Translating Classical Buddhism to Modern English

The Related Discourses

2. The Sense Fields

（一九七） 燒然 40 (197). Burning
如是我聞： 一時，佛住迦闍尸利沙支提。 與千比丘俱，皆是舊縈髮婆羅門。 1. Thus I have heard:1 One time, the Buddha was staying at the Gayāśirṣa shrine.2 He was accompanied by a thousand monks who were former dreadlocked priests.3
爾時，世尊為千比丘作三種示現教化。 云何為三？ 神足變化示現、他心示現、教誡示現。 2. It was then that the Bhagavān had demonstrated edification in three ways. What were the three? He had demonstrated conversion by miracles, demonstrated others’ minds, and demonstrated instruction.
神足示現者，世尊隨其所應，而示現入禪定正受。 陵虛至東方。 作四威儀，行、住、坐、臥，入火三昧。 出種種火光，青、黃、赤、白、紅、頗梨色。 水火俱現。 或身下出火，身上出水，身上出火，身下出水。 周圓四方亦復如是。 爾時，世尊作種種神變已，於眾中坐。 是名神足示現。 3. When demonstrating his miraculous abilities, the Bhagavān demonstrated entry into the attainment of dhyāna samādhi when it was appropriate. He then rose up into the sky and went east. He assumed the four postures, which are walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, and entered the samādhi of fire. He emitted a variety of fiery lights that were blue, yellow, red, white, purple, and crystal. He produced both water and fire. Either fire would come out below his body and water would come out above it, or fire would come out above his body and water would come out below it. He would do this while circling around in all four directions. Then, once he had demonstrated this variety of miracles, he would sit among the assembly. This was called the demonstration of miraculous abilities.
他心示現者，如彼心、如彼意、如彼識： 「彼應作如是念」、 「不應作如是念」、 「彼應作如是捨」、 「彼應作如是身證住」。 是名他心示現。 4. When demonstrating others’ minds, [he would say] according to their thoughts, their thinking, and their awareness, “That is something that you should think,” “that isn’t something you should think,” “that is something you should abandon,” “that is something you should personally realize and abide in.” This was called the demonstration of others’ minds.
教誡示現者，如世尊說： 「諸比丘，一切燒然。 云何一切燒然？ 謂眼燒然。 若色、眼識、眼觸、眼觸因緣生受，若苦、若樂、不苦不樂，彼亦燒然。 如是，耳⋯鼻⋯舌⋯身⋯意燒然。 若法、意識、意觸、意觸因緣生受，若苦、若樂、不苦不樂，彼亦燒然。 以何燒然？ 貪火燒然、恚火燒然、癡火燒然。 生、老、病、死、憂、悲、惱、苦火燒然。」 5. When demonstrating instruction, the Bhagavān would say, “Monks, everything is burning. How is everything burning? This means the eye is on fire. Whether it’s forms, visual awareness, visual contact, or painful, pleasant, and neither painful nor pleasant feelings that arise from visual contact, they are burning, too. Thus, the ear … nose … tongue … body … mind are burning. Whether it’s ideas, mental awareness, mental contact, or painful, pleasant, and neither painful nor pleasant feelings that arise from mental contact, they are burning, too. By what are they burned? They are burned by the fire of craving, the fire of hate, and the fire of delusion. They are burned by the fires of birth, old age, illness, death, sorrow, lamentation, trouble, and suffering.”
爾時，千比丘聞佛所說不起諸漏，心得解脫。 佛說此經已，諸比丘聞佛所說歡喜，奉行。 6. The thousand monks who heard what the Buddha taught didn’t produce the contaminants, and their minds became liberated. After the Buddha spoke this sūtra, the monks who heard what the Buddha taught rejoiced and approved.

Notes

  1. This is sūtra no. 197 in the Taisho edition and nos. 218 in Yinshun (T99.2.50b14-c6). Continuing the fire theme of the previous three sūtras (SĀ 2.37-39), this is the famous Fire Sermon. It’s held by the Sarvāstivādins and other early schools to be one of the earliest teachings, given to the three Kāśyapa brothers and their disciples after they were converted. Its parallels include SN 22.61, SN 35.28, the Theravāda Vinaya (Kd1.12), and the Sarvāstivāda Catuṣpariṣat (SF270). The main difference between this version and that of SN is that it includes an oblique reference to the story of the Buddha converting his first thousand disciples with miracles. These events are narrated in the Vinaya histories of the various Buddhist traditions (e.g., the Theravāda version is found in Kd 1.12). [back]
  2. Gayāśirṣa shrine. C. 迦闍尸利沙支提 (MCh. kă-ʒɪă-ʃɪi-lɪi-ṣă-tʃɪĕ-dei = Pr. Gajaśiriṣa-cedi[ya]), S. Gayāśirṣa-caitya, P. Gayāsīsa-cetiya. The translit. suggests that this was a shrine located at S. Gayāśirṣa. Gayāśirṣa was a hill near the city of Gaya in Magadha. The transliterated name here literally means “Elephant Head” (Pr. gaja-śirṣa) if we assume that MCh. -ʃɪi-lɪi- was intended to represent -śir- and not -śiri- (= S. śrī). This interpretation of P. Gayāsīsa meaning “elephant head” is found in Pali commentaries as well (cf. SN-a.iii.4, Ud-a.74).
    It’s of interest to note that -j- was sometimes weakened to -y- in G., which might explain the later spellings in S. and P. That, combined with the name of the nearby town, may have led to the more common name, S. Gayāśirṣa. I’ve found no attestation of this place name in extant G., though, so this is speculation. [back]
  3. dreadlocked priests. C. 縈髮婆羅門 (MCh. “twisted hair” + bua-la-muən = Pr. *jatila braṃman[a]), P./S. jaṭila brāhmaṇa. S. jaṭila (“twisted together” or “ascetic”) was here translated as C. 縈髮 (“twisted hair”). I’ve translated this to the nearest English equivalent, which would be “braided” or “dreadlocked.” It should be understood, however, that jaṭila was also the name for a particular type of ascetic. Here, they are identified as a type of priest (brāhmaṇa). [back]

Translator: Charles Patton

Last Revised: 16 March 2024

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