212. （二一二）一切智经

omniscience, adornment of the Dharma, Vihāra
first, love, birth, and eight cities
Aniruddha, two, views, arrow, and simile proportion, last

I have heard thus:

Once, the Buddha was traveling in Uttarakuru, staying in a forest of thorns.

At that time, King Prasenajit of Kosala heard that the Śramaṇa Gautama was traveling in Uttarakuru, staying in a forest of thorns. Having heard this, King Prasenajit of Kosala told a man, "Go to where the Śramaṇa Gautama is and ask on my behalf about his well-being, health, freedom from illness, lightness of rising, and strength. Say this: 'King Prasenajit of Kosala asks about your well-being, health, freedom from illness, lightness of rising, and strength.' Also say this: 'King Prasenajit of Kosala wishes to come and see you.'"

That man, having received the instruction, went to where the Buddha was and exchanged greetings. He then sat to one side and said, "Gautama! King Prasenajit of Kosala asks about your well-being, health, freedom from illness, lightness of rising, and strength. King Prasenajit of Kosala wishes to come and see you."

The World-Honored One replied, "Now King Prasenajit of Kosala is at ease and happy. Gods, humans, asuras, gandharvas, rākṣasas, and other beings are all at ease and happy. If King Prasenajit of Kosala wishes to come, he may do so at his convenience." At that time, the messenger heard what the Buddha said, accepted and memorized it well, rose from his seat, circumambulated three times, and departed.

At that time, Venerable Ānanda was standing behind the World-Honored One, holding a whisk to attend to the Buddha. After the messenger left, the World-Honored One turned around and said, "Ānanda! Come, let us go to the large eastern building. Open the windows, close the doors, and stay in that secluded place. Today King Prasenajit of Kosala is single-minded and undisturbed, wishing to listen to and receive the Dharma."

Venerable Ānanda replied, "Yes, World-Honored One."

Then the World-Honored One led Venerable Ānanda to that large eastern building. He opened the windows, closed the doors, arranged a seat in a secluded place, spread out his sitting mat, and sat cross-legged.

At that time, the messenger returned to King Prasenajit of Kosala and said, "Your Majesty! I have already informed Śramaṇa Gautama. Śramaṇa Gautama is now waiting for Your Majesty. I only wish that Your Majesty will know the time yourself."

King Prasenajit of Kosala told his charioteer, "You should prepare the carriage. I now wish to go and see Śramaṇa Gautama." The charioteer received the order and immediately prepared the carriage.

At that time, when the sisters Xian and Yue were having a meal with King Prasenajit of Kosala, they heard that King Prasenajit of Kosala was going to see the Buddha today. They said, "Great King! If you are going to see the World-Honored One today, please bow on our behalf and ask about the well-being of the World-Honored One's body, whether it is healthy, strong, without illness, and whether he is at ease. Please say this: 'The sisters Xian and Yue bow to the World-Honored One and ask about the well-being of the World-Honored One's body, whether it is healthy, strong, without illness, and whether he is at ease.'" King Prasenajit of Kosala silently accepted the request of the sisters Xian and Yue.

At that time, the charioteer had finished preparing the carriage and said, "Your Majesty! The carriage is ready. Please do as you wish."

At that time, the king, having heard this, immediately mounted the carriage and left Utpala Grove, going to the forest of thorns.

At that time, outside the forest of thorns, many bhikṣus were walking in the open air. King Prasenajit of Kosala went to where the bhikṣus were and asked, "Venerable ones! Where is the śramaṇa Gautama now? I wish to go and see him."

The bhikṣus replied, "Great King! The large eastern building has windows open and doors closed. The World-Honored One is inside. If the Great King wishes to see him, he may go to that building. After standing outside, he may cough and knock on the door. If the World-Honored One hears, he will surely open the door."

