The Sutra In 42 Chapters
The
SUTRA OF FORTY-TWO
CHAPTERS
(The Buddha Speaks the Sutra of Forty-Two Chapters)
Translated by the Chung Tai Translation Committee
January
2009
From the Chinese translation by
Masters Kashyapa-matanga and
Gobharana of the Later Han Dynasty, 1st Century
An annotated version of this sutra in PDF format can be obtained by contacting us at mui.sensei@gmail.com.
Prologue
Having attained Buddhahood, the World Honored One reflected: To abandon desire and be immersed in stillness is the supreme Way. Abiding in
profound samadhi, one subdues all evil. The Buddha turned the Dharma Wheel of the Four Noble Truths at Deer Park, and led Kaundinya and four others to attain the fruit of
the Way.
There were also bhiksus who had various questions and implored the Buddha for guidance. The
World Honored One taught and directed each one to enlightenment. Joining their palms with reverence
and promise, they complied with the Buddha's noble instructions.
Chapter 1: Renounce the Secular Life
and Attain the Fruit of Arahantship
The Buddha said, “Those who
take leave of their families, and renounce the secular life, who know their mind, penetrate to its
origin, and understand the unconditioned Dharma, are called shramanas. By always observing the 250 precepts, being pure and unblemished in their
conduct, and practicing the Path of the Four Truths, they then become Arahants. Arahants possess the powers of levitation and transformation. Their lives may span many kalpas, and they can move heaven and earth.
Prior to Arahants are the non-returners. At the end of their lives, conscious
spirits of the non-returners will ascend above the nineteenth heaven, where they will attain arahantship.
Prior to non-returners are the once-returners, who ascend to the heavens and
return to earth at most once before they become Arahants. Prior to
once-returners are the stream-enterers, who go through
birth and death at most seven times before attaining Arahantship. Once desire and lust are eradicated like severed limbs, one will never use them
again.”
Chapter 2: No-mind Is the Way
The Buddha said, “Those who renounce the secular life to become shramanas eradicate desire and lust, recognize the source of their own
mind,
penetrate the profound doctrine of the Buddha, and awaken to the unconditioned Dharma. With nothing to gain from within and
nothing to seek from without, their minds are not attached to the
Way, nor do they accumulate karma. With no thought, no action, no cultivation, and no attainment, they transcend the successive stages and reach the loftiest state of all.
This is called the Way.”
Chapter 3: Desire Makes People
Foolish
The Buddha said, “Those who shave their head and beard to become shramanas and cultivate the Dharma of the Way should renounce worldly possessions, be content to beg for alms, and take
only what is needed. Eat one meal a day before noon, pass the nights beneath
trees, and be vigilant not to desire more, for desire and lust are what make people foolish and deluded.”
Chapter 4: The Ten Evils and Ten
Virtues
The Buddha said, “In
sentient beings, ten actions are virtuous and ten are evil. What are they? Three pertain to the body, four to the mouth, and three to the mind. Killing,
stealing, and sexual misconduct pertain to the body. Malicious, abusive, false,
and frivolous speech pertains to the mouth. Envy, anger, and ignorance pertain
to the mind. These ten deeds, known as the ten evils, are not in accord with
the Noble Way. To renounce the ten evils is to practice the ten virtues.”
Chapter 5: Reducing the Severity of Offenses
The Buddha said, “If a person with many faults fails to repent and cease immediately the thoughts that cause harm, his offenses will
consume him, just as waters return to the sea which becomes ever deeper and
wider. If a person with faults realizes his errors, corrects his actions and
cultivates virtue, his offenses will naturally dissolve, just as sweating
enables a sick person to recover gradually.”
Chapter 6: Tolerance without Resentment
The Buddha said, “When a
malicious person hears about goodness and intentionally comes to provoke
trouble, you should restrain yourself; do not be angry or reprimand him. Evil
deeds will fall back upon the evil-doer.”
Chapter 7:
Evil Deeds Return to the Doer
The Buddha said, “Someone came to insult me upon hearing that I uphold the Way and practice great benevolence. But I kept silent and did not
respond. After he had stopped, I asked him, ‘If you bring someone a gift and he
does not accept it, does the gift remain with you?’ ‘It does,’ he
replied. The Buddha said, ‘Now you insult me, but I do not accept it; this insult
will only bring yourself harm. Just as echo follows sound and shadow trails
form, there is no escape. Be vigilant to do no evil.’”
Chapter 8: To
Fling Dust into the Wind
The Buddha said, “An evil person who harms a sage is like one who spits toward the sky. The spit does not reach
the sky, but falls back on himself. When one flings dust into the wind, the
dust does not hit others but is blown back on himself. The sage cannot be harmed; evil actions will
inevitably destroy the doer.
