The Monk Who Fell Into Hell Before the Buddha's Own Eyes

Kāśyapa Bodhisattva said to the Buddha: "World-Honored One, the Tathāgata, in his own pity for every being, tames the untamed, purifies the impure, becomes a refuge for those without any refuge, and brings liberation to those not yet liberated — having attained the eight kinds of mastery, he is a great physician, a great king of medicine. The monk Sunakṣatra was your own son during your own bodhisattva life, and, having become a renunciant, upheld, recited, and distinctly expounded the twelve divisions of scripture, destroyed the fetters of the desire realm, and attained the four meditative absorptions. Why, then, has the Tathāgata prophesied of Sunakṣatra that he is an icchantika, a base and lowly person, doomed to dwell in hell for a full kalpa, a person beyond all cure? Why did the Tathāgata not first teach him the true Dharma, and only afterward treat him as a bodhisattva? If the Tathāgata, the World-Honored One, is truly unable to save the monk Sunakṣatra, how could he possibly be named one possessed of great compassion and great skillful means?" The Buddha said: "Good son, it is like a father and mother who have but three sons. The first son has a mind of faith and obedience, reveres his parents, is sharp in his own faculties and wisdom, and is quick to understand every worldly affair. The second son shows his parents no reverence, has no mind of faith or obedience, and yet is likewise sharp in his own faculties and wisdom, and quick to understand every worldly affair. The third son shows his parents no reverence, has no mind of faith or obedience, and is, further, dull in his own faculties, without any wisdom at all. Should these parents wish to instruct them, which ought they to teach first? Which ought they to love and cherish first? And which ought they first to teach the affairs of the world?" Kāśyapa Bodhisattva said to the Buddha: "World-Honored One, they ought first to instruct the one who has a mind of faith and obedience, reveres his parents, and is sharp in his own faculties and wisdom, understanding the affairs of the world; and only then the second, and, after him, the third — and, though these latter two sons have neither faith nor reverence, still, out of pity for them, their parents go on to teach them as well, each in turn."

"Good son, the Tathāgata is exactly the same. Of these three sons, the first is a likeness for the bodhisattva, the middle for the śrāvaka, and the last for the icchantika. The subtle and profound meaning found within the twelve divisions of scripture, I have already taught first for the bodhisattvas; its shallower, more accessible meaning I teach for the śrāvakas; and its merely worldly meaning I teach for the icchantika and for those who have committed the five heinous crimes — though this brings no benefit in the present life, it is, out of pity, meant to plant wholesome seeds for a future life. Good son, it is like three kinds of field: the first has an easy, convenient irrigation channel, free of alkaline soil, rubble, or thorns, and yields a hundredfold return for every seed planted; the second, though likewise free of alkaline soil, rubble, or thorns, has a difficult, perilous irrigation channel, and yields only half its proper harvest; and the third has both a perilous irrigation channel and much alkaline soil, rubble, and thorns, yielding only as much as was planted, its produce fit only for straw. Good son, in the month of spring, which field does the farmer plant first?" "World-Honored One, he plants the first field first, then the second field, and, last of all, the third." "The first is a likeness for the bodhisattva, the second for the śrāvaka, and the last for the icchantika. Good son, it is like three jars — one whole, one leaking, and one broken — should one wish to fill them with curds, water, or ghee, which does one use first?" "World-Honored One, one ought to use the whole one first, then the leaking one, and, last of all, the broken one." "The whole, pure jar is a likeness for the bodhisattva saṅgha; the leaking jar is a likeness for the śrāvaka; and the broken jar is a likeness for the icchantika. Good son, it is like three sick people who all come together to a physician — one easily cured, one cured only with difficulty, and one beyond all cure. Good son, whom should the physician treat first, should he treat them at all?" "World-Honored One, he ought to treat the one easily cured first, then the second, and, last of all, the third — why is this? Because they are all, in the end, his own kin." "The one easily cured is a likeness for the bodhisattva saṅgha; the one cured only with difficulty is a likeness for the śrāvaka saṅgha; and the one beyond all cure is a likeness for the icchantika — who, though he bears no wholesome fruit in the present life, is nonetheless still treated, out of pity, so as to plant wholesome seeds for a future life. Good son, it is like a great king who possesses three kinds of horse: one well-trained, robust, and strong; one untrained, yet of mature teeth and great strength; and one untrained, aged, weak, and without strength at all. Should the king wish to ride, which does he ride first?" "World-Honored One, he ought to ride the well-trained, robust, strong horse first, then the second, and, last of all, the third." "Good son, the well-trained, robust, strong horse is a likeness for the bodhisattva saṅgha; the second is a likeness for the śrāvaka saṅgha; and the third is a likeness for the icchantika — who, though he brings no benefit in the present life, is nonetheless still attended to, out of pity, so as to plant wholesome seeds for a future life. Good son, it is like a great act of giving, to which three people come: one of noble lineage, intelligent, and precept-keeping; one of middling lineage, dull-witted, yet still precept-keeping; and one of low lineage, dull-witted, and precept-breaking. Good son, to whom ought this great donor give first?" "World-Honored One, he ought to give first to the son of noble lineage, sharp-witted and precept-keeping, then to the second, and, last of all, to the third." "The first is a likeness for the bodhisattva saṅgha, the second for the śrāvaka saṅgha, and the third for the icchantika. Good son, it is like a great lion who, in killing a fragrant elephant, exerts the whole of his own strength — and, in killing even a mere hare, does exactly the same, giving rise to no thought of contempt at all. Every buddha, every tathāgata, is exactly the same: in teaching the Dharma for the sake of the bodhisattva and the icchantika alike, his own effort and exertion are never divided into two."

