The Medium Discourses
Chapter 4: Unprecedented Things
| （四一） 中阿含 未曾有法品 手長者經 第十 (初一日誦) | 41. The Prominent Man Hastaka (2) |
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| 我聞如是： 一時，佛遊阿邏鞞伽邏，在惒林中。 | 1. Thus I have heard:1 One time, the Buddha traveled to Āṭavikā and stayed at Agrāṭavika Grove.2 |
| 爾時，世尊告諸比丘： 「手長者有八未曾有法。 云何為八？ 手長者有少欲、有信、有慚、有愧、有精進、有念、有定、有慧。 | 2. It was then that the Bhagavān addressed the monks, “The prominent man Hastaka3 possesses eight unprecedented qualities. What are the eight? The prominent man Hastaka has few desires, and he is faithful, modest, conscientious, diligent, mindful, settled, and wise. |
| 「『手長者有少欲者。』此何因說？ 手長者自少欲，不欲令他知：『我少欲。』 ⋯有信⋯有慚⋯有愧⋯有精進⋯有念⋯有定⋯有慧⋯ 手長者自有慧，不欲令他知：『我有慧。』 『手長者有少欲者。』因此故說。 | 3. “Why do I say, ‘The prominent man Hastaka has few desires’? Hastaka himself has few desires, but he doesn’t want others to know, ‘I have few desires.’ … faithful … modest … conscientious … diligent … mindful … settled … wise … Hastaka himself has wisdom, but he doesn’t want others to know, ‘I have wisdom.’ This is why I say, ‘The prominent man Hastaka has few desires.’ |
| 「『手長者有信者。』此何因說？ 手長者得信堅固。 深著如來，信根已立，終不隨外沙門、梵志、若天、魔、梵及餘世間。 『手長者有信者。』因此故說。 | 4. “Why do I say, ‘The prominent man Hastaka is faithful’? Hastaka has obtained a firmness of faith. He is deeply attached to the Tathāgata, has established the faculty of faith, and will never follow Saṅgha of other religions, gods like Māra and Brahmā, or any other worldly person. This is why I say, ‘The prominent man Hastaka is faithful.’ |
| 「『手長者有慚者。』此何因說？ 手長者常行慚耻。 可慚、知慚惡不善法、穢污、煩惱受諸惡報，造生死本。 『手長者有慚者。』因此故說。 | 5. “Why do I say, ‘The prominent man Hastaka is modest’? Hastaka always conducts himself with modesty. He is ashamed and feels shame about bad and unskillful things, defilements, and afflictions that bring bad results and create the roots of birth and death. This is why I say, ‘The prominent man Hastaka is modest.’ |
| 「手長者有愧者。』此何因說？ 手長者常行羞愧，可愧、知愧惡不善法、穢污、煩惱受諸惡報，造生死本。 手長者有愧者。』因此故說。 | 6. “Why do I say, ‘The prominent man Hastaka is conscientious’? He is embarrassed and feels embarrassment by bad and unskillful things, defilements, and afflictions that bring bad results and create the roots of birth and death. This is why I say, ‘The prominent man Hastaka is conscientious.’ |
| 「『手長者有精進者。』此何因說？ 手長者常行精進。 除惡不善，修諸善法。 恒自起意，專一堅固為諸善本，不捨方便。 『手長者有精進者。』因此故說。 | 7. “Why do I say, ‘The prominent man Hastaka is diligent’? Hastaka always conducts himself with diligence. He rids himself of what’s bad and unskillful and cultivates skillful things. He constantly motivates himself, focuses firmly on the roots of goodness, and doesn’t abandon the means to do so. This is why I say, ‘The prominent man Hastaka is diligent.’ |
| 「『手長者有念者。』此何因說？ 手長者觀內身如身，觀內覺⋯心⋯法如法。 『手長者有念者。』因此故說。 | 8. “Why do I say, ‘The prominent man Hastaka is mindful’? Hastaka observes internal body as body, observes internal feelings … mind … principles as principles. This is why I say, ‘The prominent man Hastaka is mindful.’ |
| 「『手長者有定者。』此何因說？ 手長者離欲、離惡不善之法⋯至⋯得第四禪成就遊。 『手長者有定者。』因此故說。 | 9. “Why do I say, ‘The prominent man Hastaka is settled’? Hastaka is secluded from desires and secluded from bad and unskillful things … he accomplishes and dwells in the fourth meditation. This is why I say, ‘The prominent man Hastaka is settled.’ |
