Buddhist Texts Through the Ages
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Buddhist Texts Through the Ages
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Overview
Edward Conze was one of the most important Buddhist scholars of the twentieth century, producing numerous influential translations of his own. In Buddhist Texts Through the Ages, Conze presents one of the most comprehensive anthologies of Buddhist writing ever published. The evolution of Buddhist philosophy and theology is represented through a wealth of original texts, all newly translated for this volume.
Covering the breadth of Buddhist traditions, this volume incudes works translated from Pali, Sanskrit, Chinese, Tibetan, and Japanese. An ideal companion to Conze’s essential text, Buddhism, this edition also includes a glossary of English and foreign terms.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781497675834 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Philosophical Library/Open Road |
| Publication date: | 12/02/2014 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 324 |
| Sales rank: | 814,845 |
| File size: | 2 MB |
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Buddhist Texts Through the Ages
By Edward Conze
Philosophical Library
Copyright © 1956 Philosophical Library, Inc.All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4976-7583-4
CHAPTER 1
The Samgha
THE ORDER OF MONKS AND NUNS
1. 'Conversion' of Anathapindika and Gift of the Jeta Grove
The householder Anathapindika, who was the husband of a sister of a banker in Rajagaha, went there on some business at a time when the Order with the Buddha at its head had been invited for the morrow by the banker. And the banker enjoined his slaves and servants to get up early in the morning and cook conjeys, rice, curries and vegetables. So the householder Anathapindika thought to himself: "Formerly, when I used to arrive here this householder put aside all his duties and did nothing but exchange greetings with me, but now he seems excited and is enjoining his slaves and servants to get up early tomorrow and cook various things. Can it be that there is a wedding on foot, or has a great oblation been arranged, or is King Seniya Bimbisara of Magadha invited for the morrow with his troops?" And he asked the banker what was going forward.
"There is neither a wedding, householder, nor has King Seniya Bimbisara been invited with his troops. But a great oblation has been arranged by me: the Order has been invited for the morrow with the Buddha at its head."
"Householder, did you say Buddha?"
"Buddha I did say, householder."
"Householder, did you say Buddha?"
"Buddha I did say, householder."
"Householder, did you say Buddha?"
"Buddha I did say, householder."
"Even this sound, Buddha, Buddha is hard to come by in the world. Could I go and see this Lord, Arahant, perfect Buddha? "
"Not now, but tomorrow early."
So the householder Anathapindika lay down with mindfulness so much directed towards the Buddha that he got up three times during the night thinking it was daybreak. As he approached the gateway to the Cool Grove non-human beings opened it. But as he was going out from the town, light vanished, darkness appeared; and such fear, consternation, terror arose in him that he wanted to turn back from there. But the yakkha Sivaka, invisible, made this sound heard:
"A hundred elephants, horses or chariots with she-mules,
A hundred thousand maidens adorned with jewelled earrings—
These are not worth a sixteenth part of one length of stride.
Advance, householder; advance, householder.
Advance is better for you, not retreat."
Then the darkness vanished, light appeared so that Anathapindika's fear, consternation and terror subsided.
He then approached the Cool Grove and as the Lord was pacing up and down in the open air he saw him and, stepping down from the place where he had been pacing up and down, he addressed Anathapindika, saying: "Come, Sudatta." He thinking: "The Lord addressed me by name", inclined his head at the Lord's feet and said he hoped that the Lord was living at ease. The Lord answered:
"Yes, always at ease he lives, the Brahmin, attained to nirvana,
Who is not stained by lusts, cooled, without 'basis',
Having rent all clingings, having averted heart's care,
Tranquil he lives at ease, having won to peace of mind."
