The Sutra of the Buddha's Final Teaching on the Eve of Parinirvana

後秦龜茲國三藏鳩摩羅什奉詔譯

Translated by the Tripitaka Master Kumarajiva of the Kingdom of Kucha (an ancient Western Region state, around present-day Kuqa in Xinjiang) during the Later Qin dynasty, by imperial command.

釋迦牟尼佛初轉法輪，度阿若憍陳如，最後說法度須跋陀羅，所應度者皆已度訖，於娑羅雙樹間將入涅槃。是時中夜寂然無聲，為諸弟子略說法要：

When Shakyamuni Buddha first turned the Wheel of the Dharma, he delivered Ajnata Kaundinya; at his last teaching, he delivered Subhadra. Everyone who was to be delivered had been delivered, and between the twin sala trees he was about to enter nirvana (the state in which afflictions cease and one is no longer bound to the cycle of birth and death). It was the middle of the night, all around was still and silent, and the Buddha briefly set out the essentials of practice for his disciples:

「汝等比丘，於我滅後，當尊重珍敬波羅提木叉，如闇遇明、貧人得寶。當知此則是汝大師，若我住世無異此也。持淨戒者，不得販賣貿易、安置田宅、畜養人民奴婢畜生，一切種殖及諸財寶，皆當遠離如避火坑。不得斬伐草木、墾土掘地，合和湯藥、占相吉凶、仰觀星宿推步盈虛、曆數算計，皆所不應。節身時食清淨自活，不得參預世事通致使命，呪術仙藥、結好貴人親厚媟嫚，皆不應作。當自端心正念求度，不得苞藏瑕疵、顯異惑眾。於四供養知量知足，趣得供事不應稸積。此則略說持戒之相。戒是正順解脫之本，故名波羅提木叉。依因此戒，得生諸禪定及滅苦智慧。是故比丘，當持淨戒勿令毀犯。若人能持淨戒，是則能有善法；若無淨戒，諸善功德皆不得生。是以當知，戒為第一安隱功德之所住處。

"Monks, after my passing you should honor and treasure the Pratimoksha (meaning 'liberation through discipline', the rules of conduct for renunciants), as one who meets light in the darkness, or a poor person who finds a treasure. Know that it is your teacher, no different from my remaining in the world. Those who keep the pure precepts must not engage in buying and selling or trade, must not acquire fields or houses, and must not keep servants, bondservants or livestock. All planting, business ventures and hoarding of wealth should be kept far away, as one would avoid a pit of fire. Do not cut down grass or trees or break and dig the ground; do not compound medicines, tell fortunes by physiognomy or divination, gaze at the stars to calculate the waxing and waning of the heavens, or reckon fate by calendrical arts. None of these should be done. Be moderate in body and eat at the proper time, sustaining life in purity. Do not take part in worldly affairs or serve as a messenger passing news between people; do not practice spells or elixirs, or befriend the powerful and grow familiar and careless with them. None of this should be done. Set your own mind upright and seek liberation through right mindfulness. Do not hide your faults, and do not put on a show of strangeness to bewilder the crowd. As to the four offerings of clothing, food, bedding and medicine, know the measure and know contentment; what is enough is enough, and you should not store up more. This briefly describes what keeping the precepts looks like. The precepts are the root of following the path to liberation, and so they are called Pratimoksha. Relying on these precepts, the various meditative concentrations arise, together with the wisdom that ends suffering. Therefore, monks, keep the pure precepts and do not let them be broken or violated. If a person can keep the pure precepts, he will possess all good qualities; without pure precepts, no good merit can arise. So know that the precepts are the place where the foremost peaceful and stable merit dwells."

「汝等比丘，已能住戒當制五根，勿令放逸入於五欲，譬如牧牛之人執杖視之，不令縱逸犯人苗稼。若縱五根，非唯五欲將無崖畔不可制也，亦如惡馬不以轡制，將當牽人墜於坑陷。如被劫害苦止一世，五根賊禍殃及累世，為害甚重，不可不慎。是故智者制而不隨，持之如賊不令縱逸；假令縱之，皆亦不久見其磨滅。此五根者，心為其主。是故汝等當好制心，心之可畏甚於毒蛇、惡獸、怨賊，大火越逸，未足喻也。動轉輕躁，但觀於蜜不見深坑，譬如狂象無鈎、猿猴得樹，騰躍跳躑，難可禁制，當急挫之無令放逸。縱此心者喪人善事，制之一處無事不辦。是故比丘，當勤精進折伏其心。

