Toh 333 — The Sūtra of Vasiṣṭha
Translated by Elizabeth Angowski under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha
The Noble
Sūtra of Vasiṣṭha
F.263.b Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas!
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was residing in Nyagrodha Park in Kapilavastu. Then, the great sage Kapila, while walking and wandering about for his daily exercise, deliberately proceeded to the place where the Blessed One was residing. After he made all manner of pleasing and polite conversation with the Blessed One, he sat down to one side. F.264.a
As the brahmin Vasiṣṭha sat down to one side,[1] the Blessed One, though he already knew, asked him, “Vasiṣṭha, why are you like this—emaciated and sallow, with a long beard, long hair, long nails, long body hair, ragged, and speaking so softly?”
Vasiṣṭha replied, “Gautama, I am like this—emaciated and sallow, with a long beard, long hair, long nails, long body hair, ragged, and speaking so softly—because I observe the month-long fast.”[2]
The Blessed One, though he already knew, then asked the sage Vasiṣṭha, “Vasiṣṭha, do you maintain the eightfold observance of the noble ones and practice diligently on special days[3] as well?”
“O, Gautama,” replied Vasiṣṭha, “what will become of those who maintain the eightfold observance of the noble ones and practice diligently on special days?”
The Blessed One responded, “Those brahmins will experience all they wish for among gods and humans.”
“Gautama, what is the so-called eightfold observance of the noble ones?” asked Vasiṣṭha. “And how, by adhering to the eightfold observance of the noble ones, will one experience all one wishes for among gods and humans?”
“Vasiṣṭha, when faithful sons or daughters of good families want to maintain the eightfold observance of the noble ones, they get up in the morning and go before a monk, or a brahmin, or anyone else who is wise. They arrange their upper robe over one shoulder, place their right knee on the ground, join their palms, and utter this statement: ‘I, named so-and-so, from now through sundown tonight and until sunrise tomorrow,[4] abandon taking life and abstain from taking life. F.264.b I relinquish the stick and the sword, behaving with conscientiousness and compassion as I abandon and abstain from taking the life of any being, living creature, or spirit—even the least among them, including tiny creatures such as ants. Just as those noble ones, the worthy ones, who, for as long as they live, have abandoned taking life and have abstained from taking life, relinquished the stick and the sword, and abandoned and abstained from taking the life of any being, living creature, or spirit—even the least among them, including tiny creatures such as ants—likewise I, so-and-so, from now through sundown tonight and until sunrise tomorrow, also abandon taking life and abstain from taking life. I relinquish the stick and the sword, behaving with conscientiousness and compassion as I abandon and abstain from taking the life of any sentient being, living creature, or spirit—even the least among them, including tiny creatures such as ants. Through this first factor, I emulate, act in accordance with, and imitate the course of conduct of the noble ones, the worthy ones.’
“ ‘Just as I abstain from killing, likewise I abandon and abstain from taking what is not given; sexual activity; false speech; heedlessness from having become drunk on fermented or distilled spirits; singing, dancing, and music, as well as wearing garlands, perfumes, ornaments, and cosmetics; high beds and large beds; and eating at the improper time.[5] Just like those noble ones, the worthy ones, who, for as long as they live, have abandoned eating at the improper time and abstained from eating at the improper time, likewise I, so-and-so, from now through sundown tonight and F.265.a until sunrise tomorrow, also abandon eating at the improper time and abstain from eating at the improper time. Through this eighth factor, I emulate, act in accordance with, and imitate the course of conduct of those noble ones, the worthy ones.’
“Recite thus a second and a third time. Vasiṣṭha, this is the eightfold observance of the noble ones, and thus, by maintaining the eightfold observance of the noble ones, one will experience all one wishes for among gods and humans. Vasiṣṭha, you should maintain the eightfold observance of the noble ones, practice diligently on special days, and experience all you wish for among gods and humans!
“Regarding the merit of those faithful sons or daughters of good families who maintain the eightfold observance of the noble ones, Vasiṣṭha, one cannot fathom the extent of the merit, nor the fruits of the merit, nor the ripening of the fruits of the merit by saying, ‘It is this much.’ And yet, it is described as ‘many heaps of merit.’
“As an analogy, Vasiṣṭha, it is like how the five great rivers—the Ganges, the Yamunā, the One With the Lake, the One With Houses, and the Saté[6]—flow down into one, and thus, one cannot fathom their volume, saying, ‘There is this much water, or these many hundred jugs of water, or these many thousand jugs of water, or these many hundred thousand jugs of water.’ And yet, it is described as ‘a lot of water’ and ‘a huge river.’
