Toh 344 — The Sūtra of Jñānaka
Jñānakasūtra
Translated by the Subhashita Translation Group under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha
The Noble Sūtra of Jñānaka
An Exemplary Tale of the Buddha
F.287.a Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One was staying among the gods of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three for the benefit of his mother. He was seated in front of the Pāriyātra tree upon the Pāṇḍukambala rock. There was a god there experiencing the five ominous signs of death: his garlands had withered, his clothes had started to deteriorate, his body had started to smell, sweat dripped from his armpits, and he felt unhappy on his seat. This god foresaw his rebirth in the womb of a pig in Vaiśālī, causing him to be overcome with misery and cry out in woe. He beat his chest as he wept uncontrollably.
Another god approached him and asked, “Deva, is it death that you fear?”
“Indeed, fellow deva,” he responded, “it is death that I fear. Why? Well, fellow deva, I have eaten divine foods, imbibed divine drinks, and worn divine garments here among the gods of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. Thus, as I behold my rebirth in the womb of a pig in Vaiśālī, I see that I will eat excrement and be killed by a blade. These are the reasons, fellow deva, that I fear death.”
“Do not be afraid of death, my fellow deva! Why? Well, fellow deva, the Blessed One—the thus-gone, worthy, perfect Buddha—is residing here in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three for the benefit of his mother. He is seated in front of the Pāriyātra tree upon the Pāṇḍukambala rock. Deva, you should by all means pay homage to the Blessed One. He will come here to save you from the lower realms. Why? Fellow deva, the blessed Buddha has great compassion and never forsakes beings.” F.287.b
The god then rose from his seat, draped his upper robe over one shoulder, and knelt on his right knee. With his palms joined, he bowed in the direction of the Blessed One and repeated this entreaty three times:
“Homage to the blessed Thus-Gone One! Homage to the blessed Thus-Gone One! Out of love for me, may the Blessed One please come here and save me from the lower realms!”
Aware of the sincere intent of that god, the Blessed One went to him and sat upon a seat that had been prepared. After taking his seat, the Blessed One asked that god, “Deva, is it death that you fear?”
“Indeed, Blessed One,” the god responded, “I am afraid to die. Why? Because I foresaw my rebirth in the wretched womb of a pig in Vaiśālī. Once reborn there, I will eat excrement and be killed by a blade. That is why, Blessed One, I am afraid to die.”
The Blessed One said, “Deva, do not be afraid of death! Why? Well, deva, it is not the earth and water elements that transmigrate here and there, but rather your own actions. Come here, deva. Take refuge in the Buddha. Take refuge in the Dharma and in the Saṅgha.”
The god then rose from his seat and addressed the Blessed One: “Yes, Blessed One, I will. I take refuge in the Buddha! I take refuge in the Dharma and in the Saṅgha!”
The Blessed One responded to the god with the following stanza:
The Blessed One then delivered a discourse on the Dharma to the god and ensured that the god retained it. Having inspired the god and filled him with delight, the Blessed One rose from his seat and departed.
Not long thereafter, the god passed away. He was immediately reborn in the womb of a noble merchant’s wife in Vaiśālī. After nine months had come to pass, an adorable child with a charming appearance and the most exquisite complexion was born. The moment he was born he exclaimed, “Homage to the Buddha! Homage to the Dharma! Homage to the Saṅgha!”
At that moment, his parents thought, “This child knows of the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha. He possesses knowledge.”[1]
Once, when this child Jñānaka was around eight years old, he and a group of Licchavi youths, who were in his company, arrived at a crossroads in a park. At that time the Blessed One was staying at a mansion in the great grove of Vaiśālī. At dawn, the Blessed One donned his lower garment, dressed in his robes, picked up his alms bowl, and went to Vaiśālī on an alms round. The child Jñānaka caught sight of the Blessed One, who was handsome, and so forth, up until shining.[2] Filled with joy at seeing the Blessed One, he happily went before the Blessed One and bowed his head to his feet, circled him three times, and sat to one side. Seated to one side, the child Jñānaka spoke to the Blessed One in verse:
The Blessed One remained silent, signaling his acceptance of the child Jñānaka’s request. Aware that the Blessed One had accepted by not speaking, the child Jñānaka went before his parents and announced, “Dear father and mother, I offered alms to the Blessed One and have invited him tomorrow for a midday meal.”
