SA 1188（一一八八） 尊重

Thus have I heard:

Once, the Buddha was staying at the Nairañjanā River near the Bodhi Tree in the village of Uruvilvā, not long after his enlightenment.

At that time, the World-Honored One was alone in quiet contemplation, and he thought like this: "Those who are not respectful have great suffering and no order. Those who are not free from fear of others have a decline in the great meaning; those who are respectful, have order, and are free from others have peaceful dwelling; those who are respectful, have order, and are free from others have the great meaning fulfilled. Are there any gods, demons, Brahmas, śramaṇas, brāhmaṇas, devas, or people in the world who can surpass me in morality, samādhi, wisdom, liberation, and the knowledge and vision of liberation, so that I can respect, revere, serve, and make offerings to them, and rely on them to dwell?"

He further thought: "There are no gods, demons, Brahmas, śramaṇas, brāhmaṇas, devas, or people in the world who can surpass me in morality, samādhi, wisdom, liberation, and the knowledge and vision of liberation, so that I can respect, revere, serve, and make offerings to them, and rely on them to dwell. Only the true Dharma can cause me to awaken and become a samyak-saṃbuddha. I should respect, revere, serve, and make offerings to it, and rely on it to dwell. Why is that? The past Tathāgatas, Arhats, and Samyak-Saṃbuddhas also respected, revered, served, and made offerings to the true Dharma, relying on it to dwell; the Tathāgatas, Arhats, and Samyak-Saṃbuddhas of the future will also respect, revere, serve, and make offerings to the true Dharma, relying on it to dwell."

At that time, the Lord of the Sahā World, the Brahma King, knew the World-Honored One's mental thoughts. In the time it takes for a strong man to bend and stretch his arm, he disappeared from the Brahma Heaven and stood before the Buddha, praising: "Excellent! Thus it is, World-Honored One! Thus it is, Well-Gone One! Those who are lazy and disrespectful have great suffering..." and so on, up to "the great meaning is fulfilled. In fact, there are no gods, demons, Brahmas, śramaṇas, brāhmaṇas, devas, or people in the world who can surpass the World-Honored One in morality, samādhi, wisdom, liberation, and the knowledge and vision of liberation, so that the World-Honored One can respect, revere, serve, and make offerings to them, and rely on them to dwell. Only the true Dharma, which the Tathāgata himself awakens to and attains perfect enlightenment, is what the Tathāgata should respect, revere, serve, and make offerings to, and rely on to dwell. Why is that? The past Tathāgatas, Arhats, and Samyak-Saṃbuddhas also respected, revered, served, and made offerings to the true Dharma, relying on it to dwell; the Tathāgatas, Arhats, and Samyak-Saṃbuddhas of the future will also respect, revere, serve, and make offerings to the true Dharma, relying on it to dwell. The World-Honored One should also respect, revere, serve, and make offerings to that true Dharma, relying on it to dwell."

At that time, the Brahma King also spoke a verse, saying:

The past Tathāgatas, Arhats, and Samyak-Saṃbuddhas, as well as the future Buddhas, and
the present Buddha, the World-Honored One, can remove the worries of sentient beings
All should respect the Dharma and rely on the true Dharma to dwell
Those who respect in this way are indeed the Dharma of the Buddhas.

At that time, the Brahma King, having heard the Buddha's teaching, joyfully rejoiced, bowed his head at the Buddha's feet, and then disappeared.