SA 104（一〇四） 焰

Thus have I heard:

At one time the Buddha was staying at Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park in the Jeta Grove near Śrāvastī.

At that time there was a bhikṣu named Yamaka who gave rise to wrong views and said, "According to my understanding of the Dharma taught by the Buddha, when an arhat with exhausted taints perishes and their life ends, there is nothing more."

At that time, many bhikṣus heard what he said and went to him, saying to the bhikṣu Yamaka, "Did you really say, 'According to my understanding of the Dharma taught by the Buddha, when an arhat with exhausted taints perishes and their life ends, there is nothing more'?"

He replied, "Indeed, Venerables!"

At that time, the bhikṣus said to Yamaka, "Do not slander the World-Honored One! Slandering the World-Honored One is not good. The World-Honored One did not say this. You should completely abandon this evil and wrong view."

When the bhikṣus spoke these words, the bhikṣu Yamaka still held onto his evil and wrong views, saying, "Venerables! Only this is true, anything else is false." He said this three times.

At that time, the bhikṣus were unable to subdue the bhikṣu Yamaka. They then left and went to Venerable Śāriputra, saying to Venerable Śāriputra, "Venerable One! You should know that the bhikṣu Yamaka has given rise to such evil and wrong views, saying, 'I understand and know the Dharma taught by the Buddha. An arhat whose defilements are exhausted, upon the destruction of the body and the end of life, has nothing further.' Having heard what he said, we went to ask the bhikṣu Yamaka, 'Do you really have such knowledge and views?' He replied to us, 'Venerables! It is indeed so. Anything else is foolish talk.' We then said to him, 'Do not slander the World-Honored One! The World-Honored One did not say this. You should abandon this evil and wrong view.' We admonished him like this three times, but he still did not abandon his evil and wrong views. That is why we now come to you, Venerable One. We only hope that the Venerable One will cause the bhikṣu Yamaka to cease his evil and wrong views, out of compassion for him! "

Śāriputra said, "So be it. I shall cause him to cease his evil and wrong views."

At that time, the many bhikṣus, having heard Śāriputra's words, rejoiced and followed his words, returning to their original places.

At that time, Venerable Śāriputra, in the morning, put on his robe, took his alms bowl, and entered Śrāvastī City to beg for food. After eating, he left the city and returned to the monastery. Having put away his robe and bowl, he went to the place of Bhikṣu Yajñadatta. When Bhikṣu Yajñadatta saw Venerable Śāriputra coming from afar, he immediately prepared a seat, washed his feet, placed a footstool, welcomed him, took his robe and bowl, and invited him to sit down.

Venerable Śāriputra sat down and washed his feet. He then said to Bhikṣu Yajñadatta, "Did you really say, 'I understand the Dharma taught by the World-Honored One. An arhat whose defilements are exhausted and whose body and life end has nothing'?"

Bhikṣu Yajñadatta said to Śāriputra, "It is true, Venerable Śāriputra!"

Śāriputra said, "I will ask you now. Answer me as you wish. Yajñadatta, is form permanent or impermanent?"

He replied, "Venerable Śāriputra, it is impermanent."

He further asked, "If it is impermanent, is it suffering?"

He replied, "It is suffering."

He further asked, "If it is impermanent and suffering, a changeable and unstable phenomenon, would a learned noble disciple see self, other, or characteristics in it?"

He replied, "No, Venerable Sariputra!"

The same applies to feeling, perception, formation, and consciousness." He further asked, "Is form the Tathāgata?

He replied, "No, Venerable Sariputra!"

Is feeling, perception, formation, and consciousness the Tathāgata?

He replied, "No, Venerable Sariputra!"

He further asked, "Then, Yamariga, is the Tathāgata different from form? Is the Tathāgata different from feeling, perception, formation, and consciousness?"

He replied, "No, Venerable Sariputra!"

He further asked, "Is the Tathāgata in form? Is the Tathāgata in feeling, perception, formation, and consciousness?"

He replied, "No, Venerable Sariputra!"

