(Prologue) A Brief Talk about The Scripture of Forty-Two Chapters Said by Buddha

Co-translators in the time of Eastern Han Dynasty, China(A.D. 25 - 200) : Kasyapa Matanga and Zhu Falan (Who translated the said Scripture from Sanskrit into Chinese. )

Translator in modern time (A.D.2018: Tao Qing Hsu (Who translated the said Scripture from Chinese into English.)

Teacher and writer for explaining the said Scripture: Tao Qing Hsu

The Content 

Prologue

The World-Honored One, having attained Buddhahood, made such meditation, that leaving away from the desire, to be in the state of silence, is the best victory. Dwelling in the grand meditation, conquering all paths of demons, the Buddha whirled the Law-Wheel of the Four Noble Truths in the Deer-Wild Garden, and saved Ajñāta Kaundinya and so five persons who had thus proved the fruit of Dao. There were also various questions said by Bhikkhu who inquired the Buddha about the go-ahead and stopping. The teaching and admonition of the World-Honored One let them enlighten one by one. Putting palms of hands together, they respectfully promised to thus comply with the World-Honored One’s admonition.                                                                                      

This prologue introduced the cause, condition, and situation about the saying for the following forty-two chapters.

“The World-Honored One” which is one of the ten names of Buddha, is that the Buddhist disciples respectfully call their teacher, the Buddha Sakyamuni, when they are learning and talking about the practice or teaching of Buddha with their teacher. Why it is called “the World-Honored One”, because that the Buddha owns many virtues which are esteemed by the public, the ordinary people and the saints in world and the people in heaven. After Siddhartha had died, the public respectfully call him as the Buddha Sakyamuni, it is especially showed in Chinese scripture of Buddhism. Enlightened people would not call themselves as Buddha or the World-Honored One. Why? Think about it.   

“Having attained Buddhahood” means that Siddhartha had enlightened and liberated from the all worldly suffering, was able to speak of the Buddha-law for the public, and saved the people who are suffering.

“Made such meditation” means that he sat down under the Bodhi tree and deep contemplated how to save the people who are suffering.

“That leaving away from the desire, to be in the state of silence, is the best victory.” We can find that the thought of Buddha Sakyamuni is different from the ordinary people. Most people think that having the family, authority, wealth, high status in work or in society, which is that they have the advantages more than others, is the victory. If they want to have so many things, they must have the strong desire for those things, and must have the flexible social skill, otherwise, they would not achieve the success. However, the Buddha Sakyamuni thought that leaving away from the desire, to be in the state of silence, is the best victory.

In other word, that is, no competition, no fight, no argument, and no heart to achieve the worldly success, are the best victory. From we are a child, that what we are educated are implanted the concept of success about the competition, fighting, and argument for our better life, no matter we are in the school or in the society. It seems that if we do not do such things, we will be a loser in our society, in the world and in our whole life. And it seems that if there are no such concepts for our children or the public, our country will lose the power of competition in the world. Such concept make a lot of children and people are in the state of anxiety, fear, suffering and sulk, and make them have disease in physical and mental body. Then, we must exhaust the people’s physical and spiritual strength and health resources, and spend a lot of time to treat these people.

Therefore, you might observe that what the secular concept to be thought the right, smart, and victory by the public is thought by Buddha Sakyamuni as no brightness. In other word, what the thought of the ordinary people is darkness and stupidity.

A lot of people think that such concept of Buddha Sakyamuni will be no positive and will let their children or people lose the competition for their life in the world. I have to say that they all misunderstand the teaching of Buddha. In fact, the positive desire occurs from no desire and from the state of silence. Why? If the Buddha Sakyamuni had no desire, how could it be possible for him to speak of the Buddha-law for 49 years and to save sentient beings to liberate from the suffering? In other word, his desire had been sublimated by himself. Then, we might have questions. What is the difference between his desire and the desire of the ordinary people? Or what is the desire about the teaching of Buddha? Think about it. From this scripture, you might find it.

In the narrow explaining, the desire means filth such as the greedy for money, loving the erotic, and so occurred the hatred to the people, the arrogance and the un-trusting, that would defile our heart so to hurt ourselves and others, and make us suffer. So, the motivation of such desire is selfishness. In such a situation, the heart is like large waves, how could it be in peace? Leaving away from such desire, there would be no affliction. Our heart would be in the state of peace and silence, which means that the heart is clear, clean and pure.      

