29. Wide and diffusive (sentences)

Thuở xưa, khi Đức Phật ngự tại nước Xá-vệ, thuyết Pháp để hóa độ các loài chúng sinh (chư Thiên, Long vương, loài người, v.v.), bấy giờ, vua nước ấy tên là Ba-tư-nặc đã ba lần cùng với các vị đại thần đến nghe Đức Phật thuyết Pháp. Bấy giờ, nhà vua đã quá buông thả bản thân trong lối sống xa hoa và các dục lạc khác của giác quan, do đó ngài trở nên mập mạp và béo tốt. Vì vậy, ngài mắc phải nhiều chứng bệnh như đầy hơi, buồn ngủ quá độ và thân thể nặng nề, đến nỗi khó lòng đứng dậy mà không gặp khó khăn, và luôn cảm thấy bất tiện, khó chịu.

Trong tình trạng ấy, một hôm ngài đến nơi Đức Phật ngự, và nương tựa vào cánh tay của các thị vệ, ngài an tọa, rồi chắp tay bạch Đức Thế Tôn rằng: “Bạch Thế Tôn! Xin Ngài tha thứ cho sự thiếu cung kính của con vì đã không thể đảnh lễ Ngài như lẽ phải, nhưng con không biết bệnh gì đã khiến con trở nên béo phì như vậy! Chính điều này làm con đau đớn đến nỗi không thể thực hiện những lễ nghi cung kính thông thường đối với Ngài.” Đức Thế Tôn đáp

Beal 1In days of old when Buddha was residing in the country of Śrāvastī, preaching his doctrine for the conversion of the various orders of creatures (gods, nāgas, men, etc.), it happened that the king of the country, who was called Prasenajita, had gone on three occasions with his ministers to hear Buddha's discourses. Now at this time the king had given way to much self-indulgence in the way of luxurious living and other gratifications of the senses, in consequence of which he had become sleek and fat, and being so, he suffered from various ailments, such as flatulency and excessive drowsiness and heaviness, so that he could scarcely rise up without inconvenience, and was always more or less a sufferer from discomfort.
In this condition he once came to the place where Buddha was, and leaning on the arms of his attendants, he took his seat, and with clasped hands addressed the teacher thus:—"World-honoured! pardon, I pray, my want of due respect in not saluting you as I ought, but I know not what ailment possesses me that I am become so fat! and it is this that pains me so that I can pay none of the usual respects to your person.” To which the Lord replied— “Mahārāja! there are five things which always produce the condition of which you complain: 1st, constantly eating; 2d, love of sleep; 3d, love of pleasure; 4th, absence of thought; 5th, want of occupation. These are the things that cause corpulency and grossness of habit; if you would escape from this condition, then you must give up your luxurious living, and afterwards you will become thin again. And then the Lord added these stanzas :—

“A man ought to recollect and consider at every meal to exercise self-control, and thus avoid those aches and pains to which we are constantly liable; by allowing time for taking food, he causes his life to be prolonged.”

On hearing these verses, the king was so gratified that he ordered his chief cook to remember them, and to recite them in his presence before and after every meal. By doing thus the king was able to restrain himself, and gradually recovered his lightness of body and animal spirits, at which he was so rejoiced, that one day he went afoot to the place where Buddha was, and coming into his presence he paid him homage. On the Lord requesting him to be seated, he inquired, “Where, king, are your horses and chariot, how is it that you have come here afoot?” On which the king answered with joy—"By attending to what Buddha on a former occasion taught me, I have become light of body again, so that I find no difficulty whatever in walking as I have to the place where we are now assembled.” Then Buddha addressed the king as follows :—"Mahārāja! it is because men do not consider the impermanence of things in the world that matters are as they are. They nourish and cherish their bodies and their appetites, not remembering even their own comfort (happiness) in so doing, and thus the man dies and his spirit departs, whilst his body decays in the tomb. The wise man nourishes his soul (spirit), the foolish man nourishes his body. If you can understand this, then you may prepare yourself to receive the sacred teaching (of my doctrine),” and then the Lord added these verses :—

“How impermanent is man! he grows old as the stalled ox, fat, and fleshy, and strong, but he has no saving wisdom; without thought of life and death, and the perpetual troubles involved in them, thinking only of the body and its wants, and thus adding to his sorrows without prospect of escape. But the wise man understanding (the cause of) sorrow, on this account lets his body go; he destroys all thought (about it), he cuts off desire, and thus making an end of all lustful appetites, he also puts an end to renewed birth.”

