“Maudgalyāyana, when I was training in the practices of a bodhisattva in the past, I created numerous different roots of virtue in order to understand the past. I did this by wondering how I could fully awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood and then teach sentient beings about knowledge of the past.
EN
“Long ago in the limitless, countless, inconceivable, immeasurable, boundless, and inexpressible cycle of existence, Maudgalyāyana, long before even the distant past there was a king named Knower of the Past. Whatever course of action this king would pursue, he always did so having examined the past. The specific faculties that make up the nature of a person are all produced by previous karmic action. Thus, certain acts create an inferior body while others produce an excellent form. Some acts are meritorious, while others carry little merit. Some will make one dull while others make one intelligent. Some will make one a servant while others make one a lord. Some bring great joy, and some will make one close-minded. Karmic formation that makes one a servant is not agreeable to oneself. Karmic formation that brings an inferior body, little merit, or close-mindedness is not agreeable to oneself. Karmic formation that results in an excellent body, or the completeness of all faculties, is agreeable to oneself. Karmic formation that makes the mind unattached is an activity of detachment. Such an activity will never yield mental bondage, not even after innumerable eons.
EN
“Maudgalyāyana, in case you may think that at that time King Knower of the Past was anyone else, do not think so. In those days I was King Knower of the Past. With my understanding of the past, I did not produce any mental bondage of affliction or of shortcomings. Therefore, Maudgalyāyana, bodhisattvas must engage in the karmic formation of examining the past, and so pursue what is virtuous while refraining from negative acts. Maudgalyāyana, a bodhisattva who examines the past will be free from mental bondage and quickly reach the irreversible stage.
EN
“Maudgalyāyana, when I was training in the practices of a bodhisattva in the past, I created numerous different roots of virtue in order to understand the origin as related to knowledge of the past. I did this by wondering how I could fully awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood and then teach sentient beings about knowledge of the origin as related to knowledge of the past.
EN
“Long ago in the limitless cycle of existence, Maudgalyāyana, long before even the distant past there was a king by the name of Knower of the Origin as Related to Knowledge of the Past. He was free from all negativity and took great joy in the qualities of virtue. He reviled short lifespans and delighted in longevity, reviled the harmful and delighted in what is of little harm, reviled low class and delighted in high class, reviled the lackluster and delighted in the splendid, reviled poverty and delighted in wealth, reviled poor understanding and delighted in great insight, reviled dull faculties and delighted in magnificent faculties, reviled unpleasant words and delighted in beautiful words, reviled falsity and delighted in truth, reviled divisive talk and delighted in harmonious words, reviled harsh words and delighted in gentle words, reviled antagonism and delighted in reconciliation, reviled covetousness and delighted in contentment, reviled ill will and delighted in kindness, and reviled wrong view and delighted in right view. Thus he refrained from negative acts, took joy in virtue, and established all the people on the path of the ten virtuous acts. With love he taught them the ten avenues of virtuous action. Thus, when the world was destroyed they all took birth among the gods of luminosity, and when a new world formed they were born in a thousand Brahmā palaces.
EN
“Maudgalyāyana, in case you may think that at that time King Knower of the Origin as Related to Knowledge of the Past was anyone else, do not think so. In those days I was that king, Knower of the Origin as Related to Knowledge of the Past. With loving concern I taught those beings the path of the ten virtuous acts, whereby they were born in the realm of Brahmā. Therefore, Maudgalyāyana, bodhisattvas must abide in absorption by means of a loving heart. By way of non-abiding, they must cultivate the path of the ten virtuous acts.
EN
“Maudgalyāyana, when I was training in the practices of a bodhisattva in the past, I created numerous different roots of virtue in order to understand cessation as related to knowledge of the past. I did this by wondering how I could fully awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood and then teach sentient beings about the knowledge of cessation as related to knowledge of the past.
EN
“Long ago in the limitless cycle of existence, Maudgalyāyana, long before even the distant past there was a sage known as Pure Intelligence. Whenever an affliction arose, this sage would perceive it as unclean. Thus, thinking the afflictions unclean, he very quickly renounced, dispelled, and relinquished them without harboring any fondness for them. In this way he soon avoided engaging in any of the afflictions, abiding instead by the factors that bring about their purification. All the gods, nāgas, yakṣas, and gandharvas then began to take up, abide by, and follow the same practice, and so even the most insignificant gods would abide by and follow such practice.