"Monks, now that you are able to abide in the precepts, you should restrain the five senses of eye, ear, nose, tongue and body, and not let them run loose and fall into the five desires. It is like a herdsman who holds a staff and watches his oxen, not letting them wander off to trample other people's crops. If you let the five senses run free, not only will the five desires become boundless and unrestrained, but, like an unruly horse not held by a bridle, they will in the end drag a person into a pit. Being robbed and harmed by bandits brings suffering for one lifetime only; the harm done by the thieves of the five senses reaches through many lifetimes, and its damage is severe, so one cannot be too careful. Therefore the wise restrain the five senses and do not follow them. They guard them as one guards against thieves, not letting them run loose; and even if they slip for a moment, they soon see them subside. Among the five senses, the mind is their master. So you should subdue your own mind well. The mind is more fearsome than venomous snakes, savage beasts or enemies; even a great fire spreading across the land is not enough to compare with it. It is restless and flighty; it sees only the honey and not the deep pit beneath its feet. It is like a mad elephant with no iron hook to control it, or a monkey that has climbed to the treetops, leaping and bounding and hard to stop. You should quickly curb it and not let it run free. Letting this mind run loose ruins a person's good deeds; gathering it in one place, there is nothing you cannot accomplish. Therefore, monks, be diligent and energetic, and subdue your own mind."

「汝等比丘，受諸飲食當如服藥，於好於惡勿生增減，趣得支身以除飢渴。如蜂採花，但取其味不損色香；比丘亦爾，受人供養取自除惱，無得多求壞其善心。譬如智者籌量牛力所堪多少，不令過分以竭其力。

"Monks, when you receive food and drink, you should take it as one takes medicine. Whether the food is good or bad, do not increase or decrease the amount because of it; take just enough to sustain the body and relieve hunger and thirst. It is like a bee gathering from flowers, taking only the nectar without harming the flower's color or fragrance. Monks should be the same: accept offerings from others only to relieve your own hunger and distress, and do not crave too much and thereby spoil the donor's good heart. It is like a wise person who gauges how much load an ox can bear, and does not overburden it and exhaust its strength."

「汝等比丘，晝則勤心修習善法，無令失時，初夜後夜亦勿有廢，中夜誦經以自消息，無以睡眠因緣令一生空過無所得也。當念無常之火燒諸世間，早求自度勿睡眠也。諸煩惱賊常伺殺人，甚於怨家，安可睡眠不自驚寤？煩惱毒蛇睡在汝心，譬如黑蚖在汝室睡，當以持戒之鉤早摒除之。睡蛇既出乃可安眠，不出而眠是無慚人也。慚恥之服，於諸莊嚴最為第一，慚如鐵鉤，能制人非法。是故比丘，常當慚恥，無得暫替；若離慚恥則失諸功德。

"Monks, during the day be diligent in practicing wholesome Dharma and do not let the time slip by. Do not neglect the early and late parts of the night either; in the middle of the night, recite sutras to regulate body and mind. Do not, out of fondness for sleep, let this life pass in vain with nothing gained. Keep in mind that the fire of impermanence is burning the whole world; seek your deliverance early and do not be fond of sleep. The thieves of the many afflictions are always lying in wait to harm you, worse than any enemy; how can you sleep peacefully and not be alert? The poisonous snake of affliction is sleeping in your heart, like a black viper asleep in your house; you should use the hook of the precepts to drive it out early. Only after the sleeping snake has been driven out may you sleep in peace; if the snake has not been driven out and you sleep on regardless, you are a person without shame. The garment of shame is the foremost of all adornments; a sense of remorse is like an iron hook that stops a person from doing what is wrong. Therefore, monks, always keep a sense of shame and remorse, and do not set it aside for even a moment; if you part from it, you will lose all your merits."

有愧之人則有善法；若無愧者，與諸禽獸無相異也。

"A person who has a sense of shame will have good qualities; one who has none is no different from the birds and beasts."

「汝等比丘，若有人來節節支解，當自攝心無令瞋恨，亦當護口勿出惡言；若縱恚心，則自妨道、失功德利。忍之為德，持戒苦行所不能及。能行忍者，乃可名為有力大人；若其不能歡喜忍受惡罵之毒如飲甘露者，不名入道智慧人也。所以者何？瞋恚之害能破諸善法、壞好名聞，今世後世人不憙見。當知瞋心甚於猛火，常當防護無令得入，劫功德賊無過瞋恚。白衣受欲非行道人，無法自制，瞋猶可恕；出家行道無欲之人，而懷瞋恚，甚不可也。譬如清冷雲中霹靂起火，非所應也。

