Curing Evil by Remembering the Buddha
Shansheng (Skt. Siṅgāla), the sutra's recurring questioner, asks something painfully practical: having already taken the upāsaka precepts, what does a lay bodhisattva actually do when internal and external conditions of evil still arise? The Buddha's answer is a single practice — mindfulness of the Buddha — which this chapter then unpacks in full: not name-chanting, but a sustained, thought-by-thought contemplation of seven qualities in which the Tathāgata surpasses every other being, arriving at the ten classical epithets of a Buddha, and closing with a frank admission that this practice is far harder for someone still living at home than for a renunciant.
1. Milestone: The Question — Escaping Evil After Taking the Precepts
The chapter opens with Shansheng pressing on a real difficulty: taking the precepts does not, by itself, make the internal and external conditions that give rise to evil simply disappear. The Buddha's answer names a single practice to address them both at once.
善生言：「世尊！菩薩已受優婆塞戒，若有內外諸惡不淨因緣，云何得離？」「善男子！菩薩若有內外諸惡不淨因緣，是人應當修念佛心。若有至心修念佛者，是人則得離內外惡不淨因緣，增長悲慧。」
Shansheng said: "World-Honored One, once a bodhisattva has received the upāsaka precepts, if there arise within him or around him conditions of evil and impurity, how is he to free himself from them?" "Good son, if a bodhisattva has such internal and external conditions of evil and impurity, he should cultivate the mind that is mindful of the Buddha. If he cultivates mindfulness of the Buddha with an utterly sincere mind, he will be freed from those internal and external conditions of evil and impurity, and his compassion and wisdom will increase."
Taixu reads this chapter as the deliberate complement to the one before it: precept purity, he notes, lies mainly in actively doing good, so the text now turns to the other half of the same coin — actually bringing evil to a stop. His gloss on mindfulness of the Buddha is precise rather than devotional: it works not as some external cure imposed on the practitioner, but because the Buddha's mind is, in its very substance, a mind of compassion. When a person holds the Buddha in mind single-mindedly, that mind is drawn into resonance with compassion itself, and evil, finding no foothold there, subsides of its own accord.
2. Milestone: Seven Qualities to Contemplate
Asked how, exactly, to carry out this practice, the Buddha does not describe a devotional ritual. He gives a list — seven distinct respects in which the Tathāgata surpasses every other being — that the rest of the chapter will work through one at a time.
「世尊！當云何修？」「善男子！當觀如來有七勝事：一者、身勝，二者、如法住勝，三者、智勝，四者、具足勝，五者、行處勝，六者、不可思議勝，七者、解脫勝。
"World-Honored One, how then should one cultivate it?" "Good son, you should contemplate that the Tathāgata possesses seven surpassing qualities: first, the supremacy of his body; second, the supremacy of his dwelling in accordance with the Dharma; third, the supremacy of his wisdom; fourth, the supremacy of his perfection; fifth, the supremacy of his sphere of practice; sixth, the supremacy of the inconceivable in him; seventh, the supremacy of his liberation."
Taixu corrects a common assumption right at this point. Ordinary usage takes "mindfulness of the Buddha" to mean vocally reciting the Buddha's name — he notes wryly that popular practice even adds a mouth radical to the character for "mindfulness," turning it into "chanting." But the practice this chapter actually teaches is different in kind: an unbroken, thought-following-thought contemplation of the Tathāgata's own surpassing qualities, worked through one by one, exactly as they are enumerated here.
3. Milestone: A Body, a Dwelling, and a Wisdom Beyond All Others
The first three qualities move from the most visible to the most subtle: an unmatched physical body, a life spent abiding in reality itself for the sake of others, and a wisdom no disciple can equal.