Then the Lord talked a talk on various things to the householder Anathapindika, that is to say talk on giving, on moral habit and on heaven; he explained the peril, the vanity, the depravity of pleasures of the senses, the advantage in renouncing them. When the Lord knew that the mind of the householder Anathapindika was ready, malleable, devoid of the hindrances, uplifted, pleased, then he explained to him that teaching on Dhamma which the Buddhas have themselves discovered: ill, uprising, stopping, the Way. And as a clean cloth without black specks will easily take dye, even so as he was sitting on that very seat, Dhamma-vision, dustless, stainless, arose to the householder Anathapindika, that "whatever is liable to origination all that is liable to stopping". Then, having seen Dhamma, attained Dhamma, known Dhamma, plunged into Dhamma, having crossed over doubt, put away uncertainty and attained without another's help to full confidence in the Teacher's instruction, Anathapindika spoke thus to the Lord:
"It is excellent, Lord. Even as one might set upright what has been upset, or uncover what was concealed, or show the way to one who is astray, or bring an oil lamp into the darkness thinking that those with vision might see forms, even so is Dhamma explained in many a figure by the Lord. I myself, Lord, am going to the Lord for refuge, to Dhamma and to the Order of monks. May the Lord accept me as a lay disciple going for refuge from this day forth for as long as my life lasts. And, Lord, may the Lord consent to a meal with me on the morrow together with the Order of monks." The Lord consented by becoming silent....
Then the householder Anathapindika, having concluded his business in Rajagaha, set out for Savatthi. On the way he enjoined people, saying: "Masters, build monasteries, prepare dwelling-places, furnish gifts; a Buddha has arisen in the world, and this Lord, invited by me, will come along this road." The people did so. And when the householder Anathapindika had arrived at Savatthi he looked all round it thinking:
"Now, where could the Lord stay that would be neither too far from a village nor too near, suitable for coming and going, accessible to people whenever they want, not crowded by day, having little noise at night, little sound, without folks' breath, secluded from people, fitting for meditation?"
Then the householder Anathapindika saw Prince Jeta's pleasure grove, neither too far from a village ... fitting for meditation, and he approached Prince Jeta and said: "Young master, give me the pleasure grove to make a monastery."
"The pleasure grove cannot be given away, householder, even for the price of a hundred thousand (coins
"The monastery has been bought, young master."
"The monastery has not been bought, householder." They asked the chief ministers of justice whether it had been bought or not, and they said: "When the price was fixed by you, young master, the monastery was bought." So the householder Anathapindika, having gold coins brought out in wagons, spread the Jeta Grove with the price of a hundred thousand. But the gold coins that were brought out the first time were not enough to cover a small open space near the porch. So the householder Anathapindika enjoined the people, saying: "Go back, good people, bring (more) gold coins; I will spread this open space (with them)."
Then Prince Jeta thought to himself: "Now, this can be no ordinary matter inasmuch as this householder bestows so many gold coins", and he spoke thus to Anathapindika:
"Please, householder, let me spread this open space; give it to me, it will be my gift."
Then the householder Anathapindika thinking: "This Prince Jeta is a distinguished, well-known man; surely the faith in this Dhamma and Discipline of well-known men like this is very efficacious", made over that open space to Prince Jeta. And Prince Jeta built a porch on that open space. The householder Anathapindika had dwelling-places made and cells, porches, attendance-halls, fire halls, huts for what is allowable, privies, places for pacing up and down in, wells, bathrooms, lotus ponds and sheds.
Vinaya-pitaka 154-59 (condensed)
2. 'Conversion' of General Siha and Meat-eating
The General Siha, a disciple of the Jains, was once sitting among some distinguished Licchavis who were speaking praise of the Buddha, Dhamma and the Order; and Siha conceived a strong aspiration to see the Lord. At last he went without asking the Jains' permission, and told the Lord various things he had heard of his teaching and asked whether such things were true or misrepresentations, for, "Indeed we, O Lord, do not wish to misrepresent the Lord." Gotama then told Siha the ways in which these assertions about his teachings would be true, for example that it is true he teaches the non-doing of wrong conduct in body, speech and thought, the detestation of it, the burning up of it, the doing of right conduct in these three ways, the averting of passion, hatred and confusion, the annihilation of them, the avoidance of recurrent becoming, and that he teaches a doctrine of confidence and in this trains disciples.
When he had spoken thus, General Siha spoke thus to the Lord: "It is excellent, Lord.... May the Lord accept me as a lay disciple going for refuge from this day forth for as long as life lasts."
"Now, Siha, make a proper investigation, for it is good that well-known men like you should do so."