King Prasenajit of Kosala then got off the carriage, surrounded by his retinue, and walked to the large eastern building. After arriving, he stood outside, coughed, and knocked on the door. The World-Honored One heard and immediately opened the door. King Prasenajit of Kosala then entered the building, went before the Buddha, and said, "Gautama! The virtuous sister Candrā and her sister pay homage to the World-Honored One, inquiring about the well-being of the holy body, whether it is strong, healthy, free from illness, and whether the daily activities are light and the strength is as usual?"

The World-Honored One asked the king, "Are there no other messengers for the virtuous sister Candrā and her sister?"

King Prasenajit of Kosala said, "Gautama! You should know that today the virtuous sister Candrā and her sister ate with me. When they heard that I was about to go see the Buddha, they said, 'Great King! If you go to see the Buddha, please pay homage to the World-Honored One on our behalf and inquire about the well-being of the holy body, whether it is strong, healthy, free from illness, and whether the daily activities are light and the strength is as usual.' That is why I said to the World-Honored One, 'The virtuous sister Candrā and her sister pay homage to the World-Honored One, inquiring about the well-being of the holy body, whether it is strong, healthy, free from illness, and whether the daily activities are light and the strength is as usual.' Gautama! The virtuous sister Candrā and her sister pay homage to the World-Honored One, inquiring about the well-being of the holy body, whether it is strong, healthy, free from illness, and whether the daily activities are light and the strength is as usual.

The World-Honored One replied, "Great King! The virtuous sister Candrā and her sister are now at peace and happy, as are the gods, asuras, gandharvas, rākṣasas, and other beings of various forms.

Then King Prasenajit of Kosala exchanged greetings with the Buddha and sat to one side. He said, "Gautama! I have a question I would like to ask. Please allow me to speak."

The World-Honored One said, "Great King! Ask whatever you wish."

King Prasenajit of Kosala then asked, "Gautama! I have heard the śramaṇa Gautama say, 'In the past there was not, in the future there will not be, and in the present there is not. If there are any other śramaṇas or brāhmaṇas who know everything and see everything,' Gautama! Do you remember saying this?"

The World-Honored One replied, "Great King! I do not remember saying, 'In the past there was not, in the future there will not be, and in the present there is not. If there are any other śramaṇas or brāhmaṇas who know everything and see everything.'"

At that time, General Vīra was standing behind King Prasenajit of Kosala, holding a whisk to fan the king. Then King Prasenajit of Kosala turned to General Vīra and said, "The other day when the king was sitting with the assembly, who was the first to say that the śramaṇa Gautama said, 'In the past there was not, in the future there will not be, and in the present there is not. If there are any other śramaṇas or brāhmaṇas who know everything and see everything'?"

General Vīra replied, "Your Majesty! The young man Kīrti was the first to say that.

Having heard this, King Prasenajit of Kosala told someone, "Go to the young man Kīrti and tell him, 'King Prasenajit of Kosala summons you!'"

The man, having received the order, went to the young man Kīrti and said, "Young man! King Prasenajit of Kosala summons you."

After the man left, King Prasenajit of Kosala said to the World-Honored One, "Shakyamuni, are there different teachings and understandings? Does Shakyamuni remember what was said?"

The World-Honored One replied, "Great King! I remember saying this: 'In the past, there was not, in the future, there will not be, and in the present, there is not. If there were other shamans and brahmans who knew everything at once and saw everything at once.' Great King! I remember saying this.

Having heard this, King Prasenajit of Kosala exclaimed, "The teachings of Shakyamuni are like those of a teacher, the teachings of Shakyamuni are like those of a good teacher. I wish to ask further questions. May I ask them?"

The World-Honored One said, "Great King! Ask as you wish."

King Prasenajit of Kosala asked, "Gautama! Are there distinctions among the four classes of kshatriyas, brahmins, vaishyas, and shudras?"

The World-Honored One replied, "There are distinctions among the four classes of kshatriyas, brahmins, vaishyas, and shudras. The kshatriya and brahmin classes are the most virtuous among humans, while the vaishya and shudra classes are the least virtuous. These are the distinctions among the four classes of kshatriyas, brahmins, vaishyas, and shudras."