“Similarly, Vasiṣṭha, regarding the merit of those sons or daughters of good families who maintain the eightfold observance of the noble ones, one cannot fathom the extent of the merit, nor the fruits of the merit, nor the ripening of the fruits of the merit by saying, ‘It is this much.’ And yet, it is described as ‘a lot of merit.’ F.265.b
“Vasiṣṭha, what do you think? Can someone fathom the waters of the great ocean, saying, ‘There is this much water, or this many hundred jugs of water, or this many thousand jugs of water, or this many hundred thousand jugs of water’?”
“Gautama,” replied Vasiṣṭha, “regarding the waters of the great oceans, it is baseless and untenable for someone to fathom their volume, saying, ‘There is this much water, or this many hundred jugs of water, or this many thousand jugs of water, or this many hundred thousand jugs of water.’ Gautama, if you ask why that is the case, it is because there is not a fathomable volume.”
The Blessed One said, “One should understand this through the following illustration: it is possible that someone, at some time, and by some means could fathom the volume of water in the great ocean, saying, ‘There is this much water, or this many hundred jugs of water, or this many thousand jugs of water, or this many hundred thousand jugs of water,’ but one cannot fathom the extent of the merit of maintaining the eightfold observance of the noble ones a single time, or the fruits of the merit, or the ripening of the fruits of the merit, saying, ‘It is this much.’ And yet, it is described as ‘a lot of merit’ and ‘a big heap of merit.’
“Vasiṣṭha,” continued the Blessed One, “such is the great fruit of maintaining the eightfold observance of the noble ones; such is the great benefit; such is the great power; such is the abundance. Vasiṣṭha, maintain the eightfold observance of the noble ones, practice diligently on special days, and experience all you wish for among gods and humans!”
The brahmin Vasiṣṭha then replied to the Blessed One with these words: “O Gautama, now consider two people: the first practices gift giving for as long as they live, but the second, for as long as they live, F.266.a maintains the eightfold observance of the noble ones. Of the two, Blessed One, who is superior?”
“Vasiṣṭha,” answered the Blessed One, “in this case, maintaining the eightfold observance of the noble ones and generosity are not equal. As an analogy, Vasiṣṭha, say that a son or daughter of a good family, for as long as they live, makes offerings to whosoever is a worthy one on this Jambu continent—their contaminants ceased, their work done, their task complete, their burden laid down, their own purpose attained, their connection to existence entirely extinguished, and satisfied thanks to the complete liberation of their minds through right knowledge. They make offerings of the precious things contained in the sixteen great kingdoms[7]—Aṅga, Magadha, Kośala, Kāśī,Vṛji, Malla, Puṇḍra, Srekpa,[8] Kāmā,[9] Avanti, Kuru, Pañcāla, Vatsa, Śūrasena,[10] Yavana, and Kamboja. That is to say, they make offerings of diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, magnificent sapphires, crystals,[11] pearls, beryl, shell stones,[12] coral, silver, alluvial gold,aśmagarbha emeralds, cat’s eyes,[13] red pearls, and right-coiling conches—all begotten through strenuous effort, earned thanks to the sweat of one’s brow and by the strength of one’s arms, and justly and lawfully obtained.
They make offerings of those things along with provisions, garments, food, bedding, and medicines that cure illness. When compared to a second person maintaining the eightfold observance of the noble ones a single time, the heap of merit that arises from the aforementioned acts of generosity does not even come close to a hundredth part of the heap of merit that arises from maintaining the eightfold observance of the noble ones. It does not even come close to a thousandth,F.266.b or a hundred thousandth, or any number, fraction, sum total, analogy, or comparison. Vasiṣṭha, such is the great fruit of maintaining the eightfold observance of the noble ones; such is the great benefit; such is the great power; such is the abundance. Vasiṣṭha, maintain the eightfold observance of the noble ones, practice diligently on special days, and experience all that gods and humans wish!
