THE TEACHING
OF
BUDDHA

WHEEL OF DHARMA

The Wheel of Dharma is the translation of the Sanskrit word,
“Dharmacakra.” Similar to the wheel of a cart that keeps revolving, it symbolizes
the Buddha’s teaching as it continues to be spread widely and endlessly. The
eight spokes of the wheel represent the Noble Eightfold Path of Buddhism, the
most important Way of Practice. The Noble Eightfold Path refers to right view,
right thought, right speech, right behavior, right livelihood, right effort, right
mindfulness, and right meditation. In the olden days before statues and other
images of the Buddha were made, this Wheel of Dharma served as the object of
worship. At the present time, the Wheel is used internationally as the common
symbol of Buddhism.

Copyright © 1962, 1972, 2005 by BUKKYO DENDO KYOKAI
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Buddha’s Wisdom is broad as the ocean and His
Spirit is full of great Compassion.
Buddha has no form but manifests Himself in
Exquisiteness and leads us with His whole hear t of
Compassion.
This book is valuable because it contains the
essence of the Buddha’s teachings as recorded in over
five thousand volumes. These teachings have been preserved and handed down for more than twenty five hundred years extending beyond borders and racial barriers
of the world.
The words of Buddha contained in this book touch
on all aspects of human life and bring meaning to it.

DHAMMAPADA
Hatreds never cease by hatreds in this world. By
love alone they cease. This is an ancient Law.
(5)
A fool who thinks that he is a fool is for that very
reason a wise man. The fool who thinks that he is wise is
called a fool indeed.
(63)
Though he should conquer a thousand men in the
battlefield a thousand times, yet he, indeed, who would
conquer himself is the noblest victor.
(103)
Though he should live a hundred years, not seeing
the Truth Sublime; yet better, indeed, is the single day’s
life of one who sees the truth Sublime.
(115)
Hard is birth as man, Hard is the life of mortals,
Hard is the hearing of the Sublime Truth, Hard is the
appearance of a Buddha.
(182)
Not to do any evil, To cultivate good, To purify one’s
mind, – This is the advice of the Buddhas.
(183)
There are no sons for protection, neither father nor
even kinsmen; for him who is overcome by death no protection is there from kinsmen.
(288)

CONTENTS
BUDDHA
Chapter One Shakyamuni Buddha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I. The Life of The Buddha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
II. The Last Teaching of The Buddha . . . . . . . . .
Chapter Two The Eternal and Glorified Buddha . . . .
I. His Compassion and Vows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
II. Buddha’s Relief and Salvation for us . . . . . . .
III. The Eternal Buddha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter Three The Form of Buddha and His
Virtues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I. Three Aspects of Buddha’s Body . . . . . . . . .
II. The Appearance of Buddha . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
III. Buddha’s Virtue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
DHARMA
Chapter One Causation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I. The Fourfold Noble Truth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
II. Causation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
III. Dependent Origination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Chapter Two The Theory of Mind-Only and
The Real State of Things . . . . . . . . . . .
I. Impermanency and Egolessness . . . . . . . . . .
II. The Theory of Mind-Only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
III. Real State of Things . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
IV. The Middle Way . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2
2
10
15
15
19
22
25
25
29
32

38
38
41
42
46
46
49
52
57

Chapter Three Buddha-Nature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
I. The Mind of Purity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
II. Buddha-Nature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
III. Egolessness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Chapter Four Defilements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
I. Human Defilements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
II. Human Nature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
III. Human Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
IV. Reality of Human Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Chapter Five The Relief Offered by Buddha . . . . . . . 102
I. Amida Buddha’s Vows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
II. Amida Buddha’s Land of Purity . . . . . . . . . . . 110

THE WAY OF PRACTICE
Chapter One The Way of Purification . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
I. Purification of the Mind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
II. The Good Way of Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
III. Teaching in Ancient Fables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
Chapter Two The Way of Practical Attainment . . . . . 150
I. Search for Truth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
II. The Ways of Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
III. The Way of Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
IV. Sacred Sayings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
THE BROTHERHOOD
Chapter One Duties of the Brotherhood . . . . . . . . . . . 194
I. Renunciants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194

II. Lay Followers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
III. Practical Guide to True Way of Living . . . . . . 212
Chapter Two Building a Buddha Land . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
I. The Harmony of Brotherhood . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
II. The Buddha’s Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
III. Those Who Have Received Glory in
Buddha’s Land . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Source References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245

I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.

The Appendixes
Brief History of Buddhism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
Transmission of Buddha’s Teaching . . . . . . . 268
History of “The Teaching of Buddha” . . . . . . 271
Index to “The Teaching of Buddha” . . . . . . . 273
Sanskrit Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Society for the Promotion of Buddhism
and Distribution of “The Teaching of
Buddha” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288

BUDDHA

CHAPTER ONE

SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA
I
THE LIFE OF THE BUDDHA

1. The Shakya clansmen dwelt along the Rohini River
which flows among the souther n foothills of the
Himalayas. Their king, Shuddhodana Gautama, established his capital at Kapilavastu and there had a great
castle built and ruled wisely, winning the acclaim of his
people.

The Queen’s name was Maya. She was the daughter
of the King’s uncle who was also the king of a neighboring district of the same Shakya clan.

For twenty years they had no children. But one
night Queen Maya had a strange dream, in which she
saw a white elephant entering into her womb through the
right side of her chest, and she became pregnant. The
King and the people looked forward with anticipation to
the birth of a royal child. According to their custom the
Queen returned to her parents’ home for the birth, and
on her way, in the beautiful spring sunshine, she took a
rest in the Lumbini Garden.
−2−

Shakyamuni Buddha

All about her were Ashoka blossoms. In delight she
reached her right arm out to pluck a branch and as she
did so a prince was born. All expressed their heart-felt
delight with the glor y of the Queen and her princely
child; Heaven and Earth rejoiced. This memorable day
was the eighth day of April.
The joy of the King was extreme and he named the
child, Siddhartha, which means “Every wish fulfilled.”
2. In the palace of the King, however, delight was followed quickly by sorrow, for after several days the lovely
Queen Maya suddenly died. Her younger sister,
Mahaprajapati, became the child’s foster mother and
brought him up with loving care.
A hermit, called Asita, who lived in the mountains
not far away, noticed a radiance about the castle.
Interpreting it as a good omen he came down to the
palace and was shown the child. He predicted: “This
Prince, if he remains in the palace, when grown up will
become a great king and subjugate the whole world. But
if he forsakes the court life to embrace a religious life, he
will become a Buddha, the Savior of the world.”
At first the King was pleased to hear this prophecy,
but later he started to worry about the possibility of his
only son leaving the palace to become a homeless
recluse.
−3−

Shakyamuni Buddha

At the age of seven the Prince began his lessons in
the civil and military arts, but his thoughts more naturally
tended to other things. One spring day he went out of the
castle with his father. Together they were watching a
farmer at his plowing when he noticed a bird descended
to the ground and carried off a small worm which had
been turned up by the farmer’s plough. He sat down in
the shade of a tree and thought about it, whispering to
himself:
“Alas! Do all living creatures kill each other?”
The Prince, who had lost his mother so soon after
his birth, was deeply affected by the tragedy of these
little creatures.
This spiritual wound deepened day by day as he
grew up; like a little scar on a young tree, the suffering of
human life became more and more deeply engrained in
his mind.
The King was increasingly worried as he recalled
the hermit’s prophecy and tried in every possible way to
cheer the Prince and to turn his thoughts in other directions. The King arranged the marriage of the Prince at
the age of nineteen to the Princess Yashodhara. She was
the daughter of Suprabuddha, the Lord of Devadaha
Castle and a brother of the late Queen Maya.

−4−

Shakyamuni Buddha

3. For ten years, in the different Pavilions of Spring,
Autumn and the Rainy Season, the Prince was immersed
in rounds of music, dancing and pleasure, but always his
thoughts returned to the problem of suffering as he pensively tried to understand the true meaning of human life.
“The luxuries of the palace, this healthy body, this
rejoicing youth! What do they mean to me?” he thought.
“Some day we may be sick, we shall become aged; from
death there is no escape. Pride of youth, pride of health,
pride of existence – all thoughtful people should cast
them aside.
“A man struggling for existence will naturally look
for something of value. There are two ways of looking – a
right way and a wrong way. If he looks in the wrong way
he recognizes that sickness, old age and death are
unavoidable, but he seeks the opposite.
“If he looks in the right way he recognizes the true
nature of sickness, old age and death, and he searches
for meaning in that which transcends all human sufferings. In my life of pleasures I seem to be looking in the
wrong way.”

4.

Thus the spiritual struggle went on in the mind of
−5−

Shakyamuni Buddha

the Prince until his only child, Rahula, was born when he
was 29. This seemed to bring things to a climax, for he
then decided to leave the palace and look for the solution
of his spiritual unrest in the homeless life of a mendicant.
He left the castle one night with only his charioteer,
Chandaka, and his favorite horse, the snow-white
Kanthaka.

His anguish did not end and many devils tempted
him saying: “You would do better to return to the castle
for the whole world would soon be yours.” But he told the
devil that he did not want the whole world. So he shaved
his head and turned his steps toward the south, carrying
a begging bowl in his hand.

The Prince first visited the hermit Bhagava and
watched his ascetic practices. He then went to Arada
Kalama and Udraka Ramaputra to learn their methods of
attaining Enlightenment through meditation; but after
practicing them for a time he became convinced that they
would not lead him to Enlightenment. Finally he went to
the land of Magadha and practiced asceticism in the
forest of Uruvilva on the banks of the Nairanjana River,
which flows by the Gaya Village.
−6−

Shakyamuni Buddha

5. The methods of his practice were unbelievably rigorous. He spurred himself on with the thought that “no
ascetic in the past, none in the present, and none in the
future, ever has practiced or ever will practice more
earnestly than I do.”

Still the Prince could not realize his goal. After six
years in the forest he gave up the practice of asceticism.
He went bathing in the river and accepted a bowl of milk
from the hand of Sujata, a maiden, who lived in the neighboring village. The five companions who had lived with
the Prince during the six years of his ascetic practice
were shocked that he should receive milk from the hand
of a maiden; they thought him degraded and left him.

Thus the Prince was left alone. He was still weak,
but at the risk of losing his life he attempted yet another
period of meditation, saying to himself, “Blood may
become exhausted, flesh may decay, bones may fall
apart, but I will never leave this place until I find the way
to Enlightenment.”

It was an intense and incomparable struggle for
him. He was desperate and filled with confusing
thoughts, dark shadows overhung his spirit, and he was
−7−

Shakyamuni Buddha

beleaguered by all the lures of the devils. Carefully and
patiently he examined them one by one and rejected
them all. It was a hard struggle indeed, making his blood
run thin, his flesh fall away, and his bones crack.
But when the morning star appeared in the eastern
sky, the struggle was over and the Prince’s mind was as
clear and bright as the breaking day. He had, at last,
found the path to Enlightenment. It was December
eighth, when the Prince became a Buddha at thirty-five
years of age.
6. From this time on the Prince was known by different names: some spoke of him as Buddha, the Perfectly
Enlightened One, Tathagata; some spoke of him as
Shakyamuni, the Sage of the Shakya clan; others called
him the World-honored One.
He went first to Mrigadava in Varanasi where the
five mendicants who had lived with him during the six
years of his ascetic life were staying. At first they
shunned him, but after they had talked with him, they
believed in him and became his first followers. He then
went to the Rajagriha Castle and won over King
Bimbisara who had always been his friend. From there
he went about the country living on alms and teaching
men to accept his way of life.
People responded to him as the thirsty seek water
−8−

Shakyamuni Buddha

and the hungry food. Two great disciples, Sariputra and
Maudgalyayana, and their two thousand followers, came
to him.
At first the Buddha’s father, King Shuddhodana, still
inwardly suffering because of his son’s decision to leave
the palace, remained aloof, but then became his faithful
disciple. Mahaprajapati, the Buddha’s stepmother, and
Princess Yashodhara, his wife, and all the members of the
Shakya clan began to follow him. Multitudes of others
also became his devoted and faithful followers.
7. For for ty-five years the Buddha went about the
country preaching and persuading people to follow his
way of life. But when he was eighty, at Vaisali and on his
way from Rajagriha to Shravasti, he became ill and predicted that after three months he would enter Nirvana.
Still he journeyed on until he reached Pava where he fell
seriously ill from some food offered by Chunda, a blacksmith. Eventually, in spite of great pain and weakness, he
reached the forest that bordered Kusinagara.
L ying between two large sala trees, he continued
teaching his disciples until his last moment. Thus he
entered into perfect tranquility after he had completed
his work as the world’s greatest teacher.

−9−

Shakyamuni Buddha

8. Under the guidance of Ananda, the Buddha’s
favorite disciple, the body was cremated by his friends in
Kusinagara.
Seven neighboring rulers as well as King Ajatasatru
demanded that the relics be divided among them. The
People of Kusinagara at first refused and the dispute even
threatened to end in war; but under the advice of a wise
man named Drona, the crisis passed and the relics were
divided among the eight great countries. The ashes of the
funeral pyre and the earthen jar that contained the relics
were also given to two other rulers to be likewise honored. Thus ten great towers commemorating the Buddha
were built to enshrine his relics and ashes.

II
THE LAST TEACHING OF THE BUDDHA
1. Beneath the sala trees at Kusinagara, in his last
words to his disciples, the Buddha said:
“Make of yourself a light. Rely upon yourself: do not
depend upon anyone else. Make my teachings your light.
Rely upon them: do not depend upon any other teaching.
Consider your body: Think of its impurity. Knowing
that both its pain and its delight are alike causes of suffering, how can you indulge in its desires? Consider your
− 10 −

Shakyamuni Buddha

‘self’; think of its transiency; how can you fall into delusion about it and cherish pride and selfishness, knowing
that they must all end in inevitable suffering? Consider all
substances; can you find among them any enduring ‘self’?
Are they not all aggregates that sooner or later will break
apart and be scattered? Do not be confused by the universality of suffering, but follow my teaching, even after my
death, and you will be rid of pain. Do this and you will
indeed be my disciples.”
2. “My disciples, the teachings that I have given you
are never to be forgotten or abandoned. They are always
to be treasured, they are to be thought about, they are to
be practiced. If you follow these teachings you will always
be happy.
The point of the teachings is to control your own
mind. Keep your mind from greed, and you will keep
your behavior right, your mind pure and your words
faithful. By always thinking about the transiency of your
life, you will be able to resist greed and anger, and will be
able to avoid all evils.
If you find your mind tempted and so entangled in
greed, you must suppress and control the temptation; be
the master of your own mind.

− 11 −

Shakyamuni Buddha

A man’s mind may make him a Buddha, or it may
make him a beast. Misled by er ror, one becomes a
demon; enlightened, one becomes a Buddha. Therefore,
control your mind and do not let it deviate from the right
path.”
3. “You should respect each other, follow my teachings, and refrain from disputes; you should not, like water
and oil, repel each other, but should, like milk and water,
mingle together.
Study together, learn together, practice my teachings together. Do not waste your mind and time in idleness and quar reling. Enjoy the blossoms of
Enlightenment in their season and harvest the fruit of the
right path.
The teachings which I have given you, I gained by
following the path myself. You should follow these teachings and conform to their spirit on every occasion.
If you neglect them, it means that you have never
really met me. It means that you are far from me, even if
you are actually with me; but if you accept and practice
my teachings, then you are very near to me, even though
you are far away.”
4.

“My disciples, my end is approaching, our parting is
− 12 −

Shakyamuni Buddha

near, but do not lament. Life is ever changing; none can
escape the dissolution of the body. This I am now to show
by my own death, my body falling apart like a dilapidated
cart.
Do not vainly lament, but realize that nothing is permanent and learn from it the emptiness of human life. Do
not cherish the unworthy desire that the changeable
might become unchanging.
The demon of worldly desires is always seeking
chances to deceive the mind. If a viper lives in your room
and you wish to have a peaceful sleep, you must first
chase it out.
You must break the bonds of worldly passions and
drive them away as you would a viper. You must
positively protect your own mind.”
5. “My disciples, my last moment has come, but do not
forget that death is only the end of the physical body. The
body was born from parents and was nourished by food;
just as inevitable are sickness and death.
But the true Buddha is not a human body: — it is
Enlightenment. A human body must die, but the Wisdom
of Enlightenment will exist forever in the truth of the
Dharma, and in the practice of the Dharma. He who sees
− 13 −

Shakyamuni Buddha

merely my body does not truly see me. Only he who
accepts my teaching truly sees me.
After my death, the Dharma shall be your teacher.
Follow the Dharma and you will be true to me.
During the last forty-five years of my life, I have
withheld nothing from my teachings. There is no secret
teaching, no hidden meaning; ever ything has been
taught openly and clearly. My dear disciples, this is the
end. In a moment, I shall be passing into Nirvana. This is
my instruction.”

− 14 −

CHAPTER TWO

THE ETERNAL AND GLORIFIED
BUDDHA
I
HIS COMPASSION AND VOWS

1. The Spirit of Buddha is that of great loving kindness
and compassion. The great loving kindness is the spirit to
save all people by any and all means. The great compassion is the spirit that prompts it to be ill with the illness of
people, to suffer with their suffering.

“Your suffering is my suffering and your happiness
is my happiness,” said Buddha, and, just as a mother
always loves her child, He does not forget that spirit even
for a single moment, for it is the nature of Buddhahood to
be compassionate.

The Buddha’s spirit of compassion is stimulated
according to the needs of the people; one’s faith is the
reaction to this spirit, and it leads him to Enlightenment,
just as a mother realizes her motherhood by loving her
child; then the child, reacting to that love, feels safe and
at ease.
− 15 −

The Eternal and Glorified Buddha

Yet people do not understand this spirit of Buddha
and go on suffering from the illusions and desires that
arise from their ignorance; they suffer from their own
deeds accumulated through worldly passions, and
wander about among the mountains of delusion with the
heavy burden of their evil deeds.
2. Do not think that the compassion of the Buddha is
only for the present life; it is a manifestation of the timeless compassion of the eternal Buddha that has been
operative since unknown time, when mankind went
astray due to ignorance.
The eternal Buddha always appears before people in
the most friendly forms and brings to them the wisest
methods of relief.
Shakyamuni Buddha, born a Prince among his
Shakya kinsmen, left the comforts of his home to live a
life of asceticism. Through the practice of silent meditation, he realized Enlightenment. He preached the
Dharma (the teaching) among his fellow men and finally
manifested it by his earthly death.
The working of Buddhahood is as everlasting as
human ignorance is endless; and as the depth of ignorance is bottomless, so Buddha’s compassion is boundless.
− 16 −

The Eternal and Glorified Buddha

When Buddha decided to break from the worldly
life, he made four great vows: 1) To save all people; 2) To
renounce all worldly desires; 3) To learn all the teachings; and 4) to attain perfect Enlightenment. These vows
were manifestations of the love and compassion that are
fundamental to the nature of Buddhahood.
3. Buddha first taught himself to avoid the sin of
killing any living creature, he wished that all people
might know the blessedness of a long life.
Buddha trained himself to avoid the sin of stealing,
he wished that all people might have ever ything they
needed.
Buddha trained himself to avoid ever committing
adulter y, he wished that all people might know the
blessedness of a pure spirit and not suffer from insatiable
desires.
Buddha, aiming at his ideal, trained himself to
remain free from all deception, he wished that all people
might know the tranquillity of mind that would follow in
speaking the truth.
He trained himself to avoid double-talk; he wished
that all people might know the joy of fellowship.
− 17 −

The Eternal and Glorified Buddha

He trained himself to avoid abusing others, and then
he wished that all might have the serene mind that would
follow by living in peace with others.
He kept himself free from idle talk, and then wished
that all might know the blessedness of sympathetic
understanding.
Buddha, aiming at his ideal, trained himself to keep
free from greed, and by this virtuous deed he wished that
all people might know the peacefulness that would go
with this freedom.
He trained himself to avoid anger, and he wished
that all people might love one another.
He trained himself to avoid ignorance, and wished
that all people might understand and not disregard the
law of causation.
Thus Buddha’s compassion embraces all people,
and his constant consideration is for their happiness. He
loves people as parents love their children and wishes the
highest blessedness for them, namely, that they will be
able to pass beyond this ocean of birth and death.

− 18 −

The Eternal and Glorified Buddha

II
BUDDHA’S RELIEF AND
SALVATION FOR US
1. It is very difficult for the words spoken by Buddha
from the far bank of Enlightenment to reach the people
still struggling in the world of delusion; therefore Buddha
returns to this world Himself and uses His methods of
salvation.
“Now I will tell you a parable,” Buddha said. “Once
there lived a wealthy man whose house caught on fire.
The man was away from home and when he came back,
he found that his children were so absorbed in play, had
not noticed the fire and were still inside the house. The
father screamed, ‘Get out, children! Come out of the
house! Hurry!’ But the children did not heed him.
The anxious father shouted again. ‘Children, I have
some wonderful toys here; come out of the house and get
them!’ Heeding his cry this time, the children ran out of
the burning house.”
This world is a burning house. The people, unaware
that the house is on fire, are in danger of being burned to
death so Buddha in compassion devises ways of saving
them.

− 19 −

The Eternal and Glorified Buddha

2. Buddha said: “I will tell you another parable. Once
upon a time the only son of a wealthy man left his home
and fell into extreme poverty.
When the father traveled far from home in search of
his son, he lost track of him. He did everything he could
to find his son, but in vain.
Decades later, his son, now reduced to wretchedness, wandered near where his father was living.
The father quickly recognized his son and sent his
servants to bring the wanderer home; who was overcome
by the majestic appearance of the mansion. He feared
that they were deceiving him and would not go with
them. He did not realize it was his own father.
The father again sent his servants to offer him some
money to become a servant in their rich master’s household. The son accepted the offer and returned with them
to his father’s house and became a servant.

The father gradually advanced him until he was put
in charge of all the property and treasures, but still the
son did not recognize his own father.
The father was pleased with his son’s faithfulness,
− 20 −

The Eternal and Glorified Buddha

and as the end of his life drew near, he called together his
relatives and friends and told them: ‘Friends, this is my
only son, the son I sought for many years. From now on,
all my property and treasures belong to him.’
The son was surprised at his father’s confession and
said: ‘Not only have I found my father but all this
property and treasure is now mine.’”
The wealthy man in this parable represents Buddha,
and the wandering son, all people. Buddha’s compassion
embraces all people with the love of a father for his only
son. In that love he conceives the wisest methods to lead,
teach and enrich them with the treasure of
Enlightenment.
3. Just as rain falls on all vegetation, so Buddha’s compassion extends equally to all people. Just as different
plants receive particular benefits from the same rain, so
people of different natures and circumstances are blessed
in different ways.
4. Parents love all their children, but their love is
expressed with special tenderness toward a sick child.
Buddha’s compassion is equal toward all people, but
it is expressed with special care toward those who,
because of their ignorance, have heavier burdens of evil
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The Eternal and Glorified Buddha

and suffering to bear.
The sun rises in the eastern sky and clears away the
darkness of the world without prejudice or favoritism
toward any particular region. So Buddha’s compassion
encompasses all people, encouraging them to do right
and guides them against evil. Thus, He clears away the
darkness of ignorance and leads people to Enlightenment.
Buddha is a father in His compassion and a mother
in His loving-kindness. In their ignorance and bondage to
worldly desire, people often act with excessive zeal.
Buddha is also zealous, but out of compassion for all
people. They are helpless without Buddha’s compassion
and must receive His methods of salvation as His children.
III
THE ETERNAL BUDDHA
1. Common people believe that Buddha was born a
prince and learned the way to Enlightenment as a mendicant; actually, Buddha has always existed in the world
which is without beginning or end.
As the Eternal Buddha, He has known all people
and applied all methods of relief.
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The Eternal and Glorified Buddha

There is no falsity in the Eternal Dharma which
Buddha taught, for He knows all things in the world as
they are, and He teaches them to all people.
Indeed, it is very difficult to understand the world as
it is, for, although it seems true, it is not, and, although it
seems false, it is not. Ignorant people can not know the
truth concerning the world.

Buddha alone truly and fully knows the world as it is
and He never says that it is true or false, or good or evil.
He simply portrays the world as it is.

What Buddha does teach is this: “That all people
should cultivate roots of virtue according to their natures,
their deeds, and their beliefs.” This teaching transcends
all affirmation and negation of this world.

2. Buddha teaches not only through words, but also
through His life. Although His life is endless, in order to
awaken greedy people, He uses the expedient of death.
“While a certain physician was away from home, his
children accidentally took some poison. When the physician returned, he noticed their sickness and prepared an
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The Eternal and Glorified Buddha

antidote. Some of the children who were not seriously
poisoned accepted the medicine and were cured, but
others were so seriously affected that they refused to
take the medicine.
The physician, prompted by his paternal love for his
children, decided on an extreme method to press the
cure upon them. He said to the children: “I must go off
on a long journey. I am old and may pass away any day. If
I am with you I can care for you, but if I should pass away,
you will become worse and worse. If you hear of my
death, I implore you to take the antidote and be cured of
this subtle poisoning.” Then he went on the long journey.
After a time, he sent a messenger to his children to
inform them of his death.
The children, receiving the message, were deeply
affected by the thought of their father’s death and by the
realization that they would no longer have the benefit of
his benevolent care. Recalling his parting request, in a
feeling of sorrow and helplessness, they took the medicine and recovered.
People must not condemn the deception of this
father-physician. Buddha is like that father. He, too,
employs the fiction of birth and death to save people who
are entangled in the bondage of desires.
− 24 −

CHAPTER THREE

THE FORM OF BUDDHA AND
HIS VIRTUES
I
THREE ASPECTS OF BUDDHA’S BODY

1. Do not seek to know Buddha by His form or attributes; for neither the form nor the attributes are the real
Buddha. The true Buddha is Enlightenment itself. The
true way to know Buddha is to realize Enlightenment.

If someone sees some excellent features of Buddha
and then thinks he knows Buddha, his is the mistake of
an ignorant eye, for the true Buddha can not be embodied in a form or seen by human eyes. Neither can one
know Buddha by a faultless description of his attributes.
It is not possible to describe His attributes in human
words.

Though we speak of His form, the Eternal Buddha
has no set form, but can manifest Himself in any form.
Though we describe His attributes, yet the Eternal
Buddha has no set attributes, but can manifest Himself in
any and all excellent attributes.
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The Form of Buddha and his Virtues

So, if one sees distinctly the form of Buddha, or perceives His attributes clearly, and yet does not become
attached to His form or to His attributes, he has the
capacity to see and know Buddha.
2. Buddha’s body is Enlightenment itself. Being formless and without substance, it always has been and always
will be. It is not a physical body that must be nourished
by food. It is an eter nal body whose substance is
Wisdom. Buddha, therefore, has neither fear nor disease;
He is eternally changeless.

Therefore, Buddha will never disappear as long as
Enlightenment exists. Enlightenment appears as the light
of Wisdom that awakens people into a newness of life and
causes them to be born into the world of Buddha.
Those who realize this become the children of
Buddha; they keep His Dharma, honor His teachings and
pass them on to posterity. Nothing can be more miraculous than the power of Buddha.

3. Buddha has a three-fold body. There is an aspect of
Essence or Dhar ma-kaya; there is an aspect of
Potentiality or Sambhoga-kaya; and there is an aspect of
Manifestation or Nirmana-kaya.
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The Form of Buddha and his Virtues

Dharma-kaya is the substance of the Dharma; that
is, it is the substance of Truth itself. In the aspect of
Essence, Buddha has no shape or color, and since
Buddha has no shape or color, He comes from nowhere
and there is nowhere for Him to go. Like the blue sky, He
arches over ever ything, and since He is all things, He
lacks nothing.
He does not exist because people think He exists;
neither does He disappear because people forget Him.
He is under no particular compulsion to appear when
people are happy and comfortable, neither is it necessary
for Him to disappear when people are inattentive and idle.
Buddha transcends every conceivable direction of human
thought.
Buddha’s body in this aspect fills every corner of
the universe; it reaches ever ywhere, it exists forever,
regardless of whether people believe in Him or doubt His
existence.
4. Sambhoga-kaya signifies that the nature of Buddha,
the merging of both Compassion and Wisdom, which is
imageless spirit, manifests itself through the symbols of
birth and death, through the symbols of vow-making,
training and revealing His sacred name, in order to lead
all people to salvation.
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The Form of Buddha and his Virtues

Compassion is the Essence of this body and in its
spirit Buddha uses all devices to emancipate all those
who are ready for emancipation. Like a fire that, once kindled, never dies until the fuel is exhausted, so the
Compassion of Buddha will never falter until all worldly
passions are exhausted. Just as the wind blows away the
dust, so the Compassion of Buddha in this body blows
away the dust of human suffering.
Nirmana-kaya signifies that, in order to complete
the relief of Buddha of Potentiality, Buddha appeared in
the world in bodily form and showed the people, according to their natures and capacities, the aspects of the
bir th, renunciation of this world and attainment of
Enlightenment. In order to lead the people, Buddha in
this body uses every means such as illness and death.
The form of Buddha is originally one Dharma-kaya,
but as the nature of people varies, Buddha’s form appears
differently. Although the form of Buddha varies according to the different desires, deeds and abilities of people,
Buddha is concerned only with the truth of the Dharma.
Though Buddha has a three-fold body, His spirit and
purpose are one – to save all people.
In all circumstances Buddha is manifest in His
purity, yet this manifestation is not Buddha because
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The Form of Buddha and his Virtues

Buddha is not a form. Buddhahood fills ever ything; it
makes Enlightenment its body and, as Enlightenment, it
appears before all those capable of realizing the Truth.

II
THE APPEARANCE OF BUDDHA
1. It is seldom that a Buddha appears in this world.
Now a Buddha does appear, attains Enlightenment, introduces the Dharma, severs the net of suspicion, removes
the lure of desire at its root, plugs the fountain of evil.
Completely unhindered He walks at will over the world.
There is nothing greater than to revere the Buddha.
Buddha appears in the world of suffering because
He can not desert suffering people. His only purpose is to
spread the Dharma and to bless all people with its Truth.
It is very difficult to introduce the Dharma into a
world filled with injustice and false standards, a world
that is vainly struggling with insatiable desires and discomforts. Buddha faces these difficulties because of His
great love and compassion.
2.

Buddha is a good friend to all people. If Buddha
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The Form of Buddha and his Virtues

finds a man suffering from the heavy burden of worldly
passions, He feels compassion and shares the burden
with him. If He meets a man suffering from delusion, He
will clear away the delusion by the pure light of His
wisdom.
Like a calf which enjoys its life with its mother,
those who have heard the Buddha’s teachings are afterward unwilling to leave Him because His teachings bring
them happiness.
3. When the moon sets, people say that the moon has
disappeared; and when the moon rises, they say that the
moon has appeared. In fact, the moon neither goes nor
comes, but shines continually in the sky. Buddha is
exactly like the moon: He neither appears nor disappears;
He only seems to do so out of love for the people that He
may teach them.
People call one phase of the moon a full moon, they
call another phase a crescent moon; in reality, the moon
is always perfectly round, neither waxing nor waning.
Buddha is precisely like the moon. In the eyes of human,
Buddha may seem to change in appearance, but, in truth,
Buddha does not change.
The moon appears everywhere, over a crowded city,
a sleepy village, a mountain, a river. It is seen in the
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The Form of Buddha and his Virtues

depths of a pond, in a jug of water, in a drop of dew hanging on a leaf. If a man walks hundreds of miles the moon
goes with him. To men the moon seems to change, but
the moon does not change. Buddha is like the moon in
following the people of this world in all their changing circumstances, manifesting various appearances; but in His
Essence He does not change.
4. The fact that Buddha appears and disappears can be
explained by causality: namely, when the cause and conditions are propitious, Buddha appears; when causes and
conditions are not propitious, Buddha seems to disappear
from the world.
Whether Buddha appears or disappears,
Buddhahood always remains the same. Knowing this
principle, one must keep to the path of Enlightenment
and attain Perfect Wisdom, undisturbed by the apparent
changes in the image of Buddha, in the condition of the
world, or in the fluctuations of human thought.
It has been explained that Buddha is not a physical
body but is Enlightenment. A body may be thought of as
a receptacle; then, if this receptacle is filled with
Enlightenment, it may be called Buddha. Therefore, if
anyone is attached to the physical body of Buddha and
laments His disappearance, he will be unable to see the
true Buddha.
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The Form of Buddha and his Virtues

In reality, the true nature of all things transcends
the discrimination of appearance and disappearance, of
coming and going, of good and evil. All things are substanceless and perfectly homogeneous.
Such discriminations are caused by an erroneous
judgment by those who see these phenomena. The true
form of Buddha neither appears nor disappears.
III
BUDDHA’S VIRTUE
1. Buddha receives the respect of the world because of
five virtues: superior conduct; superior point of view; perfect wisdom; superior preaching ability; and the power to
lead people to the practice of His teaching.
In addition, eight other virtues enable Buddha to
bestow blessings and happiness upon the people: the ability to bring immediate benefits in the world through the
practice of His teaching, the ability to judge correctly
between good and bad, right and wrong, the ability to
lead people to Enlightenment by teaching the right way,
the ability to lead all people by an equal way, the ability to
avoid pride and boasting, the ability to do what He has
spoken, the ability to say what He has done, and, thus
doing, to fulfill the vows of His compassionate heart.
Through meditation, Buddha preserves a calm and
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The Form of Buddha and his Virtues

peaceful spirit, radiant with mercy, compassion, happiness and even equanimity. He deals equitably with all
people, cleansing their minds of defilement and bestowing happiness in a perfect singleness of spirit.

2. Buddha is both father and mother to the people of
the world. For sixteen months after a child is born the
father and mother have to speak to him in babyish words;
then gradually they teach him to speak as an adult. Like
earthly parents, Buddha first takes care of the people and
then leaves them to care for themselves. He first brings
things to pass according to their desires and then He
brings them to a peaceful and safe shelter.
What Buddha preaches in His language, people
receive and assimilate in their own language as if it were
intended exclusively for them.
Buddha’s state of mind surpasses human thought; it
can not be made clear by words; it can only be hinted at
in parables.