"Monks, even if someone were to dismember you joint by joint, you should gather in your mind and not give rise to anger, and you should also guard your speech and utter no harsh words. If you let anger run free, you will block your own path and lose the benefit of merit. The virtue of patience is something that even keeping the precepts and ascetic practice cannot match. One who can practice patience may be called a person of strength; if you cannot gladly endure vicious abuse and drink it like sweet nectar, you are not a wise person who has entered the Way. Why? Because the harm of anger can destroy all good qualities and ruin a good reputation, so that people in this life and the next do not wish to see such a person. Know that anger is fiercer than a raging fire, and keep constant guard so that it does not enter you; there is no thief that robs merit more than anger. Lay people who enjoy pleasures are not practitioners of the Way and have no means of restraining themselves, so their anger is somewhat forgivable; but for one who has left home to practice the Way, who ought to be free of desire, to harbor anger is quite improper. It is like thunder and fire suddenly breaking out in a cool cloud, which should not happen."

「汝等比丘，當自摩頭，已捨飾好著壞色衣，執持應器以乞自活，自見如是，若起憍慢當疾滅之。謂長憍慢尚非世俗白衣所宜，何況出家入道之人為解脫故，自降其心而行乞耶？「汝等比丘，諂曲之心與道相違，是故宜應質直其心。當知諂曲但為欺誑，入道之人則無是處。是故汝等宜應端心，以質直為本。

"Monks, you should often feel your own head: you have given up fine adornments, put on the dull-colored robe, and live by begging with a bowl in hand. See this status clearly for yourself, and if arrogance arises, quickly put it out. Know that fostering arrogance is unfitting even for worldly lay people, still less for one who has left home to enter the Way, who begs in order to subdue his own mind and seek liberation. Monks, a flattering and crooked mind runs contrary to the Way, so you should keep your mind simple and upright. Know that flattery and crookedness exist only to deceive; a person who has entered the Way should have none of it. Therefore you should set your mind straight and take simplicity and honesty as your root."

「汝等比丘，當知多欲之人多求利故，苦惱亦多；少欲之人無求無欲，則無此患。直爾少欲尚應修習，何況少欲能生諸善功德？少欲之人則無諂曲以求人意，亦復不為諸根所牽。行少欲者，心則坦然無所憂畏，觸事有餘常無不足，有少欲者則有涅槃。是名少欲。

"Monks, you should know that people with many desires, because they crave much gain, suffer much distress; people with few desires, who seek nothing and want nothing, are free of these troubles. Having few desires is worth cultivating in itself, how much more so since it gives rise to all kinds of good qualities. A person of few desires does not flatter or bend to please others, and is not led around by the senses of eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind. One who practices few desires has a mind at ease, free of worry and fear; he has room to spare in whatever he meets and never feels any lack. Only with few desires can one speak of nirvana. This is called having few desires."

「汝等比丘，若欲脫諸苦惱，當觀知足，知足之法即是富樂安隱之處。知足之人，雖臥地上猶為安樂；不知足者，雖處天堂亦不稱意。不知足者雖富而貧，知足之人雖貧而富。不知足者常為五欲所牽，為知足者之所憐愍。是名知足。

"Monks, if you wish to be rid of all kinds of suffering, you should reflect on contentment. The teaching of contentment is the very place of wealth, happiness and security. A contented person is happy even sleeping on the ground; a discontented person is dissatisfied even in a heavenly palace. A discontented person is poor though rich, and a contented person is rich though poor. A discontented person is always pulled along by the five desires, and is pitied by the contented. This is called contentment."

「汝等比丘，若求寂靜無為安樂，當離憒閙、獨處閑居，靜處之人帝釋諸天所共敬重。是故當捨己眾他眾，空閑獨處思滅苦本。若樂眾者則受眾惱，譬如大樹眾鳥集之，則有枯折之患。世間縛著沒於眾苦，譬如老象溺泥不能自出。是名遠離。

"Monks, if you seek the happiness of quiet and non-action, you should keep away from noise and crowds and live alone. Those who dwell in stillness are respected together by Indra and all the devas. So you should give up your own group and others' groups, live alone in a secluded place, and reflect on how to eliminate the root of suffering. If you enjoy crowds, you will bear the troubles that crowds bring, like a great tree on which many birds have gathered, which is at risk of being weighed down until it withers and breaks. Bound by the entanglements of the world, you will sink among many sufferings, like an old elephant stuck in mud who cannot pull himself out. This is called seclusion."

