Part 9: Sermon on distinction between body and soul

After this hymn of praise, Śakra became silent, and the Blessed One, the Omniscient, began a sermon.

“Everything here is distinct from the soul. (Yet) for the sake of other things an unintelligent person makes himself fall into the ocean of existence by acquiring karma. When there is a distinction of the body because of the dissimilarity of the embodied, in that case the distinction of money, relatives, and friends is not difficult to assert. If anyone sees himself separated from the body, money, and relatives, to what point, alas! is his apprehension extended by the sting of sorrow! If there is a difference here, the separateness of the natures of soul, body, etc., which is characterized by their dissimilarity, follows perfectly obviously.

The body, etc. can be grasped by the senses. The soul has the sphere of understanding. How then could non-distinction between them arise? If the distinction in the natures of soul, body, etc. is clear, then how can the soul suffer from blows to the body, etc.? Certainly people who do not have knowledge of the separateness of the body, etc. suffer pain of soul from blows to the body, etc. One who does not know the distinction suffers when pain to his parents arises; he is confused in the case of pain to his servants from pride of ownership. Even a son that has been gained is really a stranger because he does not belong. Even a servant is superior to a son because he does belong. However many connections of himself a man makes dear, so many sources of sorrow are produced in his heart. Therefore a keen-witted person would recognize that all this is distinct. Therefore he would not be confused on the path of fundamental principles by the loss of anything. Casting away the coating of mud of attachment like a gourd, a man observing mendicancy, pure-minded, crosses existence quickly.”

After they had heard the sermon to this effect, many people were enlightened. Some became mendicants and others laymen. There were ninety-five gaṇabhṛts, Vidarbha and others, and they made the twelve aṅgas in accordance with the Master’s speech. At the end of the Master’s sermon, Vidarbha, the head of the gaṇabhṛts, seated on the Master’s foot-stool, delivered a sermon. When Gaṇabhṛt Vidarbha had finished preaching, the gods and others bowed to the Lord and went to their respective places.