The 42 Chapters Sutra
The following is my translation of the 42 Chapters Sutra from the Taisho Tripitaka text 784, volume 17, lines 722a-724a. This was allegedly the very first sutra translated into Chinese by a monk named Kashyapa Matanga in the time of the Emperor Ming of the Han dynasty in the middle of the first century of the common era. There are, however, many versions of this sutra. The sutra doesn’t follow the format of most sutras. It does not, for instance, begin with Ananda saying, “Thus have I heard.” It would appear to be an anthology of excerpts from other discourses. Some scholars have claimed that it is a Chinese creation and dated it as late as the fifth century. Others have argued that there is evidence that some version of it existed at least by the 2nd century. In any case, it is a work that covers basic Buddhist principles without going into a lot of detail. It also confines itself to Hinayana teachings (or at least the version below does). This particular sutra was recommended by the founder of Won Buddhism, Pak Chung-bin (1891-1943; aka the Great Master Sot’aesan) for those beginning their study and practice of Buddhism as it does serve as a good introduction to those teachings foundational to all schools of Buddhism. Most of the chapters that make up the 42 Chapters Sutra are very straightforward. Strangely for a work supposedly introducing Buddhism to China it only makes a passing reference to the four noble truths and the eightfold path. Those who would like such an explanation can find it in my article “The Deer Park Sermon” that provides the Buddha’s first discourse in the Deer Park at Varanasi in which he expounded the Middle Way, the four noble truths, and the eightfold path. The 42 Chapters Sutra also refers to the four classes of Hinayana saints known as stream-enterers, once-returners, non-returners, and arhats and also to the ten courses of wholesome or unwholesome conduct. These topics are explained in my article “Following the Path: the Fourth Noble Truth.” I cannot emphasize enough that even if one is following a more “advanced” or “higher” teaching, it does not mean that these teachings are negligible or can be ignored. Rather, the higher teachings assume that one has matured to the point where one naturally makes wholesome causes and refrains from unwholesome ones. At the very least, practicing a more advanced Mahayana teaching should cause one to awaken the innate wisdom to discern what is wholesome and what is unwholesome and empower one to follow the former and avoid the latter. If this is not the case, and one is still blindly making bad causes and suffering the consequences, then one is not really following that higher teaching correctly. In such a case, reading this sutras can serve as a kind of reality check. Also, this sutra seems to be directed to monks or to be encouraging the listener to become a monk or a shramana (a Sanskrit word that literally means “striver” and refers to a wandering religious mendicant). I think, however, that despite the narrow audience that the sutra seems to have in mind there are teachings in here that anyone can benefit from. At the very least I would agree that we would all be happier if we overcame greed, anger, and ignorance as the sutra exhorts us to do. Now here is the sutra:
The 42 Chapters Sutra
1. The Buddha said, “Those who leave their home and relations to practice the Way, know their hearts, apprehend the essential, and realize the liberation of the unconditioned Dharma are called shramanas. They follow the 250 precepts in order to accomplish the four [noble] truths [of suffering, the origin of suffering, the end of suffering, and the way to end suffering] and the [eightfold] path [of right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration], thereby advancing in purity to become arhats.
2. The Buddha said, “The shramanas who have left home to cut off desire, remove craving, realize the basis of their own minds, and apprehend the Buddha’s deep principles are awakened to the unconditioned Dharma. Inside there is nothing to attain. Outside there is nothing to seek. Their minds are not attached to the Way but neither are they bound by karma. They are without intention, without efforts, without cultivation, without attainment, they do not calculate their standing and yet they are venerated as superior. This is called the practice of the Way.
3. The Buddha said, “Those who shave off their hair and beards and take up the practice of the Shramana Gate will receive the Way of the Dharma which removes worldly wealth. They beg to obtain only enough for their needs, eat only one meal before noon, and sleep beneath the trees for their lodging. They are careful never to stay in one place more than once! The cause of foolishness and the darkening of the mind is none other than craving and desire!