「汝等比丘，若勤精進則事無難者，是故汝等當勤精進，譬如小水常流則能穿石。若行者之心數數懈廢，譬如鑽火未熱而息，雖欲得火，火難可得。是名精進。

"Monks, if you are diligent and energetic, nothing is hard to accomplish, so you should be diligent and energetic. It is like a thin trickle of water flowing for years without stopping, which can bore through stone. If a practitioner's mind repeatedly grows lax and neglectful, it is like drilling wood to make fire and stopping before it gets hot: though one wants fire, it is hard to obtain. This is called diligence."

「汝等比丘，求善知識、求善護助而不忘念；若不忘念者，諸煩惱賊則不能入。是故汝等常當攝念在心，若失念者則失諸功德。若念力堅強，雖入五欲賊中不為所害，譬如著鎧入陣則無所畏。是名不忘念。

"Monks, seek good spiritual friends and seek good protection and support, and above all do not lose right mindfulness. If you can keep right mindfulness, the thieves of the many afflictions cannot enter. Therefore you should always keep right mindfulness gathered in your mind; if you lose it, you lose all your merits. If the power of your mindfulness is strong, even entering among the thieves of the five desires you will not be harmed, as one who goes into battle wearing armor has nothing to fear. This is called not forgetting mindfulness."

「汝等比丘，若攝心者心則在定，心在定故能知世間生滅法相。是故汝等常當精勤修集諸定，若得定者心則不亂，譬如惜水之家善治堤塘；行者亦爾，為智慧水故，善修禪定令不漏失。是名為定。

"Monks, if you can gather in your mind, the mind will abide in concentration; and because the mind is in concentration, you can know the true nature of the arising and passing of the world. Therefore you should constantly and diligently cultivate the various concentrations. When you attain concentration, the mind will not be scattered. It is like a household that values water and carefully maintains its dikes and ponds; a practitioner is the same, and to store the water of wisdom, he should cultivate concentration well and not let it leak away. This is called concentration."

「汝等比丘，若有智慧則無貪著，常自省察不令有失，是則於我法中能得解脫；若不爾者，既非道人又非白衣，無所名也。實智慧者，則是度老病死海堅牢船也，亦是無明黑闇大明燈也，一切病苦之良藥也，伐煩惱樹者之利斧也。是故汝等當以聞、思、修慧而自增益；若人有智慧之照，雖無天眼而是明見人也。是為智慧。

"Monks, if you have wisdom you will not be attached, and by constantly examining yourself without lapse, you will attain liberation within my teaching. If you cannot do this, you are neither a practitioner of the Way nor a layperson, and there is no name for you. True wisdom is the sturdy ship that carries one across the sea of old age, sickness and death; it is the great bright lamp that illuminates the darkness of ignorance; it is the good medicine for all illness and suffering; it is the sharp axe that fells the tree of affliction. Therefore you should enrich yourselves with the three kinds of wisdom, from hearing, reflecting and practicing. One who has the illumination of wisdom, even without the heavenly eye, is truly one who sees clearly. This is called wisdom."

「汝等比丘，若種種戲論其心則亂，雖復出家猶未得脫。是故比丘，當急捨離亂心戲論；若汝欲得寂滅樂者，唯當善滅戲論之患。是名不戲論。

"Monks, if you indulge in all sorts of idle talk (empty chatter and argument that does nothing for practice), the mind becomes scattered, and even though you have left home you will still not attain liberation. Therefore, monks, you should quickly abandon the scattered mind and idle talk. If you wish to obtain the joy of tranquil extinction, you need only get rid of this fault of idle talk. This is called not indulging in idle talk."

「汝等比丘，於諸功德常當一心，捨諸放逸如離怨賊。大悲世尊所欲利益皆以究竟，汝等但當勤而行之。若在山間、若空澤中、若在樹下、閑處靜室，念所受法勿令忘失，常當自勉精進修之，無為空死後致憂悔。我如良醫，知病說藥，服與不服，非醫咎也。又如善導，導人善道，聞之不行，非導過也。汝等若於苦等四諦有所疑者，可疾問之，無得懷疑不求決也。」

"Monks, in all kinds of merit you should always be single-minded, and give up all heedlessness as you would flee from enemies and thieves. What the greatly compassionate World-Honored One wished to give you for your benefit has been fully explained; you need only practice it diligently. Whether in the mountains, in open marshland, beneath a tree, or in a quiet room, remember the teaching you have received and do not forget or lose it. Constantly urge yourselves on to practice with energy, and do not let this life pass in vain and then regret it uselessly at death. I am like a good physician who diagnoses the illness and prescribes the medicine; whether the patient takes it or not is no fault of the physician. I am also like a good guide who leads people onto the right road; if they hear but do not walk it, that is no fault of the guide. If you still have doubts about the Four Noble Truths of suffering, its origin, its cessation and the path, you may raise them quickly; do not harbor doubts and fail to seek resolution."

