The Related Discourses
2. The Sense Fields
| （二〇〇） 羅睺羅 | 57 (200). Rāhula (17) |
|---|---|
| 如是我聞： 一時，佛住舍衛國、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，尊者羅睺羅往詣佛所。 稽首佛足，退坐一面，白佛言： 「善哉，世尊，為我說法。 我聞法已，獨一靜處，專精思惟，不放逸住。 獨一靜處，專精思惟，不放逸住已，如是思惟： 『所以族姓子剃除鬚髮，正信非家，出家學道，修持梵行，見法。 自知作證： 「我生已盡，梵行已立，所作已作。 自知不受後有。」』」 | 2. It was then that Venerable Rāhula visited the Buddha. He bowed his head at the Buddha’s feet, withdrew to sit at one side, and said to the Buddha, “It would be good, Bhagavān, if you would give me an explanation of the Dharma. Having heard it, I’ll go alone to a quiet place, focus on contemplation, and live earnestly. Having gone to a quiet place, focused on contemplation, and lived earnestly, I will think: ‘A clansman cuts off his hair, correctly believes not in the home life, leaves home to train on the path, cultivates the religious life, and sees the Dharma. He himself will know and realize: “My births have ended, the religious life has been established, and the task is accomplished. I myself know that I won’t be subject to a later existence.”’” |
| 爾時，世尊觀察羅睺羅心。 解脫慧未熟，未堪任受增上法。 問羅睺羅言： 「汝以授人五受陰未？」 | 3. The Bhagavān then examined Rāhula’s mind. His knowledge of liberation had yet to come to fruition, and he wasn’t ready yet to receive the higher Dharma. He asked Rāhula, “Have you taught someone the five acquired aggregates yet?” |
| 羅睺羅白佛： 「未也，世尊。」 | Rāhula said to the Buddha, “Not yet, Bhagavān.” |
| 佛告羅睺羅： 「汝當為人演說五受陰。」 | The Buddha told Rāhula, “You should give someone a talk on the five acquired aggregates, then.” |
| 爾時，羅睺羅受佛教已，於異時為人演說五受陰。 說已，還詣佛所。 𥡳首佛足，退住一面，白佛言： 「世尊，我已為人說五受陰。 唯願，世尊，為我說法。 我聞法已，獨一靜處，專精思惟，不放逸住⋯乃至⋯ 『「自知不受後有。」』」 | 4. Once he received the Buddha’s instruction, Rāhula on another occasion gave someone a talk on the five acquired aggregates. After doing so, he returned to visit the Buddha. He bowed his head at the Buddha’s feet, withdrew to sit to one side, and said to the Buddha, “Bhagavān, I taught someone the five acquired aggregates. Please, Bhagavān, give me an explanation of the Dharma. Having heard the Dharma, I’ll go alone to a quiet place, focus on contemplation, and live earnestly … up to … ‘“I myself know that I won’t be subject to a later existence.”’” |
| 爾時，世尊復觀察羅睺羅心。 解脫智未熟，不堪任受增上法。 問羅睺羅言： 「汝為人說六入處未？」 | 5. The Bhagavān again examined Rāhula’s mind. His knowledge of liberation had yet to come to fruition, and he wasn’t ready to receive the higher Dharma. He asked Rāhula, “Have you taught someone the six senses yet?” |
| 羅睺羅白佛： 「未也，世尊。」 | Rāhula said to the Buddha, “Not yet, Bhagavān.” |
| 佛告羅睺羅： 「汝當為人演說六入處。」 | The Buddha told Rāhula, “You should give someone a talk about the six sense fields, then.” |
| 爾時，羅睺羅於異時為人演說六入處。 說六入處已，來詣佛所。 𥡳首禮足，退住一面，白佛言： 「世尊，我已為人演說六入處。 唯願，世尊，為我說法。 我聞法已，當獨一靜處，專精思惟，不放逸住⋯乃至⋯ 『「自知不受後有。」』」 | 6. On a different occasion, Rāhula gave someone a talk on the six senses. After teaching the six senses, he came to visit the Buddha. He bowed his head at the Buddha’s feet, withdrew to stand to one side, and said to the Buddha, “Bhagavān, I taught someone the six senses. Please, Bhagavān, give me an explanation of the Dharma. Having heard the Dharma, I’ll go alone to a quiet place, focus on contemplation, and live earnestly … up to … ‘“I myself know that I won’t be subject to a later existence.”’” |
| 爾時，世尊觀察羅睺羅心。 解脫智未熟，不堪任受增上法。 問羅睺羅言： 「汝已為人說尼陀那法未？」 | 7. The Bhagavān then examined Rāhula’s mind. His knowledge of liberation had yet to come to fruition, and he wasn’t ready to accept the higher Dharma. He asked Rāhula, “Have you taught someone the teaching of dependent origination2 yet?” |
| 羅睺羅白佛言： 「未也，世尊。」 | Rāhula said to the Buddha, “Not yet, Bhagavān.” |
| 佛告羅睺羅： 「汝當為人演說尼陀那法。」 | The Buddha told Rāhula, “You should teach someone the teaching of dependent origination, then.” |
| 爾時，羅睺羅於異時為人廣說尼陀那法 ⋯已，來詣佛所。 𥡳首禮足，退住一面，白佛言： 「世尊，為我說法。 我聞法已，獨一靜處，專精思惟，不放逸住⋯乃至⋯ 『「自知不受後有。」』」 | 8. Then, on a different occasion, Rāhula gave someone a talk on the teaching of dependent origination. [Having done that,] he came to visit the Buddha. He bowed his head at the Buddha’s feet, withdrew to stand to one side, and said to the Buddha, “[Please,] Bhagavān, give me an explanation of the Dharma. Having heard the Dharma, I’ll go alone to a quiet place, focus on contemplation, and live earnestly … up to … ‘“I myself know that I won’t be subject to a later existence.”’” |
| 爾時，世尊復觀察羅睺羅心。 解脫智未熟⋯廣說乃至⋯ 告羅睺羅言： 「汝當於上所說諸法，獨於一靜處，專精思惟，觀察其義。」 | 9. The Bhagavān again examined Rāhula’s mind. His knowledge of liberation had yet to come to fruition … up to … told Rāhula, “You should go alone to a quiet place, focus on contemplation, and examine the meaning of those subjects that you’ve taught before.” |
