The Translation

[F.50.a]

1.1Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.

1.2Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was dwelling at Jetavana, Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park, together with a large monastic community of 1,250 monks.

1.3The Blessed One was respected, honored, revered, and venerated by monks, nuns, devoted laymen, devoted laywomen, kings, ministers, the various tīrthikas, ascetics, brahmins, [F.50.b] practitioners, and wanderers, as well as by gods, nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kinnaras, and mahoragas. The Blessed One received abundant and exquisite requisites‍—robes, alms, bedding and seating, and medicine in case of illness‍—both divine and human. Yet, the Blessed One remained untainted by them, like a lotus untainted by water. The Blessed One’s renown, fame, and acclaim, was vast, excellent, and exalted. In this way, the Blessed One, the tathāgata, arhat, perfectly awakened one, accomplished in knowledge and conduct, the well gone one, the knower of the world, the unsurpassed guide for people to be tamed, the teacher of gods and humans, the Buddha, the Blessed One, having directly understood and clearly perceived this world with its gods, māras, brahmās, ascetics, brahmins, gods, and humans, was teaching the Dharma that is excellent in the beginning, excellent in the middle, and excellent in the end, fine in meaning and fine in expression, and was expounding the entire and complete spiritual life that is completely pure and completely clean.

1.4Then the Blessed One addressed the monks, “Monks, if beings were to know the fruit of giving and the karmic fruition of sharing gifts as I know the fruit of giving and the karmic fruition of sharing gifts, they would not eat even their last mouthful, their last morsel, themselves without giving, without sharing it with others, and the arisen defilement of selfishness would not remain in possession of their minds. [F.51.a] But, monks, because beings do not know the fruit of giving and the karmic fruition of sharing gifts as I know the fruit of giving and the karmic fruition of sharing gifts, they eat even their last mouthful, their last morsel, themselves without giving, without sharing it with others, and the arisen defilement of selfishness remains in possession of their minds. Why is this?

1.5“Previously, monks, in a past time, there was a king named Kanakavarṇa, who was handsome, beautiful, and pleasing to behold, being endowed with a sublime golden complexion. That king Kanakavarṇa was rich, wealthy, and prosperous, having abundant possessions; abundant wealth and means; abundant riches, grains, gems, pearls, crystal, coral, gold, and silver; abundant elephants, horses, cows, and stud horses; and treasuries and storehouses that were completely filled.

1.6“King Kanakavarṇa had a royal capital called Kanakāvatī that was twelve yojanas in length from east to west and seven yojanas wide from south to north. It was prosperous, thriving, happy, well provisioned, pleasant, and bustling with many people. King Kanakavarṇa had eighty thousand such cities that were prosperous, thriving, happy, well provisioned, pleasant, and bustling with many people; five hundred and seventy million villages that were prosperous, thriving, happy, well provisioned, pleasant, and bustling with many people; and sixty thousand market towns that were prosperous, thriving, happy, well provisioned, pleasant, and bustling with many people. And, King Kanakavarṇa had eighteen thousand courtiers and a retinue of twenty thousand attendant women. [F.51.b]

1.7“Monks, King Kanakavarṇa was righteous and he ruled his kingdom according to the Dharma as a Dharma king. He engaged in all acts of generosity and there was nothing that he had not given away, including the flesh of his own body. During those times people would attain a lifespan of eighty-four thousand years.

1.8“Now, at one time, when King Kanakavarṇa was alone, having withdrawn in private, a deliberation arose in his mind: ‘Let me free all merchants from customs duties and transit fees. Let me free all the people of Jambudvīpa from taxes and fees.’

1.9“King Kanakavarṇa thereupon summoned his accountants, ministers, courtiers, gatekeepers, and councilors, and announced to them, ‘As of today, sirs, all merchants should be freed from customs duties and transit fees. All the people of Jambudvīpa should be freed from taxes and fees.’

1.10“While ruling his kingdom by these means for many years, at a certain time, the constellations became adverse such that it would not rain for twelve years. The brahmins who could understand the indications read the signs and did divinations. Having observed this in the movements of the constellations and the planet Venus, they went to King Kanakavarṇa and said, ‘Your Majesty, please know that the constellations have become adverse such that it will not rain for twelve years.’

1.11“Upon hearing this news, King Kanakavarṇa broke down in tears, ‘Oh, my people of Jambudvīpa! Oh, my people of Jambudvīpa! Oh, my Jambudvīpa that is prosperous, thriving, [F.52.a] happy, well provisioned, pleasant, and bustling with many people‍—before long you will be empty and bereft of people!’

1.12“After weeping sorrowfully for a moment, King Kanakavarṇa thought, ‘Those who are rich, wealthy, and prosperous will be able to support themselves, but those who are poor, with little wealth, and with little to eat and drink‍—how will they survive? Let me collect all the foodstuffs in Jambudvīpa, build a storehouse for all the villages, cities, and market towns, as well as for the royal capital, and distribute an equal share to all the people of Jambudvīpa.’

