The Sutra of Forty-two chapters

[Kaitan]

I came across this morning with dialogue from the book 'The Hitchhikers's Guide to the Galaxy' and there they mentioned the number 42. Turns out that is it a curious number that is at least relevant in Chinese Buddhism and other religions and there's a Sutra called 'The Sutra of Forty-two chapters'.

Has anyone read this Sutra or knows a good reference to read it. According to Wikipedia it's a brief prologue and 42 short chapters.

Gasshō

stlah, Kaitan

[Jundo]

Hi Kaitan,

Well, Wiki Roshi reveals a variety of implications for 42, including ...

42 is the atomic number of molybdenum.
42 is the atomic mass of one of the naturally occurring stable isotopes of calcium.
The angle rounded to whole degrees for which a rainbow appears (the critical angle).
...
It is also the sum of the first six positive non-zero even numbers, 2+4+6+8+10+12, and a Harshad number in decimal, because the sum of its digits is six (4+2=6), which evenly divides 42.
...
The password expiration policy for a Microsoft Windows domain defaults to 42 days.
...
The New General Catalogue object NGC 42 is a spiral galaxy in the constellation Pegasus.
...
Over most of pharaonic Egyptian history, the empire was divided into 42 nomes. Ancient Egyptian religion and mythological structure frequently model this terrestrial structure
...
There are 42 Stations of the Exodus which are the locations visited by the Israelites following their exodus from Egypt, recorded in Numbers 33
...
In Japanese culture, the number 42 is considered unlucky because the numerals when pronounced separately—shi ni (four two)—sound like the word "dying"
...
Lewis Carroll, who was a mathematician, made repeated use of this number in his writings.
...
"42" is an episode of Doctor Who, set in real time lasting approximately 42 minutes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/42_(number)#Works_of_Lewis_Carroll

As to the Sutra, it is not very long, and there are a few translations available online. One explains ...

In the year of 67 C.E., at the special invitation by Emperor Ming of the Later Han Dynasty, two Indian Buddhist masters from India, Kashyapa-matanga and Gobharana, arrived at Luoyang (洛陽) , China. Five years before their arrival, in 62 C.E., Emperor Ming had dreamed that a golden man flew into his palace. The next day he consulted his advisor who told the emperor that must be the sage Buddha. In 64 C.E. a delegation was sent to India to seek the Buddhadharma. Kashyapa-matanga and Gobharana came with white horses, bearing precious sutras, Buddha statues, and relics. The emperor built them a monastery - the very first Buddhist monastery in all of China, aptly named The White Horse Monastery (白馬寺) . There they undertook the great task of translating The Sutra of Forty-Two Chapters - the first Buddhist text translated into the Chinese language. In the Sutra there are aspects of Theravada and Mahayana; expedient means and ultimate reality; gradual cultivation and sudden enlightenment. Even more importantly, all of the various teachings in the Sutra of Forty-Two Chapters are ultimately one single vehicle pointing to one single goal – enlightenment.

Another explains ...

This Sutra was the first official Buddhist literature translated into Chinese by two early Indian missionaries (Kasyapa Matanga and Gobharana) during the reign of Emperor Ming of the Later Han Dynasty. The translators extracted all the passages from different Buddhist Canonical books which they brought along for their missionary purposes. It was compiled after the fashion of the Confucian Analects to suit the Chinese and therefore each section begins with “The Buddha said,” which corresponds to the Confucian “The Master said.” This Sutras was therefore specially prepared for the Chinese Buddhists and it contains a good collection of moral and religious sayings of the Buddha. It is still widely read by the Chinese and is very dear to their hearts.

Here are a few good passages ... It seems like a real mix of various flavors of Buddhism, some with a bit of a "nothing to attain" Zen flavor, although many not and very traditional (a bit sexist/ableist to modern eyes), clearly celebrating monastic life over lay life ...