「云何身勝？如來身為三十二相、八十種好之所嚴飾，一一節力敵萬八千伊羅鉢那香象之力，眾生樂見無有厭足，是名身勝。
"What is the supremacy of his body? The Tathāgata's body is adorned with the thirty-two marks and the eighty minor excellences; the strength in every joint of it rivals the strength of eighteen thousand Airāvaṇa fragrant elephants; sentient beings delight to behold it and are never satiated in their gazing. This is called the supremacy of his body."
「云何如法住勝？如來既自得利益已，復能憐愍、救濟、利益無量眾生，是名如法住勝。
"What is the supremacy of his dwelling in accordance with the Dharma? Having already gained benefit for himself, the Tathāgata is further able to have compassion for, to rescue, and to benefit countless sentient beings. This is called the supremacy of his dwelling in accordance with the Dharma."
「云何智勝？如來所有四無礙智，非諸聲聞、緣覺所及，是名智勝。
"What is the supremacy of his wisdom? The four kinds of unobstructed knowledge possessed by the Tathāgata are beyond anything attained by śrāvakas or pratyekabuddhas. This is called the supremacy of his wisdom."
Taixu glosses two of these terms precisely rather than leaving them as decoration. "Dwelling in accordance with the Dharma," he explains, means abiding in the true nature and true characteristics of the Dharma itself — not merely following rules, but resting in reality exactly as it is. And the "four kinds of unobstructed knowledge" are, in order: unobstructed knowledge of the Dharma, of language, of meaning, and of eloquent expression.
4. Milestone: Perfection, a Sphere of Practice, and the Inconceivable
The next three qualities move deeper still, into attainments the text says no śrāvaka or pratyekabuddha can reach: perfect conduct and livelihood, a range of meditative practice, and powers so far beyond ordinary reckoning that they are simply called "inconceivable."
「云何具足勝？如來具足行、命、戒、見，是名具足勝。
"What is the supremacy of his perfection? The Tathāgata is perfect in conduct, in livelihood, in precepts, and in view. This is called the supremacy of his perfection."
「云何行處勝？如來世尊修三三昧、九次第等，非諸聲聞、緣覺所及，是名行處勝。
"What is the supremacy of his sphere of practice? The World-Honored Tathāgata cultivates the three samādhis, the nine successive absorptions, and other such attainments, which are beyond anything reached by śrāvakas or pratyekabuddhas. This is called the supremacy of his sphere of practice."
「云何不可思議勝？如來所有六種神通，亦非聲聞，緣覺所及；如來十力、四無所畏、大悲、三念處，是名不可思議勝。
"What is the supremacy of the inconceivable in him? The six supernormal powers possessed by the Tathāgata likewise lie beyond anything reached by śrāvakas or pratyekabuddhas; together with the Tathāgata's ten powers, four fearlessnesses, great compassion, and three foundations of mindfulness — this is called the supremacy of the inconceivable in him."
Taixu unpacks the technical lists briefly rather than leaving them opaque. The three samādhis are emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness. The nine successive absorptions are the four dhyānas, the four formless absorptions, and the absorption of cessation — this last, he specifies, meaning the complete extinguishing of every outflow-tainted activity of mind. As for the six supernormal powers, he does not re-explain them here at all, simply noting that he has already covered them in an earlier chapter.
5. Milestone: Liberation Supreme, and the Ten Names of a Buddha
The seventh and final quality — liberation — opens into the chapter's longest passage: a cascade of classical epithets, each one explained by exactly what earns it, building toward the full traditional list of ten names given to every Buddha.
