209. （二〇九）鞞摩那修经

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 non-Buddhist Vimalakīrti was strolling in the middle of the day and went to where the Buddha was. After exchanging greetings, he asked: "Gautama, the most beautiful form, the most beautiful form. Gautama, the most beautiful form."

The World-Honored One asked: "Kātyāyana, what kind of form is it?"

The non-Buddhist Vimalakīrti replied: "Gautama, if there is no form that is more supreme, more wonderful, and more excellent than that form, Gautama, that form is supreme, that form is the best."

The World-Honored One said: "Kātyāyana, it is like someone saying: 'I want to get the most wonderful woman in this country.' If someone asks them: 'Do you know the most wonderful woman in this country, her surname, name, and family? Is she tall or short, coarse or fine, white or black, or neither white nor black? Is she a kṣatriya woman, a brahmin, householder, or worker woman? Is she from the east, south, west, or north?' That person replies: 'I don't know.' Then they ask that person: 'You don't know or see the most wonderful woman in this country, her surname, name, and family, her height, coarseness or fineness, whiteness or blackness, or neither whiteness nor blackness, whether she is a kṣatriya woman, a brahmin, householder, or worker woman, or whether she is from the east, south, west, or north, yet you say: "I want to get that woman"?'" In this way, Kātyāyana, you say: 'That wonderful form is the most wonderful form, that form is supreme, that form is the best.' I ask you about that form, but you don't know.

The non-Buddhist Vimalakīrti said: "Gautama, it is like a piece of purple gold, extremely wonderful and pure, well polished by a goldsmith, and placed in the sun on a white cloth. Its color is extremely wonderful and radiant. In this way, Gautama, I say that that wonderful form is the most wonderful form, that form is supreme, that form is the best."

The World-Honored One said: "Kātyāyana, I now ask you, answer as you see fit. Kātyāyana, what do you think? The color of a piece of purple gold, well polished by a goldsmith, placed in the sun on a white cloth, is extremely wonderful and radiant. The light of a firefly in the dark of night is also radiant. Which light is the best and most supreme?"

The non-Buddhist Vimalakīrti replied: "Gautama, the light of a firefly is the best and most supreme compared to the light of a piece of purple gold." The World-Honored One asked: "Kātyāyana, what do you think? The light of a firefly in the dark of night is radiant. The light of an oil lamp in the dark of night is also radiant. Which light is the best and most supreme?"

The non-Buddhist Vimalakīrti replied: "Gautama, the light of an oil lamp is the best and most supreme compared to the light of a firefly."

The World-Honored One asked: "Kātyāyana, what do you think? The light of an oil lamp in the dark of night is radiant. The light of a large pile of burning wood in the dark of night is also radiant. Which light is the best and most supreme?"

The non-Buddhist Vimalakīrti replied: "Gautama, the light of a large pile of burning wood is the best and most supreme compared to the light of an oil lamp."

The World-Honored One asked: "Kātyāyana, what do you think? The light of a large pile of burning wood in the dark of night is radiant. The light of the planet Venus in the early morning without obstruction is also radiant. Which light is the best and most supreme?"

The non-Buddhist Vimalakīrti replied: "Gautama, the light of the planet Venus is the best and most supreme compared to the light of a large pile of burning wood."

The World-Honored One asked: "Kātyāyana, what do you think? The light of the planet Venus in the early morning without obstruction is radiant. The light of the moon palace in the middle of the night without obstruction is also radiant. Which light is the best and most supreme?"

The non-Buddhist Vimalakīrti replied: "Gautama, the light of the moon palace is the best and most supreme compared to the light of the planet Venus."

The World-Honored One asked: "Kātyāyana, what do you think? The light of the moon palace in the middle of the night without obstruction is radiant. The light of the sun palace in the autumn when the sky is clear and without obstruction is also radiant. Which light is the best and most supreme?"

The non-Buddhist Vimalakīrti replied: "Gautama, the light of the sun palace is the best and most supreme compared to the light of the moon palace."

The World-Honored One said: "Kātyāyana, there are many gods. Although the sun and moon have great supernatural powers, great majesty, great merit, and great spiritual power, their light is still inferior to the light of the gods. I have once gathered with the gods to discuss matters. What I said pleased the gods, but I did not say that their light is the best and most supreme. Kātyāyana, you speak of the light of fireflies, which is the worst and ugliest, as the best and most supreme. When asked, you do not know." Thus, after being directly rebuked by the World-Honored One, the non-Buddhist Vimalakīrti was inwardly distressed, lowered his head in silence, lost his eloquence, and was speechless, as if waiting for something.

Then, after directly rebuking him, the World-Honored One further delighted him, saying: "Kātyāyana, there are five kinds of sensual pleasures that are delightful, pleasing, and associated with joy. The eye knows forms, the ear knows sounds, the nose knows smells, the tongue knows tastes, and the body knows tactile objects. Kātyāyana, forms may be loved or not loved. If a person finds a certain form pleasing, agreeable, joyful, satisfying, and fulfilling, then even if other forms are superior and supreme, they will not desire, think of, wish for, or seek them. For them, those forms are the most supreme and excellent. Kātyāyana, it is the same with sounds, smells, tastes, and tactile objects. Kātyāyana, tactile objects may be loved or not loved. If a person finds a certain tactile object pleasing, agreeable, joyful, satisfying, and fulfilling, then even if other tactile objects are superior and supreme, they will not desire, think of, wish for, or seek them. For them, those tactile objects are the most supreme and excellent."