"Good son, I once dwelt in the city of Rājagṛha, where the monk Sunakṣatra served as my own attendant. In the first watch of the night, I was teaching the essential Dharma to Indra, the lord of the gods. According to the proper conduct of a disciple, he ought to have gone to sleep only after his own teacher — and, at that time, Sunakṣatra, resenting how long I remained seated, gave rise to an evil thought. At that time, in the city of Rājagṛha, whenever a small boy or girl would not stop crying, the parents would say to the child: 'Should you not stop, I shall hand you over to the demon Vakkula.' Sunakṣatra, at that very moment, himself seized with a kind of panic, said to me: 'Enter your meditation chamber quickly — Vakkula is coming!' I said: 'Fool, have you never heard that the Tathāgata, the World-Honored One, is without any fear at all?' Indra, at that very moment, said to me: 'World-Honored One, can a person such as this truly still enter the Buddha's own Dharma?' I answered him: 'Kauśika, a person such as this is indeed able to enter the Buddha's own Dharma, and he, too, possesses buddha-nature, and shall attain unsurpassed, complete awakening.' Though I taught the Dharma for Sunakṣatra in this way, he gave rise to no faith or acceptance of it at all. "Good son, I once dwelt in the city of Śrāvastī, in the kingdom of Kāśī, where the monk Sunakṣatra served as my own attendant. I wished, at that time, to enter that city to beg for alms, and immeasurable beings, their minds open and thirsting, wished to see the very trace of my own footprints. The monk Sunakṣatra, following close behind me, tried to erase them — and, unable to erase them, caused beings instead to give rise to an unwholesome mind. Having entered the city, I saw, in a tavern, a Nirgrantha ascetic, hunched over, crouching on the ground, eating the dregs left over from wine. The monk Sunakṣatra, seeing this, said: 'World-Honored One, should there be any arhat at all in this world, this very man is the finest of them — why is this? Because what he teaches admits of neither cause nor effect at all.' I said: 'Fool, have you never heard that an arhat does not drink wine, does not harm others, does not deceive, does not steal, and does not commit sexual misconduct? This man has killed his own father and mother, and now eats the dregs of wine — how could he possibly be called an arhat? Once this man casts off his own body, he shall certainly fall into the Avīci hell. An arhat has forever severed the three evil destinies — how could he possibly be called an arhat?' Sunakṣatra then said: 'The very nature of the four great elements can still be transformed and changed — to say that this man must certainly fall into the Avīci hell could never be so.' I said: 'Fool, have you never heard that every buddha, every tathāgata, speaks the truth without any contradiction at all?' Though I taught the Dharma for Sunakṣatra in this way, he gave rise to absolutely no faith or acceptance of it at all.

