Connections to Previous Lives

7.1“Śāriputra, this is what must be understood through these teachings: Countless, innumerable eons ago, a blessed buddha named Mahāvyūha appeared. He was a thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha endowed with perfect knowledge and conduct, a well-gone one, a knower of the world, unsurpassed, a guide of beings to be tamed, and a teacher of both gods and men. The blessed Thus-Gone One Mahāvyūha lived for sixty-eight billion years, Śāriputra, and the monks who were hearers in his assembly numbered sixty-eight trillion. [F.47.a]

7.2“For comparison, in the future, after I pass into parinirvāṇa and my remains are distributed, my sacred Dharma will remain for five hundred years, but no longer than that. The day after that blessed, thus-gone one passed into parinirvāṇa, a hundred monks among his manifold saṅgha of monks also passed beyond suffering, followed by two hundred, three hundred, four hundred, and then five hundred of them. Śāriputra, a trillion monks passed beyond suffering on that day. In this way, Śāriputra, within three years all that blessed one’s hearers who had the wisdom of the higher perceptions and the great powers had passed beyond suffering. Śāriputra, many gods and humans also worshiped the vast teachings of that blessed one.

7.3“Later on, after the hearers of that blessed one had passed beyond suffering, large groups of beings went forth and became mendicants who were free from sickness and pursued nirvāṇa. But since they became overwhelmed by gain and honor and with clinging minds, they did not apply the Dharma and lost interest in the profound discourses taught by the Thus-Gone One, the awakening of the buddhas, nonapprehending, and the ultimate reality, emptiness. Moreover, they practiced a Dharma that was uncertain in terms of understanding, uncertain in terms of meaning, and impure. They practiced and taught an impure Dharma that advocated the existence of a self, a life force, and a person, but they did not advocate emptiness.

7.4“Śāriputra, a hundred years after that blessed one had passed into parinirvāṇa, the Dharma-Vinaya was divided into five groups called Support of Veneration, Apprehending Origination, [F.47.b] Proponents of the View That All Phenomena Exist, Arising from Collection, and Completely Bound. Śāriputra, there were five monks called Support of Veneration, Apprehending Origination, Proponent of the View That All Phenomena Exist, Arising from Collection, and Completely Bound, who became the leaders of those retinues. Śāriputra, the members of Support of Veneration knew all the words of the Buddha and propounded emptiness free of apprehending. The four other monks and their retinues followed mistaken paths, and most of them were proponents of the view of a person.

7.5“Śāriputra, the members of Support of Veneration were unable to stand firm because they were threatened by the other four‍—or nine‍—groups, and they were not supported by many people. Śāriputra, those four groups of evil monks led great masses of people to adopt incorrect views. Since they lacked respect for one another and criticized one another, the teachings of the Blessed One vanished. Śāriputra, I know that the ones who exhibited thorough knowledge, understanding, and devotion when the teachings of the Support of Veneration were taught became the sixty-eight quadrillion beings who became hearers of five thousand thus-gone ones and passed beyond suffering. Why is that? Because, Śāriputra, they performed their duties under the conquerors of the past, and they experienced nirvāṇa free of apprehending.

7.6“Śāriputra, the monks called Apprehending Origination, Proponent of the View That All Phenomena Exist, Arising from Collection, and Completely Bound, along with their entire retinues, were engaged in apprehending. They adhered to the view of a self and advocated the view of a being, a life force, and a person. They had retinues of many people and were proponents of the view of a person. [F.48.a] Śāriputra, those unholy beings went forth, caused large groups of householders to cling to wrong views, and rejected the ultimate reality. They used the words of the nirgranthas to obscure the awakening of the buddhas and the Dharma teachings related to emptiness free of apprehending, the absence of distinguishing marks, and the absence of wishes, and they embraced wrong views. Śāriputra, since the four monks were the leaders of their retinues, the people who followed those four unholy beings also propounded such views and caused the vast and excellent teachings to vanish. Śāriputra, since they had adopted non-Dharma as the Dharma, the acceptance that concords with the truth did not arise in them, even though they endeavored, applied effort, and were diligent. What need is there to mention them attaining the fruition? That would have been impossible.

