Amitayurdhyana Sutra

Transcription

THE SUTRA STORY Episode 7 The Tragedy in Rajgir City (I) - The Sutra on Contemplation of Amitayus - No matter good man or wicked man, no matter wise or foolish. Light and life fall onto people equally. It's our goal to achieve a society... ...where all people are brothers and sisters. About 2500 years ago, the most powerful country in India... ...was Kingdom Magadha, whose capital was Rajgir City. The king of Magadha, Bimbisara, believed deeply in Dharma. He was also a faithful follower of the Buddha. He built the Venuvana Vihara for the Buddha and his disciples. In addition, when the Buddha preached on the Vulture Peak next to Rajgir City, he often attended the Buddha's lectures. THE SUTRA STORY The Tragedy in Rajgir City - The Sutra on Contemplation of Amitayus - Let's stop here! King Bimbisara and his queen Vaidehi had a young prince. His name was Ajatashatru. He was a young man who grew up in the full love of his parents. Great move, my son! You must be tired. No, not yet. You have an unlimited future. Let's stop practicing swordplay. It's getting me nervous. I dare not watch any more. Ok, come over here. Come. He is always a little kid in your eyes. He is already a young man. Am I right, Candraprabha? Yes, your Majesty. Indeed, the prince has made a great progress both in military and civil arts. He is a perfect successor to the throne. At the same moment, there was a man watching the prince in the dark. He was a cousin of the Buddha and once his disciple, Devadatta. Now, my chance has come. It's the time to carry out my plan. Devadatta had been looking forward to replace the Buddha. He ingratiated himself with the prince, and was rewarded with a beautiful house. He also took disciples of his own. That's impossible. It's true. There was no such a thing. My father raised me up with all his care. In the future, he will also... You only see the surface. In fact, he hates you and is afraid of you deep inside. He even tried to kill you. I don't believe you. That's not true. Your little finger is the evidence. Now let me tell you in detail... ...why and how your little finger is broken. Devadatta told the prince such a story. King Bimbisara and Queen Vaidehi couldn't have a child long after their marriage. The king turned to a fortune teller. The fortune teller said that there was a hermit living in the deep mountains. The hermit would be reborn as his son after died. Thus, the king requested the hermit to suicide. But the hermit refused. The anxious king ordered to have him killed. Before the hermit died, he swore to revenge in his next life. Queen Vaidehi became pregnant soon after. The king was afraid that this child would kill him. He ordered Vaidehi to drop the baby from the tower. Something incredible happened. The baby didn't get hurt at all except for a broken little finger. Hearing the baby crying, the king regretted it and changed his mind. He decided to raise the child. My prince, you are the only one who is kept in the dark. Everyone in the city calls you Prince Ajatashatru. Ajatashatru? It means "born with hatred". Think about it! If you sit and wait, the throne will never fall onto you. Furthermore, you have to worry about that someday the king might change his mind and have you killed. I see. I have to take the first move and kill my father! That's right. From now no, I will also call myself "Ajatashatru" like everyone else does. It's time to revenge on the king for the hatred before my birth! What a good decision you made! What is happening? Your Majesty. The prince tried to kill the king. We tried hard to stop him. But the prince... Stop it! Prince! Don't come close! If you stop me, I'll also have no mercy for you. My king! Why is our son doing this? Don't panic. My son. I'll pass the throne to you right now. Would that satisfy you? What do you say? I see. You want solve the crisis in front first, then take chance later to fight back. That's not true. I'm not falling for that! Venerable Devadatta told me that... ...you tried to kill me after I was just born. Finally you know it. The retribution has come. Then go ahead, carry out what you have in mind. Guards! Sent him to jail. No one is allowed to visit him. And, don't give him anything to eat or drink. Guard the cell extreme carefully until he dies. Yes, my lord! A quick slash would be it. Why do you have to torture him like that. My king. My king. After sent his father into prison, the prince seized the throne. He declared himself to be King Ajatashatru, and became the new ruler of Kingdom Magadha. Devadatta. All this is due to your