Dharma Torch

Section Eight: The Past Cause of the Brahmin Woman Jansha Slandering the Buddha

Heard like this.

At one time, the Buddha was at the Great Anavatapta Spring together with five hundred great bhikṣus. They were all Arhats, possessing the six supernormal powers, with only one bhikṣu as an exception, namely Ānanda.

The Buddha told Śāriputra, “Immeasurable kalpas ago, there was then a Buddha named All-Victory, Tathāgata, the Worthy of Offerings, the Perfectly Awakened One, the Perfect in Clarity and Conduct One, the Well Gone, the Knower of the World, the Unsurpassed Leader, the Teacher of Devas and Human Beings, Buddha, the World-Honored One. At that time, he was in the land of Benares together with an assembly of sixty-eight thousand great bhikṣus, all of whom were Arhats. Śāriputra, at that time All-Victory Tathāgata had two disciples. One was a bhikṣu named Indomitable, and the other was a bhikṣu named Joy-Seeker. The bhikṣu Indomitable had the six kinds of supernormal powers, while the afflictions of the bhikṣu Joy-Seeker had not yet been completely eliminated.

“At that time, in the city of Benares, there was an elder named Great-Passion, who possessed elephants, horses, and the seven treasures, with wealth beyond measure. The elder Great-Passion had a wife named Good-Illusion, whose beauty was unequaled. These two bhikṣus often came and went in his household, receiving offerings. Lady Good-Illusion made offerings to the bhikṣu Indomitable of clothing, food and drink, bedding, and medicines, fully providing the four requisites. Her offerings to the bhikṣu Joy-Seeker, however, were extremely meager. Why was this so? Because the bhikṣu Indomitable had cut off all afflictions and possessed the six supernormal powers, whereas the afflictions of the bhikṣu Joy-Seeker had not yet been eliminated, and he had not yet accomplished the fruit of the Way. When the bhikṣu Joy-Seeker saw that the bhikṣu Indomitable was receiving offerings with partial favor, a jealous mind arose in him, and with malicious intent he slandered him, saying, ‘The bhikṣu Indomitable is having an illicit affair with Lady Good-Illusion. She does not make offerings because of the Buddhadharma, but because of private affection.’”

The Buddha said to Śāriputra, “Do you know who the disciple of All-Victory Tathāgata named Joy-Seeker was at that time? He was I myself. Do you wish to know who Lady Good-Illusion was? She is now the brahmin woman named Jansha.”

The Buddha said to Śāriputra, “At that time, I slandered the Arhat Indomitable without cause or reason. Because of that offense, I underwent suffering in hell for countless thousands of years. Even though I have now become a Buddha, when I was speaking the Dharma to the six teachers of the heterodox paths, the assembly of bhikṣus, those whose afflictions had been cut off and those whose afflictions had not been cut off, as well as kings, ministers, faithful men, and faithful women, because of the residual fruit of retribution, a talkative young woman hid a wooden bucket beneath her clothing so that her belly bulged, came before me, and said, ‘Why do you not speak of your own household affairs, but only speak of other people’s affairs? Today you alone are happy, yet you do not know my suffering. Why? Because you have had private relations with me and made me pregnant. Now I am about to give birth and need ghee to nourish the child. You should give all of these things to me.’”

At that time, the people in the assembly all lowered their heads and remained silent. Then Śakra, Lord of Devas, was behind the Buddha fanning him. By supernormal power he transformed and produced a mouse, which entered her clothing, gnawed through the cord that tied the wooden bucket, and caused it suddenly to fall to the ground. At that time, all the four kinds of disciples, together with the teachers and disciples of the six heterodox paths and others, saw the wooden bucket fall to the ground. They were all overjoyed, cried out in celebration, and laughed beyond measure. They also cursed her with one voice, saying, “You dead red-faced thing of sin, how dare you have such an evil thought and slander the pure, unsurpassed true and genuine one? This great earth is truly without knowledge, that it can contain such an evil thing.” The people were all speaking among themselves when, at that time, the ground suddenly split open and flames surged forth. That woman fell into it and dropped straight down into Avīci Hell.

When the great assembly saw this woman fall into hell in her present life, King Ajātaśatru was frightened and terrified, and the hairs on his body stood on end. He then rose, joined his palms, knelt on both knees, and asked, “Where is the place into which this woman has fallen now?”

The Buddha answered the great king, “The place into which this woman has fallen is called Avīci Hell.”

King Ajātaśatru again asked the Buddha, “This woman did not kill anyone, nor did she steal. She merely told a lie. Did she fall into Avīci Hell for that?”

The Buddha said to King Ajātaśatru, “The conditions I speak of are divided into superior, middling, and inferior: actions of body, speech, and mind.”

Ajātaśatru again asked, “What is the heaviest? What is middling? What is lighter?”

The Buddha said to King Ajātaśatru, “Mental action is the heaviest, verbal action is in the middle, and bodily action is lower.” Ajātaśatru again asked the Buddha, and the Buddha answered, “Bodily action is coarse and visible. Verbal action is what the ear hears. These two matters can be perceived by people in the world.” The Buddha said to the great king, “Mental action, even when thoughts arise and move in the mind, cannot be seen or heard by anyone. This is an inner matter. All actions are bound by the nail of intention.”

The king again asked the Buddha, “Intention is without form. How, then, are other actions bound by the nail of intention?”

The Buddha answered the king, “If a man or woman wishes to carry out killing, stealing, or sexual misconduct, he or she first thinks in the mind, considering at what time this act can be done and considering where one can go.” The Buddha again said to the king, “When people are about to carry out any action, they first calculate and plan in the mind, and only afterward carry it out. Therefore, they are bound by the nail of intention, and are not bound by body and speech.”