EN
“As for human beings, the sage would introduce them to the knowledge of how karmic action is appropriated. Since the ripening of beings’ past karmic actions is not perceptible to them, they might get the impression that the effects of their karmic actions can fade away by means of transformation. The sage therefore introduced everyone to the knowledge of how karmic action is appropriated and thus he established everyone within that knowledge. As this remedial knowledge had now arisen in them, as their lives came to an end and they died, they were reborn in the realm of Brahmā.
EN
“Maudgalyāyana, in case you may think that at that time the sage Pure Intelligence was anyone else, do not think so. In those days I was that sage, Pure Intelligence. I introduced those beings to the knowledge of how karmic action is appropriated and established them within that knowledge. When the remedial knowledge had thus arisen, they were all reborn in the realm of Brahmā. Therefore, Maudgalyāyana, bodhisattvas must abide by the knowledge of how karmic action is appropriated.
EN
“Maudgalyāyana, when I was training in the practices of a bodhisattva in the past, I created numerous different roots of virtue in order to understand the path that leads to cessation as related to knowledge of the past. I did this by wondering how I could fully awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood and then teach sentient beings about the knowledge of the path that leads to cessation as related to knowledge of the past.
EN
“Long ago in the limitless cycle of existence, Maudgalyāyana, long before even the distant past there was a sage known as Path Giver, who had become ordained after having relinquished the entire earth as well as the ocean. This sage had entered the forest, and there he thought about the trees: ‘These trees will before long all fall. And why? Because all accumulation ends in exhaustion, and the high stands to fall. Nothing whatsoever can prevent that which is high from falling. However, that which is not high, will not fall. Pride makes one rise high, but without pride there is no “high.” ’
EN
“Hence, to relinquish pride the sage taught the Dharma, compassionately explaining the activities of the ten virtues to sentient beings. Thus, having taught beings compassionately, he was born in the realm of Brahmā upon the disintegration of his body.
EN
“Maudgalyāyana, in case you may think that at that time the sage Path Giver, who with compassion taught the Dharma of the activities of the ten virtues to sentient beings, was anyone else, do not, because I was him. Therefore, Maudgalyāyana, bodhisattvas must teach beings the activities of the ten virtues with a compassionate mind. Thereby they will reach the stage of irreversibility.”
“Maudgalyāyana, when I was training in the practices of a bodhisattva in the past, I created numerous different roots of virtue in order to understand the past. I did this by wondering how I could fully awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood and then teach sentient beings about knowledge of the past.
EN
“Long ago in the limitless, countless, inconceivable, immeasurable, boundless, and inexpressible cycle of existence, Maudgalyāyana, long before even the distant past there was a king named Knower of the Past. Whatever course of action this king would pursue, he always did so having examined the past. The specific faculties that make up the nature of a person are all produced by previous karmic action. Thus, certain acts create an inferior body while others produce an excellent form. Some acts are meritorious, while others carry little merit. Some will make one dull while others make one intelligent. Some will make one a servant while others make one a lord. Some bring great joy, and some will make one close-minded. Karmic formation that makes one a servant is not agreeable to oneself. Karmic formation that brings an inferior body, little merit, or close-mindedness is not agreeable to oneself. Karmic formation that results in an excellent body, or the completeness of all faculties, is agreeable to oneself. Karmic formation that makes the mind unattached is an activity of detachment. Such an activity will never yield mental bondage, not even after innumerable eons.
EN
“Maudgalyāyana, in case you may think that at that time King Knower of the Past was anyone else, do not think so. In those days I was King Knower of the Past. With my understanding of the past, I did not produce any mental bondage of affliction or of shortcomings. Therefore, Maudgalyāyana, bodhisattvas must engage in the karmic formation of examining the past, and so pursue what is virtuous while refraining from negative acts. Maudgalyāyana, a bodhisattva who examines the past will be free from mental bondage and quickly reach the irreversible stage.
EN
“Maudgalyāyana, when I was training in the practices of a bodhisattva in the past, I created numerous different roots of virtue in order to understand the origin as related to knowledge of the past. I did this by wondering how I could fully awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood and then teach sentient beings about knowledge of the origin as related to knowledge of the past.
