The original translator is unknown and is now cataloged in the Three Qins records.
Thus have I heard:
One day, the Buddha was in Rājagṛha, staying at the Kalanda Bamboo Grove, together with one thousand two hundred and fifty bhikṣus and one hundred Bodhisattvas.
At that time, among the great assembly, there was a Bodhisattva bhikṣu named Vasumitra. He wandered within the bamboo grove, leaping up and down the trees, making sounds like a monkey; or holding three bells, performing wrestling tricks.
At that time, many elders and passersby gathered to watch, crowding in competition to see. Just as the people gathered to watch, Vasumitra suddenly leapt into the air, jumped to the tip of a tree, and let out cries like a golden monkey. Then, eighty-four thousand golden monkeys from Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa all came at once and gathered around the Bodhisattva. The Bodhisattva displayed various transformations, delighting the monkeys. Then the people said: “This Śakya’s śramaṇa behaves like a playing child, using illusions to deceive people. This person’s actions are wicked and no one will trust him anymore. He mingles with birds and beasts, doing things that are not in accord with the Dharma.” Such words of slander spread throughout the entire city of Rājagṛha.
A Brahmin then reported to King Bimbisāra, saying: “Great King! One who has left the household life to cultivate the Buddha’s path has committed many actions that are not in accord with the Dharma. He even performs wrestling acts together with birds and beasts.” When the king heard these words, he began to feel disdain toward the Buddhist monastics. He immediately summoned the elder Kalanda and asked him: “These Buddhist monastics are gathering large numbers of monkeys in your grove and acting recklessly—does the Tathāgata know of this?” The elder reported to the king, saying: “Vasumitra displayed transformations that delighted the monkeys, and flowers descended from the sky to offer to him. I truly do not know how this came to be.”
Then King Bimbisāra mounted his famed elephant and, with attendants leading the way, departed from his residence and proceeded to where the Buddha was. Arriving at the Kalanda Bamboo Grove, he dismounted from the elephant. From a distance, he saw the World-Honored One in a multi-leveled pavilion. The Buddha’s body emitted a purplish-golden light extending sixteen feet, and he sat upon a lotus seat made of the seven precious substances. His body manifested the thirty-two marks of a great person and the eighty secondary characteristics, and from each of these marks shone forth radiant light, as if a golden mountain were engulfed in flames, surrounded by golden light, causing the entire assembly to shine with golden brilliance. The venerable Vasumitra and the eighty-four thousand monkeys also became golden in color.
At that time, the monkeys, seeing King Bimbisāra approach, began to sing and dance, beat drums and blow conches, performing various actions. Some monkeys even gathered flowers to offer to the king. Upon seeing this scene, the king, together with the assembled people, proceeded to where the Buddha was, paid homage to the Buddha, circumambulated him three times to the right, and sat to one side.
The king said to the Buddha: “World-Honored One, what good fortune did these monkeys accumulate in their past lives, such that they now emit golden light from their bodies? And due to what karmic offenses were they reborn into the animal realm? The venerable Vasumitra—what roots of merit did he plant in former lives, such that he could be reborn into the household of an elder, develop deep faith in the understanding that home is not home, and renounce the household life to pursue the path? And due to what karmic offenses, though born among humans and endowed with complete faculties, does he not uphold the precepts? Why does he keep company with monkeys and utter sounds like them, causing those of heterodox paths to ridicule us? May the World-Honored One, out of great compassion and pity for us, expound and explain, so that our minds may gain clarity.”
The Buddha said to the king, “Listen carefully, listen carefully, and contemplate thoroughly! I shall now expound and explain this to you. In measureless billions of kalpas past, there appeared a Buddha in the world named Dīpaṅkara, the Tathāgata, who possessed the ten epithets in full. After that Buddha entered parinirvāṇa, there were many bhikṣus cultivating the Dharma in mountains and marshlands, practicing the twelve ascetic dhūta practices. They upheld the precepts with unwavering resolve, guarding them as one would protect one’s own eyes. Because of this, they accomplished the fruit of Arhatship, possessed the Three Knowledges and Six Supernatural Powers, and attained the Eight Liberations. At that time, there was a monkey who came from an open stretch of water to where one of the arhats was. It saw the arhat seated in meditation, having entered samādhi. The monkey picked up the arhat’s sitting cloth, donned the monastic robe, and—like a renunciant—bared its right shoulder, held up an incense burner in its hand, and walked around the bhikṣu. At that moment, the bhikṣu emerged from samādhi and, seeing the monkey’s wholesome mind, snapped his fingers toward the monkey and said to it, ‘Child of the Dharma, today you should give rise to the resolve for unsurpassed awakening.’When the monkey heard the bhikṣu’s words, it was filled with joy, leaped with elation, and made a full prostration, paying respect to the bhikṣu. After rising, it gathered flowers and scattered them over the bhikṣu.
“At that time, the bhikṣu then expounded to the monkey the Dharma of the Three Refuges, saying, ‘Child of the Dharma, you should now follow me in cultivating the Dharma of the Buddhas of the three times, and you should request to receive the Three Refuges and the Five Precepts.’
Then, the monkey rose, joined its palms, and said, ‘Venerable one, please bear witness for me. Today I wish to take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha.’
“The bhikṣu said to him, ‘You should take refuge in the Buddha, take refuge in the Dharma, take refuge in the Saṅgha.’ The monkey repeated this two times, three times: ‘Refuge in the Buddha is complete; refuge in the Dharma is complete; refuge in the Saṅgha is complete.’ The monkey again repeated this two times, three times.
The bhikṣu said, ‘Next, you must repent.’ The bhikṣu said to the monkey, ‘From beginningless kalpas in the past, you have committed many evil deeds: greed, hatred, delusion, wrong views, jealousy, arrogance, slander, breaking precepts. You have committed all ten evil actions. You have also committed the five gravest offenses, slandered the Mahāyāna sūtras, engaged in sexual misconduct with bhikṣuṇīs, and stolen the property of the Saṅgha—committing countless, boundless grave offenses. As for me, my karmic connections with this world have now come to an end. In future lives, I shall no longer undergo the suffering of saṃsāra. Those who attain the great fruit of Arhatship can remove the measureless heavy offenses of sentient beings. Why is that? Because at the time I was born, I descended into the world together with great compassion. All the noble ones of the three times also descend into the world together with great compassion in just this way.’
“This bhikṣu, in such manner, earnestly and diligently recited the monkey’s offenses three times, leading it to repentance. After the monkey repented, the bhikṣu then said to it, ‘Child of the Dharma, now your mind is pure—this is called upavasatha. From this day until the end of your life, you must uphold the precept of not killing. All Buddhas of the three times and all arhats never kill. Their actions of body, speech, and mind are pure. You must be the same!’
“Then the monkey said to the Arhat, “I wish to become a Buddha. I will follow the instructions of the venerable one. From today onward, until I attain Buddhahood, I shall never again kill any living being.” When the Arhat heard the monkey’s words, his body and mind were filled with joy, and he immediately administered the Five Precepts to the monkey. “Child of the Dharma, from this day until the end of your life, you must follow and learn the Buddha’s teachings. All the Buddhas of the three times and all the śrāvakas have pure bodily conduct, never kill, and uphold the precept of not killing. You must be the same! Until your life ends, you must uphold the precept of not killing. Can you uphold and practice this?” The monkey replied, “I can uphold and practice it.”The monkey then also received the precepts of not stealing, not engaging in sexual misconduct, not speaking falsehoods, and not consuming intoxicants, just as he received the precept of not killing. After the monkey had received the full set of precepts, the Arhat said again, “You should now generate a vow. Since you currently have the body of an animal, there are many obstacles in pursuing the true path. You should vow, ‘I will single-mindedly exert diligent effort to attain Anuttarā Samyaksaṃbodhi.’
“After making this vow, the monkey leapt and rejoiced, climbing to the top of a high mountain. It swung and frolicked through the branches, but accidentally fell to the ground and died. Because the Arhat had administered the Five Precepts to it, the monkey thereby eradicated the karma of its animal existence. Upon death, it was immediately reborn in the Tuṣita Heaven, where it encountered a Bodhisattva in the position of One More Birth. The Bodhisattva expounded to it the mind of unsurpassed awakening. The monkey, now a heavenly being, held celestial flowers in hand and descended to the place of the great flowing waters to make offerings to that Arhat. Seeing this, the Arhat smiled and said, “Heavenly King, the karmic fruits of good and evil follow one like a shadow, never departing.” Then the Arhat spoke in verse:
‘Karmic power adorns the body, following one wherever they are born.
In intentions and aspirations, the Dharma is not lost, like a pledge already made, like wealth one already possesses.
Your birth in heaven today is the result of the karma of upholding the Five Precepts.
Your past life among monkeys was caused by following the path of transgression.
Those who uphold precepts climb the ladder of birth into heavenly realms. Those who break them are boiled in broth.
I have seen those who uphold precepts, their bodies radiant and splendid.
The gods present them with exquisite pavilions made of the seven treasures,
Beds and canopies woven of countless jewels, garlands strung from maṇi gems.
They encounter, in the future, a Buddha who proclaims victorious Dharma, bringing them joy and peace.
I have seen those who violate precepts fall into the hells,
Where iron plows rake their tongues like soil. They lie on iron beds,
As molten copper flows from all directions, Burning and destroying their bodies.
They are cast upon mountains of blades, Forests of swords, Boiling heaps of feces,
Dark rivers and frozen infernos. They are stuffed with iron pellets, Force-fed molten bronze—
Such endless sufferings Cling to them like a jeweled necklace around the neck, never parting.
If one wishes to escape These many torments, not fall into the three evil destinies,
But turn and walk the path of gods and humans, transcend saṃsāra, and realize nirvāṇa,
Then one should diligently uphold pure precepts and cultivate a pure livelihood through generosity.’
“After the Arhat finished reciting this verse, he fell silent. Then the monkey deva said, ‘Venerable one, what evil karma did I commit in my past lives that caused me to be reborn among monkeys? And what merits did I accumulate that allowed me to meet the venerable one, thereby escaping the body of a beast and being reborn in the heavens?’
“The Arhat replied, ‘Now listen carefully and contemplate thoroughly. In the past, in this world of Jambudvīpa, there appeared a Buddha named jewel Wisdom Tathāgata, the Worthy of Offerings, the Perfectly Awakened One, possessing the Ten Epithets in full. That Buddha appeared in the world and manifested three modes of teaching. During the age of semblance Dharma after his parinirvāṇa, there was a bhikṣu named Lotus Treasury. He formed bonds of friendship with the king, many elders, and lay householders. This person was of evil conduct, flattered others with twisted speech, and did not uphold the precepts. Because he deceived and misled others in his previous life, at the time of death, like a strong man flexing and extending his arm, he was immediately and swiftly cast into the Avīci Hell. In that hell, his body was situated among eighteen immense cauldrons, spread out like blooming lotuses. From above the hell, searing hot iron balls rained down from the sky and poured into the top of his head. Hundreds of thousands of blazing fire-forged iron wheels also descended from the sky. This person suffered in the measureless and boundless Avīci Hell for a full kalpa. When that kalpa ended, he was reborn into other hells, and in this way, he passed through many great hells over a total of eighty-four thousand kalpas before he could escape the hell realms.
Then he fell into the realm of hungry ghosts. In that realm, he drank molten bronze and swallowed burning iron pellets. He remained in the realm of hungry ghosts for eighty-four thousand years before he could escape. Afterwards, he was reborn as a cow for five hundred lifetimes. Then, for another five hundred lifetimes, he was reborn as a camel. Then five hundred lives as a pig. Then five hundred lives as a dog. Then five hundred lives as a monkey. However, because in a past life he had once made offerings to a precepts-upholding bhikṣu and vowed to encounter him again in a future life, this karmic condition led the once negligent bhikṣu to be bathed in the pure Dharma today and thus be reborn in the heavenly realms. That precepts-upholding bhikṣu was my former life. That negligent bhikṣu was your former life.’
“When the monkey deva heard this, he was seized with terror. The hair on his body stood on end. He then repented of the offenses committed in his past lives and returned to the heavens.”
The Buddha said to the king: “That monkey, though an animal, upon seeing the Arhat, accepted the Three Refuges and upheld the Five Precepts. Because of this merit, he was able to overcome the extremely heavy evil karma accumulated over a thousand kalpas, be reborn in the heavens, and encounter the Bodhisattva in the position of One More Birth. From that time on, he encountered countless Buddhas, cultivated purity and renunciation, perfected the six pāramitās, abided in the Śūraṅgama Samādhi, and dwelled in the stage of non-retrogression. Ultimately, after Maitreya Bodhisattva attains Buddhahood, he too shall accomplish Anuttarā Samyaksaṃbodhi. This monkey deva, when he finally attained Buddhahood, established a Buddha-land. The king of that land was named Jewel Radiance. That land was pure, like the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven. All sentient beings born in that land practiced the Ten Wholesome Deeds and upheld all precepts without deficiency. The Buddha in that land was named Lion Moon Tathāgata, the Worthy of Offerings, the Perfectly Awakened One, the Perfect Clarity and Conduct one, the Well Gone, the Knower of the World, the Unsurpassed Leader, the Teacher of Heavenly and Human Beings, Buddha, the World-Honored One. Whoever hears the name of that Buddha, in every place of rebirth, will always be free from birth as an animal and will eliminate the sins of saṃsāric death accumulated over immeasurable kalpas.”
The Buddha said to the king, “If you wish to know who the Lion Moon Buddha of that land is, he is none other than the bhikṣu Vasumitra now present in this very assembly.”
At that moment, King Bimbisāra, upon hearing these words, immediately rose to his feet, joined his palms, and with his whole body drenched in sweat, broke into tears of sorrow and grief, crying as though in mourning. In deep remorse and repentance, he reproached himself. Then he bowed down with his head touching the ground before Bhikṣu Vasumitra, placed his face at Vasumitra’s feet, and reverently paid homage, repenting his former transgressions.
The Buddha said to the king, “If you wish to know the identity of these eighty-four thousand golden monkeys—they were, in a past life, eighty-four thousand bhikṣuṇīs during the time when Krakucchanda Buddha appeared in the world. At that time, within the countries of Vārāṇasī and Kauśāmbī, there were altogether eighty-four thousand bhikṣuṇīs. Their conduct was largely not in accord with the Dharma. Many of them engaged in illicit affairs with worldly men. They violated numerous grave precepts, adorning their bodies like celestial maidens of the gandharvas, without the slightest sense of shame. They wore their sexual misconduct as if it were a garland of jewels, and their many violations of the precepts were like floral ornaments upon them. They raised the parasol of arrogance, beat the drum of pride, strummed the lute of indulgence, and sang songs of depravity in wicked tones. They were wild and deluded, like foolish and senseless monkeys. When they saw good bhikṣus of upright conduct, they viewed them as enemies or thieves.”
“In that age, there was a bhikṣuṇī named Peaceful Refuge, who had already attained the fruit of Arhatship and possessed the Three Knowledges, Six Supernatural Powers, and the Eight Liberations. She went to the residence of those bhikṣuṇīs and said ,“Sisters! When the World-Honored One was in the world, he often spoke this verse:
‘If there is a bhikṣuṇī who does not cultivate the Eight Reverent Practices,
Then she is not a true daughter of the Buddha. She is like a caṇḍāla.
If there is a bhikṣuṇī who indulges herself and commits the eight major offenses,
Know that such a woman is a great thief among all heavenly and human beings.
She will remain long in the Avīci Hell, suffering in eighteen great boiling cauldrons.
The other three evil destinies will be like her own garden,
And throughout hundreds of thousands of immeasurable kalpas, she will no longer even hear the names of the Three Jewels.
She will swallow blazing iron pellets, be cast into icy hells, and embrace burning copper pillars.
After receiving such retribution, she will then be reborn as a turtledove, a pigeon,
A venomous snake,a rat, a wolf, a centipede with a hundred legs, and so on.
She will pass through these chaotic kinds of animal existence—All of them she shall endure one by one.’
“The bhikṣuṇīs, after hearing the verses spoken by the Arhat bhikṣuṇī, were filled with resentment and angrily cursed, saying, ‘Where did this old monkey come from? How dare she speak such absurd and wicked words, falsely claiming things about hell!’
The Arhat bhikṣuṇī, seeing that so many evil-minded individuals had arisen with unwholesome thoughts, ascended into the air out of compassion and displayed eighteen kinds of miraculous transformations. When those wicked women witnessed these transformations, each of them removed their golden ornaments and scattered them over the Arhat bhikṣuṇī, saying, “May our bodies emit golden light in all our future lifetimes. The evil karma we created in the past—we now fully repent today. May you, out of mercy and compassion, accept our offerings.
“The Arhat bhikṣuṇī then descended from the air and accepted the various offerings of those wicked women. Yet, upon the end of their lives, those wicked women fell into the Avīci Hell. Their bodies, like blooming lotuses, filled the hell completely, and they successively passed through all eighteen great levels of hell. In each of these hells, they remained for a full great kalpa, their lifespans equal across each layer. Thus, dwelling in hell for such an immeasurable duration, they underwent suffering for a total of ninety-two kalpas before being released. Afterward, they were reborn for five hundred lives as hungry ghosts. Then, upon exiting the realm of hungry ghosts, they were reborn for one thousand lives as monkeys, their bodies emitting golden light.
“Great King, you should know: those eighty-four thousand bhikṣuṇīs who transgressed the precepts and reviled the Arhat at that time are precisely the eighty-four thousand golden monkeys present in this very assembly today. And the one who made offerings to those wicked bhikṣuṇīs at that time—was you, Great King. Because of the karmic bond of familiarity in past lives, these monkeys today offer flowers and fragrances to you. At that time, those who corrupted the bhikṣuṇīs and caused them to violate the precepts were Kokālika and the five hundred courtiers in your present court. The Buddha said to the king, “One must be cautious with the three karmas of body, speech, and mind—one must not be negligent!”
At that time, the World-Honored One spoke in verse:
“Precepts are like the nectar of medicine; those who take them shall not age or die.
By relying on precepts, blessings and virtue constantly follow oneself.
Those who uphold precepts will obtain peace; in every place of rebirth, they encounter no hardship.
They will certainly meet Buddhas, uphold the Dharma, and attain liberation.
But those who violate the precepts fall into hell, just like these monkeys,
Born low and base in lifetime after lifetime, until the hellish torments are fully endured.
Great King, you must sincerely receive this admonition: cease evil actions, and diligently cultivate all that is good.”
King Bimbisāra, after hearing the Buddha’s verses, repented before the Buddha. Filled with shame, self-reproach, and remorse, his heart was suddenly liberated and awakened, and he attained the fruit of Anāgāmin. Among King Bimbisāra’s attendants, there were eight thousand men who requested permission from the king to leave the household life. The king gave his consent. The Buddha said, “Come, bhikṣus.” At that moment, their facial hair and head hair naturally fell away, their bodies were clothed in kāṣāya robes, and they left home to become śramaṇas. Before they even lifted their heads from bowing at the Buddha’s feet, they had already attained Arhatship, complete with the Three Knowledges, Six Supernatural Powers, and the Eight Liberations. Among the other attendants of King Bimbisāra, there were another sixteen thousand who all gave rise to the resolve for Anuttarā Samyaksaṃbodhi. Eighty thousand devas likewise aroused the same resolve. The eighty-four thousand golden monkeys, upon hearing the causes and conditions of their past lives, felt ashamed and repentant. They circumambulated the Buddha a thousand times, confessed their offenses, and each made vows for unsurpassed awakening. From that time onward, each according to the span of their own lifespan, when their lives came to an end, they will reborn in the Tuṣita Heaven. There, they will encounter Maitreya and increased their vigor and diligence, entering the stage of non-retrogression.
The venerable Mahākāśyapa, after hearing all this, said to the assembly, “When a Bodhisattva cultivates pure practice, even animals are inspired to give rise to the aspiration for the Path. If Vasumitra could perform such vast works of the Buddha, how much more so must this be true for the boundless powers of other Bodhisattvas!”
At that moment, the gods, humans, mountain spirits, earth spirits, and the eight classes of nāgas and devas, upon hearing that the monkeys had given rise to the aspiration for awakening and would be reborn in the heavens and attain non-retrogression, were filled with joy. They asked the Buddha, “When will these monkeys attain Buddhahood?”
The Buddha said to the assembly, “After more than hundreds of trillions of nayutas of asaṃkhyeyas of Ganges-sand numbers of kalpas, there will be a kalpa named ‘Great Radiance.’ During that kalpa, these monkeys will become Buddhas. Eighty-four thousand Buddhas will appear in succession during that same kalpa. Their names will all be Universal Golden Radiance King Tathāgata, the Worthy of Offerings, the Perfectly Awakened One, the Perfect Clarity and Conduct one, the Well Gone, the Knower of the World, the Unsurpassed Leader, the Teacher of Heavenly and Human Beings, Buddha, the World-Honored One.”
At that time, the great assembly, upon hearing that the World-Honored One had bestowed predictions of awakening upon the monkeys, immediately removed their exquisite jeweled adornments and offered them to the Tathāgata and the saṅgha. With one voice, the entire assembly praised the immeasurable virtues of the World-Honored One: “These Tathāgatas appearing in the world—are all due to the karmic conditions of these monkeys! Excellent indeed, World-Honored One! Even monkeys, upon hearing the Dharma, are able to become Buddhas—how much more so for us! How could we possibly fail to attain Buddhahood in future lives?”
Then the entire assembly, having heard the Buddha’s words, rejoiced, respectfully practiced according to them, made obeisance, and withdrew.
Dharma Torch 