King Prasenajit of Kosala, having heard this, exclaimed, "The words of the śramaṇa Gautama are like those of a teacher, the words of the śramaṇa Gautama are like those of a good teacher."

King Prasenajit of Kosala said, "Gautama! I not only ask about the meaning of the present world, but also about the meaning of the next world. May I ask?"

The World-Honored One said, "Great King! Ask as you wish."

King Prasenajit of Kosala asked, "Gautama! Are there distinctions among the four classes - kshatriyas, brahmins, vaishyas, and shudras - in the next world?"

The World-Honored One replied, "There are distinctions among the four classes - kshatriyas, brahmins, vaishyas, and shudras - in the next world. If the four classes - kshatriyas, brahmins, vaishyas, and shudras - accomplish these five factors of cessation, they will definitely attain the good teacher, the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the Perfectly Enlightened One, and will definitely attain what is agreeable, without what is disagreeable, and will also attain meaning, benefit, peace, and happiness for a long time. What are the five? The noble disciple of much learning has faith in the Tathāgata, which is firmly established and cannot be taken away by any shramanas, brahmins, gods, demons, Brahmas, or others in the world. This is called the first factor of cessation. Furthermore, great king! The noble disciple of much learning has little illness and is healthy, with a balanced diet, neither hot nor cold, and is comfortable and non-contentious. This is called the second factor of cessation. Furthermore, great king! The noble disciple of much learning is without deceit and guile, straightforward, and appears as he truly is to the World-Honored One and the virtuous practitioners. This is called the third factor of cessation. Furthermore, great king! The noble disciple of much learning always practices diligence, abandoning evil and unwholesome things, cultivating wholesome dharmas, always arousing his own mind, single-mindedly and firmly, for the sake of wholesome roots, not abandoning skillful means. This is called the fourth factor of cessation. Furthermore, great king! The noble disciple of much learning cultivates wisdom, observing the arising and ceasing of dharmas, attaining such wisdom, with the illumination of noble wisdom, discerning and understanding, with the right ending of suffering. This is called the fifth factor of cessation. If the four classes - kshatriyas, brahmins, vaishyas, and shudras - accomplish these five factors of cessation, they will definitely attain the good teacher, the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the Perfectly Enlightened One, and will definitely attain what is agreeable, without what is disagreeable, and will also attain meaning, benefit, peace, and happiness for a long time. This is the distinction among the four classes - kshatriyas, brahmins, vaishyas, and shudras - in the next world."

King Prasenajit of Kosala, having heard this, exclaimed, "The words of the śramaṇa Gautama are like those of a teacher, the words of the śramaṇa Gautama are like those of a good teacher. I wish to ask further, may I ask?"

The World-Honored One said, "Great king! Ask as you wish."

King Prasenajit of Kosala asked, "Gautama! There are these four castes: kshatriyas, brahmins, vaishyas, and shudras. Are there distinctions in their practice of the path?"

The World-Honored One replied, "There are these four castes: kshatriyas, brahmins, vaishyas, and shudras. There are distinctions in their practice of the path. Great king! What do you think? If what is to be eliminated by faith is eliminated by lack of faith, it is impossible. If what is to be eliminated by few illnesses is eliminated by many illnesses, it is impossible. If what is to be eliminated by non-deceitfulness and non-deceptiveness is eliminated by deceitfulness and deceptiveness, it is impossible. If what is to be eliminated by diligence is eliminated by laziness, it is impossible. If what is to be eliminated by wisdom is eliminated by ignorance, it is impossible.