The Ganges River is stirred up by the tramping of
horses and elephants and disturbed by the movements of
fish and turtles; but the river flows on, pure and undisturbed by such trifles. Buddha is like the great river. The
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The Form of Buddha and his Virtues

fish and tur tles of other teachings swim about in its
depths and push against its current, but in vain. Buddha’s
Dharma flows on, pure and undisturbed.
3. Buddha’s Wisdom, being perfect, keeps away from
extremes of prejudice and preserves a moderation that is
beyond all words to describe. Being all-wise He knows
the thoughts and feelings of all men and realizes everything in this world in a moment.
As the stars of heaven are reflected in the calm sea,
so people’s thoughts, feelings and circumstances are
reflected in the depths of Buddha’s Wisdom. This is why
Buddha is called the Per fectly Enlightened One, the
Omniscience.
Buddha’s Wisdom refreshes the arid minds of
people, enlightens them and teaches them the significance of this world, its causes and its effects, appearings
and disappearings. Indeed, without the aid of Buddha’s
Wisdom, what aspect of the world is at all comprehensible for people?
4. Buddha does not always appear as a Buddha.
Sometimes He appears as an incarnation of evil, sometimes as a woman, a god, a king, or a statesman; sometimes He appears in a brothel or in a gambling house.
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The Form of Buddha and his Virtues

In an epidemic He appears as a healing physician
and in war He preaches forbearance and mercy for the
suffering people; for those who believe that things are
everlasting, He preaches transiency and uncertainty; for
those who are proud and egoistic, He preaches humility
and self-sacrifice; for those who are entangled in the web
of worldly pleasures, He reveals the misery of the world.
The work of Buddha is to manifest in all affairs and
on all occasions the pure essence of Dharma-kaya (the
absolute nature of Buddha); so Buddha’s mercy and compassion flow out from this Dharma-kaya in endless life
and boundless light, bringing salvation to all.
5. The world is like a burning house that is forever
being destroyed and rebuilt. People, being confused by
the darkness of their ignorance, lose their minds in
anger, displeasure, jealousy, prejudice and worldly passion. They are like babies in need of a mother; everyone
must be dependent upon Buddha’s mercy and compassion.
Buddha is a father to all the world; all human beings
are the children of Buddha. Buddha is the most saintly of
saints. The world is afire with decrepitude and death;
there is suffering everywhere. But people, engrossed in
the vain search for worldly pleasure, are not wise enough
to fully realize this.
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The Form of Buddha and his Virtues

Buddha saw that this world of delusion was really a
burning house, so He turned from it and found refuge
and peace in the quiet forest. There, out of His great compassion, he calls to us: “This world of change and suffering belongs to me; all these ignorant, heedless people are
my children; I am the only one who can save them from
their delusion and misery.”
As Buddha is the great king of the Dharma, He can
preach to all people as He wishes. Buddha appears in the
world to bless the people. To save them from suffering
He preaches the Dharma, but the ears of people are
dulled by greed and they are inattentive.
But those who listen to His teachings are free from
the delusions and the miseries of life. “People can not be
saved by relying on their own wisdom,” He said, “and
through faith they must enter into my teaching.”
Therefore, one should listen to the Buddha’s teaching
and put it into practice.

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DHARMA

CHAPTER ONE

CAUSATION
I
THE FOURFOLD NOBLE TRUTH

1. The world is full of suffering. Birth is suffering, old
age is suffering, sickness and death are sufferings. To
meet a person whom one hates is suffering, to be separated from a beloved one is suffering, to be vainly struggling to satisfy one’s needs is suffering. In fact, life that is
not free from desire and passion is always involved with
distress. This is called the Truth of Suffering.

The cause of human suffering is undoubtedly found
in the thirsts of the physical body and in the illusions of
worldly passion. If these thirsts and illusions are traced to
their source, they are found to be rooted in the intense
desires of physical instincts. Thus, desire, having a
strong will-to-live as its basis, seeks that which it feels
desirable, even if it is sometimes death. This is called the
Truth of the Cause of Suffering.

If desire, which lies at the root of all human passion,
can be removed, then passion will die out and all human
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Causation

suffering will be ended. This is called the Truth of the
Cessation of Suffering.
In order to enter into a state where there is no
desire and no suffering, one must follow a certain Path.
The stages of this Noble Eightfold Path are: Right View,
Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Behavior, Right
Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right
Concentration. This is called the Truth of the Noble Path
to the Cessation of the Cause of Suffering.
People should keep these Truths clearly in mind,
for the world is filled with suffering and if anyone wishes
to escape from suf fering, he must sever the ties of
worldly passion which is the sole cause of suffering. The
way of life which is free from all worldly passion and
suffering can only be known through Enlightenment, and
Enlightenment can only be attained through the
discipline of the Noble Eightfold Path.
2. All those who are seeking Enlightenment must
understand the Fourfold Noble Truth. Without understanding this, they will wander about interminably in the
bewildering maze of life’s illusions. Those who understand this Fourfold Noble Truth are called “the people
who have acquired the eyes of Enlightenment.”
Therefore, those who wish to follow the Buddha’s
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Causation

teachings should concentrate their minds on this
Fourfold Noble Truth and seek to make their understanding of its meaning clear. In all ages, a saint, if he is a
true saint, is one who understands it and teaches it to
others.
When a person clearly understands the Fourfold
Noble Truth, then the Noble Eightfold Path will lead one
away from greed; and if a person is free from greed, one
will not quarrel with the world, one will not kill, nor steal,
nor commit adultery, nor cheat, nor abuse, nor flatter, nor
envy, nor lose one’s temper, nor forget the transiency of
life nor will one be unjust.
3. Following the Noble Path is like entering a dark
room with a light in the hand: the darkness will all be
cleared away and the room will be filled with light.
People who understand the meaning of the Noble
Truths and have learned to follow the Noble Path are in
possession of the light of wisdom that will clear away the
darkness of ignorance.
Buddha leads people, merely by indicating to them
the Fourfold Noble Truth. Those who understand it properly will attain Enlightenment; they will be able to guide
and support others in this bewildering world, and they
will be worthy of trust. When the Fourfold Noble Truth
is clearly understood, all the sources of worldly passion
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Causation

are dried up.
Advancing from this Fourfold Noble Truth, the disciples of Buddha will attain all other precious truths; they
will gain the wisdom and insight to understand all meanings, and will become capable of preaching the Dharma
to all the peoples of the world.
II
CAUSATION
1. There are causes for all human suffering, and there
is a way by which they may be ended, because ever ything in the world is the result of a vast concurrence of
causes and conditions, and ever ything disappears as
these causes and conditions change and pass away.
Rain falls, winds blow, plants bloom, leaves mature
and are blown away. These phenomena are all interrelated with causes and conditions, and are brought about by
them, and disappear as the causes and conditions
change.
One is born through the conditions of parentage.
His body is nourished by food: his spirit is nurtured by
teaching and experience.
Therefore, both flesh and spirit are related to conditions and are changed as conditions change.
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Causation

As a net is made up by a series of knots, so everything in this world is connected by a series of knots. If
anyone thinks that the mesh of a net is an independent,
isolated thing, he is mistaken.
It is called a net because it is made up of a series of
connected meshes, and each mesh has its place and
responsibilities in relation to other meshes.
2. Blossoms come about because of a series of conditions that lead up to their blooming. Leaves are blown
away because a series of conditions lead up to it.
Blossoms do not appear independently, nor does a leaf
fall of itself, out of its season. So ever ything has its
coming forth and passing away; nothing can be independent without any change.
It is the everlasting and unchanging rule of this
world that everything is created by a series of causes and
conditions and everything disappears by the same rule;
everything changes, nothing remains constant.

III
DEPENDENT ORIGINATION
1. Where is the source of human grief, lamentation,
pain and agony? Is it not to be found in the fact that
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Causation

people are generally desirous.
They cling obstinately to lives of wealth and honor,
comfort and pleasure, excitement and self indulgence,
ignorant of the fact that the desire for these very things is
the source of human suffering.
From its beginning, the world has been filled with a
succession of calamities, over and above the unavoidable
facts of illness, old age and death.
But if one carefully considers all the facts, one must
be convinced that at the basis of all suffering lies the principle of craving desire. If avarice can be removed, human
suffering will come to an end.
Ignorance is manifested in greed that fills the
human mind.
It comes from the fact that people are unaware of
the true reason for the succession of things.
From ignorance and greed there spring impure
desires for things that are, in fact, unobtainable, but for
which people restlessly and blindly search.
Because of ignorance and greed, people imagine
discriminations where, in reality, there are no discrimina− 43 −

Causation

tions. Inherently, there is no discrimination of right and
wrong in human behavior; but people, because of ignorance, imagine such distinctions and judge them as right
or wrong.
Because of their ignorance, all people are always
thinking wrong thoughts and always losing the right
viewpoint and, clinging to their egos, they take wrong
actions. As a result, they become attached to a delusive
existence.
Making their deeds the field for their egos, using
the working of discrimination of the mind as seed,
beclouding the mind by ignorance, fertilizing it with the
rain of craving desires, irrigating it by the willfulness of
egotism, they add the conception of evil, and carry this
incarnation of delusion about with them.

2. In reality, therefore, it is their own mind that causes
the delusions of grief, lamentation, pain and agony.
This whole world of delusion is nothing but a
shadow caused by the mind. And yet, it is also from this
same mind that the world of Enlightenment appears.
3.

In this world there are three wrong viewpoints.
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Causation

If one clings to these viewpoints, then all things in
this world are but to be denied.
First, some say that all human experience is based
on destiny; second, some hold that everything is created
by God and controlled by His will; third, some say that
everything happens by chance without having any cause
or condition.
If all has been decided by destiny, both good deeds
and evil deeds are predetermined, weal and woe are predestined; nothing would exist that has not been foreordained. Then all human plans and efforts for improvement and progress would be in vain and humanity would
be without hope.
The same is true of the other viewpoints, for, if
ever ything in the last resor t is in the hands of an
unknowable God, or of blind chance, what hope has
humanity except in submission? It is no wonder that
people holding these conceptions lose hope and neglect
efforts to act wisely and to avoid evil.
In fact, these three conceptions or viewpoints are all
wrong: everything is a succession of appearances whose
source is the accumulation of causes and conditions.

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CHAPTER TWO

THE THEORY OF MIND-ONLY AND
THE REAL STATE OF THINGS
I
IMPERMANENCY AND EGOLESSNESS

1. Though both body and mind appear because of
cooperating causes, it does not follow that there is an egopersonality. As the body of flesh is an aggregate of elements, it is, therefore, impermanent.
If the body were an ego-personality, it could do this
and that as it would determine.

A king has the power to praise or punish as he
wishes, but he becomes ill despite his intent or desire, he
comes to old age unwillingly, and his fortune and his
wishes often have little to do with each other.

Neither is the mind the ego-personality. The human
mind is an aggregate of causes and conditions. It is in
constant change.
If the mind were an ego-personality, it could do this
and that as it would determine; but the mind often flies
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The Theory of Mind-only and the Real State of Things

from what it knows is right and chases after evil reluctantly. Still, nothing seems to happen exactly as its ego
desires.
2. If one is asked whether the body is constant or
impermanent, he will be obliged to answer impermanent.
If one is asked whether impermanent existence is
happiness or suffering, he will generally have to answer
suffering.
If a person believes that such an impermanent thing,
so changeable and filled with suffering, is the ego-personality, it is a serious mistake.
The human mind is also impermanent and suffering; it has nothing that can be called an ego-personality.
Our true body and mind, which make up an individual life, and the external world surrounding it, are far
apart from both the conceptions of “me” and “mine”.
It is simply the mind clouded over by impure
desires, and impervious to wisdom, that obstinately persists in thinking of “me” and “mine.”
Since both the body and its surroundings are originated by cooperating causes and conditions, they are con− 47 −

The Theory of Mind-only and the Real State of Things

tinually changing and never can come to an end.
The human mind, in its never-ending changes, is
like the flowing water of river or the burning flame of a
candle; like an ape, it is forever jumping about, not ceasing for even a moment.
A wise man, seeing and hearing such, should break
away from any attachment to body or mind, if he is ever
to attain Enlightenment.
3. There are five things which no one is able to accomplish in this world: first, to cease growing old when he is
growing old; second, to cease being sick; third, to cease
dying; fourth, to deny extinction when there is extinction;
fifth, to deny exhaustion.
Ordinar y people in the world sooner or later run
into these facts, and most people suffer consequently, but
those who have heard the Buddha’s teaching do not suffer because they understand that these are unavoidable.
There are four truths in this world: first, all living
beings rise from ignorance; second, all objects of desire
are impermanent, uncertain and suffering; third, all existing things are also impermanent, uncertain and suffering;
fourth, there is nothing that can be called an “ego,” and
there is no such thing as “mine” in all the world.
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The Theory of Mind-only and the Real State of Things

These truths that everything is impermanent and
passing and egoless, have no connection with the fact of
Buddha’s appearing or not appearing in this world. These
truths are certain; Buddha knows this and, therefore,
preaches the Dharma to all people.

II
THE THEORY OF MIND-ONLY
1. Both delusion and Enlightenment originate within
the mind, and ever y existence or phenomenon arises
from the functions of the mind, just as different things
appear from the sleeve of a magician.
The activities of the mind have no limit, they form
the surroundings of life. An impure mind surrounds itself
with impure things and a pure mind surrounds itself with
pure things; hence, surroundings have no more limits
than the activities of the mind.
Just as a picture is drawn by an artist, surroundings
are created by the activities of the mind. While the surroundings created by Buddha are pure and free from
defilement, those created by ordinary people are not so.
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The mind conjures up multifarious forms just as a
skilful painter creates pictures of various worlds. There is
nothing in the world that is not mind-created. A Buddha
is like our mind; sentient beings are just like Buddhas.
Therefore there is no dif ference among the mind,
Buddhas and sentient beings in their capability of creating all things.
Buddha has a right understanding of all things as
fashioned by the mor tal mind. Therefore, those who
know this are able to see the real Buddha.
2. But the mind that creates its surroundings is never
free from memories, fears or laments, not only in the past
but in the present and the future, because they have
arisen from ignorance and greed.
It is from ignorance and greed that the world of
delusion is born, and all the vast complexity of coordinating causes and conditions exists within the mind and
nowhere else.
Both life and death arise from the mind and exist
within the mind. Hence, when the mind that concerns
itself with life and death passes on, the world of life and
death passes with it.

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The Theory of Mind-only and the Real State of Things

An unenlightened life rises from a mind that is
bewildered by its own world of delusion. If we learn that
there is no world of delusion outside the mind, the bewildered mind becomes clear; and because we cease to create impure surroundings, we attain Enlightenment.

In this way the world of life and death is created by
the mind, is in bondage to the mind, is ruled by the mind;
the mind is the master of every situation. The world of
suffering is brought about by the deluded mortal mind.

3. Therefore, all things are primarily controlled and
ruled by the mind, and are created up by the mind. As
the wheels follow the ox that draws the cart, so does suffering follow the person who speaks and acts with an
impure mind.
But if a person speaks and acts with a good mind,
happiness follows him like his shadow. Those who act in
evil are followed by the thought, “I have done wrong,”
and the memor y of the act is stored to work out its
inevitable retribution in the lives to follow. But those who
act from good motives are made happy by the thought, “I
have done good,” and are made happier by the thought
that the good act will bring continuing happiness in the
lives to follow.
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The Theory of Mind-only and the Real State of Things

If the mind is impure, it will cause the feet to stumble along a rough and difficult road; there will be many a
fall and much pain. But if the mind is pure, the path will
be smooth and the journey peaceful.
One who is to enjoy the purity of both body and
mind walks the path to Buddhahood, breaking the net of
selfish, impure thoughts and evil desires. He who is calm
in mind acquires peacefulness and thus is able to cultivate his mind day and night with more diligence.

III
REAL STATE OF THINGS
1. Since everything in this world is brought about by
causes and conditions, there can be no fundamental distinctions among things. The apparent distinctions exist
because of people’s absurd and discriminating thoughts.
In the sky there is no distinction of east and west;
people create the distinctions out of their own minds and
then believe them to be true.
Mathematical numbers from one to infinity are each
complete numbers, and each in itself carries no distinction of quantity; but people make the discrimination for
their own convenience, so as to be able to indicate vary− 52 −

The Theory of Mind-only and the Real State of Things

ing amounts.
Inherently there are no distinctions between the
process of life and the process of destruction; people
make a discrimination and call one birth and the other
death. In action there is no discrimination between right
and wrong, but people make a distinction for their own
convenience.
Buddha keeps away from these discriminations and
looks upon the world as upon a passing cloud. To Buddha
every definitive thing is illusion; He knows that whatever
the mind grasps and throws away is insubstantial; thus
He transcends the pitfalls of images and discriminative
thought.
2. People grasp at things for their own imagined convenience and comfort; they grasp at wealth and treasure
and honors; they cling desperately to mortal life.
They make arbitrary distinctions between existence
and non-existence, good and bad, right and wrong. For
people, life is a succession of graspings and attachments,
and then, because of this, they must assume the illusions
of pain and suffering.
Once there was a man on a long journey who came
to a river. He said to himself: “This side of the river is
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The Theory of Mind-only and the Real State of Things

very difficult and dangerous to walk on, and the other
side seems easier and safer, but how shall I get across?”
So he built a raft out of branches and reeds and safely
crossed the river. Then he thought to himself: “This raft
has been very useful to me in crossing the river; I will not
abandon it to rot on the bank, but will carry it along with
me.” And thus he voluntarily assumed an unnecessary
burden. Can this man be called a wise man?

This parable teaches that even a good thing, when it
becomes an unnecessar y burden, should be thrown
away; much more so if it is a bad thing. Buddha made it
the rule of his life to avoid useless and unnecessary discussions.

3. Things do not come and go; neither do they appear
and disappear; therefore, one does not get things or lose
things.
Buddha teaches that things neither appear nor disappear since they transcend both the affirmation of existence and the denial of existence. That is, ever ything
being a concordance and succession of causes and conditions, a thing in itself does not exist, so it can be said that
it is non-existent. At the same time, because it has a relative connection with causes and conditions, it can be said
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The Theory of Mind-only and the Real State of Things

that it is not non-existent.
To adhere to a thing because of its form is the
source of delusion. If the form is not grasped and
adhered to, this false imagination and absurd delusion
will not occur. Enlightenment is seeing this truth and
being free from such a foolish delusion.
The world, indeed, is like a dream and the treasures
of the world are an alluring mirage. Like the apparent distances in a picture, things have no reality in themselves
but are like heat haze.
4. To believe that things created by an incalculable
series of causes can last forever is a serious mistake and
is called the theory of permanency; but it is just as great a
mistake to believe that things completely disappear; this
is called the theory of non-existence.
These categories of everlasting life and death, and
existence and non-existence, do not apply to the essential
nature of things, but only to their appearances as they are
obser ved by defiled human eyes. Because of human
desire, people become related and attached to these
appearances; but in the essential nature of things, they
are free from all such discriminations and attachments.

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The Theory of Mind-only and the Real State of Things

Since everything is created by a series of causes and
conditions, the appearances of things are constantly
changing; that is, there is no consistency about it as there
should be about authentic substances. It is because of
this constant changing of appearances that we liken
things to a mirage and a dream. But, in spite of this constant changing in appearances, things, in their essential
spiritual nature, are constant and changeless.
To a human a river seems like a river but to a
hungry demon which sees fire in water, it may seem to
be like fire. Therefore, to speak to a human about a river
existing would have some sense, but to the demon it
would have no meaning.
In like manner, it can be said that things are like illusions; they can be said neither to be existent nor nonexistent.
Yet it can not be said that, apart from this world of
change and appearance, there is another world of permanence and truth. It is a mistake to regard this world as
either a temporal world or as a real one.

But ignorant people of this world assume that this is
a real world and proceed to act upon that absurd assumption. But as this world is only an illusion, their acts, being
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The Theory of Mind-only and the Real State of Things

based upon error, only lead them into harm and suffering.
A wise man, recognizing that the world is but an illusion, does not act as if it were real, so he escapes the suffering.

IV
THE MIDDLE WAY
1. To those who choose the path that leads to
Enlightenment, there are two extremes that should be
carefully avoided. First, there is the extreme of indulgence in the desires of the body. Second, there is the
opposite extreme of ascetic discipline, torturing one’s
body and mind unreasonably.

The Noble Path, that transcends these two extremes
and leads to Enlightenment and wisdom and peace of
mind, may be called the Middle Way. What is the Middle
Way? It consists of the Eightfold Noble Path: Right View,
Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Behavior, Right
Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right
Concentration.
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The Theory of Mind-only and the Real State of Things

As has been said, all things appear or disappear by
reason of an endless series of causes. Ignorant people see
life as either existence or non-existence, but wise men
see beyond both existence and non-existence something
that transcends them both; this is an observation of the
Middle Way.
2. Suppose a log is floating in a river. If the log does
not become grounded, or sink, or is not taken out by a
man, or does not decay, ultimately it will reach the sea.
Life is like this log caught in the current of a great river.
If a person does not become attached to a life of selfindulgence, or, by renouncing life, does not become
attached to a life of self-tor ture; if a person does not
become proud of his virtues or does not become attached
to his evil acts; if in his search for Enlightenment he does
not become contemptuous of delusion, nor fear it, such a
person is following the Middle Way.
The impor tant thing in following the path to
Enlightenment is to avoid being caught and entangled in
any extreme, that is, always to follow the Middle Way.
Knowing that things neither exist nor do not exist,
remembering the dream-like nature of everything, one
should avoid being caught by pride of personality or
praise for good deeds; or caught and entangled by anything else.
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The Theory of Mind-only and the Real State of Things

If a person is to avoid being caught in the current of
his desires, he must learn at the very beginning not to
grasp at things lest he should become accustomed to
them and attached to them. He must not become
attached to existence nor to non-existence, to anything
inside or outside, neither to good things nor to bad
things, neither to right nor to wrong.
If he becomes attached to things, just at that
moment, all at once, the life of delusion begins. The one
who follows the Noble Path to Enlightenment will not
maintain regrets, neither will he cherish anticipations,
but, with an equitable and peaceful mind, will meet what
comes.
3. Enlightenment has no definite form or nature by
which it can manifest itself; so in Enlightenment itself,
there is nothing to be enlightened.
Enlightenment exists solely because of delusion and
ignorance; if they disappear, so will Enlightenment. And
the opposite is true also: there is no Enlightenment apart
from delusion and ignorance; no delusion and ignorance
apart from Enlightenment.
Therefore, be on guard against thinking of
Enlightenment as a “thing” to be grasped at, lest it, too,
should become an obstruction. When the mind that was
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in darkness becomes enlightened, it passes away, and
with its passing, the thing which we call Enlightenment
passes also.
As long as people desire Enlightenment and grasp
at it, it means that delusion is still with them; therefore,
those who are following the way to Enlightenment must
not grasp at it, and if they reach Enlightenment they must
not linger in it.
When people attain Enlightenment in this sense, it
means that ever ything is Enlightenment itself as it is;
therefore, people should follow the path to
Enlightenment until in their thoughts, worldly passions
and Enlightenment become identical as they are.
4. This concept of universal oneness – that things in
their essential nature have no distinguishing marks – is
called “Sunyata.” Sunyata means non-substantiality, the
un-born, having no self-nature, no duality. It is because
things in themselves have no form or characteristics that
we can speak of them as neither being born nor being
destroyed. There is nothing about the essential nature of
things that can be described in terms of discrimination;
that is why things are called non-substantial.
As has been pointed out, all things appear and disappear because of causes and conditions. Nothing ever
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exists entirely alone; everything is in relation to everything else.
Wherever there is light, there is shadow; wherever
there is length, there is shortness; wherever there is
white, there is black. Just like these, as the self-nature of
things can not exist alone, they are called non-substantial.
By the same reasoning, Enlightenment can not exist
apar t from ignorance, nor ignorance apar t from
Enlightenment. Since things do not differ in their essential nature, there can be no duality.

5. People habitually think of themselves as being connected with birth and death, but in reality there are no
such conceptions.
When people are able to realize this truth, they have
realized the truth of the non-duality of birth and death.
It is because people cherish the idea of an ego-personality that they cling to the idea of possession; but
since there is no such thing as an “ego,” there can be no
such things as possessions. When people are able to realize this truth, they will be able to realize the truth of
“non-duality.”
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The Theory of Mind-only and the Real State of Things

People cherish the distinction of purity and impurity; but in the nature of things, there is no such distinction, except as it rises from false and absurd images in
their mind.
In like manner people make a distinction between
good and evil, but good and evil do not exist separately.
Those who are following the path to Enlightenment recognize no such duality, and it leads them to neither praise
the good and condemn the evil, nor despise the good and
condone the evil.
People naturally fear misfortune and long for good
fortune; but if the distinction is carefully studied, misfortune often turns out to be good fortune and good fortune
to be misfortune. The wise man learns to meet the changing circumstances of life with an equitable spirit, being
neither elated by success nor depressed by failure. Thus
one realizes the truth of non-duality.
Therefore, all the words that express relations of
duality – such as existence and non-existence, worldlypassions and true-knowledge, purity and impurity, good
and evil – none of these terms of contrast in one’s thinking are expressed or recognized in their true nature.
When people keep free from such terms and from the
emotions engendered by them, they realize Sunyata’s universal truth.
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The Theory of Mind-only and the Real State of Things

6. Just as the pure and fragrant lotus flower grows out
of the mud of a swamp rather than out of the clean loam
of an upland field, so from the muck of worldly passions
springs the pure Enlightenment of Buddhahood. Even
the mistaken views of heretics and the delusions of
worldly passions may be the seeds for Buddhahood.
If a diver is to secure pearls he must descend to the
bottom of the sea, braving all dangers of jagged coral and
vicious sharks. So man must face the perils of worldly
passion if he is to secure the precious pearl of
Enlightenment. He must first be lost among the mountainous crags of egoism and selfishness, before there will
awaken in him the desire to find a path that will lead him
to Enlightenment.
There is a legend of a hermit who had such a great
desire to find the true path that he climbed a mountain of
swords and threw himself into fire, enduring them
because of his hope. He who is willing to risk the perils of
the path will find a cool breeze blowing on the sword-bristling mountains of selfishness and among the fires of
hatred and, in the end, will come to realize that the selfishness and worldly passions against which he has struggled and suffered are Enlightenment itself.
7. Buddha’s teaching leads us to non-duality, from the
discriminating concept of two conflicting points of view. It
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The Theory of Mind-only and the Real State of Things

is a mistake for people to seek a thing supposed to be
good and right, and to flee from another supposed to be
bad and evil.

If people insist that all things are empty and transitory, it is just as great a mistake to insist that all things
are real and do not change. If a person becomes attached
to his ego-personality, it is a mistake because it cannot
save him from dissatisfaction or suffering. If he believes
there is no ego, it is also a mistake and it would be useless for him to practice the Way of Truth. If people assert
that everything is suffering, it is also a mistake; if they
assert that everything is happiness, that is a mistake, too.
Buddha teaches the Middle Way transcending these prejudiced concepts, where duality merges into oneness.

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CHAPTER THREE

BUDDHA-NATURE
I
THE MIND OF PURITY

1. Among humans there are many kinds and degrees
of mentality: some are wise, some are foolish, some are
good-natured, some are bad-tempered, some are easily
led, some are difficult to lead, some possess pure minds
and some have minds that are defiled; but these differences are negligible when it comes to the attainment of
Enlightenment. The world is like a lotus pond filled with
many varieties of the plant; there are blossoms of many
different tints. Some are white, some pink, some blue,
some yellow; some grow under water, some spread their
leaves on the water, and some raise their leaves above the
water. Mankind has many more differences. There is the
difference of sex, but it is not an essential difference, for,
with proper training, both men and women may attain
Enlightenment.

To be a trainer of elephants, one must possess five
qualifications: good health, confidence, diligence, sincerity of purpose, and wisdom. To follow the Buddha’s
Noble Path to Enlightenment, one must have the same
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five good qualities. If one has these qualities, then regardless of gender, it is possible to attain Enlightenment. It
need not take long to learn Buddha’s teaching, for all
humans possess a nature that has an af finity for
Enlightenment.
2. In the practice of the way to Enlightenment, people
see the Buddha with their own eyes and believe in
Buddha with their own minds. The eyes that see Buddha
and the mind that believes in Buddha are the same eyes
and the same mind that, until that day, had wandered
about in the world of birth and death.
If a king is plagued by bandits, he must find out
where their camp is before he can attack them. So, when
a man is beset by worldly passions, he should first ascertain their origins.
When a man is in a house and opens his eyes he will
first notice the interior of the room and only later will he
see the view outside the windows. In like manner we can
not have the eye notice external things before there is
recognition by the eye of the things in the house.
If there is a mind within the body, it ought first to
know the things inside the body; but generally people are
interested in external things and seem to know or care
little for the things within the body.
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Buddha-nature

If the mind is located outside the body, it should not
be in contact with the needs of the body. But, in fact, the
body feels what the mind knows, and the mind knows
what the body feels. Therefore, it can not be said that the
human mind is outside of the body. Where, then, does
the substance of the mind exist?
3. From the unknown past, being conditioned by their
own deeds and deluded by two fundamental misconceptions, people have wandered about in ignorance.
First, they believed that the discriminating mind,
which lies at the root of this life of birth and death, was
their real nature; and, second, they did not know that,
hidden behind the discriminating mind, they possessed a
pure mind of Enlightenment which is their true nature.
When a man closes his fist and raises his arm, the
eyes see it and the mind discriminates it, but the mind
that discriminates it is not the true mind.

The discriminating mind is only a mind for the discrimination of imagined differences that greed and other
moods relating to the self have created. The discriminating mind is subject to causes and conditions, it is empty
of any self-substance, and it is constantly changing. But,
since people believe that this mind is their real mind, the
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delusion enters into the causes and conditions that produce suffering.
A man opens his hand and the mind perceives it; but
what is it that moves? Is it the mind, or is it the hand? Or
is it neither of them? If the hand moves, then the mind
moves accordingly, and vice versa; but the moving mind
is only a superficial appearance of mind: it is not the true
and fundamental mind.
4. Fundamentally, everyone has a pure clean mind, but
it is usually covered by the defilement and dust of worldly
desires which have arisen from one’s circumstances. This
defiled mind is not of the essence of one’s nature: something has been added, like an intruder or even a guest in
a home, but not its host.
The moon is often hidden by clouds, but it is not
moved by them and its purity remains untarnished.
Therefore, people must not be deluded into thinking that
this defiled mind is their own true mind.
They must continually remind themselves of this
fact by striving to awaken within themselves the pure and
unchanging fundamental mind of Enlightenment. Being
caught by a changing, defiled mind and being deluded by
their own perverted ideas, they wander about in a world
of delusion.
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The disturbances and defilements of the human
mind are aroused by greed as well as by its reactions to
the changing circumstances.
The mind that is not disturbed by things as they
occur, that remains pure and tranquil under all circumstances, is the true mind and should be the master.
We cannot say that an inn disappears just because
the guest is out of sight; neither can we say that the true
self has disappeared when the defiled mind which has
been aroused by the changing circumstances of life has
disappeared. That which changes with changing conditions is not the true nature of mind.

5. Let us think of a lecture hall that is bright while the
sun is shining but is dark after the sun goes down.
We can think of the light departing with the sun and
the dark coming with the night, but we cannot so think of
the mind that perceives lightness and darkness. The
mind that is susceptible to lightness and darkness can not
be given back to anybody; it can only revert to a truer
nature which is its fundamental nature.

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It is only a “temporar y” mind that momentarily
notes changes of lightness and darkness as the sun rises
and sets.
It is only a “temporary” mind that has different feelings from moment to moment with the changing circumstances of life; it is not the real and true mind. The fundamental and true mind which realizes the lightness and
the darkness is the true nature of man.
The temporary feelings of good and evil, love and
hatred, that have been aroused by surroundings and
changing external conditions, are only momentary reactions that have their cause in the defilement accumulated
by the human mind.
Behind the desires and worldly passions which the
mind entertains, there abides, clear and undefiled, the
fundamental and true essence of mind.
Water is round in a round receptacle and square in a
square one, but water itself has no par ticular shape.
People often forget this fact.
People see this good and that bad, they like this and
dislike that, and they discriminate existence from nonexistence; and then, being caught in these entanglements
and becoming attached to them, they suffer.
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If people would only give up their attachments to
these imaginary and false discriminations, and restore
the purity of their original minds, then both their mind
and their body would be free from defilement and suffering; they would know the peacefulness that comes with
that freedom.
II
BUDDHA-NATURE
1. We have spoken of the pure and true mind as being
fundamental; it is the Buddha-nature, that is, the seed of
Buddhahood.
One can get fire if one holds a lens between the sun
and moxa, but where does the fire come from? The lens
is at an enormous distance from the sun, but the fire certainly appears upon the moxa by means of the lens. But if
the moxa would not have the nature to kindle, there
would be no fire.
In like manner, if the light of Buddha’s Wisdom is
concentrated upon the human mind, its true nature,
which is Buddhahood, will be enkindled, and its light will
illuminate the minds of the people with its brightness,
and will awaken faith in Buddha. He holds the lens of
Wisdom before all human minds and thus their faith may
be quickened.
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2. Often people disregard the af finity of their true
minds for Buddha’s enlightened wisdom, and, because of
it, are caught by the entanglement of worldly passions,
becoming attached to the discrimination of good and evil,
and then lament over their bondage and suffering.
Why is it that people, possessing this fundamental
and pure mind, should still cling to illusions and doom
themselves to wander about in a world of delusion and
suffering, covering their own Buddha-nature while all
about them is the light of Buddha’s Wisdom?
Once upon a time a man looked into the reverse
side of a mirror and, not seeing his face and head, he
became insane. How unnecessar y it is for a man to
become insane merely because he carelessly looks into
the reverse side of a mirror!
It is just as foolish and unnecessary for a person to
go on suf fering because he does not attain
Enlightenment where he expects to find it. There is no
failure in Enlightenment; the failure lies in those people
who, for a long time, have sought Enlightenment in their
discriminating minds, not realizing that theirs are not
true minds but are imaginar y minds that have been
caused by the accumulation of greed and illusion covering and hiding their true mind.
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If the accumulation of false beliefs is cleared away,
Enlightenment will appear. But, strange enough, when
people attain Enlightenment, they will realize that without
false beliefs there could be no Enlightenment.
3. Buddha-nature is not something that comes to an
end. Though wicked men should be born beasts or
hungr y demons, or fall into hell, they never lose their
Buddha-nature.
However buried in the defilement of flesh or concealed at the root of worldly desires and forgotten it may
be, the human affinity for Buddhahood is never completely
extinguished.
4. There is an old story told of a man who fell into a
drunken sleep. His friend stayed by him as long as he
could but, being compelled to go and fearing that he
might be in want, the friend hid a jewel in the drunken
man’s garment. When the drunken man recovered, not
knowing that his friend had hid a jewel in his garment, he
wandered about in poverty and hunger. A long time afterwards the two men met again and the friend told the poor
man about the jewel and advised him to look for it.
Like the drunken man of the story, people wander
about suffering in this life of birth and death, unconscious of what is hidden away in their inner nature, pure
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Buddha-nature

and untarnished, the priceless treasure of Buddhanature.
However unconscious people may be of the fact that
everyone has within his possession this supreme nature,
and however degraded and ignorant they may be,
Buddha never loses faith in them because He knows that
even in the least of them there are, potentially, all the
virtues of Buddhahood.
So Buddha awakens faith in them who are deceived
by ignorance and cannot see their own Buddha-nature,
leads them away from their illusions and teaches them
that originally there is no difference between themselves
and Buddhahood.
5. Buddha is one who has attained Buddhahood and
people are those who are capable of attaining
Buddhahood; that is all the difference that lies between
them.
But if a man thinks that he has attained
Enlightenment, he is deceiving himself, for, although he
may be moving in that direction, he has not yet reached
Buddhahood.
Buddha-nature does not appear without diligent and
faithful effort, nor is the task finished until Buddhahood
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is attained.
6. Once upon a time a king gathered some blind men
about an elephant and asked them to tell him what an elephant was like. The first man felt a tusk and said an elephant was like a giant carrot; another happened to touch
an ear and said it was like a big fan; another touched its
trunk and said it was like a pestle; still another, who happened to feel its leg, said it was like a mortar; and another, who grasped its tail said it was like a rope. Not one
of them was able to tell the king the elephant’s real form.
In like manner, one might partially describe the
nature of man but would not be able to describe the true
nature of a human being, the Buddha-nature.
There is only one possible way by which the everlasting nature of man, his Buddha-nature, that can not be
disturbed by worldly desires or destroyed by death, can
be realized, and that is by the Buddha and the Buddha’s
noble teaching.