4. The Buddha said, “Sentient beings, there are ten actions which are wholesome; and there are ten actions which are unwholesome. What are these [two sets of] ten actions? There are three of the body, four of the mouth, and three of the mind [in each group of ten]. The three [unwholesome actions committed] by the body are killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct; the four [unwholesome actions committed] by the mouth are duplicity, abuse, lying, and flattery; and the three [unwholesome actions committed] by the mind are [giving in to] greed, anger, and ignorance. These are the ten actions which do not accord with the Sacred Way. They are called the ten unwholesome actions. If one were to put a stop to each of these unwholesome actions, that would be called the performance of the ten wholesome actions.
5. The Buddha said, “People commit all manner of transgressions and yet have no self-reproach. Their minds are dull and unmoving. The retribution for their crimes returns to their own bodies, like [streams of] water returning to the ocean gradually becoming deeper and wider! Those who have committed evil and acknowledge their blame, resolving to reform their evil ways and doing good will find that their guilt melts away that very day. They will soon be able to attain the Way!
6. The Buddha said, “A foolish person once slandered me. I regarded him with the four types of loving-kindness for the protection and relief [of all sentient beings]. In return for the weighty evil that he gave to me, I gave a weighty good in return. The merit of this spirit [of loving-kindness] constantly abides here [with me]! But the injurious spirit [of his malice will become] a heavy misfortune that will turn back from me and return to him.
7. There was a foolish person who heard about the Buddha Way and observed the great benevolent loving-kindness [of the Buddha]. Consequently, he came to curse the Buddha. The Buddha remained still and silent and did not reply. Pity this ignorant, confused, mad, and foolish heckler [who was not able to disturb the Buddha]. Finally, his cursing stopped. The Buddha asked him, “Sir, if someone were to send a person a present and that person did not receive it, then who would it go to?” The man said, “It would return to the sender to keep.” The Buddha said, “Now, sir, the cursing that you sent to me I also do not accept. Sir, it returns for you to keep. Sir, the misfortune will only come to yourself! It is just like an echo that must return to its source or a shadow that always follows the body which casts it. In the end, one can not avoid it or get away from it. So act with care and do not do what is unwholesome.”
8. The Buddha said, “A bad person’s attempts to injure the wise and virtuous is like looking up to heaven and spitting in order to defile heaven. The spittle will only fall back to defile oneself. Or it is like raising up dust against the wind. The dust will not defile anyone else but will come back to oneself. The wise and virtuous will not be harmed and transgressions will invariably destroy oneself!
9. “The Buddha said, “Listen closely with love for the Way because the Way is invariably difficult to meet. Guard your determination to observe the Way because the Way is very great.”
10. The Buddha said, “The sage who practices the Way regards it as extremely important to encourage virtuous conduct. They regard nothing greater than generosity for protecting the determination to observe the Way. Their merit is extremely great. Someone who observes a person who generously supports the Way and gladly assists them will also attain meritorious recompense. Someone asked, “Wouldn’t their merit be unequal and perhaps decreased [if it is shared]?” The Buddha answered, “It is like a torch. Even if 100,000 people obtain fire from that one torch, the fire of that torch is not diminished. Merit is also like this.”
11. “The Buddha said, “Providing provisions to one hundred ordinary people can’t be compared to providing provisions to one good person. Providing provisions to one-thousand good people can’t be compared to providing provisions to one person who upholds the five precepts. Providing provisions to ten-thousand people who uphold the five precepts can’t be compared to providing provisions to one stream-enterer. Providing provisions to one-million stream-enterers can not be compared to providing provisions to one once-returner. Providing provisions to ten-million once-returners can not be compared to providing provisions to one non-returner. Providing provisions to one-hundred-million non-returners can not be compared to providing provisions to one arhat. Providing provisions to one-billion arhats can not be compared to providing provisions to one pratyekabuddha. Providing provisions to ten-billion pratyekabuddhas can not be compared with providing provisions to one buddha. Providing provisions to one-hundred-billion buddhas can not be compared to being without thought, without craving, without cultivation, and without attainment.
12. The Buddha said, “Below heaven there are twenty difficulties:
To be poverty stricken and unable to be generous is difficult.
To be honored for one’s martial prowess and still study the Way is difficult.
