Translating Classical Buddhism to Modern English

The Numerical Discourses

Chapter 39: Thorough Qualities

（四） 城郭喻 4. The City Parable
聞如是： 一時，佛在舍衛國、祇樹、給孤獨園。 1. Thus I have heard:1 One time, the Buddha was staying at Anāthapiṇḍada’s Park in Jeta’s Grove of Śrāvastī.
爾時，世尊告諸比丘： 「聖王在遠國治化，七法成就，不為怨家盜賊所擒獲。 云何為七？ 2. It was then that the Bhagavān addressed the monks, “A noble king ruling a distant country accomplishes seven things so that it will not be captured by rivals or bandits.2 What are the seven?
「然，彼城郭極為高峻、修治、齊整。 是謂彼王先成就第一之法。 3. “Indeed, that city is quite lofty, put in order, and symmetrical. This is the first thing that that king accomplishes.3
「復次，彼城門戶牢固。 是謂彼城成就第二法。 4. “Furthermore, that city’s gates are sturdy. This is the second thing that that king accomplishes.4
「復次，彼城外塹極深、且廣。 是謂此城成就第三之法。 5. “Furthermore, the ditch outside that city is quite deep and made wide. This is the third thing that that king accomplishes.5
「復次，彼城內多諸穀米，倉庫盈滿。 是謂彼城成就第四之法。 6. “Furthermore, many kinds of grain fill the granaries inside that city. This is the fourth thing that that king accomplishes.6
「復次，彼城饒諸薪草。 是謂彼城成就第五之法。 7. “Furthermore, that city has plenty of firewood and hay. This is the fifth thing that that king accomplishes.7
「復次，彼城多諸器杖，備諸戰具。 是謂彼城成就六法。 8. “Furthermore, that city is equipped with many weapons and supplied with implements of war. This is the sixth thing that that king accomplishes.8
「復次，彼城主極聰明、高才。 豫知人情，可鞭則鞭，可治則治。 是謂彼城成就七法，外境不能來侵。 9. “Furthermore, that city’s lord is quite astute and talented. He has foresight about how the people feel, punishing those who should be punished and governing those who can be governed. This is the seventh thing that that king accomplishes so that outsiders cannot invade his country.9
「是謂，比丘，彼城國主成就此七法，外人不得嬈近。 10. “These, monks, are the seven things that that country’s king accomplishes so that foreigners cannot approach and attack it.
The Noble Disciple
「此比丘亦復如是。 若成就七法，弊魔波旬不得其便。 云何為七？ 11. “Here, a monk is likewise. If he accomplishes seven things, then deceptive Māra the Wicked One won’t get an advantage on him. What are the seven?
「於是，比丘戒律成就，威儀具足，犯小律尚畏，何況大者。 是謂比丘成就此第一之法，弊魔不得其便， 猶如彼城，高廣極峻，不可沮壞。 12. “Here, a monk accomplishes the vinaya, possesses a dignified manner, and is anxious about violating the minor rules, to say nothing of the major ones. This is the first thing that a monk accomplishes so that deceptive Māra the Wicked One won’t get an advantage on him. This is like that city being impossible to destroy because it’s tall, broad, and quite lofty.
「復次，比丘若眼見色，不起想著，亦不興念。 具足眼根，無所缺漏，而護眼根。 耳、聲，鼻、香，舌、味，身、觸，意、法亦復如是⋯ 亦不起想⋯ 具足意根而無亂想，具足擁護意根。 是謂比丘成就此第二法，弊魔波旬不得其便。 如彼城郭門戶牢固。 13. “Furthermore, if a monk sees forms with his eye, he doesn’t become attached to those perceptions, nor do they produce thoughts. Possessing the eye faculty without any breach [of the precepts], he guards his eye faculty. Ear and sounds, nose and odors, tongue and flavors, body and touches, and mind and ideas are likewise. … He doesn’t become [attached] to those perceptions … Possessing the mind faculty, his perceptions are unconfused, and he fully guards his mind faculty. This is the second thing that a monk accomplishes so that deceptive Māra the Wicked One won’t get an advantage on him. It’s like that city’s sturdy gates.
「復次，比丘多聞不忘。 恒念、思惟正法、道教。 昔所經歷皆悉備知。 是謂比丘成就此第三法，弊魔波旬不得其便。 如彼城郭外塹極深且廣。 14. “Furthermore, a monk learns much and doesn’t forget it. He constantly remembers and thinks about the correct Dharma and the teaching of the path. He’s fully aware of everything he has previously gone through. This is the third thing that a monk accomplishes so that deceptive Māra the Wicked One won’t get an advantage on him. It’s like the deep and broad ditch outside of that city.
「復次，比丘多諸方便，所有諸法，初善、中善、竟善。 具足清淨，得修梵行。 是謂比丘成就此第四法⋯ 如彼城郭多諸穀米，外寇不敢來侵。 15. “Furthermore, a monk has many methods and possesses many teachings that are good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end. When fully purified, he can cultivate the religious practice. This is the fourth thing that a monk accomplishes … It’s like that city possessing so much grain that an outside invader wouldn’t dare come and attack it.
「復次，比丘思惟四增上心之法，亦不脫漏。 是謂比丘成就此第五之法，弊魔波旬不得其便。 如彼城郭多諸薪草，外人不能來觸嬈。 16. “Furthermore, a monk contemplates the way of the four progressive mental states, but he isn’t freed from the contaminants. This is the fifth thing that a monk accomplishes so that deceptive Māra the Wicked One won’t get an advantage on him. It’s like that city possessing so much firewood and grass that foreigners aren’t able to come and attack it.
「復次，比丘得四神足，所為無難。 是謂比丘成就此第六之法，弊魔波旬不得其便。 如彼城內，器杖備具。 17. “Furthermore, a monk attains the four spiritual abilities and does so without difficulty. This is the sixth thing that a monk accomplishes so that deceptive Māra the Wicked One won’t get an advantage on him. It’s like the weapons and implements of war inside that city.
「復次，比丘具能分別陰、入、界。 亦復分別十二因緣所起之法。 是謂比丘成就此七法，弊魔波旬不得其便。 如彼城郭之主，聰明高才。 可收則收，可捨則捨。 18. “Furthermore, a monk is fully able to discern the aggregates, senses, and elements. He also discerns the principle of the twelve steps of dependent origination. This is the seventh thing that a monk accomplishes so that deceptive Māra the Wicked One won’t get an advantage on him. It’s like the lord of that city who is astute and talented. He accepts those who should be accepted and rejects those who should be rejected.
「今此比丘亦復如是。 具知分別陰、持、入諸病。 若有比丘成就此七法者，弊魔波旬終不得其便。 19. “Now, this monk is likewise. He fully knows and discern the ailments of the aggregates, senses, and elements. If there’s a monk who accomplishes these seven things, deceptive Māra the Wicked One will never get an advantage on him.
「是故，諸比丘，當求方宜，分別陰、持、入及十二因緣，不失次第。 便度魔界，不處其中。 如是，比丘，當作是學。」 20. “Therefore, monks, you must seek the ways that are fitting to discern the aggregates, senses, and elements and the twelve steps of dependent origination without losing their sequence. Then, you’ll go beyond the realm of Māra and not dwell within it. Thus, monks, you should train yourselves.”10
爾時，諸比丘聞佛所說歡喜，奉行。 21. When the monks heard what the Buddha taught, they rejoiced and approved.