The king having heard these words and understood them, at once received enlightenment, and others who heard them in great numbers, arrived at the “eyes of the law" (religious illumination).

Beal 2In days of old there were seven mendicants, who together resorted to the mountain wilds for the purpose of acquiring supreme wisdom. After twelve years' fruitless effort, they began to reason amongst themselves and say: “To acquire supreme wisdom is very hard; to mortify one's body and cramp one's limbs, and to endure cold and pain without interval, and to beg one's food and receive such scant supplies, all this is hard. To persevere in the path (of duty) so as to avoid any fault (sin) is hard. Why then do we any longer consume away our life in the mountain wilds? Surely this course is not so agreeable as to return home and establish our families, and marry wives and have children, and enjoy ourselves to the end of our days.” On this the seven men agreed to leave the mountains, and so went on their way homeward. Now Buddha, knowing their case, and perceiving there was a possibility of their salvation, out of pity to them, knowing that their impatience in religious exercises would, if allowed to go on, end in their ruin, transformed himself into the appearance of a Shaman, and transporting himself to the midst of a narrow defile, met them as they came along. And then he asked them, “After so long a trial in searching for supreme wisdom, why are ye leaving (the mountains, and giving up the quest)?” To which they replied, “To gain wisdom (i.e., complete illumination, or Bōdhi) is difficult. To attend diligently (in extirpating) the root of sorrow and sin is difficult. To go a-begging through the town, and receive scant charity, is hard. And to live here in the mountains, with no one to nourish us, in constant discomfort to the end of one's days, this is unbearable; and we are therefore going home to engage in our worldly occupations and get wealth, and then when we are old we will give ourselves up to seek for supreme wisdom.”
The Shaman replied, “Stand still awhile, and listen to me. Man's life is inconstant; a morning and an evening, and it may be gone. Although the way of religion is hard, yet it is but the sorrow first which leads to the joy which follows. To live in the world is also hard; through endless ages to have the cares of wife and child, without interval of rest. To live in community, and to take the vows of equality in all earthly goods, looking forward to and anticipating future happiness without interval of sorrow, this is difficult. The present life is but a scene of constant struggle against disease and hurts; wherever there is bodily existence, there is pain and sorrow. He only who has faith, and lives religiously (observing the moral rules), his heart intent on gaining supreme wisdom, with no interval of carelessness or remission of duty, to him alone there is an end, an eternal end, of misery.” On this the Shaman resumed the glorious appearance of Buddha, and spake these stanzas :—

“To aim at supreme wisdom and to give up sin is hard; but to live in the world as a worldly man is also hard. To dwell in a religious community on terms of perfect equality as to worldly goods is difficult; but difficult beyond comparison is the possession of worldly goods (or, 'it is difficult not to transgress in having such goods'). To beg one's food as a mendicant is hard, but what can a man do who does not restrain himself? By perseverance the duty becomes natural, and in the end there is no desire to have it otherwise. Having faith, then duty is easily accomplished; from following in the path of duty (i.e., moral duty) a man greatly enriches himself, and from this, moreover, it results that wherever he is, by whomsoever seen, he is respected (cherished). Sitting alone, occupying one place for sleep, ceaselessly pursuing one line of conduct (walk, or action), jealously guarding one upright (or correct) state of mind, there will be of necessity joy to such a man (though) living in the forest.”

On hearing these words the seven mendicants, filled with shame on account of their behaviour, bowed themselves down at the Lord's feet, and returning to the mountain wilds, and continuing to guard “one perfect heart,” they attained supreme wisdom, and became Rahats.