| 爾時，羅睺羅受佛教勅。 如上所聞法、所說法思惟稱量，觀察其義。 作是念： 「此諸法一切皆順趣涅槃、流注涅槃、後住涅槃。」 | 10. Rāhula then accepted the Buddha’s instruction. He contemplated, weighed, and examined the meaning of those teachings that he had heard before and that he had taught before. He then thought, “These teachings all incline toward nirvāṇa, flow toward nirvāṇa, and later abide in nirvāṇa.” |
| 爾時，羅睺羅往詣佛所。 𥡳首禮足，退住一面，白佛言： 「世尊，我已於如上所聞法、所說法獨一靜處，思惟稱量，觀察其義。 知此諸法皆順趣涅槃、流注涅槃、後住涅槃。」 | 11. Rāhula then paid the Buddha a visit. He bowed his head at the Buddha’s feet, withdrew to stand to one side, and said to the Buddha, “Bhagavān, I went alone to a quiet place, contemplated, weighed, and examined the meaning of those teachings that I’ve heard and taught before. I realized that these teachings incline toward nirvāṇa, flow toward nirvāṇa, and later abide in nirvāṇa.”3 |
| 爾時，世尊觀察羅睺羅心。 解脫智熟，堪任受增上法。 告羅睺羅言： 「羅睺羅，一切無常。 何等法無常？ 謂眼無常。 若色、眼識、眼觸⋯」 如上無常廣說。 | 12. The Bhagavān then examined Rāhula’s mind. His knowledge of liberation had come to fruition, and he was ready to receive the higher Dharma. He told Rāhula, “Rāhula, everything is impermanent. What things are impermanent? The eye is impermanent. Whether its form, visual awareness, visual contact” … and so on. Impermanence is here taught at length as it was in the previous sūtras. |
| 爾時，羅睺羅聞佛所說，歡喜隨喜。 禮佛而退。 | Rāhula then rejoiced and was gladdened by what the Buddha taught. He bowed to the Buddha and withdrew. |
| 爾時，羅睺羅受佛教已，獨一靜處，專精思惟，不放逸住。 「所以族姓子剃除鬚髮，著袈裟衣，正信非家，出家學道，純修梵行，乃至見法。 自知作證： 『我生已盡，梵行已立，所作已作。 自知不受後有。』」 成阿羅漢，心善解脫。 | 13. Having received the Buddha’s instruction, Rāhula went alone to a quiet place, focused on contempation, and lived earnestly. [He thought:] “A clansman cuts off his hair, correctly believes not in the home life, leaves home to train on the path, and cultivates the religious life until he sees the Dharma. He himself will know and realize: ‘My births have ended, the religious life has been established, and the task is accomplished. I myself know that I won’t be subject to a later existence.’” He became an arhat, and his mind was well liberated. |
| 佛說此經已，羅睺羅聞佛所說歡喜，奉行。 | 14. After the Buddha spoke this sūtra, Rāhula heard what the Buddha taught, rejoiced, and approved. |
Notes
- This is sūtra no. 200 in the Taisho edition and no. 235 in Yinshun (T99.2.51a15-1c10). It depicts the way in which Rāhula became an arhat. It’s a different story than the one we find in SN 35.121 and MN 147. Here, there is less fanfare about the events about to unfold, and the story seems to relate a gradual advancement over time rather than a specific event. Another interesting aspect of this story is that it depicts the teaching that the senses and everything involved with them are impermanent as an advanced teaching that was given only when a student was ready to receive it. In this case, Rāhula was teaching other students the basics prior to receiving this higher teaching. [back]
- teaching of dependent origination. C. 尼陀那法 (MCh. nei-da-na = G. nidana + dharma). The translator here transliterated S. nidāna. The only other passage where this translit. is found is in the list of twelve types of sūtras at T99.2.300c6. Nidāna sūtras typically were those in which the Buddha explains the past history of places and people. I’ve assumed that here it must refer to the teaching of dependent origination, which would naturally follow after more basic teachings like the aggregates and senses. [back]
- incline toward nirvāṇa, flow toward nirvāṇa, and later abide in nirvāṇa. C. 順趣涅槃、流注涅槃、後住涅槃. This series of three verbs associated with nirvāṇa occur in a few other passages in SĀ, and it is very similar to a Pali refrain found elsewhere that a teaching “slants toward nibbāna, slopes toward nibbāna, and inclines toward nibbāna” (P. nibbānaninnaṁ nibbānapoṇaṁ nibbānapabbhāraṁ).
The last of the verbs in this C. passage (後住, “later abides”) is only found here. In five other passages, the C. verb is instead 浚輸, which would mean something like “move deeply.” Several of these passages have alt. readings that replace 浚 (“to dig, deepen”) with 後 (“after, later”). If we accept this alt. reading, it would mean “afterward move toward.” This still doesn’t seem entirely satisfactory.
The idea of the liberated person going to nirvāṇa is found in some Buddhist texts, and this is the first occurrence of the expression in SĀ, so I’ve let the C. stand as it is in this case. The reader should understand that it is not clear what the original said. [back]
Translator: Charles Patton
Last Revised: 17 March 2024
Previous | Next |