“Furthermore, Vasiṣṭha, in comparison to the happiness of the god realms, sovereignty[14] in the human realm is of paltry worth. That which among humans is fifty years is but one day for the gods of the Heaven of the Four Great Kings. Fifteen of those spans of one day equal half a month, and thirty such days equal a month, and twelve such months equal a year. By that way of calculating, whatever constitutes five hundred years for the gods, that is the lifespan for the gods of the Heaven of the Four Great Kings. If calculated by human standards, it is nine million years.[15] Vasiṣṭha, upon separation from the body, the fate of a faithful son or daughter of a good family, one who has maintained the eightfold observance of the noble ones a single time, will be a rebirth equal in status to the gods of the Heaven of the Four Great Kings.
Vasiṣṭha, this is what I had in mind when I proclaimed, ‘In comparison to the happiness of the god realms, sovereignty in the human realm is of paltry worth.’
“That which among humans is one hundred years is but one day for the gods of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. Fifteen of those spans of one day equal half a month, and thirty such days equal a month, and twelve such months equal a year. By that way of calculating, whatever constitutes one thousand years for the gods, that is the lifespan for the gods of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. If calculated by human standards, it is thirty-six million years. Upon separation from the body, the fate of a faithful son or daughter of a good family, one who maintains the eightfold observance of the noble ones a single time, F.267.a will be a rebirth equal in status to the gods of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. Vasiṣṭha, this is what I had in mind when I proclaimed, ‘In comparison to the happiness of the god realms, sovereignty in the human realm is of paltry worth.’
“Vasiṣṭha, that which among humans is two hundred years is but one day for the gods of the Heaven Free from Strife. Fifteen of those spans of one day equal half a month, and thirty such days equal a month, and twelve such months equal a year. By that way of calculating, whatever constitutes two thousand years, that is the lifespan for the gods of the Heaven Free from Strife. If calculated by human standards, it is one hundred and forty-four million years.[16] Upon separation from the body, the fate of a faithful son or daughter of a good family, one who maintains the eightfold observance of the noble ones a single time, will be a rebirth equal in status to the gods of the Heaven Free from Strife. Vasiṣṭha, this is what I had in mind when I proclaimed, ‘In comparison to the happiness of the god realms, sovereignty in the human realm is of paltry worth.’
“Vasiṣṭha, that which among humans is four hundred years is but one day for the gods of the Heaven of Joy. Fifteen of those spans of one day equal half a month, and thirty such days equal a month, and twelve such months equal a year. Just so, by that way of calculating years, whatever constitutes four thousand years for the gods, that is the lifespan for the gods of the Heaven of Joy. If calculated by human standards, it is five hundred and seventy-six million years. Vasiṣṭha, upon separation from the body, the fate of a faithful son or daughter of a good family, one who maintains the eightfold observance of the noble ones a single time, will be a rebirth equal in status to the gods of the Heaven of Joy. Vasiṣṭha, this is what I had in mind when I proclaimed, ‘In comparison to the happiness of the god realms, sovereignty in the human realm is of paltry worth.’
“Vasiṣṭha, that which among humans is eight hundred years F.267.b is but one day for the gods of the Heaven of Delighting in Emanations. Fifteen of those spans of one day equal half a month, and thirty such days equal a month, and twelve such months equal a year. By that way of calculating years, whatever constitutes eight thousand years for the gods, that is the lifespan for the gods of the Heaven of Delighting in Emanations. If calculated by human standards, it is two billion three hundred four million years.[17] Upon separation from the body, the fate of a faithful son or daughter of a good family, one who maintains the eightfold observance of the noble ones a single time, will be a rebirth equal in status to the gods of the Heaven of Delighting in Emanations. Vasiṣṭha, this is what I had in mind when I proclaimed, ‘In comparison to the happiness of the god realms, sovereignty in the human realm is of paltry worth.’
“Vasiṣṭha, that which among humans is sixteen hundred years is but one day for the gods of the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations. Fifteen of those spans of one day equal half a month, and thirty such days equal a month, and twelve such months equal a year. By that way of calculating years, whatever constitutes sixteen thousand years, that is the lifespan for the gods of the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations. If calculated by human standards, it is nine billion two hundred sixteen million years.[18] Upon separation from the body, the fate of a faithful son or daughter of a good family, one who maintains the eightfold observance of the noble ones a single time, will be a rebirth equal in status to the gods of the Heaven of Making Use of Others’ Emanations. Vasiṣṭha, this is what I had in mind when I proclaimed, ‘In comparison to the happiness of the god realms, sovereignty in the human realm is of paltry worth.’
“Vasiṣṭha, maintain the eightfold observance of the noble ones, practice diligently on special days, and experience all you wish for among gods and humans!”