Then, with palms joined towards the Buddha, the non-Buddhist Vimalakīrti said: "Gautama, it is truly amazing! The Śramaṇa Gautama has used countless skillful means to explain the pleasures of desire and the supreme pleasures of desire. Gautama, it is like using a grass fire to ignite a wood fire, and using a wood fire to ignite a grass fire. In this way, the Śramaṇa Gautama has used countless skillful means to explain the pleasures of desire and the supreme pleasures of desire."

The World-Honored One said: "Stop, stop, Kātyāyana! You have long held different views, different tolerance, different joy, different desires, and different intentions. Therefore, you cannot fully understand the meaning of what I say. Kātyāyana, I say that my disciples who do not sleep or lie down during the early and late parts of the night, who are rightly concentrated and focused, cultivating the factors of the path, who have ended rebirth, established the holy life, accomplished what is to be done, and will not be reborn again, knowing it as it really is, they fully understand what I say."

Then, with anger and resentment towards the Buddha, the non-Buddhist Vimalakīrti tried to slander and accuse the World-Honored One, saying: "Gautama, there are śramaṇas and brāhmaṇas who do not know the past limit of the world, do not know the future limit of the world, and do not know the endless cycle of birth and death. Yet they claim to have attained perfect knowledge, that birth is ended, the holy life has been established, what was to be done has been accomplished, and they will not be reborn again, knowing it as it really is. Gautama, I think: 'How can these śramaṇas and brāhmaṇas, who do not know the past limit of the world, do not know the future limit of the world, and do not know the endless cycle of birth and death, claim to have attained perfect knowledge, that birth is ended, the holy life has been established, what was to be done has been accomplished, and they will not be reborn again, knowing it as it really is?'"

Then the World-Honored One had this thought: "This non-Buddhist Vimalakīrti is angry and resentful towards me, wanting to slander and accuse me, saying: 'Gautama, there are śramaṇas and brāhmaṇas who do not know the past limit of the world, do not know the future limit of the world, and do not know the endless cycle of birth and death. Yet they claim to have attained perfect knowledge, that birth is ended, the holy life has been established, what was to be done has been accomplished, and they will not be reborn again, knowing it as it really is. Gautama!' I think: 'How can these śramaṇas and brāhmaṇas, who do not know the past limit of the world, do not know the future limit of the world, and do not know the endless cycle of birth and death, claim to have attained perfect knowledge, that birth is ended, the holy life has been established, what was to be done has been accomplished, and they will not be reborn again, knowing it as it really is?'"

The World-Honored One, knowing this, said: "Kātyāyana, if there are śramaṇas and brāhmaṇas who do not know the past limit of the world, do not know the future limit of the world, and do not know the endless cycle of birth and death, yet claim to have attained perfect knowledge, that birth is ended, the holy life has been established, what was to be done has been accomplished, and they will not be reborn again, knowing it as it really is, they should say: 'Leave aside the past limit of the world, leave aside the future limit of the world.' Kātyāyana, I say: 'Leave aside the past limit of the world, leave aside the future limit of the world.' If they do not remember one lifetime, my disciple bhikṣus come, not flattering, not deceitful, straightforward. I teach them, and if they follow my teachings and practice accordingly, they will certainly know the true Dharma. Kātyāyana, it is like a baby lying on its back, with its hands and feet bound by its parents. Later, when it grows up and its faculties are fully developed, its parents untie its hands and feet. It only remembers the time of being untied, not the time of being tied. In the same way, Kātyāyana, I say: 'Leave aside the past limit of the world, leave aside the future limit of the world.' If they do not remember one lifetime, my disciple bhikṣus come, not flattering, not deceitful, straightforward. I teach them. If they follow my teachings and practice accordingly, they will certainly know the true Dharma. Kātyāyana, it is like a lamp burning with oil and a wick. If no one adds more oil and changes the wick, the previous oil is exhausted and no more is added. Without anything to sustain it, it will quickly go out. In the same way, Kātyāyana, I say: 'Leave aside the past limit of the world, leave aside the future limit of the world.' If they do not remember one lifetime, my disciple bhikṣus come, not flattering, not deceitful, straightforward. I teach them. If they follow my teachings and practice accordingly, they will certainly know the true Dharma. Kātyāyana, it is like a pile of ten pieces of wood, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, or sixty pieces of wood, burning fiercely. Later, if no one adds more grass, wood, chaff, or rubbish, the previous fuel is exhausted and no more is added. Without anything to sustain it, it will quickly go out. In the same way, Kātyāyana, I say: 'Leave aside the past limit of the world, leave aside the future limit of the world.' If they do not remember one lifetime, my disciple bhikṣus come, not flattering, not deceitful, straightforward

When this teaching was spoken, the non-Buddhist Vimalakīrti, far from dust and defilements, gave rise to the Dharma eye of the Dharma with regard to all dharmas. Then the non-Buddhist Vimalakīrti saw the Dharma, attained the Dharma, realized the pure Dharma, and had no other teacher. He was no longer dependent on others, had cut off doubts and crossed over confusion, was without hesitation, had attained the fruit of realization, and had attained fearlessness in the World-Honored One's teachings. He bowed his head to the Buddha's feet and said: "World-Honored One! I wish to go forth from the Buddha, practice the path, receive full ordination, become a bhikṣu, and practice the holy life."

The World-Honored One said: "Excellent! Bhikṣu! Practice the holy life."

The non-Buddhist went forth from the Buddha to practice the path, received full ordination, became a bhikṣu, and practiced the holy life. Venerable Vimalakīrti went forth to practice the path, received full ordination, and having done so, knew the Dharma, saw the Dharma, and attained arahantship.

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