SA-2 198（一九八）

Thus have I heard:

Once, the Buddha was in Rajagriha. At that time, the Brahman Varṣākāra went to where the Buddha was, greeted the Buddha, and sat to one side. He said to the Buddha, "Gautama! I have a few doubts. If I am allowed to ask, I will dare to ask." The Buddha remained silent and did not answer. The second and third times he asked, the Buddha also remained silent. Varṣākāra said, "Gautama! For a long time, you and I have been close friends. I have a few questions. I only wish you would answer me."

The Buddha thought, "The Brahman Varṣākāra has been honest and sincere for a long time, without flattery or deceit. All his questions are for the sake of understanding, not to cause trouble. I shall listen to him. If it is about Abhidharma or Vinaya, I shall answer according to his questions." The Buddha told Varṣākāra, "Ask as you please. Whatever doubts you have, do not hesitate to ask."

Varṣākāra said to the Buddha, "Gautama! Is there any unwholesomeness in the entire world?"

The Buddha replied, "There is."

He further asked, "Is there any wholesomeness?"

The Buddha replied, "There is."

The calf said, "Gautama! Please explain the wholesome and unwholesome dharmas to me, so that I may understand."

The Buddha told the calf, "I can explain the wholesome and unwholesome in many ways. Now I will briefly explain the essentials for you." The Buddha further told the calf, "Desiring is unwholesome, being free from desire is wholesome; anger, hatred, and delusion are unwholesome, being free from anger, hatred, and delusion is wholesome; killing is unwholesome, being free from killing is wholesome; stealing, sexual misconduct, false speech, harsh speech, divisive speech, greed, hatred, and wrong views are unwholesome, being free from these is right view and wholesome. I have explained the three kinds of unwholesome and the three kinds of wholesome for you, as well as the ten kinds of unwholesome and the ten kinds of wholesome." He further told the calf, "If my disciples understand these three kinds of wholesome and unwholesome, and the ten kinds of wholesome and unwholesome, and are able to truly know them, they will be able to completely eliminate desire, anger, and delusion. All greed and evil will be completely extinguished without remainder. By being able to completely eliminate greed and delusion, all the defilements of desire will be completely exhausted. By exhausting the defilements, one will accomplish the undefiled, attain liberation of the mind, and liberation through wisdom. In the seen Dharma, one will personally understand, realize, and attain the Dharma. One will know that birth is exhausted, the holy life has been established, what was to be done has been done, and one will not be reborn again."

The calf said to the Buddha, "Is there a bhikkhu who, in the Buddha's teachings, has accomplished the undefiled, attained liberation of the mind, liberation through wisdom, personally understood, realized, and attained the Dharma in the seen Dharma, knows that birth is exhausted, the holy life has been established, what was to be done has been done, and will not be reborn again?"

The Buddha told the calf, "Those who attain this Dharma are not just one or two, or three or four, but up to five hundred. There are many bhikkhus who have attained liberation of the mind and liberation through wisdom, and have personally realized it in this very life."

The calf further asked, "Is there a bhikkhuni in the Buddha's teachings who has attained liberation of the mind and liberation through wisdom?"

The Buddha told the calf, "In my teachings, there are many bhikkhunis who have attained this Dharma, not just one or two, or three or four, but up to five hundred."

The calf further asked, "Apart from those bhikkhus and bhikkhunis, is there a male lay follower who has crossed to the other shore of doubt?"

The Buddha told the calf, "In my Buddha Dharma, there are many male lay followers who have crossed to the other shore of doubt, not just one or two, or three or four, but up to five hundred. They have severed the five lower fetters and attained the state of non-returners, not returning to the desire realm."

The calf further asked, "Apart from bhikkhus, bhikkhunis, and those who practice the holy life, and apart from male lay followers, is there a female lay follower who has crossed to the other shore of doubt, free from doubt and regret?"

The Buddha told the calf, "In my Buddha Dharma, there are many who have attained this Dharma, not just one or two, or three or four, but up to five hundred. They have severed the five lower fetters and attained the state of non-returners, not returning to the desire realm."

The brahmin calf further said to the Buddha, "Apart from bhikkhus, bhikkhunis, and male and female lay followers who practice the holy life, is there a male lay follower in this Buddha Dharma who, while living at home, enjoying the pleasures of the five senses, has crossed to the other shore of doubt?"

The Buddha told the calf, "In this Buddha Dharma, there are not just one or two, or three or four, but up to five hundred such people who live together with men and women, in close quarters, wearing fragrant flowers, necklaces, and fine silk garments, applying various sandalwood and other fine fragrances to their bodies, possessing gold, silver, and various precious treasures, with many servants and attendants. Living in this crowded and cramped environment, they are able to sever the three fetters, attain the state of stream-enterer, and are certain to reach the supreme enlightenment, ending all suffering. The dullest among them will naturally be reborn seven times, not falling into the three evil realms, transmigrating among humans and gods, naturally ending all suffering."

The calf further asked, "Apart from bhikkhus, bhikkhunis, male and female lay followers who practice the holy life, and male lay followers who, while in the midst of desire, attain the state of stream-enterer, is there a female lay follower in the Buddha's teachings who, while in the midst of desire, has crossed to the other shore of doubt?"

The Buddha told the calf, "In my Buddha Dharma, there are not just one or two, or three or four, but up to five hundred female lay followers who, while in the midst of desire, have crossed to the other shore of doubt. These female lay followers, though living at home, are like male lay followers who have severed the three fetters and attained the state of stream-enterer."