The brahmin Vasiṣṭha then said these words to the Blessed One: F.268.a “O Gautama, for a long time, for every lunar special day, I have wearily performed severe austerities, yet I have gained nothing at all. Today and henceforth, I take refuge in the Buddha; I take refuge in the Dharma and in the Saṅgha. With all the power and strength that I possess, I will maintain the eightfold observance of the noble ones, and I will practice generosity.”
The Blessed One proclaimed, “Vasiṣṭha, this is excellent! That is your task!” After the Blessed One proclaimed those words, the brahmin Vasiṣṭha, along with the world with its gods, humans, asuras, and gandharvas, rejoiced and extolled what the Blessed One had taught.
This concludes the Noble Sūtra of Vasiṣṭha.Colophon
This was translated, revised, and finalized by the Indian preceptor Sarvajñādeva, the chief editor-translator Bandé Paltsek, and others.
Notes
The unexplained shift from the sage Kapila to the brahmin Vasiṣṭha seems abrupt here. The text most obviously appears to imply that the great sage Kapila is out and about with others, perhaps his own followers, and one of them, a brahmin named Vasiṣṭha, proceeds with Kapila to where the Buddha is staying. This echoes the beginning of Sutta Nipāta 3.9 (cf. Majjhima Nikāya 98), in which we read that among the many brahmins who are staying at the Icchānaṅgala grove, two in particular—Vāseṭṭha and Bhāradvāja—while walking and wandering about for exercise, decide to approach the Buddha so that he can advise them on the question of true brahminhood. Alternatively, there is perhaps here a conflation of the two sages, Kapila and Vasiṣṭha. One might also speculate that at some point in the evolution of the text a distortion of some further reference to the setting, Kapilavastu, may have caused Kapila’s appearance as a protagonist in the narrative instead. The great sage Kapila is more usually mentioned as a figure of the distant past after whom the city of Kapilavastu was named, as for example in the story of the Śākya clan lineage near the beginning of the Saṅghabhedavastu (Toh 1, chapter 17, Degé Kangyur vol. 4, ’dul ba, ga, F.271.b).
backThe “month-long fast” (dgung zlar smyung ba) might refer to the ancient brahmanical cāndrāyaṇavrata, or simply the cāndrāyaṇa, a month-long observance in which one begins by eating fourteen mouthfuls of food and decreases food intake by one mouthful every day until the new moon day, during which one does not eat anything at all. Then, during the moon’s waxing phase, one increases food intake by one mouthful a day until the full moon. See the Baudhāyana Dharmasūtra 3.8 as well as Manusmṛti 11.217–18 and the accompanying note provided by Olivelle 2009, p. 290.
backThe term “special days” (cho ’phrul gyi phyogs) likely reflects the Sanskrit prātihāryapakṣa or the Pali pāṭihāriyapakkha, defined in The Pali Text Society’s Pali–English Dictionary as “an extra holiday, an ancient festival, not now kept.” (Here, “extra” likely means in addition to the new moon, the full moon, and the two days that fall halfway in between these two.) Ultimately, there is a lack of commentarial and scholarly consensus regarding what, exactly, this special holiday or festival period once entailed and when it is supposed to have occurred. However, certain sources take care to note that “special days” does not necessarily mean single extra days during the lunar fortnight. For monastics, at least, it might also refer to longer stretches of time, such as the three months of the summer rains retreat. On this topic, see, for example, Bodhi 2003, p. 480, n. 573; Bodhi 2012, p. 1642, n. 387.
backThis is to say that one maintains the eightfold observance for a whole day, from the time one gets up, through the evening, and until the following day’s sunrise.
backAlthough the text only states the full formula for the first and last branches of the observance, it should be understood that one recites the same formula for each of the eight branches in turn.