III
EGOLESSNESS
1. We have been speaking of Buddha-nature as though
it were something that could be described, as though it
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were similar to the “soul” of other teachings, but it is not.

The concept of an “ego-personality” is something
that has been imagined by a discriminating mind which
first grasped it and then became attached to it, but which
must abandon it. On the contrar y, Buddha-nature is
something indescribable that must first be discovered. In
one sense, it resembles an “ego-personality” but it is not
the “ego” in the sense of “I am” or “mine.”
To believe in the existence of an ego is an erroneous
belief that supposes the existence of non-existence; to
deny Buddha-nature is wrong, for it supposes that existence is non-existence.
This can be explained in a parable. A mother took
her sick child to a doctor. The doctor gave the child medicine and instructed the mother not to nurse the child
until the medicine was digested.
The mother anointed her breast with something
bitter so that the child would keep away from her of his
own volition. After the medicine had time enough to be
digested, the mother cleansed her breast and let the child
suck her. The mother took this method of saving her
child out of kindness because she loved the child.
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Like the mother in the parable, Buddha, in order to
remove misunderstanding and to break up attachments
to an ego-personality, denies the existence of an ego; and
when the misunderstanding and attachments are done
away with, then He explains the reality of the true mind
that is the Buddha-nature.
Attachment to an ego-personality leads people into
delusions, but faith in their Buddha-nature leads them to
Enlightenment.
It is like the woman in a story to whom a chest was
bequeathed. Not knowing that the chest contained gold,
she continued to live in poverty until another person
opened it and showed her the gold. Buddha opens the
minds of people and shows them the purity of their
Buddha-nature.
2. If everyone has this Buddha-nature, why is there so
much suf fering from people cheating one another or
killing one another? And why are there so many distinctions of rank and wealth, rich and poor?
There is a story of a wrestler who used to wear an
ornament on his forehead of a precious stone. One time
when he was wrestling the stone was crushed into the
flesh of his forehead. He thought he had lost the gem and
went to a surgeon to have the wound dressed. When the
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surgeon came to dress the wound he found the gem
embedded in the flesh and covered over with blood and
dirt. He held up a mirror and showed the stone to the
wrestler.
Buddha-nature is like the precious stone of this
story: it becomes covered over by the dirt and dust of
other interests and people think that they have lost it, but
a good teacher recovers it again for them.

Buddha-nature exists in ever yone no matter how
deeply it may be covered over by greed, anger and foolishness, or buried by his own deeds and retribution.
Buddha-nature can not be lost or destroyed; and when all
defilements are removed, sooner or later it will reappear.

Like the wrestler in the story who was shown the
gem buried in his flesh and blood by means of a mirror,
so people are shown their Buddha-nature, buried beneath
their worldly desires and passions, by means of the light
of Buddha.
3. Buddha-nature is always pure and tranquil no matter
how varied the conditions and surroundings of people
may be. Just as milk is always white regardless of the
color of the cow’s hide, either red, white, or black, so it
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does not matter how differently their deeds may condition people’s life or what different effects may follow their
acts and thoughts.
There is a fable told in India of a mysterious medical
herb that was hidden under the tall grasses of the
Himalayas. For a long time men sought for it in vain, but
at last a wise man located it by its sweetness. As long as
the wise man lived he collected this medical herb in a
tub, but after his death, the sweet elixir remained hidden
in some far-off spring in the mountains, and the water in
the tub turned sour and harmful and of a different taste.
In like manner Buddha-nature is hidden away
beneath the wild growth of worldly passions and can
rarely be discovered, but Buddha found it and revealed it
to the people, and as they receive it by their varying faculties it tastes differently to each person.

4. The diamond, the hardest of known substances,
cannot be crushed. Sand and stones can be ground to
powder but diamonds remain unscathed. Buddha-nature
is like the diamond, and thus cannot be broken.
Human nature, both its body and mind, will wear
away, but the nature of Buddhahood can not be
destroyed.
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Buddha-nature is, indeed, the most excellent characteristic of human nature. Buddha teaches that, although
in human nature there may be endless varieties such as
men and women, there is no discrimination with regard
to Buddha-nature.
Pure gold is procured by melting ore and removing
all impure substances. If people would melt the ore of
their minds and remove all the impurities of worldly passion and egoism, they would all recover the same pure
Buddha-nature.

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CHAPTER FOUR

DEFILEMENTS
I
HUMAN DEFILEMENTS

1. There are two kinds of worldly passions that defile
and cover the purity of Buddha-nature.
The first is the passion for analysis and discussion
by which people become confused in judgment. The
second is the passion for emotional experience by which
people’s values become confused.

Both delusions of reasoning and delusions of practice can be thought of as a classification of all human
defilements, but really there are two original worldly
predicaments in their bases. The first is ignorance, and
the second is desire.
The delusions of reasoning are based upon ignorance, and the delusions of practice are based upon
desire, so that the two sets are really one set after all, and
together they are the source of all unhappiness.
If people are ignorant they cannot reason correctly
and safely. As they yield to a desire for existence, grasp− 81 −

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ings, clingings and attachments to everything inevitably
follow. It is this constant hunger for every pleasant thing
seen and heard that leads people into the delusions of
habit. Some people even yield to the desire for the death
of the body.

From these primary sources all greed, anger, foolishness, misunderstanding, resentment, jealousy, flattery,
deceit, pride, contempt, inebriety, selfishness, have their
generations and appearances.

2. Greed rises from wrong ideas of satisfaction; anger
rises from wrong ideas concerning the state of one’s
af fairs and surroundings; foolishness rises from the
inability to judge what correct conduct is.
These three – greed, anger and foolishness – are
called the three fires of the world. The fire of greed consumes those who have lost their true minds through
greed; the fire of anger consumes those who have lost
their true minds through anger; the fire of foolishness
consumes those who have lost their true minds through
their failure to hear and to heed the teachings of Buddha.
Indeed, this world is burning up with its many and
various fires. There are fires of greed, fires of anger, fires
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of foolishness, fires of infatuation and egoism, fires of
decrepitude, sickness and death, fires of sorrow, lamentation, suffering and agony. Everywhere these fires are raging. They not only burn the self, but also cause others to
suffer and lead them into wrong acts of body, speech and
mind. From the wounds that are caused by these fires
there issues a pus that infects and poisons those who
approach it, and leads them into evil paths.

3. Greed rises in want of satisfaction; anger rises in
want of dissatisfaction; and foolishness rises from impure
thoughts. The evil of greed has little impurity but is hard
to remove; the evil of anger has more impurity but is easy
to remove; the evil of foolishness has much impurity and
is very hard to overcome.
Therefore, people should quench these fires whenever and wherever they appear by correctly judging as to
what can give true satisfaction, by strictly controlling the
mind in the face of the unsatisfactory things of life, and
by ever recalling Buddha’s teachings of good-will and
kindness. If the mind is filled with wise and pure and
unselfish thoughts, there will be no place for worldly passions to take root.

4.

Greed, anger and foolishness are like a fever. If a
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man gets this fever, even if he lies in a comfortable room,
he will suffer and be tormented by sleeplessness.
Those who have no such fever have no difficulty in
sleeping peacefully, even on a cold winter night, on the
ground with only a thin covering of leaves, or on a hot
summer’s night in a small closed room.
These three – greed, anger and foolishness – are,
therefore, the sources of all human woe. To get rid of
these sources of woe, one must obser ve the precepts,
must practice concentration of mind and must have
wisdom. Obser vance of the precepts will remove the
impurities of greed; right concentration of mind will
remove the impurities of anger; and wisdom will remove
the impurities of foolishness.
5. Human desires are endless. It is like the thirst of a
person who drinks salt water: one gets no satisfaction and
one’s thirst is only increased.
So it is with a person who seeks to gratify one’s
desires; one only gains increased dissatisfaction and
one’s woes are multiplied.
The gratification of desires never satisfies; it always
leaves behind unrest and irritation that can never be
allayed, and then, if the gratification of one’s desires is
thwarted, it will often drive one “insane.”
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To satisfy their desires, people will struggle and
fight with each other, king against king, vassal against
vassal, parent against child, brother against brother,
sister against sister, friend against friend; they will fight
and even kill each other to satisfy their desires.
People often ruin their lives in the attempt to satisfy
desires. They will steal and cheat and commit adultery,
and then, being caught, will suffer from the disgrace of it
and its punishment.
They will sin with their own bodies and words, sin
with their own minds, knowing perfectly well that the
gratification will ultimately bring unhappiness and suffering, so imperious is desire. And then, the various sufferings in the following world and the agonies of falling into
it follow.

6. Of all the worldly passions, lust is the most intense.
All other worldly passions seem to follow in its train.
Lust seems to provide the soil in which other passions flourish. Lust is like a demon that eats up all the
good deeds of the world. Lust is a viper hiding in a flower
garden; it poisons those who come in search only of
beauty. Lust is a vine that climbs a tree and spreads over
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the branches until the tree is strangled. Lust insinuates
its tentacles into human emotions and sucks away the
good sense of the mind until the mind withers. Lust is a
bait cast by the evil demon that foolish people snap at and
are dragged down by into the depths of the evil world.
If a dry bone is smeared with blood a dog will gnaw
at it until it is tired and frustrated. Lust to a human is precisely like this bone to a dog; one will covet it until one is
exhausted.
If a single piece of meat is thrown to two wild beasts
they will fight and claw each other to get it. A person foolish enough to carry a torch against the wind will likely
burn himself. Like these two beasts and this foolish
person, people hur t and burn themselves because of
their worldly desires.
7. It is easy to shield the outer body from poisoned
arrows, but it is impossible to shield the mind from the
poisoned darts that originate within itself. Greed, anger,
foolishness and the infatuations of egoism – these four
poisoned darts originate within the mind and infect it
with deadly poison.
If people are infected with greed, anger and foolishness, they will lie, cheat, abuse and be double-tongued,
and, then will actualize their words by killing, stealing
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and committing adultery.
These three evil states of mind, the four evil utterances, and the three evil acts, if added together, become
the ten gross evils.
If people become accustomed to lying, they will
unconsciously commit ever y possible wrong deed.
Before they can act wickedly they must lie, and once they
begin to lie they will act wickedly with unconcern.

Greed, lust, fear, anger, misfortune and unhappiness
all derive from foolishness. Thus, foolishness is the greatest of the poisons.

8. From desire action follows; from action suffering follows; desire, action and suffering are like a wheel rotating endlessly.
The rolling of this wheel has no beginning and no
end; people cannot escape such reincarnation. One life
follows another life according to this transmigrating cycle
in endless recurrence.
If one were to pile the ashes and bones of oneself
burnt in this everlasting transmigration, the pile would be
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mountain high; if one were to collect the milk of mothers
which he suckled during his transmigration, it would be
deeper than the sea.
Although the nature of Buddhahood is possessed by
all people, it is buried so deeply in the defilements of
worldly passion that it long remains unknown. That is
why suffering is so universal and why there is this endless recurrence of miserable lives.

II
HUMAN NATURE
1. Human nature is like a dense thicket that has no
entrance and is difficult to penetrate. In comparison, the
nature of an animal is much easier to understand. Still, we
can in a general way classify human nature according to
four outstanding differences.
First, there are those who, because of wrong teachings, practice austerities and cause themselves to suffer.
Second, there are those who, by cruelty, by stealing, by
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killing, or by other unkind acts, cause others to suffer.
Third, there are those who cause other people to suffer
along with themselves. Fourth, there are those who do
not suffer themselves and save others from suffering.
These people of the last category, by following the teachings of Buddha, do not give way to greed, anger or foolishness, but live peaceful lives of kindness and wisdom
without killing or stealing.
2. There are three kinds of people in the world. The
first are those who are like letters carved in rock; they
easily give way to anger and retain their angry thoughts
for a long time. The second are those who are like letters
written in sand; they give way to anger also, but their
angry thoughts quickly pass away. The third is those who
are like letters written in running water; they do not
retain their passing thoughts; they let abuse and uncomfortable gossip pass by unnoticed; their minds are always
pure and undisturbed.
There are three other kinds of people. The first are
those who are proud, act rashly and are never satisfied;
their natures are easy to understand. Then there are
those who are courteous and always act after consideration; their natures are hard to understand. Then there are
those who have overcome desire completely; it is impossible to understand their natures.
Thus people can be classified in many dif ferent
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ways, but nevertheless, their natures are hard to understand. Only Buddha understands them and, by His wisdom, leads them through varied teachings.

III
HUMAN LIFE
1. There is an allegory that depicts human life. Once
there was a man rowing a boat down a river. Someone on
the shore warned him, “Stop rowing so gaily down the
swift current; there are rapids ahead and a dangerous
whirlpool, and there are crocodiles and demons lying in
wait in rocky caverns. You will perish if you continue.”
In this allegory, “the swift current” is a life of lust;
“rowing gaily” is giving rein to one’s passion; “rapids
ahead” means the ensuing suffering and pain; “whirlpool”
means pleasure, “crocodiles and demons” refers to the
decay and death that follow a life of lust and indulgence;
“Someone on the shore,” who calls out, is Buddha.
Here is another allegory. A man who has committed
a crime is running away; some guards are following him,
so he tries to hide himself by descending into a well by
means of some vines growing down the sides. As he
descends he sees vipers at the bottom of the well, so he
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decides to cling to the vine for safety. After a time when
his arms are getting tired, he notices two mice, one white
and the other black, gnawing at the vine.
If the vine breaks, he will fall to the vipers and
perish. Suddenly, on looking upward, he notices just
above his face a bee-hive from which occasionally falls a
drop of honey. The man, forgetting all his danger, tastes
the honey with delight.
“A man” means the one who is born to suffer and to
die alone. “Guards” and “vipers” refer to the body with all
its desires. “Vines”means the continuity of the human
life. “Two mice, one white and the other black” refer to
the duration of time, days and nights, and the passing
years. “Honey” indicates the physical pleasures that
beguiles the suffering of the passing years.
2. Here is still another allegor y. A king places four
vipers in a box and gives the box into the safekeeping of a
servant. He commands the servant to take good care of
them and warns that if he angers even one of them he
will be punished with death. The servant, in fear, decides
to throw away the box and escape.
The king sends five guards to capture the servant.
At first they approach the servant in a friendly manner,
intending to take him back safely, but the servant does
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not trust their friendliness and escapes to another village.
Then, in a vision, a voice tells him that in this village
there is no safe shelter, and that there are six bandits
who will attack him, so the servant runs away in fright
until he comes to a wild river that blocks his way.
Thinking of the dangers that are following him, he makes
a raft and succeeds in crossing the turbulent current,
beyond which he finally finds safety and peace.
“Four vipers in a box” indicate the four elements of
earth, water, fire and air that make up the body of flesh.
The body is given into the charge of lust and is an enemy
of the mind. Therefore, he tries to run away from the
body.
“Five guards who approach in friendly manner”
mean the five aggregates-form, feeling, perception, volition and consciousness-which frame body and mind.
“The safe shelter” is the six senses, which are no
safe shelter after all, and “the six bandits” are the six
objects of the six senses. Thus, seeing the dangers within
the six senses, he runs away once more and comes to the
wild current of worldly desires.
Then he makes himself a raft of the Buddha’s good
teachings and crosses the wild current safely.
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3. There are three occasions full of perils when a son is
helpless to aid his mother and a mother cannot help her
son:-a fire, a flood and a burglary. Yet, even on these perilous and sad occasions, there still exists a chance for
aiding each other.
But there are three occasions when it is impossible
for a mother to save her son or a son to save his mother.
These three occasions are the time of sickness, the
period of growing old, and the moment of death.
How can a son take his mother’s place when she is
growing old? How can a mother take her son’s place
when he is sick? How can either help the other when the
moment of death approaches? No matter how much they
may love each other or how intimate they may have been,
neither can help the other on such occasions.
4. Once Yama, the legendar y King of Hell, asked a
man who had fallen into hell about his evil deeds in life,
whether, during his life, he had ever met the three heavenly messengers. The man replied: “No, my Lord, I never
met any such persons.”
Yama asked him if he had ever met an old person
bent with age and walking with a cane. The man replied:
“Yes, my Lord, I have met such persons frequently.” Then
Yama said to him: “You are suffering this present punish− 93 −

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ment because you did not recognize in that old man a
heavenly messenger sent to warn you that you must
quickly change your ways before you, too, become an old
man.”
Yama asked him again if he had ever seen a poor,
sick and friendless man. The man replied: “Yes, my Lord,
I have seen many such men.” Then, Yama said to him:
“You have come into this place because you failed to recognize in these sick men the messengers from heaven
sent to warn you of your own sickness.”
Then, Yama asked him once more if he had ever
seen a dead man. The man replied: “Yes, my Lord, I have
been in the presence of death many times.” Yama said to
him: “It is because you did not recognize in these men
the heavenly messengers sent to warn you that you are
brought to this. If you had recognized these messengers
and taken their warnings you would have changed your
course, and would not have come to this place of suffering.”
5. Once there was a young woman named Kisagotami,
the wife of a wealthy man, who lost her mind because of
the death of her child. She took the dead child in her
arms and went from house to house begging people to
heal the child.
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Of course, they could do nothing for her, but finally
a follower of Buddha advised her to see the Blessed One
who was then staying at Jetavana, and so she carried the
dead child to Buddha.
The Blessed One looked upon her with sympathy
and said: “To heal the child I need some poppy seeds; go
and beg four or five poppy seeds from some home where
death has never entered.”
So the demented woman went out and sought a
house where death had never entered, but in vain. At last,
she was obliged to return to Buddha. In his quiet presence her mind cleared and she understood the meaning
of his words. She took the body away and buried it, and
then returned to Buddha and became one of his disciples.

IV
REALITY OF HUMAN LIFE
1. People in this world are prone to be selfish and
unsympathetic; they do not know how to love and respect
one another; they argue and quarrel over trifling affairs
only to their own harm and suffering, and life becomes
but a dreary round of unhappinesses.
Regardless of whether they are rich or poor, they
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worry about money; they suffer from poverty and they
suffer from wealth. Because their lives are controlled by
greed, they are never contented, never satisfied.
A wealthy man worries about his estate if he has
one; he worries about his mansion and all other possessions. He worries lest some disaster befall him, his mansion burn down, robbers break in, kidnappers carry him
off. Then he worries about death and the disposition of
his wealth. Indeed, his way to death is lonely, and nobody
follows him to death.
A poor man always suffers from insufficiency and
this ser ves to awaken endless desires - for land and a
house. Being aflamed with covetousness he wears out
both his body and mind, and comes to death in the
middle of his life.
The whole world seems pitted against him and even
the path to death seems lonesome as though he has a
long journey to make and no friends to keep him company.
2. Now, there are five evils in the world. First, there is
cruelty; every creature, even insects, strives against one
another. The strong attack the weak; the weak deceive
the strong; everywhere there is fighting and cruelty.
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Second, there is the lack of a clear demarcation
between the rights of a father and a son; between an
elder brother and a younger; between a husband and a
wife; between a senior relative and a younger; on every
occasion each one desires to be the highest and to profit
off the others. They cheat each other, there is deception
and a lack of sincerity.
Third, there is the lack of a clear demarcation as to
the behavior between men and women. Ever yone at
times has impure and lascivious thoughts and desires
that lead them into questionable acts and often into disputes, fighting, injustice and wickedness.
Fourth, there is the tendency for people to disrespect the rights of others, to exaggerate their own importance at the expense of others, to set bad examples of
behavior and, being unjust in their speech, to deceive,
slander and abuse others.
Fifth, there is the tendency for people to neglect
their duties toward others. They think too much of their
own comfort and their own desires; they forget the favors
they have received and cause annoyance to others that
often passes into great injustice.
3. People should have more sympathy for one another;
they should respect one another for their good traits and
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help one another in their difficulties; but, instead, they
are selfish and hard-hearted; they despise one another
for their failings and dislike others for their advantages.
These aversions generally grow worse with time, and
after a while, become intolerable.
These feelings of dislike do not soon end in acts of
violence; yet they poison life with feelings of hatred and
anger that become so deeply carved into the mind that
people carry the marks into the cycle of reincarnation.
Truly, in this world of lust, a person is born alone
and dies alone, and there is no one to share one’s punishment in the life after death.
The law of cause and effect is universal; each person
must carry one’s own burden of sin and must go along to
its retribution. The same law of cause and effect controls
good deeds. A life of sympathy and kindness will result in
good fortune and happiness.

4. As years go by and people see how strongly they are
bound by greed, habit and suffering, they become very
sad and discouraged. Often in their discouragement they
quarrel with others and sink deeper into sin and give up
tr ying to walk the true path; often their lives come to
some untimely end in the very midst of their wickedness
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and they suffer forever.
This falling into discouragement because of one’s
misfortunes and sufferings is most unnatural and contrary to the law of heaven and earth and, therefore, one
will suf fer both in this world and in the worlds after
death.
It is true that everything in this life is transitory and
filled with uncertainty, but it is lamentable that anyone
should ignore this fact and keep on trying to seek enjoyment and satisfaction of his desires.
5. It is natural in this world of suffering for people to
think and act selfishly and egoistically and, because of it,
it is equally natural for suf fering and unhappiness to
follow.
People favor themselves and neglect others. People
let their own desires run into greed and lust and all
manner of evil. Because of these they must suffer endlessly.
Times of luxury do not last long, but pass away very
quickly; nothing in this world can be enjoyed forever.
6. Therefore, people should cast away, while they are
young and healthy, all their greed and attachment to
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worldly af fairs, and should seek ear nestly for tr ue
Enlightenment, for there can be no lasting reliance or
happiness apart from Enlightenment.
Most people, however, disbelieve or ignore this law
of cause and effect. They go on in their habits of greed
and selfishness, being oblivious of the fact that a good
deed brings happiness and an evil deed brings misfortune. Nor do they really believe that one’s acts in this life
condition the following lives and implicate others with
regard to the rewards and punishments for their sins.
They lament and cry about their sufferings, entirely
misunderstanding the significance their present acts have
upon their following lives and the relation their sufferings
have to the acts of their previous lives. They think only of
present desire and present suffering.
Nothing in the world is permanent or lasting; everything is changing and momentary and unpredictable. But
people are ignorant and selfish, and are concerned only
with the desires and sufferings of the passing moment.
They do not listen to the good teachings nor do they try
to understand them; they simply give themselves up to
the present interest, to wealth and lust.
7. From time immemorial, an incalculable number of
people have been born into this world of delusion and suf− 100 −

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fering, and they are still being born. It is fortunate, however, that the world has the Buddha’s teachings and that
people can believe in them and be helped.
Therefore, people should think deeply, should keep
their minds pure and their bodies well, should keep away
from greed and evil, and should seek good.
To us, fortunately, the knowledge of the Buddha’s
teachings has come; we should seek to believe in them
and wish to be born in the Buddha’s Pure Land. Knowing
Buddha’s teachings, we should not follow others into
greedy and sinful ways, nor should we keep the Buddha’s
teachings to ourselves alone, but should practice the
teachings and pass them on to others.

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CHAPTER FIVE

THE RELIEF OFFERED
BY BUDDHA
I
AMIDA BUDDHA’S VOWS

1. As already explained, people always yield to their
worldly passions, repeating sin after sin, and carry burdens of intolerable acts, unable of their own wisdom or of
their own strength to break these habits of greed and
indulgence. If they are unable to overcome and remove
worldly passions, how can they expect to realize their
true nature of Buddhahood?

Buddha, who thoroughly understood human nature,
had great sympathy for people and made a vow that He
would do everything possible, even at the cost of great
hardship to Himself, to relieve them of their fears and sufferings. To effect this relief He manifested himself as a
Bodhisattva in the immemorial past and made the following ten vows:

(a) “Though I attain Buddhahood, I shall never be
complete until everyone in my land is certain of entering
Buddhahood and gaining Enlightenment.”
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(b) “Though I attain Buddhahood, I shall never be
complete until my affirming light reaches all over the
world.”
(c) “Though I attain Buddhahood, I shall never be
complete until my life endures through the ages and
saves innumerable numbers of people.”
(d) “Though I attain Buddhahood, I shall never be
complete until all the Buddhas in the ten directions unite
in praising my name.”
(e) “Though I attain Buddhahood, I shall never be
complete until people with sincere faith endeavor to be
reborn in my land by repeating my name in sincere faith
ten times and actually do succeed in this rebirth.”
(f) “Though I attain Buddhahood, I shall never be
complete until people ever ywhere determine to attain
Enlightenment, practice virtues, sincerely wish to be
born in my land; thus, I shall appear at the moment of
their death with a great company of Bodhisattvas to welcome them into my Pure Land.”
(g) “Though I attain Buddhahood, I shall never be
complete until people ever ywhere, hearing my name,
think of my land and wish to be born there and, to that
end, sincerely plant seeds of virtue, and are thus able to
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accomplish all to their hearts’ desire.”
(h) “Though I attain Buddhahood, I shall never be
complete until all those who are born in my Pure Land
attain the rank in which they become Buddha in the next
life. Exception to this are those who, based on their personal vow, wear the armor of great vow for the sake of
people, strive for the benefit and peace of the world, lead
innumerable people to enlightenment, and cultivate the
merit of great compassion.”
(i) “Though I attain Buddhahood, I shall never be
complete until people all over the world are influenced by
my spirit of loving compassion that will purify their minds
and bodies and lift them above the things of the world.”
(j) “Though I attain Buddhahood, I shall never be
complete until people ever ywhere, hearing my name,
learn right ideas about life and death, and gain that perfect wisdom that will keep their minds pure and tranquil
in the midst of the world’s greed and suffering.”
“Thus I make these vows; may I not attain
Buddhahood until they are fulfilled. May I become the
source of unlimited Light, freeing and radiating the treasures of my wisdom and virtue, enlightening all lands and
emancipating all suffering people.”
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2. Thus He, by accumulating innumerable vir tues
through many eons of time, became Amida or the Buddha
of Infinite Light and Boundless Life, and perfected his
own Buddha-land of Purity, wherein He is now living, in a
world of peace, enlightening all people.
This Pure Land, wherein there is no suffering, is,
indeed, most peaceful and happy. Clothing, food and all
beautiful things appear when those who live there wish
for them. When a gentle breeze passes through its jewelladen trees, the music of its holy teachings fills the air
and cleanses the minds of all who listen to it.
In this Pure Land there are many fragrant lotus blossoms, and each blossom has many precious petals, and
each petal shines with ineffable beauty. The radiance of
these lotus blossoms brightens the path of Wisdom, and
those who listen to the music of the holy teaching are led
into perfect peace.
3. Now all the Buddhas of the ten directions are praising the vir tues of this Buddha of Infinite Light and
Boundless Life.
Whoever hears this Buddha’s Name magnifies and
receives it with joy, his mind becomes one with Buddha’s
mind and he will be born in the Buddha’s wondrous Land
of Purity.
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Those who are born in that Pure Land share in
Buddha’s boundless life; their hearts are immediately
filled with sympathy for all sufferers and they go forward
to manifest the Buddha’s method of salvation.
In the spirit of these vows they cast away all worldly
attachments and realize the impermanence of this world.
And they devote their merits to the emancipation of all
sentient life; they integrate their own lives with the lives
of all others, sharing their illusions and sufferings but, at
the same time, realizing their freedom from the bonds
and attachments of this worldly life.
They know the hindrances and difficulties of worldly
living but they know, also, the boundless potentialities of
Buddha’s compassion. They are free to go or come, they
are free to advance or to stop as they wish, but they
choose to remain with those upon whom Buddha has
compassion.
Therefore, if anyone hearing the Name of this
Amida Buddha is encouraged to call upon that Name in
perfect faith, he shall share in Buddha’s compassion. So
all people should listen to the Buddha’s teaching and
should follow it even if it seems to lead them again
through the flames that envelop this world of life and
death.
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If people tr uly and ear nestly wish to attain
Enlightenment, they must rely on the power of this
Buddha. It is impossible for an ordinary person to realize
his supreme Buddha-nature without the support of this
Buddha.
4. Amida Buddha is not far from anyone. His Land of
Purity is described as being far away to the west but it is,
also, within the minds of those who earnestly wish to be
with him.
When some people picture in their minds the figure
of Amida Buddha shining in golden splendor, the picture
divides into eighty-four thousand figures or features,
each figure or feature emitting eighty-four thousand rays
of light and each ray of light, enlightening a world, never
leaving in darkness a single person who is reciting the
name of Buddha. Thus this Buddha helps people take
advantage of the salvation He offers.
By seeing the image of Buddha, one is enabled to
realize the mind of Buddha. The Buddha’s mind has
great compassion that includes all, even those who are
ignorant of his compassion or forgetful of it, much more
those who remember it in faith.
To those who have faith, He offers the opportunity
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sive body of equality, whoever thinks of Buddha, Buddha
thinks of him and enters his mind freely.
This means that, when a person thinks of Buddha,
he has Buddha’s mind in all its pure and happy and
peaceful per fection. In other words, his mind is a
Buddha-mind.
Therefore, each man in purity and sincerity of faith,
should picture his own mind as being Buddha’s mind.

5. Buddha has many forms of transfiguration and
incarnation, and can manifest Himself in manifold ways
according to the ability of each person.
He manifests his body in immense size to cover all
the sky and stretches away into the boundless stellar
spaces. He also manifests Himself in the infinitesimals of
nature, sometimes in forms, sometimes in energy, sometimes in aspects of mind, and sometimes in personality.
But in some manner or other, He will surely appear
to those who recite the name of Buddha with faith. To
such, Amida always appears accompanied by two
Bodhisattvas: Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisattva of
Compassion and Mahasthamaprapta, the Bodhisattva of
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Wisdom. His manifestations fill up the world for everyone
to see but only those who have faith notice them.
Those who are able to see His temporal manifestations acquire abiding satisfaction and happiness.
Moreover, those who are able to see the real Buddha
realize incalculable fortunes of joy and peace.

6. Since the mind of Amida Buddha with all its boundless potentialities of love and wisdom is compassion itself,
Buddha can save all.
The most wicked of people – those who commit
unbelievable crimes, whose minds are filled with greed,
anger and infatuation; those who lie, chatter, abuse and
cheat; those who kill, steal and act lasciviously; those who
are near the end of their lives after years of evil deeds —
they are destined to long ages of punishment.
A good friend comes to them and pleads with them
at their last moment, saying, “You are now facing death;
you cannot blot out your life of wickedness, but you can
take refuge in the compassion of the Buddha of Infinite
Light by reciting His Name.
If these wicked men recite the holy name of Amida
Buddha with singleness of mind, all the sins which would
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have destined them to the evil world will be cleared away.
If simply repeating the holy name can do this, how
much more would be possible if one is able to concentrate his mind upon this Buddha!
Those who are thus able to recite the holy name,
when they come to the end of life, will be met by Amida
Buddha and the Bodhisattvas of Compassion and
Wisdom and will be led by them into the Buddha’s Land,
where they will be born in all purity of the white lotus.
Therefore, ever yone should keep in mind the
words, “Namu-Amida-Butsu” or Whole-hearted Reliance
upon the Buddha of Infinite Light and Boundless Life!