"Good son, I once dwelt together with the monk Sunakṣatra in the city of Rājagṛha, at a time when there was, within that city, a Nirgrantha ascetic named Kokālika, who forever said: 'Beings' own affliction has neither cause nor condition at all, and beings' own liberation, likewise, has neither cause nor condition.' The monk Sunakṣatra said, further: 'World-Honored One, should there be any arhat at all in this world, Kokālika is the very foremost of them.' I said: 'Fool, this Nirgrantha Kokālika is, in truth, no arhat at all, and is unable even to understand the arhat's own path.' Sunakṣatra said, further: 'For what cause and condition would one arhat feel envy toward another arhat?' I said: 'Fool, I feel no envy at all toward any arhat — it is you yourself who have given rise to this very evil, wrong view. Should you say that Kokālika is truly an arhat, then, after seven days have passed, he shall suffer from undigested food, his belly aching, and die; and, having died, he shall be reborn among the vomit-eating hungry ghosts; and his own fellow students shall carry his corpse and lay it out in the charnel grove.' At this, Sunakṣatra at once went to where the Nirgrantha Kokālika was, and said to him: 'Elder, do you know this? The śramaṇa Gautama has prophesied that, after seven days, you shall suffer from undigested food, your belly aching, and die, and, having died, shall be reborn among the vomit-eating hungry ghosts, and that your own fellow students and teacher shall carry your corpse and lay it out in the charnel grove. Elder, reflect well upon this, and devise some skillful means, so that Gautama might be made to fall into false speech.' Kokālika, upon hearing these words, at once ceased eating — from the first day all the way to the sixth — and, once the full seven days had passed, ate some black honey; and, having eaten this black honey, drank cold water afterward; and, having drunk this cold water, his belly ached, and he died. Once he had died, his fellow students carried his corpse and laid it out in the charnel grove, and he at once took on the very form of a vomit-eating hungry ghost, remaining there beside his own corpse. The monk Sunakṣatra, hearing of this, went to the charnel grove, and saw Kokālika's own body, now in the form of a vomit-eating ghost, hunched over, crouching beside his own corpse. Sunakṣatra said to him: 'Venerable one, are you dead?' Kokālika answered: 'I have already died.' 'How did you die?' He answered: 'I died from a pain in my belly.' 'Who carried out your corpse?' He answered: 'My own fellow students.' 'Where did they lay it out?' He answered: 'Fool, do you not now recognize this very charnel grove?' 'What kind of body have you now received?' He answered: 'I have received the body of a vomit-eating ghost. Sunakṣatra, listen closely: the Tathāgata's speech is good speech, true speech, timely speech, meaningful speech, and lawful speech. Sunakṣatra, the Tathāgata's own mouth uttered exactly this true speech — why, at that time, did you not believe it? Should any being fail to believe the Tathāgata's own true speech, he, too, shall receive a body exactly like this one of mine.' At this, Sunakṣatra at once returned to where I was, and said: 'World-Honored One, the Nirgrantha Kokālika, after his own death, was reborn in the Trāyastriṃśa heaven.' I said: 'Fool, an arhat has no further place of rebirth at all — how could you possibly say that Kokālika was reborn in the Trāyastriṃśa heaven?' 'World-Honored One, it is truly exactly as you have said — the Nirgrantha Kokālika was, in truth, not reborn in the Trāyastriṃśa heaven at all, but has now received the very body of a vomit-eating hungry ghost.' I said: 'Fool, every buddha, every tathāgata, speaks the truth without any contradiction at all — to say that the Tathāgata's own words could ever contradict themselves could never be so.' Sunakṣatra then said: 'Though the Tathāgata spoke in exactly this way at that time, I, in this very matter, gave rise to no faith in it at all.' Good son, I, too, have forever taught the true Dharma for the monk Sunakṣatra, and yet he has given rise to absolutely no faith or acceptance of it at all.

"Good son, the monk Sunakṣatra, though he recited the twelve divisions of scripture and attained the four meditative absorptions, never once understood the meaning of even a single verse, a single phrase, or a single word of them — and, drawing close to evil friends, he lost the four absorptions entirely. Having lost the four absorptions, he gave rise to evil, wrong views, saying: 'There is no Buddha, no Dharma, and no nirvāṇa at all — the śramaṇa Gautama is merely skilled in the art of reading physical signs, and it is through this alone that he is able to know what others are thinking.' I said to Sunakṣatra, at that time: 'The Dharma I teach is good at the beginning, good in the middle, and good at the end, its every word skillful and wondrous, its every meaning true and correct, its teaching free of any admixture, fully accomplished, and entirely pure conduct.' The monk Sunakṣatra said, further: 'Though the Tathāgata may indeed teach the Dharma for my sake, I, in truth, hold that there is neither cause nor effect at all.' Good son, should you not believe that matters truly stand this way, the monk Sunakṣatra is, even now, dwelling nearby, beside the Nairañjanā River — we may go together and ask him ourselves." At that time, the Tathāgata went together with Kāśyapa to where Sunakṣatra was. The monk Sunakṣatra, seeing the Tathāgata from a distance, at once gave rise, upon seeing him, to an evil and wrong-minded thought — and, through this very evil mind, his own body sank into the ground at once, and he fell into the Avīci hell.

