Section ten: Compete with masters of other religions in supernatural powers
Heard like this:
The Buddha was in the Kāraṇḍa Bamboo Grove in the city of Rājagṛha, where he was honored and respected by the king, ministers, elders, and the people. They offered the Buddha food, clothing, bedding, and medicine. At that time, six ascetics—Pūraṇa Kāśyapa, Maskarī Gośālīputra, Sañjayī Vairaṭṭīputra, Ajita Keśakaṃbala, Kakuda Kātyāyana, and Nirgrantha Jñātiputra—along with other ascetics, gathered in the assembly hall and discussed, “We were once the most respected people in the world, honored by the king and the people. Why are we now abandoned and no longer served? Instead, they all serve the ascetic Gotama and his disciples. This son of the Śākya clan, young and having practiced the Way for only a short time, how could he surpass us? We should test his supernatural powers to see who is superior. If Gotama can perform one supernatural feat, we will perform two; if he performs sixteen, we will perform thirty-two—always twice as many as his.” They then consulted with a trusted minister of King Bimbisāra, asking him to convey their intentions. The minister reported their plan to the king. Upon hearing this, the king was greatly angered, rebuked the minister, and then returned to his residence.
Seeing that only the Buddha was being respected, the ascetics went to the palace and submitted a written request detailing their intention to compete with the Buddha. The king immediately became enraged upon hearing the request and scolded the six ascetics. The king, having realized the truth and attained enlightenment, no longer believed in the practices of outside sects. He told his ministers, “Immediately expel these ascetics from the kingdom.” After the ascetics were expelled, they went to the city of Sāvatthī.
After completing his teachings in Rājagṛha, the Buddha, along with his bhikṣus, traveled to other districts and eventually returned to the Jeta Grove in Sāvatthī. The ascetics, unable to bear seeing the Buddha so respected, gathered the six teachers and other outside sect members and went to King Pasenadi of Kosala, detailing their intention to challenge the Buddha. The king agreed to their request, and he traveled by chariot to see the Buddha. After bowing to the Buddha’s feet, he sat down and, with hands joined, asked, “World-Honored One, the Dharma is profound and marvelous. Please demonstrate your supernatural powers to inspire faith in those who have not yet heard the Dharma, and to further clarify it for those who have, so that the outside sects may have nothing to say.” The Buddha replied, “I will demonstrate my supernatural powers in seven days.” The king, delighted, circumambulated the Buddha three times before leaving.
On the appointed day, the king prepared one hundred thousand chairs, as well as one hundred thousand chairs for Pūraṇa Kāśyapa and the others. The people of Sāvatthī emptied the city and came to witness the Buddha’s display of supernatual power. After the ascetics took their seats, the king rose and respectfully addressed the Buddha, saying, “World-Honored One, please sit and demonstrate your supernatual powers.” At that moment, the ghost general Pāśi arrived to pay homage to the Buddha. Upon hearing the ascetics’ intent to compete with the Buddha, he created winds and storms that struck their seats, along with sand and gravel falling, some reaching knee level, some thigh level. The Buddha slightly displayed his supernatual powers, causing a fire to erupt on their seats, the flames spreading in all directions. Pūraṇa Kāśyapa and the others, seeing the fire ignite on their seats, were overjoyed, thinking that it was their own supernatural powers causing the flames. Once the Buddha finished displaying his powers, the flames immediately extinguished. The ascetics then realized that it was not their powers that had caused the fire, and they began to feel regret and concern.
The Buddha immediately rose from the Lion’s Seat. At that moment, a lay woman with supernatural powers stood up, joined his palms, and reported to the Buddha, saying, “World-Honored One! There is no need for you to exert yourself. I am willing to display supernatural powers with the outside sects.” The Buddha replied, “No need. Please return to your seat. I will display the powers myself.” The poor lay follower Sudatta’s daughter, named Sumana, was a śrāmaṇeri. She, together with Maudgalyāyana, approached the Buddha and said, “World-Honored One! There is no need for you to exert yourself. We are willing to compete in displaying powers with them.” The Buddha replied, “No need. You both please return to your seats. I will display the powers myself.”