Chapter 9: Knowledge and Practice
The Buddha said, “For those
who accrue extensive knowledge of the Way, becoming enamored with it, the Way is difficult to
attain. For those with unwavering resolve in following the Way, the Way is
great indeed.
Chapter 10:
Joyfully Aid Others in Giving
The Buddha said, “When you see others practicing dana and joyfully aid in their efforts, you
gain great blessings.” A shramana asked, “Will these blessings ever be exhausted?” The Buddha said, “It is like thousands of people who light their torches
from the flame of a single torch, to cook food and dispel darkness, yet the original flame is
undiminished. So it is with these blessings.
Chapter 11: Fields of Blessings
The Buddha said:
“It is better to offer food to a single virtuous person
than to one hundred evil people.
“It is better to offer food to one who observes the Five
Precepts than to one thousand virtuous people.
“It is better to offer food to one stream-enterer than to ten thousand who observe the Five Precepts.
“It is better to offer food to one once-returner than to one million stream-enterers.
“It is better to offer food to one non-returner than to ten million once-returners.
“It is better to offer food to one Arahant than to one hundred million non-returners.
“It is better to offer food to one pratyekabuddha than to one billion Arahants.
“It is better to offer food to one of the Buddhas of the
three periods of time than to ten billion Pratyeka Buddhas.
“It is better to offer food to one of ‘no thought’, ‘no abidance’, ‘no cultivation’, and ‘no attainment’ than to a hundred billion Buddhas of
the three periods of time.
Chapter 12:
Twenty Difficulties in Cultivation
The Buddha said, “People have twenty kinds of difficulties:
“It is difficult for the poor to practice dana.
“It is difficult for the rich and eminent to practice the Way.
“It is difficult to renounce life when facing death.
“It is difficult to encounter the Buddhist sutras.
“It is difficult to be born in the age of a Buddha.
“It is difficult to subdue desire and lust.
“It is difficult not to covet what one likes.
“It is difficult to face humiliation without anger.
“It is difficult to have power and not abuse it.
“It is difficult to face situations with a detached mind.
“It is difficult to master vast areas of knowledge.
“It is difficult to extinguish self-conceit.
“It is difficult not to belittle those who are unlearned.
“It is difficult for the mind to act with impartiality.
“It is difficult not to gossip or be judgmental.
“It is difficult to meet the right, learned teacher.
“It is difficult to see one’s original nature and practice the Way.
“It is difficult to guide beings appropriately to liberation.
“It is difficult to be unperturbed by circumstances.
“It is difficult to master the expedient means of the Way.”
Chapter 13:
Questions about the Way and Past Lives
A shramana asked the Buddha, “What enables one to know past lives
and to attain the supreme Way?” The Buddha said, “By purifying your mind with unwavering resolve, you will attain the supreme Way. It
is like polishing a mirror; when you remove the impurities, brightness is
revealed. By eradicating desires and seeking nothing, you will gain knowledge
of past live.
Chapter 14:
Virtue and Greatness
A shramana asked the Buddha, “What is virtue? What is greatness?”
The Buddha said, “To practice the Way and abide by the truth is virtue. When your will is one with
the Way,
that is greatness.”
Chapter 15:
Tolerance and Purification
A shramana asked the Buddha, “What is great power? What is
the brightest light?” The Buddha said, “Tolerance under insult is great power, because it harbors not hatred but
peace and fortitude. Those who are tolerant are free from evil and will be honored by others. When the mind is utterly
purged of defilements, it is pure without blemish or filth;
that is the brightest light. From before the formation of heaven and earth, and
through the present, there is nothing in the ten directions that one does not see, hear, or know—this
all inclusive wisdom is indeed brightness.”
Chapter 16:
Renounce Desire to Attain the Way
The Buddha said, “Those who harbor desire and lust cannot see the Way. When our hands disturb clear water,
none who gather beside it can see their reflections. Similarly, when people are
aroused by desires, their minds are so muddled they cannot see the Way. You
shramanas should renounce desire. When desire and lust are purged, the Way will
manifest itself.”
Chapter 17:
Light Dispels Darkness
The Buddha said, “Seeing the Way is like entering a dark room holding a torch; darkness
dissipates and light alone remains. When you follow the Way and see the truth,
ignorance vanishes and enlightenment always remains.”
Chapter 18: The No-mind Doctrine
The Buddha said, “My doctrine is to be mindful of no-mind, to act with non-action, to speak the inexpressible, and to cultivate non-cultivation. Those who understand this are close
to the Way; those who are confused are far from
it. The Way is beyond speech and conception, and nothing can constrain it. To miss
this point by a hair’s breadth is to lose the Way instantly.”