effort. Not really. My king, it's due to your own power. I want to reward you. Tell me what you wish to have. If so, please allow me to travel around and preach my own doctrines. Preach your own doctrines? So that I can get my own disciples and gather strength. One day, even the Buddha's disciples will switch to my side. When that time comes, I'll replace the Buddha and spread my own doctrines widely in the whole India. This is my wish for many years. Isn't it too much... My king, you have already accomplished yours. This time, it should be my turn. With the permission from King Ajatashatru, Devadatta started to travel and preach. On the other side, King Ajatashatru's mother, Queen Vaidehi, was true and faithful to the king. After having bathed and cleansed herself, she anointed her body with honey and ghee mixed with wheat flour, and filled her ornaments with grape juice. She went to meet the king secretly. Through the window of the cell, one could see the Vulture Peak far away. Having taken the food and drink, King Bimbisara survived. Facing the Vulture Peak, he joined his palms in reverence and worshipped the World-Honored One from afar. Three weeks had passed. Is my father still alive? Yes he is, your Majesty. And he is even getting healthier. That's because... ...the queen often offered him food and drink secretly. What? In addition, through the window of the cell, one can see the Vulture Peak, where the Buddha is. That makes him content spiritually. There's nothing we can do about it. Get out of my way! It's my mother! Because you are an accomplice to that enemy, mother, you are my enemy too! I'm sorry! No! There have been wicked kings who killed their fathers for the thrones before, but we have never heard of anyone who has committed the outrage of killing his mother. That's the most basic ethic for a king. This time I have to stop you with my life! Jiva. Are you not on my side? Your Majesty, Candraprabha is right. Why? How could it be so! Why all of you are against me? Your Majesty, please restrain yourself, and do not kill your mother. My lord! Not only the minister Candraprabha, but also the physician Jiva whom he trusted a lot was strongly against him. In this case, there was not much that Ajatashatru could do. He locked his mother in a hidden palace, and didn't allow her to leave. He had the window of his father's cell sealed and hurt his legs... ...to make him unable to stand up. Now, I can't bring food to the king anymore. I don't even know my future. World-Honored One! In the past, you often sent Ananda to comfort me. World-Honored One. Now I'm in deep sorrow and distress. There is no way of my coming to look upon your august countenance. I pray you send the Venerable Mahamaudgalyayana and the Venerable Ananda here to see me. World-Honored One! You have come by yourself. For what former sins that I committed in former lives, I have born such an evil son? I've been taking care of him with my whole love. Why did he revenge on the king now? And he even wanted to harm me! This is truly horrible. World-Honored One! He is not my child. No. It's not his fault. It's the fault of the one who instigated him, Devadatta. World-Honored One, what karmic relations could have made you a relative of Devadatta? I'm surrounded by wicked people. This world is full of sorrows and sufferings. I beseech you, World-Honored One, to reveal to me all the places of no sorrow and no affliction. I wish to be reborn there. I do not wish to live in this defiled and evil world of Jambudvipa. In this defiled world, there are hells, realms of hungry spirits, animals and many assemblies of the evil ones. I wish that in the future I shall not hear evil sounds or see wicked people. I entreat you, Sun-like Buddha, to instruct me how to visualize the lands of pure karmic perfection. World-Honored One! Listening to Vaidehi's tearful pray, the Buddha sent forth from between his eyebrows a flood of light, which was the color of gold. This light illuminated innumerable worlds in the ten quarters. Returning to the Buddha, the light settled on his head and transformed into a golden platform like Mount Sumeru. On that platform appeared the pure and resplendent lands of all the Buddhas in the ten quarters. How beautiful they are. They are all pure, resplendent and free of defilement. The Pureland of Ultimate Bliss! World-Honored One! I wish myself to be born in the Land of Ultimate Bliss of Amitabha Buddha. World-Honored One! I beseech you to teach me how to contemplate that land and attain Samadhi. I beseech you, World-Honored One, to reveal me the way to accomplish my