The Scripture in Forty-two Sections
Translated in the Later Han dynasty by the Sramanas KaSyapa Matanga and Dharmaratna of the Western Regions.
1. The Buddha said: “Those who leave their families and go forth from their homes to practice the Way are called Sramanas (ascetics). Those who constantly follow the 250 precepts in order to [realize] the four noble truths and progressively purify their intentions will become saints (arhat). A saint is able to
fly and assume different forms; he lives a long life and can move Heaven and Earth. Next is the nonreturner (anagamin): at the end of his life the spirit of a nonreturner ascends the nineteen heavens and there attains sainthood. Next is the once-returner (sakrdagamin): the once-returner ascends [to Heaven] once and returns once and then attains sainthood. Next is the stream-winner (srotapanna): the stream-winner dies and is reborn seven times and then attains sainthood. The severance of passion and desire is like the four limbs severed, they will never be used again.”
2. The Buddha said “Those who shave their heads and faces are Sramanas. They receive the teaching, abandon worldly wealth and possessions, and beg, seeking only what is necessary. Taking a single meal at midday, and lodging a single night under a tree, they take care not to repeat either. That which makes men ignorant and derelict is passion and desire.”
3. The Buddha said: “All beings consider ten things as good and ten things as evil. Three concern the body, four the mouth, and three the mind. The three [evil things] of the body are killing, stealing, - and adultery. The four of the mouth are-duplicity, slander, lying, and lewd speech. The three of the mind
are envy, hatred, and delusion. He who lacks faith in the three honored ones [the Buddha, the teaching, and the community of monks], will mistake falsehood for truth. A lay disciple (updsaka) who practices the five precepts [not to kill, to steal, to commit adultery, to speak falsely, or to drink alcohol, without becoming lax and backsliding, will arrive at the ten [good] things [i.e., the antitheses of the ten evil things] and will certainly attain the Way.”
4. The Buddha said: “If a man commits multiple transgressions, yet does not repent and quickly quell the [evil] in his heart, his crimes will return to him as water returns to the sea, becoming ever deeper and wider. But should a man come to realize the error of his ways, correct his transgressions, and attain
goodness, his days of wrongdoing will come to an end and in time he will attain the Way.”
5. The Buddha said: “Should a man malign me and seek to do me harm, I counter with the four virtues of benevolence, [compassion, joy, and equanimity]. The more he approaches me with malice, the more I reach out with kindness. The forces (qi) of beneficent virtue lie always in this, while harmful forces
and repeated misfortune will revert to the other.”
6. Once a man heard that the Buddha’s Way lies in persevering in benevolence and compassion, and meeting evil with goodness. He then came and cursed the Buddha. The Buddha, remaining silent, did not respond, but rather had pity for one whose ignorance and rage led to such an act. When his cursing
abated the Buddha asked him: “If you offer a gift to someone who does not accept it, what happend to the gift?" The man replied: "I would have to take it back." The Buddha said; "Now you have offered me curses but I do not accpt them. They return to you, ringing harm to your own person. Like an echo responding to sound, or a shadow following an object, in the end there is no escaping it. Take heed of your evil ways."
7. The Buddha said: "An evil man trying to harm a worthy man is like looking toward Heaven and spitting; the spittle will not befoul Heaven byt will return andbefoul the one spittling. it is like throwing filth at someone while facing into the wind; the filth will not befoul anyone else but will return and befoul the one throwing. A worthy man cannot be harmed; a man's transgressions will surely destroy only himself.
8. The Buddha said: "The virtue of one who practices universal love, compassion, and generosity for the sake of the Way is not that of great generosity. But if he (further) guards his intentions and honors the Way, his merit is truly great. If yo see someone practicing generosity and you joyfully assist him, you too will gain merit in return. Someone asked; "Would not the other persons's merit be diminished theeby?" The Buddha said; "It is like a flame of a single torch that is approached by several hundred thousand men each bearing torches. Each lights his torch from the flame and departs, using it to cook food and dispel darkness, yet the original flame is ever the same. Merit is also like this."
