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  1. Buddha's Discourse on King Prasenajit's Mother's Passing and the Dust Covering His Body Sutra (佛說波斯匿王太后崩塵土坌身經)
  1. Buddha Speaks on King Prasenajit's Mother's Passing and the Dust Upon the Body Sutra (佛說波斯匿王太后崩塵土坌身經)
  2. Buddha's Discourse on King Prasenajit's Mother's Passing and the Dust Covering His Body Sutra (佛說波斯匿王太后崩塵土坌身經)

Buddha Speaks on King Prasenajit's Mother's Passing and the Dust Upon the Body Sutra (佛說波斯匿王太后崩塵土坌身經)

About 佛說波斯匿王太后崩塵土坌身經

Western Jin · Source text translated by 法炬

1,209 · about 4 min

During the Western Jin Dynasty, the *Sutra on King Prasenajit’s Mother Passing Away and Dust Covering the Body*, translated by Faju, is an important Buddhist scripture. This sutra records how King Prasenajit was overwhelmed with grief upon the death of his mother, and how the Buddha used this circumstance to expound the principle of the impermanence of life and death. Through the scene of the mother’s decaying corpse and the dust covering the body, the sutra reveals the impurity of the human form and the nature of all conditioned phenomena as impermanent, guiding sentient beings to transcend attachment to the physical body. After its translation in the Western Jin Dynasty, this scripture spread widely and became an important text for elucidating the Buddhist views on impermanence and life-and-death. It holds profound guiding significance for practitioners of Chinese Buddhism in understanding the true nature of life and occupies a unique place among Buddhist scriptures.


佛說波斯匿王太后崩塵土坌身經
西晉沙門法炬譯
聞如是:
一時,婆伽婆在舍衛城祇樹給孤獨園。爾時,拘娑羅國波斯匿王太后崩,時年百歲老無壯勢,精進修善法。時,波斯匿王供殯送母,日正中還,塵土坌身步往詣園至世尊所,頭面禮足在一面坐。時,世尊問王言:「今王何故塵土坌身步來至我所?」
時,波斯匿王便涕泣不能自勝,揮淚白世尊言:「太后崩,世尊!太后無常,如來!年在期頤無少壯力,積修善法甚戀痛念,夙夜孝養未曾違志,命可贖者世殞身壽。若象馬車乘贖命可得者,盡當持贖;以人民眾贖命可得者,亦當持贖;莫使我母命過。若以金銀贖命可得者,亦當持贖;若以珍寶贖命可得者,亦當持贖;若以金銀珍寶贖命可得者,亦當持金銀珍寶贖命;若以奴贖命可得者,亦當持奴贖命;若以婢贖命可得者,亦當持婢贖命;若以奴婢贖命可得者,亦當持奴婢贖命;若以村落贖命可得者,亦當以村落贖命;若以城廓贖命可得者,亦當以城廓贖命;若以村落城廓贖命可得者,亦當以城廓村落贖命;若以一方贖命可得者,亦當以一方贖命;若以地人民贖命可得者,亦當以地人民贖命;若以人民一方贖命可得者,亦當以人民一方贖命;莫使我母命過。」
爾時,世尊告波斯匿王言:「如是,大王!如王所說,若以白象贖命可得者,便可以象贖母命,若以馬車、人民、珍寶金銀、奴婢、村落、城廓、一方人民贖母命可得者,便當以一方人民贖母命,莫使我母命過。是故,大王!當思惟無常想,當廣布無常想,當廣布死想。」
爾時,世尊便說偈言:
「一切人歸死, 無有不死者,
隨行種殃福, 自獲善惡果。
地獄為惡行, 善者必生天,
明慧能分別, 唯福能遏惡。
「如是,大王!有四恐畏、大恐畏,無能避者,亦不可以力刀杖避,呪術、藥草、象馬車乘、人民、珍寶金銀、奴婢、村落城廓、一方人民,珍寶金銀、奴婢、村落城廓、一方人民。云何為四?老為大恐畏,肌肉消盡,不可以刀杖避,乃至一方人民皆無能避;病為大恐畏,無強健志,不可以刀杖避,乃至一方人民;死為大恐畏,盡無有壽,不可以刀杖避,乃至一方人民;恩愛別離為大恐畏,不可以刀杖避,乃至一方人民。是謂,大王!有此四大恐畏,不可以刀杖避,呪術、藥草、象馬車乘、人民,珍寶金銀、奴婢、村落城廓、一方人民,珍寶金銀、奴婢、村落城廓、一方人民。譬如,大王!有大雲起雷電霹靂,斯須還散亦不久停。如是,大王!人命極短壽極百歲,其中出者亦少少耳。譬如,大王!有四大山石無有空缺,四山皆等一時相磨,樹木藥草不可以刀杖避。如是,大王!有四大恐畏至,不可得避。云何為四?老為大患,肌肉消盡,不可以刀杖避,藥草呪術而得避者;病為大患,無強健志;死為大患,身永滅;恩愛別離為大患,不可以刀杖避,呪術、藥草而得避者。大王!廣修無常想,廣布無常想。所以然者,已修無常想,當布無常想,盡斷一切欲愛,盡斷一切色愛,盡斷一切無色愛,一切無明盡斷,此間所有愛亦斷。譬如,大王!草藁積薪積以火往燒,大叢林、若臺閣舍,此亦如是。若修無常想,廣布無常想,盡斷欲愛,盡斷色愛,盡斷無色愛,盡斷無明,盡斷此間所有愛。是故,大王!當以正法治化,莫以非法治化。如是,大王!當作是學。」
爾時,波斯匿王白世尊言:「此法名何等?當云何奉持?」
世尊告曰:「名除憂患經,此法除去憂患。」
時,波斯匿王白世尊言:「如是,世尊!除憂患經,如是,世尊!除憂患經。所以然者,我聞此法已,世尊!所有戀慕愁憂皆悉除盡,自覺身體柔軟歡喜。」爾時,世尊與王波斯匿,具說微妙法勸令歡喜。時,波斯匿王即從坐起,頭面禮足繞佛三匝而去。
爾時,拘娑羅國波斯匿王,聞佛所說,歡喜奉行。
佛說波斯匿王太后崩塵土坌身經

CBETA Code: T0122

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Copyright: Original texts from CBETA
AI translation for reference only — not authoritative, not a statement of final truth. Awakening of the Dharma requires personal practice.