The calf said, "Gautama! You have attained perfect enlightenment in regard to bodhi. If those who practice the holy life, whether bhikkhus, bhikkhunis, male or female lay followers, or male or female lay followers in the midst of desire, do not fully practice the path, then it is incomplete." The calf said, "Gautama! Now that you have attained perfect enlightenment, those who have attained the fruits, whether bhikkhus, bhikkhunis, those who practice the holy life, male or female lay followers, or male or female lay followers in the midst of desire, have all attained the fruits. In the Buddha's teachings, this is called complete." The calf further said, "Gautama! I now wish to speak a parable. Please listen to me.

The Buddha told him, "Speak as you wish."

"It is like when heavy rain falls from the sky, the water flows down and enters the great ocean. Your teachings are also like this. Men, women, the young, the old, and the aged, having been bathed in the Dharma rain of the Buddha, all head towards nirvana for a long time. Excellent, Gautama! Excellent, wonderful Dharma! Excellent, those who can enter the Buddha's teachings!" The calf said, "I now ask you a question. If one can renounce the householder life and practice the holy life, how long will it take to accomplish it?"

The Buddha told the calf, "If there are non-Buddhist practitioners who seek to renounce the householder life and practice the holy life in the Buddha's teachings, they should first shave their beards and hair, and for four months, their minds and intentions should be subdued and gentle among the Sangha. Then they can receive the precepts. It is not necessarily so, but it also depends on the mind of the person." When the calf brāhmaṇa heard the Buddha's words, he was delighted in his heart, thinking, "If I can renounce the householder life and receive the precepts, I would do it even for four years, let alone four months?"

The Buddha told the calf, "I have previously told you about two kinds of people, but it is not necessarily so for everyone."

The calf said, "Gautama! You did indeed say that before."

The Buddha told the bhikkhus, "Now you should shave the calf's head and give him the precepts." At that time, the bhikkhus, having received the Buddha's order, immediately shaved his head and gave him the precepts.

As a bhikkhu, Venerable Calf diligently practiced the path. Within half a month, he attained the stage of learning, understood the Dharma, saw the Dharma, realized the Dharma. Having attained the fruit of learning, he knew, understood, and realized the Dharma. Venerable Calf thought, "I should now go to the Buddha." Having thought this, he went to the Buddha, bowed at the Buddha's feet, stood to one side, and said to the Buddha, "World-Honored One! I have fully realized the stage of learning. I only wish that the World-Honored One would explain it again for me, so that I may hear the Dharma and attain liberation of the mind."

The Buddha told Calf, "If you quickly seek liberation of the mind, you should cultivate two dharmas, learn two dharmas, and increase and expand two dharmas. The two dharmas are wisdom and concentration. If you can cultivate and expand them like this, it is called knowing the various realms, penetrating the realms, and knowing countless realms."

The Buddha told the bhikkhu Calf, "If one wishes to be free from desire and evil unwholesome states, one should enter the first jhana with initial and sustained thought. Thus, bhikkhu, one should cultivate two dharmas, namely concentration and wisdom, up to the fourth jhana, loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity, the sphere of boundless space, the sphere of boundless consciousness, the sphere of nothingness, and the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception. Calf! Those who wish to attain the fruits of stream-entry, once-returning, and non-returning should all learn these two dharmas. Those who wish to attain the supernormal powers of the body, know the minds of others, know past lives, attain the divine eye and ear, and attain the knowledge of the exhaustion of taints should cultivate two dharmas, increase and expand two dharmas, know the various realms, penetrate the realms, and know countless realms." The Venerable Calf, having heard the Buddha's words, was delighted and bowed his head in reverence before departing.

The Tathāgata taught him various causes and conditions. After receiving the Buddha's teachings, Calf practiced diligently in solitude, his mind not lax. He always abided in concentration. The reason for the noble sons to shave their beards and hair is precisely to cultivate the unsurpassed holy life. In this present life, they personally realize that their births are exhausted, the holy life are established, the tasks are accomplished, and they will not be reborn again.

At that time, many bhikṣus went to where the Buddha was. The Venerable Calf saw the bhikṣus and asked them, "Where are you going?" The bhikṣus replied, "We are going to where the Buddha is to pay respects and make offerings." The bhikṣu Calf said to the bhikṣus, "When you go to where the Buddha is, please convey my words to inquire about the World-Honored One's well-being, whether he is in good health and free from illness and affliction. Also, please tell the World-Honored One on my behalf that the bhikṣu Calf has already repaid the Buddha's kindness, made offerings for the Dharma, and followed the practices of the Buddha." At that time, the many bhikṣus went to where the Buddha was, bowed at the Buddha's feet, and sat to one side. They said to the Buddha, "World-Honored One! The Venerable Calf bows at the World-Honored One's feet and inquires about the World-Honored One's well-being, whether he is in good health and free from illness and affliction. The bhikṣu Calf also says, 'Please tell the Buddha on my behalf that I have already practiced in accordance with the Buddha's teachings. The practices of the World-Honored One, I have already fully attained.'"

The Buddha told the bhikṣus, "Before, a deity came to me and said, 'The bhikṣu Calf has already attained arahantship.' I already knew this, and the deity was guiding you. Now you have also followed the deity." At that time, the World-Honored One prophesied that Calf had already attained arahantship.

Having spoken this, the Buddha finished. The bhikṣus, having heard the Buddha's words, rejoiced and received them with respect.

Body, life, and Maudgalyāyana, rare Kātyāyana, unprecedented, with
self, views, and ignorance, left home with Calf.