The Nirvana Sutra, Vol. 4

 

The Nirvana Sutra (S: Mahāparinirvāṇasūtra), Vol. 4

A young mother once attended the Buddha’s Dharma teaching assembly, but she was constantly distracted by thoughts of her baby. The Buddha addressed her publicly, asking, “Are you worried about your infant baby, not sure whether your new baby food suits it or not?”

The young mother was so amazed by the Buddha’s remark. She said, “Amazing, World-Honored One! How could you know my thoughts? Indeed, I was deeply concerned about my baby, wondering if its new food suits it. Could the World-Honored One calm my worries?” 

The Buddha addressed the young mother, saying, “Have no worries. Your baby is growing and needs to have more nutrition to support its body movements. The original food was not sufficient to allow the child to progress.”

The Buddha did the same, expounding various dharmas, to allow sentient beings of different capacities to nicely assimilate. 

“Hence, the Buddha taught the notions of non-self and impermanence. If the World-Honored One initially taught the concept of permanence, those who had heard the teaching would consider it the same as the dharma of non-Buddhists and would leave straight away.”

 “All my sound hearer (srāvaka) disciples are the same as your infant, who is yet incapable of absorbing the permanent dharma. Hence, I initially taught them the concepts of suffering and impermanence. Should my sound hearer disciples become equipped with enough meritorious deeds to be able to practice the Mahayana sutras, I would then speak of the six flavors in the sutras. What are the six flavors? They are the vinegar-sour taste of suffering, the salty taste of impermanence, the bitter taste of selflessness, the sweet taste of bliss, the pungent taste of the self, and the blandness of permanence. Thus, the mundane world comprises three flavors: the notions of impermanence, selflessness, and non-bliss. Using the analogy of afflictions as the fuel and wisdom as the fire, with such cause and condition, the meal of nirvana, which is permanent, blissful, and the self will be consummated. The disciples will then be delighted to consume the meal.”

《大般涅槃經》卷4：

「世尊如是，為欲調伏諸眾生故，善能分別，說消、不消。亦說諸法無我、無常。若佛世尊先說常者，受化之徒，當言此法與外道同，即便捨去。」

「我之所有聲聞弟子，亦復如是，如汝嬰兒，不能消是常住之法，是故我先說苦、無常。若我聲聞諸弟子等，功德已備，堪任修習大乘經典，我於是經，為說六味。云何六味？說苦醋味、無常醎味、無我苦味、樂如甜味、我如辛味、常如淡味。彼世間中有三種味，所謂無常、無我、無樂。煩惱為薪，智慧為火，以是因緣成涅槃飯，謂常、樂、我，令諸弟子悉皆甘嗜。」

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