The Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra
The Questions of an Old Lady
[F.310.b] Homage to all buddhas and bodhisattvas.
Thus did I hear at one time. When the Bhagavān was travelling in
the land of Vṛji,1 he went to the great city of Vaiśalī, together
with a large saṅgha of one thousand two hundred and fifty bhikṣus
and a vast number of bodhisattva mahāsattvas. At that time, he came
across an old woman from the city gathering grass in the
countryside. She was decrepit and had reached the end of her
life-span, being one hundred and twenty years old.
The woman saw the Bhagavān coming from afar—handsome, inspiring,
with senses tamed, mind tamed, endowed with supreme discipline and
serenity, guarded, faultless, senses controlled, pure and clear
like the sea, unclouded, rising up like a golden stūpa, radiant
with splendor clear and distinct, wonderfully adorned with the
thirty-two signs of a great being. When she saw him, faith grew in
her mind. Then, full of devotion, she approached [F.311.a] the
Bhagavān, bowed her head at his feet, circumambulated the Bhagavān
three times, and sat to one side. The woman, bowing with folded
hands in the direction of the Bhagavān, asked him thus:
“O Bhagavān, where does birth come from? Where does ageing come
from? Where do they go? O Bhagavān, where does sickness come from?
Where does death come from? Where do they go? O Bhagavān, where
does form come from? Where do sensation, notions, formative factors
and consciousness come from? Where do they go? O Bhagavān, where
does the earth element come from? Where do the water element, the
fire element, the wind element, the space element and the element
of consciousness come from? Where do they go? O Bhagavān, where
does the eye come from? Where do the ear, the nose, the tongue, the
body and the mind come from? Where do they go?”
The Bhagavān said, “Sister, birth does not come from anywhere.
Ageing does not come from anywhere. They do not go anywhere.
Sister, sickness does not come from anywhere. Death does not come
from anywhere. They do not go anywhere. Sister, form does not come
from anywhere. Sensation, notions, formative factors and
consciousness do not come from anywhere. They do not go anywhere.
Sister, the earth element does not come from anywhere. The water
element, the fire element, the wind element, the space element and
the element of consciousness do not come from anywhere. They do not
go anywhere. Sister, the eye does not come from anywhere. The ear,
the nose, the tongue, the body and the mind do not come from
anywhere. They do not go anywhere.
“Sister, it is as follows: for example, a fire arises based on a
stick to rub with, a stick to rub on, and also a person’s effort to
generate it. That fire, moreover, after it has burnt the grass and
wood, will have no more causes and will die. Sister, where do you
think the fire comes from and where does it go?”
She answered, “O Bhagavān, that fire comes into being owing to
the power of a collection of causes. It ceases and dies when it
lacks the collection of causes.”
The Bhagavān said, “Sister, likewise, all phenomena [F.311.b]
come into being owing to the power of a collection. They cease and
die when they lack the collection. Whatever the phenomena, they do
not come from anywhere, nor do they go anywhere. Sister, it is
thus: Although the eye consciousness arises based upon the eye and
form, the eye consciousness does not have a producer, nor anything
that makes it cease. Nowhere is it brought together at all. The
aggregates do not come from anywhere, nor do they go anywhere. When
one has accumulated karma through the conditions of the
consciousnesses, the fruits manifest as the three types of results2
in the three realms.3 That fruit is empty too. It has no coming. It
has no going. No one makes it arise. It is not stopped by anybody.
Sister, all phenomena have stopped due to their very natures.
“Likewise, although the mental consciousness4 arises based upon
the ear and sound, the nose and smell, the tongue and taste, the
body and touch, and the mind and phenomena, the mental
consciousness does not have a producer nor has it anything that
makes it cease. Nowhere is it brought together at all.5 The
aggregates do not come from anywhere, nor do they go anywhere
either. When one has accumulated karma through the condition of
mental consciousness, the fruits manifest as the three types of
results in the three realms. That fruit is empty too. It has no
coming. It has no going. No one makes it arise. It is not stopped
by anybody. Sister, all phenomena have stopped due to their very
natures.
“Sister, it is as follows: for example, the sound of a drum
arises based on wood, hide and a stick, and also on a person’s
effort to make it arise. The past sound of that drum was empty, the
future sound will be empty and the sound that arises at present is
empty. The sound does not dwell in the wood, neither does it dwell
in the hide, nor does it dwell in the stick, nor does it dwell in
the person’s hand. However, because of these conditions, it is
termed ‘sound.’ That which is termed ‘sound’ is also empty. It has
no coming. It has no going. No one makes it arise. It is not
stopped by anybody. Sister, all phenomena have stopped due to their
very natures.