The Buddha’s intent was to bring peace and welfare to all beings, to show compassion for all humans and gods, and to help them attain liberation, while also subduing these ascetics and establishing wisdom for future scholars, ensuring that the Buddha Dharma would remain for future generations. Therefore, at that moment, the Buddha displayed his great supernatural powers. Rising from the Lion’s Seat, he flew into the eastern sky, walking in mid-air, sitting cross-legged or lying on his side. He entered the fire meditation state, emitting five-colored light, changing into various colors, with fire emerging from his lower body and water from his upper body; then fire appeared from his upper body and water from his lower body, and he vanished. The Buddha then flew from the south, disappearing again, then from the west, disappearing again, and finally from the north, where he remained in the air, performing similar transformations. The Buddha sat in the air, and on each shoulder appeared one hundred lotus petals, while a thousand-petaled lotus appeared on his head. A Buddha sat in meditation on the lotus, and light radiated in all directions. Heavenly beings scattered flowers in the air to offer to the Buddha, all exclaiming, “Excellent! The Buddha’s power shakes the ten directions.” The Buddha then withdrew his supernatural powers and returned to the Lion’s Seat.
At this moment, the ascetics were silent, their heads lowered like doves asleep. Then, Indra flew into the sky, making the flames in the air burn fiercely, visible only to the ascetics. When the flames appeared, they were struck with fear, trembling uncontrollably, their hair standing on end, and they fled in panic.
The Buddha then gave an extensive teaching to the assembly, discussing generosity, moral conduct, and the correct path of the gods, briefly addressing the fleeting joy of sensual pleasures and their profound dangers, and explaining the nature of suffering and impermanence. With wisdom, the Buddha knew that the minds of the people had become firm and unshakable, so he expounded the Four Noble Truths to them. Some took refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha; some knelt for the Dharma, received the precepts; others attained the fruits of Stream Entry, Once-Returner, and Non-Returner.
At that time, the people were wondering why these individuals had abandoned their homes for the path and were still arguing. The Buddha immediately knew their confusion and manifested a Buddha, upright and dignified, possessing the thirty-two marks of a great being, wearing monastic robes. His disciples also manifested human forms. When the manifested people spoke, the disciples spoke as well. When the Buddha spoke, the manifested Buddha were silent; when the manifested Buddha spoke, the Buddha remained silent. Why was this? Because the Perfectly Enlightened One directly helps beings according to their wishes.
The manifested Buddha knelt on his right knee, put his palms together, and asked in verse:
“When do verbal disputes arise? What causes sorrow and pain, leading to mutual accusations,
and even false speech that causes people to attack each other? Please, Buddha, explain the origin of these mistakes.”
The Buddha answered, “Because of the fear of losing what is pleasant, sorrow arises. Sorrow leads to disputes, and disputes continue to grow, causing more sorrow and suffering.
Because one wants to defeat the other, false speech arises. The desire to win is the root of the attack.”
The manifested Buddha asked, “Then how does attachment to the world arise? Why do people continue to crave things in the world?”
The Buddha answered, “Desire leads to attachment to the world, which creates pursuits and goals.
People want to keep fulfilling their desires, and because of this, they continue to suffer.
Because they cannot give up desire, they begin the cycle of rebirth.”
The manifested Buddha asked, “Then how does ‘desire’ arise? Why is there a difference between good and bad actions?
And where do the anger, hatred, and false speech displayed by the ascetics come from?”
The Buddha answered, “Some things bring pleasant feelings, while others do not. From this, desire arises.
Things that bring pleasant feelings appear and then disappear, creating the distinction in people’s minds.
Similarly, false speech and doubt arise from the combination of external conditions and internal perception.”
The manifested Buddha asked, “How does the mind awaken to wisdom? Please explain this principle.
Where do pleasant or unpleasant feelings come from? If either external conditions or the internal self no longer exist, would feelings cease to arise?
The growth and destruction of things are two sides of the same coin; what does this mean?”
The Buddha answered, “If external things do not contact the body, the body will not have perception, just as when desire does not arise, there is no attachment to the self.
Thus, the growth and destruction of things follow the same principle; I explain it this way.”
The manifested Buddha asked, “How does perception arise? Where do possessions come from?
If one is not attached to something, what is the cause of this dharmas? What causes attachment to things?”
The Buddha answered, “Perception relies on the body and the mind, and the body and mind rely on consciousness.
If the barriers of ignorance are overcome, liberation can be attained. On the other hand, once the body and mind are formed, perception will inevitably arise.”
The manifested Buddha asked, “How can we abandon external things that cause pleasure? How can we prevent attachment from arising?“
The Buddha answered, “Quiet the mind from being led by external things, and guide your actions and perceptions with truth. Then, liberation will not be far off.
Do not let your mind be led by your thoughts, nor be led by external things. Do not suppress thoughts forcibly, nor try to stop them from arising.
