The last teachings of the Buddha .VIETNAMESE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THICH CHAN TANH.

Every day the precepts are still strict, that day is still firm, intact the respect of lay people and all beings coming to them. That day the Sangha flourished.

 

The Omniscient knew it was time to end His life. But before his death, the Buddha wanted to give the bhikkhu disciples the final teachings to guide them to practice after his death, no longer directly guiding them. He instructed Venerable Ananda to gather monks in the lecture hall of Rājagaha monastery. When the monks gathered, he taught the following:

“Hey monks, every day you keep united and regularly gather to learn from each other, that day the Sangha continued to grow and flourish.

As long as they still keep unity and harmony when converging together or when discussing important decisions, each day they still fully respect and obey the precepts that the Tathagata has enacted to helping and protecting them, not introducing new difficult and imposing rules, that day the Sangha will not be degraded and destroyed.

Always respect and listen to the instructions and advice of the monks in the Sangha. Always keep mindfulness so that any evil dhammas that arise in the mind can be observed and thus do not become their slaves before late awakening. Do not search for a place where your friends are idle, look for a lonely, quiet place.

The Omniscient knew it was time to end His life. But before his death, the Buddha wanted to give the bhikkhu disciples the final teachings to guide them to practice after his death, no longer directly guiding them.

“When monks come from other places to visit, show your affection and hospitality. When one of your fellow initiates falls ill, please take care of them wholeheartedly. Serving and caring for a sick brother, is also serving and caring for the Tathagata.

“Don't be cocky. Be close to the wise; stay away from the bad guys. Constantly contemplating the nature of all things, understanding their impermanent characteristics, suffering and selflessness.

“As long as the precepts are strict, that day is still firm, with the respect of lay people and all beings coming to you intact. That day the Sangha flourished. That day you will be preserved from depravity, vile and sin, and you will be protected from all that is impure, unworthy of the life of someone who has escaped from persecution to live a life of sin. happy. "

This is the last dharma teaching the Buddha gave to the entire assembly of monks.

Then the Blessed One went to the city of Nalanda, then the city of Pātāligāma, where he gave the last discourse to the lay people.

"Dear believers, anyone who does not keep the five precepts that the Tathagata gave to lay people, or carelessly or negligently does not obey, that person will lose his reputation in society, prosperity and happiness. His peanuts develop slowly, then eventually wear out and ruin. People will lose their faith, mindfulness, be tormented in their hearts with unhappiness, at the end of their life karma will lead to a realm of misery.

“And those who faithfully preserve the five precepts, not carelessly neglect, will enjoy noble status and reputation in society, enjoy health, enjoy wealth and prosperity. Wherever they go, they are respected. They will receive a solemn reception, even in the presence of great men, royalty, or sages, wise and intellectual. Their hearts are pure without any doubt, and after death they will enter the realms of happiness. "

Always respect and listen to the instructions and advice of the monks in the Sangha.

The Buddha is now old and weak. He is eighty years old. For nearly forty-five years, he walked all over India - his homeland - sermons and teachings never stopped, except for the annual rainy season, which is the retreat season. He began to feel the piles of May on the body. His body was tired and weak, though his mind was always strong and lucid. The Buddha knew he did not have much longer to live. He remembers the Northern Territory, the stretches of land peacefully at the foot of the snowy mountain where he lived his childhood days. That is where He wants to leave the life that He has devoted so many years to. Leaving Rājagaha, the Buddha turned his weak steps to the north, planning to go to the small town of Kusinara, where he waited for the day of his death.

On the way, the Buddha passed the city of Patna, then continued his journey through Vesāli - a rich metropolis where he once transformed the pure prostitute of Ambapālī. The peri-urban nunnery that she sincerely offered to the Buddha and monks once annoyed the young princes here, for they wanted to be the one with that honor and merit instead of a prostitute.

When the Buddha arrived in the small village of Beluva, he instructed all the bhikkhus to follow him throughout his noble journey - except Venerable Ananda, who was his faithful attendant day and night around him - that it would be better. Choose a more suitable place to settle, because Beluva village is small, the land is small, there is not enough Japanese food through the rainy season. Listening to the Buddha's teachings, a large number of mendicants returned to the town of Vesāli to descend.

