Sutra in Forty-Two Sections (四十二章經)

The Sutra of Forty-Two Chapters

Translated by the Western Region Monks Kāśyapa Mātaṅga and Dharmarakṣa of the Later Han Dynasty.

In the past, Emperor Ming of the Han dynasty dreamed at night of a divine being whose body was golden in color and from whose neck radiated a halo of light, flying before the palace hall. In his heart he felt joyful and was greatly pleased. The next day he asked his assembled ministers, “What deity is this?”

A learned man, Fu Yi, said: "I have heard that in India there is one who has attained the Way, called the Buddha. He can rise lightly and fly through the air—this must be his divine power."

Then the Emperor, having attained enlightenment, dispatched the envoy Zhang Qian, the Commander of the Feathered Forest Guard Qin Jing, the Erudite Disciple Wang Zun, and twelve others to the country of the Great Yuezhi to transcribe the Forty-Two Chapter Sutra. It was placed within the fourteenth stone casket, and a stupa and temple were erected. Thus, the Dharma spread widely, and Buddhist temples were established everywhere. Distant peoples submitted and transformed, wishing to become subjects and servants—their numbers were beyond measure. Within the realm, there was purity and tranquility; sentient beings received grace and relied upon it, a legacy that continues unbroken to this day.

The Buddha said: "To leave one's family and renounce the world to follow the Path is called becoming a śramaṇa. One constantly practices the two hundred and fifty precepts, walks the four true paths of practice, advances with a purified aspiration, and attains Arhatship. An Arhat is able to fly, transform, abide for extended lifespans, and move heaven and earth. Next is the Anāgāmin. An Anāgāmin, at life's end, has their spirit ascend to the nineteen heavens and there attains Arhatship. Next is the Sakṛdāgāmin. A Sakṛdāgāmin, after one more ascent and one return, attains Arhatship. Next is the Srotāpanna. A Srotāpanna, after seven deaths and seven births, attains Arhatship. For one who has severed craving and desire, it is like having one's four limbs severed—they are no longer of any use."

The Buddha said: "Shaving off hair and beard, one becomes a śramaṇa. Receiving the Dharma, abandoning worldly wealth, begging for just enough to sustain oneself, eating one meal a day, dwelling under a single tree for a night—take care not to repeat this! What deludes and corrupts people are attachment and desire."

The Buddha said: "Beings perform ten actions as good, and also perform ten actions as evil. These are three of body, four of speech, and three of mind. The three of body are: killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct. The four of speech are: divisive speech, harsh speech, false speech, and frivolous speech. The three of mind are: envy, hatred, and delusion, not believing in the Three Jewels, and taking the false as true. If a lay disciple practices these five precepts without negligence or regression, and advances to the ten good deeds, he will certainly attain the Way."

The Buddha said: "If a person commits many transgressions yet does not repent, allowing the mind to remain unrestrained, offenses will return to the self, just as rivers flow into the sea, gradually becoming deep and vast. But if one recognizes the wrong in evil deeds, reforms faults, and attains goodness, offenses will daily diminish and vanish; in time, one will realize the Way."

The Buddha said: "When people, in their ignorance, treat me with hostility, I respond with the four immeasurables of loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity to protect and aid them. When they come to me with greater malice, I return to them with even greater goodness. The energy of blessed virtue always abides here; the harmful energy of heavy misfortune, in truth, returns to dwell with them."

One who heard of the Buddha’s path upholding great compassion and kindness, returning good for evil, came to revile him. The Buddha remained silent and did not respond, pitying the delusion and folly that drove him so. When the abuse ceased, the Buddha asked, “If you offer a gift to someone with propriety, and that person does not accept it, does the gift not remain with you?” The man replied, “It would be taken back.” The Buddha said, “Now you have reviled me, and I do not accept it. You must take it back yourself, and the misfortune will fall upon your own person. It is like an echo following a sound, or a shadow pursuing a form—in the end there is no escape. Be wary of doing evil.”

The Buddha said: "When an evil person harms a virtuous one, it is like spitting at the sky—the spittle does not soil the sky, but falls back to defile one's own body. It is like throwing dust against the wind—the dust does not soil the other, but returns to cover oneself. The virtuous cannot be harmed; misfortune will inevitably destroy the evildoer."

