Eight Virtues of the Sea Sutra (海八德經)

The Sutra of the Eight Virtues of the Ocean Spoken by the Buddha

Translated by Kumārajīva, Tripitaka Master of Kucha, Later Qin Dynasty.

Thus have I heard:

At one time, the Buddha was dwelling in the Land of No Superiority. It was then the fifteenth day, when he would regularly recite the Pratimokṣa for the bhikṣus by the river. The Buddha sat in silence, remaining wordless for a long while. Ānanda adjusted his robe, knelt respectfully, and addressed him, “The bhikṣus are seated in meditation, ready to hear the pure Dharma.” The World-Honored One remained silent. Ānanda rose and entreated him three times, saying, “The night is already half gone; it is time to recite the Pratimokṣa.” Only then did the World-Honored One speak: “Among the bhikṣus there is one who is defiled and impure. His mind is distorted, his conduct contrary, his words at odds with the Dharma, violating the precepts of a śramaṇa. The majestic power of the precepts is profound and weighty; it cannot be upheld by one so base and inferior. Since purity and impurity are incompatible, therefore I do not recite.”

Venerable Maudgalyāyana, with single-minded concentration entered meditative absorption. Through the purified vision of the Way, he fully perceived that this person’s mind held conduct that should be rejected. Maudgalyāyana then said to him: “Arise! This is not a seat fit for an ordinary person such as you.” When the other refused to rise, he took him by the arm and led him out, saying: “You possess no supreme virtue; your mind harbors the six perverse views. How dare you, with a foul and defiled body, sit upon a seat of heavenly fragrance? You are one to be cast out, no śramaṇa.” Thereupon Maudgalyāyana returned to his own pure seat.

The Buddha said to Maudgalyāyana, "Why are you so foolish, unable to produce a fitting analogy, and must be led away by the arm?" The Buddha then addressed the monks, saying, "Listen quietly to my words." The monks replied, "We respectfully receive your teaching."

Observe the great ocean, which possesses eight virtuous qualities. Its vastness is boundless and without limit, its depth has an unfathomable bottom; as one gradually enters, it grows gradually deeper, with nothing ahead to obstruct—this is the first virtue. The ocean tide does not exceed its appointed boundary—this is the second virtue. The ocean contains all treasures, embracing everything without exception; yet corpses, foul and decaying, the ocean does not accept—divine winds blow them to drift ashore—this is the third virtue. The ocean holds within it numerous jewels: gold, silver, lapis lazuli, crystal, coral, dragon pearls, bright moon pearls, divine pearls—a myriad wonders and ten thousand rarities, nothing sought is not obtained—this is the fourth virtue. Under the whole heaven, there are five great rivers flowing into the ocean: the one flowing west is named the Ganges; the one flowing south is named the Yamuna; the two flowing east: one named the Sarayu, one named the Aciravati; the one flowing north is named the Mahi. These five rivers course onward, all entering the ocean; each abandons its former name and merges into the ocean—this is the fifth virtue. The five rivers and ten thousand streams, even when rains pour down ceaselessly, from the establishment of heaven and earth until now, as rain falls and rivers pour in, the ocean remains as before, neither increasing nor decreasing—this is the sixth virtue. The ocean has many fish, of immense and towering forms: the first fish body is four thousand miles long; the second fish body is eight thousand miles long; the third fish body is twelve thousand miles long; the fourth fish body is sixteen thousand miles long; the fifth fish body is twenty thousand miles long; the sixth fish body is twenty-four thousand miles long; the seventh fish body is twenty-eight thousand miles long—this is the seventh virtue. The seawater is uniformly salty, the same at the edges as at the center—this is the eighth virtue. For these reasons, the virtuous and bright divine dragons rejoice and delight in it.

"My wondrous sutras also possess virtuous qualities. Reading them is inexhaustible; their meaning deepens with each day. Neither celestial demons nor Indra can fathom their depths, just as the vast ocean is profound and immeasurable. For this reason, the śramaṇas delight in them—this is the first virtue.

My disciples further discipline one another, chanting sutras and practicing seated meditation, observing rituals and dignified conduct without ever missing their proper time, just as the ocean's tides never miss their appointed moments—this is the second virtue.

My Dharma is pure and clean, its aspiration lies in tranquility. Robes and food suffice for one's needs; no surplus is hoarded. If any śramaṇa's inclination tends toward defilement and turbidity, he is admonished by the Dharma and may not dwell in the temple, just as the expansive ocean does not tolerate foul corpses—this is the third virtue.

The teachings of my Path, within all sutras, contain complete and thorough meanings. Śramaṇas immerse themselves in contemplation, refining away the defilements of the mind—greed, lust, anger, jealousy, ignorance, and all impurities—just as polishing a mirror removes all grime, then sweeping away the finest haze until illumination leaves nothing unseen. First, sitting in contemplation, one reflects solely on the source of past lives and death, attaining omniscience. Second, one contemplates heaven and earth and all phenomena as illusory; where there is meeting and union, there must inevitably be separation. Third, one constantly maintains a mind of compassion, pitying the world's foolish confusion, its actions inverted, unaware of its own errors. Fourth, through diligent contemplation, one knows the past and also illuminates the future, the destinations toward which the spirits of beings are headed. My Path regards purity of mind as the precious treasure. When śramaṇas abandon defilements and attain pure conduct, their minds rejoice in it, just as that bright jewel delights in the ocean's myriad treasures—this is the fourth virtue.

My Path is vast and great, uniting the multitude into one. Whether of royal lineage, brahmin lineage, noble lineage, or lowly lineage—all who come to become śramaṇas abandon their original family names and draw close through the Dharma, the wise and the foolish advancing together, their minds like brothers, just as all streams converge to be named 'ocean.' For this reason, śramaṇas delight in it—this is the sixth virtue.

My Path is subtle and wondrous, its sutras profound and abstruse. Superior practitioners who attain it are called, first, Stream-enterer; second, Once-returner; third, Non-returner; fourth, Arhat. The Way of the Arhat is such that their minds are purified, like celestial bright pearls, their virtue concealed within. They divide bodies and scatter forms, exist or vanish in freedom, dwell in life without limit, neither aging nor sick, just as that great ocean contains divine dragons and fish. For this reason, śramaṇas delight in it.

My sutras and texts contain meanings as sweet as nectar, unheard by immortals and sages, rarely glimpsed by Brahmā and Indra. From past to present, nothing remains unrecorded; their core and periphery are wholly correct, just as the ocean throughout is salty. For this reason too, śramaṇas delight in them.

Those who behold my sutras find their minds all inclined toward the unconditioned. The ocean possesses eight virtues; my sutras are likewise."

Ananda rose once more, bowed with palms joined, and addressed the Buddha: "The eastern sky is about to brighten. I beseech you to expound the weighty precepts."

The World-Honored One said: "From this day forth, I shall no longer expound the Sūtra of Weighty Precepts. If the precepts are not upheld, I fear the divine thunder will manifest its wrath upon them. For this reason, I will not speak the Precepts Sūtra. Henceforth, you shall mutually guide and restrain one another, gathering on the fifteenth day to recite the Precepts Sūtra."

The bhikkhus rose and paid homage to the Buddha.

The Sutra of the Eight Merits of the Ocean as Spoken by the Buddha

According to this scripture, it is definitely not Kumārajīva's translation; it appears to be a scripture from the Later Han dynasty. I suspect this was translated by Dharmaratna the Indian, which was lost in its original form, and in the canon it was mistakenly attributed to Kumārajīva.