It is like the four kinds of drivers: elephant drivers, horse drivers, ox drivers, and human drivers. Among them, two kinds of drivers are untamable and unmanageable, while two kinds are tamable and manageable. Great king! What do you think? If those two untamable and unmanageable drivers were to come and tame and manage the land, and accept the duties of driving, it is impossible. If those two tamable and manageable drivers were to come and tame and manage the land, and accept the duties of driving, it is possible. In this way, great king! What do you think? If what is to be eliminated by faith is eliminated by lack of faith, it is impossible. If what is to be eliminated by few illnesses is eliminated by many illnesses, it is impossible. If what is to be eliminated by non-deceitfulness and non-deceptiveness is eliminated by deceitfulness and deceptiveness, it is impossible. If what is to be eliminated by diligence is eliminated by laziness, it is impossible. If what is to be eliminated by wisdom is eliminated by ignorance, it is impossible.

King Prasenajit of Kosala, having heard this, exclaimed, "The words of the ascetic Gotama are like those of a teacher, the words of the ascetic Gotama are like those of a good teacher. I wish to ask further questions. May I ask them?"

The World-Honored One replied, "Great king! Ask as you wish."

King Prasenajit of Kosala asked, "Gautama! Are there four kinds of people - kshatriyas, brahmins, householders, and artisans - who are superior to each other and have differences in terms of cutting off?"

The World-Honored One replied, "There are four kinds of people - kshatriyas, brahmins, householders, and artisans - they are equal in cutting off, there is no superiority or inferiority, no difference in cutting off. Great king! It is like a kshatriya youth coming from the east, taking dry sandalwood wood as kindling, rubbing it to produce fire; a brahmin youth coming from the south, taking dry sandalwood wood as kindling, rubbing it to produce fire; a householder youth coming from the west, taking dry sandalwood wood as kindling, rubbing it to produce fire; a craftsman youth coming from the north, taking dry palmyra wood as kindling, rubbing it to produce fire. What do you think, great king? If those people of various kinds take various kinds of wood as kindling and rub them to produce fire, and then someone puts dry grass and wood on it, causing smoke, flames, and color to arise, great king! What differences can be said about the smoke, flames, and color?"

King Prasenajit of Kosala replied, "Gautama! If those people of various kinds take various kinds of wood as kindling and rub them to produce fire, and then someone puts dry grass and wood on it, causing smoke, flames, and color to arise, Gautama! I do not say that there are differences in the smoke, flames, and color."

"So it is, great king! There are four kinds of people - kshatriyas, brahmins, householders, and artisans - they are all equal in cutting off, there is no superiority or inferiority, no difference in cutting off."

Having heard this, King Prasenajit of Kosala exclaimed, "What the śramaṇa Gautama says is like a teacher, what the śramaṇa Gautama says is like a good teacher. I wish to ask something further, may I ask?"

The World-Honored One said, "Great king! Ask as you wish."

King Prasenajit of Kosala asked, "Gautama! Are there gods?"

The World-Honored One asked, "Great king! Why do you ask about the existence of gods?"

King Prasenajit of Kosala replied, "Gautama! If there are gods who quarrel and enjoy quarreling, they should come here. If there are gods who are free from quarreling and do not enjoy quarreling, they should not come here."

At that time, the great general Vīra was standing behind King Prasenajit of Kosala, holding a whisk to fan the king. The great general Vīra said, "Gautama! If there are gods who are free from quarreling and do not enjoy quarreling and do not come here, let us set aside those gods. If there are gods who quarrel and enjoy quarreling and come here, the śramaṇa Gautama will certainly say that those gods have superior merit and superior practice, and that these gods can defeat and expel those gods."

At that time, Venerable Ānanda was standing behind the World-Honored One, holding a whisk to attend to the Buddha. Then Venerable Ānanda thought, "This great general Vīra is the son of King Prasenajit of Kosala, and I am the son of the World-Honored One. Now is the right time for sons to discuss together."

Then Venerable Ānanda said to the great general Vīra, "I want to ask you, please answer as you see fit. General! What do you think? Within the realm of King Prasenajit of Kosala, where his orders reach, is it because King Prasenajit of Kosala has superior merit and superior practice that he can defeat and expel others?"