II
AMIDA BUDDHA’S LAND OF PURITY
1. The Buddha of Infinite Light and Boundless Life is
ever living and ever radiating His Truth. In His Pure
Land there is no suffering and no darkness, and every
hour is passed in joy; therefore, it is called the Land of
Bliss.
In the midst of this Land there is a lake of pure
water, fresh and sparkling, whose waves lap softly on
shores of golden sands. Here and there are huge lotus
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blossoms as large as chariot wheels of many and various
lights and colors — blue lights from blue color, yellow for
yellow, red for red, white for white — whose fragrance
fills the air.
At different places on the margin of the lake there
are pavilions decorated with gold and silver, lapis lazuli
and cr ystal, with marble steps leading down to the
water’s edge. At other places there are parapets and
balustrades hanging over the water and enclosed with
curtains and networks of precious gems, and in between
there are groves of spices trees and flowering shrubs.
The ground is shining with beauty and the air is
vibrant with celestial harmonies. Six times during the day
and night, delicately tinted flower petals fall from the sky
and people gather them and carry them in flower vessels
to all the other Buddha-lands and make offerings of them
to the myriad Buddhas.
2. In this wondrous Land there are many birds. There
are snow-white storks and swans, and gaily colored peacocks and tropical birds of paradise, and flocks of little
birds, softly singing. In the Buddha’s Pure Land these
sweetly singing birds are voicing Buddha’s teachings and
praising His virtues.
Whoever hears and listens to the music of these
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voices, listens to the Buddha’s voice and awakens to a
newness of faith, joy and peace in fellowship with the
brotherhood of followers everywhere.
Soft zephyrs pass through the trees of that Pure
Land and stir the fragrant curtains of the Pavilions and
pass away in sweet cadences of music.
People hearing faint echoes of this heavenly music
think of the Buddha, of the Dharma (teaching), and of
the Samgha (brotherhood). All these excellences are but
reflections of the Pure Land.
3. Why is Buddha in this land called Amida, indicating
the Buddha of Infinite Light and Boundless Life? It is
because the splendor of His Truth radiates unimpeded to
the outermost and innermost limits of the Buddha-lands;
it is because the vitality of His living compassion never
wanes through the incalculable lives and eons of time.
It is because the number of those who are born in
His Pure Land and are perfectly enlightened is incalculable and they will never again return to the world of delusions and death.
It is because the number of those who are awakened
into the newness of Life by His Light is also incalculable.
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Therefore, should all people concentrate their
minds on His Name and, as they come toward the end of
life, even for one day or seven days, recite Amida
Buddha’s Name in perfect faith, and they do this with
undisturbed mind, they will be born in the Buddha’s
Land of Purity, being led by Amida Buddha and many
other holy ones who appear at this last moment.
If any person hears Amida Buddha’s Name, awakens one’s faith in His teachings, one will be able to attain
unsurpassed perfect Enlightenment.

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THE WAY OF PRACTICE

CHAPTER ONE

THE WAY OF PURIFICATION
I
PURIFICATION OF THE MIND

1. People have worldly passions which lead them into
delusions and sufferings. There are five ways to emancipate themselves from the bond of worldly passions.
First, they should have right ideas of things, ideas
that are based on careful obser vation, and understand
causes and effects and their significance correctly. Since
the cause of suffering is rooted in the mind’s desires and
attachments, and since desire and attachment are related
to mistaken observations by an ego-self, neglecting the
significance of the law of cause and effect, and since it is
from these wrong observations, there can be peace only
if the mind can be rid of these worldly passions.
Second, people can get rid of these mistaken observations and resulting worldly passions by careful and
patient mind-control. With efficient mind-control they can
avoid desires arising from the stimulation of the eyes,
ears, nose, tongue, skin and the subsequent mental
processes and, by so doing, cut off the very root of all
worldly passions.
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Third, they should have correct ideas with regard to
the proper use of all things. That is, with regard to articles of food and clothing, they should not think of them in
relation to comfort and pleasure, but only in their relation
to the body’s needs. Clothing is necessary to protect the
body against extremes of heat and cold, and to conceal
the shame of the body; food is necessary for the nourishment of the body while it is training for Enlightenment
and Buddhahood. Worldly passions can not arise through
such thinking.

Fourth, people should learn endurance; they should
learn to endure the discomforts of heat and cold, hunger
and thirst; they should learn to be patient when receiving
abuse and scorn; for it is the practice of endurance that
quenches the fire of worldly passions which is burning up
their bodies.
Fifth, people should learn to see and so avoid all
danger. Just as a wise man keeps away from wild horses
or mad dogs, so one should not make friends with evil
men, nor should one go to places that wise men avoid. If
one practices caution and prudence, the fire of worldly
passions which is burning in their vitals will die down.

2.

There are five groups of desires in the world.
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Desires arising from the forms the eyes see; from
the sounds the ears hear; from the fragrances the nose
smells; from tastes pleasant to the tongue; from things
that are agreeable to the sense of touch. From these five
doors to desire come the body’s love of comfort.
Most people, being influenced by the body’s love of
comfort, do not notice the evils that follow comfort, and
they are caught in a devil’s trap like a deer in the forest
caught in a hunter’s trap. Indeed, these five doors of
desires arising from the senses are the most dangerous
traps. When caught by them, people are entangled in
worldly passions and suffer. They should know how to
get rid of these traps.
3. There is no one way to get free from the trap of
worldly passions. Suppose you caught a snake, a crocodile, a bird, a dog, a fox and a monkey, six creatures of
very different natures, and you tie them together with a
strong rope and let them go. Each of these six creatures
will try to go back to its own lair by its own method: the
snake will seek a covering of grass, the crocodile will
seek water, the bird will want to fly in the air, the dog will
seek a village, the fox will seek the solitary ledges, and
the monkey will seek the trees of a forest. In the attempt
of each to go its own way there will be a struggle, but,
being tied together by a rope, the strongest at any one
time will drag the rest.
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Like the creatures in this parable, people are
tempted in dif ferent ways by the desires of their six
senses, eyes, ears, nose, tongue, touch and mind, and is
controlled by the predominant desire.

If the six creatures are all tied to a post, they will try
to get free until they are tired out, and then will lie down
by the post. Just like this, if people will train and control
the mind there will be no further trouble from the other
five senses. If the mind is under control people will have
happiness both now and in the future.

4. People love their egoistic comfort, which is a love of
fame and praise. But fame and praise are like incense that
consumes itself and soon disappears. If people chase after
honors and public acclaim and leave the way of truth,
they are in serious danger and will soon have cause for
regret.
A man who chases after fame and wealth and love
affairs is like a child who licks honey from the blade of a
knife. While he is tasting the sweetness of honey, he has
to risk hurting his tongue. He is like a man who carries a
torch against a strong wind; the flame will surely burn his
hands and face.
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One must not trust his own mind that is filled with
greed, anger and foolishness. One must not let one’s
mind run free, but must keep it under strict control.
5. To attain perfect mind-control is a most difficult
thing. Those who seek Enlightenment must first rid
themselves of the fire of all desires. Desire is a raging
fire, and one seeking Enlightenment must avoid the fire
of desire as a man carrying a load of hay avoids sparks.
But it would be foolish for a person to put out one’s
eyes for fear of being tempted by beautiful forms. The
mind is master and if the mind is under control, the
weaker desires will disappear.
It is difficult to follow the way to Enlightenment, but
it is more difficult if people have no mind to seek such a
way. Without Enlightenment, there is endless suffering in
this world of life and death.
When a person seeks the way to Enlightenment, it is
like an ox carrying a heavy load through a field of mud. If
the ox tries to do its best without paying attention to
other things, it can overcome the mud and take a rest.
Just so, if the mind is controlled and kept on the right
path, there will be no mud of greed to hinder it and all its
suffering will disappear.
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6. Those who seek the path to Enlightenment must
first remove all egoistic pride and be humbly willing to
accept the light of Buddha’s teachings. All the treasures
of the world, all its gold and silver and honors, are not to
be compared with wisdom and virtue.
To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to
one’s family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline
and control one’s own mind. If a man can control his
mind he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all
wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him.
Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so
virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears
from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through
the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom
and the guidance of virtue.
The Buddha’s teaching, which tells people how to
eliminate greed, anger and foolishness, is a good teaching and those who follow it attain the happiness of a good
life.
7. Human beings tend to move in the direction of their
thoughts. If they harbor greedy thoughts, they become
more greedy; if they think angry thoughts, they become
more angry; if they hold foolish thoughts, their feet move
in that direction.
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At harvest time farmers keep their herds confined,
lest they break through the fences into the field and give
cause for complaint or for being killed; so people must
closely guard their minds against dishonesty and misfortune. They must eliminate thoughts that stimulate greed,
anger and foolishness, but encourage thoughts that stimulate charity and kindness.
When spring comes and the pastures have an abundance of green grass, farmers turn their cattle loose; but
even then they keep a close watch over them. It is so with
the minds of people: even under the best of conditions
the mind will bear watching.
8. At one time Shakyamuni Buddha was staying in the
town of Kausambi. In this town there was one who
resented Him and who bribed wicked men to circulate
false stories about Him. Under these circumstances it
was difficult for His disciples to get sufficient food from
their begging and there was much abuse in that town.
Ananda said to Shakyamuni: “We had better not stay
in a town like this. There are other and better towns to go
to. We had better leave this town.”
The Blessed One replied: “Suppose the next town is
like this, what shall we do then?”

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“Then we move to another.”
The Blessed One said: “No, Ananda, there will be no
end in that way. We had better remain here and bear the
abuse patiently until it ceases, and then we move to
another place.”
“There are profit and loss, slander and honor, praise
and abuse, suf fering and pleasure in this world; the
Enlightened One is not controlled by these external
things; they will cease as quickly as they come.”
II
THE GOOD WAY OF BEHAVIOR
1. Those who seek the way of Enlightenment must
always bear in mind the necessity of constantly keeping
their body, speech and mind pure. To keep the body pure
one must not kill any living creature, one must not steal
or commit adultery. To keep speech pure one must not
lie, or abuse, or deceive, or indulge in idle talk. To keep
the mind pure one must remove all greed, anger and
false judgment.
If the mind becomes impure, for sure, one’s deeds
will be impure; if the deeds are impure, there will be suffering. So it is of the greatest importance that the mind
and the body be kept pure.
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2. Once there was a rich widow who had a reputation
for kindness, modesty and courtesy. She had a housemaid who was wise and diligent.
One day the maid thought: “My mistress has a very
good reputation; I wonder whether she is good by nature,
or is good because of her surroundings. I will try her and
find out.”
The following morning the maid did not appear
before her mistress until nearly noon. The mistress was
vexed and scolded her impatiently. The maid replied: “If I
am lazy for only a day or two, you ought not to become
impatient.” Then the mistress became angry.
The next day the maid got up late again. This made
the mistress very angry and she struck the maid with a
stick. This incident became widely known and the rich
widow lost her good reputation.
3. Many people are like this woman. While their surroundings are satisfactor y they are kind, modest and
quiet, but it is questionable if they will behave likewise
when the conditions change and become unsatisfactory.
It is only when a person maintains a pure and peaceful mind and continues to act with goodness when
unpleasant words enter his ears, when others show ill-will
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toward him or when he lacks sufficient food, clothes and
shelter, that we may call him good.

Therefore, those who do good deeds and maintain a
peaceful mind only when their surroundings are satisfactor y are not really good people. Only those who have
received the Buddha’s teachings and are training their
minds and bodies by those teachings can be called truly
good, modest and peaceful people.

4. As to the suitability of words to be used there are
five pairs of antonyms: words that are suitable to their
occasions and those not so suitable to theirs; words that
fit the facts and those that don’t fit; words that sound
pleasant and those that sound rude; words that are beneficial and those that are harmful; and words that are sympathetic and those that are hateful.
Whatever words we utter should be chosen with
care for people will hear them and be influenced by them
for good or ill. If our minds are filled with sympathy and
compassion, they will be resistant to the evil words we
hear. We must not let wild words pass our lips lest they
arouse feelings of anger and hatred. The words we speak
should always be words of sympathy and wisdom.
Suppose there is a man who wants to remove all the
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dirt from the ground. He uses a spade and a winnow and
works perseveringly scattering the dirt all about, but it is
an impossible task. Like this foolish man we can not hope
to eliminate all words. We must train our mind and fill our
hearts with sympathy so that we will be undisturbed by
the words spoken by others.
One might try to paint a picture with water colors on
the blue sky, but it is impossible. And it is also impossible
to dry up a great river by the heat of a torch made of hay,
or to produce a crackling noise by rubbing together two
pieces of well-tanned leather. Like these examples, people
should train their minds so that they would not be disturbed by whatever kinds of words they might hear.
They should train their minds and keep them broad
as the earth, unlimited as the sky, deep as a big river and
soft as well-tanned leather.
Even if your enemy catches and tortures you, if you
feel resentment, you are not following the Buddha’s
teachings. Under every circumstance you should learn to
think: “My mind is unshakable. Words of hatred and
anger shall not pass my lips. I will surround my enemy
with thoughts of sympathy and pity that flow out from a
mind filled with compassion for all sentient life.”

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5. There is a fable told of a man who found an anthill
which burned in the daytime and smoked at night. He
went to a wise man and asked his advice as to what he
should do about it. The wise man told him to dig into it
with a sword. This the man did. He found in succession a
gate-bar, some bubbles of water, a pitchfork, a box, a tortoise, a butcher-knife, a piece of meat and, finally, a
dragon which came out. The man reported to the wise
man what he had found. The wise man explained the significance of it and said, “Throw away everything but the
dragon; leave the dragon alone and do not disturb him.”
This is a fable in which “anthill” represents the
human body. “Burned in the daytime” represents the fact
that during the day people turn into acts the things they
thought about the previous night. “Smoked at night” indicates the fact that people during the night recall with
pleasure or regret the things they did the previous day.
In the same fable, “a man” means a person who
seeks Enlightenment. “A wise man” means Buddha. “A
sword” means pure wisdom. “Dig into it” refers to the
effort he must make to gain Enlightenment.

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Fur ther in the fable, “gate-bar” represents ignorance; “bubbles” are puffs of suffering and anger; “pitchfork” suggests hesitation and uneasiness; “box” suggests
the storage of greed, anger, laziness, fickleness, repentance and delusion; “tortoise” means the body and the
mind; “butcher-knife” means the synthesis of the five sensory desires, and “a piece of meat” means the resulting
desire that causes a man to covet after satisfaction. These
things are all harmful to man and so Buddha said,
“Throw away everything.”
Still further, “dragon” indicates a mind that has eliminated all worldly passions. If a man digs into the things
about him with the sword of wisdom he will finally come
to his dragon. “Leave the dragon alone and do not disturb
him” means to go after and dig up a mind free of worldly
desires.
6. Pindola, a disciple of Buddha, after gaining
Enlightenment, returned to his native place of Kausambi
to repay the people there for the kindness they had
shown him. In so doing he prepared the field for the
sowing of Buddha-seeds.
On the outskirts of Kausambi there is a small park
that runs along the bank of the Ganges River shaded by
endless rows of coconut trees and where a cool wind continually blows.
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One hot summer day, Pindola sat in meditation in
the cool shade of a tree when King Udayana came to this
park with his consorts for recreation and, after music and
pleasure, he took a nap in the shade of another tree.
While their King was asleep, his wives and ladies-inwaiting took a walk and suddenly came upon Pindola sitting in meditation. They recognized him as a holy-man
and asked him to teach them, and they listened to his
sermon.
When the King awoke from his nap, he went in
search of his ladies and found them surrounding this
man and listening to his teaching. Being of a jealous and
lascivious mind, the King became angr y and abused
Pindola, saying: “It is inexcusable that you, a holy-man,
should be in the midst of women and enjoy idle talking
with them.” Pindola quietly closed his eyes and remained
silent.
The angr y King drew his sword and threatened
Pindola, but the holy-man remained silent and was as
firm as a rock. This made the King still more angry so he
broke open an anthill and threw some of the ant-filled dirt
upon him, but still Pindola remained sitting in meditation,
quietly enduring the insult and pain.

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Thereupon, the King became ashamed of his ferocious conduct and begged Pindola’s pardon. As a result of
this incident, the Buddha’s teaching found its way into
the King’s castle and from there it spread all over the
country.
7. A few days later King Udayana visited Pindola in the
forest retreat where he lived and asked him, “Honored
teacher, how is it that the disciples of Buddha can keep
their bodies and minds pure and untempted by lust,
although they are mostly young men?”
Pindola replied: “Noble Lord, Buddha has taught us
to respect all women. He has taught us to look upon all
old women as our mothers, upon those of our own age as
our sisters, and upon younger ones as our daughters.
Because of this teaching the disciples of Buddha are able
to keep their bodies and minds pure and untempted by
lust although they are youthful.”
“But, Honored teacher, one may have impure
thoughts of a woman the age of a mother or a sister or a
daughter. How do the disciples of Buddha control their
desires?”
“Noble Lord, the Blessed One taught us to think of
our bodies as secreting impurities of all kinds such as
blood, pus, sweat and oils; by thinking thus, we, although
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young, are able to keep our minds pure.”
“Honored teacher,” still pressed the King. “It may be
easy for you to do this for you have trained your body and
mind, and polished your wisdom, but it would be difficult
for those who have not yet had such training. They may
try to remember the impurities but their eyes will follow
beautiful forms. They may tr y to see the ugliness but
they will be tempted by the beautiful figures just the
same. There must be some other reason that the young
men among the Buddha’s disciples are able to keep their
actions pure.”
“Noble Lord,” replied Pindola, “the Blessed One
teaches us to guard the doors of the five senses. When
we see beautiful figures and colors with our eyes, when
we hear pleasant sounds with our ears, when we smell
fragrance with our nose, or when we taste sweet things
with our tongue or touch soft things with our hands, we
are not to become attached to these attractive things, neither are we to be repulsed by unattractive things. We are
taught to carefully guard the doors of these five senses. It
is by this teaching of the Blessed One that even young
disciples are able to keep their minds and bodies pure.”
“The teaching of Buddha is truly marvelous. From
my own experience I know that if I confront anything
beautiful or pleasing, without being on my guard, I am
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disturbed by the sense impressions. It is of vital importance that we be on guard at the doors of the five senses,
at all times to keep our deeds pure.”
8. Whenever a person expresses the thought of his
mind in action there is always a reaction that follows. If
one abuses you, there is a temptation to answer back, or
to be revenged. One should be on guard against this natural reaction. It is like spitting against the wind, it harms
no one but oneself. It is like sweeping dust against the
wind, it does not get rid of the dust but defiles oneself.
Misfortune always dogs the steps of one who gives way
to the desire for revenge.
9. It is a ver y good deed to cast away greed and to
cherish a mind of charity. It is still better to keep one’s
mind intent on respecting the Noble Path.
One should get rid of a selfish mind and replace it
with a mind that is earnest to help others. An act to make
another happy inspires the other to make still another
happy, and so happiness is born from such an act.
Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single
candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened.
Happiness never decreases by being shared.

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Those who seek Enlightenment must be careful of
their each step. No matter how high one’s aspiration may
be, it must be attained step by step. The steps of the path
to Enlightenment must be taken in our everyday life.
10. At the very beginning of the path to Enlightenment
there are twenty difficulties for us to overcome in this
world, and they are: 1. It is hard for a poor man to be generous. 2. It is hard for a proud man to learn the Way of
Enlightenment. 3. It is hard to seek Enlightenment at the
cost of self-sacrifice. 4. It is hard to be born while Buddha
is in the world. 5. It is hard to hear the teaching of
Buddha. 6. It is hard to keep the mind pure against the
instincts of the body. 7. It is hard not to desire things that
are beautiful and attractive. 8. It is hard for a strong man
not to use his strength to satisfy his desires. 9. It is hard
not to get angry when one is insulted. 10. It is hard to
remain innocent when tempted by sudden circumstances.
11. It is hard to apply oneself to study widely and thoroughly. 12. It is hard not to despise a beginner. 13. It is
hard to keep oneself humble. 14. It is hard to find good
friends. 15. It is hard to endure the discipline that leads to
Enlightenment. 16. It is hard not to be disturbed by external conditions and circumstances. 17. It is hard to teach
others by knowing their abilities. 18. It is hard to maintain a peaceful mind.

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19. It is hard not to argue about right and wrong. 20. It is
hard to find and learn a good method.
11. Good men and bad men differ from each other in
their natures. Bad men do not recognize a sinful act as
sinful; if its sinfulness is brought to their attention, they
do not cease doing it and do not like to have anyone
inform them of their sinful acts. Wise men are sensitive
to right and wrong; they cease doing anything as soon as
they see that it is wrong; they are grateful to anyone who
calls their attention to such wrong acts.
Thus good men and bad men differ radically. Bad
men never appreciate kindness shown them, but wise
men appreciate and are grateful. Wise men try to express
their appreciation and gratitude by some return of kindness, not only to their benefactor, but to everyone else.

III
TEACHING IN ANCIENT FABLES
1. Once upon a time there was a country which had
the very peculiar custom of abandoning its aged people in
remote and inaccessible mountains.
A certain minister of the State found it too difficult
to follow this custom in the case of his own aged father,
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and so he built a secret underground cave where he hid
his father and cared for him.
One day a god appeared before the king of that
country and gave him a puzzling problem, saying that if
he could not solve it satisfactorily, his country would be
destroyed. The problem was: “Here are two serpents; tell
me the sex of each.”
Neither the king nor anyone in the palace was able
to solve the problem; so the king offered a great reward
to anyone in his kingdom who could.
The minister went to his father’s hiding place and
asked him for the answer to that problem. The old man
said: “It is an easy solution. Place the two snakes on a soft
carpet; the one that moves about is the male, and the
other that keeps quiet is the female.” The minister carried the answer to the king and the problem was successfully solved.
Then the god asked other difficult questions which
the king and his retainers were unable to answer, but
which the minister, after consulting his aged father, could
always solve.

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Here are some of the questions and their answers.
“Who is the one who, being asleep, is called the awakened one, and, being awake, is called the sleeping one?”
The answer is this: - It is the one who is under training for
Enlightenment. He is awake when compared with those
who are not interested in Enlightenment; he is asleep
when compared with those who have already attained
Enlightenment.
“How can you weigh a large elephant?” “Load it on a
boat and draw a line to mark how deep the boat sinks into
the water. Then take out the elephant and load the boat
with stones until it sinks to the same depth, and then
weigh the stones.”
What is the meaning of the saying, “A cupful of
water is more than the water of an ocean?” This is the
answer: “A cupful of water given in a pure and compassionate spirit to one’s parents or to a sick person has an
eternal merit, but the water of an ocean will some day
come to an end.”
Next the god made a starving man, reduced to skin
and bones, complain, “Is there anyone in this world more
hungry than I?” “The man who is so selfish and greedy
that he does not believe in the Three Treasures of the
Buddha, the Dharma and the Samgha, and who does not
make offerings to his parents and teachers, is not only
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more hungr y but he will fall into the world of hungr y
demons and there he will suffer from hunger forever.”
“Here is a plank of Chandana wood; which end was
the bottom of the tree?” “Float the plank in water; the end
that sinks a little deeper was the end nearest the root.”
“Here are two horses apparently of the same size
and form; how can you tell the mother from the son?”
“Feed them some hay; the mother horse will push the
hay toward her son.”

Ever y answer to these difficult questions pleased
the god as well as the king. The king was grateful to find
out that the answers had come from the aged father
whom the minister had hidden in the cave, and he withdrew the law of abandoning aged people in the mountains
and ordered that they were to be treated kindly.

2. Queen of Videha in India once dreamed of a white
elephant that had six ivory tusks. She coveted the tusks
and besought the king to get them for her. Although the
task seemed an impossible one, the king who loved the
queen ver y much offered a reward to any hunter who
would report if he found such an elephant.
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It happened that there was just such an elephant
with six tusks in the Himalayan Mountains who was training for Buddhahood. The elephant once had saved a
hunter’s life in an emergency in the depths of the mountains and the hunter could go back safely to his country.
The hunter, however, blinded by the great reward and
forgetting the kindness the elephant had shown him,
returned to the mountains to kill the elephant.
The hunter, knowing that the elephant was seeking
Buddhahood, disguised himself in the robe of a Buddhist
monk and, thus catching the elephant off guard, shot it
with a poisoned arrow.
The elephant, knowing that its end was near and
that the hunter had been overcome by the worldly desire
for the reward, had compassion upon him and sheltered
him in its limbs to protect the hunter from the fury of the
other revengeful elephants. Then the elephant asked the
hunter why he had done such a foolish thing. The hunter
told of the reward and confessed that he coveted its six
tusks. The elephant immediately broke off the tusks by
hitting them against a tree and gave them to the hunter
saying: – “By this offering I have completed my training
for Buddhahood and will be reborn in the Pure Land.
When I become a Buddha, I will help you to get rid of
your three poisonous arrows of greed, anger and foolishness.”
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3. In a thicket at the foot of the Himalayan Mountains
there once lived a parrot together with many other animals and birds. One day a fire started in the thicket from
the friction of bamboos in a strong wind and the birds
and animals were in frightened confusion. The parrot,
feeling compassion for their fright and suffering, and
wishing to repay the kindness he had received in the
bamboo thicket where he could shelter himself, tried to
do all he could to save them. He dipped himself in a pond
nearby and flew over the fire and shook off the drops of
water to extinguish the fire. He repeated this diligently
with a heart of compassion out of gratitude to the thicket.
This spirit of kindness and self-sacrifice was noticed
by a heavenly god who came down from the sky and said
to the parrot: – “You have a gallant mind, but what good
do you expect to accomplish by a few drops of water
against this great fire?” The parrot answered: – “There is
nothing that can not be accomplished by the spirit of gratitude and self-sacrifice. I will try over and over again and
then over in the next life.” The great god was impressed
by the parrot’s spirit and together they extinguished the
fire.
4. At one time there lived in the Himalayas a bird with
one body and two heads. Once one of the heads noticed
the other head eating some sweet fruit and felt jealous
and said to itself: – “I will then eat poison fruit.” So it ate
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poison and the whole bird died.
5. At one time the tail and the head of a snake quarreled as to which should be the front. The tail said to the
head:– “You are always taking the lead; it is not fair, you
ought to let me lead sometimes.” The head answered;–
“It is the law of our nature that I should be the head; I can
not change places with you.”
But the quarrel went on and one day the tail fastened itself to a tree and thus prevented the head from
proceeding. When the head became tired with the struggle the tail had its own way, with the result that the snake
fell into a pit of fire and perished.
In the world of nature there always exists an appropriate order and everything has its own function. If this
order is disturbed, the functioning is interrupted and the
whole order will go to ruin.

6. There was a man who was easily angered. One day
two men were talking in front of the house about the man
who lived there. One said to the other: – “He is a nice
man but is very impatient; he has a hot temper and gets
angry quickly.” The man overheard the remark, rushed
out of the house and attacked the two men, striking and
kicking and wounding them.
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When a wise man is advised of his errors, he will
reflect on them and improve his conduct. When his misconduct is pointed out, a foolish man will not only disregard the advice but rather repeat the same error.
7. Once there was a wealthy but foolish man. When he
saw the beautiful three-storied house of another man, he
envied it and made up his mind to have one built just like
it, thinking he was himself just as wealthy. He called a
carpenter and ordered him to build it. The carpenter consented and immediately began to construct the foundation, the first story, the second story, and then the third
story. The wealthy man noticed this with irritation and
said: – “I don’t want a foundation or a first stor y or a
second story; I just want the beautiful third story. Build it
quickly.”
A foolish man always thinks only of the results, and
is impatient without the effort that is necessary to get
good results. No good can be attained without proper
effort, just as there can be no third stor y without the
foundation and the first and the second stories.
8. A foolish man was once boiling honey. His friend
suddenly appeared and the foolish man wanted to offer
him some honey, but it was too hot, and so without
removing it from the fire he fanned it to make it cool. In
like manner, it is impossible to get the honey of cool
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wisdom without first removing it from the fire of worldly
passions.

9. Once there were two demons who spent a whole
day arguing and quarreling about a box, a cane and a
pair of shoes. A man, passing by, inquired, “Why are you
arguing about these things? What magical power have
they that you should be quarreling about possessing
them?”
The demons explained to him that from the box
they could get anything they desired-food, clothing or
treasure; with the cane they could subdue all their enemies; and with the pair of shoes they could travel through
the air.
Upon hearing this, the man said: “Why quarrel? If
you will go away for a few minutes, I can think of a fair
division of the things between you.” So the two demons
retired and as soon as they were gone, the man put on
the shoes, seized the box and the cane and was of f
through the air.
The “demons” represent men of heathen beliefs. “A
box” means the gifts that are made in charity; they do not
realize how many treasures can be produced from
charity. “A cane” means the practice of concentration of
the mind. Men do not realize that by the practice of
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spiritual concentration of mind, they can subdue all
worldly desires. “A pair of shoes” means the pure
disciplines of thought and conduct, that will carry them
beyond all desires and arguments. Without knowing
these, they quarrel and argue about a box, a cane and a
pair of shoes.
10. Once upon a time a man was traveling alone. He
came to a vacant house toward the evening and decided
to spend the night there. About midnight a demon
brought in a corpse and left it on the floor. Shor tly,
another demon appeared and claimed the corpse as his
and they quarreled over it.
Then the first demon said it was useless to argue
about it further and proposed that they refer it to a judge
to decide the possessor. The other demon agreed to this
and, seeing the man cowering in the corner, asked him to
decide the ownership. The man was terribly frightened,
for he well knew that whatever decision he might make
would anger the demon that lost and that the losing
demon would seek revenge and kill him, but he decided
to tell truthfully just what he had witnessed.
As he expected, this angered the second demon
who grabbed one of the man’s arms and tore it off, but
the first demon replaced the arm with one taken from the
corpse. The angry demon tore away the man’s other arm,
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but the first demon immediately replaced that with the
other arm of the corpse. And so it went on until both
arms, both legs, the head and the body had been successively torn away and replaced with the corresponding
parts of the corpse. Then the two demons, seeing the
parts of the man scattered about on the floor, picked
them up and devoured them and went away chuckling.

The poor man who had taken refuge in the deserted
house was ver y much upset by his misfor tunes. The
parts of his body which the demons had eaten were the
parts his parents had given him, and the parts that he
now had belonged to the corpse. Who was he, anyway?
Realizing all the facts, he was unable to figure it out and,
becoming crazy, he wandered out of the house. Coming
to a temple, he went in and told his troubles to the
monks. People could see the true meaning of selflessness
in his story.

11. Once a beautiful and well-dressed woman visited a
house. The master of the house asked her who she was;
and she replied that she was the goddess of wealth. The
master of the house was delighted and so treated her
nicely.
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Soon after another woman appeared who was ugly
looking and poorly dressed. The master asked who she
was and the woman replied that she was the goddess of
poverty. The master was frightened and tried to drive her
out of the house, but the woman refused to depar t,
saying, “The goddess of wealth is my sister. There is an
agreement between us that we are never to live separately;
if you chase me out, she is to go with me.” Sure enough,
as soon as the ugly woman went out, the other woman
disappeared.
Birth goes with death. Fortune goes with misfortune. Bad things follow good things. People should realize this. Foolish people dread misfortune and strive after
good fortune, but those who seek Enlightenment must
transcend both of them and be free of worldly attachments.
12. Once there lived a poor artist who left his home,
leaving his wife, to seek his fortune. After three years of
hard struggles he had saved three hundred pieces of
gold and decided to return to his home. On his way he
came to a great temple in which a grand ceremony of
offering was in progress. He was greatly impressed by it
and thought to himself: “Hitherto, I have thought only of
the present; I have never considered my future happiness. It is a part of my good fortune that I have come to
this place; I must take advantage of it to plant seeds of
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merit.” Thinking thus, he gratefully donated all his savings to the temple and returned to his home penniless.
When he reached home, his wife reproached him
for not bringing her some money for her support. The
poor artist replied that he had earned some money but
had put it where it would be safe. When she pressed him
to tell where he had hidden it, he confessed that he had
given it to the monks at a certain temple.
This made the wife angry and she scolded her husband and finally carried the matter to the local judge.
When the judge asked the artist for his defence, the artist
said that he had not acted foolishly, for he had earned the
money during long and hard struggles and wanted to use
it as seed for future good fortune. When he came to the
temple it seemed to him that there was the field where he
should plant his gold as seed for good fortune. Then he
added: “When I gave the monks the gold, it seemed that I
was throwing away all greed and stinginess from my
mind, and I have realized that real wealth is not gold but
mind.”
The judge praised the artist’s spirit, and those who
heard of this manifested their approval by helping him in
various ways. Thus the artist and his wife entered into
permanent good fortune.
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13. A man living near a cemeter y heard one night a
voice calling him from a grave. He was too timid to investigate it himself but the next day he mentioned it to a
brave friend, who made up his mind to trace the place
whence the voice came the following night.
While the timid man was trembling with fear, his
friend went to the cemetery and, sure enough, the same
voice was heard coming from a grave. The friend asked
who it was and what it wanted. The voice from under the
ground replied: “I am a hidden treasure that has decided
to give myself to someone. I offered it to a man last night
but he was too timid to come after it, so I will give it to
you who are worthy of it. Tomorrow morning I will come
to your house with my seven followers.”

The friend said: “I will be waiting for you, but please
tell me how I am to treat you.” The voice replied: “We will
come in monk's robes. Have a room ready for us with
water; wash your body and clean the room, and have
seats for us and eight bowls of rice-porridge. After the
meal, you are to lead us one by one into a closed room in
which we will transform ourselves into crocks of gold.”

The next morning this man washed his body and
cleaned the room just as he had been told and waited for
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the eight monks to appear. In due time they appeared and
he received them courteously. After they had eaten the
food he led them one by one into the closed room, where
each monk turned himself into a crock full of gold.
There was a very greedy man in the same village
who learned of the incident and wanted the crocks of
gold. He invited eight monks to his house. After their
meal he led them into a closed room, but instead of turning themselves into crocks of gold, they became angry
and rough and reported the greedy man to the police
who eventually arrested him.
As for the timid man, when he heard that the voice
from the grave had brought wealth to the brave man, he
went to the house of the brave man and greedily demanded the gold, insisting that it was his, because the voice
first addressed him. When the timid man tried to take the
crocks away he found lots of snakes inside raising their
heads ready to attack him.
The king heard about this and ruled that the crocks
belonged to the brave man and uttered the following
obser vation: “Ever ything in the world goes like this.
Foolish people are avaricious for good results only, but
are too timid to go after them and, therefore, are continually failing. They have neither faith nor courage to face
the internal struggles of the mind by which alone true
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peace and harmony can be attained.”

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CHAPTER TWO

THE WAY OF PRACTICAL
ATTAINMENT
I
SEARCH FOR TRUTH

1. In the search for truth there are certain questions
that are unimportant. Of what material is the universe
constructed? Is the universe eternal? Are there limits or
not to the universe? In what way is this human society put
together? What is the ideal form of organization for
human society? If a man were to postpone his searching
and practicing for Enlightenment until such questions
were solved, he would die before he found the path.