The Buddha said: "One who cultivates the path should practice universal loving-kindness. In bestowing compassion and virtue, there is no greater giving than the gift of Dharma. To uphold one's resolve and follow the path brings immeasurable merit. Even witnessing others practice the Dharma and rejoicing in their efforts also yields karmic blessings."

The question was asked: "Should that merit not be diminished?"

The Buddha said: "It is like a torch fire. Hundreds and thousands of people each come with their own torches, take fire from it to cook their food and dispel darkness; yet that fire remains as before. So too is merit."

The Buddha said: "Feeding one hundred ordinary people is not as meritorious as feeding one good person. Feeding one thousand good people is not as meritorious as feeding one who upholds the five precepts. Feeding ten thousand who uphold the five precepts is not as meritorious as feeding one Stream-enterer. Feeding one million Stream-enterers is not as meritorious as feeding one Once-returner. Feeding ten million Once-returners is not as meritorious as feeding one Non-returner. Feeding one hundred million Non-returners is not as meritorious as feeding one Arhat. Feeding one billion Arhats is not as meritorious as feeding one Pratyekabuddha. Feeding ten billion Pratyekabuddhas is not as meritorious as using the teachings of the Three Jewels to liberate one's parents in this life. Teaching one's parents is not as meritorious as feeding one Buddha—who learns, vows, and seeks Buddhahood to deliver all beings. Feeding good people brings the most profound blessings. Ordinary people serving heaven, earth, and spirits is not as good as being filial to their parents, for parents are the most divine."

The Buddha said, "There are five difficult things in the world: for the poor to practice generosity is difficult; for the rich and noble to learn the Way is difficult; to control destiny and avoid death is difficult; to encounter the Buddhist sutras is difficult; and to be born at a time when a Buddha appears in the world is difficult."

A monk asked the Buddha: "By what cause does one attain the Way? How does one know past lives?"

The Buddha said, "The Way is formless; knowing it brings no benefit. What is essential is to maintain resolve and practice. It is like polishing a mirror: when the grime is removed, brightness remains, and one naturally sees one's own form. By cutting off desires and abiding in emptiness, one beholds the true Way and knows past destinies."

The Buddha said: "What is good? Only walking the path is good. What is greatest? The will united with the Way is greatest. What is most powerful? Forbearance is the strongest; one who endures harbors no resentment and will surely be honored by others. What is most luminous? When the defilements of the mind are removed and evil deeds cease, the inner being becomes pure and flawless; from before heaven and earth existed down to the present day, all that is in the ten directions, even the unseen sprouts of things—nothing is unknown, unseen, or unheard. Attaining omniscience—this may be called luminous."

The Buddha said: "Those who harbor lust and desire cannot see the Way. It is like turbid water: when five colors are cast into it and one stirs it vigorously, even if many people gather by the water, none can see their reflections. When lust and desire intertwine, the mind becomes turbid, and thus one cannot see the Way. When the water is clear and impurities are removed, pure and free from defilement, one naturally sees one's own form. When a fierce fire burns beneath a cauldron, the water within boils and surges; if a cloth is spread over it, even if beings look into it, none can see their reflections. Within the mind, the three poisons originally seethe and boil, while the five hindrances cover it from without—thus one never sees the Way. Only when the defilements of the mind are utterly exhausted does one know whence the spirit has come, whither birth and death lead, and where the lands of the Buddhas and the abode of the Dharma are to be found."

The Buddha said: "Those who cultivate the Way are like one who enters a dark room holding a torch—the darkness is dispelled and light remains. When one learns the Way and perceives the truth, all ignorance is extinguished, and nothing remains unseen."

The Buddha said, "What thought do I think of the Way? What practice do I practice of the Way? What words do I speak of the Way? I think the truth of the Way, without neglecting it for even a moment."

The Buddha said: "Observing heaven and earth, contemplate impermanence; observing mountains and rivers, contemplate impermanence; observing all things with their abundant and flourishing forms, contemplate impermanence. Holding the mind thus, one swiftly attains the Way."

