Chapter 4: Demon Subjugation

It is said that when Shariputra's mother was pregnant, her intelligence was much higher than that of ordinary people. People said that this was a sign of a wise child. Shariputra's mother's younger brother, Kushira, was very good at debate. When he heard about this, he came to his pregnant sister to debate, but he was always at a loss for words and retreated. Kushira was so ashamed that he ran away from home. When Shariputra was eight years old, he could understand all books. At that time, there were two elder brothers in Magadha. The elder brother was named Jili and the younger brother was named Agala. They hosted a banquet to entertain the king, the prince, ministers and scholars, and played music, singing and dancing, and talked about the past and the present. At the banquet, people of different status were allowed to sit in different seats, but the eight-year-old Shariputra sat on the throne of the scholars, as if no one was around, and he was not afraid at all. Many ministers and scholars thought that he was young and ignorant at first, and they were disdainful to talk to him. They all sent their young disciples to respond to him, but Shariputra's words were clear and his principles were detailed, and he often surprised everyone. All the great theorists were impressed and praised him, and the king was very happy, and immediately awarded a village to Shariputra. Even his father, a Brahmin scholar, often lamented that his intelligence and talent were not as good as his beloved son.

When Shariputra was 20 years old, he said goodbye to his hometown and parents, and went out to seek teachers and seek truth. At first, he worshipped the famous Brahmin Sanjaya as his teacher, but soon felt that Sanjaya's knowledge could not satisfy his thirst for knowledge, so he planned to leave Sanjaya. At this time, Maudgalyayana, one of his classmates, was Shariputra's only close friend. Shariputra told Maudgalyayana about his intentions, and Maudgalyayana felt the same way. The two of them decided to leave Sanjaya and set up another school to recruit disciples. They arrogantly thought that there was no one in the world who was smarter than them, and no one was qualified to be their teacher.

One day, Sariputra met Buddha's disciple Asvavasa on the street of Rajagriha. Asvavasa was one of the five monks who converted to Buddhism. He practiced hard for many years until he heard the Four Noble Truths of Buddha and attained the holy fruit. He had a solemn attitude and dignified behavior. Sariputra was very surprised when he saw him and asked, "You look very different from ordinary practitioners. Who is your teacher? What kind of principles does he teach?" Asvavasa replied, "My teacher has all kinds of wisdom and is a guide for humans and gods. His wisdom is unparalleled. I have not practiced for long, and I cannot fully understand the truth of the universe and life that my teacher teaches. I can only tell him what I have heard."

At that time, the monk Ashapashāstha recited the following stanza: "All dharmas arise from causes and conditions, and all dharmas cease from causes and conditions." He also said: "All phenomena are impermanent, they are the laws of birth and death; when birth and death are extinguished, nirvana is bliss."

When Shariputra heard this verse, he immediately understood and thought to himself, "All living beings are attached to the self. That is why they are in the cycle of birth and death. If the self-view is eliminated, the self-view will also be eliminated. Just as sunlight can dispel darkness, the thought of no self is also like this. It can completely dispel the darkness of the view of the self. All that I have been able to cultivate and learn in the past were wrong views. Only what I have obtained now is the true way."

Sariputra returned to his residence, thinking about the principle of dependent origination. Seeing that he was happy and different from the past, Maudgalyayana asked him, "You must have heard some profound truth. We made a vow together before that if we heard the truth, we must share it with each other. You must tell me about it." Sariputra then told Maudgalyayana about his experience today, and said, "All dharmas are originally caused by conditions and have no master. If you can understand this, you will get the true path." At this time, the two of them were enlightened and decided to go to the Buddha together to ask to be his disciples. So the two of them took two hundred disciples to the Bamboo Garden and became monks with the Buddha.

Soon after Sariputra became a monk, he attained the Arhat fruit. He was as famous as Subhuti, who was the best at understanding emptiness, and Mahakasyapa, who was the best at discussing. He was revered as the "wisest" among many disciples. Many common people in Rajagriha also benefited from the Buddha's teachings. After hearing the Buddha's teachings, the elder Sudatta was delighted and knelt down with his hands clasped together to ask the Buddha: "If the people in Sravasti can also listen to your teachings, will they be able to realize the truth and achieve the fruit of the Tao like me?"

