SA 498（四九八） 那罗犍陀

Thus have I heard:

At one time the Buddha was staying at the mango grove of the cloth-seller Naradatta.

At that time, Śāriputra went to where the World-Honored One was, bowed his head at the Buddha's feet, and sat to one side. He said to the Buddha, "World-Honored One! I deeply believe that the wisdom of all śramaṇas, brāhmaṇas, and others in the past, future, and present is not equal to the World-Honored One's bodhi, let alone surpassing it."

The Buddha told Śāriputra, "Excellent! Excellent! Śāriputra, excellent indeed! Your words are the foremost, able to roar like a lion in the assembly. You say that you deeply believe in the World-Honored One, and that the wisdom of all śramaṇas, brāhmaṇas, and others in the past, future, and present is not equal to the Buddha's bodhi, let alone surpassing it." The Buddha asked Śāriputra, "Can you truly know the superior precepts of the past Tathāgatas?"

Śāriputra said to the Buddha, "I do not know."

The World-Honored One further asked, "Śāriputra! Do you know such dharmas, such wisdom, such illumination, such liberation, such abiding?"

Śāriputra said to the Buddha, "I do not know, World-Honored One!"

The Buddha said to Śāriputra, "Do you also know the supreme precepts of the future Tathāgatas, such dharmas, such wisdom, such illumination, such liberation, such abiding?"

Śāriputra said to the Buddha, "I do not know, World-Honored One!"

The Buddha said to Śāriputra, "Do you also know the supreme precepts of the present Buddhas, such dharmas, such wisdom, such illumination, such liberation, such abiding?"

Śāriputra said to the Buddha, "I do not know, World-Honored One!"

The Buddha said to Śāriputra, "If you do not know the dharmas in the minds of the past, future, and present Buddhas, how can you praise them like this and roar like a lion in the great assembly, saying, 'I deeply believe that the wisdom of the past and future śramaṇas and brāhmaṇas is equal to the Buddha's enlightenment, let alone surpassing it'?"

Śāriputra said to the Buddha, "World-Honored One! I cannot know the extent of the minds of the past, future, and present Buddhas, but I can know the extent of the Buddhas' Dharma. I hear the World-Honored One's teachings, which become deeper and deeper, more and more excellent, more and more superior, more and more wonderful. I hear the World-Honored One's teachings, knowing that one dharma is cut off, one dharma is realized, one dharma is cultivated, and one ultimately attains the Dharma. I have pure faith in the Great Teacher and my mind is purified.

"The World-Honored One is the Perfectly Enlightened One. World-Honored One! It is like a king's border city, square and straight, solid and firm, with only one gate, no second gate, and a gatekeeper. The people entering and leaving all go through this gate, whether entering or leaving. Although the gatekeeper may not know the number of people, he knows that the people only go through this gate and there is no other way. In this way, I know that the past Buddhas, Tathāgatas, Arhats, Perfectly Enlightened Ones all cut off the five hindrances that afflict the mind, weaken the power of wisdom, cause one to fall into the category of obstacles, and not head towards nirvāṇa. They abide in the four establishments of mindfulness, cultivate the seven factors of awakening, and attain unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment. Those future Buddha-World-Honored Ones will also cut off the five hindrances that afflict the mind, weaken the power of wisdom, cause one to fall into the category of obstacles, and not head towards nirvāṇa. They abide in the four establishments of mindfulness, cultivate the seven factors of awakening, and attain unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment. The present Buddhas, Tathāgatas, Arhats, Perfectly Enlightened Ones also cut off the five hindrances that afflict the mind, weaken the power of wisdom, cause one to fall into the category of obstacles, and not head towards nirvāṇa. They abide in the four establishments of mindfulness, cultivate the seven factors of awakening, and attain unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment."

The Buddha told Śāriputra, "So it is, so it is! Śāriputra! The past, future, and present Buddhas all cut off the five hindrances that afflict the mind, weaken the power of wisdom, cause one to fall into the category of obstacles, and not head towards nirvāṇa. They abide in the four establishments of mindfulness, cultivate the seven factors of awakening, and attain unsurpassed, perfect enlightenment."

Having spoken this sūtra, the Venerable Śāriputra, having heard the Buddha's words, rejoiced and upheld them.