9. The Buddha said; "Feeding one hundred common men is not as good as feeding one good man. Feeding one thousand good men is not as good as feeding one who observes the five precepts. Feeding ten thousand men who observe the five precepts is not as good as feeding one stream winner. Feeding ten million once-returners is not as as good as feeding one non returner. feeding one hundred million non returners is not a s good as feeding one saint. Feeding one billion saints is not as goodas feeding one solitary buddha. Feeding ten billion solitary buddhas is not as good as liberating ones parents in this life by means of teaching of the three honored ones. To teach one hundred billion parents is not as good as feeding one buddha, studying with the desire to attain buddhahood, and aspiring to liberate all beings. But the merit of feeding a good man is still very great. It is better for a common man to be filial to his parents than for him to serve the spirits o Heaven and Earth, for one's parents ae the supreme spirits."
10. the Buddha said; "There are five difficult things under Heaven. It is difficult for the poor to give alms. It is difficult for the powerful and privileged to cultivate the Way, it is difficult to control fate and avoid death. it is difficult to attain a glimpse of the Buddha's scriptures and it is difficlut to be born at the time of a buddha."
11. There was a sramana whoaskd the Buddha; "Through what casual factors does one attain the Way and how does one come to know of one's previous lives?" The Buddha replied: "The Way is without form, and thus to know these things is of no benefit. What is important is tto guard your intentions and actions. It is like polishing a mirror, as the dust is removed the underlying luminosity is revealed and you are able to see your own image. Eliminate desire and hold to emptiness and you will come to see the truth of the Way and know your past lives."
12. The Buddha said; "What is goodness? Goodness is the practice of the Way. What is Supreme? A mind in accord with the Way is supreme. What has great power? Patience in the face of insult is the strongest, for patience and the absence of anfer is honored by all. What is supreme enlightenment? When mental impurities are uprooted, when evil conduct has ceased, when one is pure and free of blemish within, when there is nothing that is not known, seen or heard - from time when there was yet no Heaven and Earth down to the present day, including everything exxtant in the ten quarters as well as that which has yet to appear - when omniscience has been attained this can indeed be called enlightenment."
13. The Buddha said; "A man who holds to passion and desire will not see the Way. Is is as if one muddied the water by t hrowing in five colored pigments and vigorously mixed them together. Many might approach the edge of the water, but they would be unable to see their own reflections on the surface. Pssion and desire pollute the mind, leaving it murky, and thus the Way goes unseen. If the water is filtered and the filth removed, leaving it pure and free of dirt, one's own reflection will be seen. But if a kettle is placed is placed over a hot flame bringing the water to boil, or if water is covered with a cloth, then those mental poisons [of greed, hatred, and delusion] boil and bubble in the mind, while one is cloaked without by the five hindrances [of desire, hatred, sloth, agitation, and doubt]. In the end the Way goes unseen. When mental impurities are exhausted one knows whence the spirit comes and whiter life and death go. the Way and its virtue are present in all buddha lands."
14. The Buddha said; "The practice of the Way is like holding a burning torch and entering a dark room; the darkness immediately vanishes and everything is illumined. Cultivate the Way and perceive the truth and evil ignorance will both vanish, leaving nothing unseen."
15. The Buddha said; " What do I contemplate? I contemplate the Way. What do I practice? I practice the Way. Of what do I speak? I speak the Way. I contemplate the true Way, never neglecting it for even an instant.
16. The Buddha saidd; "When gaxing at Heaven and EArth contemplate their impermanence. Whje gazing at mountains and rivers contemplate their impermanence. When gazing at the tremendous variety of shapes and forms of the myriad things in the world contemplate their impermanence. If you keep your mind thus you will attain the Way in no time.”
17. The Buddha said “If for but a single day you continually contemplate and practice the Way you will attain the foundations of faith. Its blessings are incalculable.”
18. The Buddha said: “Ardently contemplate the four primary elements that comprise the body. While each has a name, they are all devoid of self. The [sense of an] ‘I’ emerges from the aggregate, but it is not long lived and is really but an illusion.”
19. The Buddha said: “For a person to follow his desires in search of fame is like putting fire to incense. Many may savor the smell of the incense, but the incense is all the while being consumed by the fire. The foolish, coveting worldly fame, hold not to the truth of the Way. Fame brings misfortune and harm, and one is sure to regret it later.