Suppose a man were pierced by a poisoned arrow,
and his relatives and friends got together to call a surgeon to have the arrow pulled out and the wound treated.

If the wounded man objects, saying, “Wait a little.
Before you pull it out, I want to know who shot this
arrow. Was it a man or a woman? Was it someone of
noble birth, or was it a peasant? What was the bow made
of? Was it a big bow, or a small bow, that shot the arrow?
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string made of? Was it made of fiber, or of gut? Was the
arrow made of rattan, or of reed? What feathers were
used? Before you extract the arrow, I want to know all
about these things.” Then what will happen?

Before all this information can be secured, no doubt,
the poison will have time to circulate all through the
system and the man may die. The first duty is to remove
the arrow, and prevent its poison from spreading.

When a fire of passion is endangering the world, the
composition of the universe matters little; what is the
ideal form for the human community is not so important
to deal with.

The question of whether the universe has limits or
is eternal can wait until some way is found to extinguish
the fires of birth, old age, sickness and death; in the presence of misery, sorrow, suffering and agony, one should
first search for a way to solve these problems and devote
oneself to the practice of that way.

The Buddha’s teaching contains what is important
to know and not what is unimportant. That is, it teaches
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people that they must learn what they should learn,
remove what they should remove, train for what they
should become enlightened about.
Therefore, people should first discern what is the
most important, what problem should be solved first and
what is the most pressing issue for them. To do all this,
they must first undertake to train their minds; that is,
they must first seek mind-control.

2. Suppose a man goes to the forest to get some of the
pith that grows in the center of a tree and returns with a
burden of branches and leaves, thinking that he has
secured what he went after; would he not be foolish, if he
is satisfied with the bark, wood for the pith which he was
after? But that is what many people are doing.

A person seeks a path that will lead him away from
bir th, old age, sickness and death, or from miser y,
sorrow, suffering and agony; and yet, he follows the path
a little way, notices some little advance, and immediately
becomes proud and conceited and domineering. He is
like the man who sought pith and went away satisfied
with a burden of branches and leaves.

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Another man becoming satisfied with the progress
he has made by a little ef for t, relaxes his ef for t and
becomes proud and conceited; he is carrying away only a
load of branches instead of the pith he was seeking.
Still another man finding that his mind is becoming
calmer and his thoughts clearer, he, too, relaxes his
ef for t and becomes proud and conceited; he has a
burden of the bark instead of the pith he was looking for.
Then again, another man becomes proud and conceited because he notices that he has gained a measure
of intuitive insight; he has a load of the woody fiber of the
tree instead of the pith. All of these seekers, who become
easily satisfied by their insufficient effort and become
proud and over-bearing, relax their efforts and easily fall
into idleness. All these people will inevitably face suffering again.

Those who seek the true path to Enlightenment
must not expect any offer of respect, honor or devotion.
And further, they must not aim with a slight effort, at a
trifling advance in calmness or knowledge or insight.

First of all, one should get clearly in mind the basic
and essential nature of this world of life and death.
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3. The world has no substance of its own. It is simply a
vast concordance of causes and conditions that have had
their origin, solely and exclusively, in the activities of the
mind that has been stimulated by ignorance, false imagination, desires and infatuation. It is not something external about which the mind has false conceptions; it has no
substance whatever. It has come into appearance by the
processes of the mind itself, manifesting its own delusions. It is founded and built up out of the desires of the
mind, out of its sufferings and struggles incidental to the
pain caused by its own greed, anger and foolishness.
Men who seek the way to Enlightenment should be ready
to fight such a mind to attain their goal.
4. “Oh my mind! Why do you hover so restlessly over
the changing circumstances of life? Why do you make me
so confused and restless? Why do you urge me to collect
so many things? You are like a plow that breaks in pieces
before beginning to plow; you are like a rudder that is
dismantled just as you are venturing out on the sea of life
and death. Of what use are many rebirths if we do not
make good use of this life? ”
“Oh my mind! Once you caused me to be born as a
king, and then you caused me to be born as an outcast
and to beg for my food. Sometimes you cause me to be
born in heavenly mansions of the gods and to dwell in
luxur y and in ecstasy; then you plunge me into the
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flames of hell.”
“Oh, my foolish, foolish mind! Thus you have led me
along different paths and I have been obedient to you and
docile. But now that I have heard the Buddha’s teaching,
do not disturb me any more or cause me further sufferings, but let us seek Enlightenment together, humbly and
patiently.”
“Oh, my mind! If you could only learn that everything is non-substantial and transitory; if you could only
learn not to grasp after things, not to covet things, not to
give way to greed, anger and foolishness; then we might
journey in quietness. Then, by severing the bond of
desires with the sword of wisdom, being undisturbed by
changing circumstances - advantage or disadvantage,
good or bad, loss or gain, praise or abuse - we might
dwell in peace.”
“Oh, my dear mind! It was you who first awakened
faith in us; it was you who suggested our seeking
Enlightenment. Why do you give way so easily to greed,
love of comfort and pleasant excitement again? ”
“Oh, my mind! Why do you rush hither and thither
with no definite purpose? Let us cross this wild sea of
delusion. Hitherto I have acted as you wished, but now
you must act as I wish and, together, we will follow the
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Buddha’s teaching.”
“Oh, my dear mind! These mountains, rivers and
seas are changeable and pain-producing. Where in this
world of delusion shall we seek quietness? Let us follow
the Buddha’s teaching and cross over to the other shore
of Enlightenment.”

5. Thus, those who really seek the path to Enlightenment dictate terms to their mind. Then they proceed with
strong determination. Even though they are abused by
some and scorned by others, they go for ward undisturbed. They do not become angry if they are beaten by
fists, or hit by stones, or gashed by swords.
Even if enemies cut their head from the body, the
mind must not be disturbed. If they let their mind
become darkened by the things they suffer, they are not
following the teaching of Buddha. They must be determined, no matter what happens to them, to remain steadfast, unmovable, ever radiating thoughts of compassion
and good-will. Let abuse come, let misfortune come, and
yet one should resolve to remain unmoved and tranquil in
mind, filled with Buddha’s teaching.
For the sake of attaining Enlightenment, one should
try to accomplish the impossible and one should endure
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the unendurable. One must give what he has to the last of
it. If he is told that to gain Enlightenment he must limit
his food to a single grain of rice a day, he will eat only
that. If the path to Enlightenment leads him through fire,
he will go forward.
But one must not do these things for any ulterior
purpose. One should do them because it is the wise
thing, the right thing, to do. One should do them out of a
spirit of compassion, as a mother does things for her little
child, for her sick child, with no thought of her own
strength or comfort.

6. Once there was a king who loved his people and his
country and ruled them with wisdom and kindness and,
because of it his country was prosperous and peaceful.
He was always seeking for greater wisdom and enlightenment; he even offered rewards to anyone who could lead
him to worthy teachings.
His devotion and wisdom finally came to the attention of the gods, but they determined to test him. A god
in disguise as a demon appeared before the gates of the
king’s palace and asked to be brought before the king as
he had a holy teaching for him.

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The king who was pleased to hear the message
courteously received him and asked for instruction. The
demon took on a dreadful form and demanded food,
saying that he could not teach until he had the food he
liked. Choice food was offered the demon, but he insisted
that he must have warm human flesh and blood. The
crown-prince gave his body and the queen also gave her
body, but still the demon was unsatisfied and so demanded the body of the king.
The king expressed his willingness to give his body,
but asked that he might first hear the teaching before he
would offer his body.
The god uttered the following wise teaching:
“Misery rises from lust and fear rises from lust. Those
who remove lust have no misery or fear.” Suddenly the
god resumed his true form and the prince and the queen
also reappeared in their original bodies.
7. Once there was a person who sought the True Path
in the Himalayas. He cared nothing for all the treasures
of the earth or even for all the delights of heaven, but he
sought the teaching that would remove all mental delusions.
The gods were impressed by the man’s earnestness
and sincerity and decided to test his mind. So one of the
gods disguised himself as a demon and appeared in the
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Himalayas, singing: “Ever ything changes, ever ything
appears and disappears.”
The seeker heard this song which pleased him very
much. He was as delighted as if he had found a spring of
cool water for his thirst or as if a slave had been unexpectedly set free. He said to himself, “At last I have found
the true teaching that I have sought for so long.” He followed the voice and at last came upon the frightful
demon. With an uneasy mind he approached the demon
and said: “Was it you who sang the holy song that I have
just heard? If it was you, please sing more of it.”
The demon replied: “Yes, it was my song, but I can
not sing more of it until I have had something to eat; I am
starving.”
The man begged him very earnestly to sing more of
it, saying: “It has a sacred meaning to me and I have
sought its teaching for a long time. I have only heard a
part of it; please let me hear more.”
The demon said again: “I am starving, but if I can
taste the warm flesh and blood of a man, I will finish the
song.”
The man, in his eagerness to hear the teaching,
promised the demon that he could have his body after he
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had heard the teaching. Then the demon sang the complete song.
Everything changes,
Everything appears and disappears,
There is perfect tranquility
When one transcends both life and extinction.
Hearing this, the man, after he wrote the poem on
rocks and trees around, quietly climbed a tree and hurled
himself to the feet of the demon, but the demon had disappeared and, instead, a radiant god received the body of
the man unharmed.
8. Once upon a time there was an earnest seeker of
the true path named Sadaprarudita. He cast aside every
temptation for profit or honor and sought the path at the
risk of his life. One day a voice from heaven came to him,
saying, “Sadaprarudita! Go straight toward the east. Do
not think of either heat or cold, pay no attention to
worldly praise or scorn, do not be bothered by discriminations of good or evil, but just keep on going east. In the
far east you will find a true teacher and will gain Enlightenment.”
Sadaprarudita was very pleased to get this definite
instruction and immediately started on his journey eastward. Sometimes he slept where night found him in a
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lonely field or in the wild mountains.
Being a stranger in foreign lands, he suffered many
humiliations; once he sold himself into slavery, selling his
own flesh out of hunger, but at last he found the true
teacher and asked for his instruction.
There is a saying, “Good things are costly,” and
Sadaprarudita found it true in his case, for he had many
difficulties on his journey in search of the path. He had
no money to buy some flowers and incense to offer the
teacher. He tried to sell his services but could find no one
to hire him. There seemed to be an evil spirit hindering
him every way he turned. The path to Enlightenment is a
hard one and it may cost a man his life.
At last Sadaprarudita reached the presence of the
teacher himself and then he had a new difficulty. He had
no paper on which to take notes and no brush or ink to
write with. Then he pricked his wrist with a dagger and
took notes in his own blood. In this way he secured the
precious Truth.
9. Once there was a boy named Sudhana who also
wished for Enlightenment and earnestly sought the way.
From a fisherman he learned the lore of the sea. From a
doctor he learned compassion toward sick people in their
suffering. From a wealthy man he learned that saving
pennies was the secret of his fortune and thought how
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necessary it was to conserve every trifling gained on the
path to Enlightenment.
From a meditating monk he learned that the pure
and peaceful mind had a miraculous power to purify and
tranquilize other minds. Once he met a woman of exceptional personality and was impressed by her benevolent
spirit, and from her he learned a lesson that charity was
the fruit of wisdom. Once he met an aged wanderer who
told him that to reach a certain place he had to scale a
mountain of swords and pass through a valley of fire.
Thus Sudhana learned from his experiences that there
was true teaching to be gained from everything he saw
or heard.
He learned patience from a poor, crippled woman;
he learned a lesson of simple happiness from watching
children playing in the street; and from some gentle and
humble people, who never thought of wanting anything
that anybody else wanted, he learned the secret of living
at peace with all the world.
He learned a lesson of harmony from watching the
blending of the elements of incense, and a lesson of
thanksgiving from the arrangement of flowers. One day,
passing through a forest, he took a rest under a noble
tree and noticed a tiny seedling growing near by out of a
fallen and decaying tree and it taught him a lesson of the
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uncertainty of life.
Sunlight by day and the twinkling stars by night
constantly refreshed his spirit. Thus Sudhana profited by
the experiences of his long journey.
Indeed, those who seek for Enlightenment must
think of their minds as castles and decorate them. They
must open wide the gates of their minds for Buddha, and
respectfully and humbly invite Him to enter the inmost
chamber, there to offer Him the fragrant incense of faith
and the flowers of gratitude and gladness.
II
THE WAYS OF PRACTICE
1. For those who seek Enlightenment there are three
ways of practice that must be understood and followed:
First, disciplines for practical behavior; second, right concentration of mind; and third, wisdom.
What are disciplines? Everyone, whether a person is
a common person or a way-seeker, should follow the precepts for good behavior. One should control both the
mind and body, and guard the gates of one’s five senses.
One should be afraid of even a trifling evil and, from
moment to moment, should endeavor to practice only
good deeds.
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What is meant by the concentration of mind? It
means to get quickly away from greedy and evil desires
as they arise and to hold the mind pure and tranquil.

What is wisdom? It is the ability to perfectly understand and to patiently accept the Fourfold Noble Truth,
to know the fact of suffering and its nature; to know the
source of suffering, to know what constitutes the end of
suffering, and to know the Noble Path that leads to the
end of suffering.
Those who earnestly follow these three ways of
practice may rightly be called the disciples of Buddha.
Suppose a donkey, that has no nice shape, no voice
and no horns like those of the cow, was following a herd
of cows and proclaiming, “Look, I am also a cow.” Would
any one believe him? It is just as foolish when a person
does not follow the three ways of practice but boasts that
he is a way-seeker or a disciple of Buddha.

Before a farmer gathers a har vest in the fall, he
must first plow the ground, sow the seed, irrigate, and
remove the weeds as they come up in the springtime.
Likewise, the seeker of Enlightenment must follow the
three ways of practice. A farmer can not expect to see the
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buds today, to see the plants tomorrow, and to gather the
harvest the day after. So a person who seeks Enlightenment can not expect to remove worldly desires today, to
remove attachments and evil desires tomorrow, and to
get Enlightenment the day after.
Just as plants receive the patient care of the farmer
after the seed has been sown and during the changes of
climate and during the growth from plant to fruit, so the
seeker of Enlightenment must patiently and perseveringly cultivate the soil of Enlightenment by following the
three ways of practice.

2. It is difficult to advance along the path that leads to
Enlightenment so long as one is covetous of comforts
and luxuries and his mind disturbed by the desires of the
senses. There is a wide difference between the enjoyment of life and the enjoyment of the True Path.
As already explained, the mind is the source of all
things. If the mind enjoys worldly affairs, illusions and
suffering will inevitably follow, but if the mind enjoys the
True Path, happiness, contentment and enlightenment
will just as surely follow.
Therefore, those who are seeking Enlightenment
should keep their minds pure, and patiently keep and
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practice the three ways. If they keep the precepts they
will naturally obtain concentration of mind; and if they
obtain concentration of the mind it will be just as natural
for them to grasp wisdom, and wisdom will lead them to
Enlightenment.

Indeed, these three ways (keeping the precepts,
practicing concentration of mind and always acting
wisely) are the true path to Enlightenment.
By not following them, people have for a long time
accumulated mental delusions. They must not argue with
worldly people, but must patiently meditate in their inner
world of a pure mind in order to attain Enlightenment.

3. If the three ways of practice are analyzed, they will
reveal the eightfold noble path, the four viewpoints to be
considered, the four right procedures, the five faculties of
power to be employed, and the perfection of six practices.
The Noble Eightfold Path refers to Right View,
Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Behavior, Right
Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right
Concentration.
Right View means to thoroughly understand the
Fourfold Truth, to believe in the law of cause and effect
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and not to be deceived by appearances and desires.
Right Thought means the resolution not to cherish,
desires, not to be greedy, not to be angry, and not to do
any harmful deed.
Right Speech means the avoidance of lying words,
idle words, abusive words, and double-tongues.
Right Behavior means not to destroy any life, not to
steal, or not to commit adultery.
Right Livelihood means to avoid any life that would
bring shame.
Right Effort means to try to do one’s best diligently
toward the right direction.
Right Mindfulness means to maintain a pure and
thoughtful mind.
Right Concentration means to keep the mind right
and tranquil for its concentration, seeking to realize the
mind’s pure essence.
4. The Four View-points to be considered are: First, to
consider the body impure, seeking to remove all attachment to it, second, to consider the senses as a source of
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suffering, whatever their feelings of pain or pleasure may
be; third, to consider the mind to be in a constant state of
flux, and fourth, to consider everything in the world as
being a consequence of causes and conditions and that
nothing remains unchanged forever.

5. The Four Right Procedures are: First, to prevent
any evil from starting; second, to remove any evil as soon
as it starts; third, to induce the doing of good deeds; and
fourth, to encourage the growth and continuance of good
deeds that have already started. One must endeavor to
keep these four procedures.

6. The Five Faculties of Power are: First, the faith to
believe; second, the will to make the endeavor; third, the
faculty of alertness; fourth, the ability to concentrate
one’s mind; and fifth, the ability to maintain clear wisdom.
These five faculties are necessar y powers to attain
Enlightenment.

7. The Perfection of Six Practices for reaching the
other shore of Enlightenment are: the path of Offering,
the path of Keeping Precepts, the path of Endurance, the
path of Endeavor, the path of Concentration of mind, and
the path of Wisdom. By following these paths, one can
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surely pass from the shore of delusion over to the shore
of Enlightenment.
The practice of Offering gets rid of selfishness; the
practice of Precepts keeps one thoughtful of the rights
and comforts of others; the practice of Endurance helps
one to control a fearful or angr y mind; the practice of
Endeavor helps one to be diligent and faithful; the practice of Concentration helps one to control a wandering
and futile mind; and the practice of Wisdom changes a
dark and confused mind into a clear and penetrating
insight.
Offering and Keeping Precepts make the foundation
necessar y to build a great castle on. Endurance and
Endeavor are the walls of the castle that protect it against
enemies from outside. Concentration and Wisdom are
the personal armor that protects one against the assaults
of life and death.
If one gives away a gift only when convenient, or
because it is easier to give than not to give, it is an offering, of course, but it is not a True Of fering. A True
Of fering comes from a sympathetic hear t before any
request is made, and a True Offering is the one that gives
not occasionally but constantly.
Neither is it a True Offering if after the act there are
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feelings of regret or of self-praise; a True Offering is one
that is given with pleasure, forgetting oneself as the giver,
the one who receives it and the gift itself.
True Offering springs spontaneously from one’s
pure compassionate heart with no thought of any return,
wishing to enter into a life of Enlightenment together.

There are seven kinds of offering which can be practiced by even those who are not wealthy. The first is the
physical offering. This is to offer service by one’s labor.
The highest type of this offering is to offer one’s own life
as is shown in the following story. The second is the spiritual offering. This is to offer a compassionate heart to
others. The third is the offering of eyes. This is to offer a
warm glance to others which will give them tranquility.
The fourth is the offering of countenance. This is to offer
a soft countenance with smile to others. The fifth is the
oral offering. This is to offer kind and warm words to
others. The sixth is the seat offering. This is to offer
one’s seat to others. The seventh is the offering of shelter. This is to let others spend the night at one’s home.
These kinds of offering can be practiced by anyone in
everyday life.

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8. Once there was a prince named Sattva. One day he
and his two elder brothers went to a forest to play. There
they saw a famished tigress which was evidently tempted
to devour her own seven cubs to satisfy her hunger.
The elder brothers ran away in fear but Sattva
climbed up a cliff and threw himself over it to the tigress
in order to save the lives of the baby tigers.
Prince Sattva did this charitable act spontaneously
but within his mind he was thinking: “This body is changing and impermanent; I have loved this body with no
thought of throwing it away, but now I make it an offering
to this tigress so that I may gain Enlightenment.” This
thought of Prince Sattva shows the true determination to
gain Enlightenment.
9. There are Four Unlimited States of Mind that the
seeker of Enlightenment should cherish. They are
Compassion, Tenderness, Gladness and Equanimity. One
can remove greed by cherishing Compassion; one can
remove anger by Tenderness; one can remove suffering
by Gladness, and one can remove the habit of discrimination of enemies and friends by cherishing an Equitable
mind.
It is a great compassion that makes people happy
and contented; it is a great tenderness that removes
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everything that does not make people happy and contented; it is a great gladness that makes everyone happy and
contented with a mind of joy; there is a great peacefulness when everyone is happy and contented, and then
one can have equal feelings toward everybody.
With care one may cherish these Four Unlimited
States of Mind and may get rid of greed, anger, suffering,
and the minds of love-hate, but it is not an easy thing to
do. An evil mind is as hard to get rid of as a watchdog,
and a right mind is as easy to lose as a deer in a forest; or
an evil mind is as hard to remove as letters car ved in
stone, and a right mind is as easy to lose as words written
in water. Indeed, it is the most difficult thing in life to
train oneself for Enlightenment.
10. There was a young man named Srona who was born
in a wealthy family but was of delicate health. He was
very earnest to gain Enlightenment and became a disciple of the Blessed One. On the path to Enlightenment, he
tried so hard that finally his feet bled.
The Blessed One pitied him and said, “Srona my
boy, did you ever study the harp at your home? You know
that a harp does not make music if the strings are
stretched too tight or too loose. It makes music only
when the strings are stretched just right.
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“The training for Enlightenment is just like adjusting the harp strings. You can not attain Enlightenment if
you stretch the strings of your mind too loosely or too
tightly. You must be considerate and act wisely.”
Srona found these words very profitable and finally
gained what he sought.
11. Once there was a prince who was skillful in the use
of the five weapons. One day he was returning home
from his practice and met a monster whose skin was
invulnerable.
The monster started for him but nothing daunted
the prince. He shot an arrow at him which fell harmless.
Then he threw his spear which failed to penetrate the
thick skin. Then he threw a bar and a javelin but they
failed to hurt the monster. Then he used his sword but
the sword broke. The prince attacked the monster with
his fists and feet but to no purpose, for the monster
clutched him in his giant arms and held him fast. Then
the prince tried to use his head as a weapon but in vain.
The monster said, “It is useless for you to resist; I
am going to devour you.” But the prince answered, “You
may think that I have used all my weapons and am helpless, but I still have one weapon left. If you devour me, I
will destroy you from the inside of your stomach.”
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The courage of the prince disturbed the monster
and he asked, “How can you do that?” The prince replied,
“By the power of the Truth.”
Then the monster released him and begged for his
instruction in the Truth.
The teaching of this fable is to encourage disciples
to persevere in their efforts and to be undaunted in the
face of many set backs.
12. Both odious self-asser tion and shamelessness
offend mankind, but dishonor and shame protect human
beings. People respect their parents, elders, brothers and
sisters because they are sensitive to dishonor and shame.
After self-reflection it is meritorious to withhold honor
from one’s self and to feel ashamed by observing other
people.
If a person possesses a repentant spirit one’s sins
will disappear, but if one has an unrepentant spirit one’s
sins will continue and condemn that person forever.
It is only the one who hears the tr ue teaching
rightly and realizes its meaning and relation to oneself
who can receive and profit by it.
If a person merely hears the true teaching but does
not acquire it, one will fail in one’s search for
Enlightenment.
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Faith, modesty, humbleness, endeavor and wisdom
are the great sources of strength to him who is seeking
Enlightenment. Among these, wisdom is the greatest of
all and the rest are but the aspects of wisdom. If a man,
while in his training, loves worldly affairs, enjoys idle talk
or falls asleep, he will be retired from the path to
Enlightenment.

13. In training for Enlightenment, some may succeed
quicker than others. Therefore, one should not be discouraged to see others becoming enlightened first.
When a man is practicing archer y, he does not
expect quick success but knows that if he practices
patiently, he will become more and more accurate. A river
begins as a brook but grows ever larger until it flows into
the great ocean.
Like these examples, if a person trains with patience
and perseverance, one will surely gain Enlightenment.
As already explained, if one keeps one’s eyes open,
he will see the teaching everywhere, and so his opportunities for Enlightenment are endless.
Once there was a man who was burning incense. He
noticed that the fragrance was neither coming nor going;
it neither appeared nor disappeared. This trifle incident
led him to gain Enlightenment.
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Once there was a man who got a thorn stuck in his
foot. He felt the sharp pain and a thought came to him,
that pain was only a reaction of the mind. From this incident a deeper thought followed that the mind may get out
of hand if one fails to control it, or it may become pure if
one succeeds. From these thoughts, a little later,
Enlightenment came to him.
There was another man who was very avaricious.
One day he was thinking of his greedy mind when he
realized that greedy thoughts were but shavings and kindlings that wisdom could burn and consume. That was
the beginning of his Enlightenment.
There is an old saying: “Keep your mind level. If the
mind is level, the whole world will be level.” Consider
these words. Realize that all the distinctions of the world
are caused by the discriminating views of the mind.
There is a path to Enlightenment in those very words.
Indeed, the ways to Enlightenment are unlimited.

III
THE WAY OF FAITH
1. Those who take refuge in the Three Treasures, the
Buddha, the Dharma and the Samgha, are called the disciples of Buddha. The disciples of Buddha observe (the
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four parts of mind-control) the precepts, faith, offering
and wisdom.
The disciples of Buddha practice the Five Precepts:
not to kill, not to steal, not to commit adultery, not to lie,
and not to take intoxicants of any kind.
The disciples of Buddha have faith in the Buddha’s
perfect wisdom. They try to keep away from greediness
and selfishness and to practice offering. They understand
the law of cause and effect, keeping in mind the transiency
of life and conform to the norm of wisdom.
A tree leaning toward the east will naturally fall eastward and so those who listen to the Buddha’s teaching
and maintain faith in it will surely be bor n in the
Buddha’s Pure Land.
2. It has rightly been said that those who believe in the
Three Treasures of the Buddha, the Dharma and the
Samgha are called the disciples of Buddha.
The Buddha is the one who attained per fect
Enlightenment and used His attainment to emancipate
and bless all mankind. The Dharma is the truth, the spirit
of Enlightenment and the teaching that explains it. The
Samgha is the perfect brotherhood of believers in the
Buddha and Dharma.
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We speak of Buddhahood, the Dharma and the
Brotherhood as though they are three different things,
but they are really only one. Buddha is manifested in His
Dharma and is realized by the Brotherhood. Therefore,
to believe in the Dharma and to cherish the Brotherhood
is to have faith in the Buddha, and to have faith in the
Buddha means to believe in the Dharma and to cherish
the Brotherhood.
Therefore, people are emancipated and enlightened
simply by having faith in the Buddha. Buddha is the perfectly Enlightened One and He loves everyone as though
each were His only child. So if anyone regards Buddha as
his own parent, he identifies himself with Buddha and
attains Enlightenment.
Those who thus regard Buddha will be supported
by His wisdom and perfumed by His grace.

3. Nothing in the world brings greater benefit than to
believe in Buddha. Just hearing Buddha’s name, believing and being pleased even for a moment, is incomparably rewarding.
Therefore, one must please oneself by seeking the
teaching of Buddha in spite of the conflagration that fills
all the world.
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It will be hard to meet a teacher who can explain the
Dharma; it will be harder to meet a Buddha; but it will be
hardest to believe in His teaching.
But now that you have met the Buddha, who is hard
to meet, and have had it explained to you what is hard to
hear, you ought to rejoice and believe and have faith in
Buddha.
4. On the long journey of human life, faith is the best
of companions; it is the best refreshment on the journey;
and it is the greatest possession.
Faith is the hand that receives the Dharma; it is the
pure hand that receives all the virtues. Faith is the fire
that consumes all the impurities of worldly desires, it
removes the burden, and it is the guide that leads one’s
way.
Faith removes greed, fear and pride; it teaches courtesy and to respect others; it frees one from the bondage
of circumstances; it gives one courage to meet hardship;
it gives one power to overcome temptations; it enables
one to keep one’s deeds bright and pure; and it enriches
the mind with wisdom.

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Faith is the encouragement when one’s way is long
and wearisome, and it leads to Enlightenment.
Faith makes us feel that we are in the presence of
Buddha and it brings us to where Buddha’s arm supports
us. Faith softens our hard and selfish minds and gives us
a friendly spirit and a mind of understanding sympathy.
5. Those who have faith gain the wisdom to recognize
the Buddha’s teaching in whatever they hear. Those who
have faith gain the wisdom to see that everything is but
the appearance that arises from the law of causes and
conditions, and then faith gives them the grace of patient
acceptance and the ability to conform to their conditions
peacefully.
Faith gives them the wisdom to recognize the transiency of life and the grace not to be surprised or grieved
at whatever comes to them or with the passing of life
itself, knowing that, however conditions and appearances
may change, the truth of life remains always unchanged.

Faith has three significant aspects: repentance, a
rejoicing and sincere respect for the virtues of others,
and a grateful acceptance of Buddha’s appearance.

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People should cultivate these aspects of faith; they
should be sensitive to their failings and impurities; they
should be ashamed of them and confess them; they
should diligently practice the recognition of the good
traits and good deeds of others and praise them for their
sake; and they should habitually desire to act with
Buddha and to live with Buddha.
The mind of faith is the mind of sincerity; it is a deep
mind, a mind that is sincerely glad to be led to Buddha’s
Pure Land by His power.
Therefore, Buddha gives a power to faith that leads
people to the Pure Land, a power that purifies them, a
power that protects them from self-delusion. Even if they
have faith only for a moment, when they hear Buddha’s
name praised all over the world, they will be led to His
Pure Land.
6. Faith is not something that is added to the worldly
mind – it is the manifestation of the mind’s Buddhanature. One who understands Buddha is a Buddha himself; one who has faith in Buddha is a Buddha himself.
But it is dif ficult to uncover and recover one’s
Buddha nature; it is difficult to maintain a pure mind in
the constant rise and fall of greed, anger and worldly passion; yet faith enables one to do it.
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Within the forest of the poisonous Eranda trees only
Eranda trees are said to grow, but not the fragrant
Chandana. It is a miracle if a Chandana tree grows in an
Eranda forest. Likewise, it is often a miracle that faith in
Buddha grows in the heart of the people.

Therefore, the faith to believe in Buddha is called a
“rootless” faith. That is, it has no root by which it can
grow in the human mind, but it has a root to grow in the
compassionate mind of Buddha.
7. Thus faith is fruitful and sacred. But faith is hard to
awaken in an idle mind. In par ticular, there are five
doubts that lurk in the shadows of the human mind and
tend to discourage faith.
First, there is doubt in the Buddha’s wisdom;
second, there is doubt in the Buddha’s teaching; third,
there is doubt in the person who explains the Buddha’s
teachings; fourth, there is doubt as to whether the ways
and methods suggested for following the Noble Path are
reliable; and fifth, there is a person who, because of his
arrogant and impatient mind, may doubt the sincerity of
others who understand and follow the Buddha’s teachings.

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Indeed, there is nothing more dreadful than doubt.
Doubt separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates
friendships and breaks up pleasant relations. It is a thorn
that irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kills.
The beginnings of faith were long ago planted by
the compassion of Buddha. When one has faith, one
should realize this fact and be very grateful to Buddha for
His goodness.
One should never forget that it is not because of
one’s own compassion that one has awakened faith, but
because of the Buddha’s compassion which long ago
threw its pure light of faith into human minds and dispelled the darkness of their ignorance. He who enjoys the
present faith has entered into their heritage.
Even living an ordinary life, one can be born in the
Pure Land, if he awakens faith through the Buddha’s long
continued compassion.
It is, indeed, hard to be born in this world. It is hard
to hear the Dharma; it is harder to awaken faith; therefore, everyone should try one’s best to hear the Buddha’s
teachings.

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IV
SACRED SAYINGS
1. “He abused me, he laughed at me, he struck me.”
Thus one thinks and so long as one retains such thoughts
one’s anger continues.
Anger will never disappear so long as there are
thoughts of resentment in the mind. Anger will disappear
just as soon as thoughts of resentment are forgotten.
If a roof is improperly made or in disrepair, rain will
leak into the house; so greed enters the mind that is
improperly trained or out of control.
To be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent
is a way of life; foolish people are idle, wise people are
diligent.
An arrow-maker tries to make his arrows straight;
so a wise man tries to keep his mind straight.
A disturbed mind is forever active, jumping hither
and thither, and is hard to control; but a tranquil mind is
peaceful; therefore, it is wise to keep the mind under control.
It is a man’s own mind, not his enemy or foe, that
lures him into evil ways.
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The one who protects his mind from greed, anger
and foolishness, is the one who enjoys real and lasting
peace.
2. To utter pleasant words without practicing them is
like a fine flower without fragrance.
The fragrance of a flower does not float against the
wind; but the honor of a good man goes even against the
wind into the world.
A night seems long to a sleepless person and a journey seems long to a weary traveler; so the time of delusion and suffering seems long to a person who does not
know the right teaching.
On a trip a man should travel with a companion of
equal mind or one who has a better mind; one had better
travel alone than to travel with a fool.
An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared
than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but
an evil friend will wound your mind.

So long as a man can not control his own mind, how
can he get any satisfaction from thinking such thoughts
as,“This is my son” or “This is my treasure”? A foolish
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man suffers from such thoughts.
To be foolish and to recognize that one is a fool, is
better than to be foolish and imagine that one is wise.
A spoon cannot taste of the food it carries. Likewise,
a foolish man cannot understand the wise man’s wisdom
even if he associates with a sage.
Fresh milk is often slow to curdle; so sinful actions
do not always bring immediate results. Sinful actions are
more like coals of fire that are hidden in the ashes and
keep on smoldering, finally causing a greater fire.
A person is foolish to desire privileges, promotion,
profits, or honor, for such desires can never bring happiness but will bring suffering instead.
A good friend who points out mistakes and imperfections and rebukes evil is to be respected as if he
reveals the secret of some hidden treasure.
3. A person who is pleased when one receives good
instruction will sleep peacefully, because one’s mind is
thereby cleansed.
A carpenter seeks to make his beam straight; an
arrow-maker seeks to make his arrows well-balanced; the
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digger of an irrigation ditch seeks to make the water run
smoothly; so a wise person seeks to control one’s mind so
that it will function smoothly and truly.
A great rock is not disturbed by the wind; the mind
of a wise person is not disturbed by either honor or
abuse.
To conquer oneself is a greater victory than to conquer thousands in a battle.
To live a single day and hear a good teaching is
better than to live a hundred years without knowing such
teaching.
Those who respect themselves must be on constant
guard lest they yield to evil desires. Once in a lifetime, at
least, they should awaken faith, either in their youth, or
in middle age, or even in old age.
The world is always burning, burning with the fires
of greed, anger and foolishness; one should flee from
such dangers as soon as possible.
The world is like a bubble, it is like the gossamer
web of a spider, it is like the defilement in a dirty jar; one
should constantly protect the purity of one’s mind.
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4. To avoid any evil, to seek the good, to keep the mind
pure: this is the essence of Buddha’s teaching.
Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines,
but it is to him who endures that the final victory comes.
One must remove resentment when he is feeling
resentful; one must remove sorrow while he is in the
midst of sorrow; one must remove greediness while he is
steeped in greed. To live a pure unselfish life, one must
count nothing as one’s own in the midst of abundance.
To be healthy is a great advantage; to be contented
with what one has is better than the possession of great
wealth; to be considered reliable is the truest mark of
friendliness; to attain Enlightenment is the highest happiness.
When one has the feeling of dislike for evil, when
one feels tranquil, when one finds pleasure in listening to
good teachings, when one has these feelings and appreciates them, one is free of fear.
Do not become attached to the things you like, do
not maintain aversion to the things you dislike. Sorrow,
fear and bondage come from one’s likes and dislikes.

