Dharma Torch

Translated by Śramaṇa Dharma Torch of the Western Jin Dynasty

Ānanda said: “This is what I heard from the Buddha.”

One day, the Buddha was in the Jetavana Monastery in Śrāvastī. On that day, the Son of Śārika and Rāhula were together. At dawn, dressed in their monastic robes and holding their alms bowls, they entered the city to beg for food. At that moment, a disrespectful man happened to cross their path. He thought to himself, “This is the first disciple of the ascetic Gotama and Rāhula, begging for alms.” Upon this thought, he developed malicious intent. He picked up some sand from the ground and placed it in the Son of Śārika’s alms bowl. Not only that, but he also struck Rāhula on the head.

The teacher saw the blood flowing from Rāhula’s head, staining his face, and said, “As a disciple of the Buddha, one must be cautious and not harbor malicious thoughts. One should have a compassionate heart toward all beings. The World-Honored One often says, ‘The person who can endure is the most peaceful.’ Only those with wisdom can achieve this. I, after hearing the Buddha’s teachings and precepts, have vowed never to transgress. I control my mind and cherish forbearance as a precious jewel. If one lets their mind indulge in evil, it is like throwing oneself into a fire. Foolish people call their arrogance and prejudices ‘abilities.’ They do not realize that the calamities they sow will return to harm them. Those who let their minds run wild bring disasters heavier than Mount Sumeru. After the person’s death, they will face the consequences of their actions. Even if a sixteenth of the karmic retribution will not be reduced. The foolish person who harms an ascetic monk who observes the precepts is like walking into the wind with a torch. Those who do not abandon delusion and ignorance will be burned by fire. The wicked believe they possess wisdom, just as some bhikṣus rely on the Four Noble Truths for their practice. As a disciple of the Buddha, one should always subdue their mind. The moment an evil thought arises, it should be extinguished. The gods and kings are called the bravest of the brave, but even they cannot compare to the one who endures evil. The strength of the one who endures is supreme.”

Rāhula, seeing the blood flowing from his head and running down his face, went to the water to wash it off. He said to himself, “How can my momentary suffering compare to the long-lasting torment of that sinner? Because of this person’s evil, this place has become a place of sin. I bear no resentment, but my heart is filled with sorrow. What will become of this person? The Buddha is my revered teacher, teaching me great compassion. The rebellious and violent person has a cruel mind. But the ascetic silently endures, developing noble virtues. The cruel, wolf-like evil-doer is admired by ignorant people, while the ascetic, who guards his mind with forbearance , is scorned by deluded and ignorant individuals. Should I follow this person’s evil deeds because of his sin? The wheel of life turns constantly; can only one side touch the ground? I want to teach ignorant, deluded people the true and genuine Dharma of the Buddha. But it is like using a sharp sword to cut a rotten corpse—the corpse feels no pain. The sword is sharp, but the dead body is numb. It is like sweet dew falling from the sky to feed dirty pigs. The pigs wander away, not because the dew is not delicious, but because the filthy creatures do not appreciate it. Is this not the same when teaching the true Dharma of the Buddha to the wicked and ignorant people of the world?”

The teacher and disciple returned together. After eating, they washed their bowls, washed their hands, and rinsed their mouths. Then they both went before the Buddha and bowed at his feet. The Son of Śārika stepped back and sat down, recounting the entire incident to the Buddha. The World-Honored One said: “That person’s malicious mind gave rise to evil deeds, and having committed evil, he is now heading toward ruin. When that frivolous man dies, in the middle of the night, he will fall into the Avīci Hell with no escape. In that hell, the beings of torment will afflict him with all manner of poisonous pain. After eighty-four thousand years, the sinner will finally die. After death, his consciousness will be reborn as a great venomous serpent. The intense poison within the serpent’s body will turn back and harm its own flesh. The sinner will continuously take on the body of a snake, forever eating dirt, until ten thousand years pass before he may leave the serpent form. Because the sinner bore hatred toward one who upheld precepts, he receives the retribution of a poisonous body. Because he poured dirt into the alms bowl, he must eat dirt life after life until the retribution of that karma is exhausted. When the sinner is later reborn as a human, his mother will suffer severe illnesses while he still in the womb, and the family’s wealth will be depleted day by day because of it. After the child is born, he will be obstinate in temperament and dull in intellect, even to the point of being born without hands or feet. His relatives will be shocked and terrified, and the entire family lineage will be thrown into disarray. They will ask: ‘What kind of monster is this? Its arrival is an ominous sign.’ They will pick up the child and throw it in the street. Passersby, upon seeing the child, will be astonished. Some will hurl bricks and stones at it, others will strike its head with knives or sticks, or trample upon the child’s skull. The child will suffer endless pain until ten days or a month later, it dies. After death, the consciousness will immediately be reborn again, still without hands or feet, obstinate and dull-witted, just like before. In this way, for five hundred lifetimes, the heavy karmic offense will only then be eradicated. After that, when the sinner is born as a human, he will constantly suffer from severe headaches.”