爾時世尊如是三唱，人無問者。所以者何？眾無疑故。

Three times the World-Honored One asked in this way, and no one raised a question. Why? Because no doubt remained in the minds of the assembly.

爾時阿㝹樓馱觀察眾心而白佛言：「世尊！月可令熱，日可令冷，佛說四諦不可令異。佛說苦諦真實是苦，不可令樂；集真是因，更無異因；苦若滅者即是因滅，因滅故果滅。滅苦之道實是真道，更無餘道。世尊！是諸比丘於四諦中決定無疑。於此眾中所作未辦者，見佛滅度當有悲感，若有初入法者，聞佛所說即皆得度，譬如夜見電光即得見道；若所作已辦、已度苦海者，但作是念：『世尊滅度，一何疾哉！』」

Then Aniruddha (that is, Anuruddha, one of the Buddha's ten great disciples, foremost in the heavenly eye), observing the thoughts of the assembly, said to the Buddha: "World-Honored One! The moon may be made hot and the sun may be made cold, but the Four Noble Truths spoken by the Buddha cannot be changed. The Buddha says the truth of suffering is truly suffering and cannot become happiness; the truth of origin is truly the cause of suffering, and there is no other cause; if suffering is to be ended, it is by ending this cause, and when the cause is ended, the effect is ended too. The path to the end of suffering is truly the real path, and there is no other. World-Honored One! These monks are settled and free of doubt about the Four Truths. Among this assembly, those whose practice is not yet complete will feel sorrow on seeing the Buddha enter extinction; any who are newly entering the Buddha's teaching will all be delivered on hearing what the Buddha has said, like seeing the road at once in a flash of lightning at night. As for those whose practice is complete and who have already crossed the sea of suffering, they will only think: 'How quickly the World-Honored One has passed into extinction!'"

阿㝹樓馱雖說是語，眾中皆悉了達四聖諦義。世尊欲令此諸大眾皆得堅固，以大悲心復為眾說：

Although Aniruddha spoke these words, everyone in the assembly had in fact already penetrated the meaning of the Four Noble Truths. Wishing to make the faith and understanding of this assembly firmer, the World-Honored One, with a heart of great compassion, again spoke to them:

「汝等比丘，勿懷憂惱。若我住世一劫會亦當滅，會而不離終不可得。自利利人法皆具足，若我久住更無所益。應可度者，若天上人間皆悉已度，其未度者，皆亦已作得度因緣。自今已後，我諸弟子展轉行之，則是如來法身常在而不滅也。是故當知，世皆無常，會必有離，勿懷憂也。世相如是，當勤精進早求解脫，以智慧明滅諸痴闇。世實危脆無牢強者，我今得滅如除惡病。此是應捨罪惡之物，假名為身，沒在生老病死大海，何有智者得除滅之，如殺怨賊而不歡喜？「汝等比丘，常當一心勤求出道，一切世間動不動法，皆是敗壞不安之相。汝等且止，勿得復語，時將欲過，我欲滅度，是我最後之所教誨。」

"Monks, do not harbor sorrow or distress. Even if I were to remain in the world for a full kalpa, in the end I would still have to pass into extinction; to meet and never part is simply impossible. The teachings that benefit oneself and others I have already explained completely, and if I stayed longer in the world, there would be no further benefit. Those who should be delivered, among gods and humans, have all been delivered; and for those not yet delivered, I have planted for them the causes and conditions for future deliverance. From now on, my disciples, passing the teaching on from one to another and practicing it according to the Dharma, this is the Tathagata's Dharma body, which remains constant and does not perish. So know that everything in the world is impermanent, that where there is meeting there must be parting, and do not harbor sorrow. Such is the true nature of the world. Be diligent and energetic, seek liberation early, and use the light of wisdom to dispel the darkness of all ignorance. The world is truly fragile and dangerous, with nothing firm or sturdy in it; my passing into extinction now is like being rid of a bad illness. This body is a sinful thing that ought to be cast off, only borrowing the name of a 'body', sunk in the sea of birth, old age, sickness and death. What wise person, able to be rid of it, would not rejoice as if killing an enemy? Monks, always be single-minded in diligently seeking the way out. All things in the world, moving and unmoving, are marked by decay and instability. Stop for now and say no more; the time is passing, and I am about to enter extinction. This is my last teaching."