1.13“King Kanakavarṇa then summoned his accountants, ministers, courtiers, gatekeepers, and councilors, and ordered, ‘Sirs, go and collect all the foodstuffs in Jambudvīpa, count them and measure them out, and place them in a storehouse for all the villages, cities, and market towns, as well as for the royal capital.’

1.14“The accountants, ministers, courtiers, gatekeepers, and councilors did as King Kanakavarṇa had ordered, and when they had stored the foodstuffs in the storehouse, they went to King Kanakavarṇa and said, ‘Your Majesty, please know that the foodstuffs from all the villages, cities, and market towns, [F.52.b] as well as from the royal capital, have all been collected, counted, measured out, and stored in a storehouse for all the villages, cities, and market towns, as well as for the royal capital. What does Your Majesty deem fit now?’

1.15“King Kanakavarṇa then summoned his counters, accountants, and scribes and ordered, ‘Sirs, go and count all the people of Jambudvīpa. Having properly counted everyone starting with myself, properly distribute an equal share of food to all the people of Jambudvīpa.’

1.16“The counters, accountants, and scribes obeyed and they properly counted all the people of Jambudvīpa. When they had properly counted everyone, starting with King Kanakavarṇa, they assigned an equal share of food to all the people of Jambudvīpa.

1.17“For eleven years everyone survived, but during the first month of the twelfth year, many men, women, and children began to die from hunger and thirst. As the second, third, fourth, and fifth months passed, many more men, women, and children died. This went on until the eleventh month, when all the food in Jambudvīpa had been exhausted, apart from a single measure of food left for King Kanakavarṇa.

1.18“Now, at that time, there was a bodhisattva who had been embarked upon the path for forty eons and who had reached this Sahā world. That bodhisattva saw, somewhere in a forest, a son having sexual intercourse with his mother. Seeing this, he thought, ‘Oh, how defiled, how defiled these beings are! [F.53.a] It was in her womb that he stayed for nine months and it was from her breasts that he drank‍—and now he does this here! I’ve had enough of such beings who are driven by craven desires not in keeping with the Dharma, who have wrong views, who are overcome by unbearable lust, who do not honor their fathers, their mothers, monks, or brahmins, and who do not respect the elders of their family. Who would bother to practice the conduct of a bodhisattva for the sake of such beings? Surely I should practice for my own sake alone.’

1.19“Then the bodhisattva went to a tree and sat down at its base. Having crossed his legs and made his body upright, he established mindfulness to the fore. He then dwelled on observing the arising and passing away of the five aggregates that are subject to clinging: ‘This is form, this is the arising of form, this is the vanishing of form; this is feeling; this is perception; these are conditionings; this is consciousness, this is the arising of consciousness, this is the vanishing of consciousness.’ As he remained like this, observing the arising and passing away of the five aggregates that are subject to clinging, before long, he realized that whatever is of the nature to arise is all of the nature to cease, and right there he reached individual awakening.

1.20“Thereupon, after beholding the dharmas attained according to their conditions, on that occasion the blessed pratyekabuddha spoke this verse:

1.22“Then the blessed pratyekabuddha thought, ‘I have performed many difficult deeds for the sake of sentient beings, but no one has yet been benefitted. [F.53.b] To whom should I now extend my compassion? Whose alms should I now receive and eat?’

1.23“The blessed pratyekabuddha surveyed the whole of Jambudvīpa with his superhuman divine vision, and he saw that all the food in Jambudvīpa had been exhausted apart from a single measure of food left for King Kanakavarṇa. He then thought, ‘Let me extend my compassion to King Kanakavarṇa. Let me receive and eat the single measure of food that is left for King Kanakavarṇa.’

1.24“Then the blessed pratyekabuddha, by such miraculous ability of his, rose up into the sky, and, like a bird in bodily appearance, through his miraculous ability, proceeded to the royal capital Kanakāvatī.

1.25“At that time King Kanakavarṇa was on the palace terrace, accompanied by five thousand courtiers. One minister saw the blessed pratyekabuddha coming from a distance. Seeing this, he called the other ministers, ‘Look, sirs, look! From the distance, a red-winged bird is coming toward us here!’

1.26“Another minister said, ‘Sirs, this is not a red-winged bird‍—it’s a life-robbing demon that is coming here! It is now going to devour us!’

1.27“Then King Kanakavarṇa rubbed his face with both hands and said to the ministers, ‘Sirs, this is not a red-winged bird, nor is it a life-robbing demon‍—it’s a sage who is coming out of compassion for us!’

1.28“Thereupon that blessed pratyekabuddha alighted on top of King Kanakavarṇa’s palace. Rising from his seat, King Kanakavarṇa [F.54.a] welcomed the blessed pratyekabuddha, bowed his head at the feet of the blessed pratyekabuddha, and invited him to sit on a seat that had been prepared. King Kanakavarṇa then asked the blessed pratyekabuddha, ‘Sage, for what purpose have you come here?’

1.29“‘For the purpose of food, great king,’ the sage replied.

1.30“Upon this, King Kanakavarṇa was very distraught, and weeping, he cried, ‘Oh, how poor I am! Even though I have dominion over Jambudvīpa, I am not able to provide alms to even a single sage!’