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5. Rust grows from iron and destroys it; so evil grows
from the mind of human and destroys him.
A scripture that is not read with sincerity soon
becomes covered with dust; a house that is not fixed
when it needs repairing becomes filthy; so an idle person
soon becomes defiled.
Impure acts defile a person; stinginess defiles an
offering; so evil acts defile not only this life but also the
following lives.
But the defilement to be most dreaded is the defilement of ignorance. A person can not hope to purify either
one’s body or mind until ignorance is removed.
It is easy to slip into shamelessness, to be pert and
bold like a crow, to hurt others without any feeling of
regret for such action.
It is hard, indeed, to feel humble, to know respect
and honor, to get rid of all attachments, to keep pure in
thought and deed, and to become wise.
It is easy to point out the mistakes of others, while it
is hard to admit one’s own mistakes. A person broadcasts
the sins of others without thinking, but one hides one’s
own sins as a gambler hides his extra dice.
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The sky holds no trace of bird or smoke or storm;
an evil teaching carries no Enlightenment; nothing in this
world is stable; but an Enlightened mind is undisturbed.
6. As a knight guards his castle gate, so one must
guard one’s mind from dangers outside and dangers
inside; one must not neglect it for a moment.
Everyone is the master of oneself, one is the oasis
he can depend on; therefore, ever yone should control
himself above all.
The first steps toward spiritual freedom from the
worldly bonds and fetters are to control one’s mind, to
stop idle talk, and to be somewhat pensive.
The sun makes the day bright, the moon makes the
night beautiful, discipline adds to the dignity of a warrior;
so quiet meditation distinguishes the seeker for
Enlightenment.
One who is unable to guard one’s five senses of
eyes, ears, nose, tongue and body, and becomes tempted
by one’s surroundings, is not the one who can train for
Enlightenment. One who firmly guards the gateways of
one’s five senses and keeps one’s mind under control is
the one who can successfully train for Enlightenment.
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7. One who is influenced by one’s likes and dislikes
can not rightly understand the significance of circumstances and tends to be overcome by them; one who is
free from attachments rightly understands circumstances
and to one’s all things become new and significant.
Happiness follows sorrow, sorrow follows happiness, but when one no longer discriminates between happiness and sorrow, a good deed and a bad deed, one is
able to realize freedom.
To worry in anticipation or to cherish regret for the
past is like the reeds that are cut and wither away.
The secret of health for both mind and body is not
to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, or
not to anticipate troubles, but to live wisely and earnestly
for the present.
Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future,
concentrate the mind on the present moment.
It is worthy to perform the present duty well and
without failure; do not seek to avoid or postpone it till
tomorrow. By acting now, one can live a good day.

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Wisdom is the best guide and faith is the best companion. One must tr y to escape from the darkness of
ignorance and suf fering, and seek the light of
Enlightenment.
If a person’s body and mind are under control one
should give evidence of it in virtuous deeds. This is a
sacred duty. Faith will then be his wealth, sincerity will
give his life a sweet savor, and to accumulate virtues will
be his sacred task.
On life’s journey faith is nourishment, vir tuous
deeds are a shelter, wisdom is the light by day and right
mindfulness is the protection by night. If a person lives a
pure life nothing can destroy that person; if one has conquered greed nothing can limit one’s freedom.
One should forget oneself for the sake of one’s family; one should forget one’s family for the sake of one’s village; one should forget one’s village for the sake of the
nation; and one should forget everything for the sake of
Enlightenment.
Everything is changeable, everything appears and
disappears; there is no blissful peace until one passes
beyond the agony of life and death.

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THE BROTHERHOOD

CHAPTER ONE

DUTIES OF THE BROTHERHOOD
I
RENUNCIANTS

1. A man who wishes to become my disciple must be
willing to give up all direct relations with his family, the
social life of the world and all dependence upon wealth.
A man who has given up all such relations for the
sake of the Dharma and has no abiding place for either
his body or mind has become my disciple and is to be
called a renunciant.

Though his feet leave their imprints in my footsteps
and his hands carry my garment, if his mind is disturbed
by greed, he is far from me. Though he dresses like a
monk, if he does not accept the teaching, he does not see
me.

But if he has removed all greed and his mind is pure
and peaceful, he is very close to me though he be thousands of miles away. If he receives the Dharma, he sees
me in it.

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2. My disciples, the renunciants must observe the four
rules and build their lives upon them.
First, they wear old and cast-off garments; second,
they get their food through alms-begging; third, their
home is where night finds them as under a tree or on a
rock; and, fourth, they use only a special medicine made
from cattle urine laid down by the Brotherhood.
To carry a bowl in the hand and go from house to
house is a begger’s life, but a brother is not compelled to
do so by others, he is not forced into it by circumstances
or by temptation; he does it of his own free will because
he knows that a life of faith will keep him away from the
delusions of life, will help him to avoid suffering, and will
lead him toward Enlightenment.
The life of a renunciant is not an easy one; he ought
not to undertake it if he can not keep his mind free from
greed and anger or if he can not control his mind or his
five senses.

3. He who believes himself to be a renunciant and to
be able to answer when he is asked about it, must be able
to say:
“I am willing to undertake whatever is necessary to
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be a renunciant. I will be sincere about it and will try to
accomplish the purpose for becoming one. I will be grateful to those who help me by donations and will tr y to
make them happy by my earnestness and good life.”
To be a renunciant he must train himself in many
ways: He must be sensitive to shame and dishonor when
he fails; he must keep his body, speech and mind pure if
his life is to be pure; he must guard the gates of his five
senses; he must not lose control of his mind for the sake
of some passing pleasure; he must not praise himself or
rebuke others; and he must not be idle or given to
lengthy sleep.
In the evening he should have a time for quiet sitting and meditation and a short walk before retiring. For
peaceful sleep he should rest on the right side with his
feet together and his last thought should be of the time
when he wishes to rise in the early morning. Early in the
morning he should have another time for quiet sitting
and meditation and a short walk afterwards.
During the whole day he should always maintain an
alert mind, keeping both body and mind under control,
resisting all tendency towards greed, anger, foolishness,
sleepiness, inattention, regret, suspicion, and all worldly
desires.
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Thus, with his mind concentrated, he should cultivate excellent wisdom and aim only at per fect
Enlightenment.
4. If a renunciant, forgetting himself, lapses into greed,
anger, resentment, jealousy, conceit, self-praise, or insincerity, he is like one carrying a keen two-edged sword,
covered only by a thin cloth.
He is not a renunciant simply because he wears a
monk’s rags and carries a begging bowl; he is not a
renunciant just because he recites scriptures easily; he is
only a man of straw and nothing more.
Even if his external appearance is that of a monk, he
can not remove his worldly desires. He is not a renunciant; he is no more than an infant clothed in a monk’s
robe.
Those who are able to concentrate and control the
mind, who contain wisdom, who have removed all worldly desires, and whose only purpose is to attain
Enlightenment - only these can be called the true renunciant.
A true renunciant determines to reach his goal of
Enlightenment even though he loses his last drop of
blood and his bones crumble into powder. Such a man,
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trying his best, will finally attain the goal and give evidence of it by his ability to do the meritorious deeds of a
renunciant.

5. The mission of a renunciant is to carry forward the
light of the Buddha’s teachings. He must preach to everyone; he must wake up sleeping people; he must correct
false ideas; he must help people have a right viewpoint;
he must go everywhere to spread the teaching even at
the risk of his own life.

The mission of a renunciant is not an easy one, so
he who aspires to it should wear Buddha’s clothes, sit on
Buddha’s seat and enter into Buddha’s room.

To wear Buddha’s clothes means to be humble and
to practice endurance; to sit on Buddha’s seat means to
see matter as non-substantial and to have no attachments;
to enter into Buddha’s room means to share His allembracing great compassion and to have sympathy for
everyone.
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6. Those who wish to teach the Buddha’s teaching
acceptably must be concerned about four things: first,
they must be concer ned about their own behavior;
second, they must be concerned about their choice of
words when they approach and teach people; third, they
must be concerned about their motive for teaching and
the end they wish to accomplish; and fourth, they must
be concerned about the great compassion.
Firstly, to be a good teacher of the Dharma, then, a
renunciant must first of all have his feet well set on the
ground of endurance; he must be modest; he must not be
extreme or desire publicity; he must constantly think of
the emptiness of things; and he must not become
attached to anything. If he is thus concerned he will be
capable of right conduct.
Secondly, he must exercise caution in approaching
people and situations. He must avoid people who are
living evil lives or people of authority; he must avoid
opposite sex. Then he must approach people in a friendly
way; he must always remember that things rise from a
combination of causes and conditions, and, standing at
that point, he must not blame or abuse them, or speak of
their mistakes, or hold them in light esteem.
Thirdly, he must keep his mind peaceful, considering Buddha as his spiritual father, considering other
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renunciants who are training for Enlightenment as his
teachers, and looking upon everyone with great compassion. Then he must teach all equally.
Fourthly, he must let his spirit of compassion display itself, even as Buddha did, to the utmost degree.
Especially he should let his spirit of compassion flow out
to those who do not know enough to seek Enlightenment. He should wish that they might seek Enlightenment, and then he should follow his wishes with unselfish
effort to awaken their interest.

II
L AY FOLLOWERS
1. It has already been explained that to become a disciple of Buddha one must believe in the Three Treasures:
the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Samgha.
To become a lay follower one must have an unshakable faith in Buddha, must believe in His teachings,
Dharma, study and put precepts into practice, and must
cherish the Brotherhood, Samgha.
Lay followers should follow the Five Precepts: not to
kill, not to steal, not to commit adulter y, not to lie or
deceive, and not to use intoxicants.
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Lay followers should not only believe in the Three
Treasures and keep the precepts by themselves, but also
they should, as far as they are able, help others observe
them, especially their relatives and friends, tr ying to
awaken in them an unshakable faith in the Buddha, the
Dharma, and the Samgha, so that they, too, may share in
Buddha’s compassion.
Lay followers should always remember that the
reason they believe in the Three Treasures and keep the
precepts is to enable themselves ultimately to attain
Enlightenment, and for that reason they should, though
living in the world of desires, avoid becoming attached to
such desires.
Lay followers should always keep in mind that
sooner or later they will be obliged to part with their parents and families and pass away from this life of birth and
death; therefore, they should not become attached to
things of this life but should set their minds on the world
of Enlightenment, wherein nothing passes away.
2. If lay followers want to awaken an earnest and
undisturbed faith in the Buddha’s teachings, they should
realize within their minds a quiet and undisturbed happiness, that will shine out on all their surroundings and will
be reflected back to them.
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This mind of faith is pure and gentle, always patient
and enduring, never arguing, never causing suffering to
others but always pondering the Three Treasures: the
Buddha, the Dharma, and the Samgha. Thus happiness
spontaneously rises in their minds, and the light for
Enlightenment can be found everywhere.

Since they are resting in the bosom of Buddha by
faith, they are kept far from having a selfish mind, from
attachment to their possessions, and, therefore, they
have no fear in their daily life or dread of being criticized.

They will have no fear about their future death since
they believe in the birth in Buddha’s Land. Since they
have faith in the truth and the holiness of the teachings,
they can express their thoughts freely and without fear.
Since their minds are filled with compassion for all
people, they will make no distinctions among them but
will treat all alike, and since their minds are free from
likes and dislikes it will be pure and equitable and happy
for them to do any good deed.
Whether they live in adversity or in prosperity, it will
make no difference to the increase of their faith. If they
cherish humility, if they respect the Buddha’s teachings,
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if they are consistent in speech and action, if they are
guided by wisdom, if their mind is as immovable as a
mountain, then they will make steady progress on the
path to Enlightenment.
And though they are forced to live in a difficult situation and among people of impure minds, if they cherish
faith in Buddha they can ever lead them toward better
deeds.
3. Therefore, one should first have the wish of hearing
the Buddha’s teachings.
If anyone should tell him that it would be necessary
for him to go through fire to gain Enlightenment, then he
should be willing to pass through such a fire.
There is satisfaction in hearing the Buddha’s name,
that is worth passing through a world filled with fires.
If one wishes to follow the Buddha’s teaching one
must not be egoistic or self-willed, but should cherish
feelings of good-will toward all alike; one should respect
those who are worthy of respect; one should serve those
who are worthy of service and treat everyone with uniform kindness.

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Thus, lay followers are to train their own minds first
and not be disturbed by the actions of others. In this
manner, they are to receive the Buddha’s teaching and
put it into practice, not envying others, not being influenced by others, and not considering other ways.

Those who do not believe in the Buddha’s teaching
have a narrow vision and, consequently, a disturbed
mind. But those who believe in the Buddha’s teaching,
believe that there is a great wisdom and a great compassion embracing ever ything and, in that faith, they are
undisturbed by trifles.

4. Those who hear and receive the Buddha’s teaching
know that their lives are transient and that their bodies
are merely the aggregation of sufferings and the source
of all evils, and so they do not become attached to them.
At the same time, they do not neglect to take good
care of their bodies, not because they wish to enjoy the
physical pleasures of the body, but because the body is
temporarily necessary for the attainment of wisdom and
for their mission of explaining the path to others.
If they do not take good care of their bodies they
can not live long. If they do not live long, they can not
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practice the teaching personally or transmit it to others.
If a man wishes to cross a river he is very careful of
his raft. If he has a long journey to make, he takes good
care of his horse. So, if a man seeks to attain
Enlightenment he must take good care of his body.
The disciples of Buddha must wear clothing to protect the body from extremes of heat and cold and to cover
its private parts, and should not wear it for decoration.
They must eat food to nourish the body so that they
may hear and receive and explain the teaching, but they
should not eat for mere enjoyment.
They must live in the house of Enlightenment to be
protected from the thieves of worldly passions and from
the storms of evil teaching, and they should use the
house for its real purpose and not for display or the concealment of selfish practices.
Thus, one should value things and use them solely
in their relation to Enlightenment and the teaching. He
should not possess them or become attached to them for
selfish reasons but only as they serve a useful purpose in
carrying the teaching to others.

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Therefore, his mind should always dwell on the
teaching even when he is living with his family. He
should care for them with a wise and sympathetic mind,
seeking various means to awaken faith in their minds.

5. Lay members of the Buddha’s Samgha should study
the following lessons every day: How to serve their parents, how to live with their wives and children, how to
control themselves, and how to serve Buddha.
To best serve their parents they must learn to practice kindness toward all animate life. To live happily with
their wives and children they must keep away from lust
and thoughts of selfish comfort.
While hearing the music of the family life they must
not forget the sweeter music of the teaching, and while
living in the shelter of the home, they should often seek
the safer shelter of Zen practice, where wise men find
refuge from all impurity and all disturbance.
When laymen are giving of ferings they should
remove all greed from their hearts; when they are in the
midst of crowds, their minds should be in the company of
wise men; when they face misfortune, they should keep
their minds tranquil and free from hindrances.
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Duties of the Brotherhood

When they take refuge in the Buddha, they should
seek His wisdom.

When they take refuge in the Dharma, they should
seek its truth which is like a great ocean of wisdom.
When they take refuge in the Samgha, they should
seek its peaceful fellowship unobstructed by selfish interests.
When they wear clothes, they must not forget to put
on also the garment of goodness and humility.
When they want to relieve themselves, they must
wish to discharge all greed, anger and foolishness from
their minds.

When they are toiling on an up-hill road, they
should think of it as the road to Enlightenment that will
carry them beyond the world of delusion. When they are
following an easy road, they should take advantage of its
easier conditions to make greater progress toward
Buddhahood.
When they see a bridge, they must wish to construct the bridge of the teaching to let the people cross.
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Duties of the Brotherhood

When they meet a sorrowful man, they should
lament the bitterness of this ever-changing world.
When they see a greedy man, they should have a
great longing to keep free from the illusions of this life
and to attain the true riches of Enlightenment.
When they see savory food, they must be on guard;
when they see distasteful food, they should wish that
greed might never return.
During the intense heat of summer, they must wish
to be away from the heat of worldly desires and gain the
fresh coolness of Enlightenment. During the unbearable
cold of winter, they must think of the warmth of Buddha’s
great compassion.
When they recite the sacred scriptures, they should
be determined not to forget them and resolve to put their
teaching into practice.
When they think of Buddha, they should cherish a
deep wish to have eyes like Buddha.
As they fall asleep at night, they should wish that
their body, speech and mind might be purified and
refreshed; when they awake in the morning, their first
wish should be that during that day their minds might be
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clear to understand all things.
6. Those who follow the teaching of Buddha, because
they understand that everything is characterized by “nonsubstantiality,” do not treat lightly the things that enter
into a man’s life, but they receive them for what they are
and then try to make them fit tools for Enlightenment.
They must not think that this world is meaningless
and filled with confusion, while the world of
Enlightenment is full of meaning and peace. Rather, they
should taste the way of Enlightenment in all the affairs of
this world.
If a man looks upon the world with defiled eyes
dimmed by ignorance, he will see it filled with error; but
if he looks upon it with clear wisdom, he will see it as the
world of Enlightenment, which it is.
The fact is there is only one world, not two worlds,
one meaningless and the other full of meaning, or one
good and the other bad. People only think there are two
worlds, due to their discriminating faculty.
If they could rid themselves of these discriminations
and keep their minds pure with the light of wisdom, then
they would see only one world in which ever ything is
meaningful.
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Duties of the Brotherhood

7. Those who believe in Buddha taste this universal
purity of oneness in everything, and in that mind they
feel compassion for all and have a humble attitude to
serve everyone.
Therefore, they should cleanse their minds of all
pride and cherish humility, courtesy and service. Their
minds should be like the fruitful earth that nourishes
everything without partiality, that serves without complaint, that endures patiently, that is always zealous, that
finds its highest joy in serving all poor people by planting
in their minds the seeds of the Buddha’s teaching.

Thus, the mind that has compassion for poor people,
becomes a mother to all people, honors all people, looks
upon all as personal friends, and respects them as parents.
Therefore, though thousands of people may have
hard feelings and cherish ill-will toward Buddhist lay followers, they can do no harm, for such harm is like a drop
of poison in the waters of a great ocean.

8. A lay follower will enjoy his happiness by habits of
recollection, reflection and thanksgiving. He will come to
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realize that his faith is Buddha’s compassion itself and
that it has been bestowed upon him by Buddha.

There are no seeds of faith in the mud of worldly
passion, but, because of Buddha’s compassion, the seeds
of faith may be sown there, and they will purify the mind
until it has faith to believe in Buddha.

As has been said, the fragrant Chandana tree can
not grow in a forest of Eranda trees. In a like manner, the
seeds of faith in Buddha can not be in the bosom of delusion.
But actually, the flower of joy is blooming there, so
we must conclude that while its blossoms are in the
bosom of delusion, its roots are elsewhere; namely, its
roots are in the bosom of Buddha.

If a lay follower becomes ego-centered, he will
become jealous, envious, hateful and harmful, because
his mind has become defiled with greed, anger and foolishness. But if he returns to Buddha, he will accomplish
even a greater service for Buddha as mentioned above. It
is, indeed, beyond any expression.
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III
PRACTICAL GUIDE TO TRUE WAY OF LIVING
1. It is wrong to think that misfortunes come from the
east or from the west; they originate within one’s own
mind. Therefore, it is foolish to guard against misfortunes from the external world and leave the inner mind
uncontrolled.

There is a custom that has come down from ancient
times that common people still follow. When they get up
in the morning, they first wash their face and rinse their
mouth, and then they bow in the six directions – to the
east, west, south, north, above and below – wishing that
no misfortune may come to them from any direction and
that they may have a peaceful day.

But it is different in the Buddha’s teaching. Buddha
teaches that we are to pay respect to the six directions of
Truth and then that we are to behave wisely and virtuously and thus prevent all misfortunes.

To guard the gates in these six directions, people
are to remove the defilement of the “four deeds, ” restrain
the “four evil minds,” and plug the “six holes” which
cause the loss of house and property.
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By the “four deeds” it is meant killing, stealing, committing adultery and falsehood. The “four evil minds ” are
greed, anger, foolishness and fear. The “six holes” which
cause the loss of wealth are desire for intoxicating drinks
and behaving foolishly, staying up late at night and losing
the mind in frivolity, indulging in musical and theatre
entertainments, gambling, associating with evil companions, and neglecting one’s duties.
After removing these four defilements, avoiding
these four evil states of mind, and plugging these six
holes of waste, the disciples of Buddha do reverence to
the six directions of Truth.
Now, what are these six directions of Truth? They
are east for the way of parents and child, south for the
way of teacher and pupil, west for the way of husband and
wife, north for the way of friends, below for the way of
master and ser vant, and above for the way of ser ving
those who expound the teachings.
First, as for the way of the parents and child in the
eastern direction, the child should carry out five deeds.
One should take care of the parents, work for the sake of
the parents, protect the family lineage, inherit the family
property, and hold memorial service for the ancestors.
In return the parents should carry out five deeds for
the child. They should avoid wrong deeds, promote good
deeds, have the child acquire knowledge and skills, see it
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perty at an appropriate time. If these five things are followed, the way of the parents and the child in the eastern
direction will be peaceful and without sorrow.
Next, as for the way of the teacher and student in
the southern direction, the student should stand when
the teacher approaches, attend to the teacher’s needs
closely, should listen earnestly to the teacher, not neglect
offerings for the teacher, and receive his teachings with
respect.
In return the teacher should guide the student by
conducting oneself properly, correctly pass on everything
that the teacher has learned, have the student not forget
what he has learned, and prepare the way for the student
to receive honors as well as benefits and respect anywhere. Thus, the way of the teacher and student in the
southern direction will be peaceful and without sorrow.
Next, as for the way of the husband and wife in the
western direction, the husband should treat her with
respect, courtesy and faithfulness, entrust her with decision-making, and present her with gifts. The wife should
carry out all her work well, attend to the needs of the
family members, be faithful to her husband, protect the
family proper ty, and make the family af fairs go well.
Thus, the way of the husband and wife in the western
direction will be peaceful and without sorrow.
Next, as for the way of friends in the northern direction, one should provide them with what one’s friends
lack, speak to them with kindness, work for their bene− 214 −

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fits, always be thoughtful, and treat them with honesty.
One should make effort to prevent one’s friends
from falling into wrong ways, protect their property in the
event they lose their way, listen to their concerns when
they have problems, lend them a helping hand in times of
trouble, and support their family when necessary. Thus,
the way of friends in the northern direction will be one of
peace without sorrow.
Next, as for the way of the master and servant in the
lower direction, one should obser ve the following five
points in dealing with one’s servants. Make the servants
work in accordance with their ability, provide good meals
and ample compensation, care for them with kindness
when they are sick, share with them any delicious food,
and have them rest at appropriate times.
In turn, a servant should serve one’s master with
the following points in mind. One should get up in the
morning before the master, go to sleep after the master,
be honest at all times, be proficient in one’s work, and not
bring disgrace to the master’s good name. Thus, the way
of the master and servant in the lower direction will be
one of peace without sorrow.
Next, as for the way of serving those who preach
the teachings in the upper direction, one should treat
those who preach the teachings with utmost respect in
body, speech and mind. One should also welcome the
preachers with courtesy, listen and observe their teachings, and make offerings for them.
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In turn, one who preaches the teachings should
reject evil, foster goodness, be compassionate with good
heart, preach the moral standards, make the listeners
understand the teachings fully, and have the people attain
the state of peace. Thus, the way of serving those who
preach the teachings in the upper direction will be one of
peace without sorrow.
A person who bows in the six directions does not do
so in order to escape from external misfor tunes. A
person does it in order to be on one’s guard to prevent
evils from arising within one’s own mind.
2. A person should recognize among one’s acquaintances those with whom one should associate and those
with whom one should not.
The ones with whom a person should not associate
are those who are greedy, clever talkers, flatterers or
wasters.
The ones with whom a person should associate are
those who are helpful, who are willing to share happinesses as well as sufferings, who give good advice and
who have a sympathetic heart.
A true friend, the one with whom a person may
safely associate, will always stick closely to the right way,
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sole the friend in misfortune, will offer him a helping
hand when he needs it, will keep his secrets, and will
always give him good advice.
It is ver y dif ficult to find a friend like this, and,
therefore, one should try very hard to be a friend like
this. As the sun warms the fruitful earth, so a good friend
shines in society because of one’s good deeds.
3. It would be impossible for a son to repay his parents
for their gracious kindness, even if he could carry his
father on his right shoulder and his mother on his left for
one hundred long years.
And even if he could bathe the bodies of his parents
in sweet-smelling ointments for a hundred years, serve as
an ideal son, gain a throne for them, and give them all the
luxuries of the world, still he would not be able to repay
them sufficiently for the great indebtedness of gratitude
he owes to them.
But if he leads his parents to Buddha and explains
the Buddha’s teachings to them, and persuades them to
give up a wrong course and follow a right one, leading
them to give up all greed and enjoy the practice of offering, then he will be more than repaying them.
4. A family is a place where minds come in contact
with one another. If these minds love one another, the
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home will be as beautiful as a flower garden. But if these
minds get out of harmony with one another, it is like a
storm that plays havoc with the garden.
If discord arises within one’s family, one should not
blame others but should examine one’s own mind and
follow a right path.
5. Once there was a man of deep faith. His father died
when he was young; he lived happily with his mother, and
then he took a wife.
At first, they lived happily together and then,
because of a small misunderstanding, the wife and her
mother-in-law came to dislike each other. This dislike
grew until finally the mother left the young couple to live
by herself.
After the mother-in-law left, a son was born to the
young couple. A rumor reached the mother-in-law that
the young wife had said, “My mother-in-law was always
annoying me and as long as she lived with us nothing
pleasant ever happened; but as soon as she went we had
this happy event.”
This r umor angered the mother-in-law who
exclaimed, “If the husband’s mother is chased away from
the house and a happy event takes place, then things
have come to a pretty pass. Righteousness must have disappeared from the world.”
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Then the mother shouted, “Now, we must have a
funeral of this ‘righteousness’.” Like a mad woman she
went to the cemetery to hold a funeral service.
The god Indra, hearing of this incident, appeared in
front of the woman and tried to reason with her, but in
vain.
The god Indra then said to her, “If so, I must burn
the child and his mother to death. Will that satisfy you?”
Hearing this, the mother-in-law realized her mistake, apologized for her anger, and begged the god Indra
to save the lives of the child and his mother. At the same
time, the young wife and her husband realized their injustice to the old woman and went to the cemetery to seek
her. The god Indra reconciled them and thereafter they
lived together as a happy family.
Righteousness is never lost forever unless one casts
it away oneself. Righteousness occasionally may seem to
disappear but, in fact, it never disappears. When it seems
to be disappearing, it is because one is losing the righteousness of one’s own mind.
Discordant minds often bring disaster. A trifling misunderstanding may be followed by great misfortune. This
is especially to be guarded against in family life.

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6. In family life, the question as to how the daily
expenses are to be met always requires the utmost care.
Every member must work hard like the diligent ants and
the busy bees. No one must rely upon the industr y of
others, or expect their charity.
On the other hand, a man must not consider what
he has earned as totally his own. Some of it must be
shared with others, some of it must be saved for an emergency, some of it must be set aside for the needs of the
community, and some of it must be devoted to the needs
of the religious teachers.
One should always remember that nothing in the
world can strictly be called “mine.” What comes to a
person comes to him because of a combination of causes
and conditions; it can be kept by him only temporarily
and, therefore, he must not use it selfishly or for unworthy purposes.
7. When Syamavati, the queen-consor t of King
Udayana, offered Ananda five hundred garments, Ananda
received them with great satisfaction.
The King, hearing of it, suspected Ananda of dishonesty, so he went to Ananda and asked what he was going
to do with these five hundred garments.
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Ananda replied: “Oh, King, many of the brothers are
in rags; I am going to distribute the garments among the
brothers.”
“What will you do with the old garments?”
“We will make bed-covers out of them.”
“What will you do with the old bed-covers?”
“We will make pillow-cases.”
“What will you do with the old pillow-cases?”
“We will make floor-covers out of them.”
“What will you do with the old floor-covers?”
“We will use them for foot-towels.”
“What will you do with the old foot-towels?”
“We will use them for floor-mops.”
“What will you do with the old mops?”
“Your Highness, we will tear them into pieces, mix
them with mud and use the mud to plaster the housewalls.”
Ever y article entrusted to us must be used with
good care in some useful way, because it is not “ours” but
is only entrusted to us temporarily.
8. The relation of husband and wife was not designed
merely for their convenience. It has a deeper significance
than the mere association of two physical bodies in one
house. Husband and wife should take advantage of the
intimacies of their association to help each other in training their minds in the holy teaching.
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An old couple, an “ideal couple” as they were called,
once came to Buddha and said, “Lord, we were married
after we had been acquainted in childhood and there has
never been a cloud in our happiness. Please tell us if we
can be remarried in the next life.”
The Buddha gave them this wise answer: — “If you
both have exactly the same faith, if you both received the
teaching in exactly the same way, if you perform charity
in the same way and if you have the same wisdom, then
you will have the same mind in the next birth.”
9. There are no distinctions of sex on the path to
Enlightenment. If a woman makes up her mind to seek
Enlightenment, she will become a heroine of the True
Path.
Mallika, the daughter of King Prasenajit and the
Queen of King Ayodhya, was such a heroine. She had
great faith in the teaching of the Blessed One and made
in His presence the ten following vows:
“My Lord, until I gain Enlightenment I will not violate the sacred precepts; I will not be arrogant before
people who are older than myself; I will not become
angry with anyone.”
“I will not be jealous of others or envy their possessions; I will not be selfish either in mind or property; I
will tr y to make poor people happy with the things I
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receive and will not hoard them for myself.”
“I will receive all people courteously, give them what
they need, and speak kindly to them; consider their circumstances and not my convenience; and try to benefit
them without partiality.”
“If I see others in solitude, in prison, or suffering
from disease or other troubles, I will try to relieve them
and make them happy, by explaining the reasons and
laws to them.”
“If I see others catching living animals and being
cruel to them or violating any such precept, I will punish
them if they are to be punished, or teach them if they are
to be taught, and then I will try to undo what they have
done and cor rect their mistakes, to the best of my
ability.”
“I will not forget to hear the right teaching, for I
know that when one neglects the right teaching one
quickly falls away from the truth that abides everywhere,
and will fail to reach the shore of Enlightenment.”
Then she made the following three wishes to save
poor people: “First, I will try to make everyone peaceful.
This wish, I believe, in whatever life I may hereafter
receive, will be the root of goodness that will grow into
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the wisdom of good teaching.”
“Second, after I have received the wisdom of good
teaching, I will untiringly teach all people.”
“Third, I will protect the true teaching, even at the
sacrifice of my own body, life or property.”
The true significance of family life is the opportunity
it gives for mutual encouragement and aid on the path to
Enlightenment. If a woman has the same mind to seek
Enlightenment, and makes the same vows and wishes,
may become as great a disciple of Buddha as Mallika
was.

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CHAPTER TWO

BUILDING A BUDDHA LAND
I
THE HARMONY OF BROTHERHOOD

1. Let us imagine a desert country lying in absolute
darkness with many living things swarming blindly about
in it.
Naturally they will be frightened and as they run
about without recognizing one another during the night,
there will be frequent squirming and loneliness. This is
indeed a pitiful sight.
Then let us imagine that suddenly a superior person
with a torch appears and ever ything around becomes
bright and clear.

The living beings in the dark solitude suddenly find
a great relief as they look about to recognize one another
and happily share their companionship.

By “a desert country” is meant a world of human life
when it lies in the darkness of ignorance. Those who
have no light of wisdom in their minds wander about in
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loneliness and fear. They were born alone and die alone;
they do not know how to associate with their fellow
human in peaceful harmony, and they are naturally
despondent and fearful.
By “a superior person with torch” is meant Buddha
assuming a human form, and by His wisdom and compassion He illumines the world.
In this light people find themselves as well as others
and are glad to establish human fellowship and harmonious relations.
Thousands of people may live in a community but it
is not one of real fellowship until they know each other
and have sympathy for one another.
A true community has faith and wisdom that illuminate it. It is a place where the people know and trust one
another and where there is social harmony.
In fact, harmony is the life and real meaning of a
true community or an organization.

2. Of organizations, there are three kinds. First, there
are those that are organized on the basis of the power,
wealth or authority of great leaders.
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Second, there are those that are organized because
of its convenience to the members, which will continue to
exist as long as the members satisfy their conveniences
and do not quarrel.
Third, there are those that are organized with some
good teaching as its center and harmony as its very life.
Of course, the third or last of these is the only true
organization, for in it the members live in one spirit, from
which the unity of spirit and various kinds of virtue will
arise. In such an organization there will prevail harmony,
satisfaction and happiness.

Enlightenment is like rain that falls on a mountain
and gathers into rivulets that run into brooks, and then
into rivers which finally flow into the ocean.