The great general Vīra replied, "Monk! If within the realm of King Prasenajit of Kosala, where his orders reach, it is because King Prasenajit of Kosala has superior merit and superior practice that he can defeat and expel others."

"General! What do you think? If it is not within the realm of King Prasenajit of Kosala, where his orders do not reach, can King Prasenajit of Kosala, because of his superior merit and superior practice, defeat and expel others by his own will?"

The great general Vīra replied, "Monk! If it is not within the realm of King Prasenajit of Kosala, where his orders do not reach, it is because King Prasenajit of Kosala has superior merit and superior practice that he cannot defeat and expel others by his own will."

Venerable Ānanda further asked, "General! Have you heard of the Thirty-three Heavens?"

The great general Vīra replied, "When King Prasenajit of Kosala was playing, he heard of the Thirty-three Heavens."

"General! What do you think? Because King Prasenajit of Kosala has greater merit and greater virtuous practice, can he freely defeat the Thirty-three Heavens and expel the Thirty-three Heavens?"

The great general Vīra replied, "Monk! King Prasenajit of Kosala cannot even see the Thirty-three Heavens, let alone defeat and expel them. It is impossible to defeat and expel the Thirty-three Heavens."

"It is the same, General! If there are gods who are free from disputes, who do not enjoy disputes, and do not come here, then those gods have greater merit and greater virtuous practice. If there are gods who are disputatious, who enjoy disputes, and come here, then those gods cannot even see those gods, let alone be expelled by those gods. It is impossible to expel them."

Then King Prasenajit of Kosala asked, "Gautama! What is the name of this monk?"

The World-Honored One replied, "Great King! This monk is named Ānanda, he is my attendant."

Having heard this, King Prasenajit of Kosala exclaimed, "What Ānanda has said is like the teacher, what Ānanda has said is like the good teacher. I wish to ask further, may I ask?"

The World-Honored One said, "Great King! Ask as you wish."

King Prasenajit of Kosala asked, "Gautama! Is there a Brahma?"

The World-Honored One asked, "Great King! Why do you ask if there is a Brahma? Great King! If I were to establish the existence of Brahma, that Brahma would be pure."

While the World-Honored One was discussing this matter with King Prasenajit of Kosala, the messenger brought the young man Bhadra to King Prasenajit of Kosala and said, "Your Majesty! The young man Bhadra has come here."

Having heard this, King Prasenajit of Kosala asked the young man Bhadra, "Yesterday, when the king was sitting with the assembly, who spoke first about the śramaṇa Gautama saying, 'There was no past, there will be no future, and there is nothing present. If there are any other śramaṇas or brāhmaṇas who know everything and see everything,'"

The young man Bhadra replied, "Your Majesty! The general Vīra spoke first."

Having heard this, the general Vīra said, "Your Majesty! The young man Bhadra spoke first."

Thus, those two continued to argue back and forth. In the meantime, the charioteer prepared the chariot and went to King Prasenajit of Kosala, saying, "Your Majesty! The chariot is ready. Please know the time."

Having heard this, King Prasenajit of Kosala said to the World-Honored One, "I asked Gautama about all matters, and Gautama answered me about all matters. I asked Gautama about the four kinds of purity, and Gautama answered me about the four kinds of purity. I asked Gautama about what he had attained, and Gautama answered me about what he had attained. I asked Gautama about the existence of Brahma, and Gautama answered me about the existence of Brahma. If I were to ask about other matters, Gautama would certainly answer me about other matters. Gautama! I have many affairs now and wish to take my leave."

The World-Honored One replied, "Great King! You will know the time yourself."

Having heard what the World-Honored One had said, King Prasenajit of Kosala accepted it well, recited it, rose from his seat, circumambulated the World-Honored One three times, and departed.

The Buddha spoke thus. King Prasenajit of Kosala, Venerable Ānanda, and all the great assembly, having heard the Buddha's words, rejoiced and upheld them.