Cut off the things to which your mind clings, because obstacles to practice arise from attachment to thoughts.”
The manifested Buddha said, “I have received answers to all my questions, but now I have one more. Please, Buddha, explain further.
Some people say that the neither thought nor non-thought meditative state is the highest state of purity.
Is this true, or is there another purer state?” The Buddha answered, “Indeed, some people believe that.
they practice meditation in the forest, believing that this meditation, free from any residue, is the highest state.
However, when observed with the wisdom of the Buddha’s teachings, it becomes clear that this state still involves dependency and being dependent.
Understanding this, wise people are not bound by the world and are liberated from the cycle of rebirth.”
After the Buddha recited this verse of perfect doctrines, the bhikkhus were filled with joy.
Section eleven: Brahmin ‘Fierce Observe’
Heard like this:
The Buddha was under a tree in Kapilavastu, the land of the Shakyas, with five hundred bhikkhus. They are all Arahant. They had completed all that was to be done, put down their burdens, understood the true meaning of the Buddha’s teachings, transcended the cycle of birth and death, and would no longer be reborn.
At that time, the gods from the ten directions came to the place where the Buddha and his bhikkhu sangha were, wishing to see the Buddha and his community of bhikṣus. The four Brahma kings spoke to each other, saying, “Do the practitioners not know that the Buddha is under the tree in Kapilavastu, accompanied by five hundred arahants? Furthermore, the gods from the ten directions have all come to pay respects to the Buddha and wish to see his majestic power and the bhikkhus. Why should we not go and witness his power?” The four Brahma kings immediately descended from the seventh heaven, as swiftly as a strong Guardian stretching out his arm. They came to the Buddha’s side, not far from him, and together paid homage to the Buddha and his bhikkhus, then each took their seat.
The first Brahma king, after sitting, recited a verse:
“Today, in the assembly under the tree, countless gods have come to see the Buddha.
Today I have come to listen to the Buddha’s teachings, and I also wish to see the multitude of beings.”
The second Brahma king, after sitting, recited a verse:
“Practice should tame the mind, and through right mindfulness, one can know whether body and mind are correct.
Just as a charioteer skillfully controls the reins, the practitioner should guard the sense faculties and observe actions and consciousness.”
The third Brahma king, after sitting, recited a verse:
“The Buddha’s power can eliminate seven kinds of afflictions; his body and mind are as firm as the root of iron, unshaken.
He has abandoned attachments to the world and has become pure and undefiled. His wisdom eye is bright, and his thoughts are controlled.”
The fourth Brahma king, after sitting, recited a verse:
“Those who take refuge in the light of the World-Honored One will not be reborn in the evil realms.
After their life ends, they will be reborn in heaven, a little removed from the troubles of this life.”
At that time, among those seated, there was a Brahmin named Fierce Observe, who was present in the assembly and had doubts in his heart. The Buddha, knowing the doubts in Fierce Observe’s heart, manifested as a Buddha with an extraordinarily dignified appearance, a Buddha whom everyone who saw was delighted by. The Buddha had the thirty-two major marks, his body was golden and radiated light, and he wore the robes as previously described. This manifested Buddha then joined his palms together in front of the Buddha and praised with a verse:
“People cling to their own views, thinking that their understanding surpasses others.
In their search for the knowledge of all things, they go everywhere, even to very distant places, but they never obtain correct wisdom.
Because they cling to their own views, they engage in arguments and disputes, each person claiming that others are foolish, and only they themselves are wise.
If all that they say is the truth, wouldn’t that mean that each person is correct?”
The Buddha said, “People do not know whether various masters have truly realized the truth, but simply follow the crowd, repeating what others say,
rejecting the real truth, and ultimately sinking into ignorance. These masters also make the same mistake.
However, if one carefully reflects and then refrain from engaging in harmful actions and words, wisdom will make the mind pure.
In this way, wisdom will not regress, because wrong actions and words are halted in the mind.
I do not think that blaming others for ignorance is the correct action. Ignorant views and actions can be spread and propagated in turn.
Each person believes that they are correct, but in reality, their ignorance not only remains in their own part but also carries over the ignorance of others.”
The manifested Buddha asked, “People in the world say their teachings can guide beings to liberation, but because the essence of what they teach is fragile, their desires take the lead.
Their practice is entirely opposite to the Noble Eightfold Path; it is ignorance that continually accumulates and grows. Why is it that the disciples of the Buddha do not follow this path?”