7.7“Śāriputra, most of those householders and renunciants were reborn in the lower realms, not in the higher realms. Śāriputra, those unholy beings caused the awakening of the Buddha to vanish, and therefore they have harmed many beings. After those unholy beings passed away, they fell into the great Hell of Ceaseless Torment, where they were burned with their heads hanging down for nine trillion years. For nine thousand years, they were then roasted from their left and right sides. Then, after they died there, they fell into the Intensely Hot Hell, the Hot Hell, the Great Wailing Hell, the Wailing Hell, the Crushing Hell, the Black Line Hell, and the Reviving Hell. They were burned in each of those great hells for the same amount of time. After the Reviving Hell, they once again fell into the Black Line Hell, and then again into the Crushing Hell, the Wailing Hell, the Great Wailing Hell, the Hot Hell, the Intensely Hot Hell, and the great Hell of Ceaseless Torment. [F.48.b]

7.8“Śāriputra, in the same manner, those who were related to these householders and renunciants, and the members of the households where they went begging for alms, as well as their friendly relations, all died and were reborn in the great hells, where they experienced unbearable agony. After them, sixty-four trillion beings were reborn in those great hells. The Thus-Gone One knows precisely the great number of their friends, aides, attending monks, teachers, lineage teachers, disciples, lineage disciples, and followers who passed away after them, Śāriputra, but it is not easy for you to fathom such numbers. All the sentient beings that had fallen into wrong views under their influence and those sixty-four trillion beings who passed away were reborn together in the great hells.

7.9“In this manner, Śāriputra, they were born in the lower realms for an entire eon. Śāriputra, during the eon of incineration, those foolish beings fell into those states in that exact same way. Why is that? Because, Śāriputra, the karma related to denigrating the teachings of the blessed buddhas is that severe. During the eon of destruction, Śāriputra, those four unholy beings and all those sixty-four trillion beings died and fell into great hell realms in other world systems or in the intermediate worlds. Why is that? Because, Śāriputra, they committed a severe act and accumulated its karmic ripening, which is no less severe. [F.49.a] For many hundreds of years, thousands of years, hundreds of thousands of years, and trillions of years they have experienced intense, rough, overwhelming, and unpleasant agonies. Śāriputra, they are born there when the world in which we live is destroyed and during the subsequent burning eon.

7.10“After that, Śāriputra, all those four unholy beings, those sixty-four trillion beings, and all those who had not exhausted the karmic ripening associated with the hell realms died and were reborn in the great hell realms of this world. Then, Śāriputra, those four unholy beings and those sixty-four trillion beings took human births, and they were all blind. Śāriputra, they were born blind in this manner for five hundred human births. Then, for five hundred births, they fell into the great hells and were all blind. At the end of five hundred additional lives, when they finally regained a human condition, they all recovered their eyesight.

7.11“At that time, Śāriputra, a blessed buddha named Samantaprabha appeared in the world. He was a thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddha, who had perfect knowledge and conduct, a well-gone one, a knower of the world, an unsurpassed guide of beings to be tamed, and a teacher of both gods and men. That blessed one lived for a trillion years, and his great gathering of hearers had a full hundred quadrillion members. At that time, the size of the bodies of humans was ninety-nine cubits, and the body of that blessed one was twice as tall as those ordinary bodies. The perpetual radiance of that blessed buddha illuminated and pervaded myriads of leagues. [F.49.b] Those unholy beings went forth under the teachings of that blessed one and they strove for fruition for many hundreds of thousands of years as if their heads were on fire, yet still the acceptance that concords with the truth did not arise in them. So what need is there to mention the attainment of the fruition? That would have been impossible.

7.12“Why is that? Śāriputra, this is what happens to those who denigrate the awakening of the buddhas, because they have accrued karma that will cause them to be bereft of the Dharma. And this is how it was until I appeared in the world‍—once they died, the nonvirtuous actions they had generated in the past led them to fall into the great Hell of Ceaseless Torment. Even though they pleased me and nine hundred million buddhas, they did not obtain the acceptance that concords with the truth from any of those buddhas. Why is that? Śāriputra, this is what happens to those who do not trust the teachings of the thus-gone ones, who denigrate them, and who speak ill of the noble monks, because they have accrued karma that causes them to be bereft of the Dharma. Śāriputra, look at all the many sufferings they have experienced by deprecating the noble ones‍—they are still not liberated from the lower realms.

7.13“Right now, Śāriputra, there are boundless and countless sentient beings who denigrate the teachings and who accrue karma that will lead them to be bereft of the Dharma. Śāriputra, I do not think that a single sentient being among them will pass beyond suffering before an incalculable eon and nine hundred ninety million buddhas have passed. Therefore, Śāriputra, the merit of anyone who denigrates the teachings of the blessed buddhas‍—even if not included among immature beings with pride, evil monks who have destroyed their discipline and vows, or those who teach an impure Dharma‍—has those three qualities [F.50.a] and for that very reason is not that of knowing, and is not that of liberation; that is why they do not trust what the Thus-Gone One says and denigrate it.