wish. At that moment, the World-Honored One smiled. Light of five colors came out from his mouth. The light went through the walls, shone on King Bimbisara's head. With his unhindered mind's eye, he saw the World-Honored One in the distance. Bimbisara rejoiced greatly, knelt down in homage to the Buddha. In doing so, he effortlessly made spiritual progress and attained the Stage of Anagamin. Thank you, World-Honored One! Thank you! Vaidehi. Yes! Do you know that Amitabha Buddha is not far away? Fix your thoughts and contemplate that Buddha-land, then you will accomplish the visualization of the Amitabha Buddha. I shall expound it to you in detail with various illustrations, so that all ordinary people in the future may also be born... ...in that Western Pureland of Ultimate Bliss. Those who wish to be born in that land, have to cultivate a threefold goodness: First, care for parents, serve teachers and elders, compassionately refrain from killing and do the ten good deeds; Second, take the three refuges, keep all precepts and refrain from breaking the rules of conduct; Third, awaken aspiration for Enlightenment, believe deeply in causality, chant the Mahayana sutras and encourage other practitioners. These three are called the pure karma. Then, - Ananda. - Yes. I shall now teach you, Vaidehi, and all sentient beings of the future... ...how to visualize the Western Pureland of the Ultimate Bliss. You should learn it by heart, and pass it on to the others. Yes. World-Honored One. Through the Buddha's power, I have seen that Pureland of Amitabha Buddha. But after the Buddha's passing, sentient beings will become defiled and evil, be oppressed by the five kinds of sufferings. How will those beings be able to see Amitabha Buddha's Land of Ultimate Bliss? All sentient beings can see the setting sun. Sit properly, facing west. Clearly gaze at the place where the sun sets, cause your mind to be firmly fixed. Concentrate your mind and do not let it wander. Having done so, whether your eyes are open or closed, you should be able to visualize it clearly. Such is the perception of the sun, which is called The First Contemplation. After you have accomplished the first contemplation, next practice the visualization of water. Envision the western quarter as entirely flooded by water. After you have seen the water becoming clear, you should form the perception of ice. As you see the ice shining and becoming transparent, envision it turning into beryl. When you have attained this vision, you will see the ground consisting of beryl, transparent and shining both within and without. This is the visualizing of water, called The Second Contemplation. If you attain a state of Samadhi, you will see this ground very clearly and distinctly. This is the visualizing of the ground, called The Third Contemplation. When you have accomplished the visualization of the ground, next contemplate the jeweled trees. The visualizing of the trees is called The Fourth Contemplation. When you have accomplished the visualization of the trees, next contemplate the ponds. In the Land of Ultimate Bliss, there are waters in eight ponds. The visualizing of the water possessing eight excellent qualities is called The Fifth Contemplation. In each region of the jeweled land, there are five hundred kotis of jeweled pavilions. Inside, there are innumerable devas playing heavenly music. There are instruments suspended in the sky, like the heavenly jeweled banners, spontaneously produce tones by themselves. Each tone proclaims the virtue of mindfulness of the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. This is a composite visualization, called The Sixth Contemplation. Those who have perceived this... ...will be rid of extremely heavy evil karma of previous innumerable kalpas. After death, they will certainly be born in that land. Ananda, Vaidehi. I will expound for you the method of removing suffering. Bear my words in mind. Explain them to the multitude of beings. When these words were spoken, Amitabha Buddha appeared in the air above, attended by the two Bodhisattvas, Avalokitesvara and Mahasthamaprapta on his left and right. So brilliant was their radiance that it was impossible to see them in detail. World-Honored One. Amitabha Buddha. World-Honored One, through your power I have seen Amitabha Buddha and the two Bodhisattvas. How can sentient beings of the future see them? How shall sentient beings of the future visualize Amitayus Buddha and the two Bodhisattvas? Vaidehi. Those who wish to see that Buddha... ...should form an image of a lotus-flower on the seven-jeweled ground. Then