The Buddha replied, “There is only one truth, and there is no second. Once you understand this, your mind will not be deluded.
You will not follow incorrect views, which is why the behavior of the Buddha’s disciples is different from theirs.”
The manifested Buddha asked, “So, what is the truth that those outside the Buddha’s teachings do not understand? What of their teachings can be trusted?
What attitude should we adopt towards them and their teachings?”
The Buddha replied, “They have not yet fully understood consciousness, let alone other teachings. What they hold onto is nothing more than the discriminating mind arising from delusion.
If the eyes see something and attach to it as real, consciousness can deceive a person into perceiving the true and the false incorrectly.
Thus, what people see, hear, and the precepts they follow, are all distorted by their consciousness. What was meant to explore the truth becomes mutual contempt and argument.
When they no longer reflect and focus only on arguing and competing to win, will they still have a sense of shame? Instead, they simply pass on this ignorance to others.
How does ignorance get passed on? Others may think, ‘Ah, his words are so beautiful, they can guide me out of confusion.’
When others adopt this view, if they hear words that oppose their beliefs, they will become angry.
This anger makes their wrong views even more solid, and they stubbornly follow their teacher’s path, using eloquent speech to decorate and defend these false teachings.
But the more they do this, the more fearful they become, afraid their words aren’t elegant enough. This is what I often warn my disciples against in my teachings.
If you think the other person’s views are wrong and they are foolish, and that angers you, then you yourself have no wisdom.
By knowing the distinctions between various teachings, ignorance is destroyed and wisdom is revealed.
Some say, ‘My path is the right path and it makes everyone pure,’
But this leads to disputes because it is triggered people’s own desires.
Purity obtained from external teachings, although pure, is not thorough.
When they hear about the true path to purity, their attachment to the self and their desires will suddenly arise.
Their attachment to the self and wrong views are so firm, how can they point out the foolishness of others?
However, even though their teachings are impure, they feel good about themselves.
They use their personal standards and views to judge others, and although they may have a high position in the world, their minds remain confused.
If one stops the process of bodily, verbal, and mental actions, it may seem like he is doing nothing, but in reality, he is engaging in subtle actions.”
After the Buddha recited this verse of perfect doctrines, the bhikkhus were filled with joy.
Section twelve: Brahmin ‘Dharma Observe’
Heard like this:
The Buddha was under a tree in Kapilavastu, the land of the Shakyas, with five hundred bhikkhus. They are all Arahant. They had completed all that was to be done, put down their burdens, understood the true meaning of the Buddha’s teachings, transcended the cycle of birth and death, and would no longer be reborn.
At that time, the gods from the ten directions came to the place where the Buddha and his bhikkhu sangha were, wishing to see the Buddha and his community of bhikṣus. The four Brahma kings spoke to each other, saying, “Do the practitioners not know that the Buddha is under the tree in Kapilavastu, accompanied by five hundred arahants? Furthermore, the gods from the ten directions have all come to pay respects to the Buddha and wish to see his majestic power and the bhikkhus. Why should we not go and witness his power?” The four Brahma kings immediately descended from the seventh heaven, as swiftly as a strong Guardian stretching out his arm. They came to the Buddha’s side, not far from him, and together paid homage to the Buddha and his bhikkhus, then each took their seat.
The first Brahma king, after sitting, recited a verse:
“Today, in the assembly under the tree, countless gods have come to see the Buddha.
Today I have come to listen to the Buddha’s teachings, and I also wish to see the multitude of beings.”
The second Brahma king, after sitting, recited a verse:
“Practice should tame the mind, and through right mindfulness, one can know whether body and mind are correct.
Just as a charioteer skillfully controls the reins, the practitioner should guard the sense faculties and observe actions and consciousness.”
The third Brahma king, after sitting, recited a verse:
“The Buddha’s power can eliminate seven kinds of afflictions; his body and mind are as firm as the root of iron, unshaken.
He has abandoned attachments to the world and has become pure and undefiled. His wisdom eye is bright, and his thoughts are controlled.”
The fourth Brahma king, after sitting, recited a verse:
“Those who take refuge in the light of the World-Honored One will not be reborn in the evil realms.
After their life ends, they will be reborn in heaven, a little removed from the troubles of this life.”
At that time, among the assembly was a Brahmin named Dharma Observe. He, too, was among the gathering and gave rise to doubt in his heart, wondering why someone who had already attained liberation still possessed a physical body.