7.14“Śāriputra, deluded Devadatta was the monk named Escape who taught impure Dharma at that time. Do not have any uncertainty, hesitation, or doubt about that fact, thinking that the monk named Escape who taught impure Dharma at that time was someone else.

7.15“Śāriputra, the monk Kokalika was the monk named Proponent of the View That All Phenomena Exist who taught impure Dharma at that time. Do not have any uncertainty, hesitation, or doubt about that fact, thinking that the monk named Proponent of the View That All Phenomena Exist who taught impure Dharma at that time was someone else.

7.16“Śāriputra, the monk Kapila was the monk named Arising from Collection who taught impure Dharma at that time. Do not have any uncertainty, hesitation, or doubt about that fact, thinking that the monk named Arising from Collection who taught impure Dharma at that time was someone else.

7.17“Śāriputra, Satyaka Nirgranthaputra was the monk named Completely Bound who taught impure Dharma at that time. Do not have any uncertainty, hesitation, or doubt about that fact, thinking that the monk named Completely Bound who taught impure Dharma at that time was someone else.

7.18“Śāriputra, at that time, Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra himself was the monk named Support of Veneration, who correctly revealed the awakening of the buddhas exactly as it is, who taught the pure Dharma, who worked for the benefit of many beings, and who taught the Dharma teachings through which the sixty-eight quadrillion hearers, who had passed beyond suffering under five thousand buddhas, were training. [F.50.b] Do not have any uncertainty, hesitation, or doubt about that fact, thinking that the monk named Support of Veneration‍—who correctly revealed the awakening of the buddhas exactly as it is, taught the pure Dharma, worked for the benefit of many beings, and taught the Dharma teachings through which sixty-eight quadrillion hearers who had passed into nirvāṇa under five thousand buddhas were training‍—was someone else.

7.19“Śāriputra, you should acknowledge that this was precisely Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra, by proclaiming these words of truth: ‘He was the only one among them who taught pure Dharma teachings and definitive Dharma discourses.’ Śāriputra, the monk Pūrṇa does not determine something that is uncertain. Therefore, Śāriputra, he teaches the definitive Dharma system. The monk Pūrṇa does not teach the Dharma of uncertain meaning; he teaches the Dharma of definitive meaning. The monk Pūrṇa does not teach an imperfect Dharma; he teaches the perfect Dharma. Śāriputra, the monk Pūrṇa does not determine anything with doubts. He has no doubts, and he teaches the perfect and definitive Dharma. Śāriputra, you should genuinely acknowledge that this was precisely Pūrṇa by proclaiming these words of truth: ‘The Dharma discourses he possesses are perfect in every respect.’

7.20“Śāriputra, the monk Pūrṇa performed the deeds of a buddha for sentient beings. Śāriputra, Pūrṇa Maitrāyaṇīputra taught the pure Dharma in the places where ninety million blessed buddhas were born and passed away. He always taught the pure Dharma. [F.51.a] Whenever he was in the presence of the blessed buddhas, he taught the pure Dharma by practicing pure conduct. Śāriputra, the monk Pūrṇa has also preached the Dharma of the seven perfect buddhas.

7.21“Śāriputra, this monk Pūrṇa is now a proponent of my Dharma and a worthy one, whose mind is thoroughly liberated. Śāriputra, you should genuinely acknowledge that this was Pūrṇa himself, by proclaiming these words of truth: ‘He performed exceptional duties under the victors of the past.’ Śāriputra, since Pūrṇa has trained well under ninety million buddhas, who have reached definitive awakening, he has developed great insight. The monk Pūrṇa is therefore the best teacher of the Dharma propounded by the thus-gone ones. Śāriputra, even if I were to proclaim them for a day, a night, or a day and a night, I could not exhaust my words of praise for the monk Pūrṇa. Śāriputra, even if I were to proclaim them for two, three, four, five, or ten days, for a fortnight, for a full month, or for longer periods than that, I could not exhaust my words of praise for the monk Pūrṇa. Why is that? Because he is a hearer of mine who always teaches the Dharma that is pure and definitive in meaning, who has performed exceptional duties under the conquerors of the past, and who abides by emptiness free of apprehending.