backTentative translation. The Tibetan here reads gang gA dang / ya mu na dang / mtsho ldan dang / khyim ldan dang / sa ste. The series of five sacred rivers in Pali is often the Ganges, the Yamunā, the Ajiravatī, the Sarabhū, and the Saritā. The Tibetan sa ste could be a phonetic approximation of the Saritā. The designation mtsho ldan, literally “has a lake,” could refer to the Sarasvatī river, or one of the rivers connected to Lake Manasarovar, perhaps the Brahmaputra. The designation khyim ldan, literally “has houses,” is difficult to identify with any certainty, and looking to sources on rivers in Vedic literature yields several possibilities. In another canonical use of the simile, we find dper na chu bo chen po lnga po ’di lta ste / gang gA dang / ya mu na dang / sar yu dang / gnas ldan dang / chen po zhes bya ba, i.e., the Ganges, the Yamunā, the Sarabhū, the Ajiravatī, and the Mahī. See The Chapter on Medicines (Toh 1–6), 8.227. Searching the Buddhist Digital Resource Center’s database of e-texts reveals that where later Tibetan texts refer to The Sūtra of Vasiṣṭha, the last river in the series varies especially (i.e., sa ste above), such that one also finds palgu (i.e., Phalgu) and pak+Sha.
backIn Aṅguttara Nikāya 3.70 and 8.43, both of which are suttas on the uposatha, we find the sixteen kingdoms listed as Aṅga, Magadha, Kāsi, Kosala, Vajji, Malla, Ceti, Vaṅga, Kuru, Pañcāla, Maccha, Sūrasena, Assaka, Avanti, Gandhāra, and Kamboja.
backNot identified. Cases can be made for sreg pa (var. srag pa) as one of the kingdoms (without an obvious correlate) listed in n. 17 above, e.g., Ceti or Assaka, but further research is needed to determine exactly which kingdom it might be—if it might be any of these at all. For the variant srag pa, see the Phukdrak (phug brag) Kangyur vol. 65, folio 321.a.3, and the Hemis Kangyur vol. 78, folio 57.b.3.
backkA mA, possibly for Kāmarūpa, which is identified with modern-day Assam. On the history of this region, see Shin 2017.
backThe spelling for this region varies. While the Degé and Comparative Edition read dpal sde, the Stok Palace Kangyur reads dpe sde, and the Hemis and Phukdrak Kangyurs read dpa’ sde. The latter is reflected above.
backnor bu (Skt. and Pali maṇi) typically denotes a “gem” or “jewel.” Since the text is enumerating specific precious items, however, “crystal” is used over the generic sense. On this point, see esp. The Pali Text Society’s Pali–English Dictionary, p. 516.
backshang ka shi la (Skt. śaṅkhaśilā; Pali sankhasilā). See the entry for sankha, “shell,” in The Pali Text Society’s Pali–English Dictionary, p. 663.
backspug. Understandings of what this term refers to vary, but it could be musāragalva (Pali masāragalla), i.e., a green precious stone like a green cat’s eye, or it could refer to pukh as in pukhraj, i.e., yellow sapphire.
backTib. rgyal srid, literally “kingship” or “kingdom,” is an unexpected term here, not having been mentioned so far in the comparisons of merit. The term is sometimes found as a synonym of mtho ris, “the higher realms,” but we have chosen to interpret this term in line with the parallels to this part of the text in the Pali (as seen in the Vitthatūposathasutta, AN 8.42 and the texts that follow it, see #UT22084-072-033-183) where the comparison made is with the worth of kingship over the countries mentioned in the preceding passage, rather than (as in this text) with the merit of making of offerings with the precious substances contained in them.
backAs written, the total numbers of years calculated in human time do not always seem to reflect the longhand multiplication of the initial number of god years by thirty, twelve, and x years. Here, the text reads lo brgya phrag dgu stong, i.e., nine hundred thousand years. However, multiplying fifty (years) times thirty (days) times twelve (months) times five hundred (years) yields nine million years.
backlo bye ba phrag bcu bzhi dang / lo stong phrag bcu bzhi. Multiplying two hundred (years) times thirty (days) times twelve (months) times two thousand (years) yields one hundred and forty-four million years.
backlo bye ba phrag nyis stong sum brgya dang / lo brgya phrag stong bzhi bcu. Multiplying eight hundred (years) times thirty (days) times twelve (months) times eight thousand (years) yields two billion three hundred four million years.
backlo bye ba phrag dgu brgya nyi shu rtsa gcig dang / lo brgya phrag stong drug cu [=bcu]. The numbers in this passage are even more curious than they are in the previous passages, given that here the initial number of years in human time, stong phrag drug cu [=bcu], i.e., sixty thousand, departs from the pattern in which the initial numbers increase twofold at each juncture. Following the pattern, eight hundred years would become sixteen hundred years. Multiplying sixteen hundred (years) times thirty (days) times twelve (months) times sixteen thousand (years) yields nine billion two hundred sixteen million years.
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