Chapter 19: Meditate on the Illusive and the Real
The Buddha said, “Observe heaven and earth and contemplate impermanence. Observe the world and contemplate
impermanence. Seeing one’s awareness is bodhi. With this
understanding one swiftly attains the Way.”
Chapter 20:
The Self Is Empty
The Buddha said, “One should be mindful of the four great elements of the body. Each of them has a name,
but an intrinsic self cannot be found. Since the self is empty, it is
illusory.”
Chapter 21:
Seeking Fame Consumes the Person
The Buddha said, “People follow their desires to seek fame. By the time
fame is achieved, the body has fallen apart. Craving for lasting worldly fame instead of learning the Way, we wear out the body with futile
efforts. Like a burning incense, its body is turning to ashes as people smell
its scent—be aware, the imminent fire will consume you.”
Chapter 22:
Wealth and Lust Bring Suffering
The Buddha said, “People are reluctant to renounce wealth and sex. These are like honey on a knife’s
blade, which is not enough to appease one’s hunger, yet a child who licks this
honey is in danger of cutting his tongue.
Chapter 23:
The Family Is Like Prison
The Buddha said, “Men are bound to their wives and homes more than the confinement of
a prison. One may be released from prison, but a wife has no desire to let go. How dare one be reckless and indulge in passion
and lust! Although they are as dangerous as the
tiger’s jaws, people yield willingly, throwing themselves into the mire and
drown. That is why they are called ordinary beings. Those who break free from
this prison can transcend all defilements to become Arahants.”
Chapter 24:
Sexual Desire Hinders the Way
The Buddha said, “There is no desire more powerful than sex; sex as a desire has no equal.
Fortunately, there is no other like it. If there were, no one in the world
would be able to cultivate the Way.”
Chapter 25:
The Fire of Lust Consumes the Body
The Buddha said, “People who succumb to lust are like those who walk against the wind holding a torch;
they will surely burn their hands.”
Chapter 26:
Deva Tempts the Buddha
Wishing to corrupt the Buddha, a deva offered him beautiful maidens. The
Buddha told them, “Skin-bags filled with filth, why are you here?
Be gone! I have no use for you.” The heavenly demon was filled with respect and
asked the Buddha the meaning of the Way. The Buddha instructed him whereupon
he attained the fruit of stream-enterer.
Chapter 27:
Logs in the Stream
The Buddha said, “Those who cultivate the Way are like logs in a stream, following the current. If they are
not grounded on either shore, gathered by men, intercepted by demons or spirits, caught in whirlpools, and they do not decay, then I guarantee that these logs will
reach the ocean. If those who follow the Way are not blinded by sensual
desires, led astray by evil influences, and are diligent yet empty of effort, then I guarantee that they will
attain the Way.”
Chapter 28: Be Wary of the Unbridled Mind
The Buddha said, “Be wary of trusting your own mind, for it is deceptive. Be wary of
situations that may incite lust, for those will lead to disaster. Once
you have attained Arahantship, you can trust your own mind.”
Chapter 29: The Right Way to Counter
Lust
The Buddha said, “Be wary and refrain from looking at women or speaking
with them. If you do, be righteous in thought and contemplate: ‘I am now a
shramana living in an impure world. I should be like the lotus flower, unsullied by mud.’ You should regard
elderly women as your mothers, those older than you as your elder sisters, those
younger than you as your younger sisters, and the little ones as your children.
Resolve to liberate them all, thereby extinguishing impure thoughts.”
Chapter 30: Avoid the Fire of Desire
The Buddha said, “People
who cultivate the Way are like those
who carry hay;
they should avoid fire. Cultivators of the Way must keep their distance from
desires.”
Chapter 31: A Still Mind
Extinguishes Lust
A man plagued with incessant lust wished to
castrate himself. The Buddha told him, “Rather
than castrate yourself, you should curb your mind. The mind is like a commander; when
the commander halts, so will his subordinates. If you cannot cut off lascivious
thoughts, what is the use of castrating yourself?” The Buddha recited the following verse:
Desire arises from thinking,
Thinking arises from conception and discernment.
When both aspects of the mind are still,
There is neither form nor action.
The Buddha said, “This verse was spoken by Kashyapa Buddha.”
Chapter 32: Desire Leads to Fear
The Buddha said, “Fear arises from worry, and worry arises
from craving and desire. If you abandon desire, what fear or
worry could you have?”