"I am glad and satisfied that the Lord says this to me. If members of other sects had secured me as a disciple they would have paraded a banner all round Vesali announcing that I had become one of their disciples. But the Lord told me to make a proper investigation. So for a second time I, Lord, go to the Lord for refuge and to Dhamma and to the Order of monks. May the Lord accept me as a lay disciple going for refuge from this day forth for as long as life lasts."
"For a long time, Siha, your family has been a well-spring to the Jains. You will bethink to give alms to those who approach you?"
"I am glad and satisfied that the Lord says this to me. For I had heard that the recluse Gotama had said that gifts should be given to himself and his disciples only, not to others, and that only such gifts would be of great fruit, not gifts given to others. But now the Lord has urged me to give to the Jains too. Indeed, Lord, we shall know the right time for that. So for a third time I, Lord, go to the Lord for refuge and to Dhamma and the Order of monks. May the Lord accept me as a lay disciple going for refuge from this day forth for as long as life lasts."
Then the Lord talked on various things to General Siha. And when he had seen, attained, known Dhamma and plunged into it, had crossed over doubt, put away uncertainty, and had attained without another's help to full confidence in the Teacher's instruction, he invited the Lord to a meal with him on the morrow together with the Order of monks. And the Lord consented by becoming silent. So General Siha asked a man to go and find out if there was meat to hand and during the night had sumptuous solid and soft food prepared. In the morning he told Gotama that the meal was ready, and together with the Order of monks he went to Siha's dwelling and sat down on the appointed seat.
Now at that time many Jains, waving their arms, were moaning from carriage-road to carriage-road, from cross-road to cross-road in Vesali: "Today a fat beast, killed by General Siha, has been made into a meal for the recluse Gotama and he has made use of this meat, knowing that it was killed on purpose for him, that the deed was done for his sake." A certain man whispered these reports into General Siha's ear. "Enough," he replied. "For a long time now these venerable ones have been desiring dispraise of the Buddha, Dhamma and the Order. But, vain, bad, lying as they are, they do not harm this Lord because they are misrepresenting him with what is not fact. Why, even we, for the sake of our livelihood, would not intentionally deprive a living thing of life."
Then General Siha, having with his own hand served and satisfied the Order of monks with the Buddha at its head, sat down at a respectful distance after the Lord had eaten and had withdrawn his hand from the bowl. And when the Lord had roused, rejoiced, gladdened, delighted General Siha with talk on Dhamma, he departed. Having given reasoned talk on this occasion, he then addressed the monks, saying:
"Monks, one should not knowingly make use of meat killed on purpose for one. Whoever should make use of it, there is an offence of wrong-doing. I allow you, monks, fish and meat that are quite pure in these three respects: if they have not been seen, heard or suspected (to have been killed on purpose for a monk)."
Vinaya-pitaka I, 236-38
3. Ordination of Pajapati the Great
At one time the Buddha, the Lord, was staying among the Sakyans at Kapilavatthu in the Banyan monastery. Then the Gotamid, Pajapati the Great, approached and greeted the Lord and, standing at a respectful distance, spoke thus to him:
"Lord, it were well that women should obtain the going forth from home into homelessness in this Dhamma and Discipline proclaimed by the Tathagata."
"Be careful, Gotami, of the going forth of women from home into homelessness in this Dhamma and Discipline proclaimed by the Tathagata."
A second and a third time both uttered these words. And Pajapati, thinking that the Lord did not allow the going forth of women, afflicted, grieved, with tearful face and crying, greeted the Lord and departed keeping her right side towards him.
Then the Lord set out for Vesali. And Pajapati too, having had her hair cut off and having donned saffron robes, set out for Vesali with several Sakyan women. Arrived at the Gabled Hall, she stood outside the porch, her feet swollen, her limbs covered with dust, with tearful face and crying. The venerable Ananda saw her, and hearing from her the reason for her distress, told her to wait a moment while he asked the Lord for the going forth of women from home into homelessness. But the Lord answered him as he had answered Pajapati. So Ananda thought: "Suppose that I should now ask the Lord by some other method? " and he spoke thus to the Lord:
"Now, Lord, are women, having gone forth from home into homelessness in this Dhamma and Discipline proclaimed by the Tathagata, able to realize the fruits of stream-winning, of once-returning and of non-returning, and arahantship? "
"Yes, Ananda."