The Buddha replied: "In Savatthi, many people believe in evil and it is difficult for them to understand my teachings. It is difficult for them to be like you."

The elder said, “I hope you will be merciful and come to Savatthi so that the people of the country can receive correct teachings and get rid of their wrong views.”

The Buddha said, "Monks are different from lay people, and their abodes should also be different. There is no monastery in Savatthi, so I cannot go there to preach."

The elder pleaded with the Buddha devoutly, "I am willing to build a monastery and invite the Buddha and the monks to Sravasti to preach the Dharma. I only hope that the World Honored One will be merciful and agree." The Buddha smiled and agreed.

Not long after, the elder Sudatta asked the Buddha, "Buddha, I am about to set off to build a monastery in Savatthi. I hope the Buddha can send a bhikkhu to teach me how to build a monastery in accordance with the law." The Buddha thought: In Savatthi, the Brahmins believed in evil and had perverse views. It would be difficult for others to succeed. The Venerable Sariputra was a Brahmin, very smart, knowledgeable, and had supernatural powers. If he was allowed to go, it would be beneficial. Therefore, he ordered Sariputra to go with the elder Sudatta.

After returning to Savatthi, the elder and Sariputra searched everywhere for a square, flat and wide piece of land to build a monastery, but they did not see a suitable location after walking all over Savatthi. Later, they passed by the prince's Jetavana Grove and saw that the garden was lush with trees, quiet and secluded, with a flat and wide land, and was just the right distance from the city, making it convenient for begging for food. It was indeed a rare and good place, so they decided to buy the garden from the prince.

The news that Elder Sudatta bought the Jetavana Grove spread throughout the city of Savatthi, shocking the six heretic teachers and causing them to become jealous and repulsive. Therefore, the six teachers went to King Prasenajit and reported: "Elder Sudatta bought the Jetavana Grove to build a monastery for the monk Gautama. Your Majesty, I hope you will allow us to compete with the Buddhist monks. If the monks win, you will allow them to build a monastery; if the monks' practice and knowledge are inferior to ours, I beg your Majesty to order that Gautama's followers are not allowed to come to Savatthi again, and that they should stay in Rajgir!"

King Prasenajit summoned the elder Sudatta and told him, "Today six teachers came to the palace and asked to compete with the Buddha's disciples. If the monks win, they will be allowed to build a monastery. If they are not as good as the six teachers, they will not be able to build houses and houses here, practice Buddhism and spread the Dharma."

After hearing this, the elder Sudatta became sad and unhappy.

The next day, Venerable Sariputra came to visit the elder wearing robes and holding a bowl. Seeing that the elder was unhappy, he asked him with sympathy, “Why are you so unhappy?”

The elder replied, “I am worried that the monastery may not be built, so I am worried and distressed.”

Sariputra asked, "What happened? Why are you worried that the monastery won't be built?"

The elder replied, "The six masters in the city have asked King Prasenajit to compete with you. If you can beat them, they will allow us to build a temple. If you are not as good as them, they will not allow us to build a temple!" These six masters have been monks for a long time and are very proficient in knowledge. It can be said that no one can compare to them! I don't know if you are able to compete with them, so I am worried and distressed. "

Sariputra replied: "I can compete with them in any contest, don't worry!"

The elder was delighted after hearing this, so he bathed himself in fragrant water, changed into new clothes, and went to the palace to report to the king: "I have confirmed with the Venerable, if the six masters want to compete, they can do so."

So, King Prasenajit sent someone to tell the six teachers that day that they were allowed to compete with the ascetics. The six teachers spread the word in the kingdom: "Seven days later, we will have a debate with the ascetics in a wide area outside the city to see who is better." On the day of the competition, countless people came to watch the competition. The king and the six teachers sat on the solemn throne. There were as many as 20,000 followers under the six teachers' seats. The elder Sudatta also set up a high seat for Sariputra.