The rain of the sacred teaching falls on all people
alike without regard to their conditions or circumstances.
Those who accept it gather into small groups, then into
organizations, then into communities and, finally, find
themselves in the great Ocean of Enlightenment.
The minds of these people mix like milk and water
and finally organize into a harmonious Brotherhood.
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Thus, the true teaching is the fundamental requirement of a perfect organization and, as mentioned above,
it is the light which enables people to recognize one
another, to become adjusted to one another and to
smooth out the rough places in their thinking.
Thus, the organization that is formed on the perfect
teachings of Buddha can be called a Samgha.

They should observe these teachings and train their
minds accordingly. Thus, the Buddha’s Samgha will theoretically include everyone, but, in fact, only those who
have the same religious faith are members.

3. The Buddha’s Samgha will have two types of members:–there will be those who are teaching the lay members, and those who are supporting the teachers by offering the needed food and clothing. They together will disseminate and perpetuate the teaching.
Then, to make the Samgha complete, there must be
per fect harmony among the members. The teachers
teach the members and the members honor the teachers
so that there can be harmony between them.

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Members of the Buddha’s Samgha should associate
together with affectionate sympathy, being happy to live
together with fellow-followers, and seeking to become
one in spirit.
4. There are six things that will help to lead a Samgha
to harmony. They are: first, sincerity of speech; second,
sincerity and kindness of action; third, sincerity and sympathy of spirit; fourth, equal sharing of common property;
fifth, following the same pure precepts; and sixth, all
having right views.
Among these things, the sixth or “all having right
views” forms the nucleus, with the other five serving as
wrappings for it.
There are two sets of seven rules to be followed if
the Brotherhood is to be a success. The first is, as a
group:
(1) they should gather together frequently to listen
to the teachings and to discuss them;
(2) they should mingle freely and respect one
another;
(3) they should revere the teaching and respect
the rules and not change them;
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(4) elder and younger members are to treat each
other with courtesy;
(5) they should let sincerity and reverence mark
their bearing.
(6) they should purify their minds in a quiet place
which they should, nevertheless, offer to others before
taking it for themselves.
(7) they should love all people, treat visitors cordially, and console the sick with kindness. A Samgha that
follows these rules will never decline.
The second is, individually each should: (1) maintain a pure spirit and not ask for too many things; (2)
maintain integrity and remove all greed; (3) be patient
and not argue; (4) keep silent and not talk idly; (5) submit
to the regulations and not be overbearing; (6) maintain an
even mind and not follow different teachings; and (7) be
thrifty and frugal in daily living.
If its members follow these rules, the Samgha will
endure and never decline.

5. As mentioned above, a Samgha should maintain harmony in its ver y essence; therefore, one without harmony can not be called a brotherhood. Each member
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should be on guard not to be the cause of discord. If discord appears it should be removed as early as possible,
for discord will soon ruin any organization.
Blood stains can not be removed by more blood;
resentment can not be removed by more resentment;
resentment can be removed only by forgetting it.
6. Once there was a king named Calamity, whose
country was conquered by a neighboring warlike king
named Brahmadatta. King Calamity, after hiding with his
wife and son for a time, was captured but fortunately his
son, the prince, could escape.
The prince tried to find some way of saving his
father but in vain. On the day of his father’s execution,
the prince in disguise made his way into the execution
ground where he could do nothing but watch in mortification the death of his ill-fated father.
The father noticed his son in the crowd and muttered as if talking to himself, “Do not search for a long
time; do not act hastily; resentment can be calmed only
by forgetting it.”
After ward, the prince sought after some way of
revenge for a long time. At last he was employed as an
attendant in the Brahmadatta’s palace and came to win
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the king’s favors.
On a day when the king went hunting, the prince
sought some opportunity for revenge. The prince was
able to lead his master into a lonely place, and the king,
being very weary, fell asleep with his head on the lap of
the prince, so fully had he come to trust the prince.
The prince drew his dagger and placed it at the
king’s throat but then hesitated. The words his father had
expressed at the moment of his execution flashed into his
mind and although he tried again he could not kill the
king. Suddenly the king awoke and told the prince that
he had had a bad dream in which the son of King
Calamity was trying to kill him.
The prince, flourishing the dagger in his hand, hastily
grasped the king and, identifying himself as the son of
King Calamity, declared that the time had finally come for
him to avenge his father. Yet he could not do so, and suddenly he cast his dagger down and fell on his knees in
front of the king.
When the king heard the prince’s story and the final
words of his father, he was very impressed and apologized to the prince. Later, he restored the former kingdom to the prince and their two countries came to live in
friendship for a long time.
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The dying words of King Calamity, “Do not search
for a long time,” mean that resentment should not be
cherished for long, and “Do not act hastily” mean that
friendship should not be broken hastily.
Resentment can not be satisfied by resentment; it
can only be removed by forgetting it.
In the fellowship of a Brotherhood that is based on
the harmony of right teaching, ever y member should
always appreciate the spirit of this story.
Not only the members of the Brotherhood but also
people in general should appreciate and practice this
spirit in their daily lives.
II
THE BUDDHA’S LAND
1. As has been explained, if a Brotherhood does not
forget its duty of spreading Buddha’s teaching and of
living in harmony, it will steadily grow larger and its
teaching will spread more widely.
This means that more and more people will be seeking Enlightenment, and it also means that the evil armies
of greed, anger, and foolishness, which are led by the
devil of ignorance and lust, will begin to retreat, and that
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wisdom, light, faith and joy will dominate.
The devil’s dominion is full of greed, darkness,
struggling, fighting, swords and bloodshed, and is replete
with jealousy, prejudice, hatred, cheating, flattering, fawning, secrecy and abuse.
Now suppose that the light of wisdom shines upon
that dominion, and the rain of compassion falls upon it,
and faith begins to take root, and the blossoms of joy
begin to spread their fragrance. Then that devil’s domain
will turn into Buddha’s Pure Land.
And just like a soft breeze and a few blossoms on a
branch that tell the coming of spring, so when a person
attains Enlightenment, grass, trees, mountains, rivers and
all other things begin to throb with new life.
If a person’s mind becomes pure, his surroundings
will also become pure.
2. In a land where the true teaching prevails, ever y
dweller has a pure and tranquil mind. Indeed, Buddha’s
compassion untiringly benefits all people, and His shining
spirit exorcizes all impurities from their minds.
A pure mind soon becomes a deep mind, a mind
that is commensurate with the Noble Path, a mind that
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loves to give, a mind that loves to keep the precepts, an
enduring mind, a zealous mind, a calm mind, a wise
mind, a compassionate mind, a mind that leads people to
Enlightenment by many and skillful means. Thus shall
the Buddha’s Land be built.
A home with one’s wife and children is transformed
into a home where Buddha is present; a country that suffers because of social distinctions is likewise transformed
into a fellowship of kindred spirits.
A golden palace that is blood-stained can not be the
abiding place for Buddha. A small hut where the moonlight leaks in through chinks in the roof can be transformed into a place where Buddha will abide, if the mind
of its master is pure.
When a Buddha Land is founded upon the pure
mind of a single person, that single pure mind draws
other kindred minds to itself in the Samgha. Faith in
Buddha spreads from individual to family, from family to
village, from village to towns, to cities, to countries, and
finally to the whole world.
Indeed, earnestness and faithfulness in spreading
the teaching of the Dharma are what build the Buddha
Land.
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Building a Buddha Land

3. To be sure, when viewed from one angle, the world
with all its greed and injustice and bloodshed appears as
a devil’s world; but, as people come to believe in
Buddha’s Enlightenment, blood will be turned into milk
and greed into compassion, and then, the devil’s land
becomes a Buddha Land of Purity.
It seems an impossible task to empty an ocean with
a small ladle, but the determination to do it, even if it
takes many, many lives, is the mind with which one
should receive Buddha’s Enlightenment.
Buddha is waiting on the other shore; that is, His
world of Enlightenment, wherein there is no greed, no
anger, no ignorance, no suffering, no agony, but where
there are only the light of wisdom and the rain of compassion.
It is a land of peace, a refuge for those who suffer
and who are in sorrow and agony; a place of rest for
those who take a break in their spreading of the teachings of the Dharma.
In this Pure Land there are boundless Light and
everlasting Life. Those who reach this haven will never
return to the world of delusion.
Indeed, this Pure Land, where the flowers perfume
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the air with wisdom and the birds sing the holy Dharma,
is the final destination for all mankind.
4. Though this Pure Land is the place for taking rest, it
is not the place for idleness. Its beds of fragrant flowers
are not for slothful indolence, but are the places for
refreshment and rest, where one regains energy and zeal
to continue the Buddha’s mission of Enlightenment.
Buddha’s mission is everlasting. As long as people
live and creatures exist, and as long as selfish and defiled
minds create their own worlds and circumstances, there
will be no end to His mission.
The children of Buddha, who have crossed to the
Pure Land by means of the great power of Amida, may be
zealous to return to the land whence they came and
where they still have ties. There they will take their part
in the Buddha’s mission.
As the light of a small candle will spread from one to
another in succession, so the light of Buddha’s compassion will pass on from one mind to another endlessly.
The children of Buddha, realizing His spirit of compassion, adopt His task of Enlightenment and
Purification, and pass it on from one generation to another in order to make the Buddha’s Land glorified eternally
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Building a Buddha Land

and forever.

III
THOSE WHO HAVE RECEIVED GLORY IN
BUDDHA’S L AND
1. Syamavati, the consort of King Udayana, was deeply
devoted to Buddha.
She lived in the innermost courts of the palace and
did not go out, but her maid, Uttara, who had an excellent
memory, used to go out and attend the Buddha’s preachings.
On her return, the maid would repeat to the Queen
the teachings of the Blessed One, and thus the Queen
deepened her wisdom and faith.
The second wife of the King was jealous of the first
wife and sought to kill her. She slandered her to the King
until finally he believed her and sought to kill his first
wife, Syamavati.
Queen Syamavati stood in front of the King so
calmly that he had no heart to kill her. Regaining control
of himself he apologized to her for his distrust.
The jealousy of the second wife increased and she
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sent wicked men to set fire to the innermost courts of the
palace during the King’s absence from home. Syamavati
remained calm, quieted and encouraged the bewildered
maids, and then, without fear, died peacefully in the spirit
she had learned from the Blessed One. Uttara died with
her in the fire.
Among the many women disciples of Buddha, these
two were most highly honored: Queen Syamavati as a
compassionate spirit and her maid, Uttara, as a good listener.
2. Prince Mahanama, of the Shakya clan and a cousin
of Buddha, had great faith in the teachings of Buddha
and was one of his most faithful followers.
At that time a violent king named Vir udaka of
Kosala conquered the Shakya clan. Prince Mahanama
went to the King and sought the lives of his people, but
the King would not listen to him. He then proposed that
the King would let as many prisoners escape as could run
away while he himself remained underwater in a nearby
pond.
To this the King assented, thinking that the time
would be very short for him to be able to stay underwater.
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The gate of the castle was opened as Mahanama
dived into the water and the people rushed for safety. But
Mahanama did not come up, sacrificing his life for the
lives of his people by tying his hair to the underwater
root of a willow tree.

3. Utpalavarna was a famous nun whose wisdom was
compared with that of Maudgalyayana, a great disciple of
Buddha. She was, indeed, the nun of all nuns and was
always their leader, never tiring of teaching them.
Devadatta was a ver y wicked and cruel man who
poisoned the mind of King Ajatasatru and persuaded him
to turn against the teachings of Buddha. But later, King
Ajatasatr u repented, broke of f his friendship with
Devadatta, and became a humble disciple of Buddha.
At one time when Devadatta was repulsed from the
castle gate in an attempt to see the King, he met
Utpalavarna coming out. It made him very angry, so he
struck and seriously wounded her.
She returned to her convent in great pain and when
the other nuns tried to console her she said to them:
“Sisters, human life is the unforeseen, everything is transient and egoless. Only the world of Enlightenment is
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tranquil and peaceful. You must keep on with your training.” Then she passed away quietly.
4. Angulimalya, once a terrible bandit who had killed
many people, was saved by the Blessed One, and he
became one of His disciples.
One day he went begging in a town and endured
much hardship and suffering for his past evil deeds.

The villagers fell upon him and beat him severely,
but he went back to the Blessed One with his body still
bleeding, falling at His feet and thanking Him for the
opportunity that had come to him to suffer for his former
cruel deeds.
He said, “Blessed One, my name originally was ‘No
Harming,’ but because of my ignorance, I took many precious lives, and from each I took a finger; because of that,
I came to be called Angulimalya, the collector of fingers!

“Then, through your compassion, I learned wisdom
and became devoted to the three treasures of the
Buddha, the Dharma and the Samgha. When a man
drives a horse or a cow he has to use a whip or a rope,
but you, the Blessed One, purified my mind without the
use of whip or rope or hook.
− 241 −

Building a Buddha Land

“Today, Blessed One, I have suffered only what was
my due. I do not wish to live, I do not wish to die. I only
wait for my time to come.”
5. Maudgalyayana, together with the venerable Sariputra,
was one of the Buddha’s two greatest disciples. When the
teachers of other religions saw that the pure water of the
Buddha’s teachings was spreading among the people and
found the people eagerly drinking it, they became jealous
and applied various hindrances to his preaching.
But none of the hindrances could stop or prevent his
teaching from spreading widely. The followers of the
other religions attempted to kill Maudgalyayana.
Twice he escaped but the third time he was surrounded by many heathens and fell under their blows.

Sustained by Enlightenment, he calmly received
their blows, and though his flesh was torn and his bones
crushed, he died peacefully.

− 242 −

_
.
A NGUTTARA NIK AYA
(The Book of the Gradual Sayings)
Monks, there is one person whose birth into the world is for the welfare of many, for the happiness of many: who is born out of compassion
for the world, for the profit, welfare and happiness of heavenly beings and
mankind. Who is that person? It is a Tathagata who is an Arahat, a fully
Enlightened One. This, monks, is that one person.
Monks, the manifestation of one person is hard to find in the world. Of
what person? Of a Tathagata who is an Arahat, a fully Enlightened One.
He is the one person.
Monks, hard to be found in the world is that one extraordinary person.
What person? A Tathagata who is an Arahat, a fully Enlightened One. He
is the one person.
Monks, the death of one person is to be regretted by all. Of what
person? Of a Tathagata who is an Arahat, a fully Enlightened One. He is
the one person.
Monks, there is one person born into the world who is incomparable
and unequalled. Who is that person? It is a Tathagata who is an Arahat, a
fully Enlightened One. He is the one person.
Monks, the manifestation of one person is the manifestation of a
mighty eye, a mighty light, a mighty radiance. Of what person? Of a
Tathagata who is an Arahat, a fully Enlightened One. He is the one
_
.
person. (Anguttara Nikaya I-13)

− 243 −

SOURCE REFERENCES FOR
“THE TEACHING OF BUDDHA”

Abbreviations: DN-Dı̄gha Nikāya
MN-Majjhima Nikāya
SN-Samyutta
Nikāya
..
AN-Anguttara Nikāya

Section
Chapter 1
1

2

Chapter 2
1

Page

BUDDHA
Line

Source

2
5
5
5
7

1
1
12
22
1

Various Scriptures
AN 3-38, Sukhumālā-sutta
MN 3-26, Ariyapariyesana-sutta
Various Scriptures
MN 9-85, Bodhirājakumārasutta
Various Scriptures
Sutta-nipāta 3-2, Padhāna-sutta
Various Scriptures
Vinaya, Mahāvagga 1
DN 16, Mahāparinibbāna-sutta
DN 16, Mahāparinibbāna-sutta
Parinibbāna-sutta
Parinibbāna-sutta
DN 16, Mahāparinibbāna-sutta

7
7
7
8
9
10
11
13
13

6
14
20
11
11
16
10
9
16

15

1 Amitāyur-dhyāna & Vimalakı̄rtinirdeśa sūtras

− 246 −

Section

Page

Line

15
15

17
19
20
21
22

6 Śūramgama-sūtra
.
11 Vimalakı̄rtinirdeśa & Mahāparinirvāna
. sūtras
7 Saddharmapun. darı̄ka-sūtra
16
.
1 Mahāyāna-jātaka-cittabhūmiparı̄ksa-sūtra
.
7 Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra
1 Saddharmapun. darı̄ka-sūtra
3
.
1 Saddharmapun. darı̄ka-sūtra
4
.
14 Saddharmapun. darı̄ka-sūtra
5
.
18 Saddharmapun. darı̄ka-sūtra
16
.

25
26
26
26

1
5
11
19

29
29

6
12

29
29
30
30

15
20
6
10

16
17

2

3
Chapter 3
1

2

Source

Avatamsaka-sūtra
5
.
Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra
.
Avatamsaka-sūtra
.
Suvarnaprabhāsottamarāja-sūtra
.
3
Avatamsaka-sūtra
.
Avatamsaka-sūtra
34, Gan. da.
.
vyūha
Smaller Sukhāvatı̄vyūha-sūtra
Avatam.saka-sūtra
SN 35-5
Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra
.

− 247 −

Section

Page

Line

Source

3

32
33
33
34
34
35
35
35

10
5
16
4
20
1
13
20

MN 8-77, Mahāsakulūdayi-sutta
Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra
.
.
Lankāvatāra-sūtra
Avatamsaka-sūtra
32
.
Saddharmapun. darı̄ka-sūtra
25
.
Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra
.
Saddharmapun. darı̄ka-sūtra
2
.
Saddharmapun. darı̄ka-sūtra
3
.
DHARMA

Chapter 1
1

38

3

39
40
40
41
42

Chapter 2
1

46
48
48
49

1 Vinaya, Mahāvagga 1-6 & SN5611-12, Dhammacakka-pavattanasutta
18 Itivuttaka 103
6 MN 2, Sabbāsava-sutta
13 Sūtra of Forty-two Sections 18
2 Śrı̄mālādev ı̄simhanāda-sūtra
.
21 Avatamsaka-sūtra
22, Daśa.
bhūmika
1
9
18
1

MN 4-35, Cūlasaccaka-sutta
.
AN 5-49, Mun. darāja-vagga
.
AN 4-185, Samana-sutta
.
AN 3-134, Uppāda-sutta

− 248 −

Section

Page

Line

2

49
49
50
50

8
12
1
15

51
51
51
52
52
52
53
54
54
57
58
58
58
59
59
60
61
63

1
6
10
1
12
19
14
9
14
8
1
7
18
8
22
14
11
15

63

24

3

4

Source
.
Lankāvatāra-sūtra
Avatamsaka-sūtra
2
.
Avatamsaka-sūtra
16
.
Avatamsaka-sūtra
22, Daśa.
bhūmika
.
Lankāvatāra-sūtra
AN 4-186, Ummagga-sutta
Dhammapada 1, 2, 17, 18
SN 2-1-6, Kāmada-sutta
Avatamsaka-sūtra
16
. .
Lankāvatāra-sūtra
MN 3-22, Alagaddūpama-sutta
.
Lankāvatāra-sūtra
.
Lankāvatāra-sūtra
Vinaya, Mahāvagga 1-6
.
Lankāvatāra-sūtra
SN 35-200, Dārukkhandha-sutta
.
Lankāvatāra-sūtra and others
MN 2-18, Madhupin. dika-sutta
.
.
Lankāvatāra-sūtra
.
Lankāvatāra-sūtra
Vimalakı̄rtinirdeśa-sūtra
Avatamsaka-sūtra
34, Gan. .da.
vyūha
.
Lankāvatāra-sūtra and others

− 249 −

Section
Chapter 3
1

2

3
Chapter 4
1

Page

Line

65
65
66
71
73
73

1
16
6
9
5
13

Source

74
74
74
75
75

Vinaya, Mahāvagga 1-5
Vinaya, Cūlavagga
5-21
.
Śūramgama-sūtra
.
Śūramgama-sūtra
.
Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra
.
Saddharmapun. darı̄ka-sūtra
7&
.
Śūramgama-sūtra
.
3 Avatamsaka-sūtra
32
.
9 Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra
.
14 Brahmajāla-sūtra
2 Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra
.
21 Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra
.

81
82
82
82
83
83
84
84

1
10
14
21
9
23
15
21

85
85
86

Śrı̄mālādevı̄simhanāda-sūtra
.
AN 2-11
Itivuttaka 93
Vinaya, Mahāvagga
AN 3-68, Aññāti
t.thika-sutta
.
_
AN 3-34, A .lavaka-sutta
Vaipulya-sūtra
Vinaya,Mahāvagga 1-6, Dhammacakkapravattana-sutta
1 MN 2-14, Cūladukkhakkhandha.
sutta
16 Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra
.
16 Itivuttaka 24
− 250 −

Section

Page

Line

2

88
89
89
90
90
91
93
93
94
95

11
9
19
6
18
16
1
16
20
17

MN 6-51, Kandaraka-suttanta
AN 3-130
AN 3-113
Itivuttaka 100
Sūtra of A Parable
Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra
.
AN 3-62
AN 3-35, Devadūta-sutta
Therı̄gāthā At. thakathā
.
Sukhāvatı̄vyūha-sūtra vol.2

102
105
107
110

1
18
6
15

Sukhāvatı̄vyūha-sūtra vol.1
Sukhāvatı̄vyūha-sūtra vol.2
Amitāyur-dhyāna-sūtra
Smaller Sukhāvatı̄vyūha-sūtra

3

4
Chapter 5
1

2

Source

THE WAY OF PRACTICE
Chapter 1
1

2

116
117
118
119
121
122
123
124
127

1
23
14
11
20
13
12
1
1

MN 2, Sabbāsava-sutta
MN 3-26, Ariyapariyesana-sutta
SN 35-206, Chapāna-sutta
Sūtra of Forty-two Sections41-2
MN 2-19, Dvedhāvitakka-sutta
Dhammapada At.t.hakathā
AN 3-117
MN 3-21, Kakacūpama-sutta
MN 3-23, Vammı̄ka-sutta
− 251 −

Section

3

Page

Line

128
132
132
133
134
134
140
143

17
4
13
5
3
18
2
7

144
145
Chapter 2
1

150
152
154
154
156
156
157
158
160
161

Source

.
Jātaka IV-497, Mātanga-Jātaka
Sūtra of Forty-two Sections 9
Sūtra of Forty-two Sections 11
Sūtra of Forty-two Sections 13
AN 2-4, Samacitta-sutta
Samyuktaratnapi
taka-sūtra
.
.
Sūtra of Hundred Fables
Commentary on the
Prajñāpāramitā-sūtra
18 Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra
.
17 Samyuktaratnapi
taka-sūtra
.
.

1 MN 7-63, Cūlamālunkya-sut.
tanta
9 MN 3-29, Mahāsāropama-sutta
1 Mahāmāyā-sūtra
14 Theragāthā At.thakathā
.
7 MN 3-28, Mahāhatthipadopama-sutta
22 Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra
.
12 Avadānaśataka-sūtra
18 Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra
.
12 Pañcavim
. śatisāhasrikāprajñāpāramitā-sūtra
20 Avatamsaka-sūtra
34, Gan. da.
.
vyūha

− 252 −

Section

Page

Line

Source

2

163
164
164
165
166

13
10
18
12
13

167
168
168
169
170
171
171
172
173
174
174
174
175
175
175
176
177
178
178
178
179
179

18
12
18
18
7
1
15
15
7
9
16
19
1
8
18
21
15
1
15
21
8
11

AN 3-88
AN 3-81
AN 3-82
Parinibbāna-sutta vol.2
MN 14-141, Saccavibhangasutta
Parinibbāna-sutta vol.2
AN 5-16, Bala-sutta
Avatamsaka-sūtra
6
.
Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra
.
Samyuktaratnapi
taka-sūtra
.
.
Suvarnaprabhāsa-sūtra
26
.
Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra
.
Theragāthā At.thakathā
.
Jātaka 55, Pañcāvudha-Jātaka
Itivuttaka 39 & 40
Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra
.
Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra
.
AN 5-12
Parinibbāna-sutta
Śūramgama-sūtra
.
SN 55-21 & 22, Mahānāma-sutta
AN 5-32, Cundı̄-sutta
Vimalakı̄rtinirdeśa-sūtra
Śūramgama-sūtra
.
Sukhāvatı̄vyūha-sūtra vol.2
SN 1-4-6
Avatamsaka-sūtra
33
.

3

− 253 −

Section

4

Page

Line

180
180
181
181
181
182
183
184
192
192
192

7
19
8
11
17
10
5
1
1
15
20

Source
Avatamsaka-sūtra
24
.
Suvarnaprabhāsa-sūtra
4
.
Amitāyur-dhyāna-sūtra
Sukhāvatı̄vyūha-sūtra
Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra
.
MN 2-16, Cetokhila-sutta
Sukhāvatı̄vyūha-sūtra vol. 2
Dhammapada
SN 1-4-6
AN
Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra
.

THE BROTHERHOOD
Chapter 1
1

2

194
194
195
195
197
198
198
199
200
201
201
201

1 Itivuttaka 100 & MN 1-3,
Dhammadāyāda-sutta
8 Itivuttaka 92
1 Vinaya, Mahāvagga 1-30
19 MN 4-39, Mahā-assapura-sutta
4 MN 4-40, Cū.la-assapura-sutta
4 Saddharmapun. darı̄ka-sūtra
10
.
10 Saddharmapun. darı̄ka-sūtra
10
.
1 Saddharmapun. darı̄ka-sūtra
14
.
13 SN 55-37, Mahānāma-sutta
1 AN 3-75
8 SN 55-37, Mahānāma-sutta
14 SN 55-54, Gilāyanam-sutta
.
− 254 −

Section

3

Chapter 2
1

2

Page

Line

Source

201
203
206
209
210
210
212
217
217
218
220
220
221
222

20
9
5
2
1
20
1
8
23
7
1
12
21
11

Avatamsaka-sūtra
22
.
Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra
.
Avatamsaka-sūtra
7
.
Mahāmāyā-sūtra
Avatamsaka-sūtra
21
.
Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra
.
.
DN 31, Singālovāda-sutta
AN 2-4, Samacitta-sutta
AN 3-31
Jātaka 417, Kaccāni-Jātaka
.
DN 31, Singālovāda-sutta
Dhammapada At.thakathā
1
.
(Burmese Commentaries)
Śrı̄mālādevāsimhanāda-sūtra
.

225
226
228
229
229
230
233
234
234
236
236
237
237

1
19
12
5
14
20
15
11
17
1
20
3
17

Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra
.
AN 3-118, Soceyyan-sutta
SN
Vinaya, Mahāvagga 10-1 & 2
DN 16, Mahāparinibbāna-sutta
Vinaya, Mahāvagga 10-1 & 2
SN
Antarābhava-sūtra
Vimalakı̄rtinirdeśa-sūtra
Mahāparinirvāna-sūtra
.
Smaller Sukhāvatı̄vyūha-sūtra
Sukhāvatı̄vyūha-sūtra
Vimalakı̄rtinirdeśa-sūtra
− 255 −

Section

Page

Line

3

238
238
239
240
240

5
14
11
6
10

241
242

Source

Dhammapada At.thakathā
1
.
AN 34-2
Dhammapada At.thakathā
1
.
AN 5-1
Mūla-sarvāstivāda-vinaya
.
Sanghabheda-vastu 10
.
3 MN 9-86, Angulimāla-sutta
4 AN 26

− 256 −

THE APPENDIXES

BRIEF HISTORY OF BUDDHISM
–Transmission from India to Japan–
1. INDIA
One of the greatest epoch-making events in the spiritual history of
mankind was marked when the “Light of Asia” was set out brightly in the
central part of India, or, in other words, when the Spring of Great
Wisdom and Compassion gushed up there, which, in the course of time
has come to enrich the human mind over many centuries up to the present day.
Gautama Buddha, who came to be known by later Buddhist followers
as Shakyamuni or the “Sage of the Shakya clan,” abandoned His home,
became a mendicant and turned His steps toward the south, to Magadha.
It is believed to have been in the middle of the 5th century B.C., that He
finally attained Enlightenment under a Bodhi-tree there. He continued
His untiring efforts for forty-five long years, from this time on to His
“Great Death” by which He entered Maha-pari-Nirvana, all the while
preaching the teaching of Wisdom and Compassion. As a result, great
Buddhists steadfastly continued to appear in the kingdoms and various
tribes in mid-India.
During the time of King Asoka (reigning: 268-232 B.C.), the third ruler
of the Maurya Kingdom, the teaching of Gautama Buddha spread
throughout the whole of India and was also being propagated beyond the
boundaries of the country.
Maurya had been the first of the consolidated kingdoms in India. This
kingdom at the time of its first ruler, Chandragupta (reigning: 317-293
B.C. or thereabouts,) was already occupying a vast domain, extending
from the Himalayan mountains in the north, to the Bay of Bengal in the
east, to the Hindu Kush mountains in the west, and beyond the Vindhya
mountains to the south. King Asoka further expanded this domain to the
Deccan Plateau, by conquering Kalinga and others.

− 258 −

This King is said to have been very furious in nature, being called by
his people Chandāsoka (the Furious Asoka); but his character showed a
complete change when he witnessed the disastrous conditions caused by
the war in which Kalinga had been conquered. He became an earnest
devotee of the teaching of Wisdom and Compassion. After that, he did
many things as a Buddhist believer, among which the following two
undertakings are most noteworthy.
First was the “Asoka´s carved edict,” or the administrative concepts
based on the Buddhist teaching carved onto stone pillars, or on polished
cliff walls, which he ordered done at numerous places, thus spreading the
teaching of Buddha. Secondly, he sent missions beyond his kingdom to
countries in all directions conveying the teaching of Wisdom and
Compassion. Especially remarkable is the fact that some of the missions
were sent out to such places as Syria, Egypt, Kyrene, Macedonia and
Epeiros, spreading Buddhism far and wide to the western world.
Moreover, Mahendra (in the Pāli language Mahinda), the envoy sent to
Sri Lanka, was successful in “Establishing the beautiful teaching on the
beautiful Lankādvı̄pa (Pāli, Lankādı̄pa)”, and thus founded the starting
point of the Buddhist teaching for its successful propagation on the
island.
2. THE RISE OF MAHAYANA BUDDHISM
The “Eastward Movement of Buddhism” has often been spoken of by
the Buddhists of the later years. But during the B.C. centuries, the face of
Buddhism was evidently turned toward the West. It was sometime
around the beginning of the Christian Era that this “face” of Buddhism
began to be turned toward the East. However, before we refer to this matter, we must speak of the great change that was occurring in Buddhism.
This change was none other than the “New Wave” which is known as
“Mahayana Buddhism,” or Greater Vehicle Buddhism, that was taking
strong root and appearing as a conspicuous element in the teaching of
the time.

− 259 −

When, how and by whom was such a “New Wave” started? Nobody is
as yet able to definitely answer these questions. All we know is: First, the
trend must have been brought about in the so-called thought-genealogy
.
constituent of the Mahāsamghika school by the progressive priests of the
time; Second, the fact is that there had already existed some of the important elements of the Mahayana scriptures during the period from one or
two centuries B.C. to the first century of the Christian Era. And when the
superb thought of Nāgārjuna, backed by the Mahayana scriptures, developed, Mahayana Buddhism vividly presented itself in the foreground on
the stage of the history of the religion.

The role that was played by Mahayana Buddhism was very great in
the long history of Buddhism. Now, as to China and Japan, Buddhism in
these countries through almost all their history has developed under the
influence of the Mahayana teaching. This does not seem strange because
there was already worked out a new ideal for the salvation of the masses,
envisaging living saints in the form of Bodhisattvas to practice this ideal;
moreover, to support them, the intellectual results in the metaphysical or
psychological domains that were brought about by the Mahayana
thinkers were really magnificent. In this way, although it was linked with
the teaching of Gautama Buddha on the one hand, many new phases of
Wisdom and Compassion were added. With these new additions,
Buddhism became full of ardor and energy and came to enrich the countries in the East like the rushing stream of a great river.

− 260 −

3. CENTRAL ASIA
It was through the Central Asian countries that China came to learn of
Buddhism for the first time. Therefore, to tell of the teaching spreading
from India to China, it is necessary to speak of the Silk Road. This road
passed through the boundless territories in Central Asia to connect the
West and the East, and it was during the age of King Wu of the Han
dynasty (reigning: 140-87 B.C.) that this trade route was opened. At that
time, the domain of Han extended far westward, and in such adjoining
countries as Ferghana, Sogdiana, Tukhara and even Parthia, the spirit of
mercantilism which had formerly been inspired by Alexander the Great
was still vigorously active. Along this ancient route that ran through these
countries silk played the most important role, hence the name Silk Road.
From the time a little before or after the beginning of the Christian Era,
India and China started their cultural contacts first by means of the trade
route. Thus, the road can be said to have been the route for Buddhism as
well.
4. CHINA
The history of Chinese Buddhism starts from their acceptance of the
Buddhist scriptures and translation thereof. The oldest work from the
ancient times is said to be the “Ssu-shih-êr-châng-ching (Sutra in Forty-two
.
Sections Spoken by Buddha)” a translation done by Kāśyapamātanga and
others during the Ying-p‘ing Era (58-76 A.D.) of King Ming of the Latter
Eastern Han, but it is today regarded as a doubtful legendary story. The
corroborated opinion now gives the credit to An-shih-kao who was
engaged in translation at Lo-yang from about 148 to 171 A.D.. From this
time to the time of the Northern Sung Dynasty (960-1129 A.D.), the translation work continued for nearly one thousand years.

− 261 −

During the earlier years, those who played pivotal roles in the introduction of the scriptures and in making translations thereof were mostly
the priests from the Central Asian countries. For instance, An-shih-kao,
mentioned above, came from Parthia; K’angsêng-k’ai, from the
Samarkand region came to Lo-yang in about the 3rd century and translated “Sukhāvatı̄vyūha” (the Book of Limitless Life). Moreover, Chu-fa-hu or
Dharmaraksha, who is known as the translator of the
“Saddharmapun. darı̄ka,”
came from Tukhāra and stayed in Lo-yang from
.
the latter part of the third century to the early part of the fourth century.
When Kumārajı̄va, who came from Kucha, appeared in the early part of
the fifth century, the translation work in China reached a high point.
From about that time priests began visiting India from China to learn
Sanskrit. The pioneer of such priests was Fa-hsien (339-420? A.D.). He
left Ch’ang-an in 399 for India and returned home fifteen years later. The
most distinguished of these priests visiting India was Hsuan-chuang (602664 A.D.) who left for India in 627 and returned home in 645, after nineteen long years. Further, I-ching (635-713 A.D.) (not to be confused with
the book I-ching) left for India by sea in 671 and returned home by the
same route twenty-five years later.
These priests visited India by themselves to learn Sanskrit and
brought home those scriptures they had chosen, playing the leading role
in the scriptures translation work. The linguistic ability that Hsuanchuang showed was especially outstanding, and by his energetic work,
the translation of the scriptures in China reached another peak. The
works of the former days done by those represented by Kumārajı̄va are
called the “Old Translations” and the works by Hsuan-chuang and the
later translators are called the “New Translations” by Buddhist scholars
in later periods.

