have anyone come across a sutta that Buddha told His disciple(s)
that even if they practice near the Buddha, and do not practice
well, they are in truth further from the Budhha, and that if those
who can practice Well, even if they are away from the Buddha, they
are in truth more nearer to the Buddha?
Beneath the sala trees at Kusinagara, in his last words to his
disciples, the Buddha said: Make of yourself a light. Rely upon
yourself: do not depend upon anyone else. Make my teachings your
light. Rely upon them: do not depend upon any other teaching.
Consider your body: Think of its impurity. Knowing that both its
pain and its delight are alike causes of suffering, how can you
indulge in its desires? Consider your 'self'; think of its
transiency; how can you fall into delusion about it and cherish
pride and selfishness, knowing that they must all end in inevitable
suffering? Consider all substances; can you find among them any
enduring 'self'? Are they not all aggregates that sooner or later
will break apart and be scattered? Do not be confused by the
universality of suffering, but follow my teaching, even after my
death, and you will be rid of pain. Do this and you will indeed be
my disciples.
My disciples, the teachings that I have given you are never to
be forgotten or abandoned. They are always to be treasured, they
are to be thought about, they are to be practiced. If you follow
these teachings you will always be happy.
The point of the teachings is to control your own mind. Keep
your mind from greed, and you will keep your behavior right, your
mind pure and your words faithful. By always thinking about the
transience of your life, you will be able to resist green and
anger, and will be able to avoid all evils.
If you find your mind tempted and so entangled in greed, you
must suppress and control the temptation; be the master of your own
mind.
A man's mind may make him a Buddha, or it may make him a beast.
Misled by error, one becomes a demon; enlightened, one becomes a
Buddha. Therefore, control your mind and do not let it deviate from
the right path.
You should respect each other, follow my teachings, and refrain
from disputes; you should not, like water and oil, repel each
other, but should, like milk and water, mingle together.
Study together, learn together, practice my teachings together.
Do not waste your mind and time in idleness and quarreling. Enjoy
the blossoms of Enlightenment in their season and harvest the fruit
of the right path.
The teachings which I have given you, I gained by following the
path myself. You should follow these teachings and conform to their
spirit on every occasion.
If you neglect them, it means
that you have never really met me. It means that you are far from
me, even if you are actually with me; but if you accept and
practice my teachings, then you are very near to me, even though
you are far away.
My disciples, my end is approaching, our parting is near, but do
not lament. Life is ever changing; none can escape the dissolution
of the body. This I am now to show by my own death, my body falling
apart like a dilapidated cart.
Do not vainly lament, but realize that nothing is permanent and
learn from it the emptiness of human life. Do not cherish the
unworthy desire that the changeable might become unchanging.
The demon of worldly desires is always seeking chances to
deceiver the mind. If a viper lives in your room and you wish to
have a peaceful sleep, you must first chase it out.
You must break the bonds of worldly passions and drive them away
as you would a viper. You must positively protect your own
mind.
My disciples, my last moment has come, but do not forget that
death is only the end of the physical body. The body was born from
parents and was nourished by food; just as inevitable are sickness
and death.
But the true Buddha is not a human body: -- it is Enlightenment.
A human body must die, but the Wisdom of Enlightenment will exist
forever in the truth of the Dharma, and in the practice of the
Dharma. He who sees merely my body does not truly see me. Only he
who accepts my teaching truly sees me.
After my death, the Dharma shall be your teacher. Follow the
Dharma and you will be true to me.
During the last forty-five years of my life, I have withheld
nothing from my teachings. There is no secret teaching, no hidden
meaning; everything has been taught openly and clearly. My dear
disciples, this is the end.
In a moment, I shall be passing into Nirvana. This is my
instruction.