“Dwelling in the grand meditation, conquering all paths of demons” which means that when Siddhartha dwelled in the grand meditation under the Bodhi tree, the demon in heaven wanted to test him, and to know whether Siddhartha had eliminated the desire in heart or not. Then, the demon transformed his family members into three beautiful girls, who lured Siddhartha with their beauty and sexy. Siddhartha did not be lured by them. On the contrary, Siddhartha assimilated them. And then, the demon in heaven became the supporter to protect and maintain the Buddhism and its scripture.        

“The Buddha whirled the Law-Wheel of the Four Noble Truths in the Deer-Wild Garden” which means Siddhartha speak of the Buddha-law in related to the Four Noble Truths, which means the suffering, the accumulating, the eliminating and the Dao. In Buddhism, whirling the Law-Wheel means to teach or speak of the Buddha-law. Siddhartha in the profound contemplation had found that the sentient beings were suffering, and accumulating the suffering every day. When they have a thought to eliminate their suffering, they then would go into the Dao for liberating themselves from the suffering, which means that they would go into the path of Buddha.

Regarding the suffering, there are eight suffering being mentioned, which are the suffering of life, aging, disease, death, departing from the loved or the loved leaving, meeting each other in hatred, demanding which could not be content, and the suffering of flaming in five aggregations.

These sufferings would be accumulated day by day and thus increase our affliction. Only when we feel such affliction, we would have a thought to eliminate the suffering. It is thus possible for us to practice the Dao and prove the Dao, which means to liberate ourselves from the suffering and furthermore to help others liberate themselves from the suffering.

The Deer-Wild Garden(the Sanskrit is mṛgá-dāva) is a famous place in India. In the legend, there were two Pusa who transformed to be the Deer-King and to offer themselves to the Human-King so as to protect the deer herd. The Human-King promised and built a garden to protect the deer herd. So the place was called the Deer-Wild Garden. It is the first place that Siddhartha whirled the Law-Wheel, which is why it is so famous.

“Saved Ajñāta Kaundinya and so five persons who had thus proved the fruit of Dao.” When Siddhartha had enlightened under the Bodhi tree, he thought which one could be saved. Then, he thought of the five persons, who were his relatives and his protector to company with him to practice the Dao. Ajñāta Kaundinya is one of them. They had experienced the ascetic practice together. But, Siddhartha finally find that the ascetic practice did not work for enlightenment. Siddhartha then accepted the offering of milk by a girl. Ajñāta Kaundinya and so five persons thought that Siddhartha gave up the ascetic practice and then left him. After Siddhartha accepted the offering of milk by a girl, he returned back the Bodhi tree and sat down to meditate continually. Then, at one night, he had completely enlightened. After that, he talked about the first scripture “The scripture of grand-direction-widely-Fo-flower-solemn ” which Sanskrit is mahā-vaipulya-buddhâvataṃsaka-sūtra. This is an amazing scripture. However, it is pity that it is hard to be understood by the ordinary people. So he had to talk about what the ordinary people could accept and understand, such as this scripture.   

Ajñāta Kaundinya and so five persons were the first persons to be saved by Siddhartha and became his first disciple, who had proved the fruit of Dao. That means that they have attained the fruit of Arhat. So when we are enlightened, who will be saved by us? Of course, our family members or relatives will be the first. Then, how these people to be enlightened? When you carefully read, understand and realize this scripture, you will know.

“There were also various questions said by Bhikkhu who inquired the Buddha about the go-ahead and stopping.” Bhikkhu is Sanskrit. It means Buddhist monk. It also had the meanings of breaking through the evil in heart, terrifying the demon, purifying to obey the precepts, and the begging scholar which means that they practice the Dao to cut off their troubles, to conquer the demon inside and outside, to obey the precepts with clean heart, and to beg food so as to maintain their life for practicing the Dao and eliminating the greedy heart.

The evil in heart and the demon of inside and outside means the troubles and afflictions in heart. The go-ahead and stopping are related to how to put the Dao into practice, what should go ahead and what should be stopped when practicing the Dao, which is also mentioned in this scripture.

“The teaching and admonition of the World-Honored One let them enlighten one by one. Putting palms of hands together, they respectfully promised to thus comply with the World-Honored One’s admonition.” So, if you had completely understood and realize this scripture, you might be inspired or enlightened just as same as those Buddhist monks.