will not punish me in this way.' This is called the second joy and happiness experienced by the wise person in body and mind in this present life.

Furthermore, the wise person practices good conduct with the body, speech, and mind. If they become ill, whether lying on a bed, couch, or the ground, or experiencing extreme pain and suffering in the body, even to the point of death, their good conduct with the body, speech, and mind will then be directed upwards, like the shadow of the sun on a high mountain in the evening, cast downwards on the ground. In the same way, their good conduct with the body, speech, and mind will then be directed upwards. They think, 'This is my good conduct with the body, speech, and mind, directed upwards. I did not do evil in the past, but did much good. If there is a place where one does not do evil, is not violent, does not do unreasonable things, does good, does what is wholesome and fearful, where one takes refuge and finds support, I will go to that good place. Without regret, I will die well and pass away.' This is called the third joy and happiness experienced by the wise person in body and mind in this present life.

"Furthermore, the wise person practices good conduct with the body, speech, and mind. Having practiced good conduct with the body, speech, and mind, they will, on account of this and because of this, when their body breaks up and their life ends, definitely ascend to a good place and be reborn in heaven. Having been reborn there, they will experience pleasant results, which are entirely lovable, entirely enjoyable, and agreeable to the mind. If they think, 'What is entirely lovable, entirely enjoyable, and agreeable to the mind is called a good place. Why is that? Because that good place is entirely lovable, entirely enjoyable, and agreeable to the mind,'"

At that time, a certain bhikṣu rose from his seat, bared his right shoulder, joined his palms towards the Buddha, and said, "World-Honored One! What is the happiness of a good place like?"

The World-Honored One replied, "Bhikṣu! The happiness of a good place cannot be fully described. The happiness of a good place is simply the happiness of a good place."

The bhikṣu further asked, "World-Honored One! Can you illustrate the meaning with a parable?"

The World-Honored One replied, "It can also be illustrated with a parable. It is like a wheel-turning king who possesses the seven treasures and the four kinds of human supernormal powers. Bhikṣu! What do you think? Does that wheel-turning king, possessing the seven treasures and the four kinds of human supernormal powers, experience supreme joy and happiness in body and mind because of that?"

The bhikṣu replied, "World-Honored One! If one possesses even one treasure and one kind of human supernormal power, one still experiences supreme joy and happiness, let alone a wheel-turning king who possesses the seven treasures and the four kinds of human supernormal powers. Would one not experience supreme joy and happiness?"

Then the World-Honored One took a small stone, about the size of a small bean, and said, "Bhikṣu! Do you see me taking this small stone?"

The bhikṣu replied, "I see it, World-Honored One!"

The World-Honored One asked again, "Bhikṣu! What do you think? Compared to the snow mountain king, which is larger, my taking a small stone the size of a small bean?"

The bhikṣu replied, "World-Honored One! Compared to the snow mountain king, the small stone taken by the World-Honored One's hand is a hundred times, a thousand times, a hundred thousand times, and cannot be compared, cannot be counted, cannot be calculated, cannot be compared, and cannot be compared. Only the snow mountain king is extremely large and very large."

The World-Honored One said, "Bhikṣu! If I take a small stone the size of a small bean and compare it to the snow mountain king, it is a hundred times, a thousand times, a hundred thousand times, and cannot be compared, cannot be counted, cannot be calculated, cannot be compared, and cannot be compared. Only the snow mountain king is extremely large and very large. In the same way, bhikṣu! If a wheel-turning king possesses the seven treasures and the four kinds of human supernormal powers, the joy and happiness experienced by that person's body and mind, compared to the happiness of the gods, is a hundred times, a thousand times, a hundred thousand times, and cannot be compared, cannot be counted, cannot be calculated, cannot be compared, and cannot be compared. That is to say, the happiness of the good realm is only the happiness of the good realm.

Bhikṣu! What is the happiness of the good realm? There is a good realm called the six more pleasures. If sentient beings are born there, having been born there, if the eyes see forms that are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind, they are pleasing to the mind,

Bhikṣu! If a wise person is born in the human realm from the good realm, if they have a family, they are extremely wealthy and happy, with immeasurable wealth, many livestock, fiefs, food, and abundant rice and grain, as well as various necessities of life. What are they? They are the families of great kṣatriya elders, great brāhman elders, great householder elders, and other extremely wealthy and happy families with immeasurable wealth, many livestock, fiefs, food, and abundant rice and grain, as well as various necessities of life. Born into such a family, they are upright and attractive, respected by the people, with great fame and great prestige, loved and remembered by many people. They practice good physical, verbal, and mental actions. Having practiced good physical, verbal, and mental actions, due to this and on account of this, when their body perishes and their life ends, they return to the good realms and are reborn in the heavens.

"It is like two people playing a game of dice. One of them starts to seek such actions and gains a lot of wealth. He thinks, 'I don't farm, but I have started to seek such actions and gained a lot of wealth.' Bhikṣu! This action is very small, namely gaining a lot of wealth. Bhikṣu! It is said that this action is to practice good physical, verbal, and mental actions. Having practiced good physical, verbal, and mental actions, due to this and on account of this, when the body perishes and the life ends, one returns to the good realms and is reborn in the heavens. Bhikṣu! These actions are the most lovable, most enjoyable, and most desirable of all actions. Bhikṣu! Is this not a complete explanation of the Dharma of a wise person?"

The bhikṣu said, "Yes, World-Honored One! Please explain in full the Dharma of a wise person."

The World-Honored One said, "This is called the Dharma of a foolish person and the Dharma of a wise person. You should know the Dharma of a foolish person and the Dharma of a wise person. Having known the Dharma of a foolish person and the Dharma of a wise person, abandon the Dharma of a foolish person and take the Dharma of a wise person. You should train like this."

The Buddha spoke thus. The bhikṣus, having heard the Buddha's words, rejoiced and upheld them.