“Sister, all phenomena, in the same way, depend solely on
conditions. It is so for ignorance, craving, karma and
consciousness; when these phenomena are present, the terms ‘death’
and ‘birth’ are applied, but [F.312.a] what is designated ‘death’
and what is designated ‘birth’ are also empty. They have no coming.
They have no going. No one makes them arise. They are not stopped
by anybody. Sister, all phenomena have stopped due to their very
natures.
“Sister, in this way, one who understands the nature of a drum’s
sound also understands emptiness. One who understands emptiness,
understands nirvāṇa. One who understands nirvāṇa, though he
designates conventional things with all sorts of terms, has no
attachment to any entity. ‘This is mine,’ ‘that is me,’ ‘sentient
being,’ or ‘life force,’ ‘living being,’ ‘man,’ ‘person,’ ‘born of
Manu,’ ‘son of Manu,’6 ‘agent,’ ‘inciter of action,’
‘appropriator,’ or ‘discarder’—he teaches Dharma without attachment
to these. He teaches Dharma well. He teaches the final reality. He
teaches the final reality well.
“Sister, it is as follows: an artist, or an artist’s apprentice,
spreads various paints on a canvas that has been thoroughly
cleaned, or on a flat piece of wood, or on the surface of a wall
that has been wiped clean. He paints with ease whatever bodily
shape he might wish, such as the features of a man’s physical form,
the features of a woman’s physical form, the features of an
elephant’s physical form, the features of a horse’s physical form,
or the features of a donkey’s physical form, complete with all
their limbs, appendages, and sense organs. However well it is
executed, no phenomenon at all is transferred in such a case from
the artist’s hand or mind to the physical form. However, we
designate this a ‘form’ because of those conditions. That which is
designated a ‘form’ is also empty. It has no coming. It has no
going. No one makes it arise. It is not stopped by anybody. Sister,
all phenomena have stopped due to their very natures.
“Sister, it is likewise when there are meritorious formative
factors.7 That is to say, although meritorious bodies will result
amongst gods and humans, in that case not even an atom is
transferred from this world to the world beyond. However, due to
the formative factors [F.312.b], there are various kinds of
rebirths. They are understood to be physical bodies with bases for
cognition.8
“It is likewise when there are demeritorious formative factors.
That is to say, although bodies that are not meritorious result
amongst hell beings, or in the animal state, or in the world of the
Lord of Death, or among the demigods,9 not even an atom is
transferred in such a case from this world to the world beyond.
However, due to the formative factors there are various kinds of
rebirths. They are understood to be physical forms with bases for
cognition.
“Sister, it is as follows: for example, a vast gathering of
clouds arises because of the nāga-power of the nāgas,10 and when
those huge nets of clouds cover the earth, they let fall a heavy
deluge of rain. After the heavy deluge of rain has fallen, the
hills and the valleys are quenched. When the hills and valleys are
quenched, the rain later subsides. But these things do not
originate from the nāgas’ bodies or minds. The nāgas produce the
vast gathering of clouds, rather, by virtue of the nāga-powers of
nāgas alone.
“Sister, it is likewise when there are meritorious formative
factors, that is to say, when meritorious bodies result amongst
gods or humans. It is likewise, too, when there are demeritorious
formative factors. That is to say, although bodies that are not
meritorious result amongst hells beings or in the animal state or
the world of the Lord of Death or among the demigods, in such cases
the activity of the formative factor is empty, the agent of the
formative factor is empty and the fruits of the formative factor
are also empty. Sister, when there are formative factors for
remaining static, consciousness will reincarnate amongst the beings
of the formless realms. That on account of which the consciousness
reincarnates amongst beings of the formless realms is empty, and
the consciousness which reincarnates amongst the beings of the
formless realms is empty too. Why is this so? Sister, it is because
all phenomena are empty of essence. Even so phenomena are
designated. The learned are not attached to them. As they have no
attachment they do not dispute. Having no disputes is the supreme
quality of the religious mendicant.”
The woman said, [F.313.a] “Since the Bhagavān has taught the
profound Dharma in this way, O Bhagavān, I, too, have penetrated
these teachings with the eye of wisdom and will never be of two
minds about them again. I have no doubts. O Bhagavān, earlier, as I
hadn’t yet heard these teachings I did have doubts. Now I am old, I
am decrepit, I suffer, I am poor, I have no protector, I have no
life, and yet I do not die. O Bhagavān, after hearing these
teachings I realize that there is no ageing, no poverty, no
happiness, no sickness, nor is anyone ever ill, wealthy, or poor at
all. I am freed from the notion of a self.”
Then the Venerable Ānanda inquired of the Bhagavān, “Bhagavān,
why have you taught such a profound Dharma discourse as this? I
wonder whether it is because this woman, who has investigated so
well in this way, is meritorious, learned and naturally wise.”
