The ‘Putting-down’ of a Fanzhi who had achieved
The Five Supernatural Powers

Taken from The Buddha Speaks Black’s Fanzhi Sutra(【佛說黑氏梵志經】)

At the Age of Sakyamuni Buddha, in India, there lived a Fanzhi (‘Fan’ means purity, a Fanzhi is a Buddhist ascetic with his will sets on purity) who had not only possessed the realm of The Four Dhyana, but had also fully achieved The Five Supernatural Powers. His physical body was able to fly around freely. In addition, this Fanzhi was also good at expounding the doctrine, his preaching was so touching that it attracted deities, ghosts, spirits and even the Yama (master of hell) to attend his dharma lectures.

One day, after listening to the Fanzhi’s dharma-teaching, the Yama looked extremely grieved and started to cry. The Fanzhi did not understand why, so he asked the Yama for the reason. The Yama answered, “Your dharma-teaching is really very appealing. Yet, there’re only seven days left before you die and even worse are that you’ll fall into Naraka (the hell) after your death. That’s why I’m heart broken.”

As the Fanzhi examined himself that he had already attained The Four Dhyana as well as the Five Supernatural Powers, he was puzzled to learn that he would fall into Naraka after death. The Yama continued to explain, “Though you’ve fully achieved The Five Supernatural Powers, you’ve not yet attained the sixth one which is the ending of transmigration. This makes you remain in the cycle of life and death. When you die and discover that you still have to reincarnate because you’ve not yet achieved the state of Nirvana. At that very critical moment, you fly into a rage causing wrong views to generate. You become so irate that you deny the existence of Nirvana. Unfortunately, this error does not only nullify all your previous effort, but also makes you fall into Naraka.”

Learning about his suffering after death, the Fanzhi got the fidgets throughout the days since he had no idea how he could be free from transmigration and be liberated. Some deities suggested him going to the Buddha to consult the matter. The Fanzhi was roused and immediately brought two bouquets of flowers in both of his hands and flew to the Buddha to seek for the Dharma.

When the Buddha saw him coming in, He said, “Fanzhi, put down!”

The Fanzhi put down the bouquet of flowers in his right hand at once. The Buddha said again, “Fanzhi, put down!”

The Fanzhi then put down the other bouquet of flowers in his left hand. The Buddha said once again, “Fanzhi, put down!”

The Fanzhi could not understand what the Buddha meant, he said, “Buddha, the flowers I brought to offer You are all put down. Now, both of my hands are empty, there’s nothing else to be put down any more!” The Buddha pointed to his heart and asked, “Can you also put this down?”

Hearing the Buddha’s words, the Fanzhi immediately put down all his six-sense-root (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind), six-sense-field (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch and thought) and the six-consciousness. Instantly, he attained the achievement of an arhant (an enlightened man). Having completed all The Six Supernatural Powers, the Fanzhi was liberated and gained the sovereignty of a delusion-free mind.

Postscript:
Sentient beings are unable to put their hearts down, they make themselves worry about personal gains and losses by frequently thinking of the past, the present and the future deeds. As a result, they continued to revolve in the life-and-death transmigration without having any chance to end the sufferings of mortality. Secularists cannot put down because they are unable to see through matters. Their incapacity to distinguish the truth behind things makes them to be hoodwinked by false appearances, resulting in recognizing false as true. Consequently, they are clung to their hearts and are unable to be liberated.

The Buddha taught the Fanzhi by successively warning him ‘put-down’ for three times. His main purpose was to make the Fanzhi put down, firstly, the five-sense-field (the external states) ── sight, sound, smell, taste and touch; secondly, put down the five-sense-root ── eye, ear, nose, tongue and body; and finally put down his heart. As the heart represents the consciousness, the Buddha’s intention was to teach the Fanzhi to put down the six-sense-root (the five-sense-root plus mind), the six-sense-field (the five-sense-field plus thought) and the six-consciousness (created by the six-sense-field). If sentient beings can put down both the twelve bases (the sum of the six-sense-root and the six-sense-field) as well as the eighteen spheres (the sum of the six-sense-root, the six-sense-field and the six-consciousness), their own natures will appear and they can thus achieve Nirvana and eventually be liberated. It is just like the Fanzhi who managed to put his heart down and is independent from distractions; he was enlightened instantly and attained the achievement of arhant. Buddhist practitioners should understand and grasp at the ability of ‘putting-down’ then they can attain liberations, unrestrained and be free!