7.22“Śāriputra, when the monk Pūrṇa sees with his divine eye that there are sentient beings a hundred thousand leagues away who can be tamed by hearers, he goes there and teaches them the Dharma. Śāriputra, the monk Pūrṇa has benefited and brought happiness to many beings for a long time. Śāriputra, the Dharma-teaching monk Pūrṇa has no afflictions, does not care about material things, and teaches the Dharma without clinging to gain and honor. [F.51.b] Śāriputra, since the monk Pūrṇa is a Dharma teacher who has developed perfect discernment, there is no one besides the Teacher in the whole world with its gods who can grasp the scope of his intent or his words. It is impossible.

7.23“Therefore, Śāriputra, you must understand and realize this. Those who teach the Dharma that is in harmony with unsurpassed and perfect awakening accumulate immeasurable roots of virtue because they benefit many beings. Śāriputra, those who denigrate the awakening of the buddhas accumulate great roots of nonvirtue because they harm many beings. Why is that? Because, Śāriputra, the ripening of evil will be evil; the ripening of defiled nonvirtue will be defiled; and the ripening of that which is undefiled will be undefiled.

7.24“Therefore, Śāriputra, when discourses such as this that have been taught by the Thus-Gone One are explained and taught extensively to the four retinues, those who are pleased and delighted upon hearing such a Dharma teaching will be those who had immeasurable heaps of merit. On the other hand, those who are not pleased or delighted, and who display a clear lack of faith upon hearing a Dharma teaching such as this that has been taught by the Thus-Gone One, are definitely beings who transgress their discipline, who have pride, and who teach an impure Dharma. Moreover, those who denigrate it will truly be blind.

7.25“Śāriputra, you must understand and realize this. Śāriputra, I do not oppress others in the same way that a potter devalues unbaked vessels; I win them over with the awakening of the buddhas, nonapprehending, and the ultimate reality, emptiness. [F.52.a] Then, when I teach the Dharma to others, they will pick up the essence and discard the husk. Why is that? Because, Śāriputra, the Dharma that the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha taught after awakening to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood is not based upon wrong views. I do not propound a self, a being, a life force, a person, eternalism, or nihilism. Why is that? Śāriputra, clinging to all those notions is known as wrong views. Śāriputra, the acceptance that concords with the truth will never arise through these notions of a self, a being, a life force, a person, eternalism, or nihilism. It is impossible. There is no chance that this could happen, so what need is there to mention the attainment of the fruition? It is impossible.

7.26“That is why, Śāriputra, the Thus-Gone One has not authorized gifts of faith to those who have such views. Why is that? Because, Śāriputra, such people are not coherent, are not liberated, and only go forth in this teaching to sustain their own bodies. Śāriputra, that is why I designated a probationary period for members of non-Buddhist orders, saying, ‘Those who previously belonged to a non-Buddhist order who go forth under this teaching must undergo a four-month probationary period.’ Why is that? Because, Śāriputra, most members of non-Buddhist orders are proponents of a self, a being, a life force, a person, eternalism, and nihilism. But I and my hearers are proponents of the lack of self and proponents of emptiness. [F.52.b] We train in concentration that lacks distinguishing marks, we have the acceptance that concords with the truth, and we do not dwell on the consciousnesses.

7.27“Śāriputra, I will give those who have such an acceptance the opportunity to go forth, be fully ordained, and receive robes, alms, sleeping places, medicines, and other necessities given through faith. Those who do not have that acceptance should apply themselves to the absence of a self for the probationary period. Śāriputra, those who do not develop acceptance and faith when the ultimate reality, emptiness, is explained to them and who become afraid, scared, terrified, and confused will denigrate the ultimate reality, emptiness, and delight in the view of a person. When one sees this, one can be certain that they have been instructed by Māra for a long time or were formerly members of a non-Buddhist order. The wise ones should not be upset at them, but rather give rise to love and compassion. Why is that? Words can never satisfy them, Śāriputra, and all those with such an acceptance will experience the ripening of karma.

7.28“In other words, one should lead them to generate a more accepting attitude and to engender the notion that emptiness refers to the fact that all phenomena lack a self and to the nonexistence of a person. If those beings disregard and reject emptiness and reject the awakening of the buddhas, the qualities of the buddhas, and the qualities of mendicants, those who practice pure conduct and abide by emptiness, the absence of distinguishing marks, and the absence of wishes should teach them, persuade them, encourage them, uplift them, connect them to the words of the Buddha, and reveal to them that the ultimate reality is emptiness, free of apprehending.