To determine the time of one’s inevitable death is difficult.
To be able to encounter the Buddhist sutras is difficult.
To be born at a time when one can meet the Buddha is difficult.
To forebear against lust and passion is difficult.
To not seek out things which one is addicted to is difficult.
To suffer disgrace and not become angry is difficult.
To have power and not lose it is difficult.
To touch things and remain unmoved in one’s heart is difficult.
To study widely and extensively investigate all things is difficult.
To remove and extinguish egoism is difficult.
To not treat lightly what one has not yet studied is difficult.
To remain even-minded is difficult.
To not speak about the wrongs of others is difficult.
To meet and recognize the virtuous is difficult.
To see one’s nature and study the Way is difficult.
To adjust to changes when governing people is difficult.
To confront all manner of circumstances and remain unmoved is difficult.
To acheive the ultimate good of liberation through skillful means is difficult.
13. There was a shramana who asked the Buddha, “What are the conditions for attaining the Way and what can one do to know one’s past lives?” The Buddha replied, “The Way is formless, so the most important treasure is to maintain your dedication and purify the mind. It is like rubbing a mirror to remove the dirt and reveal its brightness. Accordingly, you can see the true Way and know your past lives!”
14. The Buddha said, “What is the best? To guard the truth and follow the Way is the best. What is the greatest? To conform to the Way is to be united with the greatest. What is strongest? To endure disgrace is strongest. What is brightest? To remove the mind’s dirt and extinguish all bad actions. Both within and without all is pure and flawless. When from the time before heaven and earth up until the present day in all the ten directions there is nothing that you do not know, nothing you do not see, and nothing you have not heard, and you have attained all wisdom – that may be spoken of as bright!
15. The Buddha said, “What do I think about? I think about the Way. How do I act? I act in accord with the Way. What do I talk about? I talk about the Way. I am always thinking about transmitting is the Way, not forgetting it even for a moment!”
16. The Buddha said, “A person [given up to] longing, craving, and passion can not see the Way. It is like turbid water into which the five colors [blue, yellow, red, black, and white] have been stirred. When people look down into the water they are not able to see their reflection. When craving and passion are mingled together with wrong views in the mind it becomes just as turbid and for this reason it can not see the Way. It is like setting a cauldron over a fierce fire. The water swiftly comes to a boil and it bubbles over. When sentient beings look into it for a reflection they are unable to see anything. Within the heart there are originally the three poisons [of greed, anger, and ignorance]. They boil up from within while outside the five hinderances [of sensual desire, ill-will, restlessness, drowsiness, and doubt] create obscurations and in the end one can not see the Way. Suppose a person comes close to knowing and perceiving the full extent of the unwholesomeness and impurity in the heart and know their own spirit which from the beginning has inclined towards birth and death. Then all the Buddha lands and the virtue of the Way will be heard.”
17. The Buddha said, “What is the practice of the Way like? It is like taking a torch into a dark room. The dark is immediately destroyed but the brightness remains. So study the Way in order to see and investigate [for yourself]. Then all foolishness and ignorance will be destroyed and there will be nothing that one will not see.”
18. The Buddha said, “My Dharma consists of thinking without thinking, acting without acting, speaking without speaking, cultivating without cultivating. Understanding this you will be able to approach it, but if you go astray you will be far away from it. The Way cuts off all spoken words. There is nothing therein to grasp. If you make even a minute mistake you will lose it in that moment.”
19. The Buddha said, “Observe heaven and earth and reflect on their impermanence. Observing the spirit of awakening is itself awakening. Keep your mind like this and attain the Way swiftly!”
20. The Buddha said, “Consider yourself and reflect on the four great elements [of earth, air, fire, and water] which make up one’s own body. Together they are called the ‘self’ but this is just a designation. In actuality all is ‘no-self.’ The ‘self’ is just the aggregates [of form. feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness] which come together at birth but are unable to remain for long. It is just an illusion.
21. The Buddha said, “Influenced by feelings and desires, people seek out flowery names for themselves. They are like burning incense. While all people can smell the incense, nevertheless it consumes itself as it burns. The masses, out of greed, follow the vulgar in order to gain an honorable name for themselves and do not guard the Way of Truth. Flowery names endanger onself and only lead to ruin and regrets in the end.