The Buddha again said to the king, “As for verbal action, when one wishes to carry out verbal action, one first thinks inwardly, ‘If, in a great assembly, the Buddhadharma is being discussed; if, when everyone is seated and judging the precepts, someone asks me, I will oppose his words and say, “This is not something that has already occurred”; if someone makes an affirmative statement, I will deny him.’ This is entirely because of extreme emotion toward another person that one speaks in this way. If these three matters cannot be accomplished, one will again calculate and plan, intending to provoke the other party by saying, ‘He wishes to kill you, destroy you, and defeat you. You should believe my words and not believe others.’ If one performs this act of divisive speech, it forms falsehood, destroys the Right Dharma, and after death one falls into hell.” The Buddha said to the king, “Therefore, verbal action is bound by the nail of intention, and not by body and speech.”

The king again asked the Buddha, “Why is this so?”

The Buddha answered the king, “The three evil karmas of the body and the four evil karmas of speech are all bound by the nail of intention. If the mind does not think, the body cannot act on its own. Therefore, body and speech are both bound by the nail of intention.”

At that time, the Buddha spoke a verse:

“One must first think and discern in the mind; only then can one drive body and mouth to act.

People pretend to feel shame for evil deeds of body and mouth, yet they have never felt shame for the mind and intention.

One should first feel shame for the mind and intention, and only afterward feel shame for evil deeds of body and mouth.

For body and mouth cannot depart from consciousness, nor can they act on their own.”

At that time, King Ajātaśatru, having heard the Buddha speak the Dharma, wept until tears streamed down his face, and sorrow arose within him. The Buddha asked the king, “Why does the king weep?”

The king answered, “I weep because sentient beings are ignorant and do not understand these three matters of body, speech, and mind. They often commit evil, and therefore I grieve. These sentient beings only think that the actions of body and speech are most important, and they do not know that intention is deeper and more subtle. World-Honored One, I originally thought that the actions of body and speech were most important and that intention was more secondary. Now, having heard from the Buddha, I know that intention is most important, while body and speech are secondary.”

The Buddha asked the king, “Why did you previously think that you knew the actions of body and speech were important and intention was secondary? And why do you now say that intention is important, while the actions of body and speech are secondary?”

The king again said to the Buddha, “When people kill living beings, people can see it. If they steal or commit sexual misconduct, these are also things people can see. These three bodily actions can be seen by everyone under heaven. Among verbal actions, false speech, harsh speech, divisive speech, and frivolous speech, these four evil forms of speech can be heard by everyone under heaven. The three evil actions of mind and intention are not something the ears can hear, nor something the eyes can see. Therefore, sentient beings consider the matters seen by the eyes and heard by the ears to be important. Now, having heard the Buddha speak the Dharma, I know that intention is most important, while the actions of body and speech are secondary. Therefore, the two kinds of actions, body and speech, are both bound by the nail of intention.”

The Buddha again asked the king, “How do you know that the power of the nail of intention is greatest, and that the two kinds of actions, body and speech, are both bound upon the nail of intention?”

The king said to the Buddha, “This talkative woman wished to slander and defame you. First she considered in her mind, ‘I will hide a wooden bucket under my clothing so that my belly bulges, and in the midst of the great assembly I will create a rumor about the Buddha.’ I have also heard the Buddha’s teaching, and therefore I know that the power of intention is greatest, while the actions of body and speech are secondary.”

The Buddha said to the great king, “How do you now understand that the power of intention is greatest, and that the actions of body and speech are secondary?”

The king answered, “If one is to carry out any matter, the thought must first arise from within the mind, and only afterward do body and speech carry it out. Therefore, I know that the power of mind and intention is greatest, while the actions of body and speech are secondary.”

The Buddha said, “Excellent, Excellent! Great king, you understand this well. You should always learn this principle: the power of intention is greatest, while the actions of body and speech are secondary.”

When this Dharma was spoken, among the assembly, eighty bhikṣus exhausted their outflows and attained liberation of mind; two hundred bhikṣus attained the Way of Anāgāmin; four hundred bhikṣus attained the Way of Sakṛdāgāmin; eight hundred bhikṣus attained the Way of Srotāpanna; eighty thousand people and devas all attained the purity of the Dharma eye; one hundred thousand humans and nonhumans all received the five precepts; and two hundred thousand ghosts and spirits received the three refuges.

At that time, the Buddha spoke a verse concerning the causes and conditions of his own former lives:

“At the time of All-Victory Tathāgata, I was the bhikṣu Joy-Seeker.

I slandered Indomitable, and fell into hell for a very long time.

Because of this residual fruit of retribution, a talkative woman came,

Stood before the great assembly, and slandered me.

The cycle of cause and effect never decays or perishes; it does not vanish into empty space.

One should carefully protect these three causal relations, and not violate the conduct of body, speech, and mind.

Now, I have become the honored Buddha, the leader of the three realms,

And in the Anavatapta Spring, I personally recount the karmic causes of my past lives.”

The Buddha told Śāriputra, “Look at the Tathāgata. All evils have been exhausted, and all good qualities are universally complete. Devas, nāgas, spirits, emperors, ministers, people, and all sentient beings are all to be taught, guided, and caused to cross to the other shore, yet even the Tathāgata still cannot avoid evil retribution. How much more so for sentient beings who are foolish, benighted, and have not attained the Way? Śāriputra, one should well protect the three karmic actions of body, speech, and mind.”

When the Buddha spoke these words, Śāriputra, the five hundred Arhats, the great nāga king Anavatapta, the Eight Legions, devas and sprits, having heard the Buddha’s teaching, all accepted it with great joy and practiced it.