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
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.