The Dharma has been fully taught by the Tathagata. The Tathagata does not hide anything from you, anything you need to know to liberate suffering and attain Nirvana attainment.

Meanwhile, the Buddha decided to stay in Beluva village during his final retreat season. But soon he fell seriously ill, his body in great pain. Illness and the pain became more and more severe that Venerable Ananda began to fear that the Blessed One was about to pass away. But the Buddha did not want to pass away in Beluva. He does not want to leave until He meets His Sangha again, encouraging and strengthening you to progress on the path. And so, with strong and determined will, He overcame the most fatal illness.

One day, after recovering, the Blessed One went out to catch the warm sun. He sat on a mat that Venerable Ānanda had already spread out to him in the shade of the small house where he lived for a long time. Venerable sat down beside him and said:

“I am really happy to see The Ton recover. The day The Ton got worse, I was so scared and dizzy, I almost fainted. But then I thought to myself: No, Surely The Blessed One will not enter Nirvana until you establish a full detailed platform of the future and direction of the Sangha after His death.

"Hey, Ananda," said the Buddha, "what else do the monks still want to ask the Tathagata? The Dharma has been fully taught by the Tathagata. The Tathagata does not hide anything from you, anything you need to know to liberate suffering and attain Nirvana attainment.

“A person who wants to dominate the Sangha will probably leave the way of future leadership. But hey, Ānanda, Tathagata does not want to dominate the Sangha. So what platform does the Tathagata leave behind?

“Tathagata is old and weak at the end of his life, eighty years old. Tathagata only one thing to say to all. Be your own light! Rely on yourself! Don't seek any other light or refuge.

“When the Tathagata is gone, Ānanda, whoever knows himself is his light, is his refuge, does not seek elsewhere; Anyone who knows how to take the Dharma as a lamp, as a place of refuge, that disciple, now and forever, is the true disciple of the Tathagata, never goes astray. "

"Everything is impermanent, there will be birth and death."

The next morning the Buddha felt very healthy and recovered, and he went to Vesāli to begging as usual. That afternoon he instructed Venerable Ananda to summon the monks who were settling down in Vesāli so that he could talk to all of them once more.

When the monks were present in abundance, he sent his final farewell advice to warmly encourage the bhikkhus to follow the path that he taught faithfully. In this way, with their noble, perfect and pure image as a shining example for all beings, they will bring benefit, happiness and prosperity to all beings.

"Everything is impermanent, there will be birth and death." Buddha said. “Fighting! Make your best efforts to follow the Path! Keep mindfulness to be free from evil dhammas and samsara. "

The next morning the Buddha continued his journey, heading towards Kusinārā. On the way, while passing through the small village of Pava, he was offered a meal cooked with a special mushroom dish (sukaramaddavaṃ) by layman Cunda - the son of a blacksmith -.

After the meal, the Buddha said he felt much better. He thanked Cunda for offering Him a beneficial meal, which will bring Cunda the blessings of both present and future.

Without healing, not long after the meal, the Buddha's old illness in Beluva relapsed. But again, with a mighty will, Buddha overcame the pain. In fragile health, he still tried to set out, going towards Kusinārā. After walking with excruciating pain, he finally reached the sal trees in the suburbs.

“Ānanda,” said the Buddha, when he saw the sal forest and knew that the journey to here was over, “prepare for the Tathagata a place between two big sal trees. Tathagata is very tired and wants to rest. "

Venerable Ānanda took a robe of the Buddha and arranged it in a quadrant, spread it down the ground between two large sal trees, so that he could lie facing his head north. The Buddha laid his back on the bed that Venerable had cleaned, not to sleep, but only let his sick and frail body rest, while his mind was always the same, still calm and calm as ever.

Every day the precepts are still strict, that day is still firm, intact the respect of lay people and all beings coming to them. That day the Sangha flourished.

He once told Venerable Sariputta during his days when he was healthy, that if he lived until old and weak, he could no longer walk but had to carry his hammock, that day he could still be transparent. He explains the Dharma, and is still able to answer any question - from even the wisest of wisdom - as long as they can mindfully question Him! His mind never gets tired.

