Fourth Section: The Past Cause of Joint Pain
Fourth Section: The Past Cause of Joint Pain
Heard like this:
At one time, the Buddha was at Anavatapta Spring, accompanied by five hundred great bhikṣus, all of whom were Arhats, possessing the six supernatural powers, except for one bhikṣu, who was different. It was Ananda.
The Buddha said to Sariputta, “A long, long time ago, in the city of Rajagriha, there was a rich man’s son who fell ill with a fever and suffered greatly. In the city, there was a highly skilled doctor who could identify various medicines and treat various diseases. The rich man’s son called for this doctor and said, ‘If you can cure my illness, I will reward you with a large sum of wealth.’ The doctor began treating him, and gradually, the rich man’s son improved. However, once he had recovered, he did not fulfill his promise to reward the doctor. Soon after, the rich man’s son fell ill again and called the doctor to treat him. After he recovered, he still did not give the doctor the promised reward. This situation occurred three times, with the same result each time.
“Later, when the rich man’s son became ill once more, he called the doctor for treatment again. The doctor said, ‘I have treated you three times already, but you have never paid me.’ The rich man’s son replied, ‘You have treated me before, but I have not yet repaid you. Now, please treat me once more. If I recover, I will repay you for everything.’ The doctor thought to himself, ‘I have been deceived by you three times, as one deceives a child. This time, I will treat you in a way that will end your life.’ So, the doctor intentionally gave him the wrong medicine, which worsened the illness, and the rich man’s son ultimately died.”
The Buddha said to Sariputta, “Do you know who the doctor was at that time? It was I. And the sick rich man’s son was Devadatta.”
The Buddha continued, “At that time, I gave the rich man’s son the wrong medicine, leading to his death. Because of this karmic cause, I endured countless years of torment in heck, followed by suffering as an animal and a hungry ghost. Due to the residual effects of this karma, even though I have now attained Buddhahood, I still experience pain in my bones and joints.”
Then, the Buddha recited the following verse about the causes and effects of past lives:
“I was once a doctor who treated the son of a rich man,
Out of anger, I gave him the wrong medicine, which led to his death.
Because of this karmic cause, I suffered long in heck,
The residual effects of that karma now cause the pain in my bones and joints.
The cycle of cause and effect will never vanish, nor will it disappear into thin air.
We should protect these three types of cause and effect and not violate the moral conduct of body, speech, and mind.
I myself have become the honored Buddha, the leader of the three realms,
And thus I recount the karmic causes of past lives, here at Anavatapta Spring.”
The Buddha said to Sariputta, “Look at me, the Tathagata. All my evil deeds have been eliminated, and all my good deeds have been fully accomplished. the Heavenly beings, Nāgas, gods and spirits, kings, and subjects all marvel at my merits. Even so, I still cannot avoid the karmic consequences from past lives. How much more so for those ignorant beings who have not yet attained the Way?”
The Buddha then said to Sariputta, “You should learn this, as should all Arhats and all sentient beings. “
The Buddha then said to Sariputta, “You should protect the three precepts of the body, the four precepts of the speech, and the three precepts of the mind. Sariputta! You should learn this. “
As the Buddha spoke these words, Sariputta, the five hundred Arhats, the Anavatapta Nāga King, the Heavenly beings, Nāgas, Yakṣas, Gandharvas, Asuras, Garudas, Kinnaras, Mahoragas, all the beings gathered, listened to the Buddha’s teachings and accepted them with great joy, following them in practice.
Dharma Torch 