SA 1039（一〇三九） 淳 陀

Thus have I heard:

Thus have I heard:

At that time, the World-Honored One asked the elder Cunda, “What kind of śramaṇa or brāhmaṇa’s pure practice do you now delight in?”

Cunda said to the Buddha, “There are śramaṇas and brāhmaṇas who serve water, serve the god Viṣṇu, hold staffs and water pots, and always wash their hands. Such upright ones can speak the Dharma well, saying, ‘Good man! On the fifteenth day of the month, wash your hair with sesame powder and āmalaka powder, practice the fasting precepts, wear a new, clean, long, white cotton robe, and lie down on cow dung smeared on the ground. Good man! Get up early in the morning, touch the ground with your hand, and say, “This ground is pure, and I am pure like this.” Hold a ball of cow dung and fresh grass in your hand, and say, “This is pure, and I am pure like this.” If it is like this, it is seen as pure, and if it is not like this, it is never pure.’ World-Honored One! I revere such śramaṇas and brāhmaṇas as being pure.

The Buddha told Cunda, “There are black dharmas and black retribution, impure and impure fruits, heavy burdens going downward. Those who accomplish such evil dharmas, even if they get up early in the morning, touch the ground with their hands, and proclaim purity, are still impure; if they do not touch it, they are also impure. Holding a ball of cow dung and fresh grass, proclaiming purity, is also impure; if they do not touch it, it is also impure.

Cunda, what are the black dharmas and black retribution, the impure and impure fruits, the heavy burdens going downward, up to touching and not touching, all being impure? Cunda, it means the evil karma of killing, with hands always bloody and smelly, always thinking of beating and killing, without shame or remorse, stingy and greedy, not giving up killing towards all sentient beings, down to insects. Stealing others' wealth, villages, and empty lands, not giving up stealing. Practicing wrong sexual conduct, with parents, brothers, sisters, husbands, relatives, down to those who give flower garlands, not giving up wrong sexual conduct by forcefully violating such protected ones. False speech, either in the royal court, in places where truthful speech is valued, or in large gatherings seeking to speak, making untrue statements, saying one has seen what one has not seen, saying one has not seen what one has seen, saying one has heard what one has not heard, saying one has not heard what one has heard, saying one knows what one does not know, saying one does not know what one knows, either for oneself or for others, or for the sake of wealth, knowing and speaking falsely, not giving up, this is called false speech. Divisive speech, spreading this to that, spreading that to this, completely destroying them, separating those who are united, delighting those who are separated, this is called divisive speech. Not giving up harsh speech and scolding, if someone speaks softly, pleasing to the ears and mind, straightforward and easy to understand, pleasant to hear and without attachment, loved by many, agreeable and in accord with samādhi, abandoning such, speaking harshly, disliked by many, unloved, disagreeable, and not in accord with samādhi. Such words, not giving up harshness, is called evil speech. Frivolous speech, untimely speech, untrue speech, meaningless speech, unrighteous speech, thoughtless speech, such are called frivolous speech.

Not giving up greed, being greedy for others' wealth, thinking, 'If I had this wealth, it would be good.' Not giving up anger and evil, thinking, 'Those sentient beings should be bound, beaten, subdued, and killed.' Wishing to cause birth difficulties. Not giving up wrong views and inverted views, having such views and saying, 'There is no giving, no retribution, no merit, no good or evil actions, no results of good or evil karma, no this world, no other world, no parents, no sentient beings born in the world, no world, no arhats, no paths, no directions, no this world or other world, no self-realization by oneself that "my birth is ended, the holy life is established, what was to be done is done, I know no more of this state of existence after this".' Cunda, this is called black, with black retribution, impure, with impure fruits, up to touching and not touching, all being impure.

Cunda, there is the white, with white retribution, the pure, with pure fruits, the light and immortal ascending, having accomplished it, touching the ground in the morning, this purity and my purity, also attain purity; if not touching, also attain purity, holding a cow dung ball, holding fresh grass, the pure cause and pure fruit, holding and not holding, also attain purity.

Cunda, what is the white, with white retribution, up to holding and not holding, also attaining purity? It means that a person does not kill living beings, abstains from killing living beings, abandons weapons, feels shame, and has compassion for all sentient beings. Not stealing, being far from stealing, taking what is given, not taking what is not given, with a pure mind, not being greedy. Abstaining from sexual misconduct, whether protected by parents, up to those who give a single flower garland, all do not forcibly engage in sexual misconduct. Abstaining from false speech, speaking truthfully and reliably, being far from divisive speech, not transmitting this to that, transmitting that to this, causing mutual destruction, reconciling those who are divided, rejoicing in those who are united, being far from harsh speech, not being rough, many people delight in what is said. Abstaining from meaningless speech, speaking truthfully, speaking at the right time, speaking the truth, speaking the meaning, speaking the Dharma, speaking the view. Abstaining from greed, not regarding others' wealth and possessions as one's own, and giving rise to attachment, being far from anger, not thinking: 'Strike, bind, kill, and cause difficulties.' Having right view, not having inverted views, believing in giving, speaking, retribution, and merit, believing in the results of good and evil actions, believing in this world, believing in parents, believing in sentient beings being born, believing in the world, believing in arhats, believing in this world and the other world, believing in self-realization by oneself in this world and the other world that 'my birth is ended, the holy life is established, what was to be done is done, I know no more of this state of existence after this.' Cunda, this is called white, with white retribution, up to touching and not touching, all being pure.

At that time, the elder Cunda, having heard the Buddha's teaching, joyfully rejoiced, paid homage, and departed.