「云何解脫勝？如來具足二種解脫勝，除智慧障及煩惱障，永斷一切煩惱習氣，智、緣二事俱得自在，是名解脫勝。是故舍利弗於契經中讚歎如來具七勝法，如來從觀不淨乃至得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，從莊嚴地至解脫地，勝於聲聞、辟支佛等，是故如來名無上尊。如來世尊修空三昧、滅定三昧、四禪慈悲、觀十二因緣，皆悉為利諸眾生故。如來正覺，發言無二，故名如來；如往先佛從莊嚴地出，得阿耨多羅三藐三菩提，故名如來。具足獲得微妙正法，名阿羅呵，能受一切人、天供養，名阿羅呵；覺了二諦——世諦、真諦——名三藐三佛陀。修持淨戒，具足三明，名明行足。更不復生諸有之中，故名善逝。知二世界——眾生世界、國土世界——名世間解。善知方便調伏眾生，名調御丈夫。能令眾生不生怖畏，方便教化離苦受樂，是名天人師。知一切法及一切行，故名為佛。能破四魔，名婆伽婆。
"What is the supremacy of his liberation? The Tathāgata is perfect in two kinds of supreme liberation: he has removed both the obstruction of wisdom and the obstruction of afflictions, has permanently cut off every residual trace of affliction, and has attained mastery over both wisdom and its objective conditions alike. This is called the supremacy of his liberation. It is for this reason that Śāriputra, in the sutras, praised the Tathāgata as possessing these seven surpassing qualities: the Tathāgata, proceeding from the contemplation of impurity all the way to the attainment of unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment, and from the ground of adornment to the ground of liberation, surpasses the śrāvakas, the pratyekabuddhas, and all others — and for this reason the Tathāgata is called the Unsurpassed and Honored One. The World-Honored Tathāgata cultivates the samādhi of emptiness, the samādhi of cessation, the four dhyānas together with loving-kindness and compassion, and the contemplation of the twelve links of dependent origination — all of this entirely for the benefit of sentient beings. Because his perfect awakening speaks the single, non-dual truth, he is called Tathāgata; and because, like every buddha who came before him, he arose from the ground of adornment and attained unsurpassed, perfect, complete enlightenment, he is called Tathāgata. Because he has perfectly attained the subtle and wondrous true Dharma, he is called Arhat; because he is able to receive the offerings of all humans and gods, he is called Arhat. Because he has fully awakened to the two truths — the worldly truth and the ultimate truth — he is called Samyaksaṃbuddha. Because he cultivates and upholds pure precepts and is perfect in the three insights, he is called Vidyācaraṇasaṃpanna. Because he will never again be born into any of the realms of existence, he is called Sugata. Because he understands the two worlds — the world of sentient beings and the world of lands — he is called Lokavid. Because he skillfully understands the expedient means for taming sentient beings, he is called Puruṣadamyasārathi. Because he is able to keep sentient beings from fear, and through skillful means teaches and transforms them so that they leave suffering and receive happiness, he is called Śāstā devamanuṣyāṇāṃ, Teacher of Gods and Humans. Because he knows all dharmas and all practices, he is called Buddha. Because he is able to defeat the four māras, he is called Bhagavān."
Taixu points out that two distinct etymologies for "Tathāgata" itself sit side by side in this passage: the Buddha is called Tathāgata because his perfect awakening speaks the single, non-dual truth exactly as it is — he "comes" in his speech; and he is called Tathāgata because, like every buddha before him, he arose from the ground of adornment and thereby "came" to unsurpassed, complete enlightenment by the same path. Reading straight through the string of titles that follows, Taixu counts exactly ten epithets of a Buddha here — Tathāgata, Arhat, Samyaksaṃbuddha, Vidyācaraṇasaṃpanna, Sugata, Lokavid, Puruṣadamyasārathi, Śāstā devamanuṣyāṇāṃ, Buddha, and Bhagavān — the same standard set of ten names recited of every Buddha throughout the tradition.
6. Milestone: Equal to Friend and Enemy Alike
Having named the seven qualities, the text circles back to describe the Tathāgata's practice in more ordinary terms — precepts, concentration, and wisdom exercised without partiality, over spans of time no ordinary being can measure — before returning once more to how such a being is actually perceived by those around him.