He further asked, "Is form in the Tathāgata? Are feeling, perception, formation, and consciousness in the Tathāgata?"

He replied, "No, Venerable Sariputra!"

He further asked, "Is the Tathāgata apart from form, feeling, perception, formation, and consciousness?"

He replied, "No, Venerable Sariputra!"

"So it is, Yamariga! The Tathāgata sees the truth of the Dharma as it is, abides in it, without attainment, without establishment. How can you say, 'I understand the World-Honored One's teaching that the body and life of an arhat who has exhausted defilements perishes and ceases to exist'? Is this the right time to say this?"

He replied, "No, Venerable Sariputra!"

He asked again, "Yamariga! You said earlier, 'I understand the World-Honored One's teaching that the body and life of an arhat who has exhausted defilements perishes and ceases to exist.' Why do you now say it is not so?"

The bhiksu Yamariga said, "Venerable Sariputra! Because of my previous ignorance and delusion, I made such evil and wrong views. Having heard the Venerable Sariputra's explanation, all my ignorance and delusion are now completely severed."

He asked again, "Yamariga! If asked again, 'Bhiksu! As you previously said in your evil and wrong views, what do you now know and see to have completely abandoned?' How would you answer?"

Yamariga replied, "Venerable Sariputra! If someone were to ask me, I would answer like this: 'The arhat who has exhausted the taints knows that form is impermanent. What is impermanent is suffering. Suffering is tranquil, cool, and eternally extinguished. Feeling, perception, formation, and consciousness are also like this.' If someone were to ask me, I would answer like this."

Sariputra said, "Excellent! Excellent! Bhiksu Yamariga! You should answer like this. Why is that? The arhat who has exhausted the taints knows that form is impermanent. What is impermanent is suffering. If it is impermanent and suffering, it is a dharma of arising and ceasing. Feeling, perception, formation, and consciousness are also like this."

When the Venerable Sariputra spoke this Dharma, the bhiksu Yamariga was far from defilements and impurities, and attained the purity of the Dharma eye.

The Venerable Sariputra said to the bhiksu Yamariga, "Now I will speak a parable. The wise understand through parables. It is like a rich man's son who has much wealth and widely seeks servants. He guards his wealth well. Then an enemy, a wicked person, deceitfully comes to befriend him and becomes his servant. He always watches for an opportunity. He sleeps late and gets up early, attending to his master's needs. He is respectful in his actions and humble in his words, making the master feel pleased. He thinks of him as a friend and a son, trusting him completely without any doubt. He does not guard himself. Then, holding a sharp knife in his hand, he cuts off the master's life. Yamariga, what do you think? Is that wicked enemy a friend of the rich man? Is it not the initial expedient means? The intention to harm is always watching for an opportunity until the end. Yet the rich man is unable to be aware of it and now suffers harm."

He replied, "Indeed, Venerable!"

Sariputra said to the bhiksu Yamariga, "What do you think? If the rich man had known that the person was deceitfully befriending him with the intention to harm him, would he have been able to protect himself well and not be harmed?"

He replied, "Indeed, Venerable Sariputra!"

"So it is, Yamariga Bhiksu! The ignorant and unlearned common person has the notion of permanence, peace, health, self, and possession towards the five aggregates of grasping, and guards and cherishes them. They will eventually be harmed by the enemies of the five aggregates. It is like how the rich man was harmed by the deceitful enemy without realizing it. Yamariga! The learned noble disciple observes the five aggregates of grasping as being like a disease, a boil, a thorn, and a killer, impermanent, suffering, empty, selfless, and not belonging to a self. They are not attached to the five aggregates of grasping, do not grasp, and because of not grasping, they are not attached. Because of not being attached, they realize nirvana for themselves: 'My birth is ended, the holy life has been established, what was to be done has been done, and I know that I will not be subject to any future lives.'"

When Venerable Sariputra spoke this Dharma, Yamariga Bhiksu became free from defilements, his mind was liberated. After Venerable Sariputra had spoken Dharma to Yamariga Bhiksu, showing, teaching, illuminating, and gladdening him, he rose from his seat and left.