"Good son, though the monk Sunakṣatra entered into the Buddha's own immeasurable treasury of the Dharma, he came away with nothing at all, gaining not even the benefit of a single dharma — on account of his own heedlessness, and on account of evil companions. It is like a man who, though he enters the great ocean and sees a great many treasures there, obtains nothing at all, on account of his own heedlessness. Or, again, it is like one who enters the ocean and, though he sees a great store of treasure, slays himself and dies, or is killed by some rākṣasa or evil spirit. The monk Sunakṣatra is exactly the same: having entered the Buddha's own Dharma, he was killed by his own evil companions, by a great rākṣasa demon. Good son, it is for this very reason that the Tathāgata, out of his own pity, forever describes Sunakṣatra as one given greatly to heedlessness. Good son, should a man who has always been poor lose what little he has, one's own pity for him, though it arises, remains thin; but should a man who was once immensely wealthy later lose all his own fortune, the pity one feels for him grows all the deeper. The monk Sunakṣatra is exactly the same: having upheld, recited, and read the twelve divisions of scripture, and attained the four meditative absorptions, his subsequent retrogression is all the more deeply to be pitied. It is for this very reason that I describe the monk Sunakṣatra as one given greatly to heedlessness — and it is through this very heedlessness that he has severed every one of his own wholesome roots. Every one of my own disciples who has seen or heard of this cannot help but give rise to a deep and heavy pity for him, exactly as one pities a man once immensely wealthy who has since lost everything. I have, across many years, forever kept close company with Sunakṣatra, and yet he, of his own accord, gave rise to an evil, wrong-minded view, and, because of this very wrongness, refused ever to relinquish it. Good son, from the very beginning, I have seen that this Sunakṣatra possessed some small wholesome root, however slight, as thin as a single strand of hair — and I never once, on that account, prophesied of him that he had severed his own wholesome roots entirely, that he is an icchantika, a base and lowly person, doomed to dwell in hell for a full kalpa. It was only once he began to proclaim that there is neither cause nor effect at all, and no karmic action at all, that I then prophesied of him that he had forever severed his own wholesome roots, that he is an icchantika, a base and lowly person, doomed to dwell in hell for a full kalpa. Good son, it is like a man who has fallen into a latrine pit — a good friend, stirring about with his own hand, hoping to find even a lock of his hair to pull him out by, searches for a long time and, finding nothing, at last gives up the attempt. I am exactly the same: seeking out Sunakṣatra's own slight wholesome root, wishing to pull him to safety, I searched the whole day through, and yet found not even so much as a single hair's worth of it — and it is for this very reason that I was unable to pull him out of hell."

Kāśyapa Bodhisattva said: "World-Honored One, why has the Tathāgata prophesied that he shall fall into the Avīci hell?" "Good son, the monk Sunakṣatra has a great many followers, all of whom took him to be an arhat, one who had already attained the fruit of the path — and, wishing to destroy this very evil, wrong view of theirs, I prophesied that Sunakṣatra, on account of his own heedlessness, would fall into hell. Good son, you should now know that the Tathāgata's own teaching is truthful, without any contradiction at all. Why is this? Should the Buddha prophesy that someone will fall into hell, and he does not fall into hell — this could never be so. The prophecies made by the śrāvaka and the pratyekabuddha, by contrast, are of two kinds — some false, and some true. It is like Maudgalyāyana, who, in the kingdom of Magadha, told everyone that, after seven days, rain would fall from heaven — and yet, in the end, no rain fell at all; or who prophesied that a certain cow would bear a white calf, and yet, when she gave birth, bore a spotted one instead; or who prophesied the birth of a son, and yet, afterward, a daughter was born instead. "Good son, the monk Sunakṣatra forever proclaimed, for the sake of immeasurable beings, that there is no wholesome or unwholesome fruit at all — and, at exactly that time, he forever severed every one of his own wholesome roots entirely, down to not even a single hair's worth remaining. Good son, I have long known that this monk Sunakṣatra was destined to sever his own wholesome roots, and yet I still dwelt together with him for a full twenty years, keeping and accompanying him. Had I cast him far away, refusing to keep him near me, this man would have gone on to teach immeasurable beings to commit every kind of evil deed — and this is named the Tathāgata's own fifth power of liberating knowledge." "World-Honored One, for what cause and condition does the icchantika possess no wholesome dharma at all?" "Good son, it is because the icchantika has severed his own wholesome roots entirely. Every being, without exception, possesses the five faculties, beginning with faith — and the icchantika has forever, entirely extinguished them; it is for this very reason that, though killing even a single ant incurs the offense of killing, killing an icchantika incurs no offense of killing at all." "World-Honored One, is the icchantika, in the end, entirely without any wholesome dharma at all, and is it for this very reason that he is named an icchantika?" The Buddha said: "This is so, this is so." "World-Honored One, every being possesses wholesome dharmas of three kinds — past, future, and present. The icchantika, too, is unable to sever his own future wholesome dharmas — how, then, can it be said that he has severed every wholesome dharma, and is thereby named an icchantika?" "Good son, severing is of two kinds: severing in the present, and obstructing the future from the present. The icchantika is fully endowed with both kinds of severing, and it is for this very reason that I say he has severed every wholesome root. Good son, it is like a man who has fallen into a latrine pit, with only the very tip of a single hair left unsubmerged — and yet, though the tip of this single hair remains unsubmerged, this single hair's tip is unable to bear the weight of his own body at all. The icchantika is exactly the same: though he shall, in some future life, possess a wholesome root, this cannot save him from the suffering of hell in the meantime. Though he may be rescued in some future life, there is nothing at all to be done for him in the present life — and it is for this very reason that he is named beyond present rescue. It is only through the cause and condition of buddha-nature that he can truly be saved — and buddha-nature is neither past, nor future, nor present, and it is for this very reason that buddha-nature can never be severed at all. It is like a rotten, decayed seed, which is unable to produce any sprout at all — the icchantika is exactly the same."