「復觀如來行戒、定、慧，為益眾生。久於無量無數世中，怨親等利，無有差別。悉斷一切無量煩惱，一一皆知，一一眾生為一煩惱，無量世中受大苦惱。如來世尊為眾生故，難施能施，難忍能忍。「佛有二淨：一、莊嚴淨，二、果報淨。如是二淨因緣力故，從初十十至後十十，無有人、天能說其過。如來具足八萬音聲，眾生聞之不生厭離，以是因緣，如來出勝一切聲聞、辟支佛等。
"One should further contemplate that the Tathāgata practices precepts, concentration, and wisdom for the benefit of sentient beings; that for a long time, throughout innumerable, incalculable ages, he has brought equal benefit to enemy and kin alike, without any distinction between them; and that he has cut off every one of the boundless afflictions, knowing each one individually — understanding that for the sake of a single affliction, a single sentient being suffers great torment across innumerable ages. For the sake of sentient beings, the World-Honored Tathāgata gives what is hard to give, and endures what is hard to endure. The Buddha possesses two kinds of purity: first, the purity of his adornments; second, the purity of his fruit of reward. By the power of these two causes of purity, from the first tenfold to the last tenfold, no human or god is able to point out any fault in him. The Tathāgata is perfect in eighty thousand qualities of voice, and sentient beings who hear it never grow weary or wish to turn away. For this reason, the Tathāgata rises up surpassing all śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and the rest."
Taixu draws out the arithmetic behind "from the first tenfold to the last tenfold." The first tenfold, he explains, is the ten wholesome deeds together with the ten pāramitās; the last tenfold is the ten powers together with the ten epithets just given. Between the two, he adds, each of the ten wholesome deeds is itself cultivated in ten further ways, yielding the hundred merits that run continuously from beginning to end — which is exactly why both the first stage of the path and its last can equally be called "tenfold."
7. Milestone: What This Practice Actually Accomplishes
Having laid out the seven qualities at length, the Buddha closes the teaching by folding it back onto the question that opened the chapter: what does contemplating the Tathāgata in this way actually do for the precepts a bodhisattva has already taken?
「善男子！若人受持優婆塞戒欲淨戒者，當作如是修念佛心。若修念佛，是人則離內外諸惡不淨因緣，增長悲、慧，貪、瞋、癡斷，具足成就一切善法。
"Good son, if a person who upholds the upāsaka precepts wishes to keep those precepts pure, he should cultivate the mind of mindfulness of the Buddha in exactly this way. If he cultivates mindfulness of the Buddha, he will be freed from every internal and external condition of evil and impurity; his compassion and wisdom will increase; his greed, hatred, and delusion will be cut off; and he will perfectly accomplish every wholesome dharma."
Taixu reads this short conclusion as the whole chapter folding back onto its own starting point. Everything said about the seven surpassing qualities, he stresses, was never meant as abstract praise of the Buddha for its own sake — it converges right back onto the purity of one's own precepts, which is what the entire exercise of mindfulness was undertaken to protect in the first place.
8. Milestone: Harder at Home
The chapter's final line refuses to let the teaching stay theoretical: it names, plainly, why this practice is genuinely harder for a bodhisattva who is also a householder than for one who has left the household life.
「善男子！菩薩二種：一者、在家，二者、出家。出家菩薩修念佛心，是不為難；在家修集，是乃為難。何以故？在家之人多惡因緣所纏繞故。」
"Good son, there are two kinds of bodhisattva: the householder and the renunciant. For a renunciant bodhisattva, cultivating the mind of mindfulness of the Buddha is not difficult; but for a householder to cultivate and gather it is indeed difficult. Why is this? Because a person living at home is entangled by many conditions of evil."
Taixu's own outline marks this closing line as a conclusion on the householder's own surpassing difficulty, not a throwaway aside. Nothing in the chapter suggests the householder's path is any less real for being harder — if anything, the entire preceding teaching on mindfulness of the Buddha was offered as a workable practice precisely because it is the householder, entangled on every side by ordinary life, who most needs a method he can actually carry out in the midst of that entanglement.