visualize each petal of this flower as having the colors of a hundred jewels. The visualizing of the lotus-throne is called The Seventh Contemplation. Buddhas have cosmic bodies, and so enter the meditating mind of each sentient being. Ananda. Yes. The body of Amitabha Buddha... ...is a hundred thousand million times as bright as the color of the Jambunada gold of the Yama Heaven. The height of the Buddha is six hundred thousand kotis of nayutas of yojanas times the number of the sands of the Ganges. The white tuft of hair curling to the right between his eyebrows is five times as big as Mount Sumeru. The eyes of Buddha are like the water of the four great oceans; the blue and the white are quite distinct. From all the pores of his body issues forth light, as magnificent as Mount Sumeru. The aureole of that Buddha is as broad as a hundred kotis of universes. In this aureole reside Buddhas to the number of a million kotis of nayutas times the number of the sands of the Ganges. Each Buddha is attended by innumerable and uncountable bodhisattvas. The Buddha Amitayus possesses eighty-four thousand physical characteristics, each having eighty-four thousand secondary marks of excellence. Each secondary mark emits eighty-four thousand rays of light. Each light is shining universally upon the lands of the ten quarters, embracing, and not forsaking those who think upon him. Outside the gate, all female attendants have come and listened carefully. Then the Buddha expounded the nine grades of birth in the Pureland, namely the levels into which one will be reborn. First, the highest grade. In the highest grade, there are three sub-levels: the highest, middle and lowest level. Those who are reborn into the highest grade all practice the Dharma of the Great Vehicle, and vow to be reborn in the Pureland. Next two levels are the highest and the middle level of the middle grade. These two levels are for those who keep the precepts and vow to be reborn in the Pureland. Next level is the lowest level of the middle grade, which is for those who do merciful deeds. And so on. The last level is the lowest level of the lowest grade. It's for the sentient beings who commit evils and don't feel ashamed at them. The Buddha especially stressed that... ...the door of the Pureland is open to those wicked ones as well. Those who attain birth on the lowest level, when they are about to die, they might be too tormented by pain to be mindful of the Buddha. The good friends will then say to him: If you cannot concentrate on the Buddha, then you should utter "Buddha Amitayus". In this way, he sincerely and continuously recites it ten times: [Na-mo-a-mi-t'o-fo]. With each repetition, the evil karma which he has committed during eighty kotis of kalpas of Samsara is extinguished. When he comes to die, he sees a golden lotus-flower appearing before him. In an instant, he will be born within a lotus-bud in the Land of Ultimate Bliss. After twelve great kalpas, the lotus-bud will open. As the Buddha delivered these words, Vaidehi rejoiced in her heart. Wonder-struck at this revelation, she attained great awakening with clarity of mind. Her five hundred attendants awakened aspiration for the highest, perfect enlightenment, and wished to be born in that land. The World-Honored One gave all of them assurances that they would be born there. World-Honored One! What a precious teaching it is! Ananda. The most important point of this teaching is that... ...one only needs to recite the name of Amitabha Buddha, then he will get released from the evils that he has committed during the long past. Not to mention those who often recite the Buddha's name. If there is anyone recite the name of Amitabha Buddha right now, recite it truly and sincerely, I will praise him as the honorable one among all the people. Ananda. Bear this teaching well in your heart, and expound it to the multitude of beings. You should truly believe in the vows that Amitabha Buddha has made, and recite his name constantly. World-Honored One, I'll for sure follow your instructions. At that time, Devadatta returned to Rajgir City elatedly... ...with many new disciples. Your Majesty, this chant is? It's woman's voice. What happened to my mother? Mother! Mother. What is going on? How could she ignore me, as if I do not exist? Shut up! All stop right now! Vaidehi and her attendants just fully concentrated in reciting the Buddha's name. BASED ON The Sutra on Contemplation of Amitayus DIRECTOR 渡邊靜波 [STAFF LIST] PRODUCED BY Jodoshinshu, West Hongan-ji, Japan PRODUCED BY Fushine Ltd. Taiwan Tel: (02)2952-0083 Fax: (02)2952-0236