The Buddha, knowing the doubts in Dharma Observe’s heart, manifested as a Buddha with an extraordinarily dignified appearance, a Buddha whom everyone who saw was delighted by. The Buddha had the thirty-two major marks, his body was golden and radiated light, and he wore the robes as previously described. This Buddha then joined his palms together in front of the Buddha and praised with a verse:
“Some people, due to certain conditions, praise the viewpoints they hold,
while looking down upon all other viewpoints, thinking that by doing so they can accumulate good karma.
They often lack knowledge, self-awareness, and a sense of shame, because such arguments only lead to two results: praise or criticism.
When wise people observe this dharmas, they abandon the source of conflict and wish to be in a peaceful place, free from strife.”
The Buddha said, “Some people believe that all viewpoints, except their own, are as level as the earth, without any distinction between high and low. This is an incorrect view of equality.
The backgrounds and conditions that give rise to various viewpoints are different, so how could there be no distinction in viewpoints? Therefore, when hearing such claims, do not engage in arguments.
Whether one is close to such people or depends on their views and thoughts, this is a behavior that should be abandoned.
They claim that they are pure and have the clearest understanding of the truth, but who truly understands? As long as desire is not eradicated, one will continue to cycle through samsara, moving from one body to the next.
By observing the precepts, one can prevent further karmic actions, and by practicing the truth in an auspicious way, one’s merit and virtues will grow stronger.
Thus, one’s body and mind will gradually become pure. What is considered ugly or fearful in the worldly realm will no longer be feared.
However, if one’s methods of practice and views deviate from the truth, then from this point on, karmic actions will begin to arise.
And in this situation, the harder one tries to practice, the more fiercely one pursues purity, the further they move away from the path of self-realization, inevitably suffering the pain of birth and death.
If they practice diligently but do not boast of themselves, but instead observe and reflect on the dharmas of their actions and perceptions in accordance with the teachings,
then samsara will begin to break here, just as I have said — this is called wisdom.
Abandoning all precepts and ascetic practices also means abandoning all karmic actions and merits,
not deliberately pursuing or distinguishing between purity and impurity, but rather remaining quietly in purity.
Some people say, ‘My teaching is the best in the world, others are inferior teachings.’
Such words only make the struggle more intense, because various factions rely on such disputes to gain worldly benefits.
Others say, ‘My teaching is the most complete, while others’ teachings are flawed.’
This comparative way of teaching leads to mutual resentment, but by relying on one’s own realization, without relying on comparative teachings, one will not fall into such impurities.
Some teachings use threats to promote themselves, but this is of no benefit to the pursuit of truth.
Those who lack wisdom claim to be pure, and their attachment to wrong views is very strong.
They praise their own teachings, speaking and explaining like their teachers.
If beautiful speech equaled realization, then each of them should be correct.
Repeating the words of others and blindly accepting their views leads to downfall.
If one only needs to repeat others’ words, then one’s thinking ability deteriorates, but they mistakenly think they possess extraordinary wisdom and begin to boast about it.
When a wise person realizes that they are influenced by internal and external factors, they immediately detach from them, and do not cling to any teachings.
This is why they always speak good words, their actions and speech remain pure, and they do not engage in the disputes of different factions.
People judge a master’s wisdom based on their outer appearance, whether they are dignified or not,
but regardless of whether the appearance is good or bad, one should not judge based on this — this attitude is the correct one.
To determine whether someone has wisdom, one should observe their views and judge them based on the right teachings.
If their views and actions show no fault, then they can be followed, surpassing confusion and conflict, with no further arising of disputes.
When wisdom increases, one realizes that there is nothing worth clinging to, and then the awareness arising from the external environment will no longer be stubborn,
just as a barrier closing off the path, the heart’s attempts to grasp and cling are restricted, and only observation of the world remains, without bias toward any one thing.
The World-Honored One has cut off the worldly dependencies and constraints, no longer paying attention to the attachments and disputes of the world,
whether the world is pure or full of conflict, the World-Honored One silently observes and relinquishes, showing compassion to ordinary people even in adverse environments.
Having freed oneself from old afflictions and not creating new ones, without desires, what could one cling to?
The wise person has abandoned all mistaken views, practicing Buddhism Dharmma diligently, freeing themselves from all worldly and non-worldly existences.
They have no doubt about the Buddha’s teachings, and although they face various external distractions and perceptions, they do not become troubled.
Thus, they have laid down their burdens and, following the World-Honored One’s right path, they have attained liberation, with their words and actions free from fault.”
After the Buddha recited this verse of perfect doctrines, the bhikkhus were filled with joy.
Dharma Torch 