22. The Buddha said, “The pursuit of riches and sex can be compared to someone who tries to lick honey off a knife blade in a brief moment of greed. Before they even get a single taste of delicious honey they will have severely cut their tongues.”
23. The Buddha said, “People who are attached to wives, children, treasure and home are [even more] unfortunate than those who are in prison. Prisoners are eventually pardoned [but there is no reprieve from the] feelings and desires for wives and children. They are like someone who willingly throws himself into the maw of a tiger.”
24. The Buddha said, “There is no craving or desire like lust. No other desire is greater. Fortunately there is only one like it and not a second or else no one under heaven would be able to practice the Way.”
25. The Buddha said, “A person with craving and desire is like a person holding a torch walking against the wind. A stupid person who does not let go of the torch will inevitably burn their hand. In the same way the poisons of greed, anger, and ignorance all abide within a person; and if they do not soon practice the Way and remove these sources of misfortune there will inevitably be disastrous results.”
26. A god once offered a beautiful woman in order to test the Buddha’s determination not to give in to temptation. The Buddha said, “Remove this bag of filth. Why have you come here? What do you hope to accomplish with such worldly deceptions? It is difficult to move one who has the six supernatural powers [of mind over matter, clairaudience, clairvoyance, past life recall, mind reading, and the knowledge of the destruction of the taints]. Take her away. I have no use for such a gift.” The god was struck with awe by the Buddha and consequently asked him about the meaning of the Way. The Buddha taught him about liberation and he then attained stream-entry.
27. The Buddha said, “A sage who practices the Way can be compared to a log floating downstream. If it does not run up against either shore, if people do not take it out of the water, if the hidden gods do not intercept it, if it is not sucked into a whirlpool, and if it does not rot away, I guarantee that this log will definately reach the ocean! People should study the Way like this. If people are not influenced by their feelings and desires, nor by the deceptions of wicked people, and they skillfully progress to the unconditioned, then I gaurantee that they will inevitably attain the Way!
28. The Buddha told the shramanas, “Be careful not to put faith only in your own opinions because in the end they are not always trustworthy. Be careful not to indulge your lust, because indulging lust will soon lead to misfortune. Attain the Way of the arhat and then you can fully trust your own judgement.”
29. The Buddha told all the shramanas, “Be careful when looking at a woman. You should see them without seeing them. Be careful not to strike up conversations with them. If you should have to speak with them it is very important to maintain your integrity. Say to yourself: ‘I am a shramana and must keep apart from worldly defilements. I should be like a lotus flower which is not defiled by the mud in which it grows. If I should see an old lady, I should regard her as my mother. If I should see an older woman, I should regard her as my older sister. If I should see a yonger woman, I should regard her as my younger sister. If I should see a young girl I should regard her as my daughter.’ Honor them with all due courtesy. Reflect on the impurities of the body in order to release any biased ideas you may have!”
30. The Buddha said, “Those who practice the Way should keep away from all desires. They should be like a person carrying hay who sees a fire. By the time the fire comes they have already removed the hay. This is the way a person should see craving and desire so that they will always distance themselves from them.”
31. There once was a person so afflicted by endless sexual desires that he used an axe to castrate himself. In regard to this incident the Buddha said, “Cutting off one’s genitals can not be compared to cutting off the mind. The mind is the chief official [in charge of all the desires]; therefore, if you stop this chief official then all the rest will desist. The wicked mind will not stop simply because the genitals have been cut off. So what good is it to do that?” The Buddha then spoke the following verse:
Desires are produced from your own will,
The will is produced from thinking and reflecting.
If these two aspects of mind are still and quiet,
Then lust for forms and habitual actions will cease.
32. The Buddha said, “People who follow their craving and desire give rise to grief. Those who follow their grief give rise to fear. If there is no craving there would be no grief. Without grief there would no longer be any fear.”