"World-Honored One, the icchantika does not sever buddha-nature, and buddha-nature is itself wholesome — how, then, can it be said that he has severed every wholesome dharma at all?" "Good son, were any being, in his own present life, to already possess buddha-nature, he could not then be named an icchantika at all. Just as, among worldly beings, the nature of self and the nature of buddha are both permanent, and are not encompassed by any of the three times — for, were they encompassed by the three times, they would be named impermanent. Buddha-nature belongs to the future, since it is certain to be seen there — it is for this very reason that I say every being, without exception, possesses buddha-nature. It is for this very reason, too, that the bodhisattva of the ten abidings, though fully adorned with every accomplishment, attains only a partial seeing of it." Kāśyapa Bodhisattva said: "World-Honored One, buddha-nature is permanent, exactly like empty space — why, then, does the Tathāgata speak of it as belonging to the future? And, should the Tathāgata say that the icchantika possesses no wholesome dharma at all — would the icchantika not still give rise to a mind of love and affection toward his own fellow students, his own teacher, his own parents, kin, and wife? And, should such love arise, is this not itself something wholesome?" The Buddha said: "Excellent, excellent! Good son, you have asked this question splendidly. Buddha-nature is exactly like empty space: neither past, nor future, nor present. Every being possesses three kinds of body — past, future, and present. It is in a being's own future body, fully adorned and purified, that buddha-nature is finally seen — it is for this very reason that I say buddha-nature belongs to the future. Good son, I sometimes teach cause as though it were fruit, and sometimes teach fruit as though it were cause, for the sake of beings — it is for this very reason that, within my own scriptures, I speak of life itself as 'food,' and of seeing form as 'touch' — and it is because the future body is pure that I speak of buddha-nature in this way." "World-Honored One, as the Buddha has taught, if the meaning is truly as you say, why, then, do you say that every being, without exception, possesses buddha-nature?" "Good son, though a being's own buddha-nature is absent in the present, one cannot on that account say that it does not exist at all — just as empty space's own nature, though absent in the present sense you mean, cannot be said not to exist. Every being, though impermanent, nonetheless has this very buddha-nature abiding forever, unchanging. It is for this very reason that, within this very sūtra, I teach that a being's own buddha-nature is neither internal nor external, exactly like empty space, which is likewise neither internal nor external. Were empty space to have an inside and an outside, it could not then be named single or permanent, nor could it be said to exist everywhere at once. Though empty space is neither internal nor external, every being, without exception, nonetheless possesses it — a being's own buddha-nature is exactly the same. As for what you have said — that the icchantika possesses some wholesome dharma — this, I think, is not correct. Why is this? Whatever action of body, speech, or mind the icchantika performs — whether an action of grasping, of seeking, of giving, or of understanding — every one of these actions is, in every case, a wrong action. Why is this? Because he does not seek any true cause or fruit at all through them. Good son, it is like the myrobalan fruit, whose root, stem, branch, leaf, flower, and fruit are all, without exception, bitter — the icchantika's own every action is exactly the same."