The Buddha said, "Those who have left the home-life and become Shramanas cut off desire, renounce love, and recognize the source of their minds. They penetrate the Buddha's profound principles and awaken to the unconditioned Dharma. Internally they have nothing to attain, and externally they seek nothing. They are not mentally bound to the Way, nor are they tied to karma. They are free of thought and action; they neither cultivate nor attain certification; they do not pass through the various stages, and yet they are highly revered. This is the meaning of the Way." ...
...
The Buddha said, "An evil person who harms a sage is like one who raises his head and spits at heaven. Instead of reaching heaven, the spittle falls back on him. It is the same with someone who throws dust against the wind. Instead of going somewhere else, the dust returns to defile his own body. The sage cannot be harmed. Misdeeds will inevitably destroy the doer."
...
The Buddha said, "When you see someone who is practicing giving, aid him joyfully, and you will obtain vast and great blessings."
A Shramana asked, "Is there an end to those blessings?"
The Buddha said, "Consider the flame of a single torch. Though hundreds and thousands of people come to light their own torches from it so that they can cook their food and ward off darkness, the first torch remains the same. Blessings, too, are like this."
...
A Shramana asked the Buddha, "By what causes and conditions can I know my past lives and understand the ultimate Way?"
The Buddha said, "By purifying your mind and preserving your resolve, you can understand the ultimate Way. Just as when you polish a mirror, the dust vanishes and brightness remains, so too, if you cut off desire and do not seek, you then can know past lives."
...
The Buddha said, "My Dharma is the mindfulness that is both mindfulness and non-mindfulness. It is the practice that is both practice and non-practice. It is words that are words and non-words, and cultivation that is cultivation and non-cultivation. Those who understand are near to it; those who are confused are far away, indeed. It is not accessible by the path of language. It is not hindered by physical objects. If you are off by a hairsbreadth, you will lose it in an instant."
...
The Buddha said, "People are bound to their families and homes to such an extent that these are worse than a prison. Eventually one is released from prison, but people never think of leaving their families. Don't they fear the control that emotion, love, and sex have over them? Although they are in a tiger's jaws, their hearts are blissfully oblivious. Because they throw themselves into a swamp and drown, they are known as ordinary people. Pass through the gateway! Get out of the defilement and become an Arhat!"
...
The Buddha said, "It is difficult for one to leave the evil destinies and become a human being.
"Even if one does become a human being, it is still difficult to become a man rather than a woman.
"Even if one does become a man, it is still difficult to have the six sense organs complete and perfect.
"Even if the six sense organs are complete and perfect, it is still difficult for one to be born in a central country.
"Even if one is born in a central country, it is still difficult to be born at a time when there is a Buddha in the world.
"Even if one is born at a time when there is a Buddha in the world, it is still difficult to encounter the Way.
"Even if one does encounter the Way, it is still difficult to bring forth faith.
"Even if one brings forth faith, it is still difficult to resolve one's mind on Bodhi.
"Even if one does resolve one's mind on Bodhi, it is still difficult to be beyond cultivation and attainment."
...
The Buddha asked a Shramana, "How long is the human life span?" He replied, "A few days." The Buddha said, "You have not yet understood the Way."
He asked another Shramana, "How long is the human life span?" The reply was, "The space of a meal." The Buddha said, "You have not yet understood the Way."
He asked another Shramana, "How long is the human life span?" He replied, "The length of a single breath." The Buddha said, "Excellent. You have understood the Way."
...
The Buddha said, "I look upon royalty and high positions as upon the dust that floats through a crack. I look upon treasures of gold and jade as upon broken tiles. I look upon fine silk clothing as upon cheap cotton. I look upon a great thousand-world universe as upon a small nut kernel. I look upon the waters of the Anavatapta Lake as upon oil used to anoint the feet."

Here are some online Translations:

https://www.buddhajewel.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/sutra-of-42-chapters-sutra-v1.3.12-20131216.pdf

https://huntingtonarchive.org/resources/downloads/sutras/01earlyTexts/The%20Sutra%20of%2042%20Sections.pdf

https://www.cttbusa.org/42s/42sections.asp.html

Gassho, J

stlah

[Kaitan]

Thanks a lot, Jundo

Gasshō

stlah, Kaitan

[Kotei]

I came across this morning with dialogue from the book 'The Hitchhikers's Guide to the Galaxy' and there they mentioned the number 42. Turns out that is it a curious number that is at least relevant in Chinese Buddhism and other religions and there's a Sutra called 'The Sutra of Forty-two chapters'.

Deep Thought after computing and checking for 7+1/2 million years, presented 42 as the answer.
But also points out that the answer is meaningless because the beings who instructed it never knew what the question was.
I always thought that asking the right questions can be more important than getting all the answers.
Gassho,
Kotei sat/lah today.

[Kaitan]

Yes, I found very cryptic that answer. I thought I'd get some idea of what it meant. I didn't read the book, I only found the question and the answer. =)

Gasshō

stlah, Kaitan

[Kotei]

Long ago I fell in love with the book and the old absurd bbc tv series. Not so much the more recent movie.
There is imho quite some "Zen" in it, but that is maybe just my crooked sense of humor.
Gassho, Kotei sat/lah today.

[michaelw]

That was my recollection too 'if the answer is 42 then you asked the wrong question'.

Gassho
MichaelW

satlah

[Taigen]

From Douglas Adams himself, ""It was a joke. It had to be a number, an ordinary, smallish number, and I chose that one. Binary representations, base thirteen, Tibetan monks are all complete nonsense. I sat at my desk, stared into the garden and thought '42 will do'".

Gassho, Benjamin
Satlah