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Based on this enormous number of volumes which they had translated from Sanskrit, the tendency of thought and religious activity of these
learned men gradually but strongly turned toward Sinicism. There
appeared plainly the racial nature, needs and confidences. That the
priests in the early stages turned their minds metaphysically towards
“Non-substantiality” especially, which is dealt with in the Prajñā of the
Sutras, was a manifestation of this tendency. Later, they cast away the socalled “Hinayana”, or the Lesser Vehicle, and turned their attention exclusively toward “Mahayana”, the Greater Vehicle. Moreover, this tendency
gradually became notable in the Tendai Sect and may be said to have
reached its height when the Zen Sect appeared.
It was in the latter half of the sixth century that the Tendai Sect saw its
completion in China, which was perfected by Tendai Daishi, Chih-i (538597 A.D.), its third patriarch. He was one of the most outstanding figures
in Buddhist thought, and the critical classification of Buddha’s teaching
into the Five Periods and Eight Doctrines worked out by this saint have
long maintained a wide influence on the Buddhism of China as well as of
Japan.
A review will show that in China the various sutras were brought in
without regard to the order of the time of their origins and were translated as they were taken in. In the face of the enormous number of these
sutras, the problem was how to understand their origin and evaluations.
It was necessary to appreciate Buddhism as a whole and to show how one
should stand according to one’s own understanding of it. As to the evaluation of the sutras, the trend of the Chinese thought, first of all, comes to
the fore. Above all, that of Chih-i was most systematic and, therefore,
splendidly persuasive. But, with the appearance of the Buddhist research
work of modern times, even such a dominating influence was to come to
an end.

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In the history of Buddhism in China “The one that came last” was the
Zen Sect. Its founder is said to have been Śramana, of a foreign country,
or Bodhidharma (-528 A.D.); but the seed sown by him had seen its glorious flower only after the time of Hui-nêng (638-713 A.D.), the sixth patriarch of the line. After the eighth century, the sect in China had sent out
many priests of talent in succession, bringing about the prosperity of Zen
for a period of several centuries.
It can be seen that there was a new way of thinking in Buddhism,
which was deeply rooted in the nature of the Chinese people. It was nothing other than a Buddhism colored by the Chinese way of thinking. And
yet the stream of the teaching of Gautama Buddha, with this fresh current added, had grown into a still larger river and came to enrich the
countries to the east.
5. JAPAN
The history of Buddhism in Japan began in the sixth century. In 538
A.D., the King of Paikche (or Kudara, Korea) dispatched his envoy to
present a Buddhist image and scroll of sutras to the Imperial Court of
Emperor Kinmei. This marked the first introduction of Buddhism into
this country. The history of the religion in Japan is therefore more than
1,400 years old now.
In this long history, we can think of Japanese Buddhism in connection
with three foci. The first can be placed on the Buddhism of roughly the
seventh and eighth centuries. To show this materially we can refer to the
Hōryuji Temple (607 A.D.) and the Tōdaiji Temple (752 A.D.), which
were constructed during this period. In looking back to this time, the one
thing that can not be overlooked is the fact that the tide of culture rose
unusually high throughout the whole of Asia during this period, while the
civilization of the West was shut up in deep darkness. The East was developing an astonishingly active and magnificent movement. In China, in
Central Asia, in India and in the South-sea countries, the activities in the
intellectual, religious and art fields were going on strongly. Joining these
movements, Buddhism was washing the Eastern world with its vast tide

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of humanism. And this new movement of the Japanese culture as witnessed by the construction of the brilliant Hōryuji and the magnificent
Tōdaiji, and also in the colorful religious and art activities that came about
in connection with these events, shows this absorption at the extreme
eastern end of the general cultural tide that was covering all the vast area
of Asia.
The people of this country, which had been in an uncivilized state for a
long time, now bathed in the current of a great culture; the flower of civilization opened up all of a sudden. Such was the good turn of fortune that
favored Japan in those centuries. And the chief champion responsible for
the rise in this culture was none other than Buddhism, the Buddhist temples of the time became very important social centers, and the priests
were the leaders of the new learning. There developed a wide and great
culture rather than just a religion. This was the actual state of Buddhism
that was first transplanted to this country.
In the ninth century, two great priests, Saichō (Dengyō Daishi, 767822) and Kūkai (Kōbō Daishi, 774-835) appeared on the scene and founded two Buddhist denominations usually referred to together as HeianBuddhism. This was the establishment of a purely Japanese Buddhism.
They grasped Buddhism in its original standpoint and practice, and
founded the central monasteries on Mt. Hiei and Mt. Kōya respectively.
During the three hundred years after their founding, until the Kamakura
Period, these two esoteric denominations, the Tendai and the Shingon,
prospered chiefly among the aristocrats and in the Imperial courts.

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The second of the foci can be placed on the Buddhism of the twelfth
and thirteenth centuries. There appeared such great priests as Hōnen
(1133-1212 A.D.), Shinran (1173-1262 A.D.), Dōgen (1200-1253 A.D.) and
Nichiren (1222-1282 A.D.). When we talk of the Buddhism of Japan we
can not do so without mentioning the names of these great priests. Why
then did only those centuries in question produce such outstanding men?
It is because of the fact that a common problem was facing them all at
that time. What was this common problem, then? Perhaps it was the fact
that Buddhism was being accepted, but in a unique Japanese way.
This might lead to the question, “Why? Was it not true that Buddhism
had been introduced to this country long before that time?” It is so historically. But it is also true that several hundred years were needed for the
people of this country to sufficiently digest and remodel the imported religion so as to make it completely their own. In short, it was in the seventh
and eighth centuries that the efforts in this country for the acceptance of
Buddhism began, and as a result of these efforts, the religion bloomed
through those Buddhists of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.
After this, Buddhism in Japan, based on the foundation built up by
those prominent priests, has kept up its work to this day. Since the time
those distinguished men appeared, no more of the brilliancy of those centuries has ever again appeared in the history of Japanese Buddhism.
However, it seems to the present writer that there is another thing that
attracts our attention and that is the fruit of the research into original
Buddhism made in our modern times.
Since the time of its first acceptance, practically all of Buddhism in
Japan, was Mahayana, under the influence of Chinese Buddhism.
Especially after the appearance of the great teachers during the twelfth
and thirteenth centuries, the Mahayana teaching formed the main current with the sect founders as its center; this view has continued to this
date. In the history of Buddhism in Japan as such, the study of original
Buddhism was started after the mid-Meiji Era. The figure of Gautama
Buddha vividly reappeared before those who were apt to forget that there
was also the founder of Buddhism besides the sect founders, and it was

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made plain to those who did not heed anything other than the Mahayana
teaching that there was also the systematic creed of Buddhism. These
new phases still remain within the sphere of scholastic learning and as
yet are not strong enough to awake religious enthusiasm among the
masses. But it seems that the knowledge of the people of this country in
regard to Buddhism appears to be taking a turn. The writer would like to
put a mark on this phase, to make it the third or the last of the three foci
referred to above.

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TRANSMISSION OF BUDDHA’S TEACHING
Buddhism is a religion which is built up on the teaching Shakyamuni
had preached for forty-five years of his life. The words he used in his
teaching, therefore, have absolute authority in this religion, and in spite
of the fact that there are 84,000 dharma gates and a large number of
schools, all of them are related to the scriptures of Shakyamuni. Those
books in which the Buddha’s teaching is recorded are known as the
Issaikyō or the Daizōkyō, that is, a complete collection of the sacred scriptures.
Shakyamuni strongly advocated the equality of human beings and
preached his teaching in the plain and simple words of everyday usage so
that everyone could fully understand them. He continued his preaching
for the benefit of multitudes of people up to the very minute of his death
at the age of eighty.
After the demise of Shakyamuni, his disciples preached the gospel
according to what they had heard. However, as the teaching was transmitted and retold, there might possibly have occurred some variations
due to unconscious errors on the part of the disciples as to what they
thought they had heard or understood. And, yet, the words of
Shakyamuni must always be transmitted precisely and correctly, and
opportunities of hearing the teaching must be afforded to every and all
people without discrimination. Therefore, many of the senior priests got
together for the purpose of adjusting and consolidating the words and
teaching by mutually reciting what each thought he had heard, and they
spent many a month on their discussions. The work that resulted in this
way is known as the Ketsujū or regimentation. This shows how piously
and deliberately they had tried to transmit the very words that had been
spoken by the great teacher.
The teaching thus adjusted had come to be put into writing. To the
teaching recorded in a written form were added the comments and interpretations made by the learned priests of the later ages, which came to be
known as Ron or comments. The Buddha’s teaching itself, the comments

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added in later ages and the Buddhist precepts all came to be called as the
Sanzō (Three Sections of Buddhist Scriptures) or Tripitaka in Sanskrit.
Sanzō or Tripitaka includes Kyōzō, Ritsuzō and Ronzō; the word Zō
means a receptacle or container. Kyō refers to the Buddhist scriptures,
Ritsu to the precepts for the Buddhist Brotherhood, and Ron to the comments written by the high priests.
Almost all the schools maintained their own Canon (Sanskrit:
Tripitaka, Pali: Tipitaka), but the only complete set that has survived is
the one in Pali that belongs to the Theravadins. This Pali Canon has
played an important role as the common written source among the
Buddhist countries of South and Southeast Asia.
According to tradition, Buddhism is said to have been introduced in
China in 67 A.D. during the reign of King Ming of the Latter Eastern Han
Dynasty (25-220 A.D.). But, actually, it was eighty-four years later that the
Buddhist scriptures were introduced to and translated in China (in 151
A.D.) by King Huan of the same dynasty. As Mahayana Buddhism had
already been established in India by that time, both the scriptures of early
and Mahayana Buddhism were transmitted to China without any distinction. For over a period of more than 1,700 years since then, efforts in the
translation of the scriptures into the Chinese language continued. The
number of books and volumes thus translated reached 1,440 scriptures in
5,586 volumes. Efforts toward the conservation of these translated scriptures were begun as early as the Wei Dynasty, but it was about the time
of the Northern Sung Dynasty that their printing was started. However,
from about this time the works of the high priests of China came to be
added to the Buddhist scriptures and it was no longer appropriate to call
these books Tripitaka. When the era of Suei came, the title of Issaikyō or a
complete collection of all the sacred writings was given to the books, and
in the era of Tang they came to be called by the new title of Daizōkyō or
the collection of all the Buddhist scriptures, laws and treatises.
Buddhism was introduced into Tibet around the seventh century A.D.,
and for about 150 years during the ninth through eleventh century, A.D.,

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efforts in the translation of the Buddhist scriptures continued, and practically all of them had been translated by that time.
In view of the fact that the scriptures had been translated into not only
the Korean, Japanese, Sinhalese, Cambodian, Turkish and almost all of
the Oriental languages but also into the Latin, French, English, German
and Italian tongues, it may safely be said that the blessing of the
Buddha’s teaching has now spread to every corner of the world.
But, on second thought, in reviewing from the standpoint of the quality of the translations, and the history of the religion’s development and
origin during more than two thousand years, with ten thousand or more
translations of the books having been written, it still seems difficult to
grasp the true meaning of the words spoken by Shakyamuni, even with
the aid of “Daizōkyō ”. It is, therefore, indispensable to pick out those
essential points from the “Daizōkyō” and make them the criteria or foundation upon which one can base one’s faith in the religion.
In Buddhism the supreme authority are the words uttered by
Shakyamuni. Therefore, the teaching of Buddhism must be the teaching
that is closely linked to and intimate with the realities of our everyday life;
otherwise, it will but fail in inspiring the human mind from its very depths
toward a belief in the teachings. In this sense, for the teaching to be one
that we can make our own, it is desirable to be plain and simple, impartial
in its quality, sufficient in representing the whole and yet accurate and
familiar in the words that are used in our daily life.
This book has come into being under the above considerations, inheriting the “stream” of the Daizōkyō with its history of more than two thousand and several hundred years. Of course, this publication can not be
taken as perfect in its contents. The words of Buddha are infinitely deep
in their meaning and His Virtues are so boundless that one can not easily
appreciate them.
It is sincerely wished, therefore, that this book will be improved into a
still more truthful and valuable one as the revised editions come out in
the future, as is intended.

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HISTORY OF
“THE TEACHING OF BUDDHA”
This Buddhist text was compiled and revised on the basis of the
Japanese edition of the Newly Translated Buddhist Text published in July,
1925, by the Association for Spreading “Newly Translated Buddhist Text”
headed by Rev. Muan Kizu. This first Japanese Edition was compiled by
Prof. Shūgaku Yamabe and Prof. Chizen Akanuma, in cooperation with
many Buddhist scholars in Japan, taking almost five years to publish.
In the Shōwa Era (1926 -1989), the Popular Edition of the Newly
Translated Buddhist Text in Japanese was also published by the
Association and distributed widely throughout Japan.
In July, 1934, when the Pan-Pacific Buddhist Youth Meeting was held
in Japan, The Teaching of Buddha, the English translation of the above
Popular Edition of Buddhist Text was published by the All Japan Buddhist
Youth Federation, with the assistance of Mr. D. Goddard, as one of its
works. In 1962, commemorating the 70th anniversary of the introduction
of Buddhism to America, Mr. Yehan Numata, founder of the Mitutoyo
Corporation, published an English edition of The Teaching of Buddha.
In 1965, when Mr. Numata founded Society for the Promotion of
Buddhism in Tokyo, the popularization of this English text all over the
world was planned as one of the activities of the Foundation.
In order to realize this plan, a committee to revise this Teaching of
Buddha was organized in 1966. Members of the committee were
Professors Kazuyoshi Kino, Shūyū Kanaoka, Zennō Ishigami, Shinkō
Sayeki, Kōdō Matsunami, Shōjun Bandō, and Takemi Takase. Prof.
Fumio Masutani, Mr. N. A. Waddell, and Mr. Toshisuke Shimizu also
worked on the revision. Thus, an English-Japanese edition of The
Teaching of Buddha was published on modern principles.

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In 1972, on the basis of this English-Japanese edition, Professors
Shūyū Kanaoka, Zennō Ishigami, Shōyū Hanayama, Kwansei Tamura, and
Takemi Takase undertook the compilation of an English version, which
was published in the same year.
Next, a committee consisting of Professors Ryōtatsu Shioiri, Takemi
Takase, Hiroshi Tachikawa, Kwansei Tamura, Shōjun Bandō, and Shōyū
Hanayama (Editor-in-Chief) was organized to recompile the Japanese version of The Teaching of Buddha, and this was published in 1973.
Again, in 1974, a committee consisting of Professors Kōdō Matsunami,
Shōjun Bandō, Shinkō Sayeki, Dōyū Tokunaga, Kwansei Tamura, and
Shōyū Hanayama (Editor-in-Chief) was organized to recompile the
English version of The Teaching of Buddha, which they did with the cooperation of Mr. Richard R. Steiner. This was combined with the Japanese
version (published in 1973), resulting in the publication of the EnglishJapanese edition of The Teaching of Buddha.
In 1978 Professors Shigeo Kamata and Yasuaki Nara joined the committee. In 2001, Professors Kenneth Tanaka, Shōgo Watanabe, Yoshiyasu
Yonezawa, and Sengaku Mayeda (Acting Editor-in-Chief), joined the editorial committee.
In 2013, the Society for the Promotion of Buddhism (the Buddhist
Promoting Society) changed its organizational status from “Incorporated
Foundation” to “Public Interest Incorporated Foundation.” On the occasion of this change, the editorial committee membership was reconstituted with Professors Sengaku Mayeda (Editor-in-Chief), Zennō Ishigami,
Kiyotaka Kimura, Kenneth Tanaka, Makio Takemura, Yasuaki Nara,
Chizuko Yoshimizu, Yoshiyasu Yonezawa, and Shōgo Watanabe. Since
2017, with Prof. Makio Takemura serving as the new Editor-in-Chief, the
committee has met annually to strive toward making The Teaching of
Buddha respond effectively to the needs of contemporary society.
May, 2017

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INDEX TO
“THE TEACHING OF BUDDHA”
Human Life
Page
Meaning of life ................................................
5
Actual state of this world ............................... 96
Ideal ways of living ......................................... 234
Wrong viewpoints of life ................................ 44
A correct notion of life ................................... 41
A prejudiced life .............................................. 57
To those who are deluded (Fable) ............... 127
A life of man (Fable) ...................................... 90
If one leads a life of lust and passion (Fable) 90
What the aged, the sick and the dead will
teach (Story) ................................................... 93
Death is inevitable (Story) ............................ 94
The five things that no one can accomplish
in this world .................................................... 48
The four truths in this world ......................... 48
Both delusion and Enlightenment originate
within the mind ............................................... 49
The twenty things that are difficult but valuable
for ordinary persons to accomplish .............. 133
Faith
Faith is the fire ................................................ 179
Faith has three significant aspects ............... 180
Faith is a manifestation .................................. 182
Faith appears in the sincere mind ................ 181
To find truth is as difficult as for blind men to
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try to describe the real form of an elephant by
touch (Fable) .................................................. 75
Where the Buddha-nature exists is shown by the
true teaching of Buddhism (Fable) .............. 77
Buddha-nature is hidden by passion (Fable) 73
Doubts impede faith ....................................... 182
Buddha is Father to all the world and human
beings are His children .................................. 35
Buddha’s Wisdom is as wide and deep as a great
ocean................................................................. 34
Buddha’s Spirit is full of Great Compassion 15
Buddha’s Compassion is eternal .................. 16
Buddha has no physical body ....................... 13
Buddha preached throughout His life .......... 23
Buddha used the fiction of life and death to persuade people ................................................... 23
Buddha saved people from their sufferings by
using the expedient of fables ........................ 19
do.
........................ 20
The world of Enlightenment .......................... 236
To become devotees to the Buddha, the Dharma
and the Samgha .............................................. 178
To learn the ways of keeping precepts, practicing
the concentration of mind and acting wisely 163
The Eightfold Noble Path .............................. 166
The six paths for reaching the other shore of
Enlightenment ................................................ 168
The four right procedures ............................. 168
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The four points to be considered .................. 167
The five faculties of power for the attainment of
Enlightenment ................................................ 168
The four unlimited states of mind ................ 171
Those who understand the Fourfold Noble
Truth ................................................................ 39
Man’s death and the transiency of life ......... 12
Those who recite Amida Buddha’s name will
be born in His Land of Purity ........................ 113
Make of yourself a light, rely upon
yourself ............................................................ 10
Mental Training
One should discern what is of the most importance to oneself (Parable) .............................. 150
Be careful of your first steps ......................... 133
Do not forget what you are seeking
(Parable) .......................................................... 152
To attain success in anything, one should endure
many a hardship (Story) ............................... 158
Brace yourself, even in the face of repeated
failures (Story) ............................................... 173
Do not let your mind be disturbed even under
unsatisfactory circumstances (Story) .......... 124
Those who understand and follow the Noble
Path are like going into darkness with light 40
One will find teachings for human life wherever
one goes (Story) ............................................. 161
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Human beings tend to move in the direction
their mind directs them ................................. 121
The point of the teaching is to control one’s
own mind ......................................................... 11
Control your mind in the first place ............. 212
If you control your mind ................................ 122
Various states of the mind (Fable) ............... 118
The mind is not the ego-personality ............. 46
Do not allow the mind to sway you ............... 10
Conquer your mind ........................................ 154
Be the master of your mind ........................... 11
All evils come from the body, mouth
and mind .......................................................... 87
The relation of mind and words .................... 125
This body is nothing but a borrowed thing
(Story) ............................................................. 143
This body is full of impurities of all kinds .... 130
Do not covet anything .................................... 10
Keep the body, mouth and mind pure .......... 123
Be impartial and try hard (Story) ................ 172
Human Suffering
Human sufferings arise from the mind of attachment ................................................................. 42
How to prevent sufferings ............................. 13
Delusion and ignorance form the entrance to
Enlightenment ................................................ 59
How to be emanicipated from sufferings...... 116
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When the hot fire of passion is extinguished,
refreshing Enlightenment can be attained ... 141
Lust is the very source of delusion ............... 85
Think of lust as a viper hidden among
flowers ............................................................. 85
Have no attachment to the burning house
(Fable) ............................................................. 19
Passion in the source of evils ........................ 118
This world is in the burning fire ................... 82
If people chase after fame and honor, it is like
burning themselves ....................................... 119
If a man chases after wealth and lust, he will
ruin himself ..................................................... 119
Wise men and foolish men differ in their fundamental natures ................................................ 134
Foolish men are not aware of their errors
(Fable) ............................................................. 141
Foolish men envy the good fortune of others by
looking only at the results (Fable) ............... 141
The way in which foolish men are apt to act
(Fable) ............................................................. 147
Everyday Living
Give offerings and forget about them .......... 169
Seven kinds of offering without wealth ........ 170
The way to gain wealth (Story) ..................... 145
How happiness is brought forth ................... 132
Never to forget kindness received (Story)... 139
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Varieties in the character of men .................. 89
Misfortune always dogs the steps of one who
gives way to the desire for revenge .............. 132
How to subdue the feelings of resentment
(Story) ............................................................. 231
Do not be disturbed by criticism from
others (Story) ................................................. 122
You are not living for clothing, food or
shelter .............................................................. 205
Food and clothing are not for comfort
or pleasure ...................................................... 117
What to think about when you take food ..... 208
What to think about when you wear clothes 207
What to think about when you go to bed ..... 208
What to think about when it is hot
or cold .............................................................. 208
What to think about in your daily life ........... 206
Economics
Things must be used properly (Story) ........ 220
No property is one’s own forever ................. 220
One should not hoard things solely for one’s
sake .................................................................. 222
How to gain wealth (Story) ........................... 145
Family Life
The family is the place where the minds of its
members come in contact with one another 217
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Things that will damage the family .............. 213
Ways to repay the great indebtedness one owes
to one’s parents ............................................... 217
The proper way of the child towards one’s
parents ............................................................. 213
Right way between husband and wife .......... 214
Husband and wife should have the same faith
(Story) ............................................................. 221
The Way for the Renunciants
One is not a renunciant simply because
one dresses like a monk and recites
sutras ............................................................... 197
The renunciants are not the inheritors of
the temple and its property ........................... 194
Covetous men can not be real monks .......... 194
The real life that a renunciant should
lead ................................................................... 196
Community Life
The meaning of a community life ................. 226
The actual state of communities in this
world ................................................................ 96
Three kinds of organizations ........................ 226
A true community life .................................... 227
The great light that illuminates the darkness 225
Harmony in human relations ........................ 227
Things that will help lead a social organization
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to harmony ...................................................... 229
The ideal of the Brotherhood ........................ 228
The social ideal of the Buddhist followers ... 236
Those that disturb the law of order will come
to ruin (Fable) ................................................ 140
Those who are jealous and squabble with
others will come to ruin (Fable) ................... 140
Hold the aged in respect (Story) .................. 134
How the student should act toward his
teacher, and vice versa ................................... 214
The rules for friendship ................................. 214
How to choose good friends .......................... 216
How a master and his servants should behave
toward each other ........................................... 215
Attitude toward criminals .............................. 223
Things to be concerned about by those who
wish to teach the Dharma ............................. 199

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SANSKRIT GLOSSARY (Alphabetical Order)

_
ANATMAN (Egolessness):
This is one of the most fundamental points in Buddhism. All existence
and phenomena in this world do not, ultimately, have any substantial reality. It is very natural for Buddhism, which advocates the impermanence
of all existence, to insist that such an impermanent existence could not
therefore possess any perpetual substance in it. Anātman may also be
translated as Non-Soul.
ANITYA (Transitoriness or Impermanency):
Another fundamental point in Buddhism. All existence and phenomena in this world are changing constantly and do not remain the same for
even a single moment. Everything has to die or end someday in its future,
and such a prospect is the very cause of suffering. This concept should
not, however, be interpreted only from a pessimistic or nihilistic viewpoint, because both advancement and reproduction are also manifestations of this constant change.
BODHISATTVA (The One Striving for Enlightenment):
Originally, this name was used to indicate Gautama Siddhārtha before
he had attained the state of Enlightenment. After the rise of Mahāyāna
Buddhism, all those who are striving for the Buddhahood have come to
be called by this name. Finally, even those who are trying to lead others
to the Buddhahood by means of their great compassion while striving
themselves for the same goal, have been symbolically personified as
Bodhisattvas; Avalokiteśvara (Kwannon), Ksitigarbha
(Jizō ),
.
Mañjuśrı̄(Mon-ju) are only a few of the better known ones.
BUDDHA (The Enlightened One):
Originally, Gautama Siddhārtha (Śā kyamuni), the founder of
Buddhism, was called by this name, as he was the one who had attained
the state of Enlightenment at 35 about 2,500 years ago in India. The final
goal for all Buddhists is, irrespective of their school or stream, to become
a Buddha. Because of the difference of means as to how to reach this
state, Buddhism has divided into various sects and schools. In Mahāyāna
Buddhism, besides the historical Buddha Śākyamuni, many Buddhas
such as Amitābha (Amida), Mahāvairocana (Dainichi), Bhaisajyaguru
.

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(Yakushi), etc., are generally accepted as symbols of Buddhist teachings.
Being influenced by the concept of the Pure Land type of Buddhism in
Japan, (one becomes a Buddha after rebirth in the Pure Land), all those
who have passed away are usually called“Buddhas,” or HOTOKE in
Japanese.
DHARMA (True Teaching):
This is the Teaching taught by the Enlightened One, the Buddha.
There are three types of canons in the teachings: Sūtras, (teachings
taught by Buddha Himself), Vinayas, (disciplines provided by Buddha),
and Abhidharmas, (commentaries and discussions on the Sūtras and
Vinayas by scholars in later periods). These three are called the
Tripi taka.
Dharma is one of the Three Treasures of Buddhism.
.
KARMAN (Deeds):
Although the original meaning of this term simply meant “Deeds”, it
has, in relation with the theory of causation, come to be regarded as a
kind of potential power gained as a result of each deed done in one’s past.
That is, each of our acts results in either good or bad, suffering or pleasure, depending upon the act, and it has an influencing power upon our
future and this is regarded as one’s Karma. It is believed that if a good
deed is repeated, good will be accumulated, and its potential power will
function upon the future as a beneficial influence. There are three kinds
of deeds; physical, oral, and mental, in this concept.

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_ _
MAHAYANA (Great Vehicle):
In the course of Buddhist history, there appeared two main streams of
thought, Mahāyāna and Theravāda (or Hı̄nayāna). The Mahāyāna type of
Buddhism spread to Tibet, China, Korea, Japan, etc., while Theravāda to
Myanmar, Srı Lanka (Ceylon), Thailand, etc. The term means a “Great
Vehicle” which can accept all beings suffering in this world of birth and
death, and can lead all of them, without any discrimination, to the state of
Enlightenment.
_
NIRVAN
. A (Perfect Tranquility):
Literally, it means “to blow off.” This is the state where all human
defilement and passion have been completely extinguished through certain practices and meditation based upon Right Wisdom. Those who had
attained this state are called Buddhas. Gautama Siddhārtha had attained
this state and became a Buddha at 35. However, it is now believed that it
was only after he had passed away that he reached such a state of perfect
tranquility, because some residue of human defilement would continue to
exist as long as his physical body existed.
_
PALI (—Language):
This is the language used in Theravāda Buddhism. The oldest type of
Buddhist canons are believed to have been written in this language. As
this is a kind of Prakrit, a dialect of Sanskrit, there is not a big difference
between Pāli and Sanskrit; Dharma in Sanskrit, Dhamma in Pāli; Nirvāna
.
in Sanskrit, Nibbāna in Pāli. See-Sanskrit.

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_
_
PARAMITA (To cross over to the Other Shore):
“To cross over to the Other Shore” means to reach the Buddha Land
by means of practicing various Buddhist disciplines. Usually the following
six practical disciplines are regarded as those which enable one to cross
from this world of birth and death to the world of Enlightenment:
Offerings, Morality, Patience, Endeavoring, Concentration, and Right
Judgment (or Wisdom). The traditional Japanese HIGAN weeks in spring
and autumn are derived from this Buddhist concept.
_
PRAJÑA (Wisdom):
One of the Six Pāramitās. The mental function which enables one to
perceive life without error and to distinguish between what is true and
what is false. One who had acquired this perfectly is called a Buddha.
Therefore, this is the most refined and enlightened wisdom, distinct from
ordinary human intelligence.
.
SANGHA (Buddhist Brotherhood):
It consists of monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen. In early times, it
consisted of monks and nuns. Later, when the Mahāyāna movement
arose, those who aimed at the state of Bodhisattva, regardless of being
layman or monk, joined together in a Brotherhood. One of the Three
Treasures of Buddhism.
SANSKRIT (—Language):
The classical literary language of ancient India; one of the IndoEuropean family of languages. It is divided into Vedic and Classical
Sanskrit. The scriptures of the Mahāyāna tradition had been written in
this language which style is called Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit.

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. _
SAMSARA (Reincarnation):
Perpetual repetition of birth and death from the past through the present to the future through these six illusory realms: Hell, Hungry Spirits,
Animals, A śura or Fighting Spirits, Men, and Heaven. Unless enlightened, one cannot be freed from this wheel of transmigration. Those who
are free from this can be called Buddhas.
_
_
ŚUNYATA (Non-Substantiality):
This is the concept that everything has neither substance nor permanence and is one of the fundamental points in Buddhism. Since everything is dependent upon causation, there can be no permanent ego as a
substance. But, one should neither adhere to the concept that everything
has substance nor that it does not. Every being, human or non-human, is
in relativity. Therefore, it is foolish to hold to a certain idea or concept or
ideology as the only absolute. This is the fundamental undercurrent in
the Wisdom (Prajñā) Scriptures of Mahāyāna Buddhism.
_
SUTRA (Scriptures):
The records of the Buddha’s teachings. The term means originally
“string”, which signifies compendium threading through the vast quantity
of studies in religion or science. One of the Tripitaka.
.

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_
THERAVADA (Elders’ Advocators):
The southern tradition of Buddhism is represented generally by this
appelation. “Thera” means elders. This is the school of elders which was
historically a group of conservative senior monks who advocated a strict
adherence to the precepts as opposed to another group of rather freer
progressive monks (whose beliefs were to develop later into Mahāyāna,
that is the northern tradition). This kind of opposing trends in Buddhist
Orders is said to have started in an early period, a few centuries after the
decease of the Buddha, when Mahādeva, a progressive monk, insisted
upon the freer interpretation under the five categories of the Buddhist
.
precepts. This provoked the split into Theravāda and Mahāsā nghika
which was the fountainhead of later Mahāyāna.
TRIPI TAKA
(Three Baskets):
.
The three branches
of the Buddhist scriptures, Dharma, are meant by
_
this. They are Sutras, which contain the Buddha’s teachings; Vinayas,
which contain his disciplines; and Abhidharmas, which contain various
commentaries and essays on Buddhist doctrines and precepts. Later,
Buddhist writings by Chinese and Japanese high-priests were also included in the Buddhist canons. See-Dharma.

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SOCIETY FOR THE PROMOTION OF BUDDHISM
AND DISTRIBUTION OF
“THE TEACHING OF BUDDHA”
In describing Society for the Promotion of Buddhism it is necessary to
speak of a businessman, and this gentleman is Mr. Yehan Numata, the
Founder of Mitutoyo Corporation.
He established a company to manufacture precision measuring instruments in 1934. His solid conviction is that the success of an enterprise
depends on the harmonious association of Heaven, Earth and Man and
that the perfection of the human mind is attainable only by a well-balanced coordination of wisdom, compassion and courage. He did everything he could under this conviction towards the technical improvement
of measuring instruments manufacture, and the development of the
human mind.
It is his belief that the attainment of world peace is possible only upon
the perfection of the human mind, for the purpose of which there is the
teaching of Buddha. Therefore, along with managing his enterprise, he
has been exerting his efforts ever since the establishment of his company
in the spreading and modernization of Buddhist music and the spreading
of Buddha’s pictures and teaching.
In December, 1965, he had a foundation incorporated with his private
funds to engage in the propagation of Buddhism, and at the same time, to
be an aid towards world peace. Thus, Society for the Promotion of
Buddhism was initiated as a public organization.
What is being done to diffuse the Teaching of Buddha far and wide so
that every human being can benefit by it and enjoy the Light of His Great
Wisdom and Compassion? It is the work of this Society for the Promotion
of Buddhism to seek the solution to this problem, keeping up the will of
its founder.

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In short, every possible effort toward the propagation of the Buddha’s
teaching is the very heart and soul that this Society for the Promotion of
Buddhism is undertaking.
This book, “The Teaching of Buddha,” is a result of our reflecting on
the history in this country of the religion, that there has hardly been anything written that we can call a book of Buddhist teaching as interpreted
in the Japanese way, in its real sense, in spite of the fact that we have
always regarded our Buddhist culture with great pride.
This book will serve as spiritual “food” for each and everyone who
reads it. It is so prepared that anyone can keep it on one’s desk or carry it
with him and come in contact, at will, with the Light alive spiritually.
Though still not as perfect as we would like, the present edition of
“The Teaching of Buddha” has come a long way, through the work and
efforts of many people, to meeting the need by contemporary people for
an accurate, easy to read and authoritative introduction to Buddhism that
is, at the same time, a practical guide and daily source of inspiration and
truth.
It is the wish of Society for the Promotion of Buddhism to see a day
come soon when as many homes as possible will have this book and as
many as possible of our fellow-men will enjoy and bathe in the Light of
the Great Teacher.
Readers’ comments are always welcome. Please feel free to write to
Society for the Promotion of Buddhism any time.

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