The parents of the child Jñānaka were pleased and rejoiced, full of happiness and delight. Filled with joy and elation, they arranged a spread of delicious foods and tasty delicacies that very night. They had the entire city of Vaiśālī swept clean and strung with silk tassels. They lit incense in incense burners, sprinkled fragrant water, and elegantly scattered flowers. When the night had passed and the appropriate time had come, they went to the Blessed One and said, “Honorable One, Blessed One, it is time for the midday meal. The food is ready.”
At dawn, the Blessed One donned his lower garment, dressed in his robes, and picked up his alms bowl. Escorted and encircled by an assembly of monks, he went to the home of Jñānaka’s parents where they sat upon seats that had been prepared for them. Noticing that the Blessed One and the saṅgha of monks were seated, the child Jñānaka brought forth many delicious foods and tasty delicacies, offering them carefully with his own hands. Seeing that the Blessed One had finished his midday meal, he presented a set of cotton robes and a pair of sandals to each member of the saṅgha, and three new robes and a pair of new shoes to the Blessed One. F.289.a He scattered gold and silver flowers that, through the power of the Buddha, immediately transformed above the Blessed One’s head into a glistening, elegant mansion with four corners and four rooms. Within this mansion, the child Jñānaka beheld the figure of the Thus-Gone One sitting cross-legged and teaching the Dharma.
As he observed the Blessed One’s inconceivable form, miracles, and supernatural powers, the child Jñānaka was joyful, elated, and filled with happiness. He said to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, I dedicate my roots of virtue to unsurpassed and completely perfect awakening. May these roots of virtue lead me to awaken, teach the Dharma, and sustain the saṅgha just like the present Blessed One.”
Aware of the intent of the child Jñānaka, the Blessed One smiled,and so forth, up until the light dissolved into the crown of his head.[3] The venerable Ānanda saw this and thought to himself, “There is nothing that the Blessed One does without purpose,”and so forth, up until “What is the reason?”[4]
The Blessed One then addressed the venerable Ānanda with these verses:
After the Blessed One had spoken these words, the child Jñānaka, the monks, F.289.b and the world with its gods rejoiced and praised what the Blessed One had taught.
This completes “The Sūtra of Jñānaka: An Exemplary Tale of the Buddha.”Colophon
This was translated, edited, and finalized by the Indian preceptors Vidyākarasiṃha and Sarvajñādeva, and the chief editor-translator, the venerable monk Paltsek.
Notes
The text here descriptively uses the child’s name, jñānaka (Tib. shes dang lda pa), which means “he who possesses knowledge.”
backThis refers to a stock description of the Buddha's appearance that normally reads in full (with some variations across texts): “He was handsome and inspiring, and his senses were stilled. His mind was serene, his sense faculties were restrained, his mind was temperate, and he had attained the perfection of sublime tranquility. His sense faculties were isolated and withdrawn. He was as well trained as an elephant, and as lucid, limpid, and clear as a lake. His body was adorned with the thirty-two characteristics of a great being, and he was ornamented with the eighty fine marks. He had the body of a thus-gone one, bedecked like the king of sal trees. Like the sun, he emitted a profusion of light rays everywhere. He was like a conflagration raging atop a mountain peak in the middle of a dark night, and brilliant and shining like a golden mountain.” (See Destroyer of the Great Trichiliocosm, Toh 558, 1.240.)
backThis refers to a stock phrase that normally reads in full (with some minor variations across texts): “The Blessed One then smiled, and as happens whenever the blessed ones smile, at that moment light of myriad colors—blue, yellow, red, white, crimson, crystalline, and silver—emerged from his mouth. The light illuminated boundless, limitless realms and reached all the way up to the world of Brahmā. It even eclipsed the magnificence of the sun and moon. Then the light rays returned, circled around the Blessed One three times, and dissolved into the crown of his head.” (See The Questions of Brahmadatta, Toh 159, 1.145.)
backAgain, this refers to a stock phrase in which the venerable Ānanda (or others in the Buddha’s retinue) inquire as to the reason why the Buddha smiles. Usually the question is articulated to the Buddha, rather than here where Ānanda merely wonders in his thoughts. Although there are all sorts of variant versions that differ in length and content, the following example is typical of shorter versions: “At this point, Venerable Ānanda arose from his seat and, placing his robe over one shoulder, knelt on his right knee. With palms pressed together in the direction of the Blessed One, he spoke the following words to the Blessed One: ‘Blessed One, since the thus-gone, worthy, completely awakened buddhas do not smile without a cause, without a reason, what is the cause for your smile? What is the reason?’.” (See The Questions of the Householder Vīradatta, Toh 72, 1.94.)
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