20. The Buddha said: “Riches and sex are to men what sweet honey on the blade of a knife is to a young child: before he has fully enjoyed a single bite he must suffer the pain of a cut tongue.”
21. The Buddha said “The misery of being shackled to wife, children, wealth, and home is greater than that of being shackled in chains and fetters and thrown in prison. In prison there is the possibility of pardon, but even though the desire for wife and children is as perilous as the mouth of a tiger, men throw themselves into it willingly. For this crime there is no pardon.”
22. The Buddha said: “There is no desire more powerful than sex. Sexual desire looms so large that nothing stands outside of it. But luckily there is only one such desire, for were there yet another there would not be a single person in all the world capable of the Way.
23. The Buddha said; "Passion and desire are to manwhat a flaming torch is to one walking against the wind. Foolish ones who do not let go of the torch are sure to burn their hands. The poisons of craving and lust, anger and hatred. ignorance and delusion all reside in the body. He who does not quickly relinquish these perils by means of the Way will surely meet disaster, just as the foolish one who clings to his torch is sure to burn his hands.
24. A deity presented a woman of pleasure to the Buddha, wanting to test the buddha's will and examine the Buddha's Way. The Buddha said; "Why have you come here bearing this lelather sack of filth? Do you think to deceive me? It is difficult to stir [one possessed of] the six supernatural powers. Begone! I have no use for her." The deity, with increased respect for the Buddfha, asked about the Way. The Buddha instructed him, whereupon he attained the stage of a stream winner.
25. The Buddha said: “A man practicing the Way is like a piece of wood floating downstream with the current. As long as it avoids catching either the left or the right banks, as long as it is not picked up by someone or obstructed by some spirit, as long as it does not get stuck in a whirlpool or rot away, then 1 assure you it will eventually reach the sea. As long as a man practicing the Way is not deluded by passion or deceived by falsehood, as long as he energetically advances without doubt, then I assure you he will eventually attain the Way.”
26. The Buddha told a Sramana: “Take care not to place faith in your own intentions. Ultimatelfr intentions cannot be trusted. Take care not to wallow in sensuality, for wallowing in sensuality gives birth to misfortune. Only when you attain sainthood,$an you place faith in your own intentions.”
27. The Buddha told a Sramana: ‘Take care not to look at women. If you meet one, look not, and take care not to converse with her. If you must converse, admonish the mind to right conduct by saying to yourself: ‘As a Sramana I must live in this befouled world like a lotus, unsullied by mud.’ Treat an old lady as if she were your mother, an elder woman as your elder sister, a younger woman as your younger sister, and a young girl as your own daughter. Show respect for them through your propriety. Remember that you see only the outside, but
if you could peer into the body-from head to foot-what then? It is brimming with faulness. By exposing the impure aggregates [that comprise the body] one can free oneself from [impure] thoughts.”
28. The Buddha said: “A man practicing the Way must eliminate sentiment and desire. It must be like grass encountering fire; by the time the fire arrives the grass is already gone. In encountering passion and desire the man of the Way must immediately distance himself.”
29. The Buddha said: “Once a man was tormented by feelings of lust that would not cease, so he squatted down on the blade of an ax in order to castrate himself. The Buddha said to him: ‘Severing the genitals is not as good as severing the mind, for the mind is chief. Put a stop to the chief and all his followers will cease. But if you do not put a stop to your depraved mind, what good will castration do? It will surely result in death.’ ” The Buddha said “The vulgar and topsy-turvy views of the world are like those of this foolish man.“ all the world capable of the Way.”
30. There was an adulteress young lady who made a pact with another man, but when the scheduled time arrived she did not come. The man repented and said to hiself, "Desire, I know you! The initial intent it borm with thought. If I did not think of you, you would not come into being." the Buddha was passing by and heard thim. He said to the sramana; " I recognize those words! It is a verse once uttered by Kasyapa Buddha as he passed through this profane world."
31. The Buddha said: “From passion and desire arises sorrow. From sorrow arises dread. Without passion there is no sorrow, and without sorrow there is no dread.”
