56.62. Biên Ðịa

Atha kho bhagavā parittaṁ nakhasikhāyaṁ paṁsuṁ āropetvā bhikkhū āmantesi:

“Taṁ kiṁ maññatha, bhikkhave,

katamaṁ nu kho bahutaraṁ—yo vāyaṁ mayā paritto nakhasikhāyaṁ paṁsu āropito, ayaṁ vā mahāpathavī”ti?

“Etadeva, bhante, bahutaraṁ, yadidaṁ—mahāpathavī; appamattakāyaṁ bhagavatā paritto nakhasikhāyaṁ paṁsu āropito.

Saṅkhampi na upeti, upanidhampi na upeti, kalabhāgampi na upeti mahāpathaviṁ upanidhāya bhagavatā paritto nakhasikhāyaṁ paṁsu āropito”ti.

“Evameva kho, bhikkhave, appamattakā te sattā ye majjhimesu janapadesu paccājāyanti; atha kho eteva bahutarā sattā ye paccantimesu janapadesu paccājāyanti aviññātāresu milakkhesu …pe….

Dutiyaṁ.

Then the Buddha, picking up a little bit of dirt on his fingernail, addressed the mendicants:

“What do you think, mendicants?

Which is more: the little bit of dirt on my fingernail, or this great earth?”

“Sir, the great earth is certainly more. The little bit of dirt on your fingernail is tiny.

Compared to the great earth, it doesn’t count, there’s no comparison, it’s not worth a fraction.”

“In the same way, the sentient beings reborn in central countries are few, while those reborn in the borderlands, among uneducated foreigners, are many. …”