English
From the flesh and blood, and the red places of the eyes, red rays emanated; by which the regions of the directions They shone as if painted with turmeric powder, as if sprinkled with well-ripened lac juice, as if draped in red blankets, and as if strewn with jasmine, pāribhaddaka, bandhujīvaka, and other flowers. From their bones, teeth, and the white parts of their eyes, white rays emanated; by virtue of which the directions shone as if sprinkled with streams of milk poured from silver pitchers, as if with widespread silver canopies, as if with silver palm fans waving, and as if covered with jasmine, water lilies, sinduvāra, jasmine, and other flowers. Rays the color of madder root, however, emanated from each part of their bodies. Thus, those six-colored rays emanated and seized the solid great earth. The great earth, two hundred and four hundred thousand leagues thick, was like a molten mass of refined gold. Then, piercing through the great earth, they seized the water below. The water, which supports the earth and is four hundred and eighty thousand leagues thick, was like molten gold being poured from golden vessels. Piercing through the water, they seized the wind. The wind, nine hundred and six hundred thousand leagues thick, was like a raised mass of gold. Piercing through the wind, they descended to the unconfined space below. Ascending above, they seized the realm of the Four Great Kings. Piercing through them, then the Tāvatiṃsa gods, then the Yāma gods, then the Tusita gods, then the Nimmānarati gods, then the Paranimmita-vasavatti gods, then the nine Brahma worlds, then the Vehapphala, then the five Pure Abodes, piercing through them, they seized the four immaterial realms. And piercing through the four immaterial realms, they descended to the unconfined space. In the horizontal directions, they spread to countless world-systems. In so many places, there was no light of the moon in the moon, no light of the sun in the sun, no light of the stars in the stars, and no light in the gardens, mansions, wish-fulfilling trees, bodies, or ornaments of the gods. Light filled the entire three-thousand great thousand world-system. Even the Great Brahma, capable of splitting a mustard seed, was like a firefly at sunrise. Only the bare outlines of the moon, sun, stars, form deities, gardens, mansions, and wish-fulfilling trees were discernible. So much space was entirely suffused by the Buddha's rays. This was neither the Buddha's power of resolve, nor his power born of meditation. But as the World-Protector thoroughly contemplated the subtle and refined Dhamma, his blood became clear, his bodily form became clear, his skin's complexion became clear. The element of color, born of mind, stood perfectly still in all directions, over an area of eighty cubits. In this manner, he contemplated for a week. How great was the Dhamma contemplated for seven days and nights? It was endless, immeasurable. This, indeed, is called mental instruction. It should not be said that the Teacher, having mentally contemplated the Dhamma for a week, could not, by making a verbal expression of it, teach it to completion even in a hundred years, a thousand years, or a hundred thousand years. For in another instance, the Tathāgata, seated on the Pandukambala stone at the foot of the Pāricchatta tree in the Tāvatiṃsa heaven, amidst ten thousand world-systems of deities, having made his mother a visible witness, taught the Dhamma—wholesome things, unwholesome things, and indeterminate things—passing and passing from one aspect of the Dhamma to another by a hundredth part, a thousandth part, a hundred thousandth part. The teaching, continuously flowing for three months, was like the Ganges of the sky flowing swiftly, like a stream of water issuing from an inverted water pot, and was endless, immeasurable. Indeed, even at the time of blessing after a meal, the Buddhas' teaching, when they bless by slightly increasing it, is the size of the Dīgha and Majjhima Nikāyas. But the teaching of those who teach the Dhamma to the assembled company after the meal is the size of the Saṃyutta, Aṅguttara, and two great Nikāyas. Why? Because for the Buddhas, the flow of subconsciousness is light, the enamel of the teeth is well-polished, the entrance to the mouth is smooth, the tongue is soft, the voice is sweet, and the speech is easily transformed. Therefore... Even a moment's teaching is so much. But the teaching over three months is endless, immeasurable. The Venerable Ānanda, being learned, a master of the Tipitaka, grasps, recites, or teaches fifteen thousand verses, sixty thousand words, standing firm like one drawing garlands of flowers. Such is one section of the Elder's memory. Another, giving a recitation after the Elder, cannot keep up, cannot reach the end. Only a Fully Awakened Buddha could reach the end. Thus, even a disciple with supreme mindfulness, supreme quickness, supreme wisdom, trying to learn the