Chapter 33:
Perseverance in Spiritual Battle
The Buddha said, “One who practices the Way is like a single person battling against ten thousand. Donning his armor and leaving home, his will may weaken, he may retreat
halfway, he may be killed in combat, or he may return victorious. When
shramanas follow the Way, they should be resolute, diligent, and
valiant; not fearing what challenges lie ahead, they destroy all demons and attain the Way.
Chapter 34: Dharma of the Middle Way
One
night a shramana was reciting the Sutra Bequeathed by Kashyapa Buddha. His tone was woeful and tense.
Plagued by doubts, he thought of abandoning the monastic life. The Buddha asked him, “What did you do when you were a householder?” He
said, “I was fond of playing the lute.” The Buddha asked, “What happens when
the strings are too loose?” He replied, “There is no sound.” “What
happens when the strings are too taut?” He replied, “The sound is discordant.” “What
happens when the strings are neither too loose nor too taut?” He replied, “All
the sounds are in harmony.”
Chapter 35: Expel Defilements and the Mind Becomes Pure
The Buddha said, “When a
man forges iron, he removes impurities to make tools of the finest quality.
When those who follow the Way expel
defilements from their minds, their deeds will be pure.”
Chapter 36:
Stages to Non-Attainment
The Buddha said:
“It is difficult to ascend from the three wretched destinies and be born as a human being.
“Even as a human being, it is difficult to be born as a man rather than a woman.
“Even as a man, it is difficult to have
all six senses complete.
“Even without physical or mental
impairment, it is difficult to be born in the middle country.
“Even in the middle country, it is difficult to be born at the
time of a Buddha.
“Even at the time of a Buddha, it is difficult to encounter the Way.
“Even having encountered the Way, it is difficult for one to generate
sufficient faith.
“Even with faith, it is difficult to bring forth the
bodhi mind.
“Even with the bodhi mind, it is difficult to realize non-cultivation and
non-attainment.”
Chapter 37: Be
Mindful of the Precepts
The Buddha said, “If disciples thousands of miles away from me are
mindful of my precepts, they will surely attain the fruit of
the Way. If those who are by my side and see
me constantly do not uphold my precepts, they will never attain the Way.
Chapter 38: The Impermanence of Life
The Buddha asked a shramana, “How long can one be sure of staying alive?” “A few days,”
was the reply. The Buddha said, “You do
not know about life.” He asked another shramana, “How long can one be sure of
staying alive?” “The length of a meal,” was the reply. The Buddha said, “You do
not know about life.” He then asked another shramana, “How long can one
be sure of staying alive?” The reply was “A single breath.” The Buddha said, “Well
said, you know about life!”
Chapter 39:
The Dharma Is Like Honey
The Buddha said, “Students of the Buddha’s Way should have faith in and comply with all that the Buddha says. It is like
honey, sweet from the surface to the middle. So it is with my sutras.”
Chapter 40: Ox
Turning a Millstone
The Buddha said, “Shramanas who practice the
Way should not be
like oxen turning millstones; although their bodies follow the
path, their minds do not. If the mind follows the Way, what need is there to
labor on the path?”
Chapter 41: A Steadfast Mind Frees
One from Desire
The Buddha said, “One who
practices the Way is like an ox
that carries a burden through a mire. Although very tired, the ox dares not
look to the right or to the left; he cannot rest until he gets out. You
shramanas must look upon
sensual desires as worse than a filthy mire. Being steadfast and mindful of the
Way, one can avert suffering.”
Chapter 42:
Seeing the Illusions of the World
The Buddha said:
“I look upon positions of nobility as
dust drifting through a crevice.
“I look upon treasures of gold and jade
as mere rubble.
“I look upon garments of fine silk as
worn-out rags.
“I look upon the universe as a small
haritaki fruit.
“I look upon the water of the
Anavatapta Lake as oil applied to the feet.
“I look upon expedient means as a cluster of imaginary jewels.
“I look upon the supreme vehicle as a dream of gold and silk.
“I look upon the Buddha Way as a flower in the air.
“I look upon samadhi as the great pillar Mount Sumeru.
“I look upon nirvana as being awake both day and night.
“I look upon deviancy and orthodoxy as
six dancing dragons.
“I look upon the doctrine of impartiality as the absolute ground of reality.
“I look upon the flourishing of the
teaching as a tree in four seasons.”
Having heard the Buddha’s discourses, the great bhiksus joyfully accepted and followed the
teaching.
The Buddha said, “Shramanas who practice the Way should not be like oxen turning millstones; although their bodies follow the
path, their minds do not. If the mind follows the Way, what need is there to
labor on the path?”
DEDICATION
OF MERITS
May the merits of our
deeds
Reach every part of
the world;
Sentient beings large
and small
All attain
enlightenment.
Maha-Prajna-Paramita
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