33. The Buddha said, “A man who practices the Way is like a single person going to fight against 10,000. He dons armor, takes up a weapon, and leaves through the gate desiring a fight. Perhaps he is cowardly and weak and will soon retreat. Perhaps he will go half way before returning. Perhaps he will attack and fight bravely but will die in battle. Perhaps he will attain a great victory and return to his own country with honor. The man who is able to control and restrain his own mind; who skillfully and zealously advances in his practice; is unafraid in the face of obstacles; and can destroy all demonic influences will invariably attain the Way!”
34. There was a shramana who was reciting discourses at night in a sad and anxious voice full of longing and regret and was thinking of returning home. The Buddha called the shramana to him and asked him, “You dwell here but are seeking to return home. What did you do before coming here?” The shramana answered, “I was constantly playing the lute.” The Buddha asked, “If the strings were loose, what was the sound like?” He said, “It would be unable to make a sound!” The Buddha asked, “If the strings were too tight, what was the sound like?” He said, “The sound would be cut short!” The Buddha asked, “Without being too tight or too loose, if the strings were just in the middle, what would it sound like?” He said, “Then every sound would reach everywhere!” The Buddha told the shramana, “Study the Way like this. Direct the mind so that it is in harmony and then you will feel pure, peaceful and happy. This is how you can attain the Way!”
35. The Buddha said, “A man who practices the Way is like a piece of iron being forged. All the impurities are removed so that it can become a tool. A tool made of such refined iron is of superior quality. Study the Way and gradually remove all the mind’s impurities. Refine yourself and advance so that you can complete the Way. In this way way your actions will be purified!”
36. The Buddha said, “It is difficult for a man to leave the three evil paths and become a human being. Upon becoming a human being it is difficult to become a man rather than a woman. Upon becoming a man it is difficult to have all the six roots [of the five physical senses and the mind] whole and complete. Upon having the six roots whole and complete it is difficult to be born in the center of civilization [where one can more easily encounter the Dharma]. Upon being born in the center of civilization, it is difficult to be born in the time of the Buddha’s dispensation. Upon being born in the time of the Buddha’s dispensation, it is difficult to meet a person of the Way. Upon meeting a person of the Way it is difficult to arouse the mind of faith. Upon arousing the mind of faith it is difficult to arouse the aspiration to attain enlightenment. Upon arousing the aspiration to attain enlightenment it is difficult to realize the state of non-cultivation and non-attainment.”
37. The Buddha said, “Disciples, even if you are as far away from me as 1,000 miles, if you remember my precepts then you will invariably attain the Way. But even if you are at my side constantly seeing me, if you do not obey my precepts than in the end you will not attain the Way.”
38. The Buddha asked all the shramanas, “By what interval would you measure a person’s lifespan?” One answered, “It can be measured in days.” The Buddha said, “Son, you are not yet able to practice the Way.” The Buddha asked another shramana, “By what interval would you measure a person’s lifespan?” He answered, “It can be measured by the time it takes to eat a meal.” The Buddha said, “Son, you are not yet able to practice the Way.” The Buddha asked another shramana, “By what interval would you measure a person’s lifespan?” He answered, “It can be measured with a breath.” The Buddha said, “Excellent! Son, you know the Way!”
39. The Buddha said, “Those who study the Buddha Way should find the Buddha’s words pleasing and they all should take faith in them and live accordingly. It is like eating honey which is sweet through and through. My discourses are also like this.”
40. The Buddha said, “Shramanas should not walk the Way like an ox turning a millstone. Even though its body walks the way its mind does not. Bring the mind in accord with the Way and then act. What use is it to simply act as though one were following the Way.
41. “The Buddha said, “A man who practices the Way is like an ox hauling a heavy load thorugh deep mud. It is thoroughly exhausted and yet it dares not turn its head to look to the left or right until it has left the filthy mud and then it can rest. Shramanas should look upon desires as being just like that mud. They should direct their minds to think only of the Way so that they can escape all suffering.”
42. The Buddha said, “I look upon a prince waiting to assume his throne as nothing more than a passing guest. I look upon treasures of gold and jewels as nothing more than rubble and stones. I look upon sheets of fine white silk as nothing more than cotton rags.”