teaching delivered by the Teacher in this manner for three months, could not reach the end even in a hundred or a thousand years. How, then, did the Tathāgata, continuously teaching for three months, sustain his body, dependent on physical food? By renewal. For Buddhas, each time is well-arranged, well-defined, well-observed. Therefore, while teaching the Dhamma, the Blessed One observes the time in the human world. Perceiving the time for alms round, he creates a phantom Buddha, determining, "Let this one's manner of taking the robe, taking the bowl, the toothpick, and appearance be such and such; let him teach so much Dhamma," and taking his bowl and robe, goes to Lake Anotatta. Deities offer nāga-creeper toothpicks. Chewing that, renewing his body in Lake Anotatta, standing on the slab of red arsenic, putting on the red upper robe, covering himself with the outer robe, taking the stone bowl given by the Four Great Kings, he goes to Uttarakuru. Then, bringing back alms food, sitting on the shore of Lake Anotatta, he consumes it and goes to the Sandalwood Grove for the day's retreat. The Venerable Sāriputta, the General of the Dhamma, also goes there, performs his duties to the Fully Awakened Buddha, and sits to one side. Then the Teacher gives him the outline. "Sāriputta, so much Dhamma has been taught by me," he declares. Thus, as the Fully Awakened Buddha gives the outline, to the one who has attained analytical knowledge... Standing at the edge, Of the chief disciple, Extending his hand, Is like showing the ocean, Of analytical knowledge. For the Elder, The Dhamma taught by the Buddha, With a hundred, a thousand, A hundred thousand methods, Is ever present. At what time, Does the Teacher go, To teach the Dhamma, After sitting for the day's rest? There is a time, For the sons of good families, Living in Savatthi, To assemble, For the Dhamma teaching. At that time, He goes. Who knows, And who does not know, Whether He is going, Or coming after teaching the Dhamma? Devatās of great power know, Devatās of little power do not know. Why do they not know? Because there is no difference, In the rays, etc., Of the Perfectly Enlightened One, Or the Buddha created by Him. For in the rays, Or in the sounds, Or in the words, There is no difference, Between the two. The Elder Sariputta also, Having brought the Dhamma, Taught by the Teacher, Would teach it, To his five hundred, Co-resident monks. This was their former connection: It is said that in the time, Of Kassapa, the Ten-Powered One, Having been born, In the small bat species, Hanging from a cliff, Taking the sound, As a sign, Of two monks, Reciting the Abhidhamma, Without knowing, The dark or bright fortnight, Merely by taking the sound, As a sign, They died, And were reborn in the deva world. Having lived in the deva world, For one Buddha-interval, Having been born, In the human world at that time, Pleased with the Twin Miracle, They went forth, In the presence of the Elder. The Elder, Having brought the Dhamma, Taught by the Teacher, Would teach it to them. The conclusion of the Abhidhamma teaching, Of the Perfectly Enlightened One, And the learning of the seven treatises, By those monks, Occurred at the same moment. The path of recitation, In the Abhidhamma, Originated with the Elder Sariputta. The method of calculation, In the Great Treatise, Was also established, By the Elder. For the Elder, By this method, Without confusing the Dhamma, Was able, To easily grasp, Retain, learn, And recite it. Therefore, he established, The method of calculation. Thus being the case, The Elder was, The foremost Abhidhamma expert. Is it so? It is not. The Perfectly Enlightened One was the first Abhidhamma expert. For he realized it sitting on the Great Bodhi seat. And after becoming Buddha, sitting in one posture for a week, he uttered this solemn utterance: "When the true things become clear, To the ardent, contemplative brahmin, Then all his doubts vanish, Since he knows the cause-and-effect Dhamma. "When the true things become clear, To the ardent, contemplative brahmin, Then all his doubts vanish, Since he knows the destruction of conditions. "When the true things become clear, To the ardent, contemplative brahmin, He stands scattering the army of Mara, Like the sun illuminating the sky." This is called the first Buddha-word. But the reciters of the Dhammapada say: "Through many a birth in existence wandered I, Seeking, but not finding, the builder of this house. Painful is birth again and again. "O house-builder, you are seen! You will not build this house again. All your rafters are broken, your ridgepole is shattered. My mind has reached the Unconditioned; it has attained the end of craving." This is called the first Buddha-word. The words spoken at the time of final passing away, lying between the twin sala trees, "Come now, monks, I exhort you: all conditioned things are subject to decay; strive on with diligence," are called the last Buddha-word.