At that time, when he saw that his beloved teacher was really about to leave, Venerable Ānanda was in great pain. Unable to bear it, he stealthily went to a nearby net, hiding behind the door. The man who could not hold back tears, said to himself, “I must not be like other monks. I have not attained Arahantship yet, but now the Master has come to leave me at the moment of death. He teaches me all the time. "

When the Buddha opened his eyes he did not see the usual Venerable Ananda, he asked the monks around him: "Where is Ānanda?"

"The Blessed One," replied one, "Venerable Ananda was in the pureland and was crying behind the door. Venerable said that he has not attained enlightenment yet but is now about to lose his compassionate teacher."

"Go and call Ānanda here and let the Tathagata talk," said the Buddha. Hearing the Blessed One called, Venerable Ānanda came to sit down beside him. Buddha said to Venerable Venerable: “Enough, Ānanda. Don't cry, don't hurt anymore! How many times has the Tathagata taught that one day we will have to be separated, separated, separated from all that we love so much? That day is here, Ānanda. Can't be helped. There is birth and death. There is tan. For a long time, Ānanda, I have wholeheartedly served and cared for the Tathagata, with all love, integrity and joy. Now is the time for me to work diligently to eliminate everything that prevents me from attaining Arahantship, Tathagata knows you will, in a short time only! "

Then the Buddha told other monks around him:

“All the Buddhas of the past have a very good disciple like the Tathagata with Ānanda. So will all the Buddhas of the future. Ānanda was an intelligent and loyal attendant. Ānanda knows the proper arrangements for each visitor to visit the Tathagata. Ānanda always behaves delicately and speaks kindly to them, making them appreciate and cheer. Ānanda is indeed an excellent student and attendant of the Tathagata. "

"Monks who still have any doubts or questions about the Buddha Dharma, about the Path, about true virtue, please ask now, so that in the future, not to regret not asking the Tathagata to relieve the Tathagata in the future. alive."

Venerable Ananda told the Buddha:

"I request the Blessed One, please The Ton not to enter Nirvana in this small town of pig pass, mud wall and earth wall. There are big cities like Rājagaha, Sāvatthi or Vesāli that are more worthy for the Buddha to pass away. These places are crowded with followers, have many material conditions to celebrate the great funeral for the Blessed One. "

 "Hey, nanda," said the Buddha, "don't say that. Once upon a time Kusinārā was once a flourishing bustling neighborhood, the capital of a great king. ”

"Well, Ānanda, inform the patriarchs and the people of Kusinara that tonight, at the last watch, the Tathagata will enter Nirvana."

Venerable Ananda and another monk, obedient to the Buddha's teaching, entered Kusinārā to inform the elders that the Buddha would pass away tonight. It is believed that all the people of Kusinārā, in sorrow and regret, go together to the sal forest to pay homage and visit him one last time.

At that time there was an outsider named Subhadda nearby, knowing that the Buddha was about to pass away, he wanted to visit him immediately and asked him to explain to him a problem.

When Subhadda asked Venerable Ānanda to let him speak with the Buddha before he left. Dai Duc declined:

“That's enough, Subhadda. The Blessed One is very tired. Please don't bother You anymore! "

Subhadda still insisted.

Buddha briefly heard the exchange words between Venerable Ananda and Subhadda. He called Ānanda and said:

“Ānanda, let Subhadda come to see Tathagata. What he wants to ask is to learn from the Tathagata, not to thrill the Tathagata. He is very intelligent and fully equipped to perceive what the Tathagata said to him. "

It was then that Venerable Ananda allowed Subhadda to meet the Buddha. After paying homage to the Buddha, Subhadda asked:

"Venerable Religion Co Dam, are the famous leaders of other sects really enlightened as they claim?"

