--continued from Issue 27--
--translated
by Dharma Masters Heng Ch'ien and Heng Pai
"Why
are you known as The Well Gone One."
The Buddha said, "Just as greed, hatred, and stupidity and all other afflictions cause all sentient beings to go forth into the evil destinies, which is not called well gone forth, the proper wisdom of The Thus Come One is able to cut off all delusions, allowing him wonderfully to escape the world and go forth to the position of Buddhahood. Therefore I am known as The Well Gone One."
"Why are you known as The Unsurpassed Lord Who Comprehends the World?"
The Buddha said, "The world refers to the realms of desire, form, and the formless realm, the hells, hungry ghosts, animals, and other categories, each complete with the skandhas of form, feeling, thought, action, and consciousness, the organs of the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind, and the states conditioned by the six consciousnesses. Right enlightenment and knowledge is that which comprehends the world. Within the world of the two-footed, four-footed, multi-footed, and footless beings, within the heavens of the realms of desire and form, within the realms of those living beings with thought, without thought, with neither thought nor non-thought, whether common or holy, within the midst of all those with sentience, the Buddha alone reigns supreme. Therefore I am known as The Unsurpassed Lord ."
"Why are you known as The Valiant Tamer and Guide?"
The Buddha said, "The Buddha is a valiant man who is able to tame and guide the good and evil. The evil are those living beings who perform the three unwholesome actions, commit evil deeds, and then accordingly receive the retributions of life in the hells, among the hungry ghosts, and among the animals. The good perform a multitude of good deeds with body, mouth,, and mind and receive the blessings of men and gods. The Buddha demonstrates the dharmas of the primary principle and the goodness of Nirvana to tame, guide, and lead living beings to separate from defilement and attain the still extinction of Nirvana. Therefore I am known as The Valiant Tamer and Guide."
"Why are you known as The Master of Gods and Men?"
The Buddha said, "It is not that I am Master only to you, Ananda, a single bhiksu. All bhiksus, bhiksunis,, upasakas, upasikas, gods, dragons, Shamans,'brahmans', demon kings, externalists, S'akra, and Brahma pay allegiance to and conduct themselves in accord, with my teaching. All are sons of the Buddha. Therefore I am called The Master of Gods and Men."
"Why are you known as The Buddha?"
"My wisdom is complete and my three-fold enlightenment is perfect, therefore I am known as the Buddha."
The Buddha told Luanda, "In the past a brahman came to me and asked, 'Why do you not use the name given you by your father and mother but instead call yourself Buddha?' I immediately answered him, 'I am fully aware of all worldly knowledge; I am able to contemplate all worldly contemplations; I have attained all extinctions which can be attained; I am omniscient. From countless kalpas past I have cultivated various ways of separating from objects and defilement, and now dwell in unsurpassed Bodhi. Therefore I am known as The Buddha.'"
"Why are you known as The World Honored One?"
The Buddha said, "On the causal ground I deeply contemplated all wholesome dharmas, dharmas of morality, dharmas of the heart, dharmas of wisdom, and unwholesome dharmas such as greed and so forth, and am able to proclaim all. of the sufferings of production and extinction. By means of wisdom obtained through ending the outflows, I have smashed afflictions and attained the unsurpassed enlightenment; consequently all gods and men, both the common and the holy, in the world and beyond, venerate and respect me. Therefore I am known as The World Honored One."
This completes The Sutra on the Ten Designations of the Buddha
LEARN SANSKRIT...in a new series which appears in Vajra Bodhi Sea ... Taught by Bhiksuni Heng Hsieu, who is currently completing her Ph.D. in Sanskrit at the University of California, Berkeley.
The tenth lesson in this series appears on the following page
Dharma Realm Buddhist News
See page 35.