The Buddha said, "If one day you practice, constantly contemplate the Way and walk the Way, you will then attain the root of faith, and your merit will be immeasurable."

The Buddha said: "Reflect deeply upon the four great elements within your own body. Each has its name, yet all are fundamentally non-existent. The 'self' is but a transient dweller; life itself does not endure long, and all phenomena are like an illusion."

The Buddha said: "People who pursue fame and reputation following their desires are like burning incense. Though others smell its fragrance, the incense consumes itself while perfuming the air. Fools covet the empty praise of worldly customs instead of abiding in the true Dharma. The fleeting fame that endangers oneself brings calamity—only later does regret arise."

The Buddha said: "Wealth and sensual pleasures are to people like a child craving honey on a knife's edge. The sweetness is not enough for a single meal's delight, yet there is the peril of having one's tongue cut off."

The Buddha said: "The affliction of being bound to one's wife, children, and treasured dwellings is more severe than imprisonment, shackles, and chains. In prison there may be pardon and release, but the desires for wife and children, though they bring the calamity of a tiger's jaws, one willingly casts oneself into them—such offenses admit no pardon."

The Buddha said: "No desire is greater than that for sensual pleasure. Among all desires, none surpasses this. Fortunately, there is but one such desire. Were there two, no person in all the world would be capable of following the Path."

The Buddha said: "Desire and craving in a person are like holding a torch while walking against the wind. If a foolish one does not let go of the torch, the calamity of burning his own hand is certain. The poisons of greed, anger, and ignorance dwell within the human body. If one does not promptly use the Dharma to eliminate these calamities, peril and disaster are certain—just as a foolish and greedy person, holding a torch, burns his own hand."

The celestial deity offered jade maidens to the Buddha, intending to test the Buddha's mind and observe the Buddha's Way. The Buddha said: "A leather sack filled with impurities—why have you come? Such vulgar offerings cannot sway one with the six supernatural powers. Away! I have no use for you." The celestial deity revered the Buddha even more profoundly, and thereupon inquired about the meaning of the Way. The Buddha explained it to him, and he immediately attained the fruit of Stream-enterer.

The Buddha said: "One who cultivates the Way is like a log upon the water, following the current. It does not strike the left bank, nor does it strike the right bank. It is not taken by people, not obstructed by spirits, not halted by whirlpools, nor does it rot. I guarantee it will enter the sea. A person who cultivates the Way is not deluded by passions and desires, not deceived by the many false views. With diligent effort and without doubt, I guarantee they will attain the Way."

The Buddha instructed the monk: "Do not trust your mind, for in the end the mind cannot be trusted. Guard against becoming entangled with form, for entanglement with form gives rise to suffering. Only upon attaining the path of Arhatship may you then trust your mind."

The Buddha addressed the bhikṣus, saying: "Be cautious not to gaze upon women. If you happen to see them, do not look intently. Be cautious not to converse with them. If you must speak, discipline your mind and conduct yourself rightly, thinking: 'I am a śramaṇa dwelling in this turbid world; I should be like the lotus flower, unsullied by the mud. Regard the elderly as my mother, those older than me as my elder sisters, the younger as my younger sisters, and the very young as my own children. Treat them with respect and propriety.' Moreover, you should contemplate earnestly: observe from head to foot, look within this body—what is there in it? Nothing but foul impurities, a vessel of all that is unclean. In this way, dispel your wandering thoughts."

The Buddha said: "One who follows the path should abandon passions and desires as grass draws back from fire when the flames approach. A practitioner must keep far away from craving and lust."

The Buddha said: "There was a man tormented by lustful desires, unable to restrain his passions. He sat upon a blade to sever his own organ. The Buddha told him: 'To cut off the organ is not as good as cutting off the mind. The mind is the chief commander. If the commander is halted, all his followers will cease. If the evil mind is not stopped, what benefit is there in severing the organ? Would you perish in vain?'" The Buddha said: "Such is the deluded person who clings to worldly, inverted views."

A lustful maiden made a vow with a man, but when he failed to come at the appointed time, she repented and said: "If I wish to know your origin, Your intention arises from thoughts. If I do not think of you, Then you will not arise."