"If so, Lord—and, Lord, the Gotamid, Pajapati the Great, was of great service: she was the Lord's aunt, foster-mother, nurse, giver of milk, for when the Lord's mother passed away she suckled him—it were well, Lord, that women should obtain the going forth from home into homelessness."
"If, Ananda, the Gotamid, Pajapati the Great, accepts these eight important rules, that may be ordination for her:
"A nun who has been ordained even for a century must greet respectfully, rise up from her seat, salute with joined palms and do proper homage to a monk ordained but that very day.
"A nun must not spend the rains in a residence where there is no monk.
"Every half month a nun should require two things from the Order of monks: the date of the Observance day, and the coming for the exhortation.
"After the rains a nun must 'invite' before both Orders in respect of three matters: what has been seen, heard and suspected (to be an offence).
"A nun, offending against an important rule, must undergo manatta discipline for a fortnight before both Orders.
"When, as a probationer, she has trained in the six rules for two years, she should seek ordination from both Orders.
"A monk must not be abused or reviled in any way by a nun.
"From today admonition of monks by nuns is forbidden, admonition of nuns by monks is not forbidden.
"Each of these rules is to be honoured, respected, revered, venerated, and is never to be transgressed by a nun during her life. If, Ananda, Pajapati accepts these eight important rules, that shall be ordination for her."
When Ananda had told Pajapati this matter, she said:
"Even, Ananda, as a woman or a man when young, of tender years and fond of ornaments, having washed his head, having obtained a garland of lotus or jasmine flowers or of some sweet-scented creeper, should take it in both hands and place it on top of his head—even so do I, honoured Ananda, accept these eight important rules, never to be transgressed during my life."
Then Pajapati approached the Lord and asked him what line of conduct she should follow in regard to the Sakyan women. When the Lord had rejoiced and delighted her with talk on Dhamma, she departed; and the Lord said to the monks: "I allow, monks, nuns to be ordained by monks."
These nuns said to Pajapati: "The lady is not ordained, neither are we ordained, for it was laid down by the Lord that nuns should be ordained by monks." Pajapati told the venerable Ananda who told the Lord. He said:
"At the time, Ananda, when the eight important rules were accepted by Pajapati, that was her ordination."
Then Pajapati approached the Lord herself and, standing at a respectful distance, said to him:
"Lord, what line of conduct should we follow in regard to those rules of training for nuns which are in common with those for monks?"
"As the monks train themselves, so should you train yourselves in these rules of training."
"And what line of conduct should we follow in regard to those rules of training for nuns which are not in common with those for monks?"
"You should train yourselves in these rules of training according as they are laid down."
Vinaya-pitaka II, 253ff.
4. Visakha, the Laywoman Supporter
After Visakha, Migara's mother, had been roused, rejoiced, gladdened, delighted by the Lord with talk on Dhamma, she asked him to consent to accept a meal from her on the morrow together with the Order of monks. The Lord consented by becoming silent. Then towards the end of that night heavy rain poured over the four 'continents', and the Lord said to the monks: "Monks, even as it is raining in the Jeta Grove, so it is raining over the four continents. Let your bodies get wet with the rain, this is the last great cloud over the four continents.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Buddhist Texts Through the Ages by Edward Conze. Copyright © 1956 Philosophical Library, Inc.. Excerpted by permission of Philosophical Library.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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Table of Contents
Contents
Introduction,First Part - THE TEACHING OF THE ELDERS,
The Samgha,
The Dhamma,
THE BUDDHA AND TATHAGATA,
Second Part - THE MAHAYANA,
Basic Notions,
The New Wisdom School,
The Buddhism of Faith,
Yogacarins,
Third Part - THE TANTRAS,
The Tantras,
Fourth Part - TEXTS from CHINA AND JAPAN,
Introduction,
Texts Originating in India,
Texts Originating in China and Japan,
BIBLIOGRAPHY,
SOURCES,
GLOSSARY - of Technical Terms with their Sanskrit Equivalents,
Notes,