| 「『手長者有慧者。』此何因說？ 手長者修行智慧。 觀興衰法，得如此智。 聖慧明達、分別、曉了。 以正盡苦。 『手長者有慧者。』因此故說。 『手長者有八未曾有法者。』因此故說。」 | 10. “Why do I say, ‘The prominent man Hastaka is wise’? Hastaka cultivates wisdom. He observes the principle of arising and decline and acquires knowledge that accords with it. He masters the noble wisdom, discerns it, and comprehends it. He uses it to correctly end suffering. This is why I say, ‘The prominent man Hastaka is wise.’ This is why I say, ‘The prominent man Hastaka has eight unprecedented qualities.’” |
| 佛說如是。 彼諸比丘聞佛所說歡喜，奉行。 | 11. This is what the Buddha said. Those monks who heard what the Buddha taught rejoiced and approved. |
| 手長者經第十竟 (四百七十三字) | |
| 中阿含經卷第九 (一萬二千八十八字) | |
| 中阿含未曾有法品第四竟 (一萬九百四十六字) (初一日誦) |
Notes
- For the source text, cf. T26.1.484b28-5a1. It’s parallel with AN 8.23. These two texts are quite similar; however, a doctrinal difference becomes apparent when we observe the two lists of qualities attributed to Hastaka.
In AN 8.23, the seven qualities of Hatthaka are that he was faithful (P. saddho), ethical (sīlavā), conscientious (hirīmā), prudent (ottappī), learned (bahussuto), generous (cāgavā), and wise (paññavā). When the Buddha learns of Hatthaka’s modesty about being praised in this way, he adds an eight quality of having few desires.
In the present sūtra, he is said to possess eight qualities: He had few desires (少欲) and was faithful (有信), modest (有慚), conscientious (有愧), diligent (有精進), mindful (有念), settled (有定), and wise (有慧).
These two lists have five items in common, which are few desires (P. appicchatāyā), faith (P. saddha, 信), conscience/modesty (hirī, 慚), prudence/conscience (ottappa, 愧), and wisdom (pañña, 慧). AN 8.23 includes three other items that one might expect for a almsgiving layperson: ethics, generosity, and learnedness. MĀ 41 has instead three items that we might expect from a full pracitioner: diligence, mindfulness, and settledness (i.e., samādhi).
This and similar sūtras praising prominent laymen (e.g., MĀ 39) explicitly depict them as accomplishing the four meditations, something that seems not to happen in Pali sources. There must have been different expectations of laypeople among Sarvāstivādins compared to Theravādins. We should also consider the possible influence of the “retired layman bodhisattva” concept that developed. E.g., the Buddha teaches the layman Ugra about this practice in Mahāratnakūṭa No. 19 (T310.11.472b7-80b28). [back] - 阿邏鞞伽邏在惒林 (EMC. •a-la-bei-k‘ie-la-dzəi-ɦua-lɪəm = Pr. aḷavi + [a]gaḷa + “to be at” + va + “grove”?), P. āḷaviyaṁ viharati aggāḷave cetiye. It would appear that the C. found here and in MĀ 40 may have suffered some confusion, with 在 (“was at”) being misplaced or inserted. If we remove 在, the expression 阿邏鞞伽邏惒 could easily be read as a translit. of aḷavi (阿邏鞞) and [a]gaḷava (伽邏惒), which is plausible as a Prakrit equivalent of the two Pali place names. Perhaps the passage should instead read 佛遊阿邏鞞，在(阿)伽邏惒林. Assuming this is the case, I’ve adopted the S. equivalents of these two Pali place names. [back]
- the prominent man Hastaka. C. 手長者, G. *hasta[ka], P. hatthaka, S. hastaka. The C. translates this layman’s name lit. as “hand,” which is the meaning of the Indic name. While he has no title in AN 8.23, he here is called a “prominent man” (C. 長者, P. seṭṭhi, S. śreṣṭhin) rather than a “householder” (C. 居士, S. gṛhapati, P. gahapati). “Prominent” here typically referred to being a well-to-do landowner or successful merchant. Such people, usu. men, were prominent members of a community but existed outside the political or religious heirarchy. [back]
Translator: Charles Patton
Last Revised: 14 October 2024
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