The first of the six external teachers to appear was Virati, who believed in the god of time. They believed that time was the cause of the creation of all things. They said that time was permanent and unchanging, and that all things were created and destroyed in time. Therefore, they regarded time as the only eternal and real existence. They often held ceremonies to worship the god of time, and the disciples performed the ceremonies by standing still and keeping their bodies still. They firmly believed that this way they could achieve the purpose of communicating with the god of time. Virati spoke first and said, "With the passage of time, all things are created and destroyed. Therefore, all changes in all things are controlled by time, and all things are in time. Therefore, time is the supreme existence. What do you think about this?"

Sariputra said: "There is no real time, and nothing is in time."

Upon hearing this, Virūpī laughed and said, "I have never heard such a ridiculous statement. You'd better prove that what you said is true, otherwise, I will punish you on behalf of the God of Time and burn you alive on the altar!"

Sariputra said: "If everything is in time, the changes of everything should not affect time. Just like the rice in a bowl, no matter how the rice moves, the bowl will not change, but time is not like this. From Rajagriha to Savatthi, whether riding a horse, taking a car, or walking, the time consumed is not the same. As long as the speed of the object moves faster, the time consumed will become shorter. Time is affected by speed, just like fire burns or goes out depending on whether there is enough combustible material. If there is enough combustible material, the fire burns vigorously, and if there is not enough combustible material, the fire will gradually go out. The same is true for time. If the speed of an object is fast, it will shorten time. If it is slow, it will lengthen time. If an object is in a state of "extreme stillness" or "extreme movement", the illusory time will disappear, so time is not an independent entity.

Virūpī asked, "What is extreme stillness? What is extreme motion? Why is there no time in the state of extreme stillness or extreme motion?"

Sariputra said: "Ultimate stillness means that everything is at rest. At this time, because there is no movement, time does not exist. Extreme movement means that the speed of an object reaches its limit. At this time, the object is in a high-speed motion state. Because the speed is too fast, time does not exist either."

Virūpī said: "In a state of extreme stillness, nothing changes, and time seems to stand still. This is understandable. Why does time disappear in a state of extreme movement?"

Sariputra said: "Movement is the relationship between movement and stillness that depends on each other. There is stillness only when there is movement, and there is movement only when there is stillness. Just like what I just said, in the state of extreme stillness, because there is no movement, stillness itself will no longer exist. Because only through moving things can we observe still things. Without movement, stillness itself will no longer exist. In the state of extreme movement, because the speed is too fast, there is no stillness. Without still things, moving things cannot exist alone. Therefore, when things are in the state of extreme movement, they will be separated from still things, and enter a state where there is neither stillness nor movement. Because only by relying on still things can we observe moving things. And in the state of extreme movement, there are no still things. So When things are extremely active or extremely still, there is no movement or stillness. And time cannot exist without movement, just as fire cannot exist without combustibles. If time really exists and everything is in time, then the time taken to travel from Rajagriha to Savatthi should be the same, whether riding a horse, taking a car, or walking, but this is not the case. The speed of things actually affects time. In this way, it seems that it is not that everything changes with time, but time changes with everything. How can everything exist in time? Moreover, dependent origination is without substance. Without combustibles, there is no fire, without water, there is no living thing, and without movement, there is no time. These things that depend on causes and conditions have no real substance arising from them, and are essentially empty. "

Virūpī said: "I believe that time is a real entity. There are infinite time and space, so everything is still in time. Everything is in different times depending on the speed."

Sariputra said: "If there are multiple times, there must be multiple moving subjects. If there is infinite time and space, there must be countless moving subjects. Because without movement, time will not exist."

Virūpī said: "There are countless time and space, and there are countless me, is there anything wrong with this?"