32. The Buddha said: “A man practicing the Way is like a lone man in combat against ten thousand. Bearing armor and brandishing weapons, he charges through the gate eager to do battle, but if he is weakhearted and cowardly he will withdraw and flee. Some get halfway down the road before they retreat; some reach the battle and die; some are victorious and return to their kingdoms triumphantly. If a man is able to keep a firm grip on his wits and advance resolutely, without becoming deluded by worldly or deranged talk, then desire will disappear and evil will vanish, and he is certain to attain the Way.’’
33. There was a Sramana who mournfully chanted the scriptures at night, his spirit full of remorse as if wanting to return [to lay life]. The Buddha summoned the Sramana and asked him: “When you were a householder what did you do?“ He answered, ‘‘I regularly played the lute.” The Buddha asked “What happened when the strings were too loose?” He replied: “It did not sound.” “And when the strings were too taut, what then?” [The Srarmana replied: “The sound was cut short.” “And when it was neither too loose nor too taught, what then?"
“Then the tones all came into sympathetic accord.” The Buddha told the Sramana: “The cultivation of the Way is just like that; keep the mind in tune an you can attain the Way.”
34. The Buddha said “Practicing the Way is like forging iron: if you gradually but thoroughly cast out impurities, the vessel is sure to come out well. If you cultivate the Way by gradually but thoroughly removing the impurities
mind, your advance will be steady. But when you are too harsh with yourse the body becomes fatigued, and when the body is fatigued, the mind becomes frustrated. If the mind is frustrated, one’s practice will lapse, and when practice lapses, one falls into wrongdoing.”
35. The Buddha said “Whether or not you practice the way you will certainly suffer. From birth to old age, from old age to sickness, from sickness to death. The misery of man is immeasureable. The distressed mind accumulates misdeeds and life and death know no surease. Such misery is beyond description.
36. The Buddha said; " It is difficult to free oneself from the three evil realms [ the hells, the realm of hungry ghosts and the realm of animals] and attain human birth. Even if one attains human birth it is difficult to be born a man rater than a woman. Even if one is born a man it is difficult to be born perfect in all six faculties. Even if the six faculties are perfectit is difficult to be born in the Middle Kingdom. Even if one lives in the Middle Kongdom it is difficult to be born at a time when the Buddha's Way is honored it is difficlut to encounter a noble man of the Way. [Moreover,] it is difficult to be born in the family of bodhisattva.Even if born in the family of bodhisattvas it is difficult to encounter the Buddha‘s presence in the world with a mind of faith in the three honored ones.”
37. The Buddha asked a group of Sramanas: “How should one measure the span of a man’s life?” [One] replied: “By the span of a few days.” The Buddha said "You are not yet able to practice the Way.” He asked another Sramana: “How should one measure the span of a man’s life?” [The grurnana] replied: “By the space of a single meal.” The Buddha said: “You are not yet able to practice the Way.” He asked another iramana: “How should one measure the span of a man’s life?” [The Srumana] replied “By the space of a single breath.” The Bud-
dha said: “Excellent! You can be called one who practices the Way.”
38. The Buddha said: “Should one of my disciples venture several thousand from me yet remain mindful of my precepts, he is certain to attain the Way.However, should he stand immediately to my left yet harbor depraved
thoughts in the end he will not attain the Way. The gist lies in one’s practice. close to me but does not practice, of what benefit are the myriad
39. The Buddha said “Practicing the Way is like eating honey, which is sweet the way through. My scriptures are also like this: they are all about happiness, and those who practice in accord with them will attain the Way.
40. The Buddha said “A man practicing the Way must be able to pluck up the roots of passion and desire, just as one would pluck a bead from a necklace. One by one they are removed until they are no more. When evil is no more the Way is attained.
41. The Buddha said; " A sramana following the Way must be like an ox bearing a heavy burden treading through deep mud, so exhausted tht he dares not glance left or right, yearning only to get out of the mud quickly so as to catch his breath. The sramana regards his emotions and passions as more formidable than mud. Mindful of the Way with one-pointed mind, one is able to escate from myriad sufferings.
42. The Buddha said;" I regard the status of lords as a passing stranger. I regard the pressures of gold and jade as gravel. I regard the beauty of fine silk as worn rags."