Notes

  1. For the source text, cf. T26.1.730b2-c18. Direct parallels to this sūtra include AN 7.67 and MĀ 3.

    This version of the sūtra appears closer to an older original than either of the other two parallels. This is indicated mainly by it containing only a single list of seven items like the other parable sūtras in the Book of Sevens.

    In AN 7.67 and MĀ 3, the four meditations (here called the four higher mental states) are expanded into their full descriptions and turned into a separate concluding list of four items. This involved items being moved from the original seven-item parable and new items being introduced to replace them, which arrived at a total of eleven (the original seven-item parable plus a new list of four items).

    The religious practices that were paired with the parable of the city in all three versions of this sūtra serve to summarize the gradual path. Here in EĀ 39.4, the outline begins with accomplishing the precepts and ends with discerning the reality of dependent origination. The version represented by AN 7.67 and MĀ 3 begins with faith in the Buddha, proceeds to moral conduct, and then moves through the requisites of meditation before ending with wisdom. [back]

  2. a rival clan. C. 怨家, S. *śatrukula. The C. term here seems likely a lit. translation: 怨 = śatru and 家 = kula, which would mean “enemy family.” Perhaps it referred here to enemy city-states or their ruling families. [back]

  3. This first item is not found in MĀ 3 or AN 7.67. It would seem to refer to the planned layout of ancient cities that were built under the direction of a central government, as opposed to growing organically over time in a more chaotic way. They were also often built on high ground to make them more defensible against attack, which may be the intended meaning of the city being “quite lofty.” As such, this description resembles the cities of brick built by the ancient Mesopotamian city-states and the neighboring regions influenced by them like the Oxus and Indus civilizations. These civilizations would have been in the ancient past to early Buddhists, but similar cities existed in the late first millenium BCE near enough for Buddhists to known about them. They would have likely known about the Persian Empire to the west that formed around the time of the Buddha. [back]

  4. This item appears to parallel the first items in MĀ 3 and AN 7.67 upon a close reading of those passages. MĀ 3 describes a sturdy guard tower, and AN 7.67 describes a sturdy gate post. Though neither of them explicitly mention gates, both are related to making the city gates defensible. [back]

  5. This item corresponds to the second in MĀ 3 and AN 7.67, both of which also refer to deep and wide moats outside of the city’s walls. [back]

  6. This item corresponds to the second type of food in MĀ 3 and AN 7.67. It was apparently moved to a new list of four foods by the redactor(s) who expanding the four meditations into their own list. [back]

  7. This item corresponds to the first type of food in MĀ 3 and AN 7.67. Both of those parallels add water to these supplies that a city would need to survive a seige. [back]

  8. This item corresponds to the fifth item in MĀ 3 and the fourth in AN 7.67. The parallels specify that the weapons include projectiles and bladed weapons. [back]

  9. This item is very similar to the sixth item in MĀ 3 and AN 7.67. While here the overall ruler of the city is being described, he is given similar virtues as the gatekeeper and commander in the other parallels (i.e., “astute and talented”). The statement of this ruler governing the people in the city by punishing crimes and governing the governable is analogous to discerning the good from the bad in MĀ 3 and the stranger from the citizen in AN 7.67. In this last regard, we should note that when this item is restated below, this last statement changes to “accept those who should be accepted” and “reject those who should be rejected,” which is much closer to the parallels. [back]

  10. This conclusion doesn’t agree with the one that’s found in MĀ 3 and AN 7.67. The latter seem to consider the accomplishment of the four meditations to be the ultimate goal of the practice they describe, rather than the development of wisdom. [back]

Translator: Charles Patton

Last Revised: 10 February 2025

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