EN
“Long ago in the limitless cycle of existence, Maudgalyāyana, long before even the distant past there was a king by the name of Knower of the Origin as Related to Knowledge of the Past. He was free from all negativity and took great joy in the qualities of virtue. He reviled short lifespans and delighted in longevity, reviled the harmful and delighted in what is of little harm, reviled low class and delighted in high class, reviled the lackluster and delighted in the splendid, reviled poverty and delighted in wealth, reviled poor understanding and delighted in great insight, reviled dull faculties and delighted in magnificent faculties, reviled unpleasant words and delighted in beautiful words, reviled falsity and delighted in truth, reviled divisive talk and delighted in harmonious words, reviled harsh words and delighted in gentle words, reviled antagonism and delighted in reconciliation, reviled covetousness and delighted in contentment, reviled ill will and delighted in kindness, and reviled wrong view and delighted in right view. Thus he refrained from negative acts, took joy in virtue, and established all the people on the path of the ten virtuous acts. With love he taught them the ten avenues of virtuous action. Thus, when the world was destroyed they all took birth among the gods of luminosity, and when a new world formed they were born in a thousand Brahmā palaces.
EN
“Maudgalyāyana, in case you may think that at that time King Knower of the Origin as Related to Knowledge of the Past was anyone else, do not think so. In those days I was that king, Knower of the Origin as Related to Knowledge of the Past. With loving concern I taught those beings the path of the ten virtuous acts, whereby they were born in the realm of Brahmā. Therefore, Maudgalyāyana, bodhisattvas must abide in absorption by means of a loving heart. By way of non-abiding, they must cultivate the path of the ten virtuous acts.
EN
“Maudgalyāyana, when I was training in the practices of a bodhisattva in the past, I created numerous different roots of virtue in order to understand cessation as related to knowledge of the past. I did this by wondering how I could fully awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood and then teach sentient beings about the knowledge of cessation as related to knowledge of the past.
EN
“Long ago in the limitless cycle of existence, Maudgalyāyana, long before even the distant past there was a sage known as Pure Intelligence. Whenever an affliction arose, this sage would perceive it as unclean. Thus, thinking the afflictions unclean, he very quickly renounced, dispelled, and relinquished them without harboring any fondness for them. In this way he soon avoided engaging in any of the afflictions, abiding instead by the factors that bring about their purification. All the gods, nāgas, yakṣas, and gandharvas then began to take up, abide by, and follow the same practice, and so even the most insignificant gods would abide by and follow such practice.
EN
“As for human beings, the sage would introduce them to the knowledge of how karmic action is appropriated. Since the ripening of beings’ past karmic actions is not perceptible to them, they might get the impression that the effects of their karmic actions can fade away by means of transformation. The sage therefore introduced everyone to the knowledge of how karmic action is appropriated and thus he established everyone within that knowledge. As this remedial knowledge had now arisen in them, as their lives came to an end and they died, they were reborn in the realm of Brahmā.
EN
“Maudgalyāyana, in case you may think that at that time the sage Pure Intelligence was anyone else, do not think so. In those days I was that sage, Pure Intelligence. I introduced those beings to the knowledge of how karmic action is appropriated and established them within that knowledge. When the remedial knowledge had thus arisen, they were all reborn in the realm of Brahmā. Therefore, Maudgalyāyana, bodhisattvas must abide by the knowledge of how karmic action is appropriated.
EN
“Maudgalyāyana, when I was training in the practices of a bodhisattva in the past, I created numerous different roots of virtue in order to understand the path that leads to cessation as related to knowledge of the past. I did this by wondering how I could fully awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood and then teach sentient beings about the knowledge of the path that leads to cessation as related to knowledge of the past.
EN
“Long ago in the limitless cycle of existence, Maudgalyāyana, long before even the distant past there was a sage known as Path Giver, who had become ordained after having relinquished the entire earth as well as the ocean. This sage had entered the forest, and there he thought about the trees: ‘These trees will before long all fall. And why? Because all accumulation ends in exhaustion, and the high stands to fall. Nothing whatsoever can prevent that which is high from falling. However, that which is not high, will not fall. Pride makes one rise high, but without pride there is no “high.” ’
EN
“Hence, to relinquish pride the sage taught the Dharma, compassionately explaining the activities of the ten virtues to sentient beings. Thus, having taught beings compassionately, he was born in the realm of Brahmā upon the disintegration of his body.
EN
“Maudgalyāyana, in case you may think that at that time the sage Path Giver, who with compassion taught the Dharma of the activities of the ten virtues to sentient beings, was anyone else, do not, because I was him. Therefore, Maudgalyāyana, bodhisattvas must teach beings the activities of the ten virtues with a compassionate mind. Thereby they will reach the stage of irreversibility.”
Sutraya