The Bhagavān replied, “Ānanda, so it is. Ānanda, it is indeed
just as you say. This woman is meritorious,
learned and naturally wise. Ānanda, this woman was my mother for
five hundred lifetimes. Ānanda, in each of those lifetimes I also
generated the roots of virtue so that she could attain
unsurpassable and perfectly complete enlightenment. Ānanda, I
cherished, revered and respected this woman greatly. She also
thought, ‘I will engage in whatever conduct my son engages in and
attain the unsurpassable and perfectly complete enlightenment of
the vehicle of happiness.”
Ānanda inquired, “Bhagavān, why is she poor in this way?”
The Bhagavān answered, “Ānanda, when I took up the conduct of a
bodhisattva, I became a renunciate in the doctrine of the bhagavān,
the tathāgata, arhat, perfectly complete buddha Krakucchanda.11 At
that time, Ānanda, this woman was my mother. Because of her
attachment she did not want to let me go, so I stopped eating my
one meal per day. Later, she agreed to let me go. Ānanda, because
of the ripening [F.313.b] of that karma she is as poor as she is.
Ānanda, this is the last time she will be poor. Ānanda, after
death, this woman, who no longer craves a woman’s faculties, will
obtain a man’s faculties in the Sukhāvatī buddha field of the
bhagavān, the perfectly complete buddha Amitābha. Once born there,
she will make offerings to an innumerable, immeasurable,
inconceivable number of buddhas; guide an innumerable,
immeasurable, inconceivable number of sentient beings to
enlightenment; make an innumerable, immeasurable, inconceivable
number of sentient beings ripe for enlightenment; bring an
innumerable, immeasurable, inconceivable number of sentient beings
to enlightenment, and having brought an innumerable, immeasurable,
inconceivable number of sentient beings to enlightenment, in
sixty-eight hundred thousand kalpas she will become the tathāgata,
arhat, perfectly complete buddha named Bodhyaṅgapuṣpakara,12 in the
‘three thousand great thousand world systems.’13 Ānanda, the wealth
and enjoyments of sentient beings of this buddha field will be like
those of the gods of the Thirty-Three.”14 The Bhagavān spoke
thus.
The Sugata having spoken thus, he, the Teacher, also uttered the
following:
“Ānanda, behold this old lady,
Before me with palms joined,
Who will become a buddha, excellent among humans,
Named Bodhyaṅgapuṣpakara.
She, giving up a woman’s form,
Will go to the realm of Sukhāvatī.
Venerate the victor Amitāyus,
And become a peerless buddha, conqueror of the three realms.
Again venerating the guides dwelling in other realms,
The great sages15 who benefit those realms,
She will become a peerless buddha, excellent among humans.
Having also heard the Dharma from them all,
With a purified mind, she will become accomplished in the same
fashion. [F.314.a]
Remaining in the immovable, supreme mind of
enlightenment,
She will cause countless sentient beings to practice the
Dharma.
At that time there will be no inferior beings,
No beings with various bad bodies or bad color,
None dull, lame, and likewise none blind,
And no lepers with stumps for arms.
At that time the radiance of the sun, the moon,Fire, lightning
and gems will not appear,
For the power of the light of the guide Bodhyaṅgapuṣpakara
Will illuminate and spread everywhere.
At that time that exceptional buddha field
Will be filled with types of beings
Who have the same, height, breadth, signs and color
Of the supreme gods of the Thirty-Three.
There will be no women belonging to Māra’s faction.
No female māras, no retinue of Māra .
When the Tathāgata teaches the Dharma there,
Not even the word tīrthika will be known.
When the Tathāgata teaches the Dharma there,
Not even the words ‘lower realms,’
‘Preta,’ ‘animal birth,’ ‘beings of hell,’
Not even the word ‘woman’ will be heard.
At that time, there will be no classifications of vehicles,
Like the vehicles of the śrāvakas and the pratyekabuddhas in
this world.
All will be endowed with a complete mind of
enlightenment,
Dwell in loving-kindness and be compassionate.
In this buddha field, as all beings
Are always born miraculously,
They will be completely freed from birth in the womb,
Will remember past lives,
Be supremely intelligent and learned,
And able to grasp upon hearing what is well taught.
The configuration of that realm and its qualities,
Though we might have spoken of it for eons here,
Could not be expressed even as a mere illustration,
Like a drop of water from an ocean.
The Bhagavān having said this, the venerable Ānanda and the old
lady, those bodhisattvas and those monks, and the world with its
gods, humans, demigods and gandharvas16 rejoiced. They highly
praised what had been proclaimed by the Bhagavān.
This completes the Noble Mahāyāna Sūtra “The Questions of an Old
Lady.”