"Good son, the Tathāgata is fully endowed with the knowledge of every faculty's own power, and it is for this very reason that he is well able to distinguish beings of superior, middling, and inferior faculties, and to know when an inferior faculty turns into a middling one, when a middling faculty turns into a superior one, when a superior faculty turns into a middling one, and when a middling faculty turns into an inferior one. One should therefore know that a being's own faculties are never fixed at all — and it is precisely because they are not fixed that a wholesome root may be severed, and, having been severed, may yet grow back again. Were a being's own faculties truly fixed, a wholesome root, once severed, could never grow back again at all — nor, indeed, ought it ever to be said that the icchantika dwells in hell for a full kalpa and no longer. Good son, it is for this very reason that the Tathāgata teaches that no dharma at all has any fixed mark." Kāśyapa Bodhisattva said to the Buddha: "World-Honored One, the Tathāgata, fully endowed with the knowledge of every faculty's own power, certainly knew that Sunakṣatra would sever his own wholesome roots — for what cause and condition, then, did he permit him to become a renunciant at all?" The Buddha said: "Good son, when I first became a renunciant in ages past, my own younger brother Nanda, my cousin Ānanda, Devadatta, and my own son Rāhula, together with others like them, all followed me in becoming renunciants and cultivating the path. Had I not permitted Sunakṣatra to become a renunciant, he would, in due course, have succeeded to the throne, and, with his own royal power at his free disposal, would surely have destroyed the Buddha's own Dharma — it was for this very cause and condition that I permitted him to become a renunciant and cultivate the path. Good son, had the monk Sunakṣatra not become a renunciant, he would, likewise, have severed his own wholesome roots, and would have brought about no benefit at all across immeasurable ages. As it is, having become a renunciant, though he did sever his own wholesome roots, he was nonetheless able, for a time, to uphold the precepts, to honor and revere his elders, seniors, and those of virtue, and to cultivate the first meditative absorption, all the way up to the fourth — and this is named a wholesome cause. A wholesome cause of this kind is able to give rise to wholesome dharmas, and, once wholesome dharmas have arisen, one is able to cultivate the path, and, having cultivated the path, one shall attain unsurpassed, complete awakening — it is for this very reason that I permitted Sunakṣatra to become a renunciant. Good son, had I not permitted the monk Sunakṣatra to become a renunciant and receive the precepts, I could not then be called a tathāgata fully endowed with the ten powers at all. "Good son, the Buddha observes that beings are fully endowed with both wholesome and unwholesome dharmas at once — and, though a person is endowed with both of these at once, before long, he may sever every one of his own wholesome roots entirely, and become instead fully endowed with unwholesome roots. Why is this? Because a being of this kind fails to draw close to good friends, fails to listen to the true Dharma, fails to reflect wisely, and fails to act in accordance with the Dharma — and it is through this very cause and condition that he is able to sever his own wholesome roots, and become fully endowed with unwholesome roots instead. Good son, the Tathāgata further knows that this very person, whether in the present life or in some future life, whether in his youth, his prime, or his old age, shall, at some point, draw close to a good friend, and hear and receive the true Dharma — suffering, its arising, its cessation, and the path — and, at exactly that time, he shall be able to give rise once more to his own wholesome roots. Good son, it is like a spring not far from a village, whose water is sweet and delicious, fully endowed with the eight qualities of good water. A man, suffering from thirst, wishes to go to this very spring — and a wise person standing nearby, observing this thirsty man, knows for certain, without any doubt at all, that he shall surely reach the spring. Why is this? Because there is no other road he could possibly take instead. The Tathāgata, the World-Honored One, observes every being in exactly this same way — and it is for this very reason that the Tathāgata is named one fully endowed with the knowledge of every faculty's own power."

At that time, the World-Honored One took a small amount of earth and placed it upon his own fingernail, and said to Kāśyapa: "Is this earth greater in amount, or is the earth of every world-system in the ten directions greater?" Kāśyapa Bodhisattva said to the Buddha: "World-Honored One, the earth upon your own fingernail cannot be compared at all to the earth found throughout the ten directions." "Good son, there is a person who, casting off his own body, obtains a human body once more; or, casting off a body in one of the three evil destinies, obtains a human body instead, his every faculty complete, born in a central land, fully endowed with right faith, able to cultivate the path, and, having cultivated the path, able to attain liberation, and, having attained liberation, able to enter nirvāṇa — such a person is like the earth upon this very fingernail. And there is a person who, casting off a human body, obtains a body in one of the three evil destinies instead; or, casting off a body in one of the three evil destinies, obtains yet another body in the three evil destinies, his faculties incomplete, born in a border region, believing in wrong and inverted views, cultivating a wrong path, and never attaining liberation, permanence, bliss, or nirvāṇa — such a person is like the earth found throughout the ten directions. Good son, one who upholds the precepts, diligently exerting himself without ever growing lax, never violating any of the four gravest precepts, never committing any of the five heinous crimes, never making use of the Saṅgha's own communal property, never becoming an icchantika, and never severing his own wholesome roots, believing in this very Nirvāṇa Sūtra — such a person is like the earth upon this very fingernail. And one who breaks the precepts, grows lax, violates the four gravest precepts, commits the five heinous crimes, makes use of the Saṅgha's own communal property, becomes an icchantika, severs his own wholesome roots, and fails to believe in this very sūtra — such a person is like the earth found throughout the ten directions. Good son, the Tathāgata knows well every being's own superior, middling, and inferior faculties in exactly this way — and it is for this very reason that the Buddha is said to be fully endowed with the knowledge of every faculty's own power."