Sariputra said: "If, as you said, there are countless time and space, and countless moving subjects, then it falls into no cause. The emergence of all things in the world has its cause and is limited by its cause. For example, how many fruits a fruit tree bears, how long a fire can burn, are all determined by their internal causes. If it develops to infinity, it means that the things produced have been separated from the causes that produced them. In other words, there is no cause for the emergence of such things. Just like fire, without relying on combustibles, fire can continue to burn by itself and continue to produce fire, so that there is endless fire. Such a thing cannot happen. If there is no cause, there will be no world. There is nothing in the world that can be produced without a cause. Therefore, there will be no infinite time and space, let alone infinite individuals.

Furthermore, if you believe that time is real and different speeds of movement exist in different times, then the subject in one space-time should not be able to see the object in another space-time. Just like two balls, one fast and one slow, moving at different speeds, there are two kinds of time, one fast and one slow. It is not that there are two kinds of movement in one time. At this time, as an observer, you can see the order in which the two balls reach the end point at the same time. So are you in the same space-time with the slow-moving ball or the fast-moving ball? If you think you are in the same space-time with the slow-moving ball, you should not be able to see the fast-moving ball, just as you cannot see the past in the future. Each space-time is independent, and when you are in this space-time, you should not be able to see things in another space-time. If you think you are in the same space-time with the fast-moving ball, you should not be able to see the slow-moving ball, just as you cannot see the future in the past. If you think you are not in the same space-time with both balls, you should not be able to see both balls, but this is not the case.

Virūpī said: “So, everything is still in one time and space.”

Sariputra said, "Why do you think that everything is in the same time and space? Two balls moving at different speeds must arrive at the destination one after the other. Because of the different speeds of movement, they actually produce two times, one fast and one slow. If they were in the same time, they should arrive at the destination at the same time regardless of their speed, but this is not the case."

Virati said: "So, everything is neither in the same time nor in different times. Isn't this a contradiction?"

Sariputra said: "This is not contradictory. All things cannot exist in the same space and time, nor can they exist in different space and time. Therefore, there is no real time, and all things are not in time. As the thoughts of sentient beings move, illusory things and illusory time are produced. It is not possible to obtain the entity of time without the consciousness. The world is in the void, and the void gives rise to great awakening. Hundreds of thousands of great kalpas are originally formed by one thought, and then they become great kalpas. Since they are established, they have no substance. Since one thought has no substance, it is the same as the great kalpa. The great kalpa has no substance because of this one thought. Therefore, we should know that one real time does not exist, let alone multiple or even countless times?"

Virūpī said, "Because there is movement, there is time. Just as fire is produced because there is combustible material."

Sariputra said, "There is no movement. There is real combustible material only when there is real fire. There is real movement only when there is real time. Now that we know there is no real time, how can there be real movement?"

After hearing this, Virūpāṇa seemed to be thinking about something, bowed and left. The remaining five teachers debated with Sariputra for another day, but none of them could defeat him. At that time, everyone praised him, saying, "Venerable Sariputra, you are truly the wisest!"

Sariputra said, "I am ashamed! Even if the whole world were filled with people like Sariputra, and they all thought and measured together, they would still not be able to measure the Buddha's wisdom. Even if the ten directions were filled with people like Sariputra and his disciples, and they filled the ten directions' worlds, and they all thought and measured together, they would still not be able to know it. The wisdom of the Pratyekabuddhas, the last body of the Buddha without outflows, also fills the ten directions' worlds, and their number is like bamboo forests. They all work with one mind for hundreds of millions of immeasurable kalpas to think about the Buddha's real wisdom, and they would not be able to know even a fraction of it. The newly-awakened bodhisattvas, who make offerings to countless Buddhas, understand all the meanings, and can preach the Dharma well, are like rice, hemp, bamboo, and reeds, filling the ten directions' worlds, and they all think and measure together with their second wisdom for kalpas with the grains of sand in the Ganges river, and they all think and measure together, and they would still not be able to know the Buddha's wisdom. The number of the bodhisattvas who have not regressed is like the grains of sand in the Ganges river, and they all think and seek together, and they would still not be able to know it."

After hearing these words, the six teachers and disciples and all the disciples all developed the Anuttara Samyaksambodhi mind.

(End of this chapter)

previouscatalognext