The World-Honored One further said: “Son of Śārika, if one lives in the world but is unable to practice forbearance, then wherever he is reborn, he will not encounter the appearance of a Buddha in the world. One who cannot endure contradicts the Buddha’s Dharma, distances himself from the Saṅgha, and continually revolves within the hells, hungry ghosts, and animals, over countless kalpas. Even if, by the remnant blessings from past lives, he escapes and is born as a human, he still inherits his former nature, remains perpetually ignorant, acts according to impulse, and cruelly harms others. He harbors jealousy toward the sages, slanders the supreme ones, is born with an ugly appearance, hated by the multitudes, born into poverty, and finds no promotion in his official career. What he faces is always contrary to his wishes. He receives no protection or support from heavenly beings or sages. At night, he often has evil dreams; demons, ghosts, and spirits come in succession; calamities rush at him from all sides; wherever he resides, there is no peace but only constant anxiety and fear. All of these conditions arise from the inability to practice forbearance—the inability to subdue one’s own mind, and the yielding of one’s mind to evil intent. One who practices forbearance is always born into places of peace; all calamities are extinguished. What he longs for matches his aspirations. His complexion is radiant with a healthy glow; his body is strong and seldom ill; he obtains wealth and nobility. All of this is due to the power of forbearance, of a compassionate heart, and of generosity and benefit to sentient beings. One who practices forbearance is truly a person of merit. His body is at peace, his relatives are secure, and his family clan prospers in harmony. There is never anything that brings him unhappiness. A wise person contemplates thoroughly and subdues his own mind. It is the mind that causes people to transgress. The mind destroys families, harms oneself, leads to legal punishment, burns in hell, or causes rebirth as a hungry ghost or in animal form. All of this stems from the faults of the mind.”

The World-Honored One again said: “It is better to be pierced by a sharp sword through the abdomen, having the muscles severed, and cast into the fire, than to commit evil. It is better to have Mount Sumeru pressed upon one’s head and be crushed, or to leap into the great sea to be swallowed by fish and turtles, than to commit evil. If one does not understand these principles, they should be cautious and refrain from speaking recklessly. The bright teachings of Buddha is contrary to the world. What the world values and treasures, the true path of the Buddha deems as insignificant. Pure water and polluted water flow in different paths. Wise and foolish people have differing aspirations. The loyal and those who speak flattering words are enemies of one another. Evil people are often envious of the righteous. Therefore, those who are fond of desires do not appreciate our practice of non-desire. It is better to swallow burning coals than to slander the Three Jewels. The brightness of forbearance surpasses that of the sun and moon. The strength of dragons and elephants, though mighty, cannot compare to even tens of thousands of the power of forbearance. The radiance of the seven treasures, although cherished by the world, brings sorrow, resulting in disasters and misfortune. Forbearance is a treasure, bringing lasting peace from beginning to end. Someone who makes offerings throughout the ten directions and receives great merit may not surpass the merit gained from forbearance . One who holds forbearance in their heart and acts with kindness will have no enemies from one generation to the next. Their heart will be calm, and they will never harbor harmful thoughts. There is no true refuge in the world, only forbearance can be relied upon. Forbearance is a peaceful abode, where no calamities or strange occurrences arise. Forbearance is a divine armor, protecting one from harm. Forbearance is a great boat, capable of carrying one across difficulties. Forbearance is a precious medicine that can save the lives of beings. What desires cannot be fulfilled by the one who can endure? If someone desires to become the emperor of the flying world, ruling over the four continents, or to become the second Deva of the heavenly realms, even ascending to the sixth heaven, enjoying an extraordinarily long life and a fragrant and pure body, their wishes will naturally come true, just as one takes what they need from their home at any time. If they wish to learn the four pure paths of a śramaṇa, they will be able to attain them according to their wishes. Today, I have attained Buddhahood, revered by the gods, standing alone in the Three Realms, and all this is the result of forbearance.”

The Buddha told the assembled śramaṇas: “You must recite the Sūtra on Forbearance and never forget it for even a moment. You must remember it, understand it, memorize it, and proclaim it. You must extol the virtue of forbearance in order to save sentient beings.”

After the Buddha had spoken this sūtra, all the śramaṇas rejoiced greatly, bowed in reverence, and departed.