Kāśyapa Bodhisattva said to the Buddha: "World-Honored One, the Tathāgata, fully endowed with this very knowledge of every faculty's own power, is thereby able to know every being's own superior, middling, or inferior faculties, and every difference between the sharp and the dull. He knows every faculty possessed by beings in the present, and knows, too, every faculty that shall be possessed by beings in the future. And yet, after the Buddha's own parinirvāṇa, beings shall come to hold every one of the following views: some shall say that the Tathāgata truly, finally enters nirvāṇa, while others shall say that he does not finally enter nirvāṇa at all; some shall say there is a self, while others shall say there is no self; some shall say there is an intermediate state between death and rebirth, while others shall say there is none; some shall say there is retrogression, while others shall say there is none; some shall say the Tathāgata's own body is conditioned, while others shall say it is unconditioned; some shall say the twelve links of dependent origination are a conditioned dharma, while others shall say they are unconditioned; some shall say the mind is permanent, while others shall say the mind is impermanent; some shall say that receiving the pleasure of the five desires obstructs the noble path, while others shall say it does not; some shall say the supreme worldly dharma belongs only to the desire realm, while others shall say it belongs to all three realms; some shall say that giving is purely a mental action, while others shall say it is itself the five aggregates; some shall say there are three unconditioned dharmas, while others shall say there are none; some shall say there is derived form, while others shall say there is none; some shall say there is unmanifest, unexpressed form, while others shall say there is none; some shall say there are mental factors, while others shall say there are none; some shall say there are five kinds of existence, while others shall say there are six; some shall say the eight precepts of the fasting-day observance are fully received along with the lay follower's own precepts, while others shall say they are not fully received together; some shall say that a monk, having violated one of the four gravest precepts, still retains his own monastic precepts, while others shall say he does not; some shall say that the stream-enterer, the once-returner, the non-returner, and the arhat shall all attain buddhahood, while others shall say they shall not; some shall say that buddha-nature is identical with beings themselves, while others shall say that buddha-nature exists apart from beings; some shall say that one who has violated the four gravest precepts, committed the five heinous crimes, or become an icchantika still possesses buddha-nature, while others shall say he does not; some shall say there are buddhas throughout the ten directions, while others shall say there are none. Since the Tathāgata is fully endowed and accomplished in this very knowledge of every faculty's own power, why, then, does he not, even today, settle every one of these questions decisively?"

The Buddha said to Kāśyapa Bodhisattva: "Good son, meaning of exactly this kind is not known by the eye-consciousness, nor, all the way through, by the mind-consciousness — it is known only by wisdom itself. For one who possesses wisdom, I never speak with two different voices toward him, and he, likewise, will say of me that I never speak with two different voices. For one without wisdom, I speak in a way that seems inconsistent — and this very person, without wisdom, will likewise say of me that I speak inconsistently. Good son, every wholesome action the Tathāgata performs is entirely for the sake of taming and subduing beings — exactly as every medical prescription a king of physicians possesses is entirely for the sake of curing every illness and suffering. Good son, the Tathāgata, the World-Honored One, on account of differing lands, differing times, differing listeners, differing persons, and differing faculties, teaches a single dharma in two different ways at once; gives a single named dharma countless names; gives a single meaning countless names; and gives countless meanings countless names. What is meant by giving a single name countless names? It is like nirvāṇa, which is named nirvāṇa, and also named the unborn, the unemergent, the unproduced, the unconditioned, refuge, a cave-dwelling, liberation, radiance, a lamp's own light, the far shore, fearlessness, non-retrogression, a place of peace, stillness, signlessness, non-duality, single conduct, coolness, freedom from darkness, freedom from obstruction, freedom from contention, freedom from turbidity, vastness, ambrosia, and auspiciousness — this is named giving a single name countless names. "What is meant by giving a single meaning countless names? It is like Indra, who is named Indra, and also named Kauśika, Vatsava, Purandara, Maghavā, Śakra, the Thousand-Eyed One, Śacī's own husband, Vajrin, Ratnaśikhin, and Ratnadhvaja — this is named giving a single meaning countless names. "What is meant by giving countless meanings countless names? It is like the Buddha, the Tathāgata, who is named the Tathāgata, a different meaning for a different name; and also named the Arhat, a different meaning for a different name; and also named the Fully and Perfectly Awakened One, a different meaning for a different name; and also named the ship's captain, the guide, the one of right awakening, the one perfect in knowledge and conduct, the great lion-king, the śramaṇa, the brahmin, the tranquil one, the great donor, the one who has reached the far shore, the great king of physicians, the great elephant-king, the great nāga-king, the one who gives the eye, the great strong man, the greatly fearless one, the treasure-store, the merchant-leader, the one who has attained liberation, the great hero, the teacher of gods and humans, the great white lotus, the one without any equal or companion, the great field of merit, the great ocean of wisdom, the signless one, and the one fully endowed with the eight kinds of knowledge — every one of these, a different meaning for a different name. Good son, this is named giving countless meanings countless names. "There is, further, a single meaning given countless names — namely, the aggregates, which are named the aggregates, and also named inversion, truth, the four foundations of mindfulness, the four kinds of nourishment, the four abodes of consciousness, existence, the path, time, a being, the world, the ultimate truth, the three trainings of body, precept, and mind, cause and fruit, affliction, liberation, the twelve links of dependent origination, the śrāvaka and the pratyekabuddha, hell, the hungry ghost, the animal, the human, and the god, and the past, present, and future — this is named giving a single meaning countless names."