The Buddha, walking on his path, heard this and said to the monks: "Take note! This is a verse of Kāśyapa Buddha, which has flowed into the secular world."

The Buddha said: "From affection and desire arises sorrow, and from sorrow arises fear. Without affection there is no sorrow, and without sorrow there is no fear."

The Buddha said: "One who cultivates the path is like a single person fighting against ten thousand. Clad in armor and grasping weapons, he sets forth from the gate intending to do battle. If his resolve falters and his courage weakens, he may retreat of his own accord; or he may turn back halfway; or he may struggle in combat and perish; or he may achieve a great victory, return to his country, and be elevated in rank. If a person can firmly hold fast to his mind, advance with keen determination, and not be deluded by the reckless and foolish words of worldly convention, then, desiring to extinguish evil completely, he will surely attain the Way."

A monk was reciting sutras late at night with great sorrow, his mind filled with regret and doubt, longing to return to lay life. The Buddha called to the monk and asked him: "When you dwelt in the household, what practice did you undertake?"

He replied, "I constantly play the zither." The Buddha asked, "If the strings are too loose, what happens?" He answered, "They do not sound." "If the strings are too tight, what happens?" "The sound breaks off." "If they are neither too tight nor too loose, what then?" "All tones are harmonious and full." The Buddha then told the monastic, "Practicing the path is just like this. Keep the mind balanced and well-regulated, and the path can be attained."

The Buddha said: "One who cultivates the Way is like iron being smelted gradually deeper—the impurities are discarded, and the vessel that is formed will surely be excellent. Practicing the Way with gradual deepening, one discards the defilements of the mind and advances diligently toward the Path. If one is violent, the body becomes weary; when the body is weary, the mind becomes troubled; when the mind is troubled, practice declines; when practice declines, one creates transgressions."

The Buddha said: "To follow the path is suffering, and not to follow the path is also suffering. From birth until old age, from old age until sickness, from sickness until death—the suffering is immeasurable. When the mind is troubled, evils accumulate; birth and death continue without cease—such suffering is beyond description."

The Buddha said: "It is difficult for beings to leave the three evil realms and attain human birth. Having attained human birth, it is difficult to abandon the female form and become male. Having become male, it is difficult to possess all six faculties complete. With the six faculties complete, it is difficult to be born in a central land. Having been born in a central land, it is difficult to encounter and follow the Buddha's teaching. Having followed the Buddha's teaching, it is difficult to meet a ruler who upholds the Dharma, and to be born into a bodhisattva's family. Having been born into a bodhisattva's family, it is difficult to wholeheartedly take refuge in the Three Jewels and encounter a Buddha's time in the world."

The Buddha asked the monks, "How long does a human life last?"

They replied, "It lasts a matter of days."

The Buddha said, "You have not yet attained the Way."

Again he asked another monk, "How long does human life last?" The monk replied, "It lasts as long as a single meal." The Buddha said, "You have not yet entered the path."

Again he asked a monk, "How long does human life last?" The monk replied, "Between one breath and the next." The Buddha said, "Excellent! You may indeed be called one who follows the Way."

The Buddha said: "A disciple may be thousands of miles away from me, yet if he holds my precepts in mind, he will surely attain the Way. One who stays by my side but harbors deviant thoughts will never attain the Way. The essence lies in practice; what benefit is there in being near yet not practicing, even by ten thousandfold?"

The Buddha said: "Practicing the Way is like eating honey—sweet at both the center and the edges. So too are my sutras: their meaning is wholly delightful, and the practitioner attains the Way."

The Buddha said: "One who cultivates the path can uproot the very source of craving and desire. It is like plucking beads from a strung necklace—plucking them one by one, there will come a time when they are all removed. When evil is exhausted, one attains the Way."

The Buddha said: "Monks practicing the Way should be like an ox carrying a burden, trudging through deep mud. Though utterly exhausted, it dares not glance left or right, striving only to escape the mire and find respite. Monks should regard sensual desires as even more perilous than that mud. With a straightforward mind, contemplate the Way—this alone can liberate you from all suffering."

The Buddha said: "I regard the thrones of lords as passing travelers, treasures of gold and jade as gravel stones, and fine silks and linens as worn cloth."

Sutra of Forty-Two Chapters