7.29“If such beings are afraid of the awakening of the buddhas, [F.53.a] a large number of monks, or the saṅgha of monks, should tell their preceptors and instructors, ‘The Blessed One said, “I am the teacher of those who understand well the inherent characteristic of phenomena and abide by emptiness, but I am not the teacher of those who entertain the mistaken perception of a person and follow mistaken paths.” The Blessed One spoke of the vow restoration rites for those with authentic discipline and the excellent view, but not for those who violate their discipline. Such people, who live together with the venerable monks, have no interest in the Dharma teachings related to emptiness free of apprehending, and they advocate non-Buddhist views. Since the Blessed One did not speak of a vow restoration rite that can be performed in the company of those who advocate non-Buddhist views, we should not associate with them. Those who have such an acceptance should not be employed to perform the duties of the saṅgha, and one should not honor their wishes. Venerable monks are allowed to expel people with such an impure acceptance!’ Śāriputra, if the saṅgha of monks did this, they would worship me, they would bring an end to non-Buddhists, and they would also perform the vow restoration rite in the purest manner.

7.30“Śāriputra, you must understand and realize this. Those who hold these views‍—the views of a self, a being, a life force, and a person‍—are not renunciants who follow my teachings. They do not serve me, and I am not their teacher. They go forth under and serve the six non-Buddhist teachers, so their teachers are those six non-Buddhist teachers. Since they consume gifts of faith without having reached the acceptance related to the sublime Dharma teachings, they do not properly consume those gifts of faith. [F.53.b] Although they are assuredly bound by the prātimokṣa vows after going forth in this teaching, when monks who do not engage or show interest in the ultimate reality, emptiness, and harbor doubts and reservations about the teachings on emptiness and nonapprehending eat that food and prioritize discipline, absorption, and study, Śāriputra, they do not worship the Thus-Gone One, respect him, revere him, or honor him. Why is that? Śāriputra, people who have developed the four concentrations are not at all difficult to find. Hence, Śāriputra, how could that be a way to honor the Thus-Gone One? That is the only reason they claim to be mendicants, because they are not liberated from the fetters that bind one to suffering.

7.31“Śāriputra, you must understand and realize this. Many different types of grasping can defile this Dharma-Vinaya with wrong views. Śāriputra, those who prioritize impure discipline, impure absorption, and impure study are not pure mendicants. Śāriputra, they are not called mendicants or brahmins. Śāriputra, those who have genuinely understood ‘phenomena that lack a self as phenomena that lack a self,’ as well as ‘the emptiness of inherent nature of all phenomena as the emptiness of inherent nature of all phenomena,’ no longer prioritize discipline, absorption, or study. Why is that? Because, Śāriputra, if there is no formation, what phenomenon is there to prioritize? [F.54.a] Therefore, Śāriputra, if something singular and nondual lacks the apprehending of discipline, what need is there to mention apprehending violated discipline? It would be impossible for someone to prioritize any phenomenon.

7.32“Śāriputra, the unsurpassed and perfect awakening of the thus-gone ones is the fact that all phenomena are empty of inherent characteristics, lack a person, and lack characteristics. Those who have such an acceptance are those who are coherent and who are liberated. They have gone forth into homelessness, they are faultless and designated recipients of gifts of faith, and their rites pertaining to full ordination are pure. Śāriputra, sentient beings and the thus-gone ones have one reality: unsurpassed and perfect awakening. How is this the one reality? Since it is free from desire, it is abandoned. What has been abandoned? Desires and wrong views. What is meant by desires? The primordial desires. What is meant by views? Mental engagement. Why is that? Because, Śāriputra, all phenomena arise on the basis of mental engagement‍—when there is mental engagement there is ideation; when there is ideation there is a view; and when there is a view there is a wrong view.

7.33“Śāriputra, the Thus-Gone One has said that even virtues are views. Why is that? Because, Śāriputra, those who are free from desire have abandoned Dharma, non-Dharma, virtue, and nonvirtue. Since they are not attached to any view, grasping, or mental engagement, it is said that they are free from desire. Śāriputra, awakening is an abandonment. What kind of abandonment? The abandonment of everything included in desire. What is included in desire? [F.54.b] Desire includes impropriety, nonvirtue, ‘I’ and ‘mine,’ selfishness, and ownership. Those who have abandoned the notion of a self are devoid of clinging. That abandonment is the unsurpassed and perfect awakening of the thus-gone ones.”

7.34This was chapter 7, “Connections to Previous Lives.”