1.31“Then the deity of the royal capital Kanakāvatī uttered this verse to King Kanakavarṇa:

1.32“King Kanakavarṇa then summoned the person in charge of the storehouse and asked, ‘Sir, is there any food in the house that I could offer to this sage?’

1.33“‘Your Majesty,’ he replied, ‘Please know that all the food in Jambudvīpa has been exhausted apart from a single measure of food that remains for Your Majesty.’

1.34“King Kanakavarṇa thought, ‘If I eat it, I will live. If I do not eat it, I will die.’ But then he thought, ‘Even if I eat it, I will certainly come to die‍—enough of this life of mine! How could such a virtuous and excellent sage leave my house today with an alms bowl as pristine as before he entered?’

1.35“King Kanakavarṇa then gathered his accountants, ministers, courtiers, gatekeepers, and councilors, and said, ‘Please rejoice, sirs! This is King Kanakavarṇa’s final act of charity. By this root of virtue, [F.54.b] may there be a complete end to poverty for all the people of Jambudvīpa.’

1.36“Thereupon King Kanakavarṇa put all there was of the measure of food into the bowl of that blessed pratyekabuddha and gave the bowl into the blessed pratyekabuddha’s right hand.

1.37“Now, it is in the nature of things that blessed pratyekabuddhas teach the Dharma bodily, not verbally. So the blessed pratyekabuddha received the alms from King Kanakavarṇa and, in this way by miraculous ability, departed into the sky. With folded hands, King Kanakavarṇa stood looking on, without blinking, until he had passed from sight.

1.38“Then King Kanakavarṇa summoned his accountants, ministers, courtiers, gatekeepers, and councilors, and said, ‘Sirs, go to your respective homes. Please do not end your time by dying from hunger and thirst here at the palace.’

1.39“They replied, ‘When Your Majesty possessed wealth and good fortune, we amused and enjoyed ourselves together with Your Majesty. How could we now abandon Your Majesty at the end, at this final hour?’

1.40“Then, King Kanakavarṇa broke down in tears and wept. Wiping away his tears, he again said to his accountants, ministers, courtiers, gatekeepers, and councilors, ‘Sirs, go to your respective homes. All of you, please do not end your time by dying from hunger and thirst here at the palace.’

1.41“At this, the accountants, ministers, courtiers, gatekeepers, and councilors also broke down in tears and wept. Wiping away their tears, they approached King Kanakavarṇa, bowed their heads at his feet, and with folded hands said to King Kanakavarṇa, ‘Today is our last sight of Your Majesty. [F.55.a] Please forgive us for anything we have done contrary to Your Majesty’s instruction.’

1.42“But just as that blessed pratyekabuddha finished eating the alms, at that very moment, four masses of clouds emerged from all four directions, and cool winds began to blow that swept Jambudvīpa clean. And then, during the second half of that day, it rained various kinds of foods and edible things. There were foods such as boiled rice, sattu, khichri, meat, and fish. There were edible things such as edible roots, stalks, leaves, flowers, fruits, sesame, sesame oil, jaggery, and cane sugar. And there were many other kinds of foods, edible things, and delicacies that rained down.

1.43“King Kanakavarṇa was thrilled, exalted, and elated, and as he rejoiced, full of rapture and gladness, he said to his accountants, ministers, courtiers, gatekeepers, and councilors, ‘Look, sirs! Right now the sprout of giving that single portion of alms has appeared! Fruits, leaves, and flowers will come later!’

1.44“On the second day, a week-long rain of goods and grains began. For seven days it rained sesame, rice, mung beans, black gram, barley, wheat, lentils, white rice, and all types of grains. For seven days it rained ghee. For seven days it rained sesame oil. For seven days it rained cotton cloth. For seven days it rained various kinds of materials. And for seven days it rained the seven precious substances, namely, gold, silver, crystal, beryl, ruby, emerald, and sapphire. [F.55.b]

1.45“So, by the power of King Kanakavarṇa, there was a complete end to poverty for all the people of Jambudvīpa.

1.46“Monks, you might be uncertain or in doubt, thinking that it was someone else who was King Kanakavarṇa at that time, at that moment. But, monks, it should not be seen in this way. I was that king named Kanakavarṇa at that time, at that moment.

1.47“Monks, through this teaching, this should be understood: One should know the fruit of giving and the karmic fruition of sharing gifts as I know the fruit of giving and the karmic fruition of sharing gifts. One should not eat the last mouthful, the last morsel, oneself‍—without giving it or sharing it with others‍—and the arisen defilement of selfishness will not remain in possession of one’s mind. But because beings do not know the fruit of giving and the karmic fruition of sharing gifts as I know the fruit of giving and the karmic fruition of sharing gifts, they eat even their last mouthful, their last morsel, themselves‍—without giving, without sharing it with others‍—and the arisen defilement of selfishness remains in possession of their minds.

1.49This is what the Blessed One said. Elated, the bodhisattvas, monks, and the world with its gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas rejoiced at what the Blessed One had said.

1.50This concludes “The Past Endeavor of Kanakavarṇa.”