"Hey Subhadda," said the Buddha, "never mind that question. Listen, the Tathagata will tell you the Dharma. ”

“Any doctrine or precepts that do not include the Eightfold Path will not have someone realizing the Noble Truth of Truth. Wherever you practice the Eightfold Path, there will be those who realize the Noble Truths. Only the Dharma of the Tathagata teaches the Eightfold Path. If the Tathagatas strictly practice this ethic, the world will never be empty of noble Arahants. "

Subhadda was very happy. He asked the Buddha to accept his disciple as a monk. The Buddha accepted, and transmitted to Venerable Ananda to Subhadda ordination.

Thus, Subhadda was the last disciple accepted by the Buddha into the Sangha, and Koṇḍañña of the Deer Park in Benares was the first disciple. Diligently practicing Dharma and precepts, Subhadda soon attained Arahantship.

The Buddha said to Venerable Ananda:

“Hey, Ānanda, maybe some of the monks were thinking: From here on I can no longer listen to his teachings. I have no one to guide me anymore. ‟But, Ānanda, such thinking is not. The Dharma and the Tathagata precepts that have taught and guided monks while the Tathagata is still alive will be your teacher when the Tathagata lies down.

The way of liberation he was enlightened is still circulating in millions of human hearts.

"Now that the Tathagata is still present, they call each other" brotherhood ". When the Tathagata passes away, the elderly and lower elders can call the younger ones in the Sangha by name, either "em" or "disciple". As for the young ones, they must always tell the priests of the Sangha "Bach Dai Duc" or "Bach Ngai".

"After the Tathagata passed away, if you want the Sangha, you can remove the small and less important precepts."

Finished, the Buddha said to the monks:

"Monks who still have any doubts or questions about the Buddha Dharma, about the Path, about true virtue, please ask now, so that in the future, not to regret not asking the Tathagata to relieve the Tathagata in the future. alive."

Not a single monk spoke. No doubting or question remains in mind.

The Buddha asked a second time, then a third time, still no one spoke.

Venerable Ananda said:

- How wonderful! Bach The Ton! I firmly believe that all the bhikkhus do not have any doubts or questions about the Three Jewels, about the Dharma or about the Vinaya.

“Hey, nanda,” said the Buddha, “to me, I see it because of faith. As for the Tathagata, the Tathagata knows, that not a single monk here has any doubts or questions anymore. All the monks present here, even those with the lowest attainment level, have at least attained the attainment of Bodhisattva, no longer be reborn in the bad realms, will progress directly to attaining Nirvana. . "

Then the Buddha said to the mendicants the last words:

“Hey Bhikkhus, this is the last teaching of the Tathagata:

Sabbe saṅkhārā aniccā,

Appamādena sampādetha.

All conditioned phenomena are impermanent.

Let's diligently seek for liberation! "

Having finished speaking this last teaching, the Buddha closed his eyes and entered the first and second jhānas, the three, tứ sắc Then the Buddha came out of the meditation layers one by one. Next he re-entered from the first meditation to the four disciplines of samsara and then from there passed away, never going back to samsara. The Buddha entered Great Nirvana (Parinibbāna).

His teachings, His Dhamma, are not fading away.

It has been more than twenty-five centuries since Prince Siddhattha Gotama, the lineage of Sākya, attained Buddhahood, and passed away in faraway Kusinārā. But the words He taught, His Dhamma, were not fading away. The way of liberation he was enlightened is still circulating in millions of human hearts. That is because, after the Buddha's death, the Arahants and his disciples continued to propagate the Dharma throughout India, across borders, across the West to Egypt, the United States. , deep into the Eastern territory to Tibet, China, Japan, Vietnam, to Lapland in the cold arctic, as far as Java of the Antarctic Islands. To this day, two and a half millennia since the Buddha's entry into Nirvana, all over one-third of the world territory has revered the name of the Buddha: Respectful Offering, Chanh Venerable Tri, Minh Hanh Tuc, Thien Oath,

Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu!

How healthy! How healthy! How healthy!

Dedicating Cong Duc

May all sentient beings

Share the full blessing today

May all from here

Always peaceful, fortunate in all regions.

May you all, Long Thien

Heaven and earth are majestic miracles

Sharing deep merit together

Maintain the Dharma lasting forever. END=NAM MO SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).GOLDEN AMITABHA MONASTERY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THICH CHAN TANH.AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.25/8/2020.