"Good son, the Tathāgata, the World-Honored One, for the sake of beings, teaches briefly within what is broad, and broadly within what is brief; teaches the ultimate truth as though it were conventional truth, and teaches conventional truth as though it were the ultimate truth. What is meant by teaching briefly within what is broad? It is like telling the monks: 'I shall now proclaim the twelve links of dependent origination.' What, then, is meant by the twelve links of dependent origination? Simply cause and fruit. What is meant by teaching broadly within what is brief? It is like telling the monks: 'I shall now proclaim suffering, its arising, its cessation, and the path.' Suffering means immeasurable kinds of suffering; its arising means immeasurable kinds of affliction; its cessation means immeasurable kinds of liberation; and the path means immeasurable kinds of skillful means. What is meant by teaching the ultimate truth as though it were conventional truth? It is like telling the monks: 'This very body of mine now has old age, sickness, and death.' What is meant by teaching conventional truth as though it were the ultimate truth? It is like telling Kauṇḍinya: 'Because you have attained the Dharma, you are now named Ājñāta-Kauṇḍinya.' It is for this very reason that, in accord with the person, the intention, and the occasion, the Tathāgata is named one who knows every faculty's own power. Good son, were I to give a single, fixed, decisive teaching on matters of exactly this kind, I could not then be called a tathāgata fully endowed with the knowledge of every faculty's own power at all. "Good son, a person of wisdom should know that what a fragrant elephant is able to carry, a donkey could never bear. Every being's own conduct is immeasurably varied, and it is for this very reason that the Tathāgata teaches immeasurable dharmas in every kind of way. Why is this? Because beings possess a great many different kinds of affliction. Were the Tathāgata to teach but a single, uniform practice for all, he could not be called a tathāgata fully endowed with and accomplished in the knowledge of every faculty's own power. It is for this very reason that I have taught, within other scriptures, that five kinds of beings ought never to be taught the five corresponding teachings in return: one without faith ought not to be praised for right faith; one who breaks the precepts ought not to be praised for precept-keeping; one who is stingy and greedy ought not to be praised for generous giving; one who is indolent ought not to be praised for extensive learning; and one who is foolish ought not to be praised for wisdom. Why is this? Should a wise person teach these very five things to these five kinds of people, one should know that this teacher does not fully possess the knowledge of every faculty's own power, nor can he be named one who truly has compassion for beings. Why is this? These five kinds of people, upon hearing such teaching, would give rise to a mind of disbelief, an evil mind, and an angry mind — and, through this very cause and condition, would undergo suffering as their own fruit across immeasurable ages. It is for this very reason that this cannot be named having compassion for beings, or truly possessing the knowledge of every faculty's own power. It is for this very reason that I once told Śāriputra, within another scripture: 'Take care never to teach at great length to one of sharp faculties, nor to teach only briefly to one of dull faculties.' Śāriputra said: 'World-Honored One, I taught only out of my own compassion, not because I fully possessed the knowledge of every faculty's own power.' Good son, teaching at length or in brief, as the occasion demands, is the Buddha's own domain, and is not known by any śrāvaka or pratyekabuddha. "Good son, as you yourself have said, after the Buddha's own parinirvāṇa, his disciples shall each hold differing views, every one of them through the cause and condition of their own inverted thinking, unable to attain right view, and thereby unable to benefit either themselves or others. Good son, these very beings are not of a single nature, a single conduct, a single faculty, a single kind of land, or a single good friend — and it is for this very reason that the Tathāgata proclaims the essential Dharma for them in every kind of different way. It is through this very cause and condition that every buddha, every tathāgata, throughout the ten directions and the three times, reveals and proclaims the twelve divisions of scripture for the sake of beings. Good son, the Tathāgata teaches these twelve divisions of scripture not for his own benefit at all, but solely for the benefit of others. It is for this very reason that the Tathāgata's own fifth power is named the power of liberating interpretation. It is through these two powers that the Tathāgata knows, in profound detail, that this person is able, in the present, to sever his own wholesome roots, that person is able, in a future life, to sever his own wholesome roots, this person is able, in the present, to attain liberation, and that person is able, in a future life